ill :i way that will Ito more jreiK' rally acceptable, the only drawback Itiiiij; tlic dc- 

 striK'tioii of the roots al'lcrwards, which, in the other methods, is not the case, in 

 this example, immediately before the frost sets in, dipr up a suQicient qiuintity of 

 stroiiiz; bearing roots, and cover them with earth, in a cool cellar, to be ready when 

 wanted ; or, otherwise, jiut over the bed enouj,fh litter to prevent the ground freez- 

 ing. As light is not required to develo]) the sprouts, the roots may be planted 

 in earth, the crowns being covered two inches, and as close together as they can 

 lie packed, in a warm cellar, or under the stage of a greeidionsc, where a night 

 temperature of 50° to 60° is maintained, which is most suitable for all purposes 

 in forcing this jilant. About fifty roots will give a good dish every three days 

 during four weeks — after which, they become exhausted, and of no further use; 

 consequently, another lot will have to be coming on to meet the deticieucy. And 

 it may be further calculated, with the above warmth, that three to four weeks' time 

 will bring the shoots long enough to be cut. If there be not any other conve- 

 nience, a common hotbed and box frame will answer the purj)ose, the making of 

 which has Ijeen described in former articles of this series. Care, however, should 

 be exercised as to the bottom heat ; for, if too strong, the roots will be scalded, 

 or forced up weakly, liefore planting, in this case, cover the surface with turf 

 sod, and jiack the roots close, as above stated. When the shoots begin to appear, 

 give as good a supply of fresh air as the state of the weather will admit of, but 

 do not let the thermometer sink below 45°, nor rise higher than 60°. 



In the cutting of Asparagus, it has become a common practice to insert the 

 knife below the surface of the ground. So general is this, that it would scarcely 

 sell in the market, unless the lower ends of the shoots were white. Now, the whole 

 of this underground part is tough and stringy, and nothing but fashion's prejudice 

 can tolerate the unnecessary act. 



FRUIT GROWERS' SOCIETY OF WESTERN 

 NEW YORK. 



FROM THE COUNTRY GENTLEMAN. 



The autumnal meeting of this Society was held in September. We give a con- 

 densed account of the proceedings, embracing the more interesting facts stated 

 in the discussions. 



Leaf BliyJit and Cracking in the Pear. — Members generally had found these 

 two maladies to go together, but not invariably. The leaf-blight more frequently 

 attacked young plants in the seed bed, and sometimes larger orchard trees. When 

 on bearing trees, it always jiroduced cracking; but the fruit was often known to 

 crack while the trees were unaffected with leaf blight and in the thriftiest state of 

 growth. L. E. Berkmans informed the meeting that the leaf blight in Belgium 

 was unknown, while cracking of the fruit was frequent; but the climate was so 

 moist, that twenty days in a summer without rain, would be called a dry one. 

 Other members had observed cracking caused exclusively by wet weather. 



Cracking seemed in many cases to depend on the soil, and an instance was 

 mentioned where trees of the Virgalieu, on the grounds of T. G. Yeoraans, of 

 Wayne County, where the fruit of this variety is always ruined by cracking, were 

 removed to the grounds of a neighbor, and afterwards bore fair and excellent 

 fruit. But the disease could not be caused by exhaustion of the soil, several in- 

 stances being mentioned where it had occurred on young trees, on new soil, and 

 e case the first crop, out of nine or ten, was the only one affected. 



