December 3, 1904. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
989 
will be able in future years, if necessary, to still further lower 
the height of the same. This should be done just when the 
growth is commencing in spring, and while that is going on tho 
stem should be kept damp throughout its length by frequently 
syringing it. 
Making an Asparagus Bed. 
Our soil is very heavy, and, as we wish to grow Asparagus, 
would it be necessary to have a drain to carry away the sur¬ 
face water in winter? If so, what sort of drain would answer 
best ? (Asparagus. ) 
In very heavy soil it would be necessary to take out the 
natural material, and employ fresh compost of a rich, friable 
character, rendered porous by the use of plenty of sand. In 
taking out the natural soil you would, of course, make a sort 
of box in which rain water would collect and stand longer than 
would be beneficial for the roots of the Asparagus. It would 
be well, therefore, to have some outlet to such a bed, dependent, 
of course, upon circumstances. If the soil is on a slope, only 
the lower end of the bed can be affected by accumulation of 
surface water. On the other hand, if the ground is level, or 
nearly so, the water would accumulate more or less throughout 
the length of the bed. In this latter case we should make 
the bottom of the bed slope gradually from either end to the 
centre. One drain would then be sufficient to prevent the pos¬ 
sibility of surface water collecting there. It would be advisable 
to make a deep trench in heavy soil, about 18 in. being suffi¬ 
cient for your purpose. Drainage, consisting of stones and 
brickbats, could be put in the bottom of this, and the rougher 
material of the compost over this, to keep the drainage open. 
The compost could then be heaped up at least 6 in. above the 
natural level of the ground, and this would help to keep it 
drier than if sunk low down. As to the form of the drain, 
this may be very simple. A narrow drain about the width of 
a spade put in the centre of the bed as stated, with outlet 
to carry away the water, may be filled up with pebbles or 
stones collected off the ground. If this is placed sufficiently 
low down not to come in the way of trenching operations it 
will answer the purpose admirably. Any other beds that may 
afterwards be made could also be connected with the same 
drain. 
Lifting and Storing Savoys. 
Would you suggest a rough-and-ready way of storing Savoys 
so that they may be kept until required ? To put them in 
frames is out of the question, but we want the ground cleared 
to trench the whole piece for next year’s crops. (W. G.) 
By a simple contrivance you may be able to pile up the Savoys 
in such a way that they could be easily got at at any time, 
and' even protected by means of mats if very severe weather 
should render this necessary. The plan is to make a ring by 
piling up a spit of earth round the circumference ; upon this 
a layer of Savoys may be laid with their leaves outwards and 
their roots towards the centre of the ring. The centre should 
then be filled up with soil, and a layer placed over the stems 
of the Savoys. This will give you an opportunity of laying 
on another layer of Savoys. The operation may be repeated 
until you have a little stack of the plants with their leaves 
all round the circumference. In the case of your having a large 
quantity, two or more stacks may be made, just sufficiently 
wide to stand the effects of frost without being broken down 
until the Savoys are used up. By making small ones you 
can avoid the necessity of having a big pile of earth in the 
centre to hold the heap together. 
Age of Cyclamen persicum giganteum. 
How many years has the large strain of Cyclamen persicum 
giganteum been in cultivation? Is it likely to have been known 
twenty years ago ? (D. D.) 
There is evidence that it was in cultivation at least in 1870, 
when specimens were brought forward under that name by 
Mr. Edmonds at a meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society, 
when a First-class Certificate was accorded it. It might, how¬ 
ever, have been in cultivation some time prior to this. 
Cedar of Lebanon from Seeds. 
Can you let me know if it is possible to raise seedlings from 
home-grown cones of the Cedar of Lebanon? I have been in¬ 
formed that seeds from treffe in this country are not per¬ 
fect. (P. Reeves.) 
Perfect seeds of the Cedar of Lebanon have been produced in 
this country. In some instances the male flowers may be injured 
accidentally or otherwise, in which case the seeds might not 
be perfect. You can, however, select large cones after they 
have thoroughly reached maturity. To prevent the scales from 
being accidentally scattered, the best of them might be secured 
by enclosing them in nets while still on the trees. You could 
then search for seeds, and sow them in pots in a greenhouse, 
lou can easily tell whether the seeds are perfect by cutting 
open a few of the larger and better specimens. That they do 
ripen perfect seeds in this country there can be no doubt. 
