CHAPTER XIV 



Leading Vegetable Crops 



ASPARA.GUS 



The asparagus plant is found growing wild in 

 various parts of Europe and Asia, and has been 

 under cultivation as a garden vegetable for many 

 hundreds of years. The young succulent shoots 

 make their appearance very early in the spring and 

 are the parts of the plant prized for use. As a cul- 

 tivated crop it is comparatively easily grown over a 

 wide range of soil and climatic conditions. This 

 plant should be found in all home gardens, and is 

 becoming of increasing importance in commercial 

 gardens every year. As a matter of fact, there is 

 scarcely a city or town in the country that has all 

 the asparagus it could use during its season. This 

 is especially true of smaller towns, in many of 

 which a very meager supply will be found at any 

 time. While the asparagus does really well on a 

 great variety of soils, a deep sandy loam is gen- 

 erally conceded to be the best for this plant. 

 While an abundance of moisture should be present, 

 it is necessary to avoid standing water or a water 

 table too close to the surface. In whatever type of 

 soil asparagus is grown a generous supply of humus 

 is essential. As a matter of fact, it is hardly pos- 

 sible to supply too much of this material to soils 

 otherwise well adapted to the crop. Stony and 

 heavy clay soils are to be especially avoided, on 

 account of the difficulty of cultivation and of cutting 



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