Fkbbuary20. country GENTLEAIAN’S COMTANiON. SUa 
Sarvia gesner.kflora. —The treatment of this has 
often been given. Perhaps the simplest mode for getting 
good-sized tioweriug-plants would be to prune back close 
to a bud, in April, the younger plants when done 
flowering; or to insert cuttings in March or the beginning 
of April. In either case, turn the plants out into rich 
soil in June; stop, train, and water during summer; 
raise and pot carefully in the beginning of October, and 
house secure from frost before the end of it. In a com¬ 
mon greenhouse they will be coming into bloom by the 
end of this month, and will be gay with their rich 
scarlet flowers for two months to come. 
Hippeastrum, Habranthus, Zephyranthus, and 
OTHER Amaryllids, wlioso leavcs die down when the 
bulb is matured.—^One word as to these, which will ex¬ 
plain several disappointments and prevent mistakes. 
Keep most of these when at rest from 5° to 10° above 
the freezing point; they will remain at rest in a higher 
temperature if kept dry. Supposing they are all in pots, 
and you wish to start them into bloom, do not touch 
them in the way of repottinfj ; place the pots merely in the 
increased temperature, and moisten with water at about 
75“^; after the plants have had the benefit of the rise in 
temperature for a few days. If there are flower-buds 
formed, they will, show themselves before long, then 
pick off the surface soil and add fresh, rich compost; 
old cow-dung may constitute a good portion. This, with 
waterings over it, will cause the flower-stem to rise thick 
and strong. Shortly after the flowering is over, and the 
plants have had a short time to rest, give what repotting 
is required; and during summer let the foliage liave all 
the sun possible until they begin to wither, and then 
the bulbs must be rested until wanted to bloom the 
following season. It will be evident that plants that do 
not bloom must be treated in a similar manner for en¬ 
suring bloom the next year. The finer the foliage made, 
provided that is fully exposed to light, and j)laced in a 
growing beat, and the more perfectly the bulbs are thus 
matured, the better will they bloom the following year, 
and all the more from being tboroughly rested by the 
soil being next to dry. Kinds, sucb as Hippeastrum 
Aidicum, that do not die down so readily, merely require 
less water in autumn and winter, but not to be dry. I 
have found, that as a general rule, the best lime for 
repotting is after blooming. R. Fish. 
SOWING ONIONS. 
There is scarcely a crop of more importance to the 
cottager than one of Onions, and few vegetables are 
more general favourites. 
In its cultivation, the first point to be remembered is, 
that although the Onion, like most other crops, prefers 
a changed soil each year, yet that this change is not 
indispensable, as I have seen large breadths of ground 
in the market-gardens on beds that had borne Onions 
for many years in succession; but as there is no real 
advantage in having this cx'op on the same ground for a 
succession of years, and as other crops benefit by the 
change, it is prudent for the cottage gardener to change 
his Onion ground as mentioned in some of the former 
articles of this work; and having pepared it as directed, 
so as to be ready by the proper time of sowing, a few 
remarks bearing on that operation may now be of 
service to him. 
Commencing at what is of the most importance, “ the 
selection of seed,” it is advisable to have this, if possible, 
of home-growth, and, likewise, that of the preceding 
year; for though the seed will retain its vitality for 
several years, still it is questionable whether the produce 
will ever be as good as that from a more fresh, I'obust 
seed. Resides which, there are other qualities than a 
robust growth that is necessary in the Onion, one of 
which qualities is the good keeping of the produce, 
which good keeping quality those obtained from foreign 
seed are said not to possess. 
Varieties of the Onion are, like those of other garden 
produce, numerous enough, or, rather, names are plenti¬ 
ful; but a good kind that has been long cultivated in 
this country is always preferable to that from a warmer 
I climate, as the latter is not so likely to perfect its growth 
so well as that home-grown, sufficiently early in the 
season to be able to be kept through the winter. This 
is very important, and ought to be attended to. If it 
be necessary to mention names, I may say that the 
; Reading Onion is as good as any for the general crop ; 
‘ the Olobe is also a good cropper, but does not keep very 
well, while the brown and white Spanish are both good ! 
and useful. The old Strashurg is now considered small, 
yet there are few, or none, that keep so well, so that it 
is advisable to sow a few of it in order to have them as 
late as possible. Some cultivators, wbo have not the 
means to grow their own seeds, buy two or three kinds 
and mi.x them, so that if one fails, the seedlings from 
another may sup))ly its place. 'J’o those who are anxious 
to notice the various points in the kinds cultivated, 
this will not do; but, generally, ])eoplo are more careless, 
in that respect, concerning this crop than most others ; 
and in using the produce, it will be as well to avoid 
cousumingahose which seem to keep best; that is, let 
; those be used first that show symptoms of growing or 
! decaying. 
Of the soil suitable for Onions there has already been 
a good deal said; suffice it hero to say, that when the 
soil is good, this crop roots much deeper than is 
generally supposed. 1 noticed some, last year, which 
had ])enetralod upwards of twenty-two inches, the 
ground being good the whole depth, and the dry 
weather tending to drive the roots downwards in search 
of food, which they cannot always obtain in sufficient 
abundance near the top. It is always advisable to 
have the ground good, so that the bulbs may attain as 
large a size as possible; and as tbe Onion seems to 
relish a lich, loamy soil, in preference to one either i 
I particularly light, or heavy, it will be advisable to j 
humour it, in that respect, by adding manure before ; 
sowing, and once or twice, at the proper time, applying ' 
liquid-manure when the bulbs are swelling. | 
In regard to the most proper time for sowing Onions, ! 
there is a much wider latitude than for most other crops, 
the seed being particularly hardy, and the progeny less ' 
liable to injury from insects, slugs, and other enemies to I 
young vegetation than most plants. It is not necessary, ' 
therefore, to defer the sowing to any particular day, as ' 
is sometimes advised for other crops; for whenever the j 
' ground is in good order, the seed may be sown without , 
; any fear of the consequences; but, usually, the first or 
second week in iMarch will do as well as any other time, ^ 
provided the ground be dry enough. The most general : 
way is to sow these seeds in rows drilled out, about a j 
foot apart; and as that operation cannot be done with- ; 
out some treading upon the ground, this must be dry, ! 
and then the treading does good rather than harm. 
When the soil and season are wet some other mode 
must be ado])ted for sowing such seeds; for, be it ob- 
! served, it is not prudent to leave tbe sowing till late, 
as the summer, or, rather, the hot part of it, is quite 
short enough for this crop perfecting its bulbs. When, 
therefore, a succession of wet weather prevents the 
ground being operated u])on without treading it into a 
solid mass, it is better to divide the plot into beds, about 
four feet wide, with fifteen or eighteen-inch alleys, and 
to sow the seed broad-cast. In this way there will be a 
small loss in the alleys ; but the plants in the beds are 
often allowed to remain much thicker than when they 
are in. rows, so that the difi’erence in the quantity of the 
produce is not so great as might be supposed; and there 
