KITCHEN GARDEN. 



keep it in its place : when this is done, the bed must be 

 filled up level with the spade. This being finished, 

 proceed with the other beds in like manner, till the 

 whole is completed. A bed of twenty yards long, thus 

 planted, will require 236 plants ; and when of three years 

 standing, will furnish heads equal in size to those gene- 

 rally produced in our best gardens. If still larger heads 

 than these should be desired, they may be produced by 

 planting the four rows at fifteen inches between the 

 plants in the row instead of twelve : and if this is done, 

 it will be of greater advantage if the plants are placed 

 in the quincunx manner ; that is, by placing the first 

 row of plants fifteen inches from the end, and fifteen 

 inches apart ; the second row twenty-two inches and a 

 half from the end, and fifteen inches apart ; the third 

 row fifteen inches from the end, and fifteen inches 

 apart ; and the fourth row twenty-two inches and a half 

 from the end, and fifteen inches apart. The plants will 

 thus form rhomboidal squares, instead of rectangular 

 ones ; thereby allowing the roots of one line to extend 

 themselves into the spaces of the adjoining ones. A 

 bed thus planted will require 186 plants. In Cheshire, 

 and some parts of Lancashire, the gardeners pursue a 

 much more expensive method in the preparation of their 

 Asparagus beds than the one which I have described. 

 Their method is this : the beds are staked out five feet 

 wide, leaving three feet alleys between them ; the beds 

 are then thrown out six feet deep, and such soil asi 

 proves of a bad quality is taken away, reserving that 

 only which is good, and supplying the deficiency, if any, 

 with good soil from some other place : six inches thick 

 of half rotten dung is then spread in the bottom of the 

 bed, and twelve inches thick of good mould levelled 

 over it, which is then well forked over, and mixed 

 with a three-pronged fork : after this, is levelled and 

 made even, three other double layers of dung and mould 



