264 
[ April 7,1887. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 
where suitable material exists. It is a penny wise and 
pound foolish policy to purchase open nets for this 
purpose. They are useful for protecting fruit from 
birds, but for protecting blossom from frost are delusive. 
For insuring crops of fruit, such as Peaches on walls, 
the trees should be covered when protection is needed 
and only then, and then effectively. The trees being 
healthy and well managed the plan indicated seldom 
fails, but no gardener can be fairly held responsible for 
barren trees when the requisite material for protecting 
the blossom is not provided. 
THE EARLIEST HYBRID FUCHSIA. 
I have had by me for some time a memorandum to correct a 
paragraph at page 318 of last year respecting my early experience 
in raising Fuchsia hybrids, but have only now found the leisure to 
do so. As Professor of Botany in the Society, it is my practice to 
give the meeting an off-hand discourse on the objects exhibited. 
The local reporter takes down what I say, but as I am reputed to 
be a rapid speaker, I should be sorry to be responsible for all he 
makes me say. You have evidently in some way met with this 
report. As it is a matter of historic interest, I give you the correct 
facts. In 1840 I was much interested in reading Thomas Andrew 
Knight’s experiments in crossing Peas. I attempted to repeat the 
experiment. I was then in my fourteenth year. Fuchsia fulgens 
—not effulgence as the reporter has it—was then blooming for the 
first time. I applied its pollen to a fine variety of F. coccinea, called 
F. longiflora, growing against the wall of a cottage near the seashore 
at St. Clare, in the Isle of Wight. The plants flowered the year 
following. One of them was of enormous size, and a flower sent 
to Dr. Lindley, who had about that time taken charge of the 
Gardeners' Chronicle. The glowing terms in which Dr. Lindley 
spoke of it produced a correspondence with Youell & Co. of 
Yarmouth. This was named St. Clare. Although the plant was 
raised by me, and in my own time, the plants were attended to and 
cared for in the time of my father’s employer, Col. L. Y. Harcourt, 
and my father, with that nice sense of honour which always actuated 
him, insisted they were not my plants in any way. The stock was 
therefore sold to Youell & Co., the money to be taken out m plants 
for the grounds at St. Clare. One pound was, however, given to 
me for my individual share in the work, and with this I bought 
“ my first frock coat," to which the reporter alluded. 
This was undoubtedly the first hybrid Fuchsia from F. fulgens 
as a parent. Youell & Co., however, kept it a long time in order 
to get up an enormous stock ; and I am not sure now but the other 
early variety, Standishi, was put into the trade before it. 
I should not think the matter worth correcting, only for having 
appeared in a channel of permanent record like the Journal of 
Horticulture. It is, in this case, due to history to be set right.— 
Thomas Meehan, Philadelphia. 
ASPARAGUS CULTURE—RABBITS. 
A very seasonable article on Asparagus culture by Mr. Ward 
appeared on page 229, and as from the present time to the end of 
April, according to the locality, is a good for making new plantations 
with one or two year old plants, or sowing seed to produce such, 
Mr. Ward’s remarks come very timely for those who wish to have a 
good supply of Asparagus. 
There can be no question but that it is one of the most im¬ 
portant vegetables a gardener or anyone can grow. It comes in at 
a time, and daily too, when, if the Broccoli have suffered much 
from bad weather, there are not many good vegetables. My ex¬ 
perience of this vegetable has been that it does best on a light rich 
soil, but as everyone has not that at command, means must be taken 
to render the soil light and open with plenty of old hotbed 
materials, coal ashes, ashes from burnt rubbish heaps or old potting 
soil. A few years ago I had to deal with some rather stiff and 
cold ground. At the beginning of November a good coat of coal 
and burnt refuse with a sprinkling of charcoal was wheeled on and 
spread about. After that a 3-inch coating of decayed leaves and 
stable manure from old hotbeds was spread on and then dug a foot 
in depth, mixing it as well as possible, and leaving the surface of 
the land rough to await the action of the frost. In March it was, 
agriculturally speaking, in good tilth, and was then marked out as 
Mr. Ward describes in his second method—that is, into beds about 
4 feet wide, with 2 feet alleys between. Then a good 6 inches 
depth of soil out of the alleys was placed on the beds, so making 
them appear a foot in height. In this condition they were left 
until the young plants (two years old) in the seed beds began to 
grow, about the second week in April, when two drills 4 inches deep 
were drawn down each bed about 15 or 18 inches from each other, 
and the plants with their roots spread out were placed a foot apart 
in the rows, the fine soil being drawn around them with the hands. 
