29 NOVEMBER 1946, Page 17

In My Garden Some of those who are giving instruction

in how to make gardens pay give asparagus as one of the best-paying crops, though perhaps flowers pay better. Asparagus has improved greatly in the last few years, partly because it has become general knowledge that the male plant is vastly superior to the female, partly to the improvement in varieties, partly to the method of growing it in single lines. I would claim that it is almost worth growing for the aesthetic value of the foliage, though in this regard the female plant is the better of the two. Another point is that it comes earlier, and therefore has a better price, under cloches.

W. BEACH THOMAS.