410 
February 27, 1897. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
these crowns span-shaped shutters were placed, and 
long strawy litter placed over these, and made secure 
against frost and wind. This was always ready by 
Christmas. Success is obtained with each method, 
but for myself I prefer raising the whole crop and 
replanting each year. The cuttings are planted one 
foot apart in the row by 18 inches, and given a rich 
plot. A late supply can be had by leaving a few 
rows, and banking up with soil before the crowns 
start to grow. I have seen fine heads obtained by 
this means. 
Asparagus. 
•< Naturally this choice vegetable is more esteemed 
than Seakale with most people, especially by the 
majority of cooks, and I presume more satisfactory 
results are obtained in cooking this than Kale. 
The plan usually adopted, and which I do 
myself, is to make up a hot-bed with fresh leaves 
and stable dung, two parts of the former to one of 
the latter. This should have been thrown together 
previously and turned over a few times to sweeten it. 
The Asparagus will stand more heat, top and bottom, 
than Seakale. But this must not be much above 6o°. 
A sheltered place should be chosen, but where plenty 
ot light and sun can reach the bed. In putting the 
material together it should be well trodden, as this 
helps to retain the heat for a longer period. The 
bed should be a trifle higher at the back, especially 
if the frame you have at command has not a good 
angle, and space allowed for lining all around the 
frame. In fact, it should (the bed I mean) be made 
18 in., larger each way than the frame to be placed 
upon it, so that the lining can be renewed when 
necessary. When the frame is placed upon the bed, 
three or four inches of short dung or rough leaf-soil 
should be put into it in readiness to receive the roots 
as soon as you ascertain that the heat is safe to do 
this. A test stick should haV 3 been placed in when 
the hot-bed was made. If, after a week or ten days, 
when you withdraw the stick and can comfortably 
hold it in your hand without finding it too hot, all 
will be well. It is far better to be on the safe side, as 
one can always add heatiDg material in the way of 
lining. In fact, during such a winter as we had up 
to Christmas, a bed of leaves only would be enough. 
“Now the next thing to see about is the crowns. 
These should be not less than Ihree years old, but 
can be much more, and an advantage no doubt as the 
crowns should be larger. They should be lifted and 
placed in the frame with as little delay as possible, 
putting the roots thickly together and placing about 
4 in. of sifted leaf soil over the roots and crowns, and 
when all is finished there should be six to nine inches 
clear of the glass. This will give room for the 
‘grass' to grow. The lights cen be kept closed until 
you see the heads appearing, when a little air should 
be given on all favourable occasions, according to the 
state of the weather, which will assist in giving a 
green tint to the grass, and which should be cut when 
about six inches in length, tied in bundles of fifty, 
and stood in a little water if not required for Immedi¬ 
ate use. The frame must be well matted up every 
night in case a frost should occur. And, again, I say, 
do not neglect to see to the lining I usually start 
my first batch about the 15th of November, but this 
season it was on the 20th, and was cut on December 
the 7th, just eighteen days. My frames are six feet by 
eight feet, and I fill one of these. It takes about 
eighty crowns. But as with Seakale—more or less— 
must be the grower's motto according to his require¬ 
ments. 1 continue to cut from this first batch just 
one month. 
“ In the meantime the second frame had been 
planted, namely, on DecembeFthe 18th, or four weeks 
from the first batch, and I find this is quite often 
enough. It is not necessary to make a new hot-bed 
each time. A renewal of lining and moving up the 
inside of the bad is all that is necessary as a rule for 
two or three batches. Those who are fortunate 
enough to have a pit (lean-to) with a 3 in. hot-water 
pipe running along the front can use this with advant¬ 
age, and if there should be bottom-heat pipes all will 
be right. If not, new leaves with a little manure will 
give enough heat for this if placed in the bottom. 
