HORTICULTURE. 



267 



(,A.-;C 



ginning of October, the haulm decays, and is cut over ; 

 all the refuse is dug into the alleys, and the superfluous 

 A^CT " earth thus acquired is often spread over the beds to the 

 depth of an inch or more, which is called landing up. Fre- 

 quently small dung, or perhaps sea-weed, i* spread on 

 Ute beds, and this is accounted the better practice; 

 the surface being previously stirred with a fork, so as 

 to allow the juices of the manure washed down by the 

 rain* to be readily imbibed. 



In the spring dressing of the beds, the intervals are 

 lightly delved over. For this purpose, the narrow 

 pronged fork, already mentioned, is generally employ- 

 ed, being much lea* apt to injure the roots. This 

 dwaaing i* given just before the bud* begin to ap- 

 pear, and the raking require* some delicacy of hand. 



The same practice, both for the autumn and spring, i* 

 observed for the second year ; it being only in the third 



ynaraflii planting out, or the fourth from the seed, that 



cutting Car use is bej 



nerally be cut ; in May and June they come rapidly 



egun. In Aj 



April, a few shouts may 

 Juni 



and copiously. In the first productive season, only the 

 large bud* or shoots are taken, the smaller being left to 

 spring up and draw strength to the plants. In subse- 

 quent years all the shoots are gathered as they ad- 

 vance, till the end of June or beginning of July. A 

 common rule is, to cease to cut, or to let asparagu* 

 tpin, (grow up,) when green pea* come in. U uh due 

 attention, an aaparague quarter may be kept in a pro- 

 ductive state for ten Tear* or more. In cutting the 

 boot* for use, some of the earth i* removed, in order to 



i a common gardener'* knife, and other* 

 ploy a narrow- pointed knife, with it* blade notched 

 like a saw. Shoots two inches under the ground, and 

 three or four above, make the beat dishea of asparagus. 

 The crop, if judiciously cut, may hut nearly three 

 months; from the middle of April to the middle of Ju- 

 ly. An asparagus quarter should not contain lea* than 

 a pose of ground, a* it often needs this quantity to fur- 

 nish a good dish at one time. For a large family about 

 sixteen rood* are kept in a productive state, which are 

 ralrulatrd to furnish, on an average, between 200 and 

 300 choot* every day in the bright of the seaMTi. 8a- 

 veral of the market Rardenen in the neigltbourbood of 



London bstTc MUIT CFW of MpsWAWVi ground, M i 

 tionedu a fornxr part of thi* article, fm. 



355. The/arcing of asparagu* was practised in Eng- 

 land in the middle of the 17* century. Meager men- 

 tions, that the London market was, at that period, tap. 

 plied with forced asparagus early in the year: " Some 

 bavitig old beds of sparrairuawhsdi they are minded to 

 ***%. 



deetroy , and having convenience of new or warm dung, 

 lay their old plant* in order on the dang, and the heat 

 doth soree forward a farewell crop," (p. IM.) The 

 forcing of this article is now carried to a considerable 

 eatent in the neighbourhood of London. It i* Likewise 

 very generally practised in private garden*. 



A common hot bad, prepared with bone dang, i* 

 formed according to the MM of the frame or frame*. 

 A layer of turfs i* anmatlmai placed on the dung, to pre- 

 vent the access of the vapour from it, which apt to 

 hurt the flavour of the crop. About four inches of good 

 light soil or old tan-bark are placed on the turf. In 

 thw plant* six or eight yean old are closely deposited. 

 These plants are sometimes got from nurserymen, to 

 whom such stock i* no longer useful; or one of the 

 bed* in the garden fa far this purpose sacrificed, 

 being taken to have *iifCf*aiuii bed* coming for- 

 L But where the demand lor the market, or for 



a private family, is regular, the best way is to have 

 several successive beds in progress. Those plants in- 

 tended for forcing may be transplanted a^ usual when 

 one year old, but in much closer order, and so kept 

 till the fourth year. A three-light garden frame will 

 hold from (JOO to 800 t old plants. The roots 



are placed as close together ^s po<-ible (as already 

 hinted), with the buds standing upright, and covered 

 with three or four inches of soil. The temperature of 

 the dung is generally regulated merely by guessing the 

 heat imparted to sticks plunged into it: if it becomes 

 too weak, a lining of weeds or dung is heaped around 

 the sides : if it prove too -trong, some air holes are 

 formed by pushing large sticks into the sides and with- 

 drawing them, leaving empty spaces, or by removing 

 the glass covers for some time. The proper tempera- 

 ture is about .13- Fahrenheit. Air is occasionally ad- 

 mitted, by ra'sing the glasses a little ; and sometimes a 

 slight watering is necessary. At other times, in severe 

 weather, mats are hud over the frames. A little fine 

 light earth is sometimes added, once or twice, as the 

 buds rise. In five or six weeks some of the shoots are 

 generally fit for gathering. In France they often cut 

 in a fortnight ; but shoots produced in this rapid way 

 are in a great measure colourless and tasteless, having 

 been forced nearly without access of light and air. In 

 gathering the shoots from a hot-bed, it is thought bet- 

 ter to avoid cutting with a knife, and to employ only 

 the finger and thumb ; by a gentle twist the snoot is 

 detached, and with less risk of injuring the tender buds 

 below. Each light or frame yields on an average SOO 

 shoots, which come in succession during about three 

 week*. Where a regular winter supply of this article 

 is desired, beds are made up in succession accordingly 

 from November to March. After being forced, the 

 plant* are cast on the dunghil a* useless. 



Mr Nicol describes a mode of forcing asparagus in 

 flued pits, such as are used for young pine-apple plants. 

 A layer of old half rotten bark, placed over well fer- 

 mented dung, forms the bed, the plants being placed in 

 light dry earth. Very little fire-heat is found to be ne. 

 cceiary ; generally a slight fire at night is sufficient. 

 Watering, and the regular admission of air, are to be 

 attended to. He remarks, that by means of very sim- 

 ple expedient*, one half of a flued pit may be forced, 

 and the other kept back, and thus a succession of shoot* 

 secured 



356. Arparagnf, it may be remarked, wa< a favourite 

 of the Roman* ; and they seem to have possessed a 

 vry strong growing variety, as Pliny mentions that, 

 about Ravenna, three shoots would weigh a pound ; 

 with us, six of the largest would be required. It is 

 much praised by Cato; and as he enlarges on tJie 

 mode of culture, it seems probable that the plant 

 had but newly come into use. In this country, Dutch 

 asparagus was preferred in the end of the 17th 

 tury ; and this variety is still distinguished for af- 

 fording the thickest shoot*. In a garden formed at 

 Dunbar in the very beginning of the 18th century, 

 by Provost Fall, (a name well known in the mercantile 

 world,) asparagus was for many years cultivated with 

 uncommon success. The variety used was the red 

 topped, and it was brought from Holland. The m:l of 

 the garden i* little better than sea sand. Th; a was 

 trenched two feet deep, and a thick layer of sea- 

 weed was put in the bottom of the trend), and well 

 pressed together and beat down. This w.u the only 

 manure used either at the first plaining, or at subse- 

 quent dressings. There was an inexhaustible is tj>- 



Kitehru 

 Garden. 



