184 CALIFORNIA VEGETABLES. 



fine condition for the sprouts to come up through, for 

 should the ground not be in good order, your 'grass' will 

 be crippled and crooked. It will also be tough, fibrous, 

 and bitter. 



' * Continue thorough cultivation with plenty of manure, 

 no matter what kind or how rough. At the same time 

 finely rotted manure is profitable. There is one thing to 

 be borne in mind in the producing of asparagus ; you can 't 

 fertilize too much. The better cultivated and the more 

 fertilizers the greater will be the quantity and the better 

 will be the quality produced. We plow thoroughly about 

 three times a year, and harrow as often, and in the cut- 

 ting season keep the weeds out with hoes." 



The method of alternately opening and covering the 

 rows is somewhat conditioned upon the local soil and rain- 

 fall. The looser the soil and the lighter the winter rain, 

 the less the need of such operation, because in such situa- 

 tions the heat readily penetrates and the roots answer 

 quickly without uncovering, which may too greatly facili- 

 tate evaporation and thus be dangerous in dry localities, 

 even in the rainy season. Where these conditions prevail, 

 thorough cleaning, plowing, and manuring will fit the field 

 for the winter. Mr. Murdock gives this advice : 



''In the fall or early winter, when the tops have turned 

 brown, the ground should be cleaned and all rubbish 

 burned, for if delayed the seed will drop and get scattered, 

 which will come up and may prove eventually to be the 

 worst weed the grower will have to contend with, for if 

 allowed to grow after once started it will soon fill the 

 whole ground with a mass of roots, and very soon spoil 

 the patch. As soon as the ground is cleaned the whole 

 field should be well cultivated, and coarse manure spread 

 over the entire surface, so that the rains can dissolve and 

 carry down the soluble plant food to the roots. As the 

 period of rest here in our mild and warm winters is very 

 short, with this strong and persisting plant no delay 

 should be indulged in in furnishing the necessary plant 

 food." 



