February 5, 1887. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
357 
a yellow ground. Its shape is oblate, and, in all pro¬ 
bability, it is the largest-growing variety amongst the 
Canadian collection at this date. Northern Spy is a 
British variety that seems to attain considerable size in 
Canada. It is a dessert Apple of the best quality, 
with brisk and sweet white flesh. The skin is streaked 
and flushed with red on the exposed side, and presents 
a fine appearance on the table. A small or medium- 
sized Apple, named Johnstone, presents a fine appear¬ 
ance from its deep shining red colour, and is still quite 
firm. Another showy variety is that named Wealthy 
it is large, and yellow on one side, while the other side 
is wholly of a deep red colour. Foundling is another 
large sort, but seemed soft and less desirable at this 
season ; it is, however, a fine-looking Apple, suffused 
and streaked red on the exposed side on a clear yellow 
ground colour.— J. F. 
-- 
WEST HAM PARK, 
The favourite resort of East London, although 
of small pretensions compared with some of our public 
parks, is a place where one would consider the 
damages occasioned by a snowstorm, similar to the 
one lately experienced, would be strikingly ap¬ 
parent. My diurnal perambulation of its limits, and 
knowledge of each familiar feature, enables me to 
declare the contrary. The magnificent clumps of 
Rhododendrons and Azaleas exhibit few indications of 
injury. Situate in a hollow (the sub-tropical depart¬ 
ment) the force of the wind was mitigated to a great 
extent ; and now the gardeners have cut out the dead 
wood, re-tied those branches which had been torn from 
their supports, and forked over the borders, one would 
be really puzzled to identify any token of casualties. 
A very old Cornus Europfeus (European Dogwood), 
forming a natural bower over one of the paths, has 
escaped injury ; likewise Salisburia adiantifolia 
(Maidenhair Tree), a favourite of most visitors to the 
park. Taxushibernica, T. baccata, Thuja elegantissima 
and Araucaria imbricata, display no signs of mutilation; 
the same may be said of Sorbus domestica, Fagus 
sylvatica pendula, Rhus typhinus, Picea Nordmanniana, 
and Mespilus Germanica. Shrubs and evergreens, here 
and there, have had their branches lacerated ; and the 
larger trees (the “ brave old Oak ” and the “spreading 
Chestnut ”), from the fact of being more exposed, have 
lost some of their members through the violence of the 
wind. 
On the whole, the general surroundings denote an 
absence of any material rupture. It may not be generally 
known, but West Ham Park was formerly the grounds 
attached to the residence of Samuel and Elizabeth 
Gurney, near relatives of the celebrated Elizabeth Fry, 
the great prison reformer. A large stone with inscrip¬ 
tion to that effect marks the spot where the edifice 
stood. Purchased by the Corporation of the City of 
London, the grounds have been converted into a charming 
rendezvous for the lovers of flowers. Everything is 
carried out with neatness, and the arrangements and 
discipline to a nicety, comparing favourably with any 
of our larger public spaces. And the public do not 
abuse the great boon conferred ; there is an absence of 
that wanton mischief which, grievous to relate, is 
carried on in our parks ; wilful destruction to the fragile 
plant and sturdy tree, for no earthly motive. A visit 
tp this pretty spot will substantiate my statements, 
and prove an interesting and pleasant excursion in the 
summer .—Albert G. Hull , Forest Gate, Essex. 
-- 
ARAUCARIA EXCELSA. 
This is one of the finest decorative plants for furnish¬ 
ing either rooms or conservatories, and is especially 
useful in a small state ; medium-sized plants make the 
best of Christmas trees, but require to be taken care of 
that they do not suffer when used for this purpose, for 
if the branches are broken they are disfigured altogether. 
The bulk of the plants generally in the market are 
raised from seed, and consequently have a certain 
length of the stem upwards bare of branches ; as the 
plant increases in size this becomes more apparent, and 
the plant generally looks as if it would be better to 
cut it off at about 2 ft. from the top of the pot, then it 
would make an exceedingly handsome plant; but they 
can only be had in this state of perfection by obtaining 
them from cuttings. The little side branches strike 
easily enough when taken off with a heel, but they 
never make plants, nor can they ever do as there is no 
real lead to them. If a large plant should get too 
big for its house and become shabby at the bottom, cut 
the top ofr at the first joint from the apex (the top does 
not often root well), this will cause the plant to push 
up two or three leaders ; one of these will generally 
take the lead, and when this shoot is about 6 in. to 
9 in. in length and has become somewhat firm in its 
wood, it may then be taken off with a heel close to the 
parent stem. 
After this shoot has been taken away from the 
parent, the other shoots that are left will soon push 
up, and these as they are fit can be taken off to be 
rooted. This plant being of a resinous nature, I find 
it is not well to insert the cuttings immediately they 
are taken off, but I hang them up with either a piece 
of matting or string, upside down, to the roof of the 
house for a couple of days before potting them ; this 
allows the sap in the cutting to become settled, and 
the wound to somewhat dry up, having a beneficial 
effect in not losing any of the sap, which if allowed to 
escape would cause the outer bark on the cutting to 
shrivel up to a very great extent, and thus the chances 
of the cuttings rooting would be somewhat impaired. 
At the end of the two days I pot the cuttings in a 
mixture of sandy loam in a well-drained pot, placing a 
stake down by the centre of the cutting, and then 
carefully tying up the branches that will be partly 
developed, but will be still very tender. If the soil is 
moderately damp when the cutting is potted, no water 
will be required for a considerable time, and the pot 
or pots should be plunged up to the rim in a cool 
propagating house, and have a bell-glass placed over 
them. This bell-glass will be better if a small thumb 
pot or piece of crock is laid on the fibre, and one edge 
of the bell-glass is allowed to rest upon it ; this causes 
a sufficient circulation of air to work around the cut¬ 
tings to prevent any very great amount of damp from 
settling upon them which if allowed to remain would 
be very injurious. 
