96 



DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



plants are permitted to frrow uncovered from the 

 month ofMart-h or April, the usual and best time Cor 

 plantinfT, till the hcpinninpr or middle of November; 

 at all events before severe fiost is coming' on. The 

 soil, which has b^ en taken out of the furrows and 

 heaj)ed up at the sides, is then put in, and the beds 

 are completely levelled. The plants have had 

 time during tlie summer to establish themselves suf- 

 ficiently. 



Next sprinrr tlie younji shoots will make their 

 appearance above "ground, and if every tliinp has 

 been duly attended to; if strong and healthy plants 

 have been selected, and if, besides, water has been 

 given during a dry season, not a single one ought 

 to fail. Some people begin to cut the strongest 

 shoots in the third year, but a better result will be 

 obtained by leaving them undisturbed till the fourth 

 summer, only giving them every spring, in Februa- 

 ry or March, a good di'essing of cow-dung. Ma- 

 nure is ihe most essential requisite for growing 

 fine and tender Asparagus The shoots are cut at 

 sunrise and late in the evening, at a length of not 

 more than 9 inches, cutting them with a long knife 

 under ground as soon as the top of the shoot is lift- 

 ins the soil. Asparagus will always havethe finest 

 taste if eaten immediately after having been gath- 

 ered, but ought never to be kept longer than one 

 day, and should be covered meanwhile with light 

 earth, sand, or some other material of this descrip- 

 tion. It is a very bad practice, lately in use with 

 our market-gardeners, to immerge tlie Asparagus 

 immediately after cutting in a tub with water, 

 leaving it in the water till they bring it to market. 

 By this practice the finer flavor is altogether lost, 

 and the cooks should be warned against doing the 

 same. 



Wherever manure is not a very expensive article, 

 the culture of the Asparagus pays \\ell, since the 

 lightest and most sandy land, where nothing else can 

 be grown with advantage, can easily be adapted to 

 its culture, and will yield a rent for a long series of 

 years. Besides, the Siune lands can be made use of 

 for carrots and other vegetables, when the time for 

 cutting is over. Living myself some hundred steps 

 from the Baltic, and having read different accounts 

 of the famous Asparagus culture at the sea coast, 

 near San Sebastian, in Spain, I have last year made 

 the experiment to grow it in pure sea sand con- 

 taining no hmnus or vegetable matter whatever. It 



only received a moderate supply of manure, and has 

 even not been watered during the last hot summer; 

 nevertheless, it is growing this year so well, that 

 I might have cut a tolerable quantity of shoots as 

 big as a lady's finger, if I would be foolish enough 

 to do so. 



The price of Asparagus with us varies from four 

 to seven or eight schillings, or English pence, per 

 pound, the former being the general price from the 

 moment the weather begins to become warm. Ma- 

 ny thousand pounds are sent by the steamers to 

 Sweden and other foreign countries, since the Lu- 

 bcck Asparagus is well renowned. Though I ne- 

 ver had the advantage of seeins your fine country, 

 and therefore cannot be a judge of your green As- 

 paragus, I have several times eaten green Aspara- 

 gus in Italy and France, but I dare confess merely 

 for want of belter. However, there is no quarref- 

 ling as to matters of taste As far as regards ten- 

 derness, I am at a loss to understand how Aspara- 

 gus can improve by being exposed to the drying in- 

 fluence of air, wind, and sunshine. It may become 

 more aromatic, though I doubt it. but it vtill certain- 

 ly require a greater exertiorr in being masticated. 



Some persons assert that another kind of Aspa- 

 ragus is cultivated in some parts of the south of 

 Germany, which always appears green on the ta- 

 ble, though white shoots are equally eaten. I have 

 hitherto not been able to procure any authentic infor- 

 mation about its existence, and am inclined to think 

 that only the manner of culture will produce the 

 difl'crence. An English Giant Asparagus has late- 

 ly been ottered by some nurserymen, likewise hith- 

 erto not cultivated by myself. Different sorts may 

 require a different treatment. 



The season for Asparagus is at present on the 

 decline. However I have requested a friend at 

 Lubeck to send you with this letter, a sample of our 

 market Asparagus, grown and sold in the common 

 way. and 1 beg you to give it a fair trial, not over- 

 looking that it will have been cut almost a week 

 when arriving with you. — Heinr. Behrens, Proprie- 

 tor of the ^ea Bath, Travemunde, near Lubeck, 

 June 7. 



[We are much indebted to our kind correspondent 

 for this communication and the Asparagus, which 

 was excellent in quality, and weighed 6 lbs. per 100 

 without waste. We shall advert to it shortly.] — 

 \_Gard. Chron.'\ 



DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



A Picture of the West. — Dear Sir : I have 

 been looking over the first eight numbers of your 

 journal, lately received from Albany in one pack- 

 age ; and be assured, this is one of the best treats 

 enjoyed during a residence of eleven years upon the 

 prairies. While perusing the pages of this beauti- 

 ful work, I no longer feel myself an isolated being, 

 far out upon the borders of the cultivated portions 

 of our land, but in the midst of highly gifted and 

 refined minds, sensibly alive to the best interests of 



our common country. It has been my lot, from 

 childhood, to live upon the frontier, removed in a 

 measure from the refinements in horticulture which 

 result from a combination of wealth, intelligence, 

 and a well regulated taste. Still, I claim kindred 

 with all who love this pursuit; and, although I 

 may be regarded as a " poor relation," none will, 

 I trust, disown me on that account. 



A number of your correspondents have set up 

 claims to their own particular locality, as among 



