filO OARDEN VEUETA1!I-ES — ASPARA(!US. 



half an inch thick, in the fall, with common salt, expectinp; certain death to follow, 

 as it (li<l to all the weeds; but not to the Asi)anif.'iis ; for fh((( was so niueh ira- 

 provetl as to become the best in the garden, and so remained for many seasons 

 afterwards. 



Soil and Sltnation. — Althou<^h Asjiarapjus will thrive in any fertile soil with a 

 free exposure and dr^' nnder base, it ])rospers best in a sandy loam well enriched 

 with decayed vegetable matter and sea-wrack. In this it always returns the most 

 profit with greater certainty, and is of much better quality. 



Propagation. — The only advisai)le method of ])ro]iiigating is by seed. So soon 

 as the soil is in good working order after the brenking-u]» of frost, prepare as much 

 surface as may Vje required, by digging and pulverizing thoroughly with the spade ; 

 draw drills one inch deep, and twelve inches a])art ; sow the seeds thiidy, one inch 

 distant, and cover over. In two or three weeks, the young plants will begin to 

 appear like slender threads. Be careful to remove all weeds, while yet small, 

 throughout the summer, and give a liberal sui)ply of water during dry weather. 

 No further care is needed until the final planting out. With regard to the differ- 

 ent varieties, it is contended by some that there are several, and some seedsmen 

 sell their seed as such. True enough it is, that there have been a number of sorts, 

 and distinct, too ; but we may very much doubt, at the present time, if more than 

 one kind is ever recognized when the seed is being gathered. More might be 

 obtained, if care was to be used, for, like most other things, this is liable to sport; 

 and if the seeds of any individual plant that showed better properties than the 

 others were to be kept separate, there would be a probable improvement in the 

 progeny. This, continued through a series of generations, would most assuredly 

 result in greater excellence. 



Phmting and Preparation. — As this is a crop of a somewhat permanent charac- 

 ter, it becomes necessary to make a good beginning, as such will be cheapest in 

 the end. The fall is the best time to commence preparing the compost. Choose 

 a well drained, open spot — sandy, if possible ; convey to this a barrow-load of 

 rotted barnyard manure or tree leaves, to every two square yards, and the same 

 proportion of sea-weed, if to be had ; if not, use a peck of rock salt instead ; 

 next, open a trench two feet deep at one end of the plot, and remove the soil taken 

 out to the opposite or finishing part ; spread at the bottom a layer of the dung or 

 leaves ; over this put three inches of soil from the next intended trench, then a 

 layer of the sea-weed or salt, three inches more earth, again a covering of dung, 

 and so on until the next trench is excavated two feet. Continue on in this way 

 until the whole is accomplished, and, in working, leave the material as rough and 

 open as possible ; so let it remain for the winter. When the ground is in a suit- 

 able state in the spring, turn over the whole base in the opposite or sideways 

 direction ; leave it two weeks in this state, and then again repeat the operation 

 transversely. At this time, make the top level ; measure off the plot into five-feet 

 wide parts; string a line along each ; mark this with the spade, for a guide ; re- 

 move the line, and throw out the soil (two feet wide, and some four inches deep) 

 on to the beds, leaving them in a convex shape, with alley-ways between. We are 

 now ready for preparing to plant. Along the centre of the convexity string the 

 line again ; cut a trench perpendicularly, about six inches deep ; have the plants 

 carefully taken up, with the roots entire ; place each one foot apart, against the 

 side, and spread out the rootlets in the form of a fan ; press the soil against them, 

 and let the crown be fully two inches below the surface. On both sides of this 

 row plant another at the distance of eighteen inches, in like manner ; level and 

 finish as the work proceeds. By this arrangement, we have beds five feet wide 

 containing three rows of plants, eighteen inches asunder, with passages two 



