Asparagus 



Asparagus 



Other Species : 



aethiopicus temifolius, falcatus, 3', grh. 



(see falcatus), racemosus, 3', My., grh. 



Cooperi, 10' to 12', Ap., ramosissimus, Je., grh., 



My., grh., climber. climber, 



crispus, grh. tenuifolius, 3', wh., hulf- 



decumbens (see crispus) . hdy. 

 virgatus. 



ASPARAGUS (CULINARY). 



Description. A delicious, edible-stemmed, garden 



vegetable (Asparagus officinalis, ord. Liliaceie), 



suitable for forc- 

 ing and outdoor 



culture. The 



plant is a native 



of Britain, and 



grows wild in the 



light, sandy soil 



along some parts 



of the coast. 

 Propagation. 



From seeds and 



by division of 



roots. The former 



is a ready means 



of propagation, 



but not so quick 



in giving returns 



as the latter. To 



form permanent 



plantations from 



seeds, mark out 



beds 5' wide, 



which will ac- 

 commodate four 



rows of seeds, 



leaving a 2' alley 



between thebeds. 



Sow the seed in 



March, in drills 



1" deep and 1' 



apart, and thin 



the seedlings to 



9" apart before 



they overcrowd 



each other. 



Planting. 

 April is a good 

 time for planting 

 roots. Mark out the beds as before, and make 

 narrow trenches 1J' apart and 6" deep for the recep- 

 tion of the plants. Have everything ready before 

 lifting the roots, which should be exposed to the 

 air as little as possible. Allow 1' between the 

 plants, spread out the roots evenly, and cover the 

 crowns with the finest soil to the depth of 3". It 

 is a good practice to raise Asparagus from seeds 

 one season, and make permanent beds of the seed- 

 lings the second, in the above manner. 



Soil. Deep, sandy loam, enriched with animal 

 manure, suits Asparagus well. Where the soil is 

 of a stiff, clayey nature, there should be a liberal 

 addition made of road scrapings, old mortar rubble, 

 and wood ashes. 



Other Cultural Points. If the soil is deep and 

 well drained, Asparagus beds may be formed on 

 the flat, but on wet, retentive land they should be 

 raised a little above the general level. As the 

 crop is practically a permanent one, the prepara- 

 tion of the ground at the outset should be liberal 

 and thorough. Select the site. for the beds in the 

 autumn, trench deeply, placing a layer of the 

 longest manure in the bottom, and another of more 



11 iT Comptmv, Uil. 



ASPAKAGUS SPRENGE1U 



decayed material on the top of the second spit. 

 In the case of ground naturally unsuitable for 

 Asparagus, wheel out a portion of the soil, and 

 replace it with a mixture of the material recom- 

 mended in the preceding paragraph. To preserve 

 the shape of the bed, drive in a short wooden post 

 at each corner. The summer culture consists of 

 keeping down weeds. Early in November the 

 stems should be cut close to the ground, the beds 

 cleaned, and mulched with half-decayed manure, 

 spreading the fine soil from the alleys over the 



dung. In April 

 the beds should 

 receive atten- 

 tion, and the 

 greater part of 

 the manure be 

 raked down into 

 the alleys. On 

 light soils a good 

 sprinklingofsalt, 

 may be applied 

 with advantage 

 at this period. 

 Liquid manure 

 is highly bene- 

 ficial to Aspara- 

 gus during the 

 growing- season, 

 and the size and 

 quantity of the 

 heads may he 

 increased by ap- 

 - plications of 

 concent r a t e d 

 fertilisers. A 

 good dressing in 

 the early spring 

 is formed of 

 8 oz. of kainit 

 and 2 oz. of 

 superphosphate 

 of lime to the 

 square yard, to 

 be followed by 

 a fortnightly ap- 

 plication of J oz. 

 of nitrate of 

 soda per square 



yard while heads are being cut. No heads should 

 be cut till the second year after planting, and the 

 operation should cease for the season at the end of 

 June. Under proper treatment a well-established 

 bed will continue productive for many years. In- 

 stances of beds more than fifty years old are recorded. 

 Forcing. Asparagus may be forced from the 

 beginning of November till cutting commences out- 

 doors. There are various methods adopted, and 

 with houses provided with bottom heat roots may 

 be taken up and placed in boxes of soil, or be tem- 

 porarily planted under glass. A simple mode of 

 forcing is to make up a hot-bed with littery manure 

 and leaves. Place a frame on the bed, and when 

 the heat is on the decline put in 3" or 4" of light 

 soil. Take up the roots, lay them close together 

 on the bed, and cover with 3" of soil. A tempera- 

 ture of from 60 to 65 is suitable, and in frosty 

 weather protection must be afforded. Syringe the 

 bed in the morning arid afternoon, and when the 

 heads come weakly remove the roots, and sub- 

 stitute others. .It is a good plan to raise a 

 succession of plants from seed for forcing, as they 

 are useless after this operation. 



V.YUIEGATUS. (See p. 81.) 



