ASPARAGUS. 



119 



tion of them the poor privilege of starving to death, in- 

 stead of being eaten up. Considering, therefore, the 

 certainty of the evil consequences of the destruction of 

 the blue bird, and the uncertainty of the possible good, 

 I believe that, notwithstanding the apparent balance 

 against the species, even the most radical economist, the 

 most indifferent to the beauty and pleasure of the nat- 

 ural world, would have no present justification for throt- 

 tling the song of the blue bird in his garden, with the 

 hope of increasing thereby his annual store of hay and 

 cabbage." 



The following table gives the percentages of the three 

 classes of insects destroyed, and the average for the 

 season : 



CHAPTEK XII. 



ASPARAGUS. (Asparagus officinalis.) 



Asperge, French ; Spargel, German ; Aspcrgie, Dutch ; Asperago or 

 Italian ; and JSsperrayo, Spanish. 



Asparagus is a native of the sea coasts of Europe, and 

 has long been in cultivation as one of the choicest vege- 

 tables of the garden. Peter Henderson says of this vege- 

 table, that the supply has never yet fully satisfied the 

 demand, and that a small quantity of good asparagus has 



