APRIL 277 



seriana is also very early, and has a pretty flower. But 

 all these plants cost money, as they make no effect 

 except in large clumps; and, to do well, I fear they 

 want stiff, moist soils. 



Those who live near the coast may be interested to 

 hear of an experiment which I saw being tried for grow- 

 ing Asparagus in a wild state on the sandy shore of 

 Suffolk. The gardener wrote me the following descrip- 

 tion of what he had done : 



'In the spring of 1896, some yearling Asparagus 

 plants were planted on the lower portions of some raised 

 banks close to the sea. There was no attempt at 

 preparing the ground ; it was not even properly cleared 

 of weeds, or sufficient care exercised to plant the plants 

 far enough apart to give them growing room. But the 

 result far exceeds what might have been expected from 

 such rough-and-ready treatment, for one can almost 

 say they have grown wild. As regards the soil of which 

 these banks are composed, the only remark one can 

 make is that it is of a very questionable character, 

 although of three classes : No. 1, pure, fine drift sand ; 

 No. 2, drift sand crag and river mud mixed ; No. 3, 

 river mud. The plants in No. 2 mixture have given the 

 best produce, No. 3, river mud, being very close; whilst 

 the produce of No. 1, from the fine drift sand, is very 

 poor. There has been no attempt to give cultural aids 

 in the way of manure up to the present. In summing 

 up the result of the above experiment, it is quite evident 

 that our home-grown Asparagus supplies might very 

 easily be largely increased, and it is to be hoped the 

 idea may be taken up as a means of profit by working 

 men who are holders of land by the sea. 



' It will be necessary, if success in the production of 

 the first-class article is to be arrived at, to observe 

 clearly at the onset three things of the utmost impor- 



