ASPARAGUS. 177 



wards, with little care, they will yield a full sup- 

 ply, so long as they are freely enriched. Should 

 it be desirable to make the stalks specially ten- 

 der and blanched, this may be done by placing 

 a headless barrel over the crowns in April, and 

 allowing the stalks to grow up within the inclos- 

 ure. New plantations may be made by division 

 of the roots. Myatt's Linnaeus is the best vari- 

 ety for family use, being early, tender, and less 

 acid than other kinds. Victoria is larger and 

 more marketable, but coarser and later. 



ASPAKAGUS. 



This also is a perennial vegetable, but so dis- 

 tinct, hardy, permanent, and valuable as to claim 

 a place with fruits. It delights in a deep, rich, 

 and moist soil. Before planting, the ground 

 should be trenched or ploughed to the depth of 

 eighteen inches or two feet. Plants one or two 

 years from the seed are to be preferred. These 

 should be planted in a bed of three rows, a foot 

 apart, and the plants at the same distance in the 

 rows. Thus a bed one hundred feet long would 

 require three hundred plants. 



It is well to throw out the surface of the bed 

 with a plough or shovel, in order to facilitate an 

 even planting of the roots, bringing the crown 

 down four inches below the surface when fin- 



12 



