350 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
April  21,  1898. 
The  loss  of  a  spur  so  spoils  the  appearance  of  a  Vine,  that  every 
precaution  should  be  taken  to  avoid  its  occurrence.  At  disbudding 
time  I  make  a  practice  of  leaving  an  extra  shoot  upon  any  spur  which 
seems  likely  to  give  trouble ;  and  in  other  instances,  where  the  spurs 
are  old  and  long,  if  two  shoots  are  formed  upon  them,  I  stop  one  back 
to  the  lower  bud,  then  if  the  principal  shoot  happens  to  get  broken 
the  stopped  one  will  send  out  a  strong  lateral,  and  thus  avoid  an 
ugly  gap  on  the  Vine  rod. — ViTis. 
PROFITABLE  FRUIT  GROWING. 
There  is  excellent  sense  in  the  paper  appearing  on  page  322  of  your 
last  week’s  issue,  and  I  quite  anticipate  its  continuation.  However,  some 
curious  misconceptions  crop  up  on  such  occasions,  an  instance  in  point 
of  which  is  the  remark,  “  We  have  to  face  competition  from  every  quarter 
of  the  ghibe.”  This  is  not  correct  in  a  literal  sense,  for  we  have  only  to 
face  real  competition  in  numerous  and  important  products  of  these  isles 
from  countries  north  of  the  Equator.  The  products  ot  the  southern  half 
are  to  the  largest  extent  a  welcome  supplement  to  our  own  supplies 
when  off. 
I  well  remember  my  surprise  when,  a  couple  of  years  ago,  on  the  occa¬ 
sion  of  a  meeting  in  connection  with  the  E.H.S.  fruit  show,  a  discussion 
was  reported.  An  Australian  cousin  was  present,  and  stated  a  few  points 
of  view  concerning  Apples,  when  he  was  somewhat  unceremoniously 
rebuked  by  a  home  grower,  who  told  him  in  so  many  words  we  would  be 
rather  without  Australian  competition.  Shortsightedness  alone  was 
responsible  for  the  unfriendly  greeting  of  the  Australian  visitor,  for  it  is 
manifest  that  when  in  April  and  May  the  Antipodean  supplies  of  Apples 
reach  us  there  is  scarcely  an  Apple  of  English  growth  to  be  had.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  Australians  will  have  to  improve  the  flavour  of  their 
Apples  if  they  wish  to  be  successful,  for  only  that  element  will  dispose 
of  the  larger  quantities  when  in  due  time  they  will  be  produced. 
A  dream  of  the  future  may  be  indulged  in.  When  the  cousins  at  the 
Antipodes  have  prospered,  and  formed  more  populous  communities,  there 
may  be  a  huge  trade  arising  by  exchange  ot  seasonable  fruit  between  the 
northern  and  southern  branches  of  our  future  federated  empire. — H.  H.  E., 
Forest  Hill. 
NOTES  ON  ASPARAGUS. 
Ip  well  attended  to  in  spring  this  favourite  and  valuable  vegetable 
will  require  little  attention  throughout  the  season.  It  is  a  great  advan¬ 
tage  for  cultivators  to  raise  their  own  young  stock,  as  Asparagus  roots 
suffer  much  through  being  taken  up,  sent  a  long  distance,  and  kept  out 
of  the  soil  for  a  considerable  time.  Many  roots  will  die  from  this 
treatment,  and  more  still  will  receive  a  check  from  which  they  will  not 
readily  recover.  When  everyone  raises  his  own  plants  this  difficulty  has 
not  to  be  contended  with,  as  the  ground  may  be  ready  for  the  plants 
before  they  are  taken  up,  and  then  they  need  not  be  out  of  the  soil  or 
exposed  to  the  air  for  more  than  a  few  minutes.  In  this  way  they  will 
experience  no  check  from  being  transplanted,  and  the  advantage  of  one 
or  two  years’  growth  will  be  gained.  Two  or  three  hundred  plants  may 
be  raised  in  a  bed  4  feet  wide  and  10  or  12  yards  long.  April  is  the  most 
suitable  month  to  sow  the  seed,  and  it  may  be  dealt  with  like  Onions  or 
any  other  ordinary  crop. 
Transplanting  the  young  roots  into  their  permanent  quarters  is  an 
operation  of  the  greatest  importance,  as  on  this  depends  their  ultimate 
success.  Soil  for  Asparagus  should  always  be  thoroughly  drained. 
When  wet  and  retentive  many  roots  perish  every  winter,  and  the  plants 
are  never  satisfactory.  Light  manures,  such  as  horse  droppings  and 
gritty  road  scrapings,  suit  Asparagus  best.  The  heavier  the  soil  the 
more  of  this  should  be  applied,  and  river  or  sea  sand  added  in  proportions 
according  to  the  natural  condition  of  the  soil  will  be  found  to  answer 
admirably.  W ood  ashes  are  good,  but  coal  ashes  are  worse  than  useless. 
