: 121 
the same plant. In order to discover whether the individual bulb is 
influenced by the size of the seed that produces it, we sifted the seed. 
of nine packages, and planted the large and small seed in different 
rows. ‘The results appear in the following table. 















Large Seed. Small Seed. 
S so) 
qi Saale laa e | Bi: nil Bare 
a. ots | Po a Oe en | Mod 
EG |G-x/OO|VO/OG 4 BY iti OCoS\oDg 
2 jaelif@eiesless & |aei(eslesleas 
O-s S\lsool'g S|-e o's f=) qo 
a” |2S|ES EA) su7 || 2° [es ES Esl on 
A [Reza le°s|| A IAF lqce 
OZzS OZS. 
Bedfordshire Champion --_--- Oct. 3.|163_|..9.|.20.|..400-||Oct. 3.|163_|..6_|.35_]..-308 
Bloomsdale Extra Early Red|Aug’.20/119_|..0_|.56_|_----- Pie. ISL fale Orla le | -onaas 
Early Red Flat (Thor.) --.-.-- © 1119.|..0_|.69_|_.217- || Aug. 20/119_|..0.}.69_|..-214 
Early Red Flat (Vil.) .-....--- ee PIS O98 12S © 1979.|..0.!.89_]..-194 
Early White Round -..--_._-- Aug. 18)117.|..0.|.62.)..119- || Aug. 18/117]. .0_|-45-] - 153 
Extra Early Bloomsdale Red] Aug. 22/121.|..0.|.70.|..183. || Aug’. 22)121.|..0_|-67_|_.-.69 
Gaanu 1O0Ct 2.2.22 252055225 Sept. 1.|131_|..1.|.48.|..531- ||Sept. 1.1181_|-.0.|-47.|-.-671 
Giant White Garganus ____-- Aug. 22/121_|_.0.|.48 302. || Aug. 22/121.|..0.|-5C.|..-310 
Mie. GlOD@..34-6-0---.c-.--- Hel Ae 15)145_|..0_|.66_| 452. ||Sept. 15)145 0.|.81.}.. 400 
PAVE gS Onn = Sse ae ree | 128. -60_|_.-800- 128. {57_|.. 289 



It appears that the very slight difference is in favor of the large 
seed. The bulbs of Extra Early Bloomsdale Red from the large 
seed weighed more than double those from the small seed, a differ- 
ence which is much more marked than in the other varieties. Had 
this variety not been planted, the difference would have been in fay- 
or of the small seed. We cannot, therefore, consider the question 
settled from this experiment. 
Compact vs. Loose Soil for Onions. 
In 1883 our experiments indicated that a compact soil, with a mel- 
low surface may be favorable to yield in the onion. In 1884, a simi- 
lar experiment, on a larger scale, though the crop was nearly a fail- 
ure, gave some evidence in the opposite direction. 
Werepeated the experiment the past season, and the result judged 
from appearances was decidedly in favor of the loose soil. Through 
the blunder of an assistant, the crop was not weighed. The differ- 
ence, however, was so decided as to cause remarks and questions from 
many visitors to our garden. | 
MELON. 
We made two plantings of the melon. The first May 19, on in- 
verted sods in the cold frame, and the second May 26, in the open 
ground. 
The latter planting was made in drills prepared by digging trench- 
es a foot wide, eight inches deep, and twelve feet long, placing in the 
bottom of each a layer of well rotted manure three inches deep, cov- 
ering this with the soil thrown out. Thus a slight ridge of mellow 
earth was formed, on which the seeds were planted about 2 inches 
apart. ‘The drills were 7 feet apart. 
On June 22, plants were taken from the cold frame and set out in 
these drills ‘wherever vacancies appeared more than a foot in length, 
and later the surviving plants were thinned to at least a foot apart 
in the drills. 
