THE FLORAL WORLD AND aARDEN GUIDE. 293 



selves any other crop. Many make a practice of sowing lettuce and 

 such like subjects, and then boast of their superior quality to those 

 they grow in the open quarters ; but they forget that these huge 

 lettuce, etc., have been obtained at the expense and risk of killing 

 the asparagus. If any of my readers require large and superior 

 lettuce, let me remind them that they are to be grovrn equally as 

 well in tlie open quarters, if they would take the same care in pre- 

 paring the ground for them as they did for the asparagus. More 

 than half of the failures of fresh-planted asparagus beds are to be 

 attributed to the practice of over-cropping and too early planting. 

 Newly -planted beds of asparagus should be well watered at the time 

 of planting if the soil is dry, and this should be continued whenever 

 dry weather occurs, up till the end of July. My own beds I always 

 mulch with short grass from tlie lawn about the middle of May, and 

 I find this to help the plants amazingly. Keep the beds well weeded 

 through the summer, and do not cut down the young grass until the 

 middle of October. At this time give another coat of manure on the 

 surface of the beds, and then cover up this from the alleys between 

 with about six inches of fresh soil, two inches deep the first season, and 

 six the next. These are the greatest depths they should be buried 

 the first and second season respectively. Some growers plant eight 

 to ten inches deep the first year, and then wonder why they do not 

 come up. In the spring of the succeeding year gently fork up the 

 beds, and as summer advances, give them manure-water occasionally, 

 alternating this with a sprinkle of salt about every three weeks. 

 Keep the beds free from weeds, and if the soil is light, tread it 

 firmly round the plants when they have reached the height of two 

 feet. In the autumn cut down and manure the same as advised for 

 the previous year, but this time throw up the full amount of soil 

 from the alleys, as the plants will have now sufiicient strength to 

 penetrate it. I like a depth of ten inches of soil when the plants 

 are established. The following spring they will produce grass fit 

 for table, but they ought not to be cut too hard the first year. I 

 should consider 200 grass from a bed five feet wide, and fifty feet 

 long, quite as much as ought to be taken from it the first season. 

 AVhen cutting for table, all the small weakly grass should also be 

 cut, up to the time that cutting is discontinued, and this ought not 

 to be later than the 20th of June. All the above remarks of the 

 management of planted beds are also applicable to the management 

 of those sown with seed. Some care is required in cutting asparagus 

 for use, otherwise many rising heads just under the surface are 

 injured. It is best to search out those it is intended to cut a little 

 below the surface. A properly made asparagus-knife is the best 

 instrument for the purpose. 



