THE GARDENING WORLD. 
The Cultivation of the 
Onion. 
The Onion is one of the most useful 
vegetables we grow in the garden, also 
one that is asked for in the kitchen all the 
year round; hence its usefulness. The 
best mode of culture is good deep trench¬ 
ing, which should be done quite early in 
the autumn, so as to give the ground time 
to get well settled before spring, as the 
Onion will not do well on loose, freshly- 
dug ground. A good quantity of good 
farm-yard manure should be dug into the 
bottom of the trench, also some good rot¬ 
ten manure put between the top spits, as 
the Onion is very deep rooted and a lover 
of good strong and fairly heavy ground. 
In trenching the ground always leave the 
top as rough as possible to let the weather 
into it, as you get a much better tilth 
when you come to plant in the spring 
than you would if left fine on the top. 
Then early in February, or when the 
ground is fairly dry, mix up a good dress¬ 
ing of burnt ashes from the rubbish heap, 
which has been kept quite dry, some good 
soot, and a little air-slaked lime, mixing 
all well together at the time of sowing, 
well forking it in, still leaving the ground 
as rough as possible. 
Seed Sowing and Planting. 
To grow good exhibition Onions the 
seed should be sown either in August of 
the previous year in the open ground and 
planted out in permanent quarters in the 
spring, or else sown in a box or pan in 
gentle heat in January. About 40 deg. 
is quite hot enough, as it is a great mis¬ 
take to force or coddle them up in any 
way. As soon as the plants are’ up and 
large enough to handle, they should be 
pricked off into boxes about four inches 
deep, into which a good layer of well 
rotted manure has been put in the bottom, 
then filling up the box with some good 
soil. Prick out the plants about three 
inches apart each way. Water carefully 
in, and then put back into gentle heat 
till they are established, and then put 
into a cold pit, gradually hardening them 
off till they will do with the lights off alto¬ 
gether. Early in April, when a little 
showery, plant them out with a trowel, 
eighteen inches between the rows, and 
about a foot in the rows. Well water 
them in if dry, also keep them well 
watered during the growing season, with 
light dressings of soot well watered in; 
also a nice mulch of very short manure 
is very useful during the summer months. 
Culinary Onions should be sown at the 
end of February or early in March, when 
the ground is nice and dry, making the 
ground as firm and fine as possible, draw¬ 
ing the drills a foot apart and very shal¬ 
low so as not to cover the seeds too deeply. 
Sow thinly, and when large enough pull 
them out to about five or six inches apart, 
keeping the hoe going to keep down weeds 
and encourage growth in the Onions. 
K. G. 
-- 
In sunny, sheltered positions in West 
Cornwall Potatos are up and looking 
well. 
Gardens for School Children. 
The Acting Inspector of School Gar¬ 
dens to the Surrey County Council 
Schools, Mr. Horace J. Wright, says that 
in the country forty-two County Council 
Districts have established school gardens 
in 600 elementary day schools. In these 
districts 8,300 pupils are now receiving 
garden lessons and practice. Each garden 
usually runs to half a rod or three- 
quarters in size. This generally means a 
piece of ground 27 feet by 5 feet, or 25J 
feet by 6 feet, or 29 feet by 7 feet. There 
are also many evening classes for young 
persons of both sexes, and these are 
highly appreciated in the neighbourhood 
of villages, where a youth can obtain in 
this way some scientific knowledge not 
easy for him to otherwise get. In this 
movement Staffordshire leads with 65 day 
school gardens and 29 evening classes, 
and Surrey follows with 59 day school 
gardens, 11 evening classes and 1,126 stu¬ 
dents. Teachers agree that actual gar¬ 
dening develops the children both men¬ 
tally and bodily. 
The Wyeside Horticultural Society has 
been revived, and the members will hold 
a show on August 13th. 
—— a. w. - 
Prize Competitions. 
GENERAL CONDITIONS: —Competitors mast 
write on one side of the paper only. Regular 
paid contributors to THE GARDENING 
WORLD or other gardening journals are de¬ 
barred from entering, but occasional con¬ 
tributors may compete. The name and ad¬ 
dress of the competitor must appear on each 
article sent for competition. The Editor’s 
decision is final, and he reserves the right 
to reproduce, in any wayjl any article or photo¬ 
graph sent for competition. The conditions 
applying to each competition should be care¬ 
fully read. 
