412 VILLA GAEDENINCt 



CHAPTER IV 



Culture of Asparagus. — A deep, rich, sandy loam is the 

 most suitable soil, and if suited in this i)articidar, the climatic 

 conditions can hardly be unfavourable. I know a garden — 

 Rangemore Hall, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire — where a good 

 deal of expense has been incurred with Asparagus, and yet it will 

 not succeed ; the plants dwindle and die. The situation is m 

 elevated one, and the soil a cold heavy clay. The Asparagus 

 being a Fen plant in its wild state, the natiu-al inference is that 

 a deep, rich, light soil, rather retentive of moisture than not, is 

 best for it ; and hcayj clay, in the higher regions of the country, 

 the worst. 



Preparing the Land. — The old-foshioned plan of growing 

 Asparagus in beds is giving way to the modern system of culture 

 in single rows, at rather wide intervals. When we know the 

 requirements of a plant, the best way of working up to these 

 should be kept steadily in view, although we may not be able to 

 accomplish everything at once. Asparagus does not thrive well in 

 cold heavy clays, but in the majority of instances the natural 

 soil may, at a reasonable cost, be so altered as to be rendered 

 suitable. The first thing to be done in such cases is to biu-u a lot 

 of the clay and use the ashes to open up the remainder, and then 

 add as much manure, sand, and lime as can be conveniently 

 obtained. This work should be done in autumn, say in September 

 and October; and after trenching and intermixing, the siurface 

 should be left rough till March. To obtain fine produce there 

 must be vigour and strength of crown ; and though much of this 

 vigour may be obtained by increasing the space commonly allotted 

 to each plant, yet, in order to sustain them afterwards in a vigorous 

 condition, the land must be well done. In Asparagus culture, all 

 other things being equal, success is usually in proportion to the 

 land's condition, which cannot be kept up without a good deal of 

 manure, and it is very important that the land should be well 

 prei^ared at the outset. 



Raising the Plants. — This is always done from seeds sown 

 in spring. Asparagus, even under the most favourable circumstances, 

 requires a good deal of time before it yields any return. It is not 

 often that any produce can be cut before the third year after 

 planting unless veiy strong roots are planted, and if anything can 

 be done to shorten that long probationary time it is worth know- 

 ing. When plants have to be bought I have always used those of 