Scented Plants for a Rockery. 
Next year we are intending planting sweetly-scented alpine 
plants about the edges of the paths on the rockery and at 
the foot of the steps. Please name a few that would be most 
suitable' for tli© purpose, and not readily destroyed if they 
should happen to be trod upon. (C. J.) 
Seveial species of thyme would answer this purpose ad¬ 
mirably, but the most appropriate varieties would be such as 
Thymus Serpyllum coccineus and T. S. lanuginosus. The first 
named has very showy or richly-coloured flowers, while the 
second is a very distinct variety, with foliage of quite a dif- 
feient scent from that of the ordinary form of the wild Thyme. 
Tlieie are, however, other varieties of it which would answer 
your purpose to some extent, namely, T. S. citriodorus and 
its silver and golden variegated varieties. They do not, how¬ 
ever, creep along the ground making so dwarf patches as in 
the case of the two first named. Another species is the com- 
mon Thyme (T. vulgaris), which is strongly and distinctly 
scented. Some would prefer this if it were not so commonly 
used as an herb. It would not hang over the ledges in the 
same way, however, as the two choice varieties of Thymus Ser¬ 
pyllum first named. Other plants might be suggested, but 
neither of them would be so appropriate as those we have 
.given. 
Storing Dahlias. 
Last year we lost a number of our fine Cactus varieties of 
Dahlias, although the roots were stored under the stages of a 
greenhouse They damped off, but I do not think the frost could 
have got at them. Would these fine varieties keep better with 
a little heat? (T. R.) 
Heat is not at all necessary, and it might even cause them 
to commence growing before the proper time. There is a danger 
however, m keeping them under the greenhouse stages, because, 
although little water is used in winter, there must occasionally 
be a certain amount of drip from the plants on the stages. 
The soil beneath also serves to retain the moisture, and this, 
together with a low temperature, would cause tubers of Dahlias 
to damp, especially if they are at all of a fleshy character or 
if they have ever been injured in any way while lifting. They 
might also have been insufficiently dried before they were 
stoied away. The tubers themselves might have been over¬ 
grown in a rich soil the previous season, and that would tend 
to make them more difficult to keep than if they had been less 
fed in a poorer soil. A dry, cool place generally gives the most 
satisfaction in keeping the tubers through the winter. Pre¬ 
vious to this they should be well dried and the soil cleaned off 
the roots before storing. They should also be turned upside 
down, so that any water which may collect in the hollow stems 
surmounting the crown may run out. It would be worth while, 
in the case of scarce and valuable varieties, to root more cut¬ 
tings than are required for planting out, and to keep these in 
small pots through the summer months. They can be stood 
closely together in a frame or on a bed of ashes during sum¬ 
mer, and merely watered. Such plants usirally make naturally 
a single stem without branches and tubers in proportion to the 
size of the pot. These may be kept in puts all the winter, and 
introduced to the propagating frame in spring time to get 
cuttings from them. Small £>ots like these can be stored even 
in a greenhouse, where they may be laid upon their sides, so 
that no water can run into the jiots. The lowest layer of 
them may be placed on a board, and by that means moisture 
will be kejDt away from them. 
Is Tropaeolum tuberosum Hardy ? 
Would it be safe to leave the tubers of Tropaeolum tuberosum 
in the ground all the winter? Tho leaves yet keep so fresh 
compared with the Indian gress that I have hopes the tubers 
will pull through. (A. B. R.) 
Some of the tubers might be left in the ground by way of 
experiment. The rest may be lifted, and kept in sandy soil 
where frost cannot get at them during winter. If the tubers 
are kept in a dry place they are apt to get dried up to a greater 
extent even than bulbs under similar conditions. This must 
be due to the thinness of the skin of the tubers. There has not 
been sufficient frost, so far, to test, the complete hardiness of 
this species, so that you ought to proceed cautiously in your 
district in the way we have described. If you have a sufficient 
