December 10, 1868. ] 



JOURNAL OF UOIITICOLTUKE AKD COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



437 



her pretty little fingers, and open her mouth as if she had to 

 swallow n Potatoe whole. Corydon might do so himself, no 

 doubt ; but then man is " such a brute " generally, that an act 

 of this kind would make but little differonco. There is, perhaps, 

 another reason for this. Some people do not like the very 

 jtrotionce flavour of Asparagus ; they merely want juBt the mild 

 whiff of it, which occasions no inconvenience, and honce these 

 blanched shoots are preferred. 



The great point aimed at by the French cultivator is that of 

 giving care and attention to each stool, and when the stools are a 

 yard apart, as they ought to be to grow them on the Argenteuil 

 system, this is easily done ; and I believe that a modification 

 of this system would be very generally adopted were gardeners to 

 see the result. I would say, then. Instead of planting a 4-feet 

 bed of Asparagus as we do now, make two rows in the same 

 space ; plant about '2J feet apart in the rows ; let the subsoil 

 be well worked ; and plant in March. Do not use plants older 

 than two years. L'HOrault strongly deprecates the use of 

 three-year-old plants ; he says they become broken, and take 

 longer time to establish themselves. I should plant in very 

 shallow trenches, so as to be able afterwards to fill in from 

 between the rows, and thus give the Asparagus a little elevation. 

 In planting I should do precisely as in potting an Auricula — 

 heap up the earth into a little conical mound, and then spread 

 the roots all round, adding, of course, some good well-rotted 

 manure ; then place a small stick, to which by-and-by the 

 young shoots may be tied, so as to prevent the action of the 

 wind ; it will, moreover, enable you to see where the roots are, 

 and consequently what misses you have. Do not put in the 

 stake close to the crown, but at a little distance, and incline it 

 at an angle towards the plant. In the autumn each plant 

 should be examined, a little well-rotted manure placed on each, 

 and covered over again. Keep all clear of weeds, and do not 

 cut until the third year, and then only sparingly. Apply 

 manure in spring and autumn, but not over the whole surface 

 of the bed, but only over the stools. I have said " cut ;" but 

 on this point the Argenteuil growers are very strong. They 

 insist that no knife should be used, but that simply the finger 

 should be the gathering instrument, and the young shoot rubbed 

 off instead of being cut. Where it is considered desirable to 

 have a long handle to eat the Asparagus with, a little heap 

 of mould should be placed over each stool ; but I do not fancy 

 that this will be in much favour here. Be always careful to 

 have a sufficiently strong stake to tie the branches to that are 

 left after cutting, and never cut these away until, at any rate, 

 the month of October. If you desire to have the enormous 

 heads one sees in Paris, it can easily be accomplished by thin- 

 ning out the shoots in autumn and only allowing a certain 

 number to perfect themselves. 



The same care is not always taken. For instance, at Fontaine- 

 hleau, near Montreuil, and at other places, I have seen the 

 stools planted in trenches indeed, but the roots had been evi- 

 dently allowed to run into one another as with us, but the 

 special and thorough French plan is that pursued at Argenteuil 

 and in the neighbourhood. I do not know whether it has a ten- 

 dency to wear out the plants ; but L'Hurault says they ought to 

 be destroyed after fifteen years, while I know beds in England 

 which have lasted a hundred, and are in as full vigour as ever. 

 As a matter of personal taste I much prefer the small and 

 green heads to the large and white-stalked ones of France ; but 

 chacun a son gout. One thing I believe is not sufficiently at- 

 tended to in the preparation of Asparagus for the table, that is 

 scraping it well. The forcing of Asparagus is carried on in 

 other places, and will come under notice when I speak of the 

 priineurs at Montrouge and elsewhere. — D., Deal. 



HARDY FERNS. 



Mb. Douglas, in his " Notes on Ferns," speaks of having 

 obtained Ceterach officinarum near Godalming, in Surrey. It 

 may interest him to know that here, in Somersetshire, on the 

 Mendips, this Fern almost clothes many of the old limestone 

 walls with its characteristic fronds, some of which attain a 

 considerable size. Asplenium trichomanes is also abundant 

 here ; while the pale green of Cystopteris fragilis contrasts 

 charmingly with the grey stones from between which it springs. 

 A large space of the north wall of my garden is covered with it. 



Asplenium adiantum nigrum is a pretty bright Fern, more 

 common, I tbink, in Surrey than in this neighbourhood, but 

 never found, I fancy, in very great abundance. 