WEEKLY 
PRIZES. 
A PRIZE OFTEN SHILLINGS will be given 
for the best paragraph or short article on any 
gardening subject, such as hints of practical 
interest to gardeners, notes on the propaga¬ 
tion or cultivation of flowers, fruits or vege¬ 
tables, eradication of pests, etc. The para¬ 
graph or article must not exceed a column, but 
value rather than length will be considered in 
making rhe award. Mark envelopes “ Com¬ 
petition,” and post not later than the Monday 
folk wing date of issue. Entries received later 
thin Tuesday (first post) will be left over until 
the following week. 
Two prizes of 2s. 6d. will be awarded each 
week for the two best letters, not exceeding 
150 words, on any interesting gardening sub¬ 
ject. 
RESULTS OF 
LAST WEEK’S 
COMPETITIONS. 
Some of the best papers in this competition 
are too long, and we desire readers to keep 
within a column. 
The prize in the Readers’ Competition was 
awarded to “ G. W. Glover ” for the article 
on ‘‘Ao Ideal Border,” page 136. 
In the Prize Letter Competition a prize 
was awarded to “ L. S. Small ” for the article 
on “Carrots for Exhibition”; and another 
to “G. Raym nd Shepherd” for the article 
on “How to Grow Celery and Peas,” page 138. 
——**- 
Itlarch 7, 1908. 
Work in the . . 
plower Garder 
As the days lengthen, nature reassei 
herself—plants, bulbs, trees, and la: 
but not least, weeds, begin to gr< 
afresh, reminding the gardener that ; 
must be up and doing if he wishes to ke> 
work abreast. Any lagging on his pa 
will tell its own tale as the season a 
vances. Herbaceous borders require 1 
arranging every few years, and whi 
autumn is a good time to undertake sue 
I think early spring is preferable, tl 
plants, especially when divided, quick 
taking to the soil after being replante 
unless severe frost should set in, when 
may be advisable to apply a mulch 
half-decayed leaf soil or similar materk 
In dividing the majority of border plant 
the outside portions should be taken f 
stock, and small pieces nicely rooted a 
better than large clumps. Before r 
planting, give the border a good dressii 
of either fresh loam or manure and le' 
soil, as it is impossible to dig in much 
this way after once the plants are r 
established, as an herbaceous bord 
thinly planted never gives satisfactio 
By this I do not wish to imply that tl 
plant must be crowded, but a lot of ha 
spaces is most objectionable to nine c 
of every ten who love to see their gardf 
in perfection during the summer. 
Lawns should be well swept and tl 
roller passed over previous to the machii 
being brought on the scene, as the gra 
is beginning to shoot, the wet autum: 
too, preventing much machining beii 
done in October. Verges, that is, tl 
sides of walks, should be neatly cut wi 
the edging knife each spring, a line beii 
correctly strained straight or curved, , 
the ease demands, the same to be ke 
in position by small pegs. Gravel walk 
where out of order, should be moved 1 
with the pick-axe or an old garden for 
the larger stones taken up, and a surfa 
ing of new gravel brought in, even 
spread with a wooden rake, keeping tl 
centre some four inches higher than tl 
sides, and well rolling it when not to 
wet, or, on the other hand, too dry. 
After much frost, it is wise to go OV' 
the flower beds and press down any sma 
plants that may have got lifted out of tl 
ground, and birds are very fond of pul 
ing out some, especially Daisies. Whc 
the state of the soil will allow, move ovi 
the surface with a large label; hoes a: 
dangerous when plants are close togethe 
and cannot be used where bulbs are coe 
ing through. In some gardens, Box 
still used as an edging to beds and bo 
ders. This is a good time to divide ar 
replant, if necessary; the like remarl 
apply to Thrift, Daisies, Gentians, Sax 
frages, and other similar plants that 01 
occasionally meets with as edgings < 
dividing lines. 
Wall climbers, such as Rose 
Clematis, Pyrus, Wistarias, Jasminum 
Myrtles, etc., need attention if m 
already seen to, spurring back the formi 
to a couple of eyes, training in a stroE 
young growth from near the base to tal 
the place of an exhausted shoot if nee( 
be. Clematis of the Jackmanii au; 
