1871 



THE WESTERN POMOLOGIST. 



53 



t^tiMt antr Mlotsitt mnxtftn. 



Asparagus— How, to Groiv It. 



Most ikrmers, and even those who pride them- 

 selves on having a good gardrn, appear to thinlf 

 there is some mystery about raising asparagus, un- 

 derstood only by professional gardeners and ama- 

 teur fruit growers— -that it is attended with much 

 difficulty and labor. Many writers for agricultural 

 and horticultural journals, have so mystified the 

 subject, that thousands are detered from planting 

 this early and delicious vegetable. In their long, 

 prosy disertations we read about soil, aspect, dig- 

 ging deep pits, removal of subsoil, about old bones, 

 shoes, boots, salt, etc., as indispensables in the prep- 

 aration of an asparagus bed ; when, in fact, the cul- 

 ture of no garden vegetable is more simple or 

 attended with less labor. Any dry, well drained 

 soil of sufficient fertility to produce a first class 

 crop of corn or potatoes, will do for asparagus. 

 We have one bed planted with two year old roots 

 in 1865. The preparation of the bed consisted only 

 in spading up the soil to the depth of eight or ten 

 inches, setting the plant about two feet apart with 

 the crown about four inches below the surface. 

 The only care or laljor given to it since, has been 

 to keep the weeds out by hand-pulling and clean- 

 ing off the old stocks in the fall — no manuring or 

 disturbing of the soil in any way. From this bed 

 we have annually cut very fair crops. It will pay 

 well to put more labor Into the culture of this 

 plant than we have given it ; but we wish to show 

 how easily every farmer's fiimily may enjoy an 

 abundance of this luxury, and without going 

 through the needless rotine of manipulations taught 

 by those who do more gardening on paper than in 

 the field. 



Now, for an asparagus bed made in the best possi 

 ble manner, select the richest, warmest, and most 

 sunny spot in the garden, spade up one to two feet 

 deep, make it rich with a compost of the strongest 

 well rotted manure and wood ashes, in the propor- 

 tion of about one bushel of ashes to twenty of 

 manure. Two j'car old roots jire more profitable 

 to start with than seed, or roots of any other age. 

 If roots are used, and space is limited, as in a small 

 garden, set one foot apart with the crowns three or 

 four inches deep, and if manure is handy, finisli up 

 by giving the surface of the bed a dressing of an 



inch or two. Keep clear of weeds by hand-pulling; 



annually, late in the fall, clear ofi" the old stalks and 

 spread rather coarse manure over the bed three or 

 four inches deep with a sprinkling of ashes. Early 

 in the spring loosen up the manure and work it 

 into the soil slightly. A bed thus made and man- 

 aged will produce annual crops without deteriora- 

 tion for a generation or more. A sandy loam is the 

 best for asparagus, but almost any kind of soil will 

 do if rightly prepared. Good drainage and full 

 exposure to the sun is all important. The bed 

 should not be located where any surface water will 

 stand for any length of time. Asparagus to be of 

 the best quality, like the radish, must have a quick 

 growth. 



If it is desired to commence with seed, sow in 

 rows one foot apart and cover an inch or two deep. 

 When the plants are fairly established, thin out to 

 the distance mentioned for setting roots. It is said 

 that a dressing of salt, at the rate of two or three 

 pounds to thirty or forty square feet early in the 

 spring .stimulates growth, but we have no great 

 faith in such an application. For field culture, or 

 where there is plenty of room, plant two or three 

 feet apart. 



Among the most popular sorts of asparagus are 

 Lusher's Mammoth, Conover's Colossal and Moore's 

 Premium. The latter takes precedence in the Bos- 

 ton market. 



For the WeBtern Pomologist. 



Botany for Farmers and Cardenera. 



Bt Prof. C. E. Besset, Iowa AGRicm-TURUL Coi-leob. 



Friend Miller : The little article in last month's 

 number of the Pomologist on the study of botany 

 induces me to write something at greater length, in 

 favor of that most delightful of all studies. But a 

 few years ago it was thought by the great majority 

 that botany was only fitted for school girls, or what 

 to many seemed little better, the naturalist. With 

 the rise and advance of practical education, how- 

 ever, the idea has in a great measure given way, 

 and now in our industrial colleges, botany stands 

 among the foremost of the natural sciences. This 

 is as it should be, for surely no other sdence has a 

 greater practical bearing upon the business of the 