Blechnum boreale, or spicant, flourishes, with Athyrium 



Filix-fccmina and the Lastreas, in the black peat of our hills ; 

 and among the smaller kinds of Ferns there is none more in- 

 teresting, in its home, than Asplenium ruta-muraria, which 

 grows side by side with Ceterach — sometimes in the same tuft. 



Some of these Ferns are easy of cultivation, if their tastes 

 as to soil, position, &c., are attended to, but A. trichomanes is 

 very unwilling to be domesticated. 



I must not forget to mention Polypodium calcareum, growing 

 plentifully in the limestone debris at the sides of the road 

 through the Cheddar Cliffs. It is an erect, branching Fern, 

 with a distinct individuality, and ono that readily adapts itself 

 to a change of circumstances. In autumn its fronds die down, 

 like those of the Lady Fern, Brake, &c. — G. H. T. 



THE MERITS OF SOME BEDDING 

 PELARGONIUMS. 



So much has been said in the pages of this Journal in favour 

 of some of these popular flowers, that I almost shrink from 

 giving an opinion adverse to the acknowledged notions of some 

 and what may be termed prejudices of others. We have certainly, 

 during the last few years, had some fine introductions in this 

 class of plants — varieties not only useful for the decoration of 

 the conservatory, but also for the embellishment of the flower 

 garden. It is my intention in these remarks to notice their 

 qualities as bedding plants, and having in the past season had 

 the opportunity of seeing some of the most recent introductions, 

 as well as choice older varieties, bedded out together, I have 

 made a few notes on their merits, and also on their short- 

 comings. 



I do not intend to pursue any systematic arrangement, but 

 will just make my remarks as from time to time I have jotted 

 down my notes. 



1 will divide this large family into two sections ; first, the 

 Variegated section, and, second, the Scarlet section, having 

 horseshoe or plain leaves. 



To begin with the Variegated section. Mrs. Pollock has for 

 upwards of seven years held an honourable position, and has 

 been a universal favourite. It will for a long time hold its place 

 against such comers as Lady CuUum, Miss Watson, and others 

 of the same class. I have not yet seen a leaf of Lady Cullum 

 equal to the coloured drawing sent out last spring, that 

 announced its advent, nor have I seen a plant yet of Miss 

 Watson worth its carriage for a dozen miles. The latter is 

 dwarf in habit, weak in constitution, and the colour of the 

 foliage is a mongrel combination that is not effective. 



Of the Golden-leaved and Bronze section I have as yet 

 scarcely seen anything which answers to the glowing descrip- 

 tions of the leading London catalogues. Beauty of Oulton and 

 Beauty of Eibblesdale are not worth house room during winter 

 for bedding purposes. Our old friends Cloth of Gold and 

 Golden Chain have not been so effective as usual this season, 

 nor have they made so much progress, owing, probably, to the 

 excessive drought. 



Among the Silver Variegated kinds I have seen nothing 

 during the season to equal Pearl and Miss Kingsbury. Pearl, 

 of first-class habit for bedding, has a broad white margin 

 and a flat leaf-surface, with a slight shaded zone. I hardly 

 Uke the zone, as I consider it rather detracts from than adds 

 to its beauty. With this drawback — if such it may be con- 

 sidered — a bed of it at Mr. Pearson's Nurseries, Chilwell, by 

 whom it was introduced last spring, was the most effective 

 bed of Silver Variegated Pelargoniums I have ever seen. Miss 

 Kingsbury is of different habit, yet very effective. It has a 

 broad pure silver margin, with a rich dark green centre. These 

 two Silver Variegated Pelargoniums I consider the gems of the 

 season, and they only require knowing to be appreciated. 

 Flower of Spring is a good old sort, and has been extensively 

 used the past season. St. Clair I have long discarded, and when 

 I can obtain a sufficient quantity of Pearl and Miss Kingsbury, 

 such old sorts as Bijou, Alma, and Flower of the Day will 

 follow in the same track. Italia Unita is very well as a pot 

 plant, but it will never be appreciated for bedding purposes ; 

 besides, it is a very slow grower. 



Coming to the Horseshoe section of Pelargoniums, we have 

 a confusion of useless varieties for bedding purposes. Many 

 sent out in the spring of 18C7 and 1SG8, and described as 

 " queenly varieties in all the essential features of habit and 

 flower," have turned out to be no better than common garden 

 weeds. The foremost of this character may be mentioned 

 — viz., Christine Nosegay. Among others also left out to be 