They  may  be  placed  in  the  bottom  as  drainage,  but  amongst  the  roots 
they  are  injurious. 
Asparagus  roots  do  not  run  deeply,  but  live  and  feed  near  the  surface, 
and  this  should  be  remembered  in  making  the  soil  ready.  Trenching  and 
deep  digging  are  beneficial  in  helping  to  improve  and  drain  the  surface, 
but  to  manure  a  piece  2  feet  deep  or  more  is  a  mistake.  Enrich  the 
surface  by  all  means  and  make  it  as  good  as  possible.  Eork  or  dig  large 
quantities  of  nourishing  manure  into  it  immediately  before  planting,  and 
the  results  will  invariably  be  satisfactory. 
The  time  of  planting  must  be  determined  by  the  condition  of  the  roots. 
It  is  not  any  advantage  to  plant  long  before  growth  begins,  and  it  is 
injurious  to  lift  and  plant  after  growth  has  fully  started.  The  best  time 
is  when  the  stems  are  commencing  growth.  In  some  parts  of  the  country 
this  may  be  about  the  end  of  February,  and  in  others  not  until  April. 
Eecently  in  looking  over  some  young  roots  I  found  them  just  starting 
into  growth,  and  they  were  transplanted  on  the  same  day. 
Asparagus  beds  are  now  almost  out  of  date,  except  in  very  wet  or 
water-logged  situations.  The  most  profitable  way  is  to  plant  row 
after  row  on  a  piece  of  ground  and  never  trouble  about  beds.  The 
roots  should  be  planted  from  2  to  3  feet  apart  each  way,  and  only 
3  or  4  inches  below  the  surface.  Eoots  from  one  to  two  years  old  will  be  about 
1  foot  in  diameter.  The  holes  must  not  be  less  than  this,  and  when  placed 
in  them  none  of  the  roots  should  curl  up.  Lay  them  flat  and  put  tw’o  or 
three  handfuls  of  sand  over  each,  then  finish  off  with  the  soil  which  was 
taken  out.  Make  this  quite  firm  over  the  roots,  and  planting  is  finished* 
Older  roots  which  have  been  planted  some  years  are  always  benefited 
by  top-dressing  in  winter  and  spring.  A  good  handful  of  salt,  guano, 
a  mixture  of  both  may  be  shaken  over  each  crown  at  present  with 
advantage  to  what  is  coming  in  the  way  of  heads.  Forking  amongst  the 
roots  should  never  be  allowed.  If  the  crowns  have  been  mulched 
throughout  the  winter  this  covering  may  be  taken  off,  placed  between  the 
rows  and  forked  in,  but  to  try  and  work  this  amongst  the  roots  would  end 
in  breaking  many  of  them,  and  probably  injure  several  of  the  crowns.  Old 
plantations  which  have  long  since  seen  their  best  days  should  not  1^ 
preserved.  They  are  the  reverse  of  profitable.  Cut  them  to  the  last  this 
year  and  then  destroy  them. 
Owners  of  young  plantations  are  often  puzzled  as  to  when  to  begin  t<s 
cut  Asparagus.  Must  it  be  two,  three,  or  four  years  old  ?  My  plan  is  to 
cut  as  soon  as  the  “  grass  ”  produced  is  strong  enough  to  use.  Two-year- 
old  plants  will  sometimes  throw  up  heads  which  are  cut  without  fear,  but 
poor  roots  badly  managed  would  show  nothing  worth  having  for  a  long 
time.  Leaving  the  weak  and  cutting  the  strong  is  a  good  method. 
Were  they  all  left  the  strong  would  remain  so  throughout,  and  the  small 
ones  would  never  come  to  anything.  By  cutting  and  using  the  finest  the 
small  growths  are  forced  to  develop,  and  so  a  crop  is  obtained,  and  the 
plantation  is  constantly  improving. — J. 
GLEANINGS  FROM  GHENT. 
How  THE  Belgians  Beat  Us,  and  how  We  Beat  Them. 
Quinquennials  are  not  a  popular  form  of  function  in  a  country  in 
a  hurry.  Great  Britain  is  a  country  in  a  hurry — ergo,  her  exhibitions 
come  at  short  intervals,  and,  big  or  little,  they  are  very  soon  forgotten. 
