812 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April 18, 1891. 
shoots that are to follow those now fruiting have been laid in. 
Always allow plenty of room in the ties, and do not keep them closely 
ti?d down for some time longer. Allow no more growths to remain than 
are necessary for next year’s fruiting or for the extension of the trees. 
Stop gross growths or remove them, as it is highly important the sap be 
equally distributed and an equality of vigour maintained through the 
branches of each tree. Pinch laterals at the first joint, and shoots 
retained to attract the sap to the fruit should only be allowed moderate 
extension, stopping them in the first instance at three or four joints of 
growth. Endeavour to provide an equal distribution of foliage that will 
shade and protect the strong wood from the direct rays of the sun as the 
season advances. Avoid overcrowding, not allowing more shoots than 
can have full exposure to light and air. Ventilate freely but carefidly, 
so as to avoid cold currents of air and sudden depressions of tempera¬ 
ture. As the fruits will be swelling fast thin them if too thick, as with 
the trees in good health the fruit is more likely to stone well than when 
they are overburdened, besides taking from the size of those that 
remain for the crop at the final thinning after stoning. Water the 
inside borders copiously, and keep them mulched with sweet rather lumpy 
manure. 
Third IIou^c .—Trees started early in February must be examined 
frequently for disbudding, and as this is best done gradually the strongest 
parts of the trees being first commenced with, being careful to preserve 
a shoot at the base of the current year’s bearing shoots, and to leave no 
more on the extensions than will be required for furnishing the trees 
with bearing wood at 15 to 18 inches apart, and all the others on these 
may be pinched in closely to form spurs. A shoot on a level with or 
above the fruit must be retained on each bearing shoot and be pinched 
at the third joint. As the fruit is swelling freely remove those worst 
situated, and leave only a few more than will be required for the crop, 
one to every square foot of trellis covered by the trees being ample. 
■Syringe early on fine mornings, give a little air shortly afterwards, 
gradually increase it, and close alwut 3 p.m. ; but if the weather be 
very bright later closing must be practised. 
Fourth House .—The trees started early in March are out of bloom, 
have set well, and having trace of aphides should be carefully fumigated 
with tobacco paper on two or three consecutive evenings. An overdose 
injures the foliage and causes the fruit to fall. Syringe moderately in 
the morning and on fine afternoons, always early enough to allow' of the 
foliage becoming dry before night. Disbud gradually, and rub off all 
small and badly placed fruit as soon as the most prominent show' signs 
of taking the lead. Ventilate freely on all favourable occasions, and 
close early with a view' to husbanding the sun heat, but avoid a close 
vitiated atmosphere, admitting a little air constantly to prevent it. 
Late Houses .—The trees in these are unusually backward. This is 
fortunate for those w'ho have structures with fixed roofs, for despite all 
the ventilation trees will start much earlier than is w'anted unless they 
are kept exposed, and late Peaches are even more valuable than early. 
Besides, the blossoms are usually much stronger and set quicker than 
when brought forward by mild weather in the early part of the year. 
Ventilate freely until the blossoms begin expanding, but keep them safe 
from frost. When the anthers show turn on the heat in the morning so 
as to raise the temperature to 50°, and keep it at that with a gentle cir¬ 
culation of air, turning off the heat early in the afternoon so as to allow' 
of the pipes cooling before night, and the temperature falling to its 
Slight minimum of 40° to 45°, w'hich is c^uite safe, and ought to be secured 
after the blossoms expand, w'ith a little air to prevent the deposition of 
moisture through the night on the flowers. Artificial fertilisation should 
be resorted to either by shaking the trees or dusting the flow'crs with a 
bunch of feathers. Pampas plume, or camel’s-hair brush, but the best 
aids to setting are perfectly developed blossoms and a genial and w'ell 
aerated atmosphere. 
KITCHEN GARDEN. 
ASPARAatr.?. — Little or no Asparagus w'ill be cut from the beds 
before the first week in May, but in anticipation of this top growdh the 
surface should be attended to. It is a great mistake to nearly bare the 
crowns and roots at this time of year, thereby exposing them to all 
weathers. Far better is it to give all rooting very near to the surface a 
liberal dressing of loam, leaf soil, decayed manure, and sifted lime 
rubbish; this protecting the young shoots from frost, ensures a good 
length of stem, and prevents the loss of much needed moisture during 
the summer. The least that can be done is to protect with strawy 
litter, this probably saving many early shoots, and otherwise benefiting 
the beds. In many cases the beds are poisoned with manure, and if 
salt is also freely added every spring the evil is further aggravated. 
What such beds require at the present time is a dressing of new'ly 
slaked lime, applied at the rate of about 2 bushels per square rod. 
This W'ill greatly benefit the Asparagus, the good effect lasting several 
years. Salt is supposed to be the finest manure for Asparagus, but if 
applied too heavily or somcw'hat clayey land it w'ill do more harm than 
good. On medium and light soils it may be advantageously applied now', 
at the rate of 15 lbs. to the square rod, a second application being given 
during show'ery weather in May. Salt and guano in mixture answer 
well for medium soils, and for heavy land guano, applied at the rate of 
6 lbs. to the square rod, is to be commended ; a similar dressing being 
given in May or June. 
