,  D6c»mber  24,  1898. 
jovnuAL  OP  noRPiouLTmp  Aitn  cottaob  oardpner. 
601 
■mailer  size  than  that  generally  used  are  preferable  to  packing  in 
.boxes.  If  the  latter  must  be  employed  line  them  with  wood 
wool  and  paper,  and  place  the  bunches  points  downwards.  Muscats 
keep  badly  after  a  short  or  long  journey,  no  matter  how  well  they 
have  been  packed,  and  that  is  the  reason  why  so  few  are  exposed 
to  view  in  fruiterers’  shops. 
Tomatoes  travel  satisfactorily  in  the  cross-handled  baskets 
.. alluded  to,  and  that,  too,  without  any  packing  material  other  then 
a  lining  and  covering  with  paper.  In  baskets  not  perfectly  rigid 
,  they  do  not  travel  well,  partially  owing  perhaps  to  the  way  in 
which  they  are  handled  in  transit.  Buyers  will  frequently  give 
td.  and  IJ^d.  a  pound  more  for  Tomatoes  in  cross-handled  baskets 
than  they  will  for  the  same  class  of  fruit  in  margarine  baskets. 
In  all  probability  even  more  flowers  than  fruit  are  .spoilt  in  the 
packing,  the  Parcel*’  Post  being  responsible  for  the  lion’s  share  of 
failures.  I  do  not  blame  the  officials  for  this,  as  they  appear  to 
take  all  reasonable  care  of  the  packages,  and  postmen  cannot  be 
blamed  for  hanging  them  over  their  shoulders,  Sending  flowers  in 
flimsy  card-board  and  other  light  boxes  may  mean  -economy  in 
postage,  but  at  the  expense  of  the  whole  of  the  content*.  Whether 
sent  by  post  or  rail  they  must  be  strong  enough  to  bear  the  weight 
of  other  packages  on  the  top  of  them.  How  else  could  so  many 
packages  be  carried  so  cheaply  ? 
Much  that  has  been  advanced  concerning  the  necessity  for 
having  boxes  neither  too  large  nor  too  small  for  fruit  applies  with 
equal  force  to  flowers.  If  these  are  packed  loosely  they  are  liable 
to  knock  each  other  to  pieces,  and  in  order  to  surmount  this  diffi¬ 
culty  cotton  wool  is  frequently  used  as  padding.  So  far  good,  but 
not  if  this  packing  material  is  allowed  to  come  into  contact  with 
the  flowers.  In  this  case  it  rob*  them  of  moisture,  and  when 
unpacked  they  present  a  miserable  flagging  appearance.  If  only  a 
spray  or  buttonhole  bouquet,  or  a  few  flowers  of  any  kind  are  sent 
in  a  box,  by  all  means  line  »with  cotton  wool,  but  cover  this  with 
tissue  paper,  placing  more  over  the  flowers,  with  enough  cotton 
wool  to  press  down  tightly  on  the  contents  when  the  lid  is  closed. 
Larger  quantities  of  flowers  may  be  made  to  fill  boxe*  so 
closely  as  to  necessitate  the  employment  of  little  or  no  cotton  wool. 
Commence  with  some  of  the  hardest  of  the  greenery  to  be  sent, 
on  thi*  disposing  a  layer  of  the  heavier  flowers — half  opened  Roses, 
for  instance — laying  these  as  flatly  and  closely  together  as  possible, 
Another  layer  of  lighter  flowers,  also  laid  closely,  ought  to  be 
enough  for  one  box,  finishing  with  Fern  fronds  laid  stalk  side 
uppermost,  and  a  thick  layer  of  paper.  The  lid  must  close  down 
tightly,  as  the  flowers  are  certain  to  .shrink  somewhat  during 
transit.  It  is  unwise  to  mix  delicate,  easily  crushed  or  bruised 
flowers  with  those  of  a  harder  nature.  Keep  Gardenias,  Camellias, 
Azaleas,  Tuberoses,  Begonias,  and  the  like  by  themselves  in 
smaller  boxes,  giving  the^e  the  benefit  of  tissue  paper  and  cotton 
wo  >1.  Novices  are  too  fond  of  cutting  and  packing  flowers  after 
they  are  fully  open,  but  in  moat  cases  this  is  a  mistake.  When 
they  arrive  at  their  destination  they  are  practically  worthless.  The 
best  method  of  packing  cannot  prevent  it.  The  benefits  attending 
the  use  of  damp  moss  or  wet  paper  do  not  equal  those  derived  from 
dew  or  moisture-laden  greenery,  and  the  flowers  largely  preserve 
the  moisture  in  each  other. 
