A YEAR'S CYCLE IN THE GARDEN 157 



end with all the eyes on it. After cutting the 

 potatoes dip them in sifted ashes and spread them 

 out on the cellar floor for a day or two to dry well 

 before planting. 



Making an Asparagus 'Bed. This is also a good 

 time to think about setting out an asparagus bed. 

 Do not get the largest roots as they are very slow 

 in starting. The two-year old roots will be found 

 preferable to the larger sizes. To grow really good 

 asparagus you simply must make a perfect bed: 

 trench the ground three feet deep four is even 

 better and add an abundance of well-rotted 

 manure. Put four layers of manure in each trench. 

 A year ago I put into a bed 180 feet long and 100 

 feet wide about 100 loads of manure. 



Dig a trench about six inches deep and about 

 twelve inches wide, go along the trench and 

 place the young plants, crown up, about eighteen 

 inches apart, taking care to spread the roots nicely. 

 Run the rows north and south, if convenient. 

 Throw a couple of inches of soil over the roots and 

 firm nicely with the feet, but don't tramp on the 

 crown. About the middle of summer pull another 

 couple of inches of soil into the trench and in the 

 fall, level off the surface. 



Advice for the Future. When your bed is about 

 two months old, it should be given a liberal dressing 

 of salt, which not only kills weeds but serves as a 

 valuable fertilizer and conserver of moisture. In 

 future Marches, the old bed should be spaded 

 over and manure turned in. Each year the crowns 

 work nearer the surface, so that after several years, 



