AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HORTICULTURE. 



121 



Ashes continued. 



burned, they are more suited to heavy than to light soils. 

 Coal Ashes, if very fine, may be sprinkled half an inch deep 

 on the surface, over peas and beans, &c., to preserve them 

 from mice ; they may also be used for garden and green- 

 house walks, where bricks or tiles are absent, being tidy 

 in appearance, and an excellent substitute for other and 

 more expensive material. 



Peat Ashes. Peat approaching to purity, when thrown 

 out of its bed and thoroughly dried, may be burned to an 

 imperfect Ash, and when it does not reach this point, it will 

 become thoroughly charred, and reduced to cinders. The 

 process of burning should be as slow as possible. In either 

 form, it is a valuable dressing for the soil. 



ASH-TREE. See Fraxinus. 



ASIATIC POISON BULB. See Crintun asia- 

 ticnm. 



ASIMINA (meaning unknown). OED. Anonacece. 

 Hardy shrubs, with oblong, cuneated, usually deciduous 

 leaves. Flowers sometimes rising before the leaves, 

 usually solitary and axillary. They thrive freely in a 

 mixture of sand and peat. Propagated by layers put 

 down in the autumn, or by seed, procured from their 

 native country. Seedlings should be raised in pots, and 

 sheltered in winter, until they have acquired a consider- 

 able size. 



Aspalathus continued. 



AU the species are pretty when in flower, and thrive in a 

 mixture of loam, peat, and sand. Young cuttings of 

 half-ripened wood will strike in April, in sand, under 

 bell glasses, which must be wiped dry occasionally. But 

 little water is needed. Over a hundred species are 

 known; those introduced are very rarely seen in culti- 

 vation. 



ASPARAGUS (from a, intensive, and sparatso, to 

 tear ; in reference to the strong prickles of some species). 

 OED. Liliacece. Erect or climbing herbs or shrubs, with 

 very small scale-like leaves, and a profusion of numerous 

 slender fascicled-needle, rather spiny branchlets. Flowers 

 axillary, inconspicuous. Fruit baccate. The indoor species 

 will all thrive well in a warm greenhouse temperature, 

 provided they have partial shade, a good supply of moisture 

 at the roots, and are not kept too close, in a moderately 

 rich sandy compost. The hardy species are propagated 

 chiefly by seeds and divisions of the roots. Rich sandy 

 loam is necessary, and otherwise they may be treated as 

 ordinary perennials. Some of the species belonging to this 

 genus are among the most elegant of foliage plants for 

 cutting purposes. A. decumbens and A. scandens make 

 excellent plants for Wardian cases, and may be cut in freely 

 if they exceed their limits. 



ASPABAQUS (A. officinalis) AS A VEGETABLE. The value 

 and importance of this plant as a 

 vegetable cannot be over-estimated; 

 it is extensively grown, and, when 

 properly managed, produces a fairly 

 lucrative crop. 



Soil and Bed. The first thing to be 

 done in the preparation of an Asparagus 

 bed to stand for any length of time, is 

 to secure an efficient drainage ; and on 

 wet soils this is best effected by placing 

 a layer of brick rubbish over the whole 

 of the bottom, and connecting this with 

 a drain. On gravelly or other soils 

 which are drained naturally, of course, 

 this is not needed; but if really good 

 crops are a desideratum, water should 

 not stand within 3ft. of the surface. 

 In all cases, the ground must be dug to 

 a depth of 18in., and, if stiff, a goodly 

 amount of road sweepings.or other gritty 

 materials, should be well mixed with 

 the staple soil. Asparagus requires a 

 good soil, neither too heavy nor too light. 

 Manuring. After the soil has been 

 well trenched, and has lain long enough 

 to settle down, a good dressing of 

 manure thoroughly rotted, and not 

 too rank, at the rate of from twenty 

 to thirty tons to the acre, dug into 

 the surface of the beds will be found 



FIG. 159. FLOWERING BRANCH OF ASIMINA TRILOR*. very beneficial. If possible, this should 



be introduced in January ; and then, if 

 the weather permits, the beds should be forked two or three 

 times by the end of March, so as to render the soil as 

 friable as possible. A very good manure, and one that is 

 easily obtained, is common garden salt. This may be given 

 annually to established beds. A moderate dressing should 

 be applied just before growth commences in spring, but 

 a little will do no harm at other times during the 

 summer. It is best scattered on with the hand, and a 

 showery day should be selected, as it will then soon dis- 

 appear. Salt, besides acting as a manure, has also the 

 properties of keeping the beds cool and moist in hot 

 weather, and of preventing the growth of weeds. 



Planting. Asparagus can be planted during March and 

 April, the latter month being the best time for the 

 work. The soil having been thoroughly prepared, the 

 next point is to decide on the size of the beds; this 



B 



A. trUoba (three-lobed). fl. campanulate, the three outer petals 

 pale purplish, and the three inner ones smaller, purplish on the 

 outside as well as the inside at the base and apex, with the 

 middle yellow, about 2ia diameter, produced between the upper 

 leaves. May. I. oblong-cuneated, often acuminated, and, as 

 well as the branches, smoothish. h. 10ft. Pennsylvania, 1736. 

 A small tree or shrub. See Fig. 159. 



ASKALLON (the Eschallot). See Allium ascaloni- 



ASPALATHUS (from o, not, and spao, to extract; 

 in reference to the difficulty of extracting its thorns from 

 a wound). Including Sarcophyllus. OBD. Leguminosa. 

 Shrubs or sub-shrubs, natives, with one exception, of the 

 Cape of Good Hope. Flowers usually yellow, furnished 

 with three bracteoles, or a leaf comprised of three leaflets. 

 Leaves of three to five leaflets, disposed palmately, 

 rarely pinnately, having scarcely any or very short petioles. 