The bell-glass should be wiped dry every day, and if 
any great amount of moisture appears, it will be as 
well to take the glass off first thing in the morning, 
letting it remain off for a couple of hours till the dew 
has somewhat disappeared from the cutting; afterwards, 
wipe the glass, and place again over the cutting. If 
the cutting is going to root successfully, appearance of 
a callus will be showing in a couple of months ; but, 
to bring the rooting off successfully, six months time 
will be required before it can be considered safe, or, in 
some cases, a longer period. The cuttings may appear 
to some to be a long time on hand, but, considering 
the nature of the plant, it is no longer than a great 
many of our greenhouse hard-wooded plants, and taking 
into consideration the benefits of having a plant well 
furnished with branches down to the pot, the time 
spent in waiting is not altogether wasted If the 
fibre in which the cutting is plunged is kept moist, 
very little water is required to be given to the soil in 
the pot, but care must be taken that the soil is not 
allowed to become too dry. When the root-action of 
the parent plant is kept healthy, a very considerable 
number of cuttings can be made from an old plant 6 ft. 
or 8 ft. high ; for as each leader is taken away as it 
becomes fit, fresh ones will keep breaking out, and so 
keep up the supply. If this matter is carried out 
successfully, it will take a number of years to work all 
the eyes out of an old plant; but the plants thus 
obtained are in every way superior to seedlings. — IV. G. 
- -»=£* - 
NOTES ON ONIONS. 
Is there not a grave danger of our having almost too 
many new Onions ? They multiply with great rapidity, 
and being sent out in small packets at high prices, they, 
no doubt, make an excellent and remunerative com¬ 
mercial speculation. I confess to a good deal of scepticism 
as to the best part of them being actual crosses, though 
it is represented that they originate in this way. The 
fact is, they are merely selections. Take a good stock 
of the old White Spanish or Reading, and grow it 
against Banbury Improved, Nuneham Park, Walker’s 
Exhibition, Rousliam Park and any other new aspirant 
to favour of the same type, and grow them side by side, 
and one will need a very clear vision to see much 
difference between them. The fact is, the seeds of these 
high-priced new Onions are grown by gardeners, and, 
as they cultivate their plants well, fine heads of seed 
vessels are produced; the seeds are large and stout, and, 
as a consequence, they, if w T ell grown, in their turn 
produce fine bulbs. This gives an apt illustration of 
the value of selection. 
The Bedfordshire growers of Onions—and the bulk of 
the supply of White Spanish Onion seed comes from 
that part of the country—appear to do just the reverse. 
They sell their finest Onions, and plant the smallest for 
seed purposes, and so it is inevitable that deterioration 
follows. They should select some of their very best 
Onions for seed purposes, and then they would have a 
fine stock. 
Early sowing is necessary to have good Onions, but 
early sowing is of little value without good ground. 
The Onion plant produces a number of stout thread-like 
roots that reach some way into the ground, and they 
take a good deal of nutriment out of it. Onions are 
said to be an excellent crop to follow Cabbages ; but on 
the other hand it is well known that the same piece of 
ground will produce good bulbs year after year. I have 
heard of a case in wdiich the same piece of ground pro¬ 
duced excellent Onions every season for half-a-century. 
Growers of Onions for exhibition invariably heavily 
manure and deeply trench their ground in autumn, and 
then throw it up rough to be operated upon by the 
winter frosts. If the soil is a light and friable one, 
they sow the seeds as early in February as possible ; in 
the case of heavier ground of a more adhesive character, 
it had better be deferred until March ; but early sowing 
in reason is decidedly advantageous. The soil should 
be lightly forked over and levelled, beating it fine, and 
then be trodden down firmly. The seeds should be 
sown thinly in drills J in. deep and 9 ins. apart. The 
more thinly they are sown the better, because less 
thinning out is then required, and, consequently, less 
disturbance at the roots. The seeds need to be covered 
with fine rich soil, and the whole flattened down with 
the back of a spade. 
When the seedlings will appear above the soil 
depends very much upon the state of the weather. If 
it should be bright, sunny and open, the plants will 
appear in a fortnight; and all that is requisite is to 
keep weeds from growing among them, and encourage 
their growth in every possible way. Should the hoe be 
used between the rows, care should be taken that the 
soil be not drawn up close to the plant; some water 
should be given in dry weather. In growing a crop for 
general use, it is a good plan, at the first thinning, to 
leave a row of plants 2 ins. apart, later on pulling out 
each alternate one for use. If some very fine bulbs are 
required for the exhibition table, the Onions should be 
at least 6 ins. apart. Top-dressings of fine wood ashes 
greatly help the crop, and a little guano added occa¬ 
sionally is of assistance also. Wood ashes are said to 
give a fine hue of colour to the skin, and they prevent 
the ravages of the Onion maggot. 
How to get fine necks to the Onions is a matter of 
some moment. As soon as the bulbs have pretty well 
made their growth, the grower should begin to pinch in 
the necks of the bulbs — say, three times a week—with 
the result that they will gradually wither, and assume 
that fine character so much admired. It is a mistake 
to cut them away—do not do that, but pinch them 
instead. When the crop is matured, it should be pulled 
on a dry day, left on the ground, if the weather keeps 
fine, for a day or two, shading from the sun with a 
