ASPASIA 



77 



ASPHODELINE 



with earth, or in a pit filled with leaves, tan, or other 

 fermenting materials. Melon-pits and frames may be 

 used for the same purpose. The hotbed of fermenting 

 materials, thoroughly well worked previously to being 

 made up into the beds, may give but a slight heat, and 

 on it may be put six inches of old tan, or leaf-mould. 

 Put the asparagus-plants into this, and keep them, 

 during the winter months, about one foot from the glass. 

 Cover them, at first, only slightly with th old tan, or 

 leaf-mould ; but, in ten days or a fortnight, add three 

 or four more inches of the same kind of covering. Take 

 care that altogether the crowns of the plants are not 

 covered more than five or six inches deep. When the 

 plants have begun to grow freely, and the shoots begin 

 to appear through the surface, give them some weak, 

 slightly- warmed, or tepid liquid-manure, adding to each 

 gallon of it two ounces of common salt. 



Quantity to be Forced. To keep a supply during the 

 winter months, commencing the first week in November, 

 use two or three light cucumber-frames ; and a succes- 

 sional bed should be made up in about a fortnight or 

 three weeks afterwards, and so on until the end of 

 March, taking the advantage of fine, open weather for 

 taking up and planting. 



Insects. See CRIOCERIS ASPARAGI. 



To obtain Seed. Some shoots should be marked, and 

 left in early spring ; for those which are allowed to run 

 up after the season of cutting is over are seldom forward 

 enough to ripen their seeds perfectly. In choosing the 

 shoots for this purpose, those only must be marked which 

 are the finest, roundest, and have the closest heads ; 

 those having quick-opening heads, or are small or flat, 

 are never to be left. It is remarkable that while some 

 plants seed freely every year others invariably fail. Each 

 chosen shoot must be fastened to a stake, which, by 

 keeping it in its natural position, enables the seed to 

 ripen more perfectly. The seed is usually ripe hi Sep- 

 tember, when it must be collected; put in moist sand, 

 where it should remain until the pulp has thoroughly 

 ripened, and there will be no difficulty in getting the 

 sand separated after it is quite dry, when it may be well 

 cleansed in water. The seeds sink to the bottom, and 

 the refuse floats, and will pass away with the water as 

 it is gently poured off. By two or three washings, the 

 seeds will be completely cleansed, and, when perfectly 

 dried by exposure to the sun and air, may be stored for 

 use ; but should not be placed where it gets very dry, 

 or warm ; it will keep for a considerable time in a tin 

 box if placed in a cool, dry position. 



ASP A' SLA. (From aspazomai, I embrace ; the column 

 embraced by the labellum. Nat. ord. Orchids [Orchi- 

 daceae]. Linn. 2o-Gynandria, i-Monandria.) 



Stove orchids, best grown in baskets containing 

 sphagnum, peat, and broken crocks, with charcoal ; 

 rather dry during winter, and moister when growing. 

 Summer temp., 65 to 80 ; winter, 58 to 65. 



A. epidendroi'des (epidendrum-like). i. Whitish-yellow. 



Panama. 1833. 



luna'ta (crescent-marked). Brazil. 1844. 

 lu'tea (yellow). Yellow. March. Guiana. 1838. 

 papiliona'cea. f. Yellowish, brownish, orange, violet. 



Costa Rica. 1876. 



principi'ssa. Light green, buff. 1888. 

 psittaci'na. Green, brown, purplish. Ecuador. 1878. 

 variega' ta (variegated- flowered) . i. Green and yellow. 



February. Panama. 1836. 



ASPEN. Po'pulus tre'mula. 



ASPEREXLA. (From asp er, rough. Nat. ord. Grami- 

 neae.) 



A. Hy'strix (Wien Gart. Zeit., 1889, p. 228, f. 45). 

 Hardy annual; sow early in spring. 



ASPE'RULA. Woodruff. (The diminutive of asper, 

 rough ; in reference to the rough leaves. Nat. ord. 

 Stellates, or Starworts [Rubiaceae]. Linn. ^-Tetrandria, 

 i-Monogynia.) 



All hardy herbaceous plants, except where otherwise 

 described. Division of the plant in March ; common 

 soil. Most of them succeed in shady positions, and will 

 grow under trees. A . tricho'des from seed. 



A. alpi'na (alpine). See A. CYNANCHICA. 

 arcadit'nsis (Arcadian). J. Red. April. Arcadia. 

 1819. 



A. arista' fa (awned). i. Yellow. July. South of 



Europe. 1823. 

 as'pera (rough). Greenish-yellow. July. Caucasus ; 



Persia. 1837. 

