144 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER, 
[December 5. 
beds. The quantity of fermenting dung required is far 
greater than if the plants are taken up and put into a 
frame. Moreover, when once you have set the roots 
growing at the end of September, you must keep them 
growing all the winter and spring, otherwise they die 01 - 
are spoiled; as is the fate with half the bulbs that are 
forced into a vegetating state. My practice is, about the 
middle of September, to cut down the stems of all the 
asparagus which is to he forced that season. The buds 
on the root-crowns immediately begin to grow, and re¬ 
quire very little heat to force them into production until 
Christmas has arrived. All that is required is a hole in 
the ground filled with slightly-liot duug, covered over 
with a few inches of earth, and the roots to he planted 
thickly in this as for ordinary forcing them. A mat, or 
a few hoards covered over the frame, just to exclude 
frost and inclement weather, is all the shelter required.” 
Now, we mention this thus prominently, because it is 
an illustration of the useful suggestions science is 
capable of making to the practitioner. When the above 
question was put to us by the gardener in the lecture- 
room, we had never tried to produce asparagus in early 
autumn ; but we knew it to he a law of vegetable nature 
that if a plant is cut down before it has completed its 
annual growth, and before the elaboration of the sap is 
finished, preparatory for the next year’s development, 
then that plant makes an effort by the production of 
fresh leaves to complete the processes that had been 
interrupted by the premature cutting down. We inferred, 
therefore, that by cutting down the immature asparagus 
stems, their roots would make an effort to throw up fresh 
stems, and that advantage might he taken of this, and 
by promoting that effort asparagus for the table would be 
obtained in early autumn. 
NEW PLANTS. 
THEIR PORTRAITS AND BIOGRAPHIES. 
The Stanwick Nectarine. — Gardeners Mag. of 
Botany , vol. ii., p. 129.—Lord Pradhoe, of Stanwick 
Park, who has since succeeded to the Dukedom of 
Northumberland, having received from our Vice-Consul 
at Aleppo, Mr. Barker, some nectarines and- peaches 
with sweet kernels, sowed some of their stones in the 
March of 1843, and from one of them was produced the 
parent tree of what is now known as the Stanwiclc Nec¬ 
tarine. Mr. Baillie, gardener to his Grace, says, “ the 
tree on its own roots is a strong and robust grower, and 
continues to grow late in autumn, and has hitherto 
(1846) retained its leaves throughout the winter. I 
have no doubt, however, that when worked upon apricot, \ 
plum, or almond stocks, it will prove quite lmrdy, mid ! 
bear well even in the north of England.” ( Hort. Soc. 
Journal, vol. i., p. 273.) The fruit of this nectarine is 
middle-sized, roundish oval, with a point opposite the 
stalk end ; pale yellow skin, passing off to bright red at 
the end furthest from the stalk; flesh greenish white, ! 
slightly red next the stone, from which it separates 
freely. Ripe about the end of August or beginning of 
September in Yorkshire. Blowers large, pale pink; 
leaves round-saw-tootlied, with two kidney-sluiped 
glands at the base. ( Gardeners' May. of Botany , p. | 
129.) Mr. Thompson, of the Gldswick Gardens, says 
the flesh is “ exceedingly tender, juicy, rich, and sugary, 
without the slightest flavoiu of prussic acid. The kernel 
is sweet, like a nut, possessing nothing of the hitter- 
almond flavour.” (Hort. Soc. Journal, p.- 272.) 
The Duke of Northumberland having munificently 
given buds from this nectarine to raise trees for sale, the 
proceeds to he given to the Gardeners’ Benevolent In¬ 
stitution, and Mr. Rivers, in a similar good spirit, 
having raised those trees without charge for their propa¬ 
gation, we have thought it right to place these parti¬ 
culars before our readers; hut we do no more. Without 
expressing any opinion upon the merits of the nectarine, 
we sincerely hope that both the Institution and the 
purchasers of the trees may he one and all benefited. 
And now for a few words relative to the whole race of 
nectarines, a fruit which we have always been told was 
unknown to the ancients, but from which opinion we 
dissent. Florentinus, one of the Geoponic writers who 
lived at the very commencement of the third century, 
tells us of a fruit, the barbilus, which was raised from 
the stone of the peach. 
Theocritus speaks of this fruit as Horpeekes Braby- 
lois ; and Atlienaeus, in a note upon this, says, “This 
stone fruit is smaller in circumference than the coccy- 
melon, hut similar in flavour, only some what more acid.” 
It is singular that no one has been able to find a pro¬ 
bable derivative for our word peach, yet it seems to he an 
easy contraction and corruption of liorpeekes. 
The name Barbilus or Brabilus appears to he derived 
from Bra, well, and byllos, swollen—literally meaning 
plump and smooth; and we know of no more accurate 
description of the Nectarine than to say, it is “ a plump 
smooth Peach.” We believe, also, that nectarines were 
known to the Romans by the name Tuberes. Pliny 
says, “ Of all trees the Almond blooms first in the 
month of January; next to it flower the Apricot, and 
then Tuberes and early Peaches (Preecoces).” Now, 
what fruit, except Nectarines, could by any probability 
have been meant by Tuberes ?- We have other notes in 
