On the Cultivation of ^^sparagus. 91 



Art. III. Some Observations on, and Directions for, the Cul- 

 tivation of Asparagus. By S. Walker. 



e'^sparagus officinalis : Common Asparagus, or Sperage. 

 This delicious and valuable vegetable is propagated by seeds, 

 sown in the spring, on a bed of rich earth, either in rows or 

 broadcast, as the taste of the cultivator may direct: it must be 

 trodden over, to bury the seeds, and during the summer the bed 

 should be kept clear of weeds. Towards the end of October, 

 or the beginning of November, when the haulm is quite withered, 

 cut it off close to the soil, and cover the bed with two inches of 

 manure, over which spread about the same portion of loam, and 

 with the back of a rake smooth over, and crown up the bed for 

 the winter. This covering will preserve the young buds from 

 being injured by the frost. In the following spring the plants 

 will be ready to transplant into the permanent bed. 



Perhaps there is no vegetable more improved by good culture 

 than asparagus; and, as the future supply mainly depends on a 

 proper preparation of the bed for the plants, and the dressing 

 thereof from year to year, I shall endeavor to be explicit, and at 

 the same lime as concise as possible. Prepare your bed as fol- 

 lows: — 



In the spring, (April,) when you have selected the spot which 

 you intend for your asparagus bed, say one hundred and twenty 

 feet long by four feet wide, or sixty feet long and eight feet 

 wide, (I intend this bed for a family of seven to ten persons; 

 for a larger or smaller family continue the same proportions,) 

 trench the bed two good spits, and throw out the soil into one 

 of the alley's; cover over the under soil (which I shall call your 

 third spitting,) with manure about four inches; incorporate the 

 manure and under soil well together, taking out the stones, if 

 any, and then replace a part of the soil thrown out; if the first 

 or top spitting is the best, use that, with about an equal propor- 

 tion of manure, until the bed is six inches above the level of the 

 ground. 



Your bed will now be ready for the reception of the plants 

 from your seedling bed, which you will take up carefully with a 

 fork: be careful not to injure the fibres, or roots, of the plants, 

 and select the longest plants for use. Now place a line, (fig- 

 1, a,) fifteen inches from one side of the bed, and make a 

 trench six inches deep, and wide enough to receive the plants 

 with their roots spread out horizontally, (which must be done 

 with your fingers, keeping the crowns of the plants upright, and 

 placing as much soil about them as will keep them in that posi- 

 tion until you cover up the trench, which should be done when 

 you remove your line; place the plants twelve inches ap!trt in 