That  perhaps  is  why,  in  the  rare  moments  of  self-depreciation  which  the 
assertive  Saxon  permits  himself,  he  says  that  they  do  things  better  in 
France.  Perhaps  they  do  ;  but  it  should  be  recognised  at  the  very 
beginning  that  they  likewise  take  a  good  deal  more  time  about  it,  and 
perhaps  if  'we  packed  five  Temple  Shows  into  one  field,  we  should 
make  as  big  an  effect  with  it  in  our  rough  and  ready  way,  as  some^  of 
our  Continental  friends  do  with  their  admittedly  fine  displays.  Haying 
thus  put  matters  on  a  proper  basis,  I  can  proceed  to  give  a  few  jottings 
(which  will  perhaps  not  follow  any  stilted  type)  about  the  latest  Ghent 
quinquennial.  I  shall  make  no  more  qualifications  than  the  one  which  I 
have  just  quoted,  but  I  shall  make  as  many  comparisons  as  struck  me, 
whether  they  tickle  or  thwack  us,  for  of  such  is  the  Law  of  J ustice. 
I  did  not  meet  the  Man  from  Bedfordshire  at  Ghent,  but  I  met  him, 
as  is  appropriate,  on  the  boat.  Perhaps,  not  sharing  my  own  particular 
partiality  for  Eobt.  Louis  Stevenson,  you  do  not  know  who  the  Man  from 
Bedfordshire  is.  He  is  the  man  who  is  going  on  the  sea  for  the  first  time, 
but  who,  on  the  strength  of  the  fact  that  Britannia  rules  the  waves, 
expresses  unmitigated  contempt  for  every  other  nationality  as  soon  as  he 
gets  afloat.  He  then  proceeds  to  criticise  the  boat  (no  small  presumption 
in  the  case  of  the  Great  Eastern  Company,  which  has  most  comfortable 
and  admirably  fitted  vessels)  and  the  captain’s  knowledge  of  maritime 
matters,  after  which  he  abruptly  retires  to  be  seasick.  This  culminating 
stage  rid  me  of  the  man  from  Bedfordshire,  but  men  of  a  few  other 
counties  came  later  on  into  view.  There  was,  for  instance,  a  man  from 
Kent,  in  the  substantial  person  of  Mr.  Laing  ;  a  man  from  Buckingham¬ 
shire,  in  the  jovial  form  of  Mr.  H.  Turner  ;  several  men  from  Middlesex, 
the  nursery  element  in  the  metropolitan  county  being  represented  by  Mr. 
Jas.  Veitch,  Mr.  H.  Williams,  and  Mr.  Catbush  ;  and  the  literary  by 
Dr.  Masters,  Mr.  Hudson,  and  Mr.  O’Brien.  From  Lancashire  came 
Mr.  Ker,  from  Surrey  Mr.  G.  Gordon,  and  Kent  had  other  representatives 
in  Mr.  Cannell,  jun.,  and  Mr.  H.  J.  Jones.  Professor  Bayley  Balfour, 
and  Mr.  E.  W.  Moore  were  the  Scottish  and  Irish  delegates. 
To  begin  with  a  little  wholesome  flagellation,  it  may  be  said  that  as 
a  whole  we  have  to  cry  Peccavi  on  at  least  three  grounds.  No.  1  is 
display  ;  No.  2,  Ferns  and  Palms  ;  No.  3,  Azaleas.  We  used  to  have 
some  Azaleas  in  the  old  days  a  little  like  the  giants  of  Mr.  G.  De  Walle, 
but  they  are  not  seen  now.  As  to  arrangement,  we  are  miles  behind  the 
Continentals.  We  try  to  put  our  classes  together  ;  they  try  all  they 
can  to  put  them  apart.  They  consider  the  people  who  pay— to  wit,  the 
visitors ;  we  consider  those  who  don’t — i.e.,  the  exhibitors  and  the 
reporters.  The  Continental  system  is  bad  for  jury  and  journalists,  but 
good  for  everybody  else.  Which  is  generally  preferable  depends  on 
whether  you  are  a  payer  or  a  worker.  Being  both  myself,  I  was  never 
exactly  right  and  never  exactly  wrong.  One  thing,  however,  must  be 
said — neither  we  in  our  inferior  way,  nor  the  Belgians  in  their  superior- 
one,  touched  the  high-water  mark  of  Hamburg’s  opening  show  last  year. 
But  that  was  phenomenal.  Discounting  all  comparisons,  however,  the 
taste  displayed  in  the  disposal  of  the  plants  at  Ghent  was  of  an  order 
familiar  only  to  those  who  have  previously  seen  how  much  better  they  do 
this  sort  of  thing  than  it  is  done  in  England. 
One  thing  which,  if  surprising,  was  nevertheless  unmistakeable,  was 
the  eager  interest  displayed  in  the  Orchids.  The  Belgians  appear  to 
have  found  out  suddenly  that  Orchids  not  only  exist,  but  are  worth 
looking  at.  Old  stagers  remarked  that  the  Orchids  were  not  so  good  as 
at  theTast  quinquennial,  but  that  they  were  run  after  fifty  times  as  much. 
People  talked  Orchids  in  the  train  and  in  the  street,  and  directly  they  got 
