124 
JUUllSAL  OF  HOnriCULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GAUDENEH. 
Fcljruary  6,  1902. 
danger  is  less.  Speaking  of  imported  plants,  a  point  often  over¬ 
looked  is  the  undoubted  liking  that  most  of  these  have  for  a 
little  more  heat  than  established  specimens  of  the  same  species. 
A  newly  imported  plant  of,  say,  Odontoglossum  crispum  may, 
for  the  first  year,  have  at  least  lOdeg  more  heat  than  a  fully 
established  one,  and  will  be  all  the  better  for  it. 
For  although  a  plant  may  live,  and  apparently  be  healthy, 
unless  it  takes  with  a  will  to  its  adopted  home  the  first  year,  in 
all  probability  it  never  will.  A  free  growth  means  a  correspond¬ 
ingly  vigorous  root  action,  hence  the  advantage  of  the  more 
exciting  temperature  at  first.  It  will  wake  up  the  dormant 
energies  of  the  plant,  and  enable  it  to  make  the  most  of  circum¬ 
stances.  Speaking  generally.  Orchids  at  this  time  of  year  are 
overwatered  at  the  roots  and  underwatered  in  the  atmosphere, 
and  the  aim  must  be  to  prevent  this  as  far  as  possible. — H.  R.  II. 
Onion  Cultnre. 
The  date  of  the  introduction  of  the  Onion,  and  the 
country  it  originated  from,  its  real  native  country,  have  not 
been  ascertained.  It  is  supposed  to  be  a  native  of  Africa, 
as  the  Egvptians  cultivated  it  three  thousand  years  ago, 
and,  of  course,  do  so  still.  It  is  well  known  that  Onions  are 
grown  in  first  class  condition  in  Spain,  and  large  quantities 
are  imported  to  this  country,  and  usually  find  a  ready  sale. 
In  some  parts  of  England,  for  instance  the  midland 
counties.  Onions  are  grown  so  extensively  that  in  autumn 
a  large  fair  is  held,  called  the  Birmingham  Onion  Fair, 
where  splendid  English  grown  examples  may  be  seen. 
Good  Onions  of  medium  and  large  size  are  always  in  de¬ 
mand,  especially  when  the  bulbs  are  so  ripe  and  firm  that 
they  will  keep  for  an  indefinite  period.  I  believe,  but  will 
not  absolutely  vouch  for  the  fact,  that  large  quantities  of 
Onions  are  shipped  to  the  ports  of  this  country,  and 
foreigners  then  place  them  together  in  convenient  “ropes,” 
which  are  then  hawked  about  the  streets  of  large  towns  and 
sold. 
Of  course,  “  roping  ”  is  also  done  by  salesmen  in  this 
country,  and  at  the  fair  above  alluded  to.  It  is  an  excellent 
practice,  inasmuch  as  it  offers  good  convenience  for  storing 
by  hanging  them  up  in  a  cool,  airy  place.  The  practice  is 
not  so  general  as  formerly,  because  Onions  will  keep  well 
by  other  methods  of  storing,  especially  if  well  grown  and 
properly  ripened,  as  they  should  be  to  keep  from  September 
to  the  following  spring. 
Onions  require  to  be  grown  in  rich  soil,  of  a  deep  and 
fertile  charactej.  A  good  position  in  the  garden  should  be 
chosen  for  the  bed,  trenching  deeply  in  the  autumn,  and 
working  into  the  ground  plenty  of  strong  manure,  for  Onions 
are  deep  rooting  plants,  and  find  much  sustenance  from  the 
subsoil  when  the  summer  is  hot  and  dry.  When  the  lower 
strata  of  soil  is  well  manured,  and  the  surface  left  rough 
and  exposed  to  the  weather,  the  ground  may  be  cultivated 
further  as  soon  as  the  surface  dries  in  spring.  It  is  a  good 
plan  to  work  it  over  with  a  fork  early  in  February,  adding  a 
dressing  of  soot  and  wood  ashes,  which  will  materially  enrich 
the  surface,  and  assist  in  bringing  it  to  a  good  tilth.  When 
the  surface  is  again  workable,  break  down  the  lumpy  par¬ 
ticles,  and  make  the  whole  tolerably  fine,  firm,  and  level. 
