June 29. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
245 
the secret all lay there. The seed was only such as might 
he had in every garden. About the first of November, as 
soon as the frost has well blackened the Asparagus tops, I 
take a scythe, and mow all close dowrn to the surface of the 
bed; let it lie a day or two, then set fire to the heap of 
stalks; burn it to ashes, and spread the ashes over the 
surface of the bed. I then go to my barn-yard; I take a 
load of clean, fresh stable-manure, and add thereto half-a- 
bushel of hen dung, turning over and mixing the whole 
together throughout. This makes a pretty powerful compost. 
I apply one such load to every twenty feet in length of my 
Asparagus-beds, which are six feet wide. With a strong 
three-pronged spud or fork I dig this dressing under. The 
whole is now left for the winter. In the spring, as early as 
possible, I turn the top of the bed over lightly once more. 
Now, as the Asparagus grows naturally on the side of the 
ocean, and loves salt water, I give it an annual supply of its 
favourite condiment. I cover the surface of the bed about 
a quarter-of-an inch thick with fine packing salt; it is not 
too much. As the spring rains come down, it gradually 
dissolves. Not a weed will appear the whole season. Every¬ 
thing else, pig weed, chick-weed, purslane, all refuse to 
grow on the top of my briny Asparagus-beds. But it would 
do your eyes good to see the strong, stout, tender stalks of 
the vegetable itself, pushing through the surface early in 
the season. I do not at all stretch a point when I say that 
they are often as large round as my hoe-handle, and as 
j tender and succulent as any I ever tasted. The same round 
of treatment is given to my bed every year.” 
MOSSY FISH-BOND. 
“ I have got a Fish-pond full of the kind of Moss I 
enclose. I think it grows from the bottom. We clean it 
out every other week, for in that time it is covered over 
again. The pond has been made many years, and has never 
had any in before. Can you, or any other person, give me 
any information how to get rid of it ? All the fish come to 
the pond-side and die. I shall feel greatly obliged if you 
can tell me how to proceed, as I have asked a great many 
persons, but they cannot tell me anything satisfactory; 
I some-say quick lime will kill the moss; but it will kill the 
fish also.—W. E. S." 
[The pond weed like green hair, which you inclosed, is 
certain evidence that the bottom of the fish-pond is very 
foul, and the gas (carburetted hydrogen), which is pro¬ 
duced from the foul sediment, probably kills the fish. The 
pond should be emptied and thoroughly cleaned out. It 
J will then go on satisfactorily for many years again, unless 
some change has taken place in the water supplying it. 
We should be very much obliged to any of our readers 
who would inform us how they manage their fish-ponds.] 
CUCUMBERS DECAYING. 
I “ Having this spring erected a small house for forcing 
Cucumbers and other things, I am much annoyed to find 
that full one-half of them, instead of swelling olf, as they 
should do, seem to decay at the tips. Some say it is for 
want of impregnating; but I think not, as many rot off 
before the flower offers to expand. The house is heated by 
water in pipes, and a temperature of from 70° to 80° kept 
up. The plants are grown in a border three feet wide, and 
about twelve inches in depth of soil, and trained on a trellis. 
The house is about thirteen feet long and eight feet wide ; 
front upright sashes to open ; and three ventilators in the 
back wall. My own opinion is, they have been kept too 
moist, and not sufficient air given ; but, then, we have had 
so little sun that I could not give air without getting the 
temperature below 70°.— An Amateur.” 
[Want of impregnation you are quite right in con¬ 
cluding has nothing to do with the decay of your Cucumbers. 
Experiments have demonstrated, that for table use, Cucum¬ 
bers unfertilised are best. Too much moisture in the air, 
and, consequently, deficient ventilation, added to dryness at 
the roots ; or the reverse, excess of wet at the roots, and 
excess of dryness to the leaves, are circumstances likely to 
cause such a premature decay of the fruit. Whenever fruit 
of any kind is thus aifected, it is certain that the activity of 
the roots and the activity of the leaves are uot well 
balanced.] 
