ASCLEPIODORA 



74 



ASPALATHUS 



A. obtusifo'lia (blunt-leaved). 3. Purple. July. N. 



Amer. 1820. 



parvifto'ra (small-flowered). See A. PERENNIS. 

 paupe'rcula (poor). 2. Red. July. N. Amer. 1817. 

 ,, pere'nnis. 3. White. September. N. Amer. 1774. 

 phytolaccoi' des (phytolacca-like). 3. Purple. July. 



N. Amer. 1812. 



,, ni'vea. White. N. Amer. 1730. 

 ,, polysta'chia (many-spiked). 4. White. July. N. 



Amer. 1825. 



pu'lchra (fair). See A. INCARNATA. 

 ,, purpura' scens (purplish). 3. Purple. July. N. 



Amer. 1732. 

 ,, quadrifo'lia (four-leaved), i. White, red. July. 



N. Amer. 1820. 

 ro'sea (rosy), i. Red. July. Mexico. 1824. 



Greenhouse herbaceous. 



ru'bra (red), i. Red. July. Virginia. 1825. 

 ,, sca'ndens See PHILIBERTIA VIMINALIS. 

 ,, specio'sa. Red. N.W. Amer. 1846. 

 ., Sulliva'ntii. Deep purple. Allied to A. syriaca. 

 syri'aca (Syrian). 4. Purple. July. N. Amer. 1629. 

 ,, tenaci' ssima. See MARSDENIA. 

 ., tubero'sa (tuberous-roofed). 2. Orange. August. 



N. Amer. 1680. Hardy tuber. 

 variega'ta (variegated). 4. White. July. N. Amer. 



1597- 

 ,, verticilla'ta (whorl-leaved). 3. White, green. July. 



N. Amer. 1759. 



,, linifo'lia. See A. LINIFOLIA. 

 vesti'ta (clothed). 3. Yellowish-green. October. 



N. Amer. 1844. 

 vimina'lis. See PHILIBERTIA VIMINALIS. 



ASCLEPIODO'RA. (Swallowworts. Nat. ord. Ascle- 

 piads [Asclepidaceae]. Linn. 5-Pentandria, z-Digynia.) 



Propagated by division of the root when growth is 

 commencing in spring. Ordinary garden soil. 

 A. procu'mbens. . Green, yellow. September. N. 



Amer. 

 vi'ridis. N. Amer. 1812. 



ASCY'RUM. (From a, not, and skyros, roughness ; 

 plants not hard to the touch. Nat. ord. Tutsans [Hyperi- 

 caceae]. Linn. Polyadelphia, 8-Polyandria.) 



All, but one, greenhouse evergreens ; cuttings of small 

 shoots, pretty hard ; placed in very sandy soil, in close 

 frame, any time during summer ; peat and loam. 

 Summer temp., 50 to 65 ; winter, 38 to 45. 

 A. amplexicau'le (stem-clasping). 2. Yellow. August. 



N. Amer. 1823. 

 Cru'x-A'ndrex (St. Andrew's cross). 2. Yellow. July. 



N. Amer. 1759. 

 ,, hypericoi' des (hypericum-like). 2. Yellow. August. 



W. Ind. 1759. 

 ,, pu'milum (dwarf), i. Yellow. July. Georgia. 1806. 



Half-hardy herbaceous. 

 ,, sta'ns (standing). 2. Yellow. August. N. Amer. 1816. 



ASHES are the remains of a substance which has under- 

 gone burning, and are as various in the proportions of 

 their components as are the bodies capable of being burnt. 

 Whatever be the substance burnt, the process should be 

 made to proceed as slowly as possible ; for, by such 

 regulation, more carbon, or charcoal, is preserved in the 

 ashes, which is the most valuable of their constituents. 

 The simplest mode of effecting a slow combustion is to 

 bank the burning substance over with earth, leaving only 

 a small orifice, to admit the air sufficiently to keep up a 

 smouldering fire. 



Ashes have been usually recommended as a manure 

 most useful to heavy soils ; but this is a decided mistake. 

 As fertilisers they are beneficial upon all soils ; and they 

 can never be applied in sufficient quantity to alter the 

 staple of a too tenacious soil. To thirty square yards, 

 twenty-eight pounds are an average application ; and 

 they cannot be put on too fresh. 



