118 



THE GARDENER. 



[may. 



rots, parsnips, turnips, &c. ; plant tomatoes against a 

 south wall in open spaces between fruit-trees, making 

 holes well manured to receive the plants, which should 

 be carefully taken from the pots. Plant vines if 

 wanted in the borders; earth up your drill crops 

 neatly, and water those that require it, else your pre- 

 vious care may be fruitless, I shall conclude the ob- 

 servations for this month with a caution respecting 

 the cutting of asparagus for the table :— 



If you have ever examined the cro^^^l of the plant 

 in the budding season, you w^ill have remarked, that 

 besides the fine shoot you are about to cut off there 

 are many others, in various stages of theii' growth, 

 under the surface ; and if in cutting the one you maim 

 any of the rest, you destroy those shoots, and may ma- 

 terially injure the crown itself. Now on the continent^ 

 where they are very careful gardeners, they make use 

 of an implement for this special purpose not unlike a 

 lock saw, but narrow^er, longer, and finer, the blade 

 being about eight inches in length, one inch w ide at 

 the haft, and terminating in half an inch at the point, 

 w^hich is rounded, and the blade, instead of being 

 sharp, has a fine serrated edge, which will not slip, 

 but merely cut the stem to which it is applied. I have 

 another hint or two for you also, unless where you 

 are like me very impatient, and mean, according to my 

 former suggestion, to sacrifice a few beds for an early 

 cutting. 



I W'Ould wish you to observe this rule : — Don't 

 be tempted to cut the largest shoots : in the third sea- 

 son from making a successful plantation from each 

 crow'n, four shoots may probably appear at the same 

 time, two of them perhaps large and two small: be 

 content with one large and one small one, leaving the 

 others, and especially the strong one, which is the 

 best calculated to supply the returning sap in abun- 

 dance to the increasing root. One w^ord more : Let 



