40 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ March, 
tlie ravages of the wire-worm are best studied 
in tbe field, yet the garden is tlie spot in which 
to clieck its progress; and the way in which 
this may be done, I will now detail. The late 
Mr. Pince, of Exeter, one of the best nursery¬ 
men of his time, was annoyed to see the damage 
wrought by the wire-worm in his nursery; 
but cogitating one day, as he told me, on 
the character of the wire-worm, he con¬ 
cluded that to get rid of them he must have 
quick and willing workers, with sharp eyes. 
So, getting a dozen bantams, he set them to 
work on the worms. For this purpose, he ridged 
up the soil in a shed, and the fowls soon set 
to work tooth and nail; and as fast as the ridge 
was renewed, it was levelled again by the toes 
of his assistants, who evidently liked the game, 
and the fresh insects with which they were 
regaled. We have seen the rook following the 
plough for what it turns up, thus working like 
the bantam, for when the ploughshare rends the 
furrow it upturns many larvae, which thus 
become a prey to the rook and other wild birds, 
and must be a great support to the rookery in 
the breeding season, assisted by the extra seed 
that some farmers cast away in thick sowing. 
—Alex. Forsyth, Salford. 
MARKET CULTURE OF 
ASPARAGUS IN FRANCE. 
« HE following is a free translation of M. 
Dumas’ recommendations on this sub¬ 
ject in La Culture Maraichere (Roths¬ 
child, Paris), an excellent little handbook of 
gardening, to which we have already referred 
with commendation :— 
The seed is sown in March or April in 
a light, highly manured soil, which should 
be well dug during dry weather. The soil 
being thus pulverised, the seed is sown broad¬ 
cast, or in lines 4 to 5 inches apart, the latter 
method being preferable, taking care not to sow 
too thickly nor at a depth of more than 3 to 4 
inches. In dry seasons watering may be 
necessary, and when the seed has germinated 
hoeing is requisite. The bed for the perma¬ 
nent plantations should by preference be sandy, 
deep, very friable, the best soil in the garden, 
and exposed to the south. It should be trenched 
and well manured. The ground being pre¬ 
pared in the manner indicated, in February or 
March a trench is dug, some 1G to 18 inches 
deep and as much in width, the soil being 
thrown out on each side of the trench to a 
distance of 16 to 18 inches. At the bottom 
of the trench so made, little mounds of fine 
earth about 4 inches high are made, at the 
distance of a yard one from another. Other 
similar trenches are dug at distances a yard 
apart. When all is ready the young Asparagus 
plants—preferably those of two years’ growth 
—are placed on the little mounds in the 
trenches, the roots being carefully spread out 
over them, and fine soil is carefully sifted in 
between them. The trench is then filled in 
nearly to the top with compost, in which 
fowls’ dung or night-soil has been mixed. They 
must, however, not be too deeply covered—in 
medium soils not to a greater depth than 10 
inches the first year. During the autumn the 
plants should be watered freely with liquid 
manure. When frost is anticipated, the stems 
should be cut over annually about four inches 
above the surface, and as a protection, the 
whole surface covered with a layer of dung. 
The shoots are not cut till the third year, after 
which time, the shoots may be cut each year 
from April to July. 
JASMINUM SAMBAC. 
« HIS plant is not so well known as it 
deserves to be, for the flowers are 
sweetly scented and of almost a pure 
white, and they are the more valuable as being 
produced through the autumn and winter 
months. This species of Jasmine is not diffi¬ 
cult to cultivate, and by attention to the follow¬ 
ing instructions may be grown by an amateur, 
where there is the accommodation of a stove 
temperature, which is necessary to success. 
To begin with, take a young, healthy, well- 
rooted plant early in February; shift it into a 
pot one size larger, using plenty of crocks for 
drainage, and as a compost a mixture of fibrous 
peat and loam in equal parts, with a good 
sprinkling of sharp, gritty sand added. The soil 
should be made moderately firm, and the plant 
placed in a temperature of GO 0 to G5°, the 
syringe being used freely morning and evening, 
and due attention being paid to watering at 
the root—this being very essential, in order 
to get good, healthy plants, with strong shoots : 
moreover, bloom is more certain on strong wood. 
When the roots have taken to the new soil, give 
them manure-water once a week. By the end 
of May gfve another shift, and pinch out the 
tops of any shoots which may be taking an 
undue lead. Continue the general treatment 
as before. By the middle of October, flowers 
