A S 



TKe Quantity of Ground necef- 

 iary to be planted with Afparagus, 

 to llipply a fmall Family, fhould be 

 at leaft fix Rods i lefs than that will 

 not do, for if you cannot cut one 

 hundred at a time, it will fcarcely 

 be worth while, for you mufl: be 

 obliged to keep it after it is cut 

 two or three Days to furnifh enough 

 for one Mefs ; but for a larger Fa- 

 mily, twelve Rods of Ground fhould 

 be planted, which, if a good Crop, 

 will furnifh two or tiiree hundred 

 ea.ch Day in the Height of the Sea- 

 fon. 



But as there are feveral People 

 who delight in having early uifpa- 

 ragus, which is become a very 

 great Trade in the Kitchen-Gar- 

 dens near LonSn, fo I fhall give 

 proper Diredions for the obtain- 

 ing it any time in Winter. 



You mufl: firfl be provided with 

 a Quantity of good Roots (either 

 of your own railing, or purchas'd 

 from iiich Gardeners as plant for 

 Sale) that have been two Yeai's 

 planted out from the Seed-bed 5 

 and having tix'd upon the Time 

 when you would willingly have 

 your Afparagiis Hv to cut, about 

 iix Weeks before, you ihould pre- 

 pare a Quantity ol" new Stable 

 HcM-fe-dung, which fhou'd be thrown 

 in a Heap for a Week or more, to 

 ferment; then dig out a Trench 

 in the Ground Vv'here you intend 

 to make the Bed, the Width of 

 the Frames that are deiign'd to 

 cover it, and the Length in Pro- 

 portion to the Quantity you intend 

 to have, (which if deiign'd only to 

 iupply a fmall Family, three Lights 

 at a time will be lufficicnt ) : Then 

 lay down your Dung into the 

 Trench, working it very regularly, 

 and beat it down very tight with 

 a Fark^ laying it at leafl three Feet 

 in Thickuefsj then put your Earth 



A s 



thereon about fix Inches thicfef 

 breaking the Clods, and laying it 

 level, and at one End begin laying 

 your Roots againfl a little Ridge 

 of Earth, rais'd about four Inches 

 high: Your Roots mufl be laid as 

 clofe as polTible one to the other 

 in Rows with their Buds flanding 

 upright : And between every Row 

 lay a fmall Quantity of fine Mould, 

 obferving to keep the Crown of 

 the Roots exadtly level : When 

 you have finifli'd laying your Bed 

 with Roots, you muft lay fbme 

 fti-ff Earth up to the Roots on the 

 Out-lides of the Bed, which are 

 bare, to keep them from drying, 

 and thruft two or three iharp- 

 pointcd Sticks, about two Feet 

 long, down between the Roots in 

 the Middle of the Bed at a Diftance 

 from each other. .The Ufe of 

 theie Stick are to let you know 

 what Temper of Heat your Bed is 

 in, which you may find by draw- 

 ing up the Sticks, and feeling the 

 lower Parti and if after the Bed 

 has been made a Week, you find it 

 doth not heat, you may lay a little 

 Straw or Litter round the Sides, or 

 upon the Top, which will greatly 

 help it; and if you find it very- 

 hot, it Vsrill be advifeable to let it 

 remain wholly uncover'd, and to 

 thrufl a large Stick into the Dung 

 on each Side of the Bed in feveral 

 Piaces, to make Holes for the great 

 Steam of the Bed to pafs off, 

 which in a l"hort tim.e will reduce 

 the Bed to a moderate Heat. 



After your Bed has been made a 

 Fortnight, you muft cover the 

 Crown of the P^oots with fine 

 Earth about two Inches thick ; and 

 when the Buds appear above Ground 

 through that Earth, you muft a- 

 gain lay on a frcfh Parcel about 

 three Inches thick; fo that in the 

 Whole it may be five Inches abov^ 



the 