As rain fell a day or so after, watering was unnecessary. The beds 
were kept as free from weeds as possible, and the growth made the 
first season was good, but still no heads were cut from them the 
following season ; but the second year after—that is, when four 
years old, the produce was good. The heads were not so large of 
course as from the first method Mr. Ward describes—that is, putting 
the plants a yard apart each way, a very good practice if extra 
large heads are required; but it is one that takes time, for they must 
be staked and tied, whereas when grown closely together they hold 
each other up. 
I have also had very fair Asparagus from rows a yard apart, 
sown thinly where to stand permanently, and if I had light well- 
drained land I should adopt no other system, giving them the usual 
winter dressing of manure. The principal work, I consider, is in 
well preparing the soil before sowing the seed. It is an old maxim 
that well begun is half done. Such rows where forcing is practised 
are very useful for digging up when five or six years old, and when 
such is the case a few rows can be sown every season according to 
the requirements. 
From the headline of these few notes it may be asked by many, 
What have rabbits to do with Asparagus culture ? A large portion 
of vegetable land under my charge is outside the walls where rabbits 
can have access to it. It is true there are not many, but still if 
even one rabbit in the night finds its way into a newly planted bed 
of Broccoli or Cabbage, the cultivator may find next morning the 
heads of a score or two eaten. I would like to ask Mr. Ward, or 
any reader of the Journal, if he or they have found that rabbits 
are partial to Asparagus ? When a large portion of the garden is 
not rabbit-proof, it is difficult sometimes to have that correct 
rotation of crops that would be desired. 
The following vegetables I cultivate without very much trouble 
from being eaten by these pests :—Yegetable Marrows, Broad 
Beans, Spinach, Globe Artichokes, Jerusalem Artichokes, Leeks, 
Rhubarb, Turnips, Seakale, Parsnips, Tomatoes, and Potatoes. I 
have also grown Celery, Scarlet Runners, Carrots, and Onions, but 
unless these last-named crops are wired round with netting at least 
2 feet high they have been very much eaten. It is when the 
plant is in its small or infant state that the mischief is done. I 
have planted Colewort, Cabbage, and Cauliflowers, and although 
the rabbits are few and seldom seen to be shot at, they have never¬ 
theless destroyed most of the Cabbage tribe, with the exception of 
Seakale and Turnips. Last autumn I made a small plantation of 
about sixty four-year-old Black Currant bushes, and although not 
far from them some trees and shrubs were barked by rabbits when 
the snow lay thick on the ground and hid all herbage from them 
the Black Currants escaped uninjured. Would Strawberry plants 
have escaped the same ?—A. Hardinh. 
ROSE-GROWING FOR BEGINNERS. 
(Continued from page 2:6.) 
OWN-ROOT R03E3. 
Many cultivators talk mueh about Roses on their own roots, and 
though a good number of varieties are said to do well grown so, 
there are, on the other hand, many that will not. One of the 
principal advantages of budded plants is that they are cheap, and in 
an age like this, when quality seems to be entirely left out of the 
question, and when, as happens in very many cases, the price of the 
article is apparently the only consideration, budded plants must be 
first in the field. These latter remarks are not intended to mean 
that I prefer own-root Roses. I admit they might be interpreted 
so. I am in favour of good well-budded plants, life is too short for 
the others. 
Another advantage that budded plants have is, as I hinted just 
now, the amount of time that is saved by the purchaser. As far as 
price is concerned, some reader may say, “ I can buy own-root Roses 
for the same money as I can get seedling Briars.” Granted that is 
so, we must remember that seedling Briar Roses are large well-grown 
plants when delivered ; own-root Roses at the same price are gene¬ 
rally little better than rooted cuttings, and if these make as good 
plants by the end of the following season as the others are to begin 
with, the purchaser may think himself fortunate. Some of the 
newer Roses, yes, and some of the older ones too, the flowers of 
which are very desirable, are such puny growers that they must be 
budded plants. We shall have to take them in this form or else go 
without them altogether. I will give as an instance of this the 
fine new Rose Lady Mary Fitzwilliam, which with me did not 
make enough wood all last season to give one really good cutting 
