Asparagus should be planted now, and, to save time, it is best to get two-year-old plants from France. I recommend Godfroy le Boeuf, Horticulteur, Argenteuil, pres Paris. Dig the ground three spits deep -that is, the depth of three spades-and put in everything you can that is good: well-rotted farm-manure, the emptying of cesspools, butchers' offal, dead animals, anything to enrich the soil for a long time. Cover up, cut out one spit deep in trenches, and plant the Asparagus a good way apart in single crowns. They do best planted in single rows with other crops in between. The goodness of Asparagus depends on the summer top-growth, so, if the weather is dry, they must be watered or liquid-manured, and should never be cut down till late in the autumn.

It is a great mistake, when marking the nurseryman's seed list, to order the vegetable described as 'giant,' 'large,' 'perfection,' etc. Unless your soil is very strong such vegetables do not grow large, and they do grow tough and tasteless. This 'giant' cultivation has been brought about to win prizes at shows. Amongst the delicious vegetables that have been ruined by growing them too large are Brussels Sprouts. I consider those sold in the London shops are not worth eating, they are so coarse; but one can get the seeds of old-fashioned small kinds. These are far sweeter, nicer, and prettier, either for putting into soup, for boiling and frying afterwards in butter, or for boiling quite plainly in the ordinary English way. They are also far more delicate for a puree, which is an excellent way of dressing them. If fried and put on buttered toast, they make a very nice second-course vegetable in winter.

Do other housekeepers ever wonder why we are condemned invariably to eat Whitings with their tails in their mouths and always skinned ? One of the reasons is that small Haddocks are constantly sold by fishmongers for the rarer Whiting; and if skinned, they are not so easy to recognise. Try Whitings sometimes as they are eaten in Paris -lay them flat, not curled nor skinned, and cook them in a deep dish with butter or parsley. Squeeze lemon into them, and serve with brown bread and butter. They can also be fried in the usual way, only not curled. I think your male kind will approve of the change.