Here, again, the temperature should not much exceed 
6o°, or the grass will be spindly. Very little water 
will be required during the dull months of December 
and January; a syringing occasionally will generally 
suffice, unless hot-water pipes supply the bottom and 
top heat, when more will be necessary, and this 
should be at a temperature of 75 0 whereas none will 
be required in the hot-beds until the sun has more 
power. Later batches, say from the middle of March, 
can be brought on in a cold pit that has been recently 
filled with fresh leaves during the winter months, the 
sun at this date being no mean factor. Some 
gardeners introduce a few batches into a vinery that 
may be started early in February, but I do not con¬ 
sider it is a good plan ; it appears out of place, and I 
do not think very good results are obtained, there 
being nothing like a little bottom heat for this delici¬ 
ous and easily forced vegetable.’’ 
[To be Continued.) 
-- 
CHRYSANTHEMUM EDWIN 
MOLYNEUX. 
In your issue of the 13th inst., J. G. P. (p. 377) 
solicits information respecting the growing of this 
variety ; and with your permission I should like to 
give my mode of procedure. I might say it is a 
great favourite with me, and when you hit it right 
there is none to beat it. Grown in the ordinary way, 
there is no difficulty in getting large flowers, but in 
addition to being too early for the shows, it lacks 
colour and refinement (which to my mind is to be 
preferred to mere size), therefore something has to be 
done to bring about the desired effect. 
Briefly then my treatment is this : Cuttings are 
taken as far away from the stem as possible, about 
the middle of December, and inserted in single pots 
in the usual compost. When rooted, they are with 
the others potted on, and about the middle of 
February they are accommodated with a cold frame. 
By this time they will be in 60-sized pots. In about 
a month’s time, they will be nice plants about 6 in. 
high, and ready for a transfer to a larger size of pot. 
Instead of doing that, however, I take my knife and 
cut off about 3 in of half the plants ; this throws 
them back quite a fortnight; consequently, the 
natural break will not be so soon, and the crown bud 
will show at the right time for producing a good- 
sized bloom, with all the characteristics which go to 
make up a flower fit for exhibition. The other half 
of the plants are grown on; and if the natural break 
is made early, as is common with this variety, the 
plants are allowed to grow on in their own sweet way, 
until about the first week in June, when the knife is 
again used, cutting down to a point just below the 
natural break. This will generally give the necessary 
check, and thus secure a bud at the right time. 
They are very impatient of water and stimulants ; 
too much causes the foliage to turn yellow, especially 
is this the case in the early stages; but later, 
when the bud is taken, liberal treatment should be 
the order.—S. C. 
- -** - 
READING AND DISTRICT GARDENERS. 
The fortnightly meeting of the Reading and 
District Gardeners' Mutual Improvement Associa¬ 
tion was held in the Club Room, British Workman, 
on the 15th inst, when Mr. Neve presided over a 
very large attendance of members. The lecture for 
the evening was “ Soils and their Comparative Fer¬ 
tility," by Mr. Douglas A. Gilchrist, B. Sc. 
Edin., director cf the Agricultural Department 
University Extension College. Mr. Gilchrist said 
that before he commenced his lecture proper he 
would like to direct attention to the geological map 
of the British Isles, which they saw before them, 
showing the variations in soils, and the character of 
the soils derived from different formations. He also 
directed their attention to the various climatic con¬ 
ditions in the different parts of the country, and how 
different plants required different conditions of 
climate. Taking up his subject proper, “ Soils and 
their Comparative Fertility, 1 ' the lecturer explained 
that the fertility of soils might be divided into 
natural or inherent fertility and artificial fertility. 
The following were indications of natural fertility ; 
—The character of the general vegetation of a district 
such as the trees and hedges ; for instance where the 
Ash is to be found doing well, the soil would be of a 
generally strong loam and damp sub-soils, whilst on 
chalk and oolite formations the Beach would pre¬ 
dominate. Trees also (especially isolated trees) 
generally indicated whether storms are prevalent in 
the district, as they showed, by their stunted growth 
or otherwise, whether they had been subject to 
rough weather in the past. A good Thorn hedge 
showed that the soil was exceedingly good. By the 
method in which farmers cultivated their land the 
soil could easily be known ; for when the land is laid 
out in high ridges this generally indicated cold, wet 
soils. The herbage of common land generally indi¬ 
cated whether the soil is fertile or not. Then the 
colour of the soil and the character of the soil and 
sub-soil, which may be seen at the edge of a ditch, 
gives a good indication of natural fertility or other¬ 
wise. Soils in order to be fertile must have all the 
ingredients of a plant food present in a suitable 
form ; they must also be in a suitable condition as 
far as tilth is concerned. 
