148 THE COTTAGE GARDENER. May 29. 
those flowers for exhibition purposes, the plant is sur¬ 
rounded by stakes and screens sufficient to disgust an 
observer of Nature with the notion of growing such 
fancy tilings; in fact, some flowers are said to have been 
brought out on the stand in almost as much an artificial 
condition as if they were made of wax. Thus, the same 
individual will plant his Turn Thumb Geraniums at six 
inches apart, and his Strawberries at two feet or more, 
and yet there is but little or no difference in the size of 
the two plants when both full grown ; but as the design 
is said to be to have a full display as early as possible in 
the flower beds, I cannot find much fault with it, but 
beg none of our younger readers will attempt anything 
like it in the kitchen-garden; for, however well to a 
cursory look a well-covered piece of ground may be, it 
may, at certain times, be obtained at a great sacrifice of 
the articles there grown; for instance, a bed of Onions 
may look well enough to the eye of a stranger passing 
along in a railway train, but a more close inspection 
will detect all the evils that a want of “ thinning in 
time” leads to, while all other crops are affected in like 
manner. 
It is, therefore, now important, when the growing 
season may be regarded as at its best, to take especial 
care that nothing suffers from want of room. 
I have been sometimes pained to see a lot of the 
Cabbage tribe allowed to remain on the seed-bed long 
after they ought to have been planted out, and, of course, 
they got as shanky and crooked as possible; and when 
planting-out time did arrive, how often are these crooked 
stemmed plants forced into a straight line, and thrust 
headlong into a deep hole, made by some extraordinary 
substitute of a dibber, so deep, in fact, that no more 
than what is necessary of the top is left above the 
surface. Now, when the soil is as good two feet below 
the surface as at the top, this may not do so much harm, 
but I know of very few instances in which it is so. In 
fact, I might say, 1 do not know of any case in which it 
is so; for, apart from the supposition that the subsoil 
may bo inferior to the top, there is a sad denial of the 
want of air as we proceed downwards, which tells much 
against vegetation; and though here, again, we are met by 
a kind accommodation on the part of Nature, who assists, 
or rather directs the plants to root upwards into soil 
more becoming its wants, yet in doing so, there is a loss 
of time, during which the plant looks badly, and very 
often, to make bad worse, the unsuspecting looker-on 
deluges it with cold spring water, as if an invalid wanted 
a cold bath. This evil being of very common occur¬ 
rence, I would here call attention to it; and though 
it may be almost impossible at all times to get all such 
plants planted out before they do get leggy, I would 
advise the new beginner to take a little more time and 
patience in the operation, and when he meets with 
Cabbage plants that have stood over winter in the seed¬ 
bed, with stems something like the handle of a winch, 
his first care is to be sure not to break them in the 
taking up, and afterwards to plant them with the spade, 
allowing the horizontal part of the stem to remain the 
same as before, only an inch or two under ground; this 
can be easily accomplished, and the root will be no 
deeper, or very little so, than it was before, while the 
plant will have had no twisting or unnatural operation 
to endure, except, of course, the removal, which is 
something. Now, as there are many gardens in which 
it would be important to trust to the subsoil alone as 
producing the crop, I think it would he well for those 
who plant out Cabbages with the crow-bar to consider 
the absurdity of so doing—a neat present appearance is 
the only plea—the plant is placed up to the neck, as, of 
course, it should be, but its other extremity may be in 
stiff clay or barren gravel. 
Such Cabbages had not been properly thinned, and 
now let us look at some other crops that have been 
similarly neglected—a bed of Onions , for instance. Now, 
we all know the top or blade part of the Onion is only 
that portion of the bulb which is necessary to support 
it by the intiueuce it exercises in contact with the air; 
in fact, a sort of lungs to the plant; but, that like the 
same important organ in ourselves, it can only act well 
when in a healthy condition. Now, when the crop has 
undergone the stifling process of being allowed to run 
up in contact with each other, all struggling and 
striving for that agency which is denied to each, their 
lower parts become, to a certain extent, blanched and 
tender, and when the rude process of thinning does take 
place, the delicate portion of the plant, before screened 
from the atmosphere by surrounding plants, is suddenly 
exposed to it, perhaps to the bright sunshine, and the 
plant’s supporters being gone, it, as a matter of necessity, 
falls down, and it needs no argument to prove the 
injury it must sustain before it recovers its proper 
position again; not that the operation ought to be 
delayed on account of the weather, unless there seem some 
urgent reasons for so doing, but that it would have been 
better had it been done some time before. “ Thinning in 
time” may, therefore, be regarded as one of the funda¬ 
mental laws of gardening, which every one ought to obey 
to the letter who wishes for success in anything he 
attempts to cultivate. 
When a young crop is compelled to struggle for an 
existence with an encroaching enemy, in the shape of 
groundsel, chickweed, &c., the evil is the same, or worse, 
than when subjected to competition with their own kind ; 
for, in most instances, the progress of weeds is faster 
than that of the legitimate crop, so that we have a 
much worse case than the other ; but the universal war 
waged between the cultivator of plants and weeds is so 
well known, that it is needless here referring further to 
it than to urge on its being vigorously carried out, 
especially amongst young crops, and, in fact, all others; 
for though there may be some excuse in allowing a few 
annual weeds to get a little a-head on ground intended 
to be dug very soon, yet the practice has few points to 
recommend it, while its general untidyness is sufficient 
to condemn it. 
Without going into the details of thinning particular 
crops, I would strongly advise the young and careful 
cultivator not to run into an error which brings retribu¬ 
tion with it, namely,—having a large portion of such 
crops as Carrots and Onions to be drawn for use while 
young. This laudable forethought, as it may be some¬ 
times called, is often carried too far, and the main crop 
is much injured by so much more than the requisite 
quantity being left for this purpose, and the consequent 
injury the main crop receives by struggling on so long 
in a thick state. With such crops, both present 
appearance and future abundance are secured by closely 
attending to the time-honoured maxim of “ Thinning 
in time.” J. Robson. 
NOTES FROM PARIS.—No. 12. 
The Universal Horticultural Exhibition was opened on 
the 3rd inst., in the grounds prepared for it in the Champs 
Elysees, but only Commissioners and Members of the Hor¬ 
ticultural Society were admitted on that day. The following 
day the price of admission was two-francs-and-a-half, but 
the usual charge is fixed at one franc on the week days, and 
lialf-a franc on Sundays. Unfortunately, the weather was for 
the preceding eight days somewhat cold and cheerless, and 
though the trees were green, and the flowers of the season 
in full bloom, we had but little sun, and the wind continued 
in the north and east. The opening of this Exhibition was, 
therefore, less brilliant than could have been wished, and, 
as yet, but few people have paid it a visit, though there is 
no lack of promenaders every day in the vicinity. A week 
or two must, however, elapse before the houses and tents 
