298 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April 13, 1882. 
down as an axiom that Eoses do not require manure ; that if ma¬ 
nure is given to Rose trees the growth becomes so vigorous and con¬ 
tinues growing so late into autumn that the wood is not ripened 
sufficiently to withstand a hard winter, or, if the winter be mild 
(as the past one), to give you firm hard wood bearing plump but 
dormant buds the last week of March. 
This certainly reads very well. It is reasonable and logical ; 
but, I ask, Cannot we ever get well-ripened wood by September or 
October, even though we apply manure ? And surely the manure 
helps somewhat towards fine blooms and intense colour ! Will 
“ Single-handed ” dispute this ? Unripe wood in October is 
caused very much by want of summer-pruning or thinning-out, 
also by the bad practice, for which amateurs have no excuse, of 
planting too thickly. 
Excess of manure without doubt causes much destruction in 
such winters as 1880 and 1881 ; but my experience has not been 
that “when a mild winter occurs the buds start down to the 
earth line, only to be crippled later.” And yet I think it must be 
“Single-handed’s” experience. Let me give mine. 
Mine was “ a thin and not very deeply dug soil—just two spades, 
in fact.” I grew about two thousand plants, dwarfs on Manetti, 
Seedling Briar, and own roots : GO per cent, on Manetti. I made 
very careful experiments on pruning and manuring Eoses. The 
results I now give. With little manure, growth slow, wood thin 
and hard, flowers very small and of poor substance. With liquid 
manure supplied to plants in rich ground—the plants mulched 
with light, short, and dry manure—the growth was strong and 
vigorous, flowers large and of good substance, and more of them. 
Now I am willing to grant that had I not judiciously thinned 
out my trees at the latter end of August, and pinched off a little 
later the tips of these vigorous shoots, my wood would not have 
become sufficiently ripened to withstand the extreme rigours 
of such winters as we have had lately : but then if the wood had 
not been thick, strong, and hard, the lower buds would have 
started before now in such a spring as we have lately entered 
upon. 
Before I can accept fully your correspondent’s cultural direc¬ 
tions of the Rose I should like to see his plants now and his 
blooms in July. It may be he will write and say, “ I grow Roses 
only for garden effect and do not want your large blooms.” But 
I take leave to say that you may add to vour garden effect by 
means of large blooms. 
I feel quite certain that if amateurs would give plenty of room 
between the trees (2^ feet each way I give), and carefully dis¬ 
bud all through the growing season, and as carefully cut away 
the old wood early in autumn, they may show and win at exhi¬ 
bitions, have a grand garden effect, and, moreover, have strong 
well-ripeDed wood, such as will withstand a temperature at zero, 
and the lower buds of which will not be enticed to awaken from 
slumber during such a February and March as those of 1882. 
“ Single-handed ” says that since he ceased using manure 
he has had a far better show of far better blooms than formerly, 
while the growth has been much stronger. I propose, then, that 
twenty well-known rosarians plant a bed of, say, fifty trees next 
autumn, on a thin and not very deeply dug soil, and follow out 
to the letter his cultural directions, and each write his expe¬ 
riences to the Journal in three and a half years’ time, and may 
“ Single-handed” live to read these experiences, and may he be 
right and manure wrong. Then perhaps “ Wyld Savage,” whom 
this commodity cost £1 a load, will once more delight us with 
his boxes of Teas and Hybrid Perpetuals at the great Rose shows. 
—J. A. W., Alder minster. 
SEASONABLE NOTES ON ASPARAGUS. 
Of all spring vegetables none is more valued than Asparagus, 
and young, healthy, strong-growing roots always give the finest 
produce. Old worn-out beds, and there are many of them, are 
not profitable. Beds containing plants healthy but weak in growth 
may be improved ; but very old plantations, where blanks some 
yards in diameter occur, are not worth the labour which would be 
required to put them right. In such a case the best plan would 
be to make a new plantation. Old roots are hardly worth plant¬ 
ing. No doubt they would grow, but would never equal strong 
seedlings planted when one or two years old. 
