OF ESCULENTS, SECT. XV, 



and the other half any light rich mould, which may be 

 a little gravelly, or mixed with fea-coal afhes. Sow, or 

 plant, either in autumn, or fpring. 



It is a root that lafls many years, and therefore fhould 

 be properly planted and managed ; either in beds of if, 

 like thofe of afparagus, (the which it precedes for ufe) 

 ©f four feet and a h.lf wide, and two feet alleys be- 

 tween; or in fingle rows of long trenches, which is the 

 better way. They are beft railed from feed, though 

 often from offsets^ ox pieces of the roots, having two or 

 three eyes. 



The beds mull be trenched, and of a dry loofe earth, 

 .(as faid) to two, or two and a half feet deep; and if 

 there is any fufpicion ol wet ever hanging at bottom, 

 lay a good courfe of rough gravel or ftones there. The 

 plants mould be near a foot afunder, kept five or fix 

 inches below the furface, that they may grow through 

 a body of earth to blanch the fprouts ; and they are to be 

 cut up four or five inches deep, foon after they appear 

 above ground, \nfummer, the ribs of the large leaves 

 may be peeled, and eat as afparagus. They will want 

 earthing up from the alleys every year, to keep them at 

 the above depth ; for which purpofe, there mould be 

 proper earth in them. It is evidently befl to fow, ox 

 -plant, low enough at firft, to be prepared for future 

 earthing up ; not to grow too low, however, if there is 

 a clay bottom. Sets may be planted at firft only three 

 inches deep from their crowns, and earthed up to five 

 cr fix as they rife in order to blanch them: Some do 

 this with fine fifted coal ajhes, and the effect may alfo be 

 attained with the leaves of trees laid clofe round. Little 

 fhould be cut the firft year, but the fecond do it freely. 



The feed fhould be dropped three or four in a hole, 

 half an inch deep, and thinned to one plant, earthing up 

 a little as they proceed in growth. When the leaves 

 decay in autumn, earth the plants over an inch or two, 

 with mould from the alleys. In the fpring, ioofen the 

 C&thcaie fully with the afparagus fork, and at autumn, 



earth 



