KITCHEN VEGETABLES. 73 



or six inches in length. They are often, however, 

 cut shorter, and often much longer ; but those 

 opened in the head are not so marketable as the 

 close firm ones. 



Towards the close of the season of cutting, be 

 careful to leave two or three shoots to each stool or 

 crown, in order to draw nourishment to it ; as other- 

 wise such stool will die out ; so leaving the beds or 

 lines full of blanks ; which, owing to carelessness in 

 this respect, is frequently found to be the case. 



The rows of asparagus, sown as directed in 

 March, will require to be thinned out about the 

 middle of the month. They should be thinned out, 

 in the first instance, to four or five inches ; and in a 

 few weeks more, to nine or ten. Choose a showery 

 time for these thinnings, otherwise give a hearty 

 watering immediately afterwards. If the season be 

 very dry, these seedling rows, and any that w r ere 

 planted in March, should have a good watering once 

 in three or four days, till their roots be well estab- 

 lished in the ground. 



Of planting and topping Beans. 



Plant more beans for successional crops. Those 

 fittest are the Windsor, Toker, or Sandwich ; but 

 the long-pod, cluster, or white blossomd, will also 

 succeed. Clean, and earth up such of the other 

 crops as may stand in need. 



Likewise top the early crops of Mazagans or Lis- 

 bons, which will now be in flower. This diverts 

 the growth into the pods just forming, and forwards 

 them in a very considerable degree. The time for 



