28 POPULAR VEGETABLES 



growths we ever saw were from beds of a light porous 

 soil, but they were irrigated weekly, indeed twice 

 a week in dry weather, and wherever liquid manure 

 can be utilised from May to September there can 

 be no doubt of its excellent feeding properties for 

 Asparagus. Beds are sometimes formed on north 

 borders for late supplies, but, so far, with poor 

 results. There is no need of beds for late supplies as 

 " grass " may be cut well into the late summer if the 

 roots are attended to in the way of moisture. This late 

 cutting, however, is not advisable, as the plant must 

 have sufficient time to make its growth for another 

 season, and a supply can be had for six months, from 

 Christmas to Midsummer, by forcing and the ordinary 

 supply from the open ground, surely a sufficiently long 

 season for one vegetable. When the natural soil is 

 unsuitable preparation of the beds will take time. In 

 the case of heavy soil take off the top spit of soil that 

 had been worked previously, place it on one side, and 

 then trench the ground or double dig, and if expense 

 is no object a portion of the lower spit may be removed 

 entirely, and a liberal quantity of lighter soil added, 

 such as burnt garden refuse, road-scrapings, wood ashes, 

 sand or sandy mud, and old leaf soil. When digging 

 add plenty of decayed manure, working this in the 

 top soil placed on one side for the surface with the 

 materials added as the work proceeds. In poor lands 

 trenching is important, and in heavy land the lightest 

 soil, or soil that has been worked or pulverised by the 

 weather, should be kept on the surface, so that in 



