THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



13T 



apple they have in Wisconsin. This is 

 certainly great ])raise. We had sup- 

 posed tliat the Wealthy was the best 

 winter apple yet grown in Wisconsin, 

 and as hardy as tlie Duchess of Olden- 

 burgh. 



ASPARAGUS. 

 At a recent meeting of the Massa- 

 chu.setts Horticultural Society, Mr. 

 William H. Hunt, of Concord, f-aid that 

 Asparagus is grown very extensively at 

 Concox'd, some gi'owei's having as much 

 as eight or ten acres. Only one crop 

 can be got in a season, and near Boston, 

 where land is more valuable, it must be 

 devoted to such plants as will alford 

 two crops. At C'oncoid land is cheaper, 

 and there is much light soil, unsuitable 

 for grass, where asparagus can be pro- 

 titaljly grown. The rent of the land is 

 not counted at all. If it is possible to 

 get the plough down deep enough, there 

 is no neces.sity for usiug the spade. 

 The rows ai-e ]j] anted four feet apart, 

 and the plants from fifteen inches to 

 two feet apart in the row. If a crop is 

 wanted quickly it is planted closer, but 

 the bed does not last so long. There is 

 no insect enemy of any account ; the 

 speaker has never seen the asparagus 

 beetle, which is tz'oublesome in some 

 places. The crop is never very proHt- 

 aVde, but on the other hand, failure is 

 never known. In a warm season the 

 time for cutting will be shorter than in 

 a cooler one. The receipts are three 

 hundred dollars or more per acre, some- 

 what in accordance with the amount of 

 manure applied, which is generally eight 

 or ten cords. Some tertilizers are used; 

 nitrate of soda or phosphates, or a mix- 

 ture of them, may be applied one year 

 in three. There is a difference of 

 opinion in regard to the use of salt ; 

 the speaker thought that the same 

 money put into manure would do more 

 good than if expended for salt. He 



had used saltpetre waste from a powder 

 factory, which contained a small amount 

 of nitrogen. He did not know why 

 as]>aragus could not be improved by 

 selection, and believed it would be just 

 as advantageous as with any crop. 

 One grower sorts his asparagus into two 

 grades ; the speaker could not say that 

 the lai'ger is any better than the smaller, 

 but it brings a higher price. 



FKUIT PROSPECTS IN CENTRAL 

 ILLINUIS. 



Apple trees that were in good condi- 

 tion in the fall, have pa-ssed through 

 the late cold snap safely, and are well 

 supplied with fruit buds for next sea- 

 son's crop ; but those that were injured 

 a year ago, and only partly recovered 

 last summer, now give evidence of being 

 so badly injured as to unfit them for 

 any purpose but the wood pile. 



Pear trees are apparently unhurt, 

 and j)romi.se more than an average crop 

 of iruit. 



Peach buds are, of course, all killed, 

 and the eifect of two such tenibly cold 

 wintei-s in succession will be latal to 

 most of the trees. 



The few cheiTV trees that survived 

 last Avinter's Ireeze were in poor condi- 

 tion to endure the ordeal of the present 

 winter, and very few of them will ever 

 leave out again. We shall have no 

 fruit. 



Black raspberries are all killed to 

 the snow line, and we shall have no 

 fruit to speak of. Turner is safe, and 

 will yield the usual crop. 



Lawton and Kittatiuny blackberries, 

 arc in the same condition as I'aspberries, 

 and for the first time in my knowledge 

 Snyder is somewhat injured in the bud. 



Strawberries, having been covered 

 with snow during the severe weather, 

 are, of course, safe. — Farmer and Fruit 

 Grower. 