Peat-ashes contain 



Silica (flint) 32 



Sulphate of lime (gypsum) . . .12 

 Sulphate and muriate of soda (Glauber 



and common salt) 6 



Carbonate of lime (chalk) .... 40 



Oxide of iron 3 



Loss . 7 



They are an excellent application to lawns turnips, 

 cabbages, potatoes, and peas. 



Coal-ashes contain carbon, silica, alumina, sulphate of 

 lime, iron and potash, carbonate of lime, and oxide of 

 iron. They are a good manure for grass, peas, and 

 potatoes. Sprinkled half an inch deep on the surface, 

 over beans and peas, they hasten the germination of the 

 seed, and preserve it from mice. They are also used for 

 forming dry walks in the kitchen-department. 



Soap-boilers' ashes contain 



Silica . ... 35.0 



Lime . ... 35.0 



Magnesia . ... 2.3 



Alumina (clay) . . . 1.5 



Oxide of iron . ... 1.7 

 ,, manganese . . .1.8 

 Potash (combined with silica) . . .0.5 



Soda . o.a 



Sulphuric acid (combined with lime) . o.a 



Phosphoric acid ,, . 3.5 



Common salt o.i 



Carbonic acid (combined with lime and 



magnesia) 18.2 



They are good for all crops, but especially grass and 

 potatoes. 



Wood-ashes and the ashes of garden-weeds generally 

 contain silica, alumina, oxides of iron and manganese, 

 lime, magnesia, potash, partly in the state of a silicate, 

 soda, sulphates of potash and lime, phosphate of lime, 

 chloride of sodium (common salt), and carbonates of 

 lime, potash, and magnesia, with a considerable portion 

 of charcoal. They are a good application to cabbages, 

 potatoes, and peas. 



Turf-ashes contain silica, alumina, oxides of iron and 

 manganese, lime, magnesia, sulphates of potash and lime, 

 phosphates of lime and magnesia, common salt, and 

 charcoal. They have been used beneficially to grass, 

 onions, carrots, beans, potatoes, and beetroot. 



ASH-TREE. Fra'xinus exce'lsior. 

 ASIATIC-POISON BULB. Cri'num asia'ticum. 



ASI'MINA. (A Canadian name, not explained. Nat. 

 ord. Anonads [Anonaceae]. Linn. i^-Polyandria, 6-Poly- 

 gynia.) 



A . tri'loba is a fit companion to such plants as Da'phnes, 

 Illi'ciums, and Di'rca palu'stris in British gardens. Some- 

 times by seed, but chiefly by layering the branches, to- 

 wards the end of summer. Peat and loam. 



A. grandiflo'ra (large-flowered). 3. White. June. 



Georgia. 1820. 

 parvifto'ra (small-flowered). 3. Brown. May. N. 



Amer. 1806. 



pygmce'a (pigmy). 2. White. N. Amer. 1812. 

 ,, tri'loba (three-lobed-flowered). 8. Pale purple. 



August. N. Amer. 1822. 



ASPA'LATHUS. (From a, not, and spao, to extract ; 

 in reference to the difficulty of extracting its thorns from 

 a wound. Nat. ord. Leguminous Plants [Leguminosae]. 

 Linn. i6-Monadelphia, i-Decandria.) 



With one exception, all greenhouse evergreen shrubs. 

 Cuttings of half-ripened wood, in April, in sand ; placed 

 over sandy peat, well drained, kept shaded, and little 

 water given, as they are apt to damp off. Loam and 

 lumpy peat. Temp., summer, 55 to 65 ; winter, 40 

 to 45 

 A. affi'nis (kindred). 3. Yellow. July. Cape of Good 



Hope. 1822. 

 a'lbens (white). 4. White. July. Cape of Good 



Hope. 1774. 

 arachnoi'dea. Shrubby, erect. Corolla silky. S. 



Africa. 

 ,, araneo'sa (cobwebbed). 3. Yellow. July. Cape of 



Good Hope. 1795. 

 ,, arge'ntea (silvery-leaved). 2. Yellow. July. Cape 



of Good Hope. 1759. 

 ,, asparagoi' des (asparagus-like). 3. Yellow. July. 



Cape of Good Hope. 1812. 

 ,, astroi'tes (starry). 2. Yellow. July. Cape of Good 



Hope. 1818. 



,, callo'sa (beautiful). 3. Yellow. July. Cape of 

 Good Hope. 1812. 



