HORTICULTURE 197 



should be broken deeply and well manured beforehand. Set the 

 plants about four inches deep and about one or two feet apart in 

 three- or four-foot rows. Then cover the plants with rich soil and 

 a layer of stable manure. Early the next spring add another 

 dressing of manure and wood ashes, and sprinkle the bed with a 

 little salt. Keep the bed well cultivated and pull out all weeds 

 and grass. The plants should not be cut until they have had 

 three years' growth. When prepared for market use, the stalks 

 are tied up in bunches of ten or twelve. 



Asparagus is one of our oldest vegetables and it has a very 

 interesting history. It is said that it was first used in Rome 

 and was carried by the Roman soldiers to the Gauls and Britons. 

 When our English ancestors came to New England, they brought 

 this plant with them ; and now there is scarcely a part of our 

 country where it is not grown. 



Rhubarb, Pie plant, succeeds best in deep rich soil. The 

 plants should be set not less than three or four feet apart when 

 transplanted. The stalks should not be cut until the second 

 year, and the plant should not be allowed to exhaust itself by 

 going to seed. 



The Tomato is now to be found in nearly every garden in the 

 land, but formerly it was cultivated only as an ornamental plant. 

 It was called the love apple and was thought to be poisonous. 

 Packers estimate that at least three hundred thousand acres are 

 required to meet the demands of the canning industry alone. 

 If we add to this the acreage required for home consumption 

 and other purposes, the total acreage will be not far from half a 

 million. 



All the numerous varieties of tomatoes now grown are the 

 offspring of a single plant that was found in the Andean region 

 of South America. California, Maryland, New Jersey, Indiana, 

 Florida, and Texas are the leading tomato-growing States. 



The seed should be sown in the same way as for cabbage, and 

 the young plants, after hardening, should be transplanted and 

 placed in rows not less than three feet apart. When possible 

 the plants should be supported by stakes or a trellis. 



The Eggplant, like the potato and the tomato, is a member of 

 the nightshade family, but is not so well known as they are. The 



