676 



FARMERS' REGISTER— CULTIVATION OF ASPARAGUS. 



cents, I am induced at this time to inibrm j^ou and 

 the public of my method of growing this delicious 

 vegetable. I sow the seed in the same manner 

 and (ime witii blood beets in the spring, )}reparing 

 the ground in the same way, as the young or 

 seedling plants will thrive in soil that will grow 

 good beets. I generally sow, and think it the best 

 way, one row of beets and anolher of asparag^is 

 alternately, one foot asund<"r, which brings the 

 beet rows two leet apart, the proper distance lor 

 this vegetable. 



As asparagus malcos a very small growth the 

 first season, it will not in the least interlere with 

 the beet crop; on tlie other hand, I think it is rather 

 an advantage to the growth of asparagus, as the 

 large leaf ot" the former serves to protect the weak 

 and slender shoot of the latter. 



The nature of the plants likewise did'crs so ma- 

 teriall}', one having a long tap root, calculated to 

 draw deep from the soil, ihe other very small fi- 

 brous roots, which invariably, in this i)!ant more 

 than any 1 have observed, draw juices li'om the 

 surface; in this case neither draws Ibod from the 

 other, as is apt to be the case when dillcrent ve- 

 getables, of the same habits and wants grow near 

 each other. 



The second season after sowing it will be ne- 

 cessary for the asparagus to occupy the wlKile 

 ground, the rows being two icet apart, a very pro- 

 per distance; as the plant makes a large growth the 

 second year, 1 hey may stand in the seed rows 

 within an inch of each other. By the above me- 

 thod I have raised from 2 to 5000 roots a year which 

 I have sold. 



In choosing and preparing the ground for put- 

 ting down an asparagus bed, as it is called, I se- 

 lect a piece of ground that has been under tillage 

 the year previous; a sandy loam ii" I have it; if 

 not, I add sand, the v/ashings of roads or other ma- 

 terials, to bring it as near the nature of the above 

 named soil as possible. I then plough very deep 

 if the soil will admit, 10 inches or more; cart on 

 and spread about twenty cart loads of manure, or 

 in that proportion to the acre. 1 prclcr fresh or 

 unfermcnted horse manure for this as -well as for 

 most other crops. After this, cross-plough not 

 quite so deep as before, and trench furrow by run- 

 ning a plough both ways, in the same furrow, 

 four feet apart; clear out tliclrenches with a shovel 

 ten inches deep and one foot wide at the bottom, 

 throwing the earth into ridges between the rows 

 as even as possible; lastly, I draw in from the 

 sides of the trenches a small quantity of fine 

 earth, about one inch deep, levelling it with the 

 hoe as it is drawn in, and the ground is prepared 

 for planting. It is very important that the roots 

 should be taken up carefully and exposed as litde 

 to the sun and air as possible previous to planting. 

 My method is to start them from the seed bed and 

 put them under cover or into the cellar as soon after 

 digging as possible; then part the roots, which 

 come up in bunches, snarled together, cut off the 

 fingera (so I name the roots) that arc broken and 

 ragged and pack Ihem a-way in meadow moss 

 until I am ready lor planting, which is performed 

 as follows: The roots are taken to the field in a 

 basket, packed in moss, and lifted out as you plant, 

 placing them in a straight line on tliebottom of 

 tlie trench, from twelv^c to fourteen inches apart, 

 taking hold of the crown of tbe root and pressing 

 it gently down, carefully spreading the roots or 



fingers horizontally in every direction, as the roots 

 of asparagus naturallj^ grow horizontal — and the 

 fibres or feeders extend upwards to the surface; 

 this I ascertained by examining a bed that had . 

 !)een hoed after cutting time, in June, immediate- 

 ly before a smart shower. The surface of the 

 earth wasliterally covered with small whhe fibrous 

 roots. As the bed was situated at the brow of a 

 large hill, a part of it was gullied by the water in 

 one or two places below the main roots, where I 

 had a fine opportunity to examine both roots and 

 fibres. There were Yew, if any fibres two iuclies 

 below the main roots, notwithstanding that the 

 bed Avas put down according to the old method, 

 deep trencliing, and filling in six inches below the 

 roots with good rotten manure, which I found 

 safely deposited in rather a decomposed state, 

 having laid several years without being disturbed 

 either by roots, fibres, worms, or weather. It is 

 necessary for a man to follow^ immediately after 

 the one that places the roots in tlie bottom of the 

 trench, who has some skill in the use of the hoe; 

 moving backwards, taking care to step each side 

 of the roots in the trench, so as not to disturb them, 

 and with his hoe scraping from each, side of the 

 trench regularly, so as to cover the crown of the 

 roots about three inches; and the planting is com- 

 pleted. A field or bed managed in this way has a 

 handsome appearance the first season, if the ridges 

 arc kept neat and in a workmanlike manner. Be- 

 tween the rows of asparagus on the top of the 

 ridges, I usually grow a very fine crop of taji root- 

 ed plants, which does not in the least injure it the 

 first summer. 



After the asparagus shoots have made their ap- 

 pearance about six inches above ground it is a 

 good plan to draw a little earth around the stalks 

 about an inch deep, so as to kill the weeds, which 

 may be repealed in the course of the season with- 

 out injuring the row of roots on the ridge. The 

 second year after planting, as soon as the frost is 

 out of the ground, spread along in the trenches, 

 which will then be three or four inches deep, about 

 one hich of light compost manure; then with a 

 plough ba.ck furrow every row separately, turning 

 the furrows directly over the asparagus, making 

 two bouts to a row, rake or cross harrow, and the 

 betl will be level, requiring no more care that sea- 

 son except keeping do"wn the weeds. The third 

 sjjring, as soon as the weather permits, burn the 

 old stalks on the ground, spread at the rate of 

 twenty cart loads per acre, of good compost or 

 horse manure, and plough it in, taking care to 

 turn narrow furroAvs and not so deep as to injure 

 the crown of the root; then rake or harrow, and 

 the bed will be in readiness for gathering, or cut- 

 ting, which should be done in the ibllowing man- 

 ner: As soon as the shoots project five or six 

 inches above the ground, and bcibre the buds be- 

 gin to open, cut them ofT with a knife about one 

 inch or less below the surface of the ground; (not 

 three or four as is recommended by some flieo- 

 rists,) as all that grows below the surface is stringy 

 and tough and not fit to eat. The old stinxip imme- 

 diately decays, and malces the best of food for the 

 plants. I continue cutting, about two months fi'om 

 the time I begin in the spring, having no regard 

 to the twenty-first day of June, or any other jfar- 

 ticular daj', as the plant naturally produces a gi\-en 

 quantity of shoots every season, without injury to 

 Ihe root. 



