PERENNIAL VEGETABLE PROJECTS 271 



best varieties and to grow a surplus of good plants so that we do 

 not need to use any small or weak plants. Too much emphasis 

 cannot be placed on the importance of planting the best stock. 



Another year is required to start the plants at home but the 

 lost time should be more than made up by increased profits. The 

 seed should be selected from superior plants, and if such plants 

 are not available in the neighborhood, seed should be ordered from 

 specialists who make a business of selling high-grade seed. 



Seed should be sown as early in the spring as the ground can 

 be prepared, in good garden soil. The seeds should be dropped 2 

 or 3 inches apart in shallow furrows 20 inches apart. An inch of 

 covering will be sufficient unless the soil is sandy and then 2 inches 

 will be better. The seeds are very slow to germinate so that it 

 is a good plan to drop radish seeds in the drills at intervals of sev- 

 eral feet. These will soon germinate, and the young plants will 

 mark the rows, thus enabling the use of cultivators before the 

 asparagus plants are up. A heavy mulch of fresh horse manure 

 placed between the rows about midsummer is very helpful in 

 encouraging a vigorous 'growth of the plants. 



Experiments have shown that large roots are much more pro- 

 ductive than small ones so that it is important to grow many more 

 roots than will be needed and then plant the strongest ones. 



1. What kind of roots pay the best? W-VG : 208. 



2. How would you proceed to grow your own roots ? 



W-VG: 208. L:193. H: 30-36. 



3. Why is mulching with horse manure so beneficial in growing the 



roots ? 



5. Preparing the soil. — W : 269. Soil preparation should be 

 thorough. The plantation should yield satisfactory profits for a 

 long term of years. Unusual preparation is made for the re- 



