86 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
March 
Hot-beds should be sunk in the ground to the depth 
of eighteen inches or two feet. They require a large 
supply of moisture, and if made wholly on the surface, 
they dry up so rapidly that they must be watered a 
great deal. If, however, it becomes necessary to 
make the bed on wet ground, no excavation need be 
made, as the coldness of such a situation might prevent 
the manure from fermenting, if deeply placed in the 
earth. In vol. ix., p. 55, of the Cultivator, will be 
found some very good directions in regard to the con¬ 
struction of hot-beds. 
The weather may be so cold as to render it necessary 
to use straw or mats to keep the air in the beds of 
requisite temperature. But they are liable to become 
at times too hot; hence they should be often examined, 
and the proper temperature secured by sliding the 
glasses; always admitting as much of the external air 
as the plants will bear. Water should be given fre¬ 
quently. 
A deep mellow soil is all-important for gardens, and 
the use of the subsoil plow may be adopted to good ad¬ 
vantage, in situations where teams can be made to do 
the work. In general, however, garden-work must be 
done by the spade. For most garden purposes, rotted 
manure is preferable. Composts, which were formed 
the year previous, and have been well worked over 
several times, till they have become thoroughly fine, 
are best for most purposes. A good compost is made 
of two parts stable or barn manure, two of peat or 
u muck,’’ one of tough grass sods, and one of leached 
ashes; mixed as equally as possible in a heap. If put 
up in the summer, the mass will soon undergo a fer¬ 
mentation, and by being worked over and re-piled, it will 
be in excellent condition for use the next spring, and 
will show its good qualities on all kinds of vegetation. 
Asparagus beds should be forked over as soon as the 
ground has settled, and a good dressing of compost 
worked in. Salt is also recommended as a dressing for 
asparagus, and we are of the opinion that it is benefi¬ 
cial. It probably operates favorably in two ways. As¬ 
paragus is said to be a marine plant, growing naturally 
in soils impregnated by salt water; hence it is conclu¬ 
ded that salt forms an important part of its food. It 
will unquestionably bear a larger quantity of salt than 
plants generally; and by applying a liberal dressing of 
the substance to asparagus-beds, the weeds and noxious 
plants are killed, leaving the asparagus full possession 
af the soil. 
DESULTORY HINTS ON GARDENING. 
FROM VARIOUS SOURCES. 
Asparagus. — A correspondent of the Gardener’s 
Magazine, some years ago, stated that the most vigo¬ 
rous growth was produced where the land was imper¬ 
fectly drained, and rather marshy. Very fine aspara¬ 
gus was grown where the beds were under water 
nearly all winter. A light, deep soil was considered as 
decidedly best. 
Hoeing Garden Beds.— Loudon’s Suburban Horti¬ 
culturist says, u Mr. Barnes thins and hoes all his seed¬ 
ling crops with short-handled gooseneck hoes, with 
square-edged blades of different sizes, but chiefly of two 
inches in width. He uses two hoes at a time, one in 
each hand. He never has weeds pulled up among seed¬ 
ling crops, but always attacks them in the seed-leaf state 
with these hoes.” 
Ripening Grapes. —H. C. Ogle, in the Suburban 
Horticulturist, says, “ I have seen grapes attain the 
darkest color densely shaded by leaves; and on the con¬ 
trary, I have seen them only attain a grisly red color 
when light and the sun’s rays were admitted to the ut¬ 
most extent possible.” Hence he disapproves of the 
practice of defoliating vines during the ripening of the 
fruit, to let in the light;—the deficiency of color in many 
cases, is to be ascribed to crowded crops, want of air, or 
bad culture. 
Manure for Grapes. —The celebrated Brassin, con¬ 
ductor of the royal vinery of France, at first enriched 
his vine borders with strong and exciting manures; but 
he afterwards found that manures of slow decomposition 
were much better, the best mixture being composed of 
the cleanings of “ditches, turf, and road sweepings, after 
being allowed to ferment a year. 
Pillar Roses.— A correspondent practices the fol¬ 
lowing mode of having pillar roses. Tv o-inch augur 
holes are bored through pieces of scantling 3 by 4 inches, 
and 12 feet long, one foot apart. They are then set in 
the ground as posts, 3 feet deep. Near them tall grow¬ 
ing roses are planted, two of different colors, one on 
each side of the post; and as they grow, the stems are 
run through the holes. In this way, they will rise nine 
feet high, and no winds can blow the stems off— 
no tying is necessary. Branches intertwined, bearing 
roses of contrasted colors, made a fine appearance. 
The Boursalts, Hybrid China, and some of the va¬ 
rieties of the Prairie rose, furnish fine roses for these 
blooming pillars. 
Early Lettuce. —Take up the plants, which have 
been sown in the open ground in autumn, and set them 
in a hot bed as soon as it is made, and they will be fit 
for the table two weeks earlier than those from seed 
sown in the bed. 
Early Tomatoes. —It is well known that in remo¬ 
ving plants of the tomato from the hot bed to open 
ground, they usually remain stationary for a considera¬ 
ble length of time before commencing growing. They 
may be accelerated if taken quite early from an early 
hot-bed, and each plant placed in a small pot, and kept 
in a warm room or other warm place, until the arrival 
of settled warm weather, when they are to be turned 
out and deposited in the ground with the balls of earth 
entire, which scarcely checks their growth. The small 
number of plants required for the supply of a family 
renders this process comparatively easy. 
Box Edgings. —In watering these, which have been 
newly planted, in dry weather, it is of great moment 
where the earth is trod firmly to the roots, and before 
levelling on the remainder of the earth, to saturate the 
soil completely, all around the roots, with water, with 
an unsparing hand, and then finish by spreading the dry 
soil above .—Loudon’s Sub. Hort. 
Dibbling Small Trees.— Nurserymen often set out 
thousands of young seedling trees, or root grafts by dib¬ 
bling. The manner in which many workmen operate, 
leaves a cavity at the lower end of the root , where the 
earth is not enough pressed against it. Such trees are 
apt to die; they will be found to draw out easily; and 
workmen need to be watched. It is necessary that the 
point of the tool be so thrust into the ground as to fill the 
hole, that the point may be considerably nearer the plant 
than the handle; that is, the line of direction should 
point towards the plant downwards. 
Giant Asparagus.- —A correspondent of Downing’s 
Horticulturist, raises shoots of asparagus, which, he 
says, are without exaggeration, as large as his hoe 
handle, and perfectly tender and succulent, by this me¬ 
thod :—One part of hen dung to forty parts of stable 
manure, are spread two inches thick on the bed, in 
autumn, and forked in. The next spring this is turned 
over slightly, and a coating of a quarter of an inch of 
salt added. This dissolves by rains, and kills every 
weed, while it promotes a vigorous growth of aspara¬ 
gus. He cuts his asparagus when about six inches 
high, wholly above ground , and then it is all perfectly 
tender. 
Position of Flower-Beds. —It often happens that 
two different flower beds may be equally well managed 
and flourish alike, yet one may be a mass of brilliancy, 
