ASPARAGUS. 257 



roots or tubers are held in great esteem by many, 

 sliced thin and eaten with vinegar and pepper, or boil- 

 ed and mashed to be eaten with butter. Few roots 

 are propagated more easily, either by cuttings or 

 whole tubers ; and, when once introduced in a soil, 

 the eradication is somewhat difficult, as the least 

 piece containing an eye (and these are very numer- 

 ous) is sure to sprout. When intended for the table 

 they should be planted in a good soil, but not freshly 

 manured (as the roots in that case are apt to be 

 wormy), and hoed so as to keep the earth loose and 

 clean around them. If allowed to remain in the 

 ground through the winter, the roots will have a 

 crispness and richness not found in those preserved 

 in any other way. The cultivation of the Jerusalem 

 Artichoke for swine has been strongly recommend- 

 ed by some eminent farmers, and great crops have 

 been occasionally raised. It is not probable, how- 

 ever, that in ordinary cases it could be made to su- 

 persede the potato," or that the yield of the artichoke 

 would equal that of the latter root. 



ASPARAGUS. Asparagus Officinalis. 

 Asparagus is one of the most esteemed of garden 

 vegetables, and can be cultivated readily in most sit- 

 uations, where the ground has been properly fitted 

 for its reception. There are several varieties, dif- 

 fering little except in the size of the buds or shoots, 

 and all requiring the same mode of cultivation. It 

 is idle to attempt the culture of this plant unless the 

 earth is rich and deep, and, to ensure this, garden- 

 ers recommend that it be dug over and thoroughly 

 incorporated with manure to the depth of two or 

 three feet. A soil moderately light, in which the 

 roots can spread freely, will be found best for this 

 plant; and, when once prepared, its fertility must be 

 kept up by forking in, either in the fall or early in 

 the spring, three or four inches of well-rotted ma- 

 nure. Aspara'gus-beds should have the full light and 



