28 THE GARDENER. [Jan. 



referred to, it may be said in passing that a good deal of what is being 

 advanced must be the result of a one-sided knowledge : it never answers 



in such matters to measure our neiojhbour's corn with our own bushel. 



"O' 



There is no intention of extending these papers by attempting to say 

 all that can be said on any given subject : what shall be aimed at is to 

 say what is likely to be of service to the greatest number and variety 

 of readers ; and especially to those owners of small gardens who, in 

 great measure, superintend their garden operations, will we aim at 

 being useful. 



In commencing to wTite a series of articles on any department of 

 gardening, perhaps the most difficult thing to decide is what form or 

 arrangement the matter to be written should be put. This is felt and 

 confessed on the present occasion, and it is hoped that the arrange- 

 ment decided upon will meet with approval. At first it was designed 

 to say something of laying out, or forming vegetable gardens of various 

 sizes and characters, and to treat of the best way of improving unsuit- 

 able soils, such as heavy clay and light and shallow sandy soils. But 

 the conclusion come to is, to take up the catalogue of vegetables in 

 general cultivation, and treat of them alphabetically. And following 

 this order, we come first to a very important vegetable, namely — 



ASPARAGUS (a. OFFICINALIS). 



Although there are few vegetables which contain less nutriment than 

 this, it is nevertheless one of the most esteemed products of the kitchen- 

 garden. This is easily accounted for by its being so exceedingly mild 

 and pleasant to the taste ; so much is it so, that its culinary preparation 

 is generally of the most plain and simple character, so diflicult is it 

 considered to improve upon its delicate flavour. No wonder, then, that 

 it has been long cultivated and esteemed by all who can afford to grow 

 it. It was greatly prized by the Romans and the Greeks. Cato and 

 Columella have spoken strongly in its praise ; and Pliny, in speaking 

 of it, mentions some specimens of it which grew in a shady district 

 near Ravenna, three heads of which weighed a pound — a standard 

 sufficiently high for modern growers. But probably it may have been 

 a difi'erent variety from the common Asparagus which is found grow- 

 ing wild on the sea-shores of England. 



Although the natural habitat of this vegetable is a poor and sandy 

 soil, it is necessary, in cultivating it to perfection, to grow it in a very 

 highly manured and deeply cultivated soil, because its good quality 

 depends on a quick and strong succulent growth. At the same time, 

 it never succeeds well for any length of time on a tenaceoys cold soil, 

 and succeeds best on a deep light loam. Hence it is found to thrive 

 so well on the deep light loams of Deptford, Battersea, and other 



