146 How to Make the Garden Pay. 



be about eight or nine inches long, and four or five in diameter, 

 holding two or three pounds of " grass". Rubber bands are 

 now coming in use in place of raffia or other tying materials ; 

 they save time and make a neat, salable package. The butt ends 

 of each bundle are squared by a smooth, clean cut. People 

 who have only a comparatively small area in asparagus, may, if 

 they prefer, bunch their stalks by means of a home-made 

 buncher, such as, for instance, is illustrated on page 145. It 

 needs no further description. 



If the product is to be shipped to market, the bunches, to 

 insure their arrival in market in best condition, are packed in 

 some soft material, and pressed firmly and tightly into the package 

 to prevent injury by jarring or shaking about. Knives for cutting 



Asparagus Knife. 



the crop are kept on sale by hardware dealers, seedsmen, etc. 

 One of the various shapes is illustrated above. In an emergency 

 a common sharp kitchen knife will answer. 



SUPERIOR METHOD FOR AMATEURS. The home grower who 

 is after extra quality, can well afford to take a little extra pains in 

 the preparation of his bed. Instead of filling the furrows with 

 soil simply, he may prepare a very light, very porous compost 

 of fresh horse droppings, muck, wood,, or chip dirt, chaff, fine 

 sawdust, rotten forest leaves, etc. This material lies very loosely 

 over the crowns of the plants, and is warmed through very 

 easily by the sun rays, at the same time affording a good protec- 

 tion from cold. Instead of cutting the stalks with a knife, the 

 hand can be easily pushed down along them into the loose soil, 

 and the stalks snapped off at the base with a pressure of the 

 finger. Asparagus grown in this way is very superior, and it 

 may even be profitable when thus grown on a larger scale for 

 market. I have been well pleased with the results of one trial. 



VARIETIES. 



Conover's Colossal is the variety now generally grown 

 by both market and home growers. Philadelphia Mammoth, 

 recently introduced as an extra large and prolific sort, Palmetto, 

 and a few other newer varieties, have not been generally tested, 

 but deserve further trial. 



BALM. 



Melissa Officinalis. German, Citronen Melissc; French, 

 Melisse Citronelle; Spanish, Toronjil Citronella. Although a 

 perennial, balm is usually cultivated as an annual. Sow seed in 

 finely prepared soil, in April or May, having drills one foot apart, 



