52 GARDEN STEPS 



Cultivation 



The First Year. — When the shoots appear, fill 

 in the rest of the soil gradually, mixing dressing with 

 it, a barrow-load to each twenty feet of soil. If 

 the spot is windy, support the slender shoots with 

 stakes driven in along the row. Of course no 

 sprouts will be cut for food the first summer. In 

 the fall, before the berries drop, cut down the tops 

 and take them away. If the seeds are allowed to 

 ripen on the bed, the young plants that sprout from 

 them will prove troublesome weeds the next season. 

 Then cover the bed with dressing of any nature, 

 enough to form a protective mulch during the winter. 



The Second Year. — The next spring this dressing 

 must be dug or harrowed into the soil, which should 

 be well loosened over the bed. After the cutting 

 has stopped, apply some fertilizer which will be 

 immediately available to the plant. Five pounds 

 of nitrate of soda or commercial fertilizer to a 

 twenty-foot square is the best, and more will do no 

 harm. The next year's crop will depend upon the 

 strength of growth during July and August. The 

 roots are then storing up the nourishment needed 

 for pushing out shoots the next spring. Everythmg, 

 therefore, must be done to encourage strong growth 

 of the tops during the summer. 



Later Care. — Every fall hereafter, the ground 

 should be mulched with dressing, to be harrowed in 