PLANTiNa Asparag-tts. —It is unw'isc to transplant Asprragus, in 
cold wet springs especially, much before May, or say before top grow'th 
commences. The roots cannot be forked out of the ground without 
many being broken, and if these are again surrounded w'ith cold, wet 
«oil, many of them will perish. There are few'cr failures wdicn the roots 
arc moved after the first shoots are G inches or more in height, and for 
this reason homc-grow'n roots arc the best. Strong one-year-old plants 
can be moved safely ; two-year-old, if once transplanted, being pre¬ 
ferable, w'hilc there is little or no gain in planting older roots, as in 
case they ought to have at least tw'o clear seasons’ growth before being 
cut from. They ought to be lifted carefully, and not be exposed any 
length of time to cold, drying winds. Raised beds 5 feet or rather 
more in wddth would hold three rows, the outside ones being fully 
12 inches from the edges. Narrow'er raised beds about 3 feet wide, 
and which are to be commended for affording the earliest cuttings, to 
hold two rows only, the plants in either case being disposed not less 
than 15 inches ; they may well be 18 inches apart in the row'S. On 
warm or gravelly subsoils Asparagus succeeds admirably planted on the 
level, the row's being arranged 3 feet or rather more apart, and placed 
out 2 feet apart in the row's, all soon developing into strong clumps. 
More than ordinary pains ought to be taken in planting Asparagus. 
Open a good sized hole for each plant, resting this on a hillock in the 
centre and spreading the roots out evenly all round, covering with about 
2 inches of fine soil; in fact no lumpy soil ought to come into contact 
W'ith the roots. A sprinkling of bonemeal or gome kind of artificial 
manure prepared for these vegetables w'ould give a good start. 
So'W'iNG Asparagus Seed. —Sowing the seed thinly where the 
plants are to remain, arranging the rows and thinning the seedlings to 
the distances apart as advised for planting is the simplest, if somewhat 
slow'er, method of forming an Asparagus bed. If this is not practicable 
sow the seed in drills 18 inches apart, and lightly thin the seedlings 
before they become interlaced at the roots. Useful plants would be 
thus prepared for transplanting next spring. Where Asparagus has to 
be extensively lifted and forced every winter those responsible usually 
break up the oldest bed in the garden every winter and form a fresh 
one every spring. This often means destroying a bed when at its most 
productive state, but the only alternative is to prepare several hundred 
plants, especially for lifting. This may be done by either sowing seed 
at once thinly in drills 2 feet apart, duly thinning the seedlings to 
12 inches apart, or young plants may now be put out those distances 
apart. Supposing the ground has been freely manured and deeply dug 
for this or any other crops, and is in a finely divided state, the 
Asparagus will grow strongly, and would if required be fit for lifting 
after two clear seasons’ growth. 
Kidney Beans. —The scarcity of vegetables w'ill be felt for another 
tw'o months, and too many Beans cannot be grown under glass. In 
very sunny weather, or during May, the plants soon fail in pots, and are 
far less liable to suffer from drought if grow'n in narrow, moderately 
deep boxes, or any, say 10 inches w'ide, the same or rather more in depth, 
and 4 feet in length, a single row' of Canadian Wonder from choice 
being grown in eacii. Six of these boxes set on a w'all or staging in .a 
w'arm and not much shaded house would form a fairly good supply, there 
being good time for three such being sow'n at fortnightly intervals. 
Heated pits and deep frames, as fast as they are cleared of Potatoes, 
might be closely planted with Beans, little or no preparation beyond 
levelling and clearing off rubbish being needed. Sow about five seeds 
in each 4-inch pot, about thirty of these pots being needed each time. 
Place them in brisk heat, and when the seedlings are of good size plant 
out in the pit or frame. Tw'o row's are ample for most lights, and the 
plants should be mulched and lightlj' staked at cnce. Keep them w'cll 
supplied W'ith w'ater, syringe freely when the pits are closed, and gene¬ 
rally keep up a brisk heat. If not crow'ded. Kidney Beans in pits will 
yield heavy crops of tender pods, a close succession being kept by sowing 
and planting as fast as room can be spared. Even those in frames on 
exhausted hotbeds w'ill prove very serviceable, and more seed might 
also be sow'n now on w'arm borders, and the plants be protected in 
some way. 
Beet. —If the seed is sow'n long before May the roots are apt to 
become too coarse. An early supply can be obtained by sowing the 
Turnip-rooted now, and the less vigorous growers, including Dell’s 
Crimson, might also be sow'n at the same time, deferring the coarser 
Pragncll’s Exhibition and other strong grow'ers to about the fii'st w'cek 
in May. Sow' the seed thinly in drills 15 inches apart. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Shading .—Arrange the blinds on the various houses without delay, 
as the sun now has considerable power, and proves very trying to 
new'ly potted plants, especially after dull weather. At the same 
time be careful not to give too much shade at this early period 
of the season, or more harm than good w'ill result. Screen the 
plants for a few hours only each day. Employ open material, 
so that every ray of light possible may be admitted, and shading 
of a permanent nature cannot be too strongly condemned. Crotons 
and other foliage plants of a similar nature must not be shaded 
if they arc to dcvelope their beautiful foliage to perfection. It is diflfi- 
cult in mixed houses to give plants the exact treatment they require, 
and it cannot be done when large blinds are employed for shading ; for 
this reason tw'O or more blinds on each side of mixed houses of plants 
are better than one, then the plants can be so arranged that one portion, 
may be shaded and the other not. For example, we devote one house 
almost exclusively to Crotons and Draemnas. The former occupy the 
brightest end, and are not shaded, while the latter w'ill be shaded for a 
few hours daily. 
Crotons .—Repot young plant.? from time to time as they need more 
root room. Water carefully, and keep the structure in which they arc 
grown close and moist. To grow' these plants well they should never 
suffer by the -w'ant of root room until they have their final potting. At 
