S54 



}; EW ENGLAND FARMER, 



MAT II, 184 



ASPARAOUS. 

 This is a very delicious esculent \rpetal.lc, and 

 easily cullivntod, niter Hie first overAlion of prewar- 

 ini' the gioniid. U rf^uires some of the ticepest 

 soil in the RBrden ; a rich, sandy loan\ 19 the best. 

 The t-roiind slioiild be trenched cr spaded up, and 

 a plenty of roUen manure wo'ii mixed into tJie soil 

 to the depth of one fool and a half. Then mark 

 out vour beds six feel wide, forminjj t»o feet al- 

 leys' around them, by throwing up 8i.\ inches top 

 coil on the beda. Next use the rake and hoe, till 

 the ground is well pulverized and made level and 

 •mooth. Then mark out your drills one foot apart 

 »nd two inches deep. Soak the seed mclve hours 

 in warm water; drop it about one inch opart in 

 the row ; rake it in, and press the soil over the 

 seed with a board or garden roller. When the 

 young plants are up, hoe them carefully, and keep 

 them clear of weeda through the season. Alfr 

 the second hoeing, pull out the weakest plants, 

 leaving them about four inches apart. 



A bed of asparagus, well managed, will produce 

 bada fit for cutting the third spring after Bowin?. 

 The buds should be cut one inch or more below 

 Ihs surface of the ground. The cutting may be 

 continued until the first of July ; then let it grow 

 up, but hoe it frequently till it covers the ground. 

 Spring Dressing. — As soon aa the ground is 

 dry, so as to work light, separate the stalks from 

 the ground with a hoe, cutting them oflT beneath 

 the surface, and loosen the surface of the ground 

 all over the beds. Some dry straw, litter or fine 

 lirush-may be added to these stalks when diy, and 

 the whole burnt together on the ground. 'Ihis 

 will promote the growth of the asparagus, and de- 

 stroy many insects' eggs, seeds of weeds, &.C. The 

 ground should then he covered one inch thick or 

 more with rotten manure or compost, well incorpo- 

 rated with the soil above the roots ; then rake the 

 beds smooth and level. An application of swamp 

 earth, salt or brine, spread on the beds, has been 

 found to promote the growth of asparagus. 



Though this vegetable grows naturally in a poor, 

 sandy soil, yet the; gw^etntss and tenderness of the 

 buds depend r.uch onHhe rapidity of their growth, 

 which is greatly promoted by richness of soil and 

 good attendance. Beds of asparagus may be 

 formed by preparing the ground, as before stated, 

 and transplanting the root of two or three years' 

 growth, setting them with the crown upwards, four 

 inches below the surface. 



A good bed of asparagus, if well attended to, 

 will flourish many years: ours occupies one eighth 

 of an acre of land, the greater part of which has 

 been planted more than forty years, and is now as 

 good RB ever. — Jlmer. ^gricul. 



with thesi precautions, dig your hole in the fonii tands for ty'"K l^e fodder in smn// sheaves ; 



of a circle of from ten to fifteen feet in diameter, being bound, the sheaves are set up in small - 



nd of the depth of two feet, throwing the best | of about one- dozen sheaves each, and cap] 



earth on one side, and the poor earth on the other 

 side of the circle — and when the hole is thus dug, 

 fill up again with good earth, belter than has been 

 removed, to within ten or twelve inches of the sur- 

 face; the tree is then placed in the centre of the 

 circle, with its roots spread in different directions, 

 which of course should he all horizontal ; then pro- 

 ceed to cover them over with earth, and when the 

 roots are well covered, then comii.eiice treading in 

 the earth and continue it until they are sufBcienlly 

 buried, and the earth is about as firm about them 

 as it was before their removal. The poor earth 

 can then be removed to some useless place. 



Now the planter can tnke a survey of his tree. 

 If any limb is marred, or two should happen to rub 

 each other, or they grow too near the surface, then 

 with a fine saw they can be removed, ond the 

 stumps covered with the grafting salve. If the 

 tree be small, it needs no slaking ; but on tho con- 

 trary, if the tree be large, of a full or high top, 

 then it should be staked to prevent the wind start- 

 ing the roots ; this is done by driving down two 

 stakes, one on one side and the other on the oppo- 

 site side of tlifi circle, so that they shall be very 

 firm in the earth, and now secure a cross pole from 

 one stake to the other, ond then finally to the tree, 

 and about two or three feet from the ground. The 

 body of the tree should be previously wound with 

 matting, to prevent the cross pole from injuring 

 the bark of or body. And as the planting of a 

 tree is for the benefit of future generations, as well 

 as our own, a little extra trouble should he consid- 

 ered of no account — espcci;illy when wc derive 

 such cheering advantages over the common prac- 

 tice of setting a strait beanpole in a rat hole, un- 

 der the name of planting trees for ornament. 



