56 
THE FLORIST’S JOURNAL. 
consequently it does not produce seeds; it is therefore propa¬ 
gated by dividing the clustered offsets, which are either planted 
in autumn or spring, as may best suit the opinion of the culti¬ 
vator. 
There are great differences of opinion existing with respect 
to the time of planting, and the selection of the bulbs for that 
purpose. It may be well therefore to remark, that some culti¬ 
vators recommend planting the very smallest bulbs, about the 
middle of October: the reason assigned for this practice is, that 
the smallest bulbs are less subject to get mouldy, and that it 
prevents the attacks of the maggot; this may be true to a 
certain extent; but from my own experience I would always 
prefer to plant the very finest and largest bulbs I could select, 
and to plant them in March. 
I believe it is a generally received opinion that all bulbous- 
rooted plants generate in one season the sap w 7 hich is expended 
in the formation of the leaves and roots in the succeeding one: 
this reserved sap is deposited in, and composes the bulb ; and it 
is reasonable therefore to suppose, that the finer and larger the 
bulb, the better will it be qualified to supply nourishment for 
the future plant. For this reason, I would always prefer the 
finest bulbs I could select for planting. 
The greatest objection I have to autumn planting, especially 
in a season like the present, is, that the ground being warm, 
and w r ell supplied with moisture, will excite vegetation imme¬ 
diately the bulbs are put in ; and in cases where they were 
planted about the middle of last month, the leaves will soon be 
pushing through the ground, and the first frost that comes will 
damage them more or less. It matters not howsoever hardy a 
plant may be ; if it is growing, and full of sap, it cannot resist 
the frost uninjured, for as soon as the sap is congealed, it ex¬ 
pands and ruptures the vessels, which stops the circulation, and 
the stem or leaf is injured or destroyed. Although if, when the 
first leaves were destroyed, the bulb might not perish, yet it will 
be so enfeebled by the loss of what it has expended in the form¬ 
ation of these leaves, that it will remain in a debilitated state 
throughout the season ; and we are well aware that plants in a 
sickly state are more subject to the attacks of insects and disease 
than those which are in health and vigour. This, then, may be 
one cause for the attacks of the maggot; and I believe too deep 
planting to be another cause of disappointment to the cultivator 
of the shallot. 