“  Fruit  or  flowers — with  care  ”  should  be  the  legend  very 
plainly  inscribed  on  each  package  sent  by  post  or  rail,  so  that 
those  who  handle  them  will  have  no  excuse  for  rough  usage. 
— W.  Iggulden. 
FORCING  ASPARAGUS. 
Roots  of  Asparagus  may  be  forced  for  early  use  in  boxe* 
also  in  frames  heated  by  manure.  The  boxes  employed  ought  not 
to  be  less  than  a  foot  in  depth,  sound  in  character,  and  furnished 
with  a  few  drainage  holes  to  allow  of  the  escape  of  superfluous 
water.  It  will  scarcely  be  necessary  to  cover  the  bottom  of  the 
boxes  with  drainage  material  other  than  a  loose  large  crock  over 
each  hole.  Place  in  the  bottom  about  2  inches  of  soil,  rather  more 
if  boxes  of  15  to  18  inches  depth  are  employed  and  the  roots  are 
uncommonly  large  and  strong.  Weakly  roots,  of  course,  are  not 
suitable  for  forcing,  especially  when  early  cuttings  are  required 
of  this  esteemed  vegetable.  The  strongest  roots  from  a  bad  of 
three-year-old  plants  ahould  by  all  means  be  selected.  Pack  the 
root*  closely  together  on  the  soil  in  the  boxes.  When  as  many  as 
possible  are  that  accommodated  work  *ome  soil  among  them, 
e'terwards  covering  the  crowns  completely  with  4  to  5  inches 
of  soil,  which  may  be  moist  but  easily  workable. 
The  temperature  best  suited  for  forcing  i*  one  ranging  from 
G5°  to  75®,  any  warm  moist  corner  in  a  forcing  house  or  pit  being 
utilised-  Moisture  will  be  retained  in  the  soil  and  consequently  j 
about  the  crowns  and  roots  if  the  boxes  are  kept  covered,  examining  | 
the  soil  occasionally  to  see  that  it  is  maintained  moist.  When  the 
shoots  have  pushed  through  the  soil  watering  more  freely  will 
be  required,  but  the  water  must  be  slightly  ( warmer  than  the 
temperature  of  the  house,  and  as  Asparagus  is  benefited  by  salt 
2  ozs.  may  be  dissolved  in  each  gallon  of  water. 
With  a  frame  and  manure  at  command  this  method  of  forcing 
ia  more  ocnveuient.  Fermenting  material,  consisting  of  stable 
manure  and  leaves  in  equal  quantities,  should  be  mixed  and 
prepared  for  forming  into  a  bed  by  turning  over  several  times. 
A  bed  4  feet  deep  ought  to  give  a  steady  and  fairly  lasting  heat. 
If  freih  manure  is  always  to  be  bad  the  hotbed  may  be  built  on 
the  surface,  fresh  linings  being  added  round  the  aides  in  order  to 
replenish  the  heat  when  declining.  Where,  however,  suitable 
heating  material  i*  not  available  when  wanted  for  this  purpose, 
it  is  advisable  to  form  the  bed  in  a  brick -lined  pit,  constructed 
for  holding  a  two-light  frame.  A  similar  frame  may  be  used  for 
an  open  hotbed. 
On  the  manure  place  3  inches  of  soil,  which  will  prevent  the 
escape  of  heat  and  the  rising  of  deleterious  gases.  Place  the 
Asparagus  roots  upon  this,  selecting,  as  in  the  case  of  forcing  in 
boxes,  strong  roots  three  years  old  ;  cover  over  with  5  or  6  inches 
of  the  same  material,  and  place  on  the  lights.  Afford  water  suffl- 
ciontly  to  moisten  the  soil  and  roots,  maintaining  them  in  this 
desirable  condition  by  keeping  the  frame  closed  and  shaded  until 
growth  appears.  An  average  temperature  of  65°  to  70°  affords 
sufficient  heat  to  produce  growth  which  will  be  strong,  and  not 
weakened  by  excessive  forcing.  Gradually  admit  a  little  air  as  the 
shoots  appear,  the  produce  soon  becoming  ready  for  cutting. 
