134 



ASP 



THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL; 



ASP 



In the summer of the second year keep them free from weeds, 

 digging the alleys between them in October, and forking the 

 beds towards the end of the following March ; observing every 

 other year tolaysome rotten dung fromaMelon orCucumber 

 bed, all over the beds, burying some in the alleys ; also at the 

 time for digging them up. When they appear about four 

 inches above ground, you may then cut them sparingly, only 

 taking the larger buds, and suffering the small to run up to 

 strengthen the roots ; for the more you cut, the greater will 

 be the increase of buds, but they will be smaller, and the roots 

 sooner decay. A very prevalent error is, that which has long 

 prevailed with those people who will not dung their Asparagus 

 beds, because they think that the dung communicates a strong 

 rank taste to the Asparagus. This is a great mistake, for the 

 sweetest Asparagus grows upon the richest ground, and it is 

 the poor land that occasions that rank taste so often com- 

 plained of; the sweetness of Asparagus being also proved by 

 experiment to arise from the quickness of its growth, which is 

 always proportionable to the goodness of the ground, and the 

 warmth of the seasons. Eight rods of ground will be sufficient 

 to supply a small family, and double that quantity for a large 

 one. Forcing Asparagus. Some persons, who delight in 

 having early Asparagus, force it in the following manner. 

 They provide a quantity of good roots, either of their own 

 raising, or purchased from such gardeners as plant for sale, 

 such as has been two or even three years out from the seed- 

 bed ; and having fixed upon the time at which they would wish 

 to have their Asparagus fit to cut, they prepare a quantity of 

 new horse-dung about six weeks before, which is thrown into 

 a heap for ten days or more in order to ferment, and having 

 some sea-coal ashes mixed with it, they turn it over into a 

 heap, where it must lie another week, when it will be fit for 

 use. They then dig out a trench in the ground where they 

 intend to make the bed, a foot and a half deep, of the width 

 of the frames which are designed to cover it, and the length 

 proportioned to the quantity which they design to raise : if 

 it be only to supply a small family, three or four lights at a 

 time will be sufficient, but for a larger family, six or eight 

 lights will not be too much : they then lay down the dung 

 into thetrench, workingitvery regularly, and beating itdovvn 

 very tightly with a fork, laying it at least three feet in thick- 

 ness, or more, when the beds are made in December ; upon 

 this they put the earth, taking great care to break the clods 

 and lay it level, beginning at one end to lay the roots against 

 a little ridge of earth, raised about four inches high, and 

 as close as possible to each other, in rows, with their buds 

 standing upright, with a small quantity of fine mould between 

 every row, observing to keep the crown of the roots exactly 

 level. When you have finished laying your beds with roots, 

 you must lay some stiff earth up to the roots, on the outsides 

 of the bed, which are bare, to keep them from drying ; and 

 thrust two or three sharp-pointed sticks about two feet long, 

 down between the roots in the middle of the bed at a distance 

 from each other. The use of these sticks is to inform you 

 what temper of heat the bed is in, which you may find by 

 drawing up the sticks, and feeling the lower part : and if after 

 the bed has been made a week, you find it does not heat, you 

 may lay a little straw or litter round the sides, and also upon 

 the top, which will greatly help it ; or if you find it very hot, 

 so as to endanger scorching the roots, it will be advisable to 

 let it remain wholly uncovered, and to thrust a large stick 

 into the dung on each side of the bed in two or three places, 

 to make holes for the great steam of the bed to pass off, 

 wbich in a short time will reduce the bed to a moderate heat. 

 After the bed has been made a fortnight, you must cover the 

 crowns of the roots with fine earth about two inches thick, 



and when the buds begin to appear above ground through 

 that earth, you must again lay on a fresh quantity, about 

 three inches thick ; so that in the whole it may be five inches 

 above the crowns of the root, which will be sufficient. Then 

 you must make a band of straw, or long litter, about four 

 inches thick, which must be fastened round the sides of the 

 bed, that the upper part may be level with the surface of the 

 ground ; this must be fastened with straight sticks about two 

 feet long, sharpened at the points to run into the bed ; and 

 upon this band you must set yourframes,and put your glasses 

 thereon ; but if, after your bed has been made three weeks, 

 you find the heat decline, you must lay a good lining of fresh 

 hot dung round the sides of the bed, which will add a fresh 

 heat thereto ; and in bad weather, as also every night, keep 

 the glasses covered with mats and straw ; but in the day-time 

 let it -be all taken off, especially whenever the sun appears, 

 which, shining through the glasses, will give a good colour to 

 the Asparagus. A bed thus made, if it work kindly, will begir 

 to produce buds for cutting in about five or six weeks, and 

 will hold about three weeks in cutting; if rightly planted with 

 good roots, it will produce in that time about three hundred 

 buds in each light ; so that where it is proposed to be conti- 

 nued until the season of natural Asparagus, a fresh bed should 

 be made every three weeks, until the beginning of March, 

 from the time of the first bed being made ; but if the last 

 bed be made about a week in March, it will last till the sea- 

 son of natural Asparagus ; for the last beds will come a fort- 

 night sooner to cut after making, than those made about 

 Christmas ; and the buds will be larger, and better coloured, 

 as they will then enjoy a greater share of the sun. The best 

 ground for planting Asparagus, to have large roots for hot- 

 beds, is a moist rich soil ; but for those intended for a na- 

 tural produce, a middling soil, neither too wet nor too dry -, 

 yet a fresh sandy loam, when well dunged, is preferable 

 to any other. 



2. Asparagus Declinates ; Long-leaved Asparagus. Stem 

 unarmed, round ; branches declined ; leaves setaceous. 

 This species is higher than the common sort ; the leaves 

 also are twice as long, and more abundant ; the stem is 

 annual. Native of the Cape of Good Hope. 



3. Asparagus Falcatus ; Sickle-leaved Asparagus. Prickles 

 solitary, reversed ; branches round ; leaves ensiform, fal- 

 cated ; stem round and branching. A native of Ceylon. 



4. Asparagus Retrofractus ; Larch-leaved Asparagus. 

 Prickles solitary ; branches round, reflected, and retrofract- 

 ed ; leaves setaceous, fascicled. It has very crooked ir- 

 regular stalks, shrubby, and rising eight or ten feet high, 

 putting out several weak side-branches, having long narrow 

 leaves, in clusters like those of the Larch-tree ; under each 

 of these clusters is placed a single sharp thorn. The stalks 

 continue several years, and the leaves retain their green- 

 ne>s through the winter. It flowers in August and Sep- 

 tember ; and is a native of the Cape of Good Hope. 



5. Asparagus /Ethiopicus. Prickles solitary, reversed j 

 branches angulate ; leaves lanceolate, linear. This resembles 

 the third species ; but the leaves are smaller, and about 

 seven in a bunch. Native of the Cape of Good Hope. 



6. Asparagus Asiaticus; Slender-stalked Asparagus. 

 Prickles solitary; stem erect; branches filiform ; leaves fas- 

 cicled, setaceous. It is a native of Asia. 



7. Asparagus Albus ; White Asparagus. Prickles soli- 

 tary ; branches angular, flexuosc : leaves fascicled, trique- 

 trous, awn less, deciduous. The spines arc straight, spread- 

 ing, or reHex. It is a native of the south of Europe, espe- 

 cially of Spain and Portugal. 



8. Asparagus Acutifolius ; Acute-leaved Asparagut. Stem 



