ASPARAGUS 79 



good dressing of manure is incorporated with it, so 

 that it decays completely during the winter months. 

 In the spring about February the ground is 

 marked out in beds, each one being a metre (39 in.) 

 in width, except the first and last beds, which are 

 only half the width of the others. The soil in the 

 second, fourth, sixth, and the following even-numbered 

 beds is then dug a good spit deep, and " ridged up," 

 half of it being placed on the odd beds i, 3, 5, 7, etc., 

 on one side, and half on the other as shown in the 

 diagram (fig. 17). The trenches marked A, B, c, etc., 



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rasa 3Q., y&yg&A 

 , p A 3 IN B / 



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FIG. 17. DIAGRAM SHOWING HOW ASPARAGUS TRENCHES ARE MADE. 



thus formed are well manured and deeply dug. Three 

 " drills," or shallow furrows, are then drawn from one 

 end to the other, one being exactly in the centre, and 

 the two others each about 8 or 9 in. from the 

 sides. More modern growers, however, draw only 

 two drills in each trench about 9 in. from each 

 side, so that more space is given to the plants. The 

 best one-year-old " crowns " are then planted in each 

 row so as to be from 24 to 30 in. apart, the plants 

 in one row being angled with those in the other. 



At the spot where each crown is to be planted a 

 small heap of soil, about 2 in. high, is raised with 

 the hands, and on this the young Asparagus plant 

 is placed, taking care at the time to spread the roots 

 out radially from the central tuft. A small stake is 

 placed to each clump, to mark its position, after which 



