THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 303 
The late crop may follow peas, onions, or early pota- 
toes. Sow just before a shower. Make the soil fine and 
scatter the seeds broadcast, raking them into the soil. 
Culture. Cultivate the early varieties like any other 
root crop. The late kinds will need no cultivation, except 
that it may be necessary to pull troublesome weeds as 
they make their appearance. 
Diseases. Rotate to guard against clubroot. The flat 
varieties that grow mostly above the ground are not 
troubled with this disease as much as the deeper-growing 
varieties. 
Pests. For root maggot, dress heavily with tobacco 
dust or with unleached wood ashes after sowing. For 
flea beetle use Bordeaux mixture, arsenate of lead, or 
kerosene emulsion. 
ASPARAGUS 
With proper care a bed of asparagus may last from 
fifteen to twenty years. It should be kept at one side 
of the garden, where it will not interfere with plowing 
and the cultivation of annual crops. Low-growing crops, 
such as radishes, lettuce, and carrots, may be grown 
between the rows the first and second years. 
Soil. The soil must be well drained, rich, and light. 
Sandy soil heavily manured will grow good asparagus. 
Growing roots from seeds. Sow the seeds in the spring 
—the earlier the better, after the frost is out of the 
ground. Soak the seeds overnight before planting. Place 
them an inch apart, in drills eighteen inches apart, and 
