12 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ January, 
inexpressibly sweet, and sucli a pure white 
ground, could have been attained ? When, 
nearly forty years since, I meekly ventured to 
suggest that the colouring on the margin of the 
Picotee should be of uniform width, and 
not as prescribed by Mr, Glenny, with a 
deeper feather in the centre of the petal, 
some of the fathers of the day stood aghast 
at my presumption, and I was roundly chal¬ 
lenged to answer, how could it be done ? But 
it has been done, and yet there remain vistas 
of development, mainly, I think in the direc¬ 
tion of variety, almost illimitable in their per¬ 
spective. Picotees in those old days were 
coarse, in many cases to repulsiveness; now, 
amongst florists, no variety lacking refinement 
worthy of the most exalted lady would be 
tolerated for a moment. To the varieties I 
have named the aspiring cultivator should add 
Mrs. Lord, Mrs. Nicholls, Miss Horner, Miss 
Lee, Fanny Helen, Ethel, Juliana, Miss Wil¬ 
liams, Teresa, and Victoria, the latter three 
light-edges ; and, with these, given intelligent 
and interested attention, results will be obtained 
which will make the Carnation and Picotee 
plot a perennial source of delight.—E. S. 
Dodwell, 11 Chatham Terrace , Larichall 
Rise. 
ASPARAGUS CULTURE. 
f HIS favourite vegetable will not be 
abundant in this neighbourhood for 
two or three years, having suffered 
very severely from the last two unfavourable 
years. At the commencement of May, 1878, 
the crop promised to be fine and abundant, but 
the heavy rainfall of that period stopped its 
growth, and at the end of the month there was 
very little Asparagus to be got. The severe 
winter that followed, and the cold, dull, un- 
genial summer of 1879, followed by another 
very severe winter, completed the destruction 
commenced in May, 1878. Young and old 
plantations suffered alike, so that the formation 
of new plantations became a necessity. 
Though found growing in sandy soil, Aspa¬ 
ragus can only be grown fine on a deep, light 
soil, well enriched with manure. In making 
new plantations, the soil should be trenched 
from 2 ft. to 3 ft. deep, and plenty of good 
manure should be placed at the bottom of the 
trench, and some should be mixed with the 
soil, as the trenching goes on. The winter 
season is a good time to trench the soil. 
The surface should be left in a rough 
state for the frost and air to act on it; 
and if the soil be retrenched in spring, it will 
do it good, as the manure will get more com¬ 
pletely incorporated with it. Asparagus may 
be grown in beds, 4 ft. wide, with alleys of 
2 ft. G in. wide between ; and there may 
be either two or three rows of plants in 
each bed. Where only two rows are grown, 
the asparagus will be larger than where three 
rows are grown in a bed, but the latter plan 
will yield the greater quantity. 
Towards the end of March, when the soil is 
in a nice dry state, it should be levelled and 
raked over; the beds should be all marked out, 
and strong stakes should be driven down at 
each corner. The 3eed may be sown in drills, 
and the plants, when of a proper size, should be 
thinned out to about 1 ft. apart; but where 
one or two-year-old roots can be had, few per¬ 
sons will be inclined to sow seed, seeing that 
Asparagus is likely to be scarce for some time. 
The roots should be planted in April, keeping 
the crown about two inches below the surface. 
The following is a good mode of planting 
the beds, and is one that I can recommend 
Get some boxes from 2 to 3 ft. long, about 
1 ft. wide, and G in. deep ; half fill them with 
rotten manure, and on this place a layer of 
nice soil, gently pressing it; sow the se'ed 
thinly over the surface, and cover it with fine 
soil about half-an-incli deep, and then place 
the boxes in a gentle heat, and water when 
necessary. The young plants will quickly 
appear, and, if carefully attended to, they will 
soon make nice plants. Towards the end of 
May they may be put into a cold frame, and 
gradually hardened off. Early in June they 
may be planted out in the beds, each plant 
being lifted carefully, with a ball of soil and 
rotten manure to the roots, and properly 
planted, and when the whole are planted they 
should have a good watering. A plantation 
made in this manner will make good progress 
the first year, if properly attended to in water¬ 
ing and keeping the surface of the soil well 
stirred between the plants. 
Early in November the stalks should be cut 
close to the ground, the beds should have a 
good dressing of stable manure, and a covering 
of soil from the alleys placed over it. Early 
in spring the beds should be carefully forked 
over, and some of the soil should be raked 
into the alleys. There is very little more 
required afterwards beyond keeping the bed 
