THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 255 



shoots, if white asparagus is to be cut; and once ridging is not suffi- 

 cient, but after the spears begin to appear the ridges will need renew- 

 ing every week or ten days during the cutting season, as the rains beat 

 them down and the sun bakes a crust upon the top. The grower of 

 green asparagus has about the same work, less the ridging and plow- 

 ing down. As it is necessary to keep down all weeds, some hoeing 

 may be necessary as supplementary to a free use of the 1-horse culti- 

 vator. After the cutting season, a cut-away harrow run twice diag- 

 onally across the rows loosens up the soil and destroys a vast number 

 of weeds without injury to the crowns, although some spears may be 

 broken off. 



Brush. The bushes should be cut as soon as the berries are fully 

 colored, as the growth will be sufficiently matured so that no injury 

 will be done the roots by removing the tops, thus avoiding a further 

 drain upon the roots to mature the seed, and preventing the dropping 

 of seed, followed by the springing up of innumerable young asparagus 

 plants. 



All brush should be promptly collected and burned, that there 

 may be no lodging places for insects and diseases. In case the fields 

 were not leveled, harrowed, and manured at the close of the cutting 

 season, now is a convenient time to perform this work, although if 

 the soil is rather too moist it is well to leave the surface firm, that the 

 winter rains may run off rather than penetrate to the already too 

 damp sub-soil around the roots. 



Manuring. In nothing relating to asparagus has there been a 

 greater change than in the practice of manuring. Formerly it was 

 thought necessary to place large quantities of manure in the bottom 

 of the deep trencnes in which the young plants were set out in order 

 that sufficient fertility might be present for several years for the 

 roots, as after the plants were once planted there would be no further 

 opportunity to apply the manure in such an advantageous place; 

 it was also considered necessary to use much manure every autumn to 

 bank the beds in order that the crowns should not be injured by the 

 winter's frost. These applications, especially that given prior to 

 planting the young crowns, made the outlay so great, and that for so 

 many years before any return would be received from the bed, that 

 only small plantings were possible to those who were without con- 

 siderable capital. 



Although asparagus is still heavily manured, the amount now 

 used is much less than was formerly supposed to be necessary, only 

 about double the quantity ordinarily used upon root crops, such as 

 potatoes, beets, etc. It is not a good practice to put manure in the bot- 

 tom of the trenches or furrows when setting out the crowns, because it 

 is demonstrated to be rather a waste of manure than otherwise, and 

 besides the roots of asparagus thrive better when resting upon a more 

 compact soil; nor is it necessary that the soil should contain great 

 amounts of humus or be in an extremely fertile condition when the 

 plants are first put out, since by the present system of top dressing a 

 moderately fertile soil soon becomes exceedingly rich and equal to the 

 demands which the plants make upon it. Considerable improvement is 



