246 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



Asparagus in the Garden. A writer 

 in the Montana Fruit Grower says that in 

 his village there are four hundred gardens 

 but only twenty asparagus beds. Writing 

 of the little care necessary to have this 

 delicious vegetable in ample supply for 

 the family, he says: " Seventeen years ago 

 I set an asparagus bed, ten by fifteen feet, 

 using fifty plants in rows three feet apart. 

 The ground was prepared the same as for 

 an onion bed. For fifteen years that bed 

 has been cut every other day, from its 

 first appearance late in April until July 1. 

 As soon as the last cutting is made, about 

 four inches of fine, well-rotted manure is 

 put on. No further care is needed, ex- 

 cept to take out the weeds coming up from 

 the manure. The tops may be cut and 

 burned in the fall, or left until spring to 

 retain the snow and prevent deep freezing. 

 As soon as the ground can be worked in 

 the spring, the manure should be forked 

 in, being careful not to injure the crowns, 

 which can be felt the moment the fork 

 touches one. 



An Important By-Product. An East- 

 ern fruit dealer saw a specimen of dried 

 orange peel on exhibition at Los Angeles 

 and had this to say about it: " That is 

 the first lot of California dried orange peel 

 I ever saw which comes up to the require- 

 ments of the trade, and that is as good as 

 the very best I ever saw from Italy. The 

 peel is cut properly from point to stem, so 

 that they are about an inch wide at the 

 middle. The white is all carefully re- 

 moved from the outer peel, and the goods 

 are nicely dried. They are of a high, rich 

 color, and perfect in all respects. In New 

 York that peel is worth eighteen cents a 

 pound, wholesale price. A great deal of 

 it is used in making elixirs, cordials, bit- 

 ters, etc. The refuse oranges of Southern 

 California ought to be put through a 

 proper press to express the juice, which 

 will sell in large quantities in Eastern 

 cities. Phosphates are all the go now, 

 and orange phosphate is one of the most 

 popular." 



Growing Celery. The time for trans- 

 planting celery is now at hand. Probably 

 the best variety for general crop is the 

 Golden Dwarf, although the White Plume 

 and many other kinds are recommended 

 as their equals. If the plants have not 

 been grown in a cold frame or out of 



doors, they can be purchased from those 

 dealing in vegetable plants. The ground 

 for celery should be well prepared to ob- 

 tain the best results. A soil that is rather 

 damp, but not wet; a heavy loam contain- 

 ing but little sand, or a spot slightly ap- 

 proaching to alkali, will make a good 

 place for celery, providing the land is 

 rich enough. 



Early varieties may be transplanted 

 any time during June, while the late 

 kinds will do well if not planted till the 

 middle of July in most sections of the 

 irrigated region. The plants should be 

 removed from the bed with care, to pre- 

 vent breaking the roots. To secure uni- 

 formity in growth and make cultivation 

 easier, the plants should be of similar 

 size and set about fifteen inches apart 

 when transplanted. They should be 

 planted in rows and irrigated during the 

 planting by allowing a small stream to 

 flow down the row where the plants are 

 set. The treatment for two months con- 

 sists in good cultivation and frequent 

 irrigation. 



Simple but Important. The first 

 three commandments in successful fruit 

 growing are: 



Thou shalt not use poor plants. 



Thou shalt not set plants carelessly. 



Thou shalt not use ground until well 

 fertilized and thoroughly prepared. 



Neglect these three things and all 

 the woes of a careless grower shall be 

 thine. 



A Demand for Horses There is 

 getting to be a strong demand in England, 

 and in other parts of Europe, for Ameri- 

 can horses. It is said that one dealer 

 has taken contracts for the supply of 

 6,000 head for the omnibus and cab 

 trade of London. These horses will be 

 gathered in Missouri, Illinois, and Ken- 

 tucky. Heavy draft-horses are also in 

 demand, and the supply is becoming very 

 short. These are pointers which farmers 

 and stock raisers should not disregard. 



A New Treatment for Eggs. Dried 

 eggs are being put upon the market. 

 Fresh eggs are broken and churned by 

 machinery, and the mixture is then evap- 

 orated to dryness. They are claimed to 

 keep indefinitely in this form. When 

 cooked with hot water, in various ways, 