 ,, azu'rea. i. Pale blue. Caucasus. 1867. Syn. 



A. orientalis. 

 brevifo'lia (short-leaved). J. Purple. July. Asia 



Minor. 1825. Half-hardy evergreen trailer. 

 cala'brica. See PUTORIA CALABRICA. 

 ,, crassifo'lia (thick-leaved). See A. TOMENTOSA. 

 cyna'nchica (cynanche-like). i. Flesh. July. 



England. 

 saxa'tilis. Syn. A. pyrenaica. i. Flesh. July. 



Spain. 1821. 

 galtoi'des (galium-like). i. White. July. South of 



Europe. 1710. 

 tyra'ica (Tyrian). }. White. May. Levant. 



1829. 

 glomera'ta (crowded), i. Yellow. July. Orient. 



1824. 



Gusso'ni. i. Pink. August. Sicily. 1829. 

 hirsu'ta (soft-haired), i. White. June. Portugal. 



1819. 



,, hi'rta (bristly), i. Purple. July. Pyrenees. 1817. 

 ., inca'na (hoary). Purple. June. Crete. 1823. 

 Iceviga'ta (smoothed), i. White. June. South of 



Europe. 1775. 

 kmgifio'ra (long-flowered). i. Yellowish-purple. 



July. Hungary. 1821. 

 longifo'lia (long-leaved). See GALIUM. 

 molluginoi'des (Mollujo-like). i. Yellow. July. 



Caucasus. 1820. 



monta'na (mountain). See A. CYNANCHICA. 

 .. ni'tida (glossy). See A. GUSSONI. 

 ,, odora'ta (sweet-scented), i. White. June. Britain. 

 orienta'lis. See A. AZUREA. 

 pyrena'ica (Pyrenean). See A. CYNANCHICA SAXA- 



TILIS. 



ri'gida (stiff), i. Red. July. Greece. 1819. 

 sea' bra (rough). See A. ARISTATA. 

 scuiella'ris (skull-cap), i. Russia. 1838. 

 ,, subero'sa. J. Pink. June. Greece. 1903. 

 supi'na (supine). See A. CYNANCHICA. 

 tauri'na (bull), i. White. June. Italy. 1739. 

 ,, tincto'ria (dyer's), i. White. July. Europe. 1764. 

 tomento'sa (downy), i. Red. July. South of 



Europe. 1817. Syn. A. crassifolia. 

 tricho'des (hairy). White. June. Persia. 1838. 



Hardy annual. 



ASPHALT, BITUMEN, or JEW'S PITCH, is found 

 floating on the Dead Sea, and elsewhere. It becomes 

 very hard by exposure to the air ; and its name has been 

 appropriated to various artificial preparations, all of 

 which owe their properties to the boiled gas-tar which 

 enters into their composition. Thus the asphalt felt is 

 rendered waterproof for shed-roofing, &c., by being 

 soaked in that tar ; and asphalt walks are most dry and 

 excellent when made as follows : Take two parts of very 

 dry lime-rubbish, and one part coal-ashes, also very dry, 

 and both sifted fine. In a dry place, on a dry day, mix 

 them, and leave a hole in the middle of the heap, as brick- 

 layers do when making mortar. Into this pour boiling- 

 hot coal-tar ; mix, and, when as stiff as mortar, put it 

 three inches thick where the walk is to be. The ground 

 should be dry, and beaten smooth. Sprinkle over it 

 coarse sand : when cold, pass a light roller over it, and 

 in a few days the walk will be solid and waterproof. 



ASPHODELTNE. Nat. ord. Liliaces. A genus of 

 plants closely allied to Asphodelus, but distinguished by 

 erect leafy stems. Hardy plants that thrive in any 

 ordinary garden soil ; propagated by divisions. 



A. Bala'nsa (G. C., 1898, xxiii., in, f. 43). White. 



Cilicia and Cappadocia. 



Basi'lii (G. C., 1898, xxiii., in.) Mount St. Basil. 

 ,, brevicau'lis. Yellow, veined with green. Orient. 

 damasce'na. White. Asia Minor. 

 ,, dammeria'na (G. C., 1898, xxiii., in). White. 



Cilicia. 



,, isthmoca'rpa (G. C.. 1898, xxiii., in, f. 44). Cilicia. 

 ,, imperia'lis (G. C., 1897, xxii. 397, f. 116). Asia 



Minor. 

 libu'rnica. Yellow, striped with green. S. Europe 



Syns. Asphodelus capillaris and A. crettcus. 



