478 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



and then six inches more, keeping them separate. He then filled the trenches 

 nearly full of top soil, well-rotted manure, hen manure, and wood ashes, mix- 

 ing them thoroughly. The trenching would not have been necessary had the 

 soil been sufficiently deep and rich for the roots, which run very deep in good 

 soil. With exception of the plants intended for winter, the celery was banked 

 up gradually, as it grew. At the first banking, the ground was first loosened 

 with hoe, then each plant taken separately in left hand and dirt enough drawn 

 around it with right hand to hold the leaves together and upright. Afterward, 

 more earth was brought up to the plant, from time to time, with hoe or spade. 

 The plants for winter were dug in early November and packed close in a trench 

 one foot wide and as deep as the plants were high. The soil was filled in close 

 to the plants at the sides, and the plants covered with leaves six inches deep. 

 In December as many more leaves were put over. With this protection the 

 celery kept well. 



Aspabagus in Shallow Beds. — In the face of the continuously reiterated 



advice to plant asparagus deeply, it is refreshing to hear the testimony of one 



of the most practical Tribune correspondents on the other side. He says : 



It is surprising how pertinaciously many gardeners adhere to the erroneous 

 practice of burying asparagus several inches deep when setting the roots. If 

 for no other reason than to stimulate growth, the roots should be close to the 

 surface; but what is of far more importance, is to secure a tender, succulent 

 stem, which the underground method rarely accomplishes. The finest flavored 

 asparagus is that grown all above ground, and forced by an abundance of rich, 

 stimulating manure, in deep, light soil. The hard, stringy, white stems one 

 finds so often on the tables of hotels may be handsome to look at, but are not 

 satisfying to the appetite, and generally are the result of the above named 

 burying process. 



Tomatoes Started in 0*pen Ground. — E. S. Goff, upon whom we draw at 



will, says : 



Grant that by early sowing, transplanting, and careful hot-bed nursing, ripe 

 tomatoes may be secured ten days earlier than by sowing the seed early in the 

 open ground, the stubborn fact remains, that if we count the time required for 

 the plants to grow from the seed to the first ripe fruit, we shall find it decidedly 

 shorter in the plants grown in the open ground, account for it how we may. 

 For the past two seasons I have grown so large a number of crossed seedlings 

 of the tomato that I could not afford them hot-bed room. Both seasons I have 

 been surprised at the early maturity of their fruit, as well as by the fact that the 

 young plants were not injured by late spring frosts. Who ever knew a tomato 

 plant that came up from self-sown seed to be injured by frost in spring? I 

 venture the guess that if we were to do away with hot-beds, we should have, 

 before many generations, tomatoes that would ripen their fruit as early as, and 

 be far more hardy, than our hot-bed plants. 



Workingmen's Gardens. — W. H. Bull supports the hint found in our pref- 

 atory note in the following : A neighbor is a superior wood-turner, earning 

 from $3 to $10 per day, but having irregular work at his trade. One mile 

 from the railroad he bought two and a half acres of land and built a house and 

 later a barn. He now keeps a horse ; works at his trade winters, and in spring 



