712 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
July 7, 1894. 
the fact that heads could be grown which could run 
four to the pound ; and some five-and-twenty years 
ago, one of the growers at Mortlake announced with 
much jubilation that he had produced three which 
reached the same weight. At Argenteuil, we are 
told, it is by no means uncommon for each head of 
a certain kind to be half an inch in diameter, and to 
weigh a pound or even more. That, however, this 
' giant ’ Asparagus is greatly inferior in flavour to 
the old-fashioned and less bulky sort, no amateur of 
Asparagus will probably be disposed to deny. 
Of course the growers at Argenteuil maintain that 
this is quite a mistake, and that the pleasant taste of 
Asparagus depends more on its freshness than on 
any difference of size. There can, however, belittle 
doubt that that kind which is now only found in old 
gardens, and of which the stalk is green in colour, 
and eatable down to the base, is much more 
palatable than that of which the edible portion is 
scarcely an inch long, and the remainder woody and 
fibrous. Probably the very best Asparagus which 
can be eaten in the present day is that which is 
grown among the vines in South Germany, and this, 
almost without exception, belongs to the ' green ’ 
kind, and, in fact, is so called by the German gar¬ 
deners in contradistinction to the white. 
The march of civilisation has, no doubt, improved 
most things ; but, as regards Asparagus, ‘ progress ' 
seems to have consisted in producing a very large 
stick, which looks well in the shop windows, but 
which, beyond its size, has little else to recommend 
it.— Chamber's Journal: 
HARDY AZALEAS. 
I HAVE frequently heard these called Bush Honey¬ 
suckles, and also Honeysuckle Azaleas. The real 
Bush Honeysuckles are the Weigelias, but I cer¬ 
tainly think the name is far more appropriate to the 
Ghent or American Azaleas. The formation of the 
flowers individually, as well as the truss, have a very 
much closer resemblance to our common Honey¬ 
suckle than that possessed by the Weigelias. 
They may be planted and treated exactly the 
same as Rhododendrons, and will provide a grand 
show of colour for fully six weeks, say the latter 
part of May and all through June. This is not their 
only advantage in decoration, as the autumn tints of 
their foliage ranks among the brightest we have, 
and lasts for some weeks before falling. There are 
a large number of named hybrids, but as the seed 
from a good strain produces grand sorts, the named 
kinds are equally as easy to propagate as inferior 
varieties, there is little fear of not getting a good 
collection among mixed plants. They bloom with 
wonderful freedom, and soon develop into grand 
bushes, any leggyness being avoided by the persis¬ 
tency with which they push up suckers from the 
roots. Their perfume is very strong and sweet, and 
as we can have all shades of yellow and white, also 
brick-red, deep scarlet, vermilion, orange-scarlet, 
crimson, various shades of rosy-red and pink, and a 
deep magenta shade, the variety of colour is exten¬ 
sive. All of them produce their flowers a little in 
advance of the foliage, and make a mass of soft 
colours quite distinct from Rhododendrons. A 
healthy bed of the latter forms a fine back ground. 
There are also many varieties of Azalea mollis 
(the Japanese Azalea), all of which are hardy and 
produce blooms almost as large as the Indian 
Azaleas. These will thrive under similar conditions 
to the above. As a flowering shrub for forcing these 
two species of Azalea are unsurpassed. Easily 
managed, flowering with certainty, and producing a 
quantity of unique blooms, they should be in every 
collection. When they have flowered, keep them in 
a warm and moist temperature until growth stops, 
having previously removed the stale flower trusses. 
If these are allowed to ripen seed, a less number of 
flower buds will form for the following season. 
Stand the plants in the open as soon as their growth 
is completed and the summer sufficiently advanced 
to be safe from frost. They will then form bloom 
buds freely and be grand for another season. The little 
trouble of keeping them under glass for a short time 
after bloom is over makes all the difference between 
a good or bad crop of bloom the following season. 
This applies to all forced plants, and yet they are 
frequently stood outside immediately their present 
usefulness is over. If my readers give a moment’s 
thought to the unnaturalness of this, I am convinced 
they will find some means of providing shelter for a 
short time longer.— Experience. 
