62 ASPARAGUS 



trenches from time to time, l)iit during the early part 

 of the season great care must be exercised not to 

 cover the crowns too deeply. 



Some growers advise to work the soil away instead 

 of toward the plants, considering the four inches of 

 soil with which the roots are covered at planting suf- 

 ficient for the first year. While this may be true in a 

 wet or moderately moist summer, in a season of drouth 

 the additional mulch of mellow soil can not but be 

 beneficial to the 3'oung and tender plants. Especial 

 care is required w^hen working around the young 

 sprouts, so as not to cover, break, or in any way 

 injure any of them. 



In the garden bed it paj'S to stake the canes when 

 they are but a foot high, so as to prevent the wind 

 from disturbing the stools in the soil by swaying the 

 shoots backward and forward. Careful gardeners 

 insert stakes for this purpose at the time of planting, 

 before the roots are covered with soil, so as to guard 

 against the danger of injuring any of them. The best 

 material for this tying is raffia, or Cuban bast. In 

 field culture staking is usually not pradlicable, partly 

 on account of the cost, and also because where there 

 are many plants growing close together they furnish 

 some mutual protedlion to one another. The same 

 end may also be accomplished — partly, at least — by 

 throwing up a furrow on each side of the rows of 

 plants. Precautions of this kind are important in 

 localities exposed to high winds, as their neglecfl may 

 often cause greater loss than it would have cost to 

 provide proper prote(5tion. 



Another important work in the asparagus bed 