It  must  be  remembered  that  t )  secure  abundance  of  roots  for 
forcing  in  the  manner  above  detailed,  a  considerable  extent  of 
roots  must  be  grown,  for  after  forcing  the  roots  are  useless.  The' 
be*t  method,  therefore,  of  supplying  the  quantity  required  is  to 
sow  seed  annually  in  rows  12  inches  apart,  finally  thinning  the 
seedlings  to  the  same  distance.  As  before  stated,  the  plants  are 
strong  enough  for  forcing  when  three  or  four  years  old,  providing 
they  have  received  good  cultivation. — E  D.  S. 
RETARDED  LILY  OF  THE  VALLEY  CROWNS, 
The  secret  of  how  to  produce  good  spikes  of  these  favourite 
flowers  with  eaie  and  certainty  in  November,  was  well  kept  by 
trade  growers  for  many  years  ;  but  last  spring  the  whole  matter 
wa*  made  public,  and  then  many  learned  for  the  first  time  that  by 
giving  the  crowns  a  few  months  longer  rest  than  usual,  by  placing 
them'  in  a  refrigerator,  they  might  when  withdrawn  be  brought 
into  flower  in  a  few  weeks  throughout  the  autumn  and  winter 
months.  This  knowledge,  I  doubt  not,  will  come  as  a  great  boon 
to  many  gardeners  who  have  to  keep  up  a  supply  of  choice  flowers 
during  the  dull  months.  Lilies  are  favourite  flowers  with  so  many 
owners  of  large  gardens,  and  in  some  instances  no  expense  wa* 
spared  to  have  them  in  flower  as  early  as  possible. 
To  the  gardener  in  charge,  however,  there  was  always  a  certain 
amount  of  anxiety  attending  the  work  of  keeping  up  a  regular 
supply.  Things  would  occasionally  go  wrong  ;  a  little  extra  bottom 
heat  given  to  hasten  the  early  plant*  would  sometimes,  through 
lack  of  moisture,  kill  the  roote,  and  therefore  suddenly  stop  the 
promising  top  growths,  and  nuder  the  most  favourable  conditions 
how  difficult  it  was  to  get  really  good  leaves  simultaneously  with 
the  flowers  in  the  earliest  batohes.  With  the  advent  of  retarded 
crowns  the  difficnlties  enumerated  have  disappeared,  and  none  need 
now  have  any  misgiving  about  being  able  to  produce  “  Valleys” — 
a*  they  are  sometimes  termed — during  November  and  December. 
I  have  given  these  retarded  crowns  a  fair  trial,  and  cannot  speak 
too  highly  of  them.  Vendors  usually  admit  that  they  should  upon 
receipt  be  potted  up  and  placed  in  a  cold  pit.  If  this  i*  done  the 
crowns  begin  to  grow  at  once,  and  I  have  no  doubt  will  continue 
to  grow  steadily  as  long  as  actual  frost  did  not  reach  them. 
But  I  did  not  quite  see  the  force  of  placing  crowns,  which 
were  wanted  in  flower  as  soon  as  possible,  in  such  positions. 
Half  of  the  first  batch  I  received  wa*  therefore  placed  in  a  forcing 
pit  where  a  temperature  of  from  60®  to  70°  was  maintained,  the 
other  half  being  placed  in  a  cold  pit.  Those  placed  in  heat  sue- 
o^eded  splendidly,  and  were  in  full  flower  about  three  weeks  after. 
Finding  that  the  warm  treatment  was  suitable  those  from  the  cooler 
quarters  were  placed  in  heat,  and  are  now  giving  a  capital  succes- 
sion  of  flowers.  Arrangements  can  be  made  for  having  these 
retarded  crowns  supplied  at  regular  intervals,  so  that  under  the 
circumstances  I  think  it  must  be  the  better  plan  to  place  them, 
as  soon  as  potted,  in  some  Btruoturi  where  a  regnlar  tempera¬ 
ture  is  maiutaiued  instead  of  in  cold  pits,  where  they  are  snbjeoted 
to  the  great  changes  of  weather  which  take  place  at  this  aeasnn  of 
the  year  ;  their  progre**  under  such  condition*  mast  be  somewhat 
irregular  and  certainly  slow. 
