268 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April 8, 1886. 
profit. It answers in private gardens to make heavy land light by 
the addition of opening materials, such as ashes, sand, ditch s'cour- 
ings, road scrapings, old potting material, the debris of the rubbish 
heap, charred refuse, burnt clay, and the lime and other rubbish 
of an old building, with as much manure as you like ; but this does 
not suit the market grower, as there is so much land of a light 
sand}- nature that only needs enriching to grow excellent crops of 
Asparagus. Alluvial soils also suit Asparagus admirably, but in 
these the crowns are much more liable to decay than in sandy loams 
on a higher level, and the plants are not nearly so long-lived in the 
low as in the higher ground, for Asparagus seems to thrive best in 
a loose free soil through which water can percolate freely. Water 
stagnating causes sourness, the roots perish, the crowns decay, 
the soil is so cold that growth takes place late, and the results 
are most unsatisfactory. 
Even in good soils Asparagus is spoilt by being grown too thick. 
I find the results much better when the rows are 3 feet apart than 
when they are 18 inches, though there is much to be said in favour 
of thicker planting when the object is to lift every alternate row 
in the third year for forcing, as well as in the resulting heads for 
cutting in the first few years of cropping, as it is easy to plant 
18 inches asunder and clear out every other row after being cut 
hard for a couple of years by merely chopping off the crowns. I 
have not had sufficient experience of the wide planting to recom¬ 
mend its adoption, and the removal of every other row for forcing 
so injures the roots of the permanent plants as to militate con¬ 
siderably against the produce in the coming spring. Therefore 
plant Asparagus permanently (one or at most two years old) at 
their proper distance in the first instance, and a yard apart one way 
and 18 inches the other is not too much if large heads in quantity, 
bringing the best prices, are desired. —Utilitarian. 
VICOMTESSE IIERrCART DE TIIURY STRAWBERRY. 
Herewith I send you sample of the above Strawberry gathered from 
5-inch pots started in heat in the middle of January. Them small pots 
are carrying six to eight good fruits. We have others started in heat on 
the same date in 6-inch pots, hut they will not be ripe for six or eight 
days, although grown under precisely the same treatment, which shows 
the advantage of root-confinement in small pots for very early work. We 
started our fir?t batch middle of November, and gathered on March 18th. 
Everything considered, I think this old favourite Strawberry will hold its 
own against many of the newer sorts, several of which I have discarded 
after giving them repeated trials for early forcing.—J. H. Goodacbe. 
[The fruits received are excellent alike in size, colour, and quality.] 
STOKING—ANTHRACITE COAL. 
The excellent articles upon stoking that have lately appeared 
in the Journal are worthy of careful attention from those who 
in course of their duties have to take responsibility for the 
proper attention to the heating appliances. Stoking is to many 
gardeners a cause of great annoyance, from those haying charge 
of the fires neglecting to give to them that intelligent interest 
which is absolutely required- Temperatures in good-sized houses 
may be kept fairly regular by a thoughtless stoker who has bis 
pipes now quite cool and the next burning hot, but such work 
will never give satisfaction, whilst in smaller-sized houses, which 
are now becoming the rule rather than exception as formerly, 
such practice is ruinous. 
I have, in common with most gardeners, had considerable 
trouble on this account, and have tried many ways to meet it. 
Gardeners do not care to be always grumbling, nor do they care 
to send such men away with the indorsement on their characters 
that they cannot be trusted with the charge of forcing houses 
Gardeners also are often handicapped by having to work boilers 
of insufficient heating power, this being my experience at the 
present time. To meet this the best of fuel must be used, and 
too often a quick bright fire all the time, with little use for a 
hamper. In trying at various times to make the best use of the 
allowance for fuel, I have watched the market and nursery 
growers, and from the latter of these in first instance I had the 
hint to try anthracite coal. This I have been doing to my great 
satisfaction during the last five months, and have not before 
passed a winter so comfortably, from the night stoking point of 
view particularly since taking charge in my present situation. 
The coal, if mixed at the rate of four to one with ordinary 
small coal, will give a fierce heat, last very long time with little 
attention, is clean and comfortable to work, making little dust 
and scarcely any ash or clinker; compared with a mixture of 
cok« and coal I have before used, the two latter are scarcely a 
fourth part. I have intended for some time to bring the fuel 
before the attention of gardeners, as for such it will prove if 
fairly tried a very great boon. We hank up at ten o’clock and 
have good fire and heat the following morning with little labour, 
which was far from the case before trying this fuel. 
The cost in the first instance is higher than coke, but the coal 
lasts so much longer and gives off so much more heat that the 
cost comes about equal. Two barrowloads of coal will do the 
work of nearly four of coke. I use little ordinary coal with the 
anthracite to create a better draught, as the anthracite being 
smokeless with us requires the addition of flame to give sufficient 
draught to bring out the full heat. It never cakes, but burns 
clear and bright. I get my supply from a dealer in Swansea, 
who would do well to make it more fully known by advertising 
it.—A Head Gardener. 
