ASPARAGUS 23 



Asparagus. A hardy herbacous perennial, 

 much grown for the soft, edible, early spring shoots. The 

 culture of this, the finest of early vegetables, has been sim- 

 plified in the past few years, and at present the knowledge 

 required to successfully plant and grow a good supply need 

 not be that of a professional. The old method of excavating 

 to the depth of 3 ft. or more, throwing in from 4 to 6 in. 

 of broken stone or bricks for drainage, then filling to within 

 1C to 18 in. of the surface with well rotted manure, with 6 

 in. of soil upon which to set the roots, has given place to 

 the simple practice of plowing or digging a trench from 14 

 to 16 in. deep, spreading well rotted manure in the bottom 

 to the depth of 3 or 4 in. ; when well trodden down covering 

 the manure with 3 or 4 in. of good garden soil, then setting 

 the plants, with the roots well spread out, covering carefully 

 with soil to the level of the garden, and firming the soil 

 with the feet. This will leave the crowns of the plants from 

 4 to 5 in. below the surface. In setting, 1-year-old plants 

 will prove more satisfactory than older ones, being less 

 liable to suffer from injury to the root system than those 

 which have made a larger growth. Two years after setting 

 the crop may be cut, but not sooner if a lasting bed is de- 

 sired, as the effort to replace the stalks has a tendency to 

 weaken the plant unless the roots are well established. The 

 yearly treatment of an Asparagus bed consists of cleaning 

 off tops and weeds in the fall and adding a dressing of well 

 rotted manure to the depth of 3 or 4 in., this manure to be 

 lightly forked into the bed the following spring ; or, the 

 tops may be allowed to stand for winter protection and the 

 mulch left off. A top-dressing of nitrate of soda, at the 

 rate of 200 pounds per acre, is often beneficial as a spring 

 stimulant, especially in the case of an old bed. Good re- 

 sults will also follow an application of bone meal or su- 

 perphosphate at the rate of from 300 to 500 pounds per 

 acre. The practice of sowing salt on an Asparagus bed is 

 almost universal. Still, beds that have never received a 



