aud it did not take long, when the spring dews and rains were noting upon it — di8M)lved, and its 

 strength wont down to food tlio roots of the Aspnrngus. It did not food iiiiy gross and woods; if 

 the quuntit}- vahuiblo for Asparagus is given, it is doatli to thorn. So we liad a very eUaii pateh 

 — the Asparagus, as M'e wished, nionojiohzing tlie wholo of it. An iniprovod growth will be the 

 result the first season ; and in autumn a good coating of manure should be given, for the protec- 

 tion of the plants through the winter, and forked in in spring. Salt or brine fiom the beef or 

 pork barrel should be again liberally supplied. By following this course, an Asparagus bed may 

 be improved, besides furnishing a goodly supply for cutting through many years; and, for aught 

 we know, be kept in good condition a lifetime. In spring, after the bed is prepared by forking 

 and salting, if it is covered with a thin layer of straw, the young shoots will be protected from the 

 earth which often collects upon them in heavy rains ; and the earth will be benefitted by being 

 kept moist and open, so that the shoots will spring up more readily. 



It is one of the beauties of Asparagus to have it tender. In order to secure this, it must have a 

 quick growth and be often cut We have found, from our experience, that the former result 

 attends our course of culture, and have no doubt but it will be realized by others who adopt the 

 same plan. At any rale, it can, without much labor or expense, be tried b\- any one, on a small 

 scale, and the issue will reveal itself. "W. Bacon. — liichnond. 



The J.\pan Pea. — As this vegetable is beginning to attract some attention among horticultu- 

 rists, it may not be amiss to make a few observations on its [qualities as an article of food and 

 profit Season before last, Mr. Lea, of the Cincinnati Horticultural Society, presented the mem- 

 bers with one or two heads of this prolific Bean, or Pea, as it is called. From fourteen seeds I 

 raised nearly a quart of dry Beans when hulled. That was in a rich border of leaf mold. But 

 they were planted too close together — only three inches apart Some had more than 200 pods 

 on them, with two or three seeds in each. This year I tried them in rather poor soil, where 

 Osage Orange plants grew the previous year, which, according to my experience, impoverishes 

 the soil very much. I planted eight rows thirty yards long, the rows two feet apart, and the 

 Beans six inches apart in the rows. They produced about half a bushel of dry seed, which would 

 be about sixteen bushels to the acre. In good ground, I have no doubt they could be made to 

 yield twenty bushels. So much for profit 



With respect to its qualities for the table, there is not much to sa}- in its favor. When green, 

 it is so difficult to divost it of the hull that it will l)e unpopular with cooks. When dry, they 

 are easily cleaned or shelled with a flail. They require at least five hours boiling to make them 

 tender enough to cat, but I do not believe any amount of boiling would cause them to burst It 

 will be necessary to cook some other Bean with them, as they are entirely destitute of flavor. 



They grow from two to three feet high, with stiff, branching stems, and look beautiful in the 

 garden. They stood last season's drouth remarkably well, not dropping a single leaf until frost 



If any of your readers would like to try them, I shall be most happy to enclose them a few in 

 a letter, if they will address me post-paid. T. V. Peticolas. — Mount Carmd, Clermont Co., Ohio. 



Lima Beans. — Observing, for several years, that those hills of Lima Beans which were shaded 

 oy the others produced fewer and inferior crops than the vines exposed on the outer rows, I 

 have adopted, with advantage, the plan of planting in borders, wherever I could put them with- 

 out easting the shade on other crops. New hands pick their Lima Beans, for winter use, in a 

 young, imripened state ; nothing could be more erroneous. Let them get nearly dry ow tJuir 

 own vines, and soak them for use two nights before boiling, putting the water on them hot It 

 is a good plan to sprout the Beans under a pane or two of glass before planting them round the 



a very good plan with most other kinds of Beans, as well as Peas, and many other sorts of garden seeds.—: 



