March  6,  1898. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  ANT)  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
209 
plants.  After  having  got  all  ready,  commence  to  make  the  drills  about  an 
inch  deep,  or  less  than  that  if  possible,  as  the  seed  merely  requires  covering. 
I,  as  a  rule,  get  the  ground  all  drilled  before  I  commence  sowing.  I 
would  advise  everybody  to  get  the  best  of  seed  from  a  reliable  firm, 
because  if  it  costs  more  at  the  time  of  bu'ying,  it  will  prove  the  best  in 
sorts.  There  are,  of  course,  other  good  varieties,  but  whatever  sort  you 
buy  have  it  of  the  best. 
When  the  seeds  are  sown  go  up  each  drill,  treading  firmly,  or  if  a 
small  roller  is  at  hand  run  that  over,  finishing  off  with  the  back  of 
a  rake.  As  soon  as  the  Onions  can  be  seen  in  the  rows  give  them  a 
Fig.  30.— PRIMULA  CAPITATA. 
the  long  run.  There  is  nothing  gained  by  cheap  Oaion  seed  ;  but  on 
the  other  hand,  bad  crops  and  disappointment  is  the  result.  I  always 
grow  as  the  main  crop  Sutton’s  Improved  Reading,  of  which  I  have 
obtained  from  a  plot  of  ground  measuring  9  rods  40  bushels  of  excellent 
bulbs  ;  it  is  a  splendid  keeper,  and  not  quite  so  strong  in  flavour  as  some 
dusting  of  soot  on  a  damp  morning  or  evening  ;  not  a  heavy  dressing, 
but  just  sufficient  to  colour  the  ground  about  them.  That  protects  them 
from  the  fly  and  helDS  them  on.  This  course  must  be  followed  up  twice 
a  week,  and  as  the  Onions  get  stronger  commence  thinning,  leaving  the 
bulbs  2  to  4  inches  apart  in  the  rows  unless  wanted  for  pickling 
