100 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[July, 
KEEPING FRUIT. 
<7r FTER many experiments in trying to 
1 lengthen out the period during which 
[q fruits of various kinds can be kept, I 
^ have proved again and again that the 
preparation of the crop during its growth has 
as much to do with keeping as anything. I 
believe that full exposure to sun and air, and 
the avoidance of crowding, together with 
ensuring that the roots of the tree (whatever 
it may be) are growing in healthy soil—not 
such as is “ clogged and soured ” with manure 
—have everything on their side to prompt 
cultivators to secure these as the primary 
agents in maturing fruits and well charging 
them with sugar. Shrivelling takes place 
much earlier with badly ripened fruit than 
with that which is thoroughly ripened. 
Last autumn we placed a quantity of 
Stirling Castle Apples on a dry shelf. They 
■were ready for use in September and October, 
but kept well through the winter, when many 
others which were considered late keepers 
had to be used up. The fruits of the Stirling 
Castle were kept well exposed to sun all 
through the season; they became unusually 
yellow when ripened. One fruit kept sound 
and good well into April, but when it did go 
it became black and soft in a few days. This 
apple, which I never saw fail in any season, 
should be grown very largely. Coming in 
well after Lord Suffield and on dwarfs, where 
they can be carefully exposed to sun, they can 
be had through a long period of the season. 
We have often referred to the keeping of 
Grapes, and thorough ripening has everything 
to do with keeping them. When thus pre¬ 
pared we have found them much sweeter and 
palatable in April than in December. The 
wood placed in water should never cause 
deterioration.—M. T., bnpney. 
ASPARAGUS PLUMOSUS. 
ROM all appearance this Asparagus will, 
when it becomes better known, take a 
foremost place among decorative sub¬ 
jects, both as a pot plant and for the cut 
fronds, which may be used instead of ferns. 
For the latter purpose the branchlets are 
equally effective, if not more so, and they 
last much longer than maidenhair does after 
being cut. 
The Asparagus plumosus is of easy and rapid 
growth. We plant it in shallow pans about 
8 inches across, and set in a few small sticks, 
to draw some of the largest fronds from crowd¬ 
ing the centre. When grown in this way it 
will be invaluable where single specimen plants 
for standing about the house are in request. 
What a fine effect Gloxinias and it, also a few 
plants of Caladium Argyritis, have when mixed. 
A very pretty picture can be produced by these 
three when well arranged. We find the plant 
to grow well in a mixture of peat and loam, 
with a good dash of sand and small pieces of 
charcoal; it must also have good drainage, as 
it appears to delight in plenty of moisture, 
which, however, must not become stagnant 
about the roots.—A. Henderson, Thoresby. 
*** To the foregoing remarks by Mr. Hen¬ 
derson, we add a figure of the plant, which 
has been kindly lent to us by Mr. Bull, of 
Chelsea. The plant was introduced by him 
from South Africa, and may be described as a 
slender growing evergreen species of scandent 
habit, and remarkably elegant character—an 
exceedingly handsome ornamental plant for 
the greenhouse and conservatory, while its 
pretty feathery fronds are extremely useful, 
as Mr. Henderson points out, for cutting to 
be used for decorative purposes. When used 
in this way, it will last for four or five weeks 
as green and fresh as when first placed in the 
vase. “ W. K.,” in the Journal of Horticulture 
(3 see., iv., 451), observes as to its propagation 
that “It was considered for a long time that 
the roots and seeds were the only means of 
propagating it. However, this is a fallacy; 
that it can and is propagated by cuttings has 
been proved beyond doubt, and any one who is 
in possession of a small frame with bottom 
heat can readily increase this Asparagus. My 
mode of propagating is very simple, and may 
be described thus:—I select the cuttings from 
what may be termed half-ripened shoots, re¬ 
moving the small branchlets with a heel about 
three or four inches long, and insert them in 
cocoa-nut fibre, which I have at the bottom 
of the propagating frame, sprinkle them with 
water, and keep the frame close till they have 
produced roots, which should be within four 
or five weeks. When rooted they should be 
placed singly in small 60-size pots, employing 
