312 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
January 15, 1898. 
fflNTS FOR ||maTEURS. 
Forcing Asparagus —No matter at what time of the 
year it may be forthcoming, Asparagus never comes 
amiss; for the demand is always in excess of the 
supply, but it is doubly precious in the winter 
months when it is only by judicious and careful 
forcing that it can be obtained. It is a rather 
expensive vegetable at such a time, no matter 
whether it is purchased from the market or the 
greengrocer, or grown at home. Not only must a 
fairly high degree of heat be given the roots to throw 
them into activity, but this heat must be continuous 
and well sustained, otherwise the best results cannot 
be expected. Then, again, there must be a sufficiency 
of ground to grow on a supply of roots, for after they 
have once been subjected to the strain of forcing the 
roots are of no further value, and may as well be 
thrown away at once. In many gardens beds which 
have become nearly worn out are dug up and the 
roots employed for forcing preparatory to throwing 
them away. Even in such cases, however, it is 
obvious that there must be some store from which to 
repair the waste of forcing, for if only a single bed be 
destroyed occasionally, another one must be made to 
supply its place if the supply is to hold out. 
Forcing in Frames. —This system is, perhaps, the 
one most usually followed in private gardens for 
supplying early material. A hotbed of fair size and 
depth is erected, and the frame with its attendant 
lights placed on the top of it. The hotbed should be 
made about 3 ft. bigger each way than the frame 
itself so as to allow of a margin round which the 
person may pass who has to attend to the frame. 
Three or four inches of fine soil should next be 
placed in the bottom of the frame and levelled nicely 
down. Upon this the roots may be placed. Pack them 
closely together until every corner is filled. Afterwards 
cover with a layer several inches thick of any light 
soil, leaf mould for preference, and the work is com¬ 
pleted. If the hotbed be composed to a large extent 
of stable itter there will be no difficulty in getting 
sufficient heat for as long as it may be required. The 
best produce is that grown in a steady temperature 
of 60 5 Fahr., although 65°, and even 70° of heat may 
be given when it is necessary to cut heads by an 
early date, and the time is short ; beyond the last- 
named temperature, however, it is not advisable to 
go in any case. 
The cultural routine, after the roots have been 
packed away in the manner suggested, is exceedingly 
simple. A good watering with tepid water should be 
given to settle the soil, and occasional sprinklings 
with the syringe Or a fine rose-can, should be given 
subsequently as required. A little crack of air may 
be necessary at first as the gases given off by the ho t- 
bed in its first stages will be rather rank and strong. 
After the first heat of the bed has subsided, the lights 
should be kept fairly close, but air may be given on 
bright or mild days. Should the heat of the frame 
decline too low it must be raised by means of linings 
of fresh fermenting material placed round the sides 
and trodden down firmly. At night-time the frame 
should be covered with mats, for even if frost does 
not supervene, the temperature will be rather low, 
and a covering will be necessary to keep in the heat. 
If the amateur cannot see his way to the con¬ 
struction of a hotbed, either from lack of the 
necessary materials, space, time, or all three to¬ 
gether, fairly good Asparagus may be obtained by 
placing the roots in a warm house. A vinery that is 
being forced, and was started with that intent about 
the middle of December, or even earlier, is a capital 
place, for here the buds will develop slowly, and 
will acquire almost as much flavour as if they had 
been grown in the open ground. The humid state 
of the atmosphere too is very much to their liking. 
The Asparagus bed may be made up on the Vine 
border in much the same way as it was in the frame, 
viz., first a layer of 4 in. or thereabouts of soil upon 
which the roots are to be packed closely together, 
and then a covering layer of leaf mould, not less than 
a couple of inches in depth. The produce from 
these forced roots may be cut off down to the last 
bud, for sticks that are too thin for serving at table 
in the ordinary way will be greeted for the purpose 
of flavouring soups by the cook. 
A frame heated with hof-water pipes is one of the 
handiest contrivances for forcing Asparagus, because 
the heat is not only constant, but it can be regulated 
at will. If such a frame is possessed by the amateur 
he may turn it to capital account in this way, 
although the difficulty is that such a handy fixture is 
almost sure to be wanted for something else, such as 
bedding or other tender plants. During cold and windy 
weather the frames should be warmly covered with 
mats to economise the heat. 
Supposing all the above contrivances to be want¬ 
ing, the amateur need not entirely despair, for the 
roots may be laid in shallow boxes, and the latter 
placed beneath the greenhouse stage. Of course, the 
heat here would not be great enough to bring about 
actual forcing, but the slight stimulus will cause the 
heads to be thrown up much sooner than they are in 
the open ground, and they will be very sweet and of 
capital flavour. 
The above remarks apply only to the practice of 
lifting and forcing the roots. The reader will have 
come to the conclusion that it is an expensive and a 
rather wasteful method of procedure to indulge in, 
unless there is a supply of old, nearly worn-out roots 
to fall back on. This is only a reasonable conclusion 
to come to, and so we may proceed to look at the 
other system whereby early Asparagus can be ob¬ 
tained. This is to force in the open, leaving the beds 
as they are, not disturbing the roots, but simply in¬ 
ducing the buds to appear earlier than they would 
under ordinary conditions. The outdoor beds are 
specially constructed with a view to this intent, and, 
although the trouble and first expense are consider¬ 
ably increased thereby, they are without doubt both 
repaid in the long run. A good instance of handily 
built beds is furnished by those at Syon House, 
Brentford, and from them each season Mr. Wythes 
cuts some splendid samples of what Asparagus should 
be, and not what it too often is. The beds in question 
are about 4 ft. in width. They are not raised above 
the level of the surrounding ground, but are enclosed 
on all sides by a brick wall sunk in the ground to the 
depth of several feet. The wall itself is not solid, 
but is perforated with holes, which not only permit 
of the roots finding exit if they require it, but, as 
we shall see presently, afford a ready passage for the 
heat generated by the fermenting material. The 
alley between the beds is 2 ft. in width, and the bound¬ 
ing wall of the beds on either side converts it into a 
deep pit-like cavity. Each autumn, say about the 
beginning of November, this is cleared out and re¬ 
filled with fresh leaves and other heating sub¬ 
stances. 
