22O THE HOME ACRE. 



deep, clean, warm soil is the chief essential. It 

 belongs to that class of vegetables known as "gross 

 feeders." During the first year, however, I would 

 apply the fertilizer directly to the hills or plants. 

 These are obtained by dividing the old roots, which 

 may be cut to pieces downward so as to leave a 

 single bud or " eye " surmounting a long tapering 

 portion of root. Each division will make a new, 

 vigorous plant, which should be set out so that the 

 bud or crown is three inches below the surface in 

 light soils, and two inches in heavy soils. The 

 plants should be four feet apart each way, and two 

 or three shovelfuls of rich compost worked into 

 the soil where the plant is to stand. You cannot 

 make the ground too rich ; only remember that in 

 this, as in all other instances, light, fermenting ma- 

 nures should not be brought into immediate contact 

 with the roots. Plant in either autumn or spring. 

 In this latitude and southward I should prefer 

 autumn; northward, perhaps spring is the best 

 season. Keep the intervening ground clean and 

 mellow, and pull no stalks the first year, unless it 

 be in the autumn if the plants have become very 

 strong. In the fall, when the foliage has died 

 down, cover the crowns with two or three shovel- 

 fuls of rich manure, any kind will do in this 

 instance, and work in a heavy top-dressing all 

 over the ground early in spring. Unless seed is 