RANGE OF PLANT HOUSES, HIGHBURY, BIRMINGHAM. 
Horticulture is well supported in the neighbourhood of Birming¬ 
ham, both the summer and autumn exhibitions beiDg some of the best 
held in the provinces. This season a special effort is being made, and 
the Orchid Show to be held in the B tanic Gardens, Edgbaston, next 
moDth mtybe expected to prove one of the chief events of the year. 
The prizes are substantial, and there are several good collections of these 
popular plants in the district, from which numerous treasures will no 
d->ubt be contributed. Many visi-ors will be attracted to Birmingham, 
and those who wish to make a tour of the neighbourhood should include 
in their programme a journey to Highbury, Moseley, the residence of the 
Right Hod. J. Chamberlain, M.P., which is a few miles out and is conve¬ 
niently reached by rail. Orchids have been made a specialty there for 
several years, and to provide better accommodation for these and other 
plants an extensive and well-fitted range of houses was erected for Mr. 
Chamberlain some time since by Mr. Henry Hope, horticultural builder, 
55, Lionel Street, Birmingham. This is one of the most convenient and 
carefully considered raDgeof bouses devoted to plants that we have seen, 
and is constructed upon a plan similar to that generally adopted upon the 
Continent—namely, the houses are placed closely together at light angles 
with a corridor which connects them and permits the whole being inspected 
without once ] assing outside. The advantages of this plan can be duly 
appreciated in wet or cold weather, while in transferring the plants to or 
from the potting shed or to other houses they are not exposed to cold air, 
which so frequently checks them injuriously under ordinary systems. In 
a few trade and private establishments this principle is adopted, but it is 
by no means so general as it deserves to be, especially as such a corridor 
is useful in many ways, and can be rendered one of the most ornamental 
portions of the glass houses. For many cool Orchids they are admirably 
adapted, as can be seen at St. Albans, where large numbers in baskets are 
suspended from the roof, and others on blocks cover the walls. In 
most private gardens they are, however, better employed for climbing 
plants, some of the most useful and showy being grown either in pots 
or planted out, and trained up the walls or to the rafters. A beautiful 
avenue is thus formed where a plentiful supply of flowers can be 
obtained during the greater part of the year, as narrow borders along 
each side may be utilised for miscellaneous flowering plants, either per¬ 
manent occupants, or like bulbs and ordinary forced plants they can be 
renewed as required and a continuous display maintained. 
In the ground plan (fig. 47), which is drawn to a scale of 32 feet to 
an inch, the form of this range can be readily seen, and a few notes upon 
the principal occupants of the homes will convey some idea of the extent 
of the collection. The range runs east and wet; the front, the right- 
hand side in the sketch, facing south, ani is connected with the mansion 
at (1), which opens into a handsome conservatory (2), paved with Minton 
tiles and well furnished with Palms, Feins, Dra ocnas, and miscellaneous 
decorative foliage and flowering plants. Adjoining this, on the left (3), 
is the stokehole and a pair of Climax boilers, which heat the whole of 
the range besides three vineries, the same number of Peach houses, and 
100 feet of pits that are not shown in the plan. The next house (4) is the 
fernery, 28 feet long by 20 feet wide, and devoted to a choice collection of 
useful Ferns, Adiantums being largely grown for cutting. From this 
house the coriidor (20) commences, its length being 190 feet and width 
10 feet, the heuses opening from it on the right being each 32 feet long, 
but varying in width from 10 to 24 feet. Tbe larger houses have a 
central stage with sile shelves of slate and a path of Portland 
cement iouud, but the others have only a central path with shelves on 
each side. Tbe stove (5) contains the usual flowering and foliage plants, 
tbe majority healthy specimens of moderate s ze, and evidently liking 
their position. The Oichid houses commence with No, 6, which is appro¬ 
priated to ihe East Indian species and others requiring similar treatment. 
Dendrobiums constitute an important part of the stock of this house, 
D. Wardianum being particularly well-grown in pots and in pans sus¬ 
pended from the roof, ihe growihs made last year being from 3 to 4 feet 
long and very stout. D. superbiens, which some find difficult to grow, 
seems to succeed there, the pseudo-bulbs being 2 feet loDg in some cases, 
and as well developed as could be wished ; they are grown in pans and 
fieely exposed to the sun, a system which Mr. B. S. Williams has adopted 
at Upper Hcdlovray with great success. D. Dalhousieanum is represented 
by an extremely fine specimen, having ten pseudo-bulbs with twenty 
ac mes of ten or a dozen flowers each. Cypripediums are in capital 
condition, C. niveum being a great favourite and thriving admirably. 
C. Lowi, C. Spicerianum, and C. Stonei are 3im'larly good. The Cattleya 
bouse (7) is filled with Lmlias and Cattleyas of all the best forms, toge.her 
with tome Vandas, which the gardener, Mr. Cooper, has found thrive 
better in the temperature of that house than in the warmer structure where 
