is often planted a foot apart in the rows, and the rows three feet apart, and sometimes three 

 feet apart each way. Cut for use the third year after planting, and if the shoots appear pretty 

 strong, a little may be cut the second year. The part used is the young shoots when about 



five or six inches in height, and when the bud is close and 

 firm, and these should be cut a little below the surface, with a 

 sloping cut. It is not best to continue the cutting late in the 

 season, unless the shoots are very robust. Always give the bed 

 a good dressing of manure in the fall, first removing the dead 

 brush of the past season. As an Asparagus bed will last longer 

 than the maker, it should be well made, and there should be 

 no haste in cutting, Those who do not wish the trouble and 

 delay of growing Asparagus from seed, can obtain plants either 

 one or two years old at a very moderate price. Secure a 

 good, rich, deep, mellow soil, and set the plants with the roots 

 spread out naturally, just as a good gardener would arrange the roots of any tree or plant, and 

 so deep that the crown will be two to three inches below the surface. In removing weeds, be 

 careful not to injure the crowns. In the spring remove them only by hand. The engravings 

 show a bunch of Asparagus as usually exposed for sale, a root of Asparagus with the young shoots 

 well started, some of them almost ready for cutting, and a branch of the plant at seeding time. 

 The roots, if procured in the spring, and in good condition, will show the buds or young shoots 

 an inch or two in length. 



BEANS. 



Beans are usually divided into two general classes, Dwarf and Pole Beans. The Dwarfs are 

 earlier and more hardy, as a general rule, than the running sorts. The Dwarfs are generally 

 used for stnng -beans 

 when the pods are ten- 

 der, and the climbers 

 only for shelling. We 

 have endeavored in the 

 engraving to show the 

 habit of both. Beans like 

 a dry and rather light 

 soil, though they will do 

 well in any garden soil if 

 not set out too early in 

 the spring. Nothing is 

 gained by planting until 

 the ground is tolerably 

 dry and warm. The 

 Dwarf varieties grow 

 from twelve to eighteen 

 inches in height, need no 

 support, and are planted 

 either in drills or hills. 

 The drills should be not 

 less than a foot apart, 

 two inches deep, and the seed set in the drills from two to three inches apart. The usual method 

 in hills is to allow about four plants to a hill, and the hills two by three feet apart. Rows are 

 best for the garden. A quart of ordinary sized Beans is about fifteen hundred, and will sow 

 two hundred and fifty feet of row, or one hundred and fifty hills. Hoe well, but only when dry. 

 Running Beans should not be planted quite as early as the Dwarfs. The usual way of planting is 

 in hills, about three feet apart, with the pole in the center of the hill. A very good way is to 

 grow the running varieties in drills, using the tallest pea brush that can be secured conveniently. 

 When the plants reach the top of the brush, pinch off the ends. The effect will be to cause 

 greater fruitfulness below. In a stiff soil, especially, the Lima comes up better if planted carefully 



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