' ASPARAGUS. 255 



pered as to ground or other means, then it is well 

 to have it ; for of all luxuries those of the vegeta- 

 ble kind are the most harmless ; but it is a good 

 rule either to have it in plenty or not at all. No 

 invidious dish should ever be seen on any table; 

 for no good taste can relish that of which there is 

 not enough for every one. The following is the 

 mode of cultivating this herb. Sow the seed in 

 March, in drills six inches apart and less than one 

 inch deep. Cover the bed, in the end of October, 

 with litter or short loose dung, to protect the seed- 

 lings in winter. In dry weather, next spring, raise 

 the plants with a strong fork, which avoids cutting 

 the roots, and transfer them to the proper quarter. 

 This operation may also be done in summer, when 

 the plants are a foot long, taking care to water 

 them regulary after transplanting. The soil for 

 their reception must be rich and light, and trenched 

 two and a half feet deep, with a thick bed of manure 

 at the bottom. Till, clay, or wet subsoil, is out of 

 the question. Avoid the drying of the roots by 

 sun or air in the time of transplanting. Make a 

 trench perpendicular on one side, and of a depth 

 equal to to the length of the roots, which are to be 

 set one foot from each other, and in rows two feet 

 and a half apart. Onions, carrots, or cauliflower, 

 may for a year or two occupy the intervening spaces. 

 In October, the stalks are cut over, and the ground 

 dug between the rows, taking care to avoid the 

 roots: and the summer culture consists of weeding, 

 and stirring up the soil with a fork. By the third 



