. r é j ' l
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S ubsect. 6. Rocamhole. — Allium ^coroddprasum L. (rienck. Ic. t. 256.); Hexdn-
dria Monog. L. and Asphodelecc B. P. Ail d’Espagne, Er.’; Rochenhdlun, Gcr.;
and Scorodopraso, Ital.
3801. The rocamhole is a perennial plant, a native of Denmark, and mentioned by-
Gerard as cultivated in 1596. It has compound bulbs, like gailic, but the cloves arc
smaller. Tlicse ai*e produced at the roots, and also, though of a smaller size, on the
stem, which rises 2 ft. liigh, aud produces the bulbs in the axillx of the leaves in
July and August.
3802. Use. Tho cloves, both of the stalk and roots, are used in the manner of garlic or shallot, and
nearly for the same purposes. It is considered milder than garlic.
3803. Cullure . It is propagated by planting the separated cloves of th e root-bulb, or occasionally the
cloves of the head, in February, March, or April. A small bed, or a few rows, will be sufficient for a
family garden. Plant it cither by dibble, or in drills, in rows G in. apart, and 2 in. deep. The plants
shoot up, each in a slender stalk, contorted a t top, and terminated by a small head of cloves, which, as
w'ell as th e root, will acquire full growth in July or August, for immediate use ; or to be taken up, and
spread to dry, tied in bunches, and housed for future consumption.
Sect. VI. Asparaginous Plants.
380-1. The asparaginous class o f esculents may be considered as comparatively one of
luxury. It occupies a large proportion of the gentleman’s garden, often an eighth part;
but enters sparingly into that of tlie cottager. A moist atmosphere is congenial to
the chief of them, especially to asparagus and sca-kale, which ai’c sea-shore plants, and
arc brought to greater perfection in our islands than any where else, except perhaps in
HoUand.
Subsect. 1 . Asparagus.—Asparagus officinalis L. (Eng. Bot. t. 339.); Hex. Monog. L.
and Asphodelecc B. P. Asperge, E r.; Spargel, Ger.; Aspergie, Dutch; Asparago, or
Sparagio, Ital.; and Esparrago, Span.
3805. The asparagus is a perennial plant, found in stony or graveUy situations near
Ihe sea, hut not very common. It grows near Bristol, in the Isle of Portland, and,
sparingly in Seaton Links, near Edinburgh. The roots consist of many succulent round
knobs, ibnning together a kind of tuber, from which numerous erect round stems ai'isc
with alternate branches, subdivided into alternate twigs, not unlike a larch -fir-trcc in
miuiatm-e. The leaves ai-e very small, lineai*, and bristle-shaped; the flowers nodding,
of a yellow’ish green, and odorous, arc produced from J'une to August; aud the beiries
of a yellowish red : the whole plant has a very elegant appearance. Many of the steppes
in the south of Russia and Poland are covered with this plant, wliich is there eaten hy
the horses and oxen as grass. It is cultivated to a great extent in the neighbourhood of
Pai-is, and to a large size in the neighbourhood of IJlm, and Augsburg on the banks of
the Danube, -where the soil is a calcai-eous sand, 3 ft. or 4 ft. deep, and the subsoil
always saturated with water. In the neighbourhood of London it is cultivated to a
greater extent than any where else in the world, and chiefly at Deptford and Mortlake.
Some growers at these places, and especially the latter, have above 100 acres each. The
most celebrated growers of the present day have produced shoots nearly half an inch
in diameter. The long slender kind, called green asparagus, is, however, now veiy
frequently groivn, as it is preferred by many persons to the thick white kind. Tlie
flower-stalks of the Omithogalum pyrenaicura are used as aspmragus in some pai-ts of
Gloucestcrsliire, and sold in the markets at Bath under the name of Prussian asparagus.
3806. Use. The esculent p a rt is the early shoots or buds, when Sin. or 4in. high, and partially emerged
from th e ground in May and June. They are in great esteem in Britam, and on th e co n tin en t; and
this plant has, in consequence, been cultivated for an unknown period. In Paris it is much resorted to
by the sedentary operative classes, when they are troubled with„symptoms of gravel or sto n e; and there,
as is now the case in this country, tho buds are eaten in a much greener state than was th e case in
Britain a few years ago. In Berlin, green asparagus is preferred during winter, and blanched asparagus
during spring. (Cr/frd. vol. viii. p .450.)
3807. Varieties. T h ere is, properly speaking, b u t one sort of cultivated asparagus, though in some
gardening books, and seedsmen’s lists, we find names given from the places where the seed has been
saved, or from the grower, such as Gravesend, Battersea, &c. It is, no doubt, always safe to procure
seeds from the largest-sized or best-grown specimens ; and, therefore, seeds saved by the growers of such
plants, will, no doubt, be b etter than seeds procured a t random from any kitchcn-garden.
