VEGETABLE GROWING IN NEW SOUTH WALES. 35 



the depth of 4 feet 4 inches. The land should be thqroughly worked during 

 the autumn, left to mellow during the winter, and should be again ploughed 

 and drilled ready for the reception of the roots in the early spring. 



The raised bed method, as generally practised in garden culture, is not to 

 be recommended under Australian conditions, and is only permissible where 

 an abundance of moisture is ensured. The flat field culture has much to 

 recommend it. 



Raising the Plants. 



Fresh seed should be sown in spring in well prepared soil, in rows 2 feet 

 apart and about 4 or 5 inches apart in the drill. The seed germinates slowly, 

 and if .previously soaked in warm water for twenty-four hours germination 

 will be hastened. Cover about 1 inch deep. The land should be well worked 

 and kept free from weeds. By liberal treatment vigorous yearlings are pro- 

 duced. In setting out, care should be taken not to expose the roots to the 

 sun or drying winds. It should be done just prior to their new growth in 

 the spring. 



Only strong-growing plants should be used. Select those that have the 

 thickest, most succulent and vigorous stems. Choose tall rat&er than shrubby 

 plantvS. Vigorous yearlings are much to be preferred, but if 2-year-old plants 

 are used, only those with imperfect flowers which do not bear seed should be 

 selected ; seed-bearing is exhausting. 



Planting Out. 



As the beds or fields will, with proper care, last a life-time, it is important 

 that the planting out be done carefully, and sufficient room be left for root 

 expansion. In rich, moist soils, drills should be made 4 feet apart each 

 way, and the roots set in their intersections. In light soils they may profit- 

 ably be made 5 feet each way. This allows of cultivation both ways, which 

 is a consideration in the eradication of weeds and conservation of moisture. 

 The drills should be opened out about 9 inches deep and the roots set in the 

 bottom, care being taken to keep the crown upward, and to spread the roots 

 in their natural positions. The crown should then be covered by 2 or 3 

 inches of soil. If "blanched asparagus " is required, the crown should be 

 placed about 6 inches below the surface, and if " green asparagus," planting 

 should be shallower. The natural growth of the crown forces it towards 

 the surface, and the original depth can be maintained by applications of 

 abundance of farmyard manure. The drills are levelled by cultivating 

 towards the plants. 



A French Method. 



A more economical way of establishing a bed, however, is that known 

 as the French method, the seeds being sown in the field at once, and the 

 work of planting out saved altogether. The system is as follows : 



After the land has been ploughed and cultivated, strike out furrows from 

 5 to 6 feet apart, according to the richness of the soil. The ploughing 

 should be deep up to 12 inches if possible -and it is preferable to plough 



