CHAPTER VIII. MALE vs. FEMALE 

 ASPARAGUS PLANTS 



THERE is another plant besides witch 

 grass that frost never kills; its 

 name is asparagus. Have you ever 

 eaten it fresh from the garden? 

 No? Then you don't know what 

 asparagus is. We were planning 

 our twelfth trip to Europe a few summers ago, 

 but the thought that our new asparagus bed 

 would be in full blast made us hesitate. Few 

 people have asparagus beds, chiefly, it is as- 

 sumed, because it takes three years to get 

 results. But there are other reasons. Hav- 

 ing had no experience with this vegetable, I 

 ignorantly assigned the asparagus patch to 

 my wife as an easy job. But here is her 

 report: 



How I wish I could start afresh with my present 

 experience and do it differently! From the very begin- 

 ning it was exciting and generally dismaying. We 

 planted the seed after a long soaking, and then came 

 days of waiting. No asparagus. At last we gave up 

 all hope and left the bed to its own devices, when, like 

 magic, up sprang a forest of tiny green needles. In a 

 few weeks each determined little plant had grown a 

 wee crown, and then thinning out meant rooting up 

 with the aid of a trowel. 



If you haven't unlimited time, patience, and strength 

 of mind, don't try to grow asparagus from seed, in spite 

 of the advice of experts who have proved that it is the 

 best thing to do by far. I had the first two requisites, 



