28 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



QUESTION DRAWER. 



1. — I have about two acres of land 

 which I intend planting with apple 

 trees. It is limestone gravel mixed 

 with sandy loam to a depth of from a 

 foot to eighteen inches, under that a 

 strong whitish clay. I want to plant 

 about five kinds, to be at their best or 

 ripen as follows : — Some in January, 

 some February, some March, some 

 April, some May. I want a fair sized 

 apple with an attractive appearance 

 and good quality, that will hold on to 

 the tree till they are palled off. What 

 kinds would vou recommend to fill the 



biin 



2. — I also have a piece of land I want 

 to plant with asparagus. I have read 

 a good deal about growing asparagus, 

 and still I am ])artly blind. I would 

 like to know why it should be planted 

 deep in the ground. I think it is un- 

 natural. When you raise plants from 

 the seed do you put the seed six or 

 eight inches under ground 1 I don't, 

 because it is contrary to Nature's laws ; 

 and why put the plants so deep in the 

 ground 1 One man says don't cut your j 

 asparagus under ground because it is ^ 

 hard and stringy. If it is not fit for ' 

 use under ground what is the use of 

 growing six or eight inches for noth- 



intr ? Yours, SUBSCRIBER. 



Reply. — 1. If "Subscriber" had 

 added the place of his residence at the 

 foot of his inquiries it would have been 

 of great service in giving a satisfactory 

 reply. As it is we are ignorant of the 

 peculiarities of his climate. If the fol- 

 lowing varieties will thrive at his place 

 we think they will " fill the bill," pre- 

 suming, from his condition that they 

 must have an attractive appearance, 

 that he wants them for market pur- 

 poses, which fact modifies the meaning 



of the expression " good quality." For 

 January, Hubbardston Nonsuch ; for 

 February, Wagener; for March, Bald- 

 win ; for April, Golden Russet ; for 

 May, Roxbury Russet. If the Russets 

 are not sufficiently attractive in ap- 

 pearance substitute for them as follows : 

 — For April, Ben Davis ; for May, 

 Northern Spy. It will nevertheless be 

 found in practice that we cannot divide 

 off our winter apples into separate 

 months in this way with precision. 

 They will vary somewhat in their time 

 of coming to perfect maturity accord- 

 ing to the variations in the seasons, 

 and the manner in which they are 

 treated, especially the temperature of 

 the place where they are stored. 



2. Asparagus — " Subscriber " asks 

 why should it be planted deep in the 

 ground] We would ask, who says it 

 should? Certainly not the author of 

 theCanadian Fruit, Flower and Kitchen 

 Gardener. He says, page 195, "the 

 crown covered about two inches deep 

 j with earth." If the crown is only two 

 or three inches below the surface there 

 will not be six or eight inches of stalk 

 crown for nothing. The same writer 

 says, page I 96 : — " It is the practice of 

 many to cut the buds two or thi-ee 

 inches below the surface ; but why we 

 should take so much pains to secure a 

 long, white, woody stalk which no 

 cooking will make tender and no per- 

 son can eat, is more than we can un- 

 derstand. It is the practice of the 

 writer to cut the buds, when three to 

 five inches long, just above the surface 

 of the ground, thus securing for the 