AMATEUR V. PROFESSIONAL 
GARDENING. 
In the following remarks I am not alluding to the 
gardener at a large establishment in either of the 
above appellations. He comes between the two, 
reaps the pleasures of both with only a modicum of 
their disappointments. How I shall catch it for 
this from some of my friends ! Those having poor 
pay. 
One can get a fair idea of a man's habits, as 
regards tidiness, by a glance into his garden, and 
also if he is attentive to those little details which go 
so far towards securing success. And who can 
imagine a more pleasurable occupation than that of 
working in a well-kept garden, one where things are 
in their place, tools always put away clean and 
bright, sticks and the numerous other little 
necessaries ready to hand for any little jcb as it may 
come along. Then, what pleasure there is in the 
work when it turns out well, and as he enjoys the 
whole of it, how much greater inducement an 
amateur has to attend to things from the first. The 
true professional grower, he who grows for market, 
has to part with the results of his labour at its most 
satisfying phase of existence. But we are ever a lot 
of grumblers, we who live on the soil. If fine and 
dry we grumble because a few crops want rain; 
when it rains it is the same. Nor could it well be 
otherwise, such a variety of crops needing different 
weather must perforce contain seme not enjoying 
themselves as we would wish. 
A small garden, well kept, will provide an immense 
amount of useful produce, to say nothing of the 
pleasurable excitement of hopes and failures. What 
I wanted to point out in these notes is the great 
advantage of doing work at seasonable times. This 
is much more important in a garden of mixed sub¬ 
jects, than in those where only a few are grown. 
Unless the work be kept well in hand, work in the 
former case tumbles along so rapidly that some¬ 
things have to go ; and when once this is the case, 
great efforts are needed to catch up again. Numerous 
subjects are spoilt for the season, and all the previous 
labours as good as cast away. A slight delay in 
cleansing plants of insect pests, pricking off of seed¬ 
lings and heaps of more occur to ones mind. 
A good gardener should always endeavour to 
be “well on the spot’’; have things ready, so 
that no unnecessary delay is caused. For instance, 
during dull periods a few sticks may be sharpened, 
potting soil got ready, pots cleaned, and a general 
look round given to discover what is missing. The seed 
store can be looked into. This last is very impor¬ 
tant, as it often happens that one’s ground is perfect 
for sowing ; when if the seed is not at hand, a few 
days delay causes the loss of this favourable oppor¬ 
tunity, and often means the difference between a 
successful early crop, and one of indifferent service. 
A little method and determination in attention to 
these details will make the amateurs work more 
pleasurable. Amateurs reap the whole of the 
pleasure from their labours, and next to them I 
think the gardener in a good establishment, where 
expenses do not trouble him, ind he has the pleasure 
of seeing the full beauty and uses of his labour 
ought to be happy devotees to Flora.— P. 
ARDENING |[lSCELLANY. 
THE MARIPOSA LILIES. 
Such characteristic bulbous plants as the Butterfly 
Tulips or Mariposa Lilies of California (Calochor- 
tus) might be more largely grown than they are. 
The bulbs may be planted in the autumn on a raised 
bed of rich, light, sandy soil, and in a full sunny 
position, where the bulbs will ripen well before 
being lifted, which should be done when the stem 
dies down. The beds require to be well sloped so 
as to carry away superfluous moisture, which is more 
detrimental to them than drought.— W. L. 
SARGENT’S FLORIDA PALM. 
The following interesting statement concerning this 
rare Palm, from a florist who spent several years in 
the extreme South of Florida, recently came under 
my notice:—“The rare and so-called ’new’ Palm 
of Florida, Pseudodphoenix Sargentii, is said to be 
found nowhere else in the world, but Mrs. Hester P. 