Veritas. 



placing one sheaf on the lop as a crown, to bH 

 the shock from rain. In this state it remaineii, 

 til perfectly cured, when it was carted off 

 stacked up ia a convenient place for feeding^l 



E.r 



p. S. With respect to the proper time of J 

 ing, I would suggest that ihe usual time of 

 ing corn is the most fit season where the ei| 

 to be used as dry fodder. 



Dultimore Co.,,']prUi\sl, 1842. 



[Where the object is either for soiling or I 

 we think that four bushels of seed to the ac 

 on good, well manured ground, would not 

 much. — Ed. Jim- Far.] 



From the American Farmer. 



SETTING TREES. 

 A correspondent of the Taunton Whig says: — 

 Ab I have endeavored to «how the folly of top- 

 ping trees, it becomes almost imperious that I now 

 give the best mode of preparing and setting them. 

 The best mode, according to my observalion, I 

 freely give. I am not vain enough to suppose, 

 neither do I wish it so understood, that there can 

 bo no better than I of?cr. I trust there is. 



In planting trees for ornament or utility, the 

 health of the tree as well as its form is to be at- 

 tended to — the roots should bo well preserved, as 

 few cut and marred as the circumstance of the re- 

 moval will allow. And when the tree is taken up 



SOWING CORN BROADCAST. 



In the Farmer tf April 20lh, I observe aver the 

 signature of "Ledyard," some inquiries in relation 

 to sowing corn broadcast, and the best method of 

 securing the crop. 



Having tried Ihe experiment last year, I offer a 

 few suggestions as the result of my experience. 

 I sowed a few acres with a view of plowing it in 

 as a green crop for the benefit of tho soil, but was 

 tempted by its luxuriant appearance and a scarcity 

 of other provender, to make use of it for that pur- 

 pose. The quantity of seed sown was about two 

 bushels per acre. Perhaps in a very rich soil, the 

 use of a smaller quantity of seed might be attended 

 with the objections nnmed in the remarks which 

 follow the inquiries of your correspondent, viz : 

 " the tendency of weeds to check its growth." 



After Ihe ground is well harrowed and sown, I 

 would recommend your correspondent to moke use 

 of the cultivator to cover the seed — which by the 

 way I have found an excellent improvement for 

 covering seed wheat. Tho ground should then be 

 rolled smooth, which is all thst is required to be 

 done until the time of harvesting arrives. My crop 

 was cut just at the time the grain began to harden, 

 — and the lower leaves of the stalk were becoming 

 shrivelled. Tho fodder was suffered to lay on the 

 ground for a day or two, until the stalks had be- 

 come sufficiently wilted, to bo made use of as 



From Ihe Maine Farmer. 



CAUSE OF PHYSICAL DEGENER 

 Mr Holmes — The question was asked 

 Farmer a long time since, " What are the 

 of the deterioration of the human race for th« 

 fifty years in America?" I have never seen i 

 swered to my entire satisfaction. Undoubl 

 number of things have, or might have had | 

 ing on the subject, but if animal life com 

 the effect of stimuli operating on what 

 stimulated, then it seems that an exact pro| 

 of stimuli to excitement, excitability, or whi 

 be stimulated, would i»e perfect health, (if 

 thing ever was.) I know that too much st 

 ng food ond drink, if the above principla 

 sound, would produce just what we sec has b 

 place. Our diet has heen too much aiiimall 

 and particularly that which is oily. Destroy 

 gestion in any animal and you belittle him. 

 use of tea and coffee in the room of milk, tl4 

 several kinds of mixtures that u^ed to be 1 

 from milk, is another cause. Provoking thai 

 lite by the modern art of cooking with too jn 

 variety, to eat too much, is another cniisc. 

 have before said, destroy digestion, and yoti be 

 any race. Hard grain given to young coin 

 done it, and produced lasting disease through 

 Very high keep in pigs and a confined lifl^ 

 and has done it in that race. Rum will d* 

 the growth of a puppy — and the deletcriooi «l 

 of ardent spirits upon the human syetem, are,i 

 too plainly apparent. I will also mention I 

 of exercise in the open air, among the c»U« 

 degeneracy. This is best obtained by achuilU 



In order to renew our race, let us return I* 

 diet, exercise and habits of our forefalheri of 

 Revolution. 



I do not pretend that I have done the tut 

 justice. I merely submit the above as a few, • 

 I call, common sente thoughts. 



J\'ot a Physician, fc 

 ^n Old Fashioned Farmtr. 



The discovery of Dr. Priestly, that plants ib 

 carbonic acid gas, (deleterious to animal life,) 

 after assimilating the carbon to their own hd 

 exhale from tho leaves the oxygen with whici 

 carbon was combined, proves to us how nete* 

 to each other's existence plants and aniinili 

 and gives us an impressive idea of tho WM 

 which thus binds the several parts and syttew 

 the universe as it were, so intimately, that* 

 link of the chain can well be dispensed witJi> 



