March 26, 1885. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
245 
26 
th 
Royal Society at 4.30 P.M. 
27 
F 
Crystal Palace Spring Show (two days). 
28 
S 
Royal Botanic Society at 3.45 P.M. 
29 
SUN 
Palm Sunday. 
30 
M 
SI 
TU 
1 
W 
ASPARAGUS CULTURE IN SPRING. 
HE spring months, especially March and 
April, should be taken the utmost advan¬ 
tage of by all who wish to excel in Aspara¬ 
gus culture. Sowing, planting, manuring, 
and indeed every operation necessary to 
make Asparagus culture a'complete success, 
must be done during the two months 
named. Those who annually lift many 
roots for forcing will find the best way to keep up the supply 
is to sow seed every spring. Those who do not know how 
easy it is to raise young plants and form new plantations 
may be under the impression that it is waste of good roots to 
lift them and after forcing throw them away, but we do not 
find it so. One ounce of Asparagus seed will yield some 
hundreds of plants; it may be sown like Onion seel in light 
rich soil, and about the first week in April. As the young 
roots will only be in the seed rows until next spring, 18 inches 
will be found to be sufficient space between the rows, and the 
seed should be sown thinly that the young plants may stand 
a few inches from each other. At times we have had them 
come rather thickly, but the young roots at the end of their 
first season were not so finely developed as those allowed 
more space. 
Planting out the young roots is an important spring 
operation, and it is possible to make a great mistake in it in 
this way. One spring not long since the weather was very 
fine during the first week in March, and the soil was in excel¬ 
lent condition for planting. Under these circumstances we 
were induced to lift and transplant about half our batch of one- 
year-old Asparagus roots. They could not have been better, 
but after this and before March was over the weather became 
very cold. However, considering the careful way our Aspa¬ 
ragus roots were planted we thought they would be all right, 
but they were not, as more than half of them failed to grow. 
The other half of the seedling roots were not lifted at that 
time, but remained undisturbed until the first week in April, 
when they were planted like the others, and no failure 
occurred. We were forced to the conclusion that this was 
the right time to plant, and we have since proved it to be 
perfectly correct, as the greatest success has attended young 
Asparagus roots when transplanted the first week in April. 
Probably if the crowns of young Asparagus roots were 
examined now the young growths would be seen starting, and 
some might be induced to begin planting, but a check would 
be sure to be the result. A young stem half an inch in 
length is far more likely to be injured at the present than 
those 1 or 2 inches long in the more genial month of April. 
It is no use trying to grow first-rate Asparagus in poor 
and shallow soil. The roots, it is true, do not penetrate very 
deeply, but we find shallow soil dry much more quickly in 
hot weather than when it is deeply trenched, and as it dries 
the plants, especially when young, are sure to suffer. 
Trench the ground, but subsoils of clay need not be brought 
to the surface. Turn them over, and in doing so add plenty 
No. 248 ,—Vol. X., Third Series, 
of old vegetable refuse. The surface soil for the reception of 
Asparagus must be rich and not too heavy. Road scrapings, 
sand, and charred refuse may be added to it with much 
advantage. In planting do not have beds with two or three 
rows and a large vacant space between, but have the rows 
following each other without any attempt at making a 
bed. The roots may be planted 2 feet apart each way, 
and where ground is plentiful this distance may be 
increased 6 inches or a foot, no attempt being made at 
planting until the ground is quite ready. If it is trenched 
now fork the. dressing into the surface immediately before 
planting. Lift the crowns from the seed rows with a fork 
carefully, and do not break any more of the roots than can 
possibly be avoided. Where each root has to be planted 
open a space with a spade 10 inches wide and 6 inches deep. 
In the bottom of these place two handfuls of bone manure 
with a little sand over it, then the plant with the roots 
untwisted. Shake more sand over the roots, and finally 
finish off by filling up to the level with the surrounding soih 
If growth has commenced do not break any of them, and do 
not keep the roots longer exposed to the air. The holes 
must be ready before beginning to lift the roots, and then 
they need not be out of the ground or uncovered more than 
a few minutes. 
We have now disposed of the seed-sowing and planting 
in spring, but there remain the old plantations for treat¬ 
ment at this time, and the main secret of a good Asparagus 
plantation is in the beginning and substantial preparation. 
Surface dressing is the only assistance which can be given 
to old Asparagus roots. Any time in March is suitable for 
applying these, as they will benefit the produce when it comes 
in April and May. In top-dressing a good way is to draw 
a little of the surface soil from the crowns and apply a 
mixture of sand, wood ashes, and Beeson’s manure, putting 
the sand and ashes in about equal parts, and the manure 
at the rate of 2 lbs. to three bushels of the mixture. Roots 
will be permanently improved by being top-dressed with 
this, but when only a stimulant is required we should apply 
a mixture of soot and salt on the surface of the soil. Where 
numerous blanks have been found in old plantations through 
the roots dying from old age or bad cultivation it will never 
pay to retain the few which remain, and as the cause of the 
failure may be in the soil not having been properly prepared 
at first, it will be of no use trying to fill the vacancies with 
new roots. The more satisfactory way would be to cut from 
the old roots so long as they produced any heads, then throw 
them away, after having formed a new plantation in another 
quarter. Young Asparagus plants if well attended to will 
furnish good heads in three years from the time the seed is 
sown.—A Kitchen Gardener. 
GRAPE-THINNING. 
Now that the season is advancing and Grape-thinning is 
again coming on us in quantity, some, of course, having already 
been done, it may not be out of place, and may prove useful to 
young men beginning thinning, if a few notes on the subject 
be given. 
First of all, then, I would say to all beginners, Be impressed 
with the idea that too much care cannot be taken in regard to 
preventing any touching or rubbing of the young tender berries. 
On no account handle the bunches. A forked stick about the 
thickness of an ordinary pen-holder, clean and smooth, and long 
enough to enable the holder to catch the main stem of the bunch 
with the foi’k without coming against the berries with his hand 
should be used- Great care should be taken when inserting the 
stick among the berries that it be done gently. The bunch so 
held can then be turned as desired, and cutting out the berries 
quickly performed. When thinning, attention must be paid 
to reserving the largest berries; where three are clustered 
together on a twig of the bunch, and only one is wanted to remain, 
cut off the two side ones. 
The centres of bunches intended for late keeping should be 
well thinned out. Only experience can dictate how to thin the 
various kinds properly, but it may be remarked that great 
No. 11)04 .—Vol. LXXII., Old Series. 
