VII 
THE SOIL AND ITS PREPARATION 
S ASPARAGUS in its wild state is usually found 
growing in light and sandy soils along or near 
the seashore, it has long been supposed that it 
could not be cultivated in other localities and 
soils. While it is true that asparagus succeeds best in 
a sandy, rich, and friable loam, naturally underdrained 
and yet not too dry, there is not another vegetable 
which accommodates itself more readily to as varying 
soils and conditions. There is hardly a State in 
the United States in which at present asparagus is not 
grown more or less extensively and profitably, and the 
most famous asparagus districts of France and Ger- 
many are situated at great distances from the seashore. 
The question of what soil to use is, as a rule, 
already settled; we have to use the soil we have. Any 
good garden soil is suitable for asparagus, and if it is 
not in the most favorable condition, under existing 
circumstances, it can easily be made so. The soil 
should be free from roots, stones, or any material that 
will not readily disintegrate, or that will interfere with 
the growth of the spears, and with the knife in cut- 
ting. Fruit or other trees, or high shrubs, must not 
be allowed in the asparagus bed, because of the shade 
they throw over the beds, and because their roots 
make heavy drafts upon the soil. Nor should high 
trees, hedges, hills, or buildings be so near as to shade 
