THE KITCHEN-GARDEN. 



autumn planting. During the latter part of Octo- 

 ber or early November put in the plants as ex- 

 plained above, or else make a straight trench that 

 will give room for the spreading of the roots, and 

 leave the crowns between three and four inches 

 below the surface. Then level the ground, and 

 cover the row with a light mulch of stable-manure 

 as you would strawberries. If more convenient to 

 set out the. plants in spring, do so as soon as the 

 ground is dry enough to crumble freely when 

 worked. In the spring rake off the mulch, and as 

 early as possible fork the ground over lightly, tak- 

 ing pains not to touch or wound the crowns of the 

 plants. The young, slender shoots will soon ap- 

 pear, and slender enough they will be at first. 

 Keep them free of weeds and let them grow uncut 

 all through the first year ; mow off the tops in late 

 October, and cover the entire bed with three or 

 four inches of coarse barn-yard manure. In spring 

 rake off the coarsest of this mulch, from which the 

 rains and melting snows have been carrying down 

 richness, dig the bed over lightly once (never 

 wounding the roots or crowns of the plants), and 

 then sow salt over the bed till it is barely white. 

 Let the tops grow naturally and uncut the second 

 year, and merely keep clean. Take precisely the 

 same action again in the autumn and the following 

 spring. During the latter part of April and May 



