ASI 



66 



ASP 



ASIMINA. Four species. Hardy 

 deciduous shrubs. Layers. Peat and 

 loam. 



ASPALANTHUS. Thirty-one spe- 

 cies. Greenhouse evergreen shrubs. 

 Cuttings. Sandy loam and peat. 



ASPARAGUS. Twenty-eight spe- 

 cies, of which the most important is 



plants have arisen from the same hole, 

 the weakest must be removed as soon 



as that point can be well determined. 

 Towards the end of October, as soon 

 as the stems are completely withered, 

 thev must be cut down, and well pu- 

 trefied, dung spread over the bed to the 

 depth of about two inches; this serves 



the kitchen vegetable, asj>ara^us offici-\ not only to increase the vigour of the 

 nalis. Of this there are only two va- i plants in the following year, but to pre- 

 rieties, the purple topped and the green- I serve them during the winter from in- 

 topped ; the first is principally culti- i jury by the frost. About March in the 

 vated. There are a few sub-varieties I next year, every other plant must be 

 which derive their names from the ; taken up and transplanted into a bed, 

 places of their growth, and are only to ; twelve inches apart, if it is intended 

 be distinguished for superior size or ! that they should attain another, or two 

 flavour, which they usually lose on re- , years' further growth, before bein 



moval from their native place. 



finally planted out, or they may be 



Soil. — The soil best suited to this i planted immediately into the beds for 

 vegetable is a fresh sandy loam, made ] production. It may be here remarked 

 rich by the abundant addition of manure. , that the plants may remain one or two 



Situation. — The site of the beds years in the seed bed ; they will even 

 should be such as to enjoy the influ- ' succeed after remaining three, but if 

 ence of the sun during the whole of the th6y continue four they generally fail, 

 day, as free as possible from the influ- It is, however, certain that they are 

 ence of trees and shrubs, and if choice ' best removed when one year old. 



is allowed, ranging east and west. The 

 subsoil should be dry, or the bed kept 

 so by being founded on rubbish or other 

 material to serve as a drain. The space 

 of ground required to be planted with 

 this vegetable for the supply of a small 

 family is at least eight rods. If less it 

 will be incapable of affording one hun- 

 dred heads at a time. Sixteen rods 

 will in general afford two or three hun- 

 dred every day, in the height of the 

 Beason. 



Time of sowing. — To raise plants, 

 the seed may be sown from the middle 

 of February to the beginning of April ; 

 the most usual time is about the middle 

 of March. The best mode is to insert 

 them by the dibble five or six inches 



Some gardeners judiciously sow the 

 seed in the beds where they are to re- 

 main for production. 



Time of final planting. — The best 

 time for the final removal is the end of 

 March, if the soil is dry, and the season 

 warm and forward ; otherwise it is bet- 

 ter to wait until the commencement of 

 April. A very determinate signal of 

 the appropriate time for planting, is 

 when the plants are beginning to grow. 

 If moved earlier, and they have to lie 

 torpid for two or three months, many 

 of them die, or in general shoot up very 

 weak. 



Construction of the beds. — In forming 

 the beds for regular production, have 

 them three feet wide. The site of the 



apart, and an inch below the surface, ! bed being marked out, the usual prac- 



two seeds to be put in each hole, or 

 they may be sown in drills made the 

 same distance asunder. 



tice is to trench the ground two spades 

 deep, and then to cover it with weil- 

 rotted manure, from six to ten inches 



Culture in seed bed. — If dry weather, I deep ; the large stones being sorted out. 



the bed should be refreshed with mode 

 rate but frequent waterings, and if 

 sown as late as April, shade is required 



and care taken that the dung lies at 

 least six inches below the surface. 

 Mode of planting. — The plants being 



by means of a little haulm during the I taken from the seed-bed carefully with 

 meridian of hot days, until the seeds ' a narrow-pronged dung-fork, with as 

 germinate. Care must be taken to keep ! little injury to the roots as possible, they 

 them free from weeds, though this ope- i must be laid separately and evenly to- 



ration should never commence until the I gether, for the sake of convenience 

 plants are well above ground, which I whilst planting, the roots being apt to 

 will be in the course of three or four j entangle and cause much trouble and 

 weeks from the time of sowing. Iftwolfnjury in parting them. They should 



