314 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The shoots should not be cut at all the first year and very spar- 

 ingly the second. Two years from the time of planting you will 

 have an abundance of this very delicious vegetable, if you have 

 taken the right course in planting and cultivating. With a knife 

 suited for the purpose the shoots should be cut two or three inches 

 below the surface. On some bright, warm days two cuttings can be 

 made in a single day. 



The asparagus season is from about the first of May to the middle 

 of June. At the latter date all stalks should be cut below the sur- 

 face. The ground should be well worked three or four inches deep, 

 and a liberal coating of manure applied. Keep free from weeds and 

 allow the plants to grow until after the first killing frost. Then mow 

 and remove from the bed that the seed may not find lodgment and 

 sprout. 



If you are interested in this subject and desire further informa- 

 tion, consult Prof. Green's "Vegetable Gardening," a book which 

 ought to be in the hands of every member of this society. His 

 article on asparagus is very complete 



The U. S. Department of Agriculture is making an efifort to 

 awaken a greater interest in the growing of asparagus. If you 

 will send a postal card to Hon. James Wilson, Secretary of Agricul- 

 ture, you will receive, without cost, by return mail, Farmer's Bulle- 

 tin No. 6i, on asparagus culture. 



In closing this paper a few sentences from this bulletin will have 

 far greater weight than anything I might present to you. The 

 writer says : "The popularity which asparagus has achieved during 

 recent years is remarkable. Formerly a luxury upon the tables of 

 the rich, it is now, during the season, a vegetable seen daily upon 

 the tables of people of moderate or even small incomes. It is also 

 frequently recommended as an article of diet for the sick and con- 

 valescent. The fact that asparagus appears in the market at a time 

 of year in which few or no other vegetables are available has had 

 much to do with its increased consumption in our cities. 



"It can be easily preserved by canning or drying, the product in 

 this form being almost equal to the fresh article ; and this has in- 

 creased its use, being, as it were, a lengthening of the season. Field 

 culture, too, is one of the most interesting innovations of the present 

 age and one which has been attended with the most striking suc- 

 cess. 



"Within the last few years the cultivation of asparagus has been 

 greatly extended, yet the demand is still greater than the supply, 

 an indication that there is room for an extension of beds by those 

 already in the business and for the establishment of beds by those 

 who have as yet given no attention to this branch of gardening. 

 Every kitchen garden should have its bed from which the table may 



