164 VEGETABLE GARDENING 



Fertilizing. Asparagus is a gross feeder, and it 

 pays to apply barnyard and commercial fertilizers liber- 

 ally. Sometimes these are applied in the fall or spring 

 but probably the best time is in June after the last cutting 

 has been made. Various amounts are recommended, 

 from five to ten tons of barnyard manure, supplemented 

 with commercial fertilizers, such as kainit and nitrate of soda. 

 Manure should be broadcasted, especially between the 

 rows, and plowed in. If left on the hills, it is apt to en- 

 courage the plant to form roots near the surface, which 

 is always objectionable. Commercial asparagus growers 

 sometimes expend from $50 to $100 per acre on fertilizers 

 for their fields. Salt is not of much value on an asparagus 

 bed, except as a weed killer, and it sometimes holds mois- 

 ture. 



Manure applied to the bed in autumn or before the 

 frost is out of the ground in the spring, prevents the frost 

 from coming out and so keeps back the growth, unless 

 the manure applied is very fine and at once cultivated 

 into the soil. Sometimes manure applied in the fall will 

 keep the plants back a week or two in spring. 



Cutting. When the crop is grown for marketing, it is 

 not desirable to cut the shoots until the third season after 

 planting the roots; however in the case of small beds in 

 the garden where the planter is very anxious to test the 

 fruit of his labor, it may be well to note that no harm is 

 likely to come from a very slight cutting the second season. 

 The sprouts should be cut as they appear in the spring, 

 and all of them should be cut when of the proper size, 

 although they may not be needed at that time. If permitted 

 to grow they interfere with subsequent cutting and prevent 

 the growth of new sprouts. They will also be in the way 

 of cultivation later in the season. 



