2m THE AMERICAN GARDENER. 



Stood close. Keep them clean, and hoe deeply between 

 them all the summer. To have beds of asparagus, 

 there are two ways : first, sowing the seed in the bed 

 at once ; and second, making the beds, and removing 

 the plants into them. It is desirable to have the beds 

 about four feet wide, that you may cut the asparagus 

 by going in the paths between them, and not trample 

 the beds. 



In the fall, having made all the ground right strong 

 with manure, draw the earth to six inches deep from 

 the top of the beds into the paths, which will then form 

 high ridges. Then draw your drills a foot apart, and 

 sow your seed. When they are up in the spring, thin 

 them to a foot apart. Thus you will have them a fool 

 apart all over the bed. Keep the plants clean all sum- 

 mer, and when the haulm is yellow in the fall, cut them 

 off near, or close to the ground ; but let the haulm be 

 quite dead first; yet, do it before the frost actually sets 

 in. When you have cut off the haulm, lay some litter 

 upon the bed till spring, to prevent the frost from being 

 too long coming out of the ground in spring. When 

 the frost breaks up, throw some wood ashes, or 

 sonte other manure about an inch deep over the bed, 

 having first loosened the top of the bed with a fork; 

 Upon this manure, throw earth over the bed, out of the 

 paths, three inches thick, and break it very fine at the 

 time. In the fall cut down the haulm again as before ; 

 repeat the winter operation of littering; and in the 

 spring again fork up, put on ashes or good mould, and 

 the other three inches deep of earth out of the paths. 

 Thus you bring the beds to be an inch or two higher 

 than the paths; and this year, if your work have all 

 been well done, you may have some asparagus to eat. 

 The next fall, and every succeeding fall, cut down the 

 haulm and cover with litter as before ; and in the spring, 

 of this third year, put on ashes again, or other fine ma- 

 nure, and throw over the beds the earth that will come 

 out of the paths dug six inches deep. This will make 

 the paths six inches lower than the beds, and that is a 