Digging or ploughing, or especially trenching 
when carried out on a rather heavy soil and sub-soil 
when wet, frequently does considerable harm for 
years by baking the soil. This should be avoided by 
carrying out this operation on heavier classes of soils 
only when they are sufficiently dry. There must 
also be no injurious ingredients present in the soil. 
After dealing with the plant food in the soil, and the 
condition in which it should be present, the lecturer 
dealt with the problem of how the plant food 
of the soil could be effectually retained or even 
increased, and then discussed how these ingredients 
could be suitably increased in the soil by the appli¬ 
cation of various manures. Reference was made to 
the composition of various local soils which had 
been analysed in the chemical laboratory of the 
college. One sample which was taken from Messrs. 
Sutton & Sons’ Trial Grounds, showed a useful soil 
which had been greatly improved by manuring and 
trenching; the other was from poor down land close 
to the ridgeway at Wantage, which was in such poor 
condition that it would take years to convert it into 
a fairly good soil. 
Before closing, the lecturer made reference to the 
work of the earthworm. Darwin was the first to 
recognise the great work done by the earthworm in 
improving the soil. Although many would consider 
that the casts caused a great disfigurement to their 
lawns, yet he could assure them that the worms were 
greatly improving the soil. Many questions were 
asked as to soils and manures, and a discussion took 
place, in which Messrs. Bradley, Webb, Hinton, 
Prince, Alexander, Neve, Dearlove, and others took 
part. Various soils and sub-soils from the district 
of Wellington College were brought by Mr. Towns¬ 
end, The Gardens, Sandhurst Lodge. A very hearty 
vote of thanks was accorded Mr. Gilchrist for his 
lecture, and in reply he said he had been looking 
forward with the greatest pleasure to once more 
coming amongst them, and promised on some future 
occasion, if it was the wish of the members, to give 
them another paper. Five new members were 
elected. 
-—09——— 
HASTENING PEAS UNDER GLASS. 
A dish of good Peas never comes amiss at any time of 
the year, but its value is greatly enhanced when it can 
be obtained early in the season. As a consequence, 
there is a good deal of rivalry amongst gardeners as 
to who shall be able to pick the first dish. The 
practice of sowing under glass at the end of January 
or the beginning of February, and putting the plants 
out of doors when the state of the weather permits, 
is pretty generally followed, in order to procure an 
early crop. By such a system it is possible, in the 
southern counties, to make a first picking sometime 
from the second to the last week in May, according 
to the character of the season. Further north, 
several weeks more have to be allowed. Thus, in the 
northern midland counties, Peas picked the second 
or third week in June would be early, whilst,over the 
Border, things are still later. It may be mentioned 
here, however, ttiat parts of Scotland will compare 
very favourably in this respect with parts of 
England, as was well evidenced by the note that 
appeared from Mr. Wm. Ogg, on p. 741, Vol. XL, of 
The Gardening World, where he stated that 
William I. sown in the open ground on March 19th, 
had yielded the first picking on June 14th. 
The plan of sowing under glass to obtain an early 
crop has, at various times, provoked adverse 
criticism from some cultivators who have, amongst 
other things, described it as a " coddling practice," 
but “ coddling ’’ or not, it is the best method yet 
found out. It has been described as being unprofit¬ 
able, and such it possibly would be from a market 
paint of view, but in a private establishment, weight 
of crop is not the only consideration, as both 
earliness and quality have to be looked to. 
It has been our rule for many years to sow in the 
first week in February. Very little-is gained by 
sowing much earlier, as March is as likely as not to 
