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[85] 



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month, give the whole another surface- 

 dressing with similar manure, and double- 

 dig or trench the whole over again, leav- 

 ing the surface rough and open, giving 

 the whole another salting, and let it lie 

 in this way until the time for planting. 

 Previously to marking out the beds, the 

 whole should have another thorough 

 good digging over, making the surface 

 neat and even as the work goes on. 



Mode of Planting. The plants being 

 taken from the seed-bed carefully with a 

 narrow-pronged dungfork, with as little 

 injury to the roots as possible, they must 

 be laid separately and evenly together, 

 for the sake of convenience whilst plant- 

 ing ; the roots being apt to entangle and 

 cause much trouble and injury in parting 

 them. They should be exposed as short 

 a time as possible to the air ; and to this 

 end it is advisable to keep them until 

 planted in a basket covered with a little 

 sand. The mode of planting is to form 

 drills or narrow trenches five or six 

 inches deep, and one foot apart, cut out 

 with the spade, the line-side of each drill 

 being made perpendicular, and against 

 this the plants are to be placed, with 

 their crowns one and a half or two inches 

 below the surface, and twelve inches 

 asunder. The roots must be spread out 

 wide in the form of a fan, a little earth 

 being drawn over each to retain it in its 

 position whilst the row is proceeded 

 with. For the sake of convenience, one 

 drill should be made at a time, and the 

 plants inserted and covered completely 

 before another is commenced. When 

 the planting is completed, the bed is to 

 be lightly raked over, and its outline 

 distinctly marked out. Care must be 

 had never to tread on the beds they are 

 formed narrow to render it unnecessary 

 for everything tending to consolidate 

 them is injurious, as, from the length of 

 time they have to continue, without a 

 possibility of stirring them to any con- 

 siderable depth, they have a closer texture 

 than is beneficial to vegetation. Water 

 must be given in dry weather daily until 

 the plants are established. The paths 

 between the beds are to be three feet 

 wide. The first season after planting 

 the beds, a crop of radishes may be 

 sown upon them without very much 

 injury to the young plants, if the radishes 



are all drawn off early. It too often 

 happens that new asparagus beds are 

 ruined by being pestered with other 

 crops ; but a row, or even two rows, of 

 either lettuces or spinach, may be sown 

 in the alleys. 



Subsequent Cultivation. Throughout 

 the year care must be taken to keep the 

 beds clear of weeds, and in May and 

 summer apply liquid manure twice a 

 week plentifully, giving a sprinkling of 

 salt once a month. In the latter end of 

 October or commencement of November, 

 the beds are to have the winter dressing. 

 The stalks must be cut down and cleared 

 away, the beds cleaned, if weedy, and 

 carefully forked up. A thoroughly good 

 dressing of manure is put all over the 

 beds equally, and the alleys forked over 

 too ; whilst, for the sake of giving the 

 whole a finish, a line is put down each 

 side of the alley, the edges made up a 

 little, and a few crumbs from the alleys 

 thrown upon the beds, and the edges 

 marked out with the point of the spade. 

 The work is then done for the winter. 



Spring Dressing. In the month of 

 March the beds are again forked over 

 carefully, the manure and soil well 

 broken up and mixed together, and some 

 of the rougher parts of manure, with 

 all the rakings, forked into the alleys ; 

 after which the beds are raked over, and 

 lettuces are there sown or planted in 

 succession for the summer months. 



Production. In the May of the second 

 year after planting, if they are very 

 highly cultivated with liquid manure, 

 cutting may commence ; but, under or- 

 dinary culture, cutting had better not 

 begin until the third year. We recom- 

 mend the heads to be allowed to grow 

 about six inches above the ground before 

 they are cut, and then to be cut level 

 with the surface. By this mode, first 

 suggested by Mr. Weaver, the whole shoot 

 is eatable, all risk of injuring other 

 rising shoots is avoided, and the flavour 

 is much superior to that cut when only 

 just rising above the surface. Cutting 

 should cease at the end of June or very 

 early in July. 



Forcing may be commenced at the end 

 of November. For this purpose take up 

 the plants from an old bed, or others 

 raised purposely when they are three or 



