ii8 Home Vegetable Gardening 



six to eight inches of old, thoroughly rotted manure. 

 Cover with six to eight inches of good soil — not that 

 coming from the bottom of the trench — and on this 

 set the crowns or root-clumps — preferably one-year 

 ones — being careful to spread the roots out evenly, 

 and covering with enough soil to hold in position, 

 making them firm in the soil. The roots are set one 

 foot apart. Then fill in level, thus leaving the 

 crowns four to six inches below the surface. As the 

 stalks appear give a light dressing of nitrate of soda 

 and keep the crop cleanly cultivated. (Lettuce, beets, 

 beans or any of the small garden vegetables may be 

 grown between the asparagus rows during the first 

 part of the season, for the first two years, thus get- 

 ting some immediate return from labor and ma- 

 nure). The stalks should not be cut until the second 

 spring after planting and then only very lightly. 

 After that full crops may be had. 



After the first season, besides keeping cleanly cul- 

 tivated at all times, in the fall clear off and burn all 

 tops and weeds and apply a good coating of manure. 

 Dig or lightly cultivate this in the spring, applying 

 also a dressing of nitrate of soda, as soon as the 

 stalks appear. If the yield is not heavy, give a 

 dressing of bone or of the basic fertilizers mentioned 

 on page 53. It is not difficult to grow plants from 

 seed, but is generally more satisfactory to get the 

 roots from some reliable seedsman. 



