December 19, 1903. 
the gardening world. 
1043 
READERS’ COMPETITION. 
For details of this competition and prize offered, please 
see pa^e 1045. Please post on Friday ni{ht. 
Preparation of Asparagus Beds. 
No warden could be considered complete without one or more 
beds of Asparagus. Where these are intended to remain any 
length of time great care and attention are needed in preparation. 
Asparagus improves with age and good cultivation. The average 
length of time they should be allowed to stand is from ten to 
fifteen years, but will succeed with the necessary attention for 
a much longer period. It would be found best where forcing in 
frames is carried on to lift the roots and force them instead of 
allowing them to remain in the beds until thev become 
exhausted. 
The soil in which the plants are to be grown must be seriously 
taken into consideration ; this will considerably assist the grower- 
in his selection of the kind of bed most suitable. Drainage is 
of first importance ; stagnation of the subsoil will soon prove 
fatal to the plant. Providing the subsoil is good, trenching 
would be beneficial ; failing this, deep digging with the addi¬ 
tion of a good dressing of well decayed stable manure would 
suffice to grow this delicious vegetable to perfection. Trench¬ 
ing is far 'preferable, as this allows deeper cultivation. The 
Asparagus being a gross feeder, with thick fleshy roots, and as 
no assistance can immediately be given below the plants, 
they must be effectually aided by annual top-dressings- The 
position chosen for the bed should be well exposed to the 
sun and light. Now is a good time to commence the preparation 
of the ground ; with the necessary depth of soil trench 2 ft. deep, 
and if time could be spared after a few weeks to turn the whole 
back again, the soil and well-being of the plant would be greatly 
assisted by the extra amount of labour bestowed upon it- Pro¬ 
viding the soil is composed of cold clay or pasty substance, add 
lime °rubble from old buildings, road scrapings, or leaf soil to 
help make the whole light and healthy. 
There are two kinds of beds, flat and raised ; should the soil 
be sufficiently deep and drainage good, the former will answer 
well. Raised beds deepen the soil and promote warmth, like¬ 
wise assisting early growth, and are far more suitable when the 
soil is of a heavy nature. 
Size of the bed is a matter of importance ; some prefer beds 
of 5 ft., with three rows of plants in each. In most cases the 
3 ft bed will be found most suitable, as it will allow the grass 
to be cut without treading on the bed and damaging the young 
growth ; two rows of plants will be necessary to furnish these. 
1 1 i s now a question if seeds or plants are to be grown. If the 
former be chosen, April is the right month for sowing. The 
operator should place his line 9 in. from each side of the bed, 
and at intervals of 1 ft. to 18 in., using a dibber to make the 
holes 3 in. deep. In these drop from three to four seeds. W hen 
the seedlings have attained the height of about 6 in., thinning 
should have attention, leaving one plant at each station 
If plants are used they need replanting quickly, as the roots 
become injured by exposure to the atmosphere. March oi be¬ 
ginning of April is the best time to remove plants ; those two 
years old will be found most suitable. The intended bed should 
have the soil removed to form two ridges, allowing 18 in. 
between each ridge. The plants should be 5 m. below the level 
when the soil is returned. A space of 3 ft, should be left 
between each bed. . , , n , 
Autumn treatment will command a careful clean up. Gu 
down the grass when it changes colour, weed and rake the beds 
carefully, give a good top-dressing of decayed manure, trim the 
alleys up, and leave in a neat and tidy condition for the winter. 
J 1 ’ William James Pexton. 
Studley Castle Gardens, December 2nd, 1903. 
[A pen-and-ink sketch sent by the author shows a 2 ft, alley 
between the beds-] 
Select Varieties of Tulips, Hyacinths, etc. 
In my article of November 21st in the Readers’ Competition 
I was asked, through the courtesy of the Editor of The 
ING World, to give a few select varieties of Tulips, Hyacinths 
and Narcissi, and I will here endeavour to name those which I 
have seen growing, and can therefore speak with confidence 
upon. I will take the Tulips first, and must say for very early 
forcing, the Due Van Tholl varieties are hard to beat then 
flowers are, perhaps, not quite so large as the ° tlh » rs > \ 
Colours are very bright and varied. Maximum is the best, having 
reddish-crimson flowers, with a slight yellow marking at the 
ed<m of the petals. Other varieties are the yellow white, and 
scarlet, which are all very useful, and can be relied upon to 
make a good show. 
