ASP 



ASP 



Asparagus is always three years at least 

 from the time of sowing the seed, before 

 the plants obtain strength enough to pro- 

 duce shoots of due size for the table ; that 

 is, one year in the seed-bed, and two af- 

 ter being transplanted, though it is some- 

 times three or four years after planting 

 before they produce good full-sized 

 shoots. But the same bed or plantation 

 will continue producing good asparagus 

 ten or twelve years, and even endure fif- 

 teen or twenty years. However, at that 

 age the shoots are generally small, and 

 the whole annual produce inconsiderable. 

 A new plantation should, therefore, be 

 made every eight, ten, or twelve years, 

 as may be judged necessary. When new 

 plantations of asparagus are required to 

 be raised in the quickest manner for use, 

 it should be done by purchasing ready- 

 raised year-old plants of the nursery-men 

 or kitchen-gardeners, as in this way a year 

 may be gained. 



ASPARAGUS, in chemistry. This plant 

 has been lately analyzed: the filtered 

 juice had the appearance of whey, and 

 reddened the infusion of litmus. When 

 heated, it deposited flakes, which were 

 considered as albumen. When left a long 

 time to evaporate in the open air, a quan- 

 tity of asparagin, and of saccharine mat- 

 ter, having the appearance of manna, se- 

 parated in crystals. See ASPARAGIN. 



ASPARAGUS stone, in mineralogy, found 

 only at Caprera in Murcia, a province of 

 Spain, which has been considered by some 

 French chemists as a crysolite. Colour, 

 asparagus-green, sometimes passing to a 

 greenish-white, or pistachio-green, some- 

 times between orange and yellowish 

 brown ; always crystalized in equiangu- 

 lar six-sided prisms; frangible, brittle. 

 Specific gravity 3.09. It dissolves in the 

 nitrous acid with effervescence, but does 

 not exhibit a phosporic light when laid 

 on coals. Its constituent parts are, 

 Lime . . . 53.32 

 Phosphoric acid 45.75 

 99.04 



ASPERUGO, in botany, a genus of the 

 Pentandria Monogynia class of plants, the 

 flower of which consists of one rotated 

 petal, divided into several segments at 

 the limb ; and its calyx, which is divided 

 like the flower petal, contains the seeds, 

 which are four in number, and of a 

 roundish compressed figure. There are 

 two species. 



AS FERULA, tooodruffe, in botany, a 

 genus of the Tetrandria Monogynia class 

 of plants, the flower of which consists of 



one petal, divided into four segments at 

 the limb ; and its fruit is composed of two 

 roundish, dry berries, adhering together, 

 in each of which is a single seed of the 

 same roundish shape. 



There are eleven species. The com- 

 mon sweet-scented woodruffe is a native 

 of many parts of Europe, in woods and 

 shady places. The scent is pleasant, and, 

 when dried, diffuses an odour like that 

 of vernal grass. It gives a grateful fla- 

 vour to wine ; and when kept among 

 clothes, it not only imparts an agreeable 

 perfume to them, but is said to preserve 

 them from insects. 



ASPHALTUM, in chemistry, one of the 

 proper bitumens, found in great abun- 

 dance in different countries, especially in 

 the island of Trinidad, on the shores of 

 the Red Sea, and in Albania, where it is 

 found in vast strata. It is supposed that 

 it was first liquid, and that it acquired 

 solidity by exposure to the air. Its colour 

 is black, with a shade of brown, red, or 

 grey. Its specific gravity varies. That 

 of Albania, as ascertained by Klaproth, 

 was 1.20 ; but it was somewhat contami- 

 nated with earth. Kirwan, in purer spe- 

 cimens, found the specific gravity to vary 

 from 1.07 to 1.16. Klaproth has lately 

 published an analysis of the asphaltum of 

 Albania. He found it insoluble, both in 

 acids and alkalies, as also in water and 

 alcohol ; but soluble in oils, petroleum, 

 and sulphuric ether. Five parts of recti- 

 fied petroleum dissolved one part of as- 

 phaltum without the assistance of heat, 

 and formed a blackish brown solution, 

 which, by gentle evaporation, left the as- 

 phaltum in the state of a black brown 

 shining varnish. The solution in ether 

 was of a pale brown red colour; and 

 when evaporated, the asphaltum remain- 

 ed in the state of a semifluid substance, 

 of a reddish colour, still insoluble in al- 

 cohol. A hundred grains of this asphal- 

 tum being distilled in a retort, by a heat 

 gradually raised to redness, yielded the 

 following products. 



Grains. 



Heavy inflammable air 16 



A light brown fluid oil 32 



Water slightly tainted with ammonia 6 



Charcoal 30 



Ashes 16 



100 



These ashes consisted chiefly of silica 

 and alumina, with some iron, lime, and 

 manganese. The asphaltum found in Al- 

 bania is supposed to have constituted the 