3808. P ro p a g a tio n . Asparagus is propagated only from seed, though the roots might be divided like
those of th e garden-ramuiculus, if thought necessary. It is best, however, to raise the plant from seed;
and it is of considerable importance to giither it from the strongest and most compact shoots; such seed,
■ as might naturally be expected, yielding by far th e best plants. Seed, as well as one and two year old
plants, may be purchased from nurserymen 11 and w>market-cirtVaf-gardeners:rmrta«r>«rto. and «.,.1 when ...i,«« a « new v.— garden -----1— is formed,
r. j
the latter prr practice tice is gcneraliy adopted for
for the first plantation, in order to gain time.
o ts . I f ............................................................ .............................
3809. Q u a n tity c f seed o r roots.If sown to transplant, for a bed 4^ ft. wide by 6 ft. in length, 1 qufirt of
seed will be requisite. If sown to to
remain, for a bed 4 i ft. wide by 30 ft. in length, 1 pint is necessary.
If plants a year old arc wanted for ' a plantation,Pft
then, for a bed 4 i ft. wide by 30 ft. in length, to contain
four rows of plants, 9 in. distant in the row, ICO plants
11 be requisite.
3810. Sow in g , a n d cu ltu r e in the seed-bed. It is generally sown broadcast on a 4-fcet bed, in M.arch, not
very thickly, often with a thin sprinkling of onions or radishes. The seed being slightly trodden in, the
bed is raked smooth, and after the plants make their appearance, they are to be kept as free from weeds
weeds
as possible, ancl the ground stirred with a narrow hoe once or twice during the summer.
In the end of
October following, the roots are protected from the frost by spreading over th e ground some rotten dung
or litte r, which remains till March or April, accordmg to the season, when the plants are transplanted
to a compartment prepared for their final culture.
3811. J u d d Q lo r t. T r a n s , vol. ii.) sows in drills 18 in. apart, burying th e seed 2 I n .: th e object is to
admit of stirring between. He keeps the plants thin, and if th e weather proves dry, waters once a week
or fortnight.
3812. Soil a n d p r ep a ra tio n . “ Asparagus-ground should be light, yet rich ; a sandy loam, well mixed
with rotten dung or sea-weed, is accounted preferable to any. T h e soil should not be less than 2;l- ft.
deep ; and before planting a bed, it is considered good practice to trench it over to that depth, burying
plenty of dung in the bottom, as no more can be applied there for eight or ten years. It can scarcely,
therefore, be too weil dunged; besides, although th e p lant naturally grows in poor sandy soil, it is found
th at the sweetness and tenderness of th e shoots depend very much on the rapidity of tho growth, and
this is promoted by the richness of the soil. Damp ground, or a wet subsoil, are not fit for asparagus:
indeed, the French consider wetness as so prejudicial to this plant, th a t they raise th eir asparagus-beds
about a foot above the alleys, in order to throw off the rain.” (NciU.) Though a wet subsoil is un doubtedly
unfavourable to the growth of asparagus, yet it is certain th a t the power of sub-irrigation is
highly favourable to i t ; as a proof of which, we have only to refer to the enormous size of th e asparagus
grown on the sandy or alluvial margins of rivers, where the sand or alluvion is not raised more than 3ft.
o r 4 ft. above the level of the water. We were informed in 1829, by M. Oscar le Clerc, whom wc consider
one of the most scientific gardeners on the Continent, that the largest asparagus in France was
grown in a small sandy island in the Oise, where tho surface of th e sand was not more than 2 ft. above
th e level of the water. Forster, at Winchester, finds that his beds there are completely flooded to the
depth of from G in. to 12 in., and th a t this effect served as a kind of forcing as well as for improving the
quality ancl quantity of the produce. Mr. Forster began to cut on the 4th b f March, which is nearly a
mouth sooner than is usually done on dry soils and under ordinary treatment. (G a rd . M ag. y d \ . i v .
p. 23ri.) Ill the culture of asparagus in the Mauritius, irrigation is found essential ; and the produce is
nearly as abundant, and the stalks as thick, as those of Europe. F or a full account of this practice see
Ga rd . M a g ., vol. vi. p. 484.
3813. Abercrombie says, “ for planting asparagus, allot a plot of sound brownish loam, mixed with
sand, in an open compartment, full to the sun. Having trenched it 30 in. deep, or as near th at depth as
the soil will allow, manure th e bed with well reduced dung. Gin. thick, or more, digging in the dung
regularly one spade deep. Then lay out the ground in regular beds 4i ft. wicie, with intervening alleys
3 ft. wide. If the soil is naturally too light and poor, improve it with*a little vegetable mould, or pul-
veriscid alluvial compost, after the bottom has been dunged.”