The larger flowered sorts include such as Proserpine, a rosy- 
crimson self and large globe-shaped blooms. This is one of the 
very best, and should be in every collection. Of yellow varieties, 
I must first mention Mon Tresor, in my opinion the finest 
yellow Tulip there is. The colour is a rich deep yellow, and 
the large flowers are borne on good stout stems. Another good 
flower is Golden Prince, which has slightly longer stems, but 
hardly such large blooms. Moreover, it is a good variety, and 
forces well. White Pottebakker, as the name implies, is a white 
variety, and should be extensively grown, as it is very reliable, 
and lasts a long time. Cottage Maid is a pinkish-white variety, 
with a yellow base. The flowers are of medium size, and force 
well. It should be grown by all Tulip lovers, as the colour is 
rather uncommon, and consequently more attractive. Joost 
Van Vondel is a large flower having dark crimson petals with a 
whitish flame. If well grown this is a very pretty variety, and 
one that lasts a good while in bloom. Of crimson varieties, the 
one I like best is Crimson King. The flowers are produced on 
long stems, and slightly curve back at the tips, which makes it 
very pleasing. It should be forced gently to bring out the true 
colour, and then is very fine. A very good scarlet, and one that 
is grown a good deal, is Keizerskroon. This is an immense 
flower of a bright scarlet colour, with large yellow edge—a 
variety that is noticeable among any collection. 
Of the Hyacinths, I may mention as white varieties Mr. Plim- 
soll, Alba maxima, La Grandesse, and Baroness Von Tuyll. Of 
these, I think La Grandesse is the best, having a very large 
truss and medium-sized bells. Those who desire larger bells 
should grow Mr. Plimsoll and Alba maxima, both of which are 
very fine, and pure white. Czar Peter is an immense light blue 
spike, having very large bells, and is quite one of the best of 
its colour. Another good one is Grand Lilas. A medium blue 
is Grand Maitre, also a very large spike, and lasting a long time 
when in bloom. Of darker varieties, there are Charles Dickens 
and King of the Blues, both good and reliable bulbs, and a 
favourite shade with most people. Two good yellows are Ida. 
and King of Yellows. The latter is rather the richer colour, 
but both are good, as yellow varieties are, I believe, scarcer 
than other colours. Roi des Beiges and General Pelissier are 
two good dark red varieties. The former is, I think, the most 
attractive colour, but both are very pretty and fairly good-sized 
strikes. Norma is a pink, with large bells and fair-sized spike. 
Another fine variety is Gigantea, a bluish-coloured flower, with 
rather small bells.” It has a long spike, and is very sweet- 
scented. Gertrude is a rose-coloured spike, and should b? grown 
by those who like, this colour. 
I mentioned the Paper White and Double Roman Narcissi in 
my previous article, so I need not refer to them again here. 
Other good Polyanthus varieties are Grand Monarch and Mont 
Oenis. These both force well, and are very fine if carefully 
grown. Of Daffodils, I think one of the best and most free- 
flowering is Golden Spur, a large flower of a beautiful yellow 
colour, and one that forces extremely well. Emperor and 
Princeps are also first-class varieties, and the latter should 
be extensively grown for cutting. This does well m boxes, and, 
being very free, will be found most useful for cutting to fill 
vases, etc. 
The colour is rather paler than Golden Spur, but the trumpet 
is somewhat longer. Madame De Graaf is a large flower, with 
a pale sulphur trumpet, which grows nearly white as the flower 
ages. Horsfieldi is a splendid flower, having a yellow trumpet 
and white perianth, and should be in every collection. Sir 
Watkirn is another fine yellow, having rather a short trumpet 
and very large perianth—an immense flower, and one of the best 
of all the inioomparalbilis section. Barii oonspicuus is a very 
pretty Narcissus, Having a broad-spreading cup and yellow peri¬ 
anth. The cup is beautifully marked with orange if well grown, 
and it is, moreover, very free-flowering if good bulbs are ob¬ 
tained. I have not space to mention more here, but trust these 
few I have mentioned, knowing them to be first-class varieties, 
may prove sufficient for any purpose. R. Thatcher. 
Wistcw Gardens, Leicester. 
Salvia Splendent, 
The above-named is one of our most useful autumn flowering 
plants for greenhouse work, and also for drawing-room, either 
in a cut state or in pots, when flowers are in great demand during 
the shooting-party time, their beautiful long scarlet spikes 
showing well up above their green foliage, but again they must 
be well-grown before they are what I say they are. 
