Mar.] The Kitchen Garden. 12.3 



and rake the feed in regularly, taking particular care not 

 to draw the earth in heaps. 



Or in fowing thefe feeds, it may be efFefted hy firil 

 raking the ground as you advance in the digging ; then 

 forming the ground into four feet-wide beds, fliove the 

 earth off the furface with the back of the rake half an 

 inch or an inch deep ; fow the feed and rake the earth 

 over it, as obferved in fowing onions, &c. which fee. 



Of forking and dreffing the Afparagus Beds. 



This is now the time to begin ta fpring-drefs afparagus 

 beds, which is done by forking or ilightly digging them 

 with a three-pronged fork. 



This work fliould be begun about the middle, or latter 

 end of the month. 



For the purpofe of digging or forking thefe beds, you - 

 Ihould be provided with a proper fork; it fhould have three- 

 tines about nine inches long : the tines fhould be perfediy 

 flat, and about an inch broad, and pretty thin, and the 

 ends of them ihould be rounded and blunt. 



Jn forking the beds, be careful to loolen every part to a 

 moderate depth, but taking great care not to go too deep to 

 wound the crowns of the roots. 



The above work of forking thefe beds is moft necefTary 

 to be done every fpring, to improve and loofen the ground, 

 and to give free liberty for the buds to flioot up : alfo to . 

 give free accefs to the fun, air, and fhowers of rain. 



The beds being forked, they mull afterwards be raked 

 even ; obferving that if you do not rake them immediately 

 after they are forked, to defer it no longer than the end of 

 the month, or at fartheft the iiril or fecond week in April, 

 for by that time the buds will begin to advance towards the 

 furface. 



T I anting Afparagiu. 



New plantations of afparagus may now be made, this 

 being the proper feafon to remove thefe plants; but it 

 may be done any lime in the month, when the weatlier 

 is mild. 



In making plantations of thefe plants, one great article 



to beconfidered is, to make choice of a proper foil ; cliool^ 



the beft the" garden affords; it muil not be wet, nor too 



Jlrons: or ilul^burn, but fuch as is moderately light j.nd 



"Cr 2 pliable, 



