i» 
_ from mice; they may also be used for garden and green- 
AN ENCYCLOPADIA 
OF HORTICULTURE. 121 
Ashes—continued. 
burned, they are more suited to heavy than to light soils. 
Coal Ashes, if very fine, may be sprinkled half an inch deep 
on the surface, over peas and beans, &c., to preserve them 
house walks, where bricks or tiles are absent, being tidy 
in appearance, and an excellent substitute for other and 
more expensive material. 
Peat Ashes. Peat approaching to purity, when thrown 
out of its bed and thoroughly dried, may be burned to, an 
imperfect Ash, and when it does not reach this point, it will 
become thoroughly charred, and reduced to cinders. The 
process of burning should be as slow as possible. In either 
form, it is a valuable dressing for the soil. 
ASH-TREE. See Fraxinus. 
ASIATIC POISON BULB. See Crinum asia- 
ticum. 
ASIMINA (meaning unknown). ORD. Anonacee. 
Hardy shrubs, with oblong, cuneated, usually deciduous 
leaves. Flowers sometimes rising before the leaves, 
usually solitary and axillary. They thrive freely in a 
mixture of sand and peat. Propagated by layers put | 
down in the autumn, or by seed, procured from their 
native country. Seedlings should be raised in pots, and 
y have acquired a consider- 
sheltered in winter, until t 
able size. s/h; Wore. 
Fic, 159. FLOWERING BRANCH OF ASIMINA TRILOBA, 
A. triloba (three-lobed).* f/i. campanulate, the three outer petals 
pale purplish, and the three inner ones smaller, purplish on the 
outside as well as the inside at the base and apex, with the 
middle yellow, about 2in, diameter, produced between the upper 
leaves. May. l. oblong-cuneated, often acuminated, and are, 
as well as the branches, smoothish. A. 10ft. Pennsylvania, 
736. A small tree or shrub, See Fig. 159. é 
ASKALLON (the Eschallot), See Allium ascaloni- 
cum. 
ASPALATHUS (from a, not, and spao, to extract; 
in reference to the diffietlty of extracting its thorns 
from a wound). ORD. Leguminose. A genus of green- 
house shrubs or sub-shrubs, natives, with one exception, of 
the Cape of Good Hope. Flowers usually yellow, each fur- 
nished with three bracteoles, or a leaf comprised of three 
leaflets. Leaves of three to five leaflets, eee palmately, 
_ rarely pinnately, having scarcely any or very short petioles. 
Aspalathus—continued. 
All the species are pretty when in flower, and thrive in a 
mixture of loam, peat, and sand. Young cuttings of 
half-ripened wood will strike in April, in sand, under 
bell glasses, which must be wiped dry occasionally. But 
little water is needed. Over a hundred species are 
known; those introduced are very rarely seen in culti- 
vation. 
ASPARAGUS (from a, intensive, and sparasso, to 
tear; in reference to the strong prickles of some species). 
ORD. Liliacew. Erect or climbing herbs or shrubs, with 
very small scale-like leaves, and a profusion of numerous 
slender fascicled-needle, rather spiny branchlets. Flowers 
axillary, inconspicuous. Fruit baccate. The indoor species 
will all thrive well in a warm greenhouse temperature, 
provided they have partial shade, a good supply of moisture 
at the roots, and are not kept too close, in a moderately 
rich sandy compost. The hardy species are propagated 
chiefly by seeds and divisions of the roots. Rich sandy 
loam is necessary, and otherwise they may be treated as 
ordinary perennials. Some of the species belonging to this 
genus are among the most elegant of foliage plants for 
cutting purposes. A. decumbens and A. scandens make 
excellent plants for Wardian cases, and may be cut in freely 
if they exceed their limits. 
ASPARAGUS (A. officinalis) As A VEGETABLE. The value 
and importance of this plant as a 
vegetable cannot be over-estimated ; 
it is extensively grown, and, when 
properly managed, produces a fairly 
lucrative crop. 
Soil and Bed. The first thing to be 
done in the preparation of an Asparagus 
bed to stand for any length of time, is 
to secure an efficient drainage ; and on 
wet soils this is best effected by placing 
a layer of brick rubbish over the whole — 
of the bottom, and connecting this with — 
a drain. On gravelly or other soils 
which are drained naturally, of course, 
this is not needed; but if really good 
crops are a desideratum, water shoul 
' not stand within 3ft. of the surface. 
| In all cases, the ground must be dug to- 
a depth of 18in., and, if stiff, a goodly 
amount of road sweepings,or other gri 
materials, should be well mixed with 
the staple soil. Asparagus requires a 
good soil, neither too heavy nor too light. 
Manuring. After the soil has been 
well trenched, and has lain long enough 
to settle down, a good dressing of 
manure—thoroughly rotted, and not 
too rank, at the rate of from twenty 
to thirty tons to the acre, dug into 
the surface of the beds—will be found 
very beneficial. If possible, this should 
be introduced in January; and then, if 
the weather permits, the beds should be forked two or three _ 
times by the end of March, so as to render the soil as — 
friable as possible. A very good manure, and one that is 
easily obtained, is common garden salt. This may be given 
annually to established beds. A moderate dressing i 
be applied just before growth commences in spring, but 
a little will do no harm at other times during the 
summer. It is best scattered on with the hand, and a 
showery day should be selected, as it will then soon dis- 
appear. Salt, besides acting as a manure, has also the 
properties of keeping the beds cool and moist in hot 
weather, and of preventing the growth of weeds. wie! 
Planting. Asparagus can be planted during March and 
April, the latter month being the best time for the 
work. ‘The soil having been thoroughly prepared, the 
next point is to decide on the size of the beds; this” 
y E O R g 
