GARDENING. 871 



manured after the last cutting, and well cultivated through the remainder of the summer. 

 On the approach of winter, cut down the stems and clear off all weeds, and cover with a 

 dressing of manure; this should be forked in with about one quart of salt to the square rod 

 early in the spring. Planting roots instead of seed will save a year in time. The salt serves 

 a double purpose that of benefiting the plants, and of keeping out the weeds. 



A writer on this subject says in one of our leading journals: &quot; He who lives in the 

 country and has no asparagus bed has at least one sin of omission on his conscience, for 

 which he can never give an adequate excuse. Some are under the delusion that an asparagus 

 bed is an abstruse garden problem, and an expensive luxury. Far from it. The plants can 

 be obtained of any seedsman at slight cost. I have one large bed that yields almost a daily 

 supply from the middle of April till late in June, and I shall make another bed next spring 

 in this simple way: As early as the ground is dry enough the sooner the better I shall 

 choose some warm, early, but deep soil, enrich it well, and then on one side of the plot open 

 a furrow or trench eight inches deep. Down this furrow I shall scatter a heavy coat of 

 rotted compost, and then run a plow or pointed hoe through it again. 



By this process the earth and compost are mingled, and the furrow rendered about six 

 inches deep. Along its side, one foot apart, I will place one-year old plants, spreading out 

 the roots and taking care to keep the crown, or top of the plant, five inches below the surface 

 when level; then half fill the furrow over the plants, and when the young shoots are well up, 

 fill the furrow even. I shall make the furrows two feet apart, and, after planting as much 

 space as I wish, the bed is made for the next fifty years. In my father s garden there was a 

 good bed over fifty years old. The young shoots should not be cut for the first two years, 

 and only sparingly the third year, on the same principle that we do not put young colts at 

 work. The asparagus is a marine plant, and dustings of salt sufficient to kill the weeds will 

 promote its growth.&quot; 



Cutting and Preparing for Market. The cutting of asparagus in preparing it 

 for market requires careful attention, since much depends upon its looking well when offered 

 for sale. It should be cut early every morning, and tied up at once in bunches of about a 

 pound each. The best knife that we have found for this purpose is a cpmmon butcher s 

 knife filed with saw teeth for about three inches from the point. Such a knife will require 

 grinding and filing daily. The cutting should be done before the heads burst, and when the 

 stalks are six inches above the ground, they may be cut three or four inches below the sur- 

 . face. A simple frame is used for bunching, which greatly facilitates this operation. It 

 consists of a horizontal board into which four pegs are driven, with another board set up on 

 edge at the end of the first, and nailed to it. The pegs are so placed as to gauge the size of 

 tho bunches, the standard size being of a pound weight. The material for tying is Russia 

 matting, this being wet before tying and drawn very tightly. Some little skill is required to 

 have the bunches look well. When it is necessary to cut the asparagus the evening before 

 marketing, the root end of bunches should be set in water to the depth of an inch or two, in 

 order to keep the stalks fresh. 



Beans. Both bush and pole or running beans are an important adjunct to every 

 garden, they being a nutritious, healthful, and palatable diet. The large LIMA is one of the 

 richest beans for garden culture. It has broad, rough pods, is of excellent flavor, but is rather 

 tender and late in maturing. It is properly a plant that requires a pole for support, although 

 it is sometimes grown without, in case the vines are kept closely pruned. The best results 

 are, however, obtained when poles are used. DREER S IMPROVED LIMA is somewhat smaller 

 than the former, but is of excellent quality, earlier in maturing, and very productive. Other 

 fine varieties of pole beans are DUTCH CASE KNIFE, GIANT GEBMAN WAX, HORTICULTURAL 

 CRANBERRY, WHITE CRANBERRY, GOLDEN BUTTER, and SOUTHERN PROLIFIC. The latter is an 



