CHAPTER XYL 



ASPARAGUS, RHUBARB AND CAULIFLOWER. 



The forcing of these vegetables in the greenhouse is 

 becoming an important industry with many florists, as 

 nearly all the money obtained for them is clear gain ; 

 the space they occupy is not likely to be used for other 

 purposes and there is no outlay except a small amount 

 for labor, and this is paid for several fold by the returns 

 from the crops. 



ASPARAGU3 FORCING. 



The plants used for forcing asparagus are from old, 

 out-of-door plantations, or they may be grown from seed 

 to the age of three years, the seed being sown early in the 

 spring in drills fifteen inches apart, upon rich and mod- 

 erately heavy sandy loam. One pound of seed will be 

 sufficient for 200 feet of drill. As the seed is slow to 

 germinate, it is well to sow with it a few radish seeds, 

 which will soon appear and will mark the line of the 

 drill so that cultivation can begin at once. The seeds 

 should be covered one inch or slightly more, and the 

 soil compacted. The seeds need good cultivation the 

 first year, and the following spring can be planted out to 

 develop strength. As they will remain only two years, 

 they can be placed quite thickly, if the soil is well 

 enriched. A space of two and one-half by one foot for 

 each plant will answer, although a little more is desira- 

 ble. Here they are grown for two seasons, and can be 

 dug just before the ground freezes, and used for forcing 

 purposes. Since the sowing of the seed, a period of two 



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