436 



JOUBNAL OF HOliTICDLTUKK AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



[ December 10, 1868. 



their growth, and this is easily effected by stopping over- 

 luxuriant growths occasionally, and by pruning the shoots in 

 winter according to- their size and strength — that is, the very 

 short branches to be only a little shortened, the middle-sized 

 ones to have one-half or two-thirds of their length cut away, 

 the small -spray cut out entirely, or cut in to a few eyes accord- 

 ing to their position, and not allowing any branches or shoots 

 to cross each other. This, of course, would be modified accord- 

 ing to the way in which they produced their flowers after their 

 heads were properly set ofi. What would our Gooseberry and 

 Currant bushes be if they were allowed to pursue their natural 

 growth ? Their suckers would spring up as profusely as those of 

 the Lilac, and their fruit would be comparatively useless. It is 

 much the same with many of our ornamental shrubs, their 

 flowers are in many cases only an apology for what they might 

 ba under a better system. We find no difficulty in forming 

 our fruit bushes without suckers, and with clean straight stems, 

 and we prune their heads in different ways accordingly as they 

 best flower and fruit, and that is all I claim for our ordinary 

 shrubs, which, as at present seen, are living examples of our 

 neghgence and bad gardening. 



Standard bushes were made with great industry by onr an- 

 cestors, and the practice is as old as the hills, but in those days 

 they pruned and clipped them into all kiuds of fantastic shapes, 

 which are altogether foreign to our present taste. All that is 

 original in this plan is the certain way of disposing of the con- 

 tending suckers and side branches at once and for ever, from the 

 collar to the head. Let the bole be of any length whatever, if 

 it be prepared after the manner I describe, you may cut off the 

 head ten years hence, and I will engage that the whole stem 

 will die back inch by inch without the power of forming a single 

 adventitious bud. Plants like the Lilac, which naturally have 

 the power of producing shoots from the main roots, would, no 

 doubt, produce suckers from these roots under such a severe 

 trial, but certainly not from any part of the stem itself. — 

 Chaeles Eobebts, DorfoU Hall. 



MimKET GAEDENINa ABOUT LONDON AND 

 PARIS.— No. 3. 



THE CtJLTUEE OF ASPARAGUS. 



" Ton can't get a head of Asparagus in Paris that is worth 

 eating ; it is hard and thick, with about an inch of eatable 

 stuff without any flavour." " There is no question that we know 

 nothing in England about Asparagus culture; if you want to 

 get good Asparagus you must go to France." So say A and B, 

 both knowing something about what they are talking of, yet, 

 we see, coming to diametrically opposite conclusions. When 

 they, doctors, differ, who shall decide ? This I will not pretend 

 to do, but will simply say what I think and what I know about 

 the whole subject. 



That Asparagus is a much more favourite vegetable in France 

 than with us cannot be doubted. You will rarely find either 

 a Frenchman or Frenchwoman who refuses it, while I have 

 seen frequently at dinner tables in England, even when it is 

 scarce, that a great many people never care to take it. This 

 must to a great extent influence the supplies, and I believe 

 does so to a considerable degree in the London market. There 

 was a time when the market gardens of Bermondsey contributed 

 large quantities to the London market, but the growth of the 

 population has driven them away, while the more profitable 

 though coarser Ehubarb has replaced it in other places. Still, 

 if there were a very large demand, I think the laws of supply 

 and demand are such that the blank would be supplied, and I 

 can only conclude that other things, being found more profit- 

 able, are cultivated in its stead. Even when Asparagus is 

 cheap, I have frequently seen in provincial towns that it re- 

 mains unsold, simply, I believe, because the taste of the people 

 is not for it. They may want " educating," but at present so 

 it is; and I think it is utterly absurd to say that want of good 

 cultivation is the reason that Asparagus is not more abundant. 

 At the same time I am free to confess that there is much that 

 we can learn from our neighbours in this matter, for as a lule 

 their method of cultivation essentially differs from ours ; and 

 although much has been said and written upon the subject, 

 additional observations made on the spot may not be out of 

 place. 



