122 Notes and Gleanings. 



It is to be regretted that this wrangling spirit has found a lodgement in the 

 sanctified field of horticulture. However, it is a satisfaction to know, that, in a 

 soil so uncongenial to its expansion and thrift, it may readily be eradicated. In 

 conclusion, I will only add, that, for one, I desire to take no part in the disputes 

 arising between propagators, further than to canvass their views, and examine 

 the evidences upon which their opinions of the merit or demerit of the candidate 

 under inspection are founded. And yet I deem it but fair to state that a large 

 majority of the grape-growers of this country regard Dr. Grant as one of the most 

 earnest and intelligent workers in their ranks ; and that, from their verdict, it 

 would also appear that he has done more for the advancement of grape-culture 

 in our country than any other. And I desire further to state, that, however 

 he may be prejudiced in favor of his own seedlings, I regard him as the best 

 "taster" and the most competent judge of the relative merit and value of 

 the different varieties of grapes, of all the cultivators with whom I am ac- 

 quainted. 



I do not make these remarks to exalt Dr. Grant, or to rescue his character, 

 personal or professional, from the attack of Mr. Caywood ; for it is manifest that 

 in neither has he suffered any considerable damage. W. G. 



North East, Penn. 



The Winter-Dressing of Asparagus-Beds. — I never could quite under- 

 stand why gardeners in private establishments, and those who have the manage- 

 ment of market-gardens, should so widely differ in their practice of the winter- 

 dressing of asparagus-beds. Tlie former generally, either late in the autumn 

 or at the commencement of the winter months, wheels on to his beds a quantity 

 of decayed manure, which is thickly spread over the whole surface : he then 

 begins to square them by digging from the alleys or trenches between the beds 

 a quantity of soil, by which he makes the sides firm, with an even slope towards 

 the bottom of the trench. The loose soil is strewn over the dung on the top of 

 the bed. When the sides are finished, the trenches between the beds are filled 

 with plenty of rotten manure, into which, in the growing season, the roots of 

 the asparagus find their way. Early in the spring, the beds are lightly forked, 

 a portion of the soil going towards filling up the alleys: thus, in some degree, 

 the beds are lowered. With the market-gardener the practice is different. He 

 makes good the sides of his beds in the spring ; and, instead of reducing the 

 quantity of soil, he adds to the top of his beds : thus their depth is increased. 

 The only rationale I could ever arrive at respecting the opposite systems of cul- 

 ture was, that the market-gardener, in order to obtain the asparagus in a fit state 

 for the market, must have each stalk of a certain length, otherwise he cannot tie 

 them into salable bundles : therefore it is essential that there should be an ex- 

 tension of its growth under the ground; because, when it reaches a few inches 

 above the surface of the soil, it must be cut, or the heads would soon become 

 unfit for table. With a gardener in a private establishment, the length of stalk 

 is not of so much consequence, because they are sent to the kitchen in a loose 

 state ; and therefore a very little more than the length of the salable portion is 

 required for that purpose. — Gardener'' s Magazine. 



