THE CANADIAN' HORTICULTURIST. 67 



sickness, there was a large quantity of " Tidnian's sea salt" left over, 

 which had been purchased to use for sea water baths ; this went on 

 to the Asparagus bed, and I honestly l)eliovc it did the plants more 

 good than the baths did to my patient. If iodine could be got in a 

 cheap form, I shoidd like to try a dressing of that, being well assured 

 it would be of benefit in a land so far removed from the sea. They 

 who live in the maritime provinces might manure with sea-weed. 



I find the safest time for forking over the bed is generally, in this 

 locality, about the end of April, when the frost has left the upper four 

 or five inches of the ground, and yet remains lower down ; there is no 

 fear of injuring the roots at this period, and you can dig straight away 

 without trembling for the crowns. 



One word about cutting low, or cutting high. My practice is to cut 

 an inch or so below the surface, for if you cut only the green, eatable 

 part, the underground stem goes on growing above the surface, and 

 there is gradually produced a lot of hard unsightly stubs all over the 

 bed, which are greatly in the way of subsequent cuttings. There is 

 practically no risk of dividing unseen heads by this method, if the 

 stems are cut with brains and a common jack-knife. Another thing, 

 liowever indecorous it may be, a good many really do like to take hold 

 of the white piece in their fingers to eat it by ; very shocking, but it is 

 true. And again, there can be no manner of doubt that it sells better 

 bunched up white and green. Lastly, if you have to cook it yourself 

 you will find the benefit of a piece of hard stock at the bottom, " me 

 crede experto!' 



OUR PRESENT FRUIT PROSPECTS. 



IJY J{. flOTT, Ai;i;n.\A, ONT. 



On the mornings of the l.'^jth, 14th, and 15th of ]\Iay \\q were 

 visited by extraordinary ki mi i'msis, which did much damage to our 

 fruit and to our grain, and somewhat changed the aspect of our whole 

 fruit condition for the season, which at one time promised to be a very 

 unusual and abundant general fruit cioj). That cold snap fell most 

 seriously upon our grapes and strawberries, damaging both these very 

 valuable fruits to the extent of fully two-thirds of the entire crop. Both 



