COMMONPLACE NOTES. 



399 



repeated annually, the beds gradually become weaker, and plants die off 

 altogether, so that the formerly good beds are spoiled. Another cause is 

 the practice of throwing out the alleys between the beds a little deeper 

 every year until eventually they may be a foot lower than the top of the 

 beds. Now, as all asparagus beds are, or ought to be, well drained, this 

 is not only unnecessary, but absolutely injurious ; for when dry weather 

 sets in, the raised beds become more or less dried up, and, if watered, 

 most of the water runs off to waste. In a garden in the Midlands 

 we saw a number of these raised beds with alleys nearly a foot deep, and 

 all the asparagus weak and miserable in appearance. We recommended 

 the owner to fill up the alleys, to within a couple of inches of the surface 

 of the beds, with a mixture of equal parts of rotten manure and good soil. 

 In two years better beds of asparagus could not be found anywhere. 



Again, the prevalent system of putting a heavy application of manure 

 on asparagus beds in the autumn is, in our opinion, altogether wrong, as 

 it keeps the beds colder and wetter than they would be if no manure were 

 on, and much of the valuable matter in the manure is washed away by 

 winter rains and snow while the roots are dormant, and therefore unable 

 to absorb it. Much better apply the manure early in March, when it 

 really would do good ; if left on all summer, it would not only feed the 

 active roots, but would keep the beds cooler and moister at the season 

 most needed. Salt or chemical manures could still be used in the 

 ordinary manner. 



Delicate Roses, 1908-1909. 



It may be of interest to note that the following varieties of roses 

 proved delicate at Wisley, and, if not killed, were very severely injured. 

 Each variety is planted in clumps of twelve, and the plants had stood where 

 they were for three years. It should be said that the frost at Wisley 

 was very severe, zero being registered by the grass thermometer. ' Mrs. 

 Edward Mawley ' was one of the worst — practically all the plants were 

 killed ; ' Marquise de Salisbury ' was another that was severely affected ; 

 'Niphetos,' well known as a tender variety, maintained its bad reputation ; 

 ' Papa Gontier ' had always succeeded well, and stood the winter well, but 

 thirty-two degrees of frost proved too much for it at Wisley. ' Safrano ' 

 has always been a favourite of ours, because of its charming buds, but 

 about half the plants were killed. c William Allen Richardson ' was 

 killed entirely ; and almost the same may be said of ' Exquisite,' only one 

 plant being alive out of twelve. Both ' Perle des Jardins ' and its 

 climbing form suffered badly ; and 1 Grace Darling,' which is generally so 

 hardy and vigorous, lost half its number. 'Madame Cadeau Ramey,' 

 'Gottfried Keller,' ' Princess Beatrice,' and ' Princesse de Sagon " were 

 nearly all killed ; and even of ' La France ' 25 per cent. died. It seems to 

 us that the last named is not so satisfactory as it used to be. It is the 

 first to be attacked by "rust," and a very large proportion of the buds 

 never expand, but rot on the plants ; not only at Wisley, but in many 

 other places it behaved in the same way, and, as there are so many 

 perfectly hardy and lovely varieties that are thoroughly satisfactory, we are 

 seriously thinking of discarding this old favourite. It should be stated 

 that all the roses named above were dwarfs on the briar stock. 