Such beds as these can scarcely fail to give satis¬ 
faction if they are properly looked after, and not cut 
too hard. Of course, the sooner that cutting is 
begun upon these plants the sooner must it cease, 
otherwise the bed will not last for very long, but 
will soon become worn out. 
Their management is exceedingly simple. All 
that is necessary is to cover over the beds with a heavy 
layer of leaf mould immediately after the fermenting 
material has been placed in the intervening trenches. 
Over the top of this should be placed boards or 
shutters to throw off the rain. These may be lifted 
off every morning to allow of the produce being cut. 
Asparagus forced in this fashion is very nicely 
blanched, and is much valued on account of its 
tenderness. 
Another method of forcing the coveted esculent 
without lifting the roots is to cover portions of the 
beds with frames, placing around the latter thick 
linings of fermenting material. As the heat goes 
out of these linings they must be renewed. The 
frames are kept quite close, and are heavily matted 
over, both to keep in the heat and to promote 
blanching. 
From the variety of methods mentioned above, all 
of which will be attended with success if properly 
carried out, the amateur may select according to his 
circumstances and requirements.— Rex. 
-•»>-— 
Correspondence. 
Questions asked by amateurs on any subject pertaining 
to gardens or gardening will be answered on this page. 
A nyone may give additional or more explanatory answers 
to questions that have already appeared. Those who desire 
their communications to appear on this page should write 
“ Amateurs' Page " on the top of their letters. 
Fuchsia Cuttings. - G. T .: You have kept the old 
plants rather warmer than you ought to have done, 
hence the breaking into growth so early. If you have 
a propagating frame or a house in which a gentle 
heat can be given, you may strike the cuttings easily 
enough, even thus early in the year. Good cuttings 
are furnished by young shoots between 2 in. and 3 in. 
in length. Take them off with a heel, i.e., a portion 
of the old wood attached to the base of the cutting. 
If you have no propagating frame either put the 
cuttings on a shelf in a warm house or put them on 
the plant stage and cover them with a bell-glass. 
This should be taken off and wiped each morning, 
otherwise the cuttings will be liable to damp. After 
the cuttings have been taken off, the old plants may 
be pruned still further if necessary. 
Planting Narcissus.— I have some bulbs of 
Narcissus Golden Spur, which were overlooked last 
autumn. Is it too late to plant them now ? S., 
Walthamstow. 
It is certainly very late in the season, and the 
bulbs will be much weakened by being kept out of 
the ground so long ; but if they are good bulbs they 
will flower fairly well, and will recoup themselves by 
another season. Plant at once. 
Pruning BlaGk Currants. — P. P .; What you waht 
in your bushes is a sufficient supply of young wood. 
You must, therefore, cut out each year as much of 
the old wood as you can. Next thin out the weakest 
and most spindly of the young growths. Do not 
attempt, however, to shorten any of the growths, for 
those that remain should be left at full length, other¬ 
wise you will spoil the cropping powers of your 
trees. 
Autumn-sown Peas. — R. Mearns : ft is evident 
from what you say that mice are the disturbing 
element among your Peas. It is advisable to soak 
the seed in petroleum for about twenty minutes pre¬ 
paratory to sowing. Had you done this the mice 
would not have troubled the Peas. You might 
remember this bint for next autumn. You must now 
employ traps to catch the marauders. 
Seakale. — G. Tarn : The small side roots or thongs 
may be cut off the main roots when the latter are 
lifted for forcing. Tie the little root cuttings into 
bunches, and cover them with leaf soil or sand. 
They will then keep as well as if they had remained 
undisturbed in the ground. 
Horseradish. — Please tell me the way to propa¬ 
gate Horseradish, and the best time to do it.— A 
Reader. 
Horseradish may be propagated by root cuttings 
in the same way as Seakale. Choose clean straight 
pieces of the smaller roots, cut these up into lengths 
of from 4 to 5 in., and the cuttings are made. They 
should be dibbled into ground that has been deeply 
dug some time before the old plants commence to 
grow in the spring. By the following autumn these 
little root cuttings will have developed into stout 
serviceable roots. 
Parsnips. — A. 0 . E. \ Leave the Parsnips in the 
ground for the winter. The roots are much sweeter 
when kept in the ground than they are when lifted 
and stored in a shed or house. If severe frost 
theatens cover a part of the break with a layer of 
dry hay, straw, or bracken. This will keep the 
frost out of the ground and enable the roots to be 
lifted at any time. 
Oil Stove in Greenhouse— Opal: There must be 
something wrong with the oil stove to cause the un¬ 
pleasant smell. Certainly harm will result to the 
plants if this is continued. Consult a practical man 
used to dealing with such lamps. 
Dieffenbachia picta is the name of the plant you 
send, E. Alton. It needs stove heat, but may be 
grown in a greenhouse during the warmest part of 
the summer. 
Epiphyllum trunc&tum. — E. Alton : This is 
generally grafted on pieces of Pereskia aculeata and 
P. Bleo. This is to give the plants a stiff stem to 
lift their trailing branches above the ground, and not 
because cuttings will not strike easily enough. The 
cuttings should consist of points of the branches two 
or three inches in length taken before the plants 
commence to make fresh growth. Place the cutting 
pots on a shelf in a warm house, but do not cover 
them with a bell glass or they will be likely to rot. 