GROWING DIANTHUS SPLENDENS, ALSTROME- 
RIAS, AND DOUBLE WALL-FLOWERS. 
“ Under the title of ‘ Primula Sinensis,’ I once before 
sought and obtained advice as to the culture of that lovely 
flower. Your kind attention then induces me to intrude 
again, to ask for information respecting the sowing and 
raising (through the coming autumn and winter) the seeds 
of Dianthus splendent and Alstromeria, also double Wall¬ 
flowers, from seed. You told me, before, that you could 
instruct me better if I explained my resources. With your 
leave I will proceed to do so. I have but one window in 
my cottage which I consider right to fill with plants, as I 
do not approve of them in sleeping apartments, and, as I 
told you before, I am in very truth a 1 Cottage Gardener ’— 
but with fancies respecting flowers much too large for my 
house or garden. This aforesaid-window to my sitting- 
room is of a fair size, and takes the morning sun, from its 
appearing above the hills near which I live until a little 
past noon, when my window loses the sunbeams for the 
day. I have also a flower-border, more than twenty feet in 
length by two in width, with exactly the same aspect as my 
window ; there I raise and grow annuals, and tolerably 
early, with the help of a flower pot turned upside down at 
night; but the Dianthus and Alstromeria I do not under¬ 
stand how to treat, never having raised them from seed ; 
therefore, any information will he gratefully received. And 
as to the obtaining double Wallflowers from seed sown now, 
—may I hope to be successful ? I am so delighted with 
the papers by Mr. Appleby on the Culture of Stocks. They 
are the property of humble florists, like myself; for the 
sweet scent, as well as the beautiful colour, is the admira¬ 
tion of hundreds of simple country folks, and by no one 
more appreciated than myself. With the help, therefore, of 
Mr. Appleby, I hope to astonish my neighbours with some 
specimens of white and purple Queen Stocks, having sown 
the seed in pots, to guard againt sparrows, &c. I wish he 
could know how I thank him, and read over his paper with 
my little son,wdio takes in The Cottage Gardener, intend¬ 
ing to become one when old enough ; and who never comes 
home from school without some wild-flower for me in his 
basket, shewing that a lovo of the beautiful belongs to the 
poor cottage child as well as the peer’s son.— Primula 
Sinensis.” 
[Your concluding lines would gain a passport to our 
attention, though ever so busy and wearied. In fact, the 
ministering to the gratification of such love of the beautiful 
is one of our highest rewards. We doubt not you will 
succeed perfectly with the Stocks, under Mr. Appleby’s 
directions ; and your sowing in pots was a piece of prudent 
carefulness. 
Of course you are well acquainted with the Sweet 
William ( Dianthus barbatus), which, if sown in your border 
now, and defended from slugs in winter, will be in bloom 
nicely at this time next year. The Dianthus splendens we ! 
do not happen to know, unless it be a rather weak-growing 
species, or variety, with smallish leaves and beautiful dark 
flowers—a little tender, requiring a little protection in 
winter, and which, if sown now, would better be intrusted to 
a pot, housed in the window in November, and planted out 
next March or April. Light sandy soil would suit it best. 
If it is a peculiar fine kind you have got, and very different 
from Sweet William, then we would advise protecting it a j 
little in winter. The Sweet YVilliam is as hardy as a Goose¬ 
berry, and looks well in winter from being so nice and green. 
We can hold out but little inducement to your raising 
double Wall-flowers from seed. Double flowers are pro¬ 
pagated from cuttings. Frequently semi-double, or rather j 
less than that bear seed, but we have seldom found any- j 
thing like double flowers coming from them. If you sow ! 
your Wall-flower seeds directly, in a corner of your border, 
and transplant them in November or October, you will have I 
them in bloom early in the spring. If you have reason to 
believe that you have got fine kinds, you had better sow in 
pots likewise; and some you might keep in the pots all 
the winter, plunging the pot, and placing a branch or tree 
over the plants in cold, severe weather. You would re¬ 
quire to give a similar protection to double flowers raised [ 
from cuttings, or, if very small, they would like to be inside 
the window. 
