Scmmbrr 19, 1867. 1 



joubnaIj of horticultdre and cottage gardener. 



441 



over. The next layer will, of course, be noil from the second 

 trench ; and upon this aRain will be a dro8i?ing of .'5 inches of 

 manure ami li inches of leaf monlcl. The natural soil being 

 very light, it would ho well to add .'! inches of the niiid from 

 ditches which haR lain some time, and if it has been formed 

 into a compost all the better. This layer is mixed in the same 

 manner as the preceding, and the last spit from the bottom of 

 the second trench is thrown upon it. The top of the first 

 trench may then bo covered with .S inches thick of manure, 

 3 inches of leaf mould, aud a like thickness of scourings of 

 ditches. .Seaweed it it can bo readily obtained may bo used in 

 the place of the manure. This last layer may remain on the 

 top until February or early in March, a dry period being chosen 

 to fork it over and mix it thoroughly with the last spit of the 

 trench turned up, and upon which the last dressing of manure, 

 leaf mould, and ditch-scourings were applied. 



Soils that are light and shallow with a coarse and gravelly 

 subsoil will not be at all benetited by trenching so deeply as to 

 bring up much of the gravel ; indeed, it is as well to leave it at 

 the bottom. On the removal of the soil for the first trench the 

 bottom ought to be picked over or loosened, and a dressing of 

 manure, the soourings of ditches, or any kind of sandy mud, 

 and leaf mould, may be given ; and then have the first si)it of 

 the next trench placed upon it and mixed with the enriching 

 materials. The remainder of the soil, which may not be more 

 than the shovellings of the first spit, should be thrown on the 

 first trench, and upon it again another dressing of manure, 

 leaf mould, and ditch-scourings, equal iu quantity to the first ; 

 and it may remain until March, and then bo worked in and 

 mixed with the soil, the whole being well incorporated. 



Soils that are heavy and tenacious with a cloy subsoil are 

 not to be trenched deeper than the depth of the surface soil, 

 (or the subsoil neither benefits the soil with which it is mixed 

 nor is materially altered by mixing with other ingredients, 

 unless it bo exposed to the atmosphere, and rendered light by 

 manuring and long working, which is, however, a work of 

 years. Heavy soils snch as these should be treated in the 

 same manner as soils having a gravelly sub.soil, and should 

 have the same addition of enriching materials, besides a dress- 

 ing of S inches of .sand irivoror sea sand being best), and a 

 like thickness of sandy mud, such as that afforded by ditch- 

 soourings or road- scrapings. 



Where the surface soil is of a very tenacious character it is 

 hardly possible to render it suitable for the growth of Asparagus 

 by any admixture. I would not advise anything to be done to 

 it beyond trenching it as deeply as it is possible to do without 

 bringing up too much of the clayey soil, and in trenching to 

 work in a dressing of not less than ti inches iu thickness of 

 cinders or ashes, the finer particles or dust being sifted out. If 

 it be thrown up in ridges in autumn it will in spring bo less stiff 

 in texture, and may then be worked, and dressed with the mate- 

 rials already named for heavy soils ; and these being well mixed 

 with it, it will be in a fair state for planting iu May. When, 

 howevo-. (1,0 soil is little less than a stiff clay, it must be 

 burned before it will grow Asparagus satisfactorily, and after 

 burning it may bo mixed and prepared in the manner already 

 described for a heavy soil, the burned clay being mixed with 

 the other ingredients, and as soil. 



Failing the burning of a portion of the clay, where the soil 

 is a stiff clay it will be necessary to remove some considerable 

 quantity of it ; indeed, to moke suitable beds in such ground, 

 I have found it advisable to take all away fexcept, perhaps, the 

 top spitl. to a depth of 2 feet ti inches or H feet, and replace it 

 with that depth of the following ingredients in layers i! inches 

 thick, aud in tho order named — hotbed manure, eharp sand, 

 ditch or pond cleanings, leaf mould, and turf from a sandy 

 soil. Now, this laid op for three months and turned at the end 

 of that time, will, on being chopped up and well mixed, form a 

 compost in which Asparagus will grow well. 



The soil and whatever is added to it should be mixed tho- 

 roughly, and not bo placed in layers and so left. Tho beds 

 ought not to be made wtien the ground is wet. September is 

 a good time, and, indeed, any time in autumn during dry 

 weather. They may even be made at the time of planting, 

 only if the ground is planted immediately after the beds are 

 made it is apt to settle in holes, and tho crowns of the plants 

 become unevenly buried or covered by the annual top-dressings. 

 SinvTuix. — An opsn situation should be chosen, unshaded 

 by trees ; but it is well to choose a position sheltered from 

 violent winds, as when powerful they break the stems in sum- 

 mer, and diminish production in tho following year. 