As  soils  vary  in  character,  the  amount  of  preparation  will 
also  vary.  Wet  and  adhesive  soils  cannot  be  ready  nearly  so 
soon  as  light,  porous  soils,  and  it  is  useless  to  sow  unless 
the  surface  is  in  a  fit  condition. 
Those  who  cannot  sow  as  early  as  they  would  wish  owing 
to  the  unsuitability  of  the  soil  in  respect  of  securing  a  dry 
surface,  have  recourse  to  sowing  the  seed  in  a  box  under 
glass.  The  seed  is  sure  to  germinate,  and  with  plentv  of 
light  and  air,  the  seedlings  progress  dwarf  and  sturdily. 
They  may  be  gradually  hardened  off  and  planted  out  in 
April,,  at  the  required  distance  apart.  Larger  Onions  may 
be  obtained  in  this  way  than  by  sowing  the  seed  in  the  open 
ground. 
Autumn  sowing  provides  strong  plants,  which  may 
be  thinned  and  transplanted  in  April,  on  ground  prepared 
as  before  recommended. 
In  sowing  Onion  seed  deep  drills  must  be  avoided.  I 
find  that  pressing  the  drills  with  the  back  of  a  rake,  run¬ 
ning  it  carefully  along  by  the  side  of  a  tightly-stretched  line, 
is  the  best  method.  If  the  ground  has  been  made  fine  on 
the  surface  the  drills  will  be  even  in  depth  and  smooth. 
The  proper  depth  is  Jin.  Sow  the  seeds  thinly,  which  saves 
seed  and  lessens  the  labour  of  thinning,  and  does  not  imperil 
the  vigour  of  the  plants  by  their  having  to  advance  in  a 
much  too  crowded  condition  before  it  is  possible  to  reduce 
their  number.  The  final  thinning  out  may  be  to  6in  apart, 
priving  more  room  where  the  bulbs  are  expected  to  swell  to 
a  large  size.  Weeds  between  the  rows  and  among  the 
plants  must  be  kept  down  by  hand-picking  or  light  Dutch 
hoeings.  Light  dustings  of  soot  are  good  to  promote 
growth  and  to  prevent  the  Onion  fly  depositing  eggs  at 
the  base  of  the  bulbs. 
When  in  full  growth  liquid  manure  made  from  stable, 
cow,  or  hen  manure  may  be  given  the  beds  ;  soot  water  is 
good,  as  is  also  guano  dissolved  in  water  at  the  rate  of  loz 
to  the  gallon.  When  the  growth  of  the  plants  requires 
more  stimulating,  nitrate  of  soda  may  be  given,  Joz  to  a 
gallon  of  water.  Most  of  the  advertised  manures  are  excel¬ 
lent,  and  should  be  applied  according  to  the  directions  sup¬ 
plied.  Ailsa  Craig  is  one  of  the  most  popular,  and  is  a 
leading  variety.  It  is  possible  to  grow  bulbs  over  Slbs  in 
weight.  Sutton’s  Al  is  also  a  large  Onion,  and  may  be 
grown  over  2lbs  in  weight.  Other  excellent  varieties  are 
Magnum  Bonum,  Lord  Keeper,  Cranston’s  Excelsior,  Rous- 
ham  Park  Hero,  James’  Long  Keeping.  For  pickling,  the 
Silver-skinned  is  the  best. — E.  D.  S. 
Growing  Horseradish. 
DiflBculties  often  arise  in  the  culture  of  Horseradish,  and  the 
supply  of  serviceable  roots  often  runs  short  from  the  mistaken 
idea  that,  once  planted,  it  is  not  necessary  to  trouble  again.  For 
several  reasons  it  is,  however,  best  to  have  the  cultivation  of  the 
root  entirely  under  control,  because  better  roots  are  obtainable, 
the  ground  can  be  properly  cultivated,  kept  clean,  and  limited 
to  an  extent  sufficient  for  the  needs  of  the  establishment. 