Old beds may be unsatisfactory from two causes. One the 
great age of the roots, the other a failure of young plants from 
unsuitable soil or treatment. In the former case we would con¬ 
demn the whole, but under some circumstances we would try and 
improve the latter. Probably too much manure, excessive wet, or 
poor soil may have been the means of failure. Seek the cause 
and apply the remedy at once. Vacancies should be filled, and 
unless failure occurred through too much manure a liberal top- 
dressing should be given. A little salt, soot, and guano applied 
separately or mixed will be good. Even strong plant* will be 
benefited by such a dressing. The quantity to apply much de¬ 
pends on the quality of the soil and the state of the roots ; but 
the dressing must not be so thick as to hide the ground com¬ 
pletely. During the time of rain is an advantageous period to 
apply it, as it is then taken to the roots and does its work quickly. 
Where vacancies are being filled the roots must not be doubled 
in, but spread out straight; at the same time the roots already in 
the bed must not be maltreated. If a little very superior soil or 
manure can be placed round the roots as they are planted it will 
be of much service to them. A slight dressing of salt may be 
given at once, and at intervals during the next two months. 
Throughout this winter our Asparagus never appears to have been 
at rest. In January young growths some inches in height were 
visible, and now they are more plentiful. The main crop will 
come early. The rows are 3 feet apart. A fortnight ago all the 
top-dressing material was drawn from the crowns and forked just 
under the surface between the rows, a dressing of artificial ma¬ 
nure being previously given around the crowns. This is the way 
we advise all established Asparagus roots being treated at the 
present time. 
Where new plantations have to be made the ground should be 
prepared at once. It should be well trenched to the depth of 
2 feet or more, old vegetable refuse being added freely. If the 
soil is cold and damp ashes may be placed at the bottom of each 
trench, and a quantity of sand or sandy soil worked in near the 
surface ; a good dressing of manure should not be omitted. Beds 
need not be raised. Equally good or better results may be had 
from planting on the level. Roots one and two years old may be 
planted in their permanent quarters ; older sorts we do not prefer. 
When the growths are starting freely is the time for transplant¬ 
ing, and not one plant need die. Three feet from row to row and 
18 inches from plant to plant are good distances. In two or three 
years every other plant in the row may be taken up for forcing. 
The permanent plants will then stand 3 feet apart and produce 
fine heads. If the ground has been well prepared and the plants 
carefully put in they will want nothing more to insure their doing 
well throughout the season. Old Asparagus roots which have 
been used for forcing should never be planted again. 
A constant supply of young roots should be kept up from seed. 
This must be sown early in April in fertile soil, the rows 
being a foot or more apart, and the seed being sown very thinly. 
Throughout the season the plants may grow a foot or more in 
height, and if they are too close together in the rows a few of 
them may be drawn out. By this time next year these roots will 
be ready for planting. When strong winds occur at the time the 
Asparagus stems are gaining their full height in summer many of 
them are broken; this will never improve the roots. Before it 
happens a stake should be placed to each root, and to this the 
stems should be secured. This year we think of employing some 
posts and rails along our Asparagus rows, tying the growths to 
them like Raspberries.— J. Muir. 
RAISING ORCHIDS FROM SEED. 
Much attention has been paid in recent years to this matter, 
with some excellent results in the production of beautiful hybrids, 
and the interest connected with it has still further increased the 
number of those engaged in endeavouring to obtain distinct and 
attractive intermediate forms. I have made several attempts in 
this direction, some of which have been successful, and I will give 
an outline of my method of procedure, commencing with a genus 
to which I have given most attention—namely, Dendrobiums. 
Of the many Dendrobiums now grown D. nobile is sure to be 
found in numerous varieties. This, therefore, since it is so often 
met with, is such a free grower, of hardy constitution, and so very 
accommodating in its period of blooming, may safely be taken as a 
parent in any attempts of hybridising. I should recommend that 
this be the seed-producing parent. First procure a good variety 
with strong pseudo-bulbs and perfect blooms ; choose a stout flower, 
fertilise it with the pollen-masses of some other species similar in 
habit to it, remove the other blooms so that they may not for any 
length of time draw the strength from the flower operated upon. 
The plant in the meantime must not be kept very wet, just giving 
water sufficient to keep the pseudo-bulbs plump. The quantity 
will depend on the size of the plant, the time of the year, and also 
the condition the plant is in when the flower is fertilised. If much 
growth has started a little more must be given than if there are no 
breaks. If the operation has been successfully performed the flower 
will soon show signs of withering ; the colours run along the divi¬ 
sions of the flower, and it will appear ready to fall. It must not, 
however, be plucked off, for as the flower withers the seed pod 
commences increasing in size, and so for a period of three to six 
