40G 
THE COTTAGE GAEDENER. 
Februart 24. 
seed,” and that his ground, which had been manured 
and ridged in autumn, had been levelled down early in 
February, and has undergone the changes of weather 
during that mouth ; it will be lit to receive the seed 
towards the end of it, or beginning of March, provided 
it be suliicieutly dry to allow treading upon without 
kneading it into an impenetrable mass; this, of course, 
must not be done under any circumstances, for when 
the weather seems unlikely to allow the ground to be 
trampled over without consolidating the mass into that 
I state, it must not be trod upon at all; but the plot, 
I instead of being sown in continuous rows, must be 
divided into beds of about three-feet-and-a-balf each, 
with eighteen-inch alleys, and the crop then sown broad¬ 
cast. This plan, however, need not be adopted when 
access to the ground can be had without injury ; for we 
prefer sowing in rows about a foot apart, as the crop is 
easier and belter managed during the summer, and the 
produce for a given space of ground is generally larger. 
Shallow drills drawn by a boo is best, which cover up 
when sown; and do not be too particular and exact in 
the raking, provided the seed be only covered, as that is 
the principal thing. The smooth nicety with which the 
ground is sometimes dressed is detrimental to the crop. 
The rains, &c., which often intervene before the young 
plants make their appearance, llatten the surface so 
much, that it presents a very unkind medium for them 
to vegetate in, while it cannot be stirred until the plants 
show themselves. When the ground is very stiff, and 
likely to form a hardened surface, impermeable to the 
atmosphere, &c., it is better to mix something with it to 
keep it open. It has for many years been the practice 
of those residing in districts where much charcoal is 
made, to mix a part of the “ashes or refuse” with the 
soil the onions are sown in, more especially the top part. 
This important addition prevents ground, however tena¬ 
cious, from caking into a solid mass. It has other good 
properties as well, so that when it can be obtained, it 
may be used with the best possible effect. Coal ashes 
are not so good, but they are still useful; still more so, 
however, are wood-ashes; and, in fact, any light open¬ 
ing substance that will prevent the ground running into 
that hard, impenetrable mass, which a stiff soil is prone 
to do when soddening rains are followed by dry weather. 
Of the kinds proper to sow it is almost needless to say 
much. The Strasburgh is, undoubtedly, one of the best 
keeping kinds; but the bulbs are uniformly less than 
the Globe, Spanish, and some other kinds. The James 
Keeping is also a good onion, and keeps well; and, to 
those who are not particular to keep each kind by itself, 
wo would advise the Strasburgh, James Keepiing, and 
Rending, to be sown together mixed, and the other kinds 
mixed also, and sown in the mixed state. This mixing 
wo ju-efer in cases where bought or doubtful seeds are 
used, because the chances are that one of the kinds may 
bo worthless, or nearly so; consequently, a blank is 
made on tbe place where it is sown. This is, in a mea¬ 
sure, obviated by mixing tbe kinds, and sowing middling 
thick ; it is easy to draw a few when wanted, while it is 
not always that planted-out ones succeed well in any but 
favourite localities. 
As a general rule. Onions like a deep, rich soil; 
but, with judicious management, good crops are often 
seen on very indifferent ones; but then artificial assist¬ 
ance has been allowed them, and probably the season 
has been propitious. But, as they uniformly form an 
important crop in every garden, from that of the hum¬ 
blest cottager, upwards, it behoves the amateur to 
grant them that due allowance of the “good things” 
most crops delight in, in order that bis crop may be 
equal with, if not superior to, the poor cottager who 
may bo neighbour to him. 
Much more may be said on this matter; but, as our 
space is occupied, we must for the present take leave of 
our young friends, and advise them, while planning out 
what crops they think most suitable and profitable for 
each division of their garden, to bear in mind, tliat this 
deserves one of the best places ; and, if the instructions 
here given be carried out, and the season be at all 
favourable, tbe chances are that a good crop will be the 
issue. J. ItoBsoN. 
FEATHERS. 
A i-ioiiT title is this, yet bearing fast and fresh to us 
reflections many and weighty; though we should hesitate 
before we quite agreed with Mr. Macgillivray, in “ more : 
admiring the mind that had discovered the causes, rela¬ 
tions, connections, and objects of a feather, than that which 
had measured the magnitudes of tbe planets, traced their : 
orbits, and calculated their velocitie.s.” i 
Wondrous as is the structure, calculated to unite the 
greatest strength with the most extreme lightness; extra¬ 
ordinary as is the chemical composition, coagulated albumen, 
which is most powerful to resist breakage, and, unlike the 
gelatine of hair, is insoluble in water; curious as is the 
arrangement of every portion of the feather—and varying 
in every genus of birds—whether wo examine the tube or 
barrel, the shaft or stem, or the vane; and beauteous as are 
their tints—yet we must not, for our present purpose, 
descant upon any one of those peculi.arities, but must con¬ 
fine our attention to the markings which characterise the 
feathers of the various varieties of our Domestic Fowls. 
On this subject some difference of opinion, and much 
doubt, in tbe minds of amateurs, exists. After matiue con¬ 
sideration, and after listening to many arguments, we have 
resolved to publish a series of drawings of tlie most perfect 
specimens we can obtain; and our readers will oblige us 
by sundiug us any that they consider very superior. 
PENClr.LED FE.VTIIEIIS. 
The term “pencilled" is strictly applicalde only to the 
gold and silver varieties of the Hamburgh Fowl. For, 
although tlie hybrid races of a farm-yard, where Hamburgh 
blood lias been at some time infused, often exhibit traces 
of this plumage, more or less distinct, according to their [ 
degrees of illegitimacy, yet, a well-bred, perfect specimen 
should have nearly every feather on her body (for this , 
characteristic is almost limited to the female bird), the ' 
neck hackle alone excepted, distinctly marked with, at least, | 
four parallel transverse dark bars, about one-sixth-of-an- 
inch in width. It is this peculiar marking that constitutes [ 
tlie pencilled feather; the ground-colour of which will be j 
either a rich, but clear, yellow, or French-white, as the birds ' 
may I’espectively belong to the gold or silver varieties. j 
