1G7 



four inches between the two rows. The beds are 

 north and south, and in lengths of nine feet, and be- 

 ing in parallel lines, one lining, of course, works what 

 is equivalent to a whole bed, — viz., a couple of rows. 

 The plants are placed only ten inches apart, and the 

 quantity of produce in weight that has been obtained 

 from these beds, for years, is truly surprising. We 

 never had the curiosity to weigh the produce, but this 

 we can say, that our Asparagus has generally excelled 

 that of all competitors at the country shows. We have 

 no very distinct mode of cultivation for these pits, 

 merely putting in practice the manurings and other 

 matters connected with high cultivation, described in 

 the section on open-ground culture. We take care, 

 after forcing, to protect with litter the straggling 

 shoots remaining above ground ^ and suffer the beds 

 to rest for one season. Here, as in open-ground cul- 

 ture, we lay the utmost stress on feeding the plants 

 in the alleys by means of their annual roots, and to 

 this end we turn over the remains of the fermented 

 materials in the alleys in the month of April, using 

 soil or other old matter to blend with the manure, in 

 order to induce a rapid and vigorous action of root. 

 The roots they make in one summer, in a proper me- 

 dium, is indeed surprising, ^nd any one closely ob- 

 serving this would, we think, on due consideration, 

 at once see the propriety of paying extra attention to 

 the alley cultivation. We may here state, that our 