Walker (now dead), daughter of Dr. Henry Perrine, 
who lost his life endeavouring to introduce rare 
plants into Florida, told me positively that it was 
‘ introduced by Dr. Henry Perrine, from Central 
America long years before Professor Sargent ever 
saw it.’ The largest specimen of this Palm I have 
seen was on Mr. Filer’s place on Elliott’s Key; it 
was about 20 ft. in height with a smooth trunk. I 
do not consider it a very beautiful Palm; the leaves 
have a ragged appearance that does not add to its 
beauty.’’ More than fifty years ago the Govern¬ 
ment commissioned Dr. Perrine to introduce plants 
of economic value from Central America to South 
Florida, and through his efforts several species 
became naturalized on the mainland and keys of the 
extreme southern portion of the State. Notable 
examples are the Sisal Hemp (Agave rigida, var. 
Sisalana) and Cereus triangularis. He was finally 
massacred by the Indians ; and it is pleasant to 
think that this Palm, hitherto supposed to exist 
nowhere else in the world but on the Florida Keys, may 
be a silent but eloquent monument to his memory. 
If he really did introduce this Palm it is natural to 
suppose that it is still to be found in Central 
America. The ragged appearance of the leaves is 
doubtless due in great part to the wind which 
sweeps the Keys furiously at certain seasons of the 
year .—Walter N. Pike, in Gardening {American). 
CINERARIA HERITIERI. 
At a casual glance this plant bears a close resem¬ 
blance to the wild Cineraria cruenta, but is dwarfer 
with smaller corymbs of flowers, that are larger, if 
anything, than that species which has undergone so 
much alteration and improvement in gardens When 
grown in pots C. Heritieri flowers freely when about 
ft. high. The leaves are roundly heart-shaped, 
angled, or slightly lobed, and hoary beneath with 
tomentum. The flowers are larger than a shilling 
piece, and the rays are white with pale purple tips, 
while the disc is deep purple. 
PHLOMIS FRUTICOSA. 
Very few of the European members of the Labiate 
family are shrubby, so that P. fruticosa forms a 
marked exception. The ovate wrinkled leaves are 
covered with a white tomentum on the under 
surface. The large yellow flowers are borne in 
dense whorls at the top of the stems, and have a 
bold and showy appearance. The plant is so nearly 
hardy that it will live for many years in the open 
and unprotected. Large plants are most liable to 
get killed in severe winters, but a young plant or 
two may always be kept coming on to take the place 
of the old one in case it should get killed. When 
planted in well drained soil and in a sheltered situa¬ 
tion, there will be little risk of the plant failing. It 
may be propagated by seeds or by cuttings. A large 
specimen or two have been flowering for some time 
past near the library in the Botanic Gardens, 
Oxford. 
MARKET GARDENING IN CORNWALL. 
There is not a shadow of doubt but that the 
market gardeners in Cornwall have sustained one 
of the finest harvests over the Potato crops it has 
been their privilege to garner for the last twenty 
years. Nevertheless, with the Englishman’s 
privilege, they are grumbling, especially in the 
Land’s End district. There, in the more exposed 
situations, the high winds of the last fortnight have 
done the crops no good. The farmers who planted 
Myatt's for the markets have been busily engaged in 
digging and dispatching them. Gooseberries here 
are both abundant and cheap. Apples are not 
promising as result of sharp frost in May. Nor are 
Black Currants likely to be a heavy crop. Straw¬ 
berries are not doing so well as anticipated, and in 
many cases a blight is observable. Speaking of 
Potatos, it may be noted that most of the gardeners 
regret their premature action of a month ago in 
disposing of their crops at from 12s. to 14s. per 
bushel, as they could now make from 2 S. to 4s. a 
bushel more—no light difference on, say fifty tons. 
There is the appearance of disease, although slight, 
in some of the out-door growing Tomatos, and this 
has been attributed to the use of soil which is far 
too rich. Heavy manuring seems to suit Cabbage 
Lettuce, Celery, etc., but not either the Tomato or 
the Potato. Both the latter get a similar disease. 
Exuberance of inside sap, and dew or rain on out¬ 
side, develop the blight and help its destructive 
work. Under glass the Tomato cannot bear the 
manure and manurial stimulant that Cucumbers or 
Melons can.— X. 