It was a broiling day at the end of June that, accompanied 

 by M. Viret, I found myself at Argenteuil, the head quarters of 

 the Asparagus-growing of the department of the Seine and 

 Oise, for from there, ilontmorency, and Pontoise, by far the ' 



greatest portion of that which is to be found in the Paris 

 market comes. At Argenteuil it is cultivated in two distinct 

 methods — amongst Vines, and in plots by itself. The chief of 

 all the Asparagus cultivators is L'Herault ; we spent some 

 hours in going over his grounds, and in visiting some of those 

 of bis neighbours. The soil I found, generally speaking, to be 

 a light friable loam, very easily worked, not clinging closely 

 together and so becoming heavy, but free and open, giving 

 plenty of play for the young rootlets of the Asparagus to run ; 

 and although much may be done with careful cultivation in 

 any soil, yet without doubt the condition of that at Argenteuil 

 is one reason of the very successful results gained. On this 

 all the growers of Asparagus agreed, but not so on another 

 point, about which I myself have great doubts. It is contended 

 by M. L'HSrault that the first and chief consideration is the 

 variety of Asparagus ; that he has three of these, two of them 

 — L'Ordinaire and La HoUande tardive, which are not peculiar 

 to himself, but which he has improved by selection ; and the 

 third. La HiUive, which he claims to have originated, and to 

 which he gives the pre-eminence. I could see no perceptible 

 difference in the plants of this as compared with other 

 varieties, although without doubt the stems were larger than 

 those in the neighbouring grounds ; but in many of these the 

 variety called La Hative was also cultivated, and therefore this 

 difference was to be accounted for in some other way, of which 

 more by-and-by. 



The principal differences in the method of cultivation between 

 French and English growers are two : — Ist, In the separation 

 of each stool, instead of allowing the stools to spread at will over 

 the bed, as in England ; and 2nd, Their cultivation in trenches 

 instead of in raised beds, as with us ; but this latter I look 

 upon rather as a pecuharity resulting from the nature of the 

 climate than from any other cause. Our greater humidity 

 leads us to a method of cultivation which preserves the plant 

 from too much moisture, while in France to obtain moisture 

 is a matter ol some consequence. I am confirmed in this idea 

 by the fact that L'Hcranlt recommends the trench to be shal- 

 lower, and that no "ados," or shelving side, is to be used 

 when the ground is moist, and that he especially notes that 

 drought is to be guarded against. Hence the difference is 

 really in the separation of the roots, and I think there can be 

 but little doubt that to obtain the greatest possible amount of 

 value from each plant this is preferable, especially if the large 

 heads are desired ; but this, even with the French themselves, 

 is a matter of opinion. There are really three distinct sizes 

 to be seen in the Asparagus season — the " gvos," the " gros 

 grosse," and the "ordinaire." The second of these consists of 

 those enormous heads which are supposed to display the skill 

 of the cultivator, and which are sold for thirty, forty, and fifty 

 francs a-bundle, and are mainly bought by the celebrated re- 

 staurateurs Verrey, Vefon, the Trois Freres, &c., whose pride 

 it is to display in their windows the choicest productions in 

 vegetables and fruits. The "gros" is not so large, but still 

 vastly exceeds the greater proportion of the heads we see in 

 the London market, or produce in our own gardens ; while the 

 " ordinaire " is somewhat like the best of our home-grown 

 Asparagus. But in none of these cases is it considered right 

 to have more than about 1 or 1} inch of eatable matter, and 

 this ought to be of a violet or rose colour when gathered. The 

 very large Asparagus is obtained from the stools which are 

 about seven or eight years old, at which time L'HOrault con- 

 siders them at their best, and that after that they begin to 

 decline. 



With regard to their very large Asparagus I could not, seeing 

 that the method of cultivation adopted all round Argenteuil is 

 alike, and that the soil is similar, understand how it was that 

 L'Hfcrault's was so much larger than others', and was inclined 

 for a while to think that it must be, as he said, something in 

 the variety ; but on talking with another cultivator, speaking 

 of L'Hurault's growth, "Ah !" he said, "we cannot afford to 

 do as he does." " How so ?" " Why, he goes over every one 

 of his roots, and rubs off all those shoots which seem to be too 

 small and defective, and only allows a certain number to each." 

 So that, after all, it was the case of the Lancashire Gooseberry 

 over again — only allow a certain number, and let them swell as 

 much as they can. The great length of stalk as compared with 

 the eatable part is simply the result of fashion. With us jou 

 rarely see a lady take a head of AsparagBs in her fingers, 

 although it is the only way to cat it, but in France it is uni- 

 versally done ; and 1 confess, that although the fashion, I 

 should not, were I a youthful Corjdon, like to see Phillis take 

 a great stick of Asparsgus as thick as a constable's staff into 