Plaxiino. — I consider Asparagus best grown in beds 4 fee' 



wide, and snch I think best for general purposes. This allows 

 of three rows of plants in each bed, the two outer rows being 

 1 foot from the sides of the bed, and a row along the centre. 

 The beds should have two-feet alleys between, whether they are 

 4 feet, 3 feet, or .") feet wide. The latter two widths are recom- 

 mended by some because tho beds, being narrow, are sooner 

 heated by the sun's rays, aud therefore induce an earlier pro- 

 duction of heads ; whilst five-feet beds, it is said, afford a later 

 production. Three-feet beds will allow of two rows of plants, 

 each row 1 foot from the edge of the bed. lieds 5 feet in width 

 will allow of three rows of plants, the tvro outbidc rows 1 foot 

 from the edge, and a row along the centre. The plants should 

 not be closer together in the rows than 1 foot apart, and that 

 distance will be sufficient for general planting; but if large 

 beads are wanted the plants should not be less than 15 inches 

 apart, and need not exceed IH inches. — G. Aduey. 

 (To bo coutiuued.) 



TLAXTS IX BLOOM DURING NOVEMBER. 



To give an idea of the mildness of the season here during 

 November, 1 may state that early in the month a very large 

 Cedar of Lebanon was in full bloom, presenting in the sun's 

 rays a very curious appearance when viewed from a short dis- 

 tance off. 1 am not awaro that such a circumstance 13 

 of common occurrence. We have had some very fine Rasp- 

 berries from the ordinary quarters during the month ; very 

 good Black Prince Strawberries, considering the season, have 

 been gathered; Apple trees of different kinds have been in 

 bloom ; and Teas have been gathered. Kedding plants, as Cal- 

 ceolarias, Scarlet Pelargoniums, Tegetes pumila, Phlox Dmm- 

 mondi, and others kept up a display until the '27tb, when we 

 had a reminder that the Ice King had not forgotten us. 



Nov. 10, riantago coronopns 



Pyrethnini iiliKnnosum 

 Kiidbeckia lulpida 

 Stenactis speciosa 

 „ 15, Ruta graveolens 



Antherais tinctorifl 

 Chrysanthemums, varioaa 

 Plilox rcflt'xa 

 „ 19, .\nagalUs Monelli 

 .\ster grnndiflorua 

 Liatris scariosa 

 Crocus gerotinua 

 Primula nuricala 

 „ 34, Viola odorata 

 Neapolitan 

 Intca 

 Pnlox Drummondl, Black 

 Warrior 

 „ 28, Rosa chinensis 



Senocio tanacetifolia 

 Strawberry Black Friuce 



Hantbois 

 rhlox Vau IlcnttU 



Nov. 2, Ericeron canadenae 



Cedi-iis Libaniis 



Prunollii vulf,'ari9 



Auii^allis arvcDsis 



Salvia pratensis 



Cflmpannla coronnta 



Mulo PIuli 

 „ 6, Cniciis paliistris 



Rose Maria Leonida 



Ifedera belix 



Passitlora cmralea 



DianthuB cliiocnsis 



Sonchus oloracous 



Apple trees 



Cynara scolymnB 



Achillea piarmica Acre 

 l>leno 



.\ntbemi8 parthcnoides 



Aster elegDUS 

 speciosus 



Contnurca puboscena 

 „ 10, Achillea compacta 



Diauthus laciniatus 



Nepeta violacoa 



— JI. JI., Achlam Hall, Middle-^brough-on-Tees, 



PROPAGATINft PELARGONIUMS. 



In your last week's impression Mr. Stewart, of Nnneham 

 Park, gives his method of propagating Pelargoniums. Now, I 

 venture to say, that if amateurs were to follow the above ad- 

 vice, ninety-nine out of every hundred would find themselves 

 in a " pretty picfcle " when bedding-out time arrived. The 

 plan may do under Mr. Stewart's management, but a great 

 many would have to consign their cuttings to the rubbish-heap. 



My plan may not be better than Mr. Stewart's, but it is 

 diametrically opposed to his. We strike many thousands of 

 Pelargonium cuttings here, part of which are put into deep 

 pans, and part singly into large CO-pots. The whole receive a 

 good watering if the weather is dry, and none at all by hand if 

 th« weather is showery. All the pans and pots are placed in the 

 full sun on a gravel path, quite closely together. A little water- 

 ing in dry weather, and more space after the young plants 

 begin to grow, are all the attention they require until the first 

 week in October, when they are housed. By this plan not one 

 cutting in a thousand will fail, and frames can be used for 

 other purposes. — J. Pebkixs, Gardener, I'honihiuii Hall. 



Wr.iTixr. OS Glass. — We read in The BiiiUlcr, a paper 

 which gardeners may often consult with advantage, that M. 

 K«ssler, a French chemist, has by means of hydrofluate of 

 ammonia, and hydrochloric acid, properly thickened, made 