Before  planting  Horseradish  the  ground  should  be  deeply 
trenched,  placing  manure  liberally  at  the  bottom,  and  a  fairly 
open  position  should  be  chosen.  This  having  been  done,  the 
preparation  of  the  sets  may  be  taken  in  hand.  I  like  to  secure 
straight  roots  with  a  good  crown.  They  may  be  about  Sin  long. 
Rub  or  lightly  scrape  off  the  whole  of  the  rootlets,  from  the  crown 
downwards,  to  Avithin  lin  of  the  base.  This  is  to  prevent  the 
production  of  strong  lateral  roots  from  this  main  root,  confining 
the  rooting  fibres  to  the  lower  part. 
Plant  in  lines  2ft  apart,  making  holes  with  an  iron  bar  suffi¬ 
ciently  deep  to  admit  the  root  and  crown,  the  latter  being  a  feAv 
inches  below  the  siirface.  When  in  position,  work  the  soil 
securely  round,  and  groAvth  Avill  commence  in  due  time.  In  good 
soil  these  form  good  roots  in  twelve  months.  A  feAV  should  be 
prepared  annually  and  planted.  This  Avill  maintain  a  continuous 
supply.  All  the  culture  needed  during  summer  is  to  keep  the 
ground  elear  of  weeds,  by  occasional  hoeing,  until  the  groAvth 
has  become  dense. — S. 
Outdoor  Peaches  and  Nectarines, 
These  trees  do  not  push  the  flower  buds  quite  so  early  as 
Apricots,  but  an  early  opportunity  should  be  taken  to  prune, 
cleanse,  and  re-arrange  the  whole  of  the  trees.  Both  Peaches 
and  Nectarines  bear  the  best  and  most  reliable  erops  on  Avell 
ripened  young  growths  of  the  previous  year,  and  if  a  sufficiency 
of  these  can  be  commanded,  there  will  be  but  little  need  of  arti¬ 
ficial,  or  even  natural,  spurs,  though  the  latter  may  be  retained 
if  they  appear.  The  practice  of  pruning  these  trees  in  summer 
and  autumn  leaves  but  little,  as  a  rule,  to  be  carried  out  in 
winter.  It  is,  however,  necessary  to  overhaul  the  trees,  and  cut 
out  weakly  or  worn  out  branches,  and  reduce  the  young  growths 
where  there  are  too  many  to  lay  in.  The  old  bearing  wood  of  the 
previous  season  is  invariably  cut  out  in  autumn,  but  if  any  has 
been  missed,  remove  now.  As  far  as  possible  lay  in  the  bearing 
wood  for  the  forthcoming  season  on  the  upper  side  of  the 
branches.  The  training  cannot  be  so  systematic  and  regular 
when  the  growths  are  ti'ained  on  the  under  side  as  well.  It  may 
not  always  be  possible,  however,  to  do  this.  If  full  length  shoots 
cannot  be  laid  in,  they  may  be  shortened  ;  but  this  must  be  done 
either  at  a  triple  bud  or  a  single  bud.  It  is  desirable  to  shorten 
the  points  of  unripe  shoots.  Before  fastening  in  the  branches 
and  shoots  they  should  be  well  dressed  with  some  insecticide. 
The  greatest  care  must  be  taken  with  the  young  shoots  when 
applying  the  insecticide,  using  a  brush,  and  working  from  the 
base  of' the  shoot  to  the  point.  The  larger  branches  and  trunk 
can  be  more  readily  dealt  with.  A  good  solution  for  dressing 
Apricots,  Peaches,  and  Nectarines  consists  of  softsoap  dissolved 
in  water  at  the  rate  of  2oz  to  the  gallon,  adding  a  handful  of 
sulphur,  first  mixing  it  into  a  paste  with  water ;  or  a  mixture  of 
Gishurst  compound  6oz  to  the  gallon  of  water  may  be  employed. 
The  solution  may  be  sprayed  on  the  trees,  or,  if  preferred, 
thickened  with  a  little  clay  and  soot,  to  bring  it  to  the  con¬ 
sistency  of  paint,  then  applying  with  a  painter’s  brush.  The 
ad\"ertised  insecticides  are  also  good. — S.  P. 
