Asparagus 3 



Be careful of the "crowns." If you cannot be 

 sure you are getting good plants, that you can rely 

 upon the dealer, do not make the purchase. It is 

 very disappointing to give to a vegetable as much 

 care as asparagus requires, and wait so long for 

 returns, only to find that the plants were poor in 

 the beginning. 



Asparagus may be forced by putting three- or four- 

 year-old roots in soil under the benches in the 

 greenhouse or by placing them in hotbeds where 

 the temperature is from 65 to 70 degrees Fahren- 

 heit. The roots should undergo freezing for about 

 three weeks before this is done, so that ordinarily 

 they cannot be taken in before the latter part of 

 December. 



In growing bleached asparagus, the rows should 

 be hilled up and the dirt kept above the tips until 

 the tips are about eight or ten inches long. The 

 plants should be set a few inches deeper than when 

 planting for the green variety. 



A mulch of well-rotted manure should be spread 

 over the asparagus bed in the fall, covering the bed 

 for about three inches in depth. This will prevent 

 rapid freezing and thawing during the winter. 