3814. J u d d (who laid before the Horticultural Society, in 1816, “ a specimen of asparagus, pronounced,
by those who saw it, to be th e finest they had ever seen,” ) says, “ prepare a piece of good land, unencumbered
W'ith trees, and th at lies well for th e s u n ; give it a good dressing of well reduced horse-dung
from G in. to 10 in. thick, all regularly spread over th e surface; then proceed with the trenching (if the
soil will admit) 2 ft. deep ; after this first trenchmg, it should lie about a fortnight or three weeks, and
then be turned back again, and then again in the same space of time ; by this process, the dung and
mould become well incorporated: it may then be laid in small ridges till th e time of planting. This
work should all be performed in the best weather th e winter will afford, that is, not while it rains, or
snow is lying on the ground, as it would tend to make the land heavy and sour : all this is to be particularly
attended to, as the preparation of the soil is of more consequence than all the management afterwards.
At the time of planting, I always spread over the ground another thin coat of very rotten dung,
and point it in half a spade deep, making my beds 3 ft. wide only, with 2 ft. of alleys ; so that three
rows of grass, 1 ft. apart, are all I plant on eacn bed. I find this to be the best method, as by this plan
there is not the least trouble in gathering, whereas you are obliged to set a foot on one of the wide beds,
before you can get at all the grass, to the great injury of th e bed and the buds under the surface.”
3815. D r . Forbes describes the Vienna mode of making an nsparagus-bed to last twenty-five years.
is deeply trenched, and in th e bottom is placed a layer of bone, horn, chips of wood, or branches of
trees, 1 ft. thick. Over this is placed good mould, cow-dung, and river-mud, &c. ( l-lort. T ra n s ., vol. v.
p. .335.) 'The Prussian practice resembles this, and will be found described a t length in Gard. Mfls-.,
vol. iv. p. 105.
381G. R em o v a l a n d p la n tin g . Take up the plants carefully with a fork, to avoid cuttmg the roots, exposing
them to the air as short a time as possible ; and a t th e time of planting, place them amonga little
sand in a basket covered with a mat.
3817. N ico l says, “ it is of very great importance for the ensuring of success in th e planting of asparagus,
to lift the roots carefully, and to expose them to the air as short time as possible. No plant feels a
h u rt in the root more keenly than asparagus ; the fibrils are very brittle, aud if broken, do not readily
shoot again.” (A'a/., p. 47.)
3818. T k e distance a t which a sparagus is commonly p la n te d is 9 in. in the row, and 1 ft. between the
rows ; in general, between every fourth row so planted, a double distance is left for an alley. Many
asptaragus-farmcrs, however, consider it better to plant in single rows a t 2^ ft. or 3 ft. distance, than to
adopt the bed form. T h e crowns of the plants are gcneraliy covered 2 in. with soil. Dickson plants
in rows 3^ ft. apart, with the plants 9 in. from each other in th e row, and finds the produce greater than
when the rows are nearer together.
3819. Method o f p la n tin g . “ Stretch a line lengthwise the bed, 9 in. from th e edge, and with a spade
c u to u t a small trench about Gin. deep, perpendicular next to the line, turning the earth displaced
along by the other side the trench ; and, having th e plants ready, set a row along the trench, 9 in. apart,
with the crown of tho roots 2 in. below the surface, drawing some earth ju st to fix them as placed.
Having planted one row, directly cover them in fully with the earth of the trench, raking it back regularly
an equal depth over the crown of th e plants. Proceed then to open another trench 1 ft. from the
firs t; plant it as above ; and in the same manner plant four rows in each bed. Then lightly raking the
beds lengthwise, draw off any stones and hard clods, and dress th e surface neat and even. Then let
the edges be lined out in exact order, allowing 3 ft. for each alley. But sometimes, iu planting large
compartments of asparagus, a flrst trench having been made, and th e roots planted as above, then a
second trench is opened, of which the earth is turned into the first over the plants. So proceed in
planting the whole ; making allowance between every four rows for an alley of 3 ft. In a dry spring or
summer, water the roots from time to time, till the plants are established.” (A be rc rombie .)
3820. J ttd d strains the line, aud cuts down a trench, sloping in th e usual way for planting box, and
making choice of all the finest plants, puts them in 1 ft. apart, and IJm . below th e surface. This
done, he lets the alleys and beds lie level till autumn, and then digs out the alleys deep enough to get
from 4 in. to Gin. of mould all over the bed ; over this he lays a good coat of rotten dung, aud fills in the
alleys with long dung.
3821. I n Franc e , they plant in beds 5 ft. wide, separated by paths constructed of turf, 2 ft. in breadth,
and 1 ft. in thickness. The plauts are pl.iced 18 in. asunder, spreading out the roots as wide as possible
in the form of an umbrella, and keeping the crown 1^ in. under ground. A pin is put to each plant as
a m a rk ; and as soon as the earth is settled and dry, a spadeful of fine sand is thrown over each pin in
th e form of a mole-hill.
3822. E x te n t o f Ihe p la n ta tio n . An asparagiis-compartment should not contain less than a pole of
ground, as it often needs this quantity to furnish a good dish a t one time. For a large family, about
sixteen roods arc kept in a productive state, which arc calculated to furnish, on an average, between two