72 THE GARDENER. [Feb. 



and early spring, when it is much prized by all who can procure it. 

 In some gardens there are beds constructed with hot- water pipes for 

 bottom and top heat, and with movable glass coverings; the same beds 

 can be forced for years in succession. The general way of forcing is 

 to carefully lift 4 or 5-year-old healthy crowns, and to pack them 

 closely into mild hotbeds of leaves and dung in olden times, but now 

 more frequently into hot-water pits. It being one of the easiest and 

 simplest of plants to force, any one who can make a hotbed of leaves or 

 mamire that will afford a gentle bottom-heat, needs no more in the way 

 of appliances to have forced Asparagus. The roots are packed close to- 

 gether, with some fine light rich soil below and about them, and cover- 

 ing them about an inch. Neither top nor bottom heat must be violent, 

 or the heads will be weak ; 55° of a night temperature is enough. Light 

 and air are essential to get nice green colour, and as natural a flavour as 

 is possible. In spring the lights should be drawn entirely off and air 

 let in all night. AVhen forcing is regularly carried on, it is of course 

 necessary to plant as much every year as is required for forcing to 

 keep up a succession in a good bearing and forcing condition ; other- 

 wise, a planting of Asparagus on a congenial soil lasts for years. 



FRUIT-CULTURE. 



THE VINE. 



{Continued from p. 22.) 



If the position where the border has to be formed is naturally wet, 

 a set of drains, about 10 feet apart, should be cut across it, and led 

 into another drain running parallel with the border at its extremity; 

 the latter should be a little deeper than the others ; all should be cut 

 at least 1 foot deep in the subsoil, and instead of using the soil cut 

 out of the drains, for filling in over the pipes, wheel it away, and for 

 this purpose use any of the following materials that can be most read- 

 ily procured — brickbats, small stones, gravel, burnt shale, or chalk. 

 The drain-pipes used should have close-fitting sockets, to prevent the 

 roots of the Vines getting into them. When the drains are filled in 

 is the time to consider whether the border is to be heated underneath 

 by hot-water pipes or not, or if it is to be aerated. The former is quite 

 unnecessary, unless for Vines that are to be forced very early. The 

 latter is of importance wherever the soil is of a stiff retentive charac- 

 ter, or where it may come under the designation of loam, but not 

 sandy loam. For the latter we think it is of little or no importance 

 whether the border is aerated or not. As far as known to us, we were 



