August 5, 1856. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
109 
win prizes at exhibitions. Not a few “ new beginners ” in Rose-growing 
fquander money, waste space, lose time, and miss prizes through persisting 
in growing all the varieties in the catalogues. They may try th-m, but 
to determine to grov those that are evidently not suited for a certain 
position is a great mistake i£ superior blooms are the main object of the 
cultivator. 
It is curious to observe that the same idea, and what I vainly thought 
a new one, should have been brought forward by two writers in the same 
journal. On page 64 1 recorded an amateur’s “find” that light Roses 
as a rule succeed with him best in light soil; and here is Mr. Gilmour 
dividing the honours by saying on page 60 that “ On light soils pink and 
white Roses will always come nearer perfection than the dark ones.” It 
is evidently no use trying to say anything new on Roses when so many 
earnest and observant amateurs are working and watching and finding 
out things at the same time. Well, let us be thankful for any useful 
hint, come from whence it may, and that so many are engaged in various 
parts of the country in developing the peerless beauty of the Rose. I 
now “ tear my thoughts away ” from a fascinating theme, and direct 
them to Mr. Abbey and Asparagus. 
I HAVE had to deal with this adroit writer before, and it appears shall 
be exact, or he will “have ” me. The next is an amusing bit. Here it 
is. “ Did you ever raise Asparagus from seed, Mr. Thinker P ” Answer. 
“ Yes.” Then my friend observes—he evidently knows all about it—“ It 
sent up a tiny thread-like head ; it got larger, and formed a lovely spray. 
Did you cut its head off ? No ; otherwise you would not have seen the 
beautiful spray.” Who authorised my imaginative friend to put that 
“ No ” into my mouth ? I did not. Then he continues, “ Yet before the 
summer is over the tiny thing has pushed other shoots as strong again as 
itself. It has formed buds at its base, the soil is good, and the buds 
cannot wait till another year. The first growth has to be cut away if the 
other growth gets stronger without it. You do not do that, however, nor 
cut any ‘grass’ the following year. How is this?” Let me ask in 
reply how my prophetic interlocutor acquired his knowledge as to what I 
do or leave undone ? I assure him I have done precisely what he says 
I have not done, and seen the “ beautiful spray ” resulting that he says I 
could not see. I begin to feel that instead of this “ old hand” teaching 
me a lesson on Asparagus that it is in my power to teach him one—a 
great honour. 
It is quite true, as Mr. Abbey observes, that from the “ tiny sprays ” 
of seedling Asparagus other shoots will spring as “ strong agarn ” before 
the summer is over. Yes, and they will spring the sooner and grow the 
Fig. 15.—Ivy-leaf Pelargonium Robert Owen. 
have to deal with him again. He is an “ old hand ” evidently, and it is 
necessary to proceed cautiously, for he finds every chink in one’s armour. 
An initial difficulty in an encounter is to know when he is striking home 
or only making a feint ; when he is serious or when indulging in a little 
harmless banter ; when he is using his own words or only pretending 
to use mine, then making a bash of them. However, I will take him as he 
is and make the best of him. He agrees with me and disagrees on page 
84 ; supports me and condemns in a pretty well balanced alternation of 
sentences; but on the whole agrees with me if anything a little more 
than he agrees with himself. First we are informed, “Growths will 
spring from the crowns whether the first heads are cut or not. It is the 
same whether there is cutting or no cutting.” Verdict, “no difference.” 
Next, we are reminded that “ the growths ot seedling Asparagus are not 
cnt at all in the first, second, and often the third year, and by retaining 
1 all growths ’ the plants have sufficient strength for cutting or f rcing the 
fourth year.” Verdict, “ cutting weakens.” Again lower down, thirteen 
lines from the bottom, we find “ cutting small early grass is no great 
injury—it may even strengthen the buds that remain.” Verdict, “ cutting 
strengthens.” I cannot help jotting down a thought that springs up on 
that free method of reasoni g. I hope it is not a very wild thought. It 
is this :—Your facile O' rrespondent is so exhaustive—writes so much in 
proving his point—that he forgets what he has penned at the top before i 
he finishes at the bottom. 
Anyone can see whether I have quoted correctly or not, and I am 
now going to quote again, for I must mind my points, and take care to 
stronger if the first “ sprays ” are cut off ; at least, that is what I have 
found. Some half rows from which all the growths were cut produced 
shoots that overtopped all others in the bed, and these cut portions 
pushed up the strongest heads the following spring and were the first to 
flower and produce seed, because the others were not strong enough to do 
so, All this may be contrary to science and theory, as it is understood 
by your correspondent. Be that as it may, I believe in facts, and my ex¬ 
periment proved what Mr. Abbey admits in part of his peculiar mixture 
that “ cutting small gra-s early is no great injury—it may even strengthen 
tbe buds that remain.” That, too, is what Mr. Stephen Castle appears to 
have found, and it represents the practice of old vegetable growers, also of 
the most present cultivators of Asparagus for market. “ Cut the weak 
and leave the strong ” is what Mr. Castle believes is the right practice ; 
it was Mr. Abbey’s tutor’s practice, too, in thinning. That is just the 
point of the question I first put on this subject on page 12—namely, “ Is 
Asparagus strengthened by cutting tbe small growths or 1 sprue ’ till, say 
the beginning of June or not ?” So far the evidence is in the affirmative, 
yet in hundreds of beds all the large is cut often till July, and all the 
“ small stuff ” allowed to grow from the beginning ; hence, I think tbe 
overcrowded and weak beds that are far too common. 
Mr. Stephen Castle’s plan of growing thinly on the level is the 
best, encouraging strong growths and suppressing the weak. This, too, 
appears to be Mr. Abbey’s practice, so far as can be ascertained from an 
elaborate yet somewhat erratic argument tending to prove it wroDg. 
In my opinion it is right, and the less the strong growths are cut in J une 
