556 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 



The bur, or flower bud, is the part used. 

 and the burs should be gathered before 

 the blossom part appears. If they are 

 removed and no seed is allowed to form, 

 the plants will continue to produce until 

 the end of the season. 



"The heads, or burs, of the French arti- 

 choke are prepared for the table by boil- 

 ing, and served with melted butter or 

 with cream dressing. 



Artichoke, Jerusalem 



"The Jerusalem artichoke will grow in 

 any good garden soil, and should be plant- 

 ed three to four feet apart each way, with 

 three or four small tubers in a hill. If 

 large tubers are used for planting they 

 should be cut the same as Irish potatoes. 

 Plant as soon as the ground becomes 

 warm in the spring and cultivate as for 

 corn. A pint of tubers cut to eyes will 

 plant about 30 hills. The tubers will be 

 ready for use in October, but may remain 

 in the ground and be dug at any time 

 during the winter. 



"The tubers are prepared by boiling 

 until soft, and are served with butter or 

 creamed. They are also used for salads 

 and pickles. 



"The Jerusalem artichoke is not of 

 great importance as a garden vegetable, 

 and the plant has a tendency to become 

 a weed." 



Ashes. Woon. See Apple Orchard, Fer- 

 tilization of. 



Aspau'agus 



Asparagus belongs to a genus of plant 

 containing more than 100 species. It was 

 introduced into America from Europe and 

 has become in this country an important 

 article of food. Several of the climbing 

 species are grown in greenhouses for 

 their delicate feathery branches and are 

 valuable for cuttings and decorations. 



The young shoots of the species Aspar- 

 agus officinalis have from very early 

 times been much prized for food, owing 

 to their pleasant flavor and slightly laxa- 

 tive properties. This species is a native 

 of the north temperate zone of the old 

 world, and grows wild on the south coast 

 of England. On the waste steppes of Rus- 

 sia it is so abundant that it is eaten by 

 cattle like grass. 



In some sections of the country, aspar- 

 agus is grown largely for the markets. It 

 is also grown in very many private gar- 

 dens for home use. It is very hardy, is a 

 vigorous grower, and heavy feeder; there- 

 fore will succeed best on a very rich soil. 

 It can be grown in sections strong in 

 mineral salts, such as alkali, or in deep 

 alluvial and peaty soils. Where the na- 

 tive soil is not adapted, it can be made 

 adaptable by the digging of trenches, and 

 filling in with barnyard manure, sand 

 (where the soil is a heavy clay), muck, 

 rotten leaves or other fertilizers. For 

 commercial purposes, asparagus is planted 

 in rows, about the width of corn rows, 

 three to four feet apart, and the roots 

 are planted in hills about the same dis- 

 tance apart, or sometimes not more than 

 two feet apart. Some growers plant so 

 that the stalks will row both ways, and 

 the ground can be cultivated both length- 

 wise and across the field. For home use, 

 however, it requires but few stalks and 

 it is generally planted in trenches, or in 

 beds. 



Propii^ation from Seeds 



Seeds should be sown in rows three to 

 four feet apart, so as to admit of cultiva- 

 tion. The seeds should be jilanted two to 

 four inches apart in the rows, and kept 

 free from weeds. The time of planting 

 is about that of any other spring crop, 

 but may be earlier, because asparagus is 

 not easily injured by spring frosts. These 

 are termed nursery plants, and may be 

 removed the following autumn or spring, 

 and set in permanent beds, or rows, as 

 the case may be. 



Transplanting: 



Not all the plants grown should be 

 transplanted to the field or bed. There 

 is great variety of tenderness or tough- 

 ness in the plants, and only the tender 

 plants are good for food or for market. 

 The tender plants lengthen rapidly, pro- 

 duce a straight succulent needlelike 

 stem, and do not branch near the ground; 

 while the tough plants lengthen more 

 slowly and tend to branch near the 

 ground. Further, the tender plants are 

 usually straight-grained smooth and blunt 

 at the tips. When the plants are but few 



