32 AS^^ARAGUS 



ones rejeaed, it is n^t safe to count upon more than 

 one-half of this ni;niber of good plants. The number 

 of plants required for an acre varies according to the 

 manner of planting. If planted in rows three feet 

 apart and two feet in the rows, it will require 7,260 

 plants pfjr acre ; if planted three by four, 3,630 per acre. 



Sp-^viNG THE SEED WHERE THE PLANTS ARE TO 

 REMAIN 



Growing asparagus without transplanting is gradu- 

 ally finding many advocates among those who raise 

 only the green article. It is not onlj' a cheaper but 

 in some respe(5ls a better method than the raising of 

 the plants in a special seed-bed, from which they are 

 transplanted after a year or two. " The plan is very 

 simple," wrote Peter Henderson in American Agrinil- 

 turist, " and can be followed b}^ any one having even a 

 slight knowledge of farming or gardening work. In the 

 fall prepare the land b)' manuring, deep plowing, and 

 harrowing, making it as level and smooth as possible for 

 the reception of the seed. Strike out lines three feet 

 apart and about two to three inches deep, in which 

 sow the seed by hand or seed-drill, as is most con- 

 venient, using from five to seven pounds of seed to 

 each acre. After sowing, and before covering, tread 

 down the seed in the rows with the feet evenly ; then 

 draw the back of the rake lengthwise over the rows, 

 after which roll the whole surface. 



' ' As soon as the land is dry and fit to work in the 

 spring, the young plants of asparagus will start 

 through the ground, sufficient to define the rows. At 

 <^nce begin to cultivate with hand or horse cultivator. 



