MARKET GARDENING. 89 



tboronghly cultivating and taking care of the crop during its 

 growth. 



This business is the higher art of cultivating the land, and 

 it will be well for all our crops if we adopt the careful and 

 thorough methods of these cultivators, for skill and brains 

 will hereafter determine the success or failure of the farmer 

 as well as of the gardener. 



The Chairman. Capt. Moore has omitted to treat upon 

 the subject of asparagus. 



Mr. ]\IooRE. Mr. Slade, I Avill say a few words to you 

 about the cultivation of that vegetable. Asparagus, twenty- 

 five years ago, Avas cultivated in an entirely different manner 

 from what it is now. It was then grown in beds pretty near 

 the surface of the ground. The crowns of the plants were 

 uncovered by two furrows turned by the plough from the 

 row, the open furrows filled Avith manure, and left in that 

 way until the next spring. It involved a great deal of hand 

 labor. IIow to grow asparagus in a cheaper way was left to 

 some of us, myself among the others, to determine. I will 

 describe the method in which it is usually grown in the vicin- 

 ity of Concord, Avhere one-half of all the asparagus raised 

 in Massachusetts is grown. They usually select a sandy 

 loam. It grows just about as well upon a poor, dry piece 

 of land as it does anywhere ; being planted so deep it avoids 

 the droughts. The land is usually ploughed very deep. It 

 is freed from stone to start with. On my own ground, the 

 land is stirred to a depth of at least eighteen inches. This, 

 of course, requires a strong team. If the soil falls back to 

 the bottom of the furrow we do not care ; we would just as 

 lief have it down deep as anywhere else, because the roots 

 of asparagus go deep. The ground is farrowed out in rows. 

 Some plant it only three feet apart, but I think it is a better 

 method to plant the rows four feet apart. Those rows are 

 furrowed out, Avhich leaves the land in ridges, Avith deep 

 furrows. "Wo intend to plant the asparagus about eight 

 inches deep ; that is, the crowns of the plants should be 

 about eight inches beloAv the surface after the ground has 

 been levelled. I omitted to say, that the more manure you 

 put on in preparing thtit land, the better it is; that is, the 

 manure is ploughed under. It does not make much differ- 



