304 SCHOOL AND HOME GARDENS 
cover them with an inch of soil. They come up slowly. 
Mark the rows with a few radish seeds and cultivate 
before the asparagus seeds come up. Thin the plants 
to not less than three inches apart and cultivate during 
the entire summer. Cover with litter in the fall and 
set the roots in their permanent place the next spring. 
Transplanting. Dig trenches three feet apart and 
eighteen inches deep, and in the bottom tramp six 
inches of well-rotted manure. Cover this with six inches 
of good garden soil; that taken from the bottom of the 
trench must not be used. Set the plants eighteen inches 
apart and spread the roots carefully. Fill in soil around 
the roots and water to help the operation; then fill the 
trench. If the soil is heavy, do not fill the trench more 
than half full, but put the rest in gradually while culti- 
vating during the spring and summer. 
Time may be saved by buying roots. Seedsmen who 
have special skill in growing plants may be able to fur- 
nish stronger roots than those grown in the home garden. 
Culture. With a garden rake go over the plot at least 
once each week until the shoots reach the surface of the 
soil. Then cultivate between the rows and pull weeds 
near the plants by hand. Keep the surface soil loose 
during the entire summer. 
In the fall clear off and burn the tops and apply a 
good coating of manure. The manure should be as free 
from weed seeds as possible. In the spring, fork the 
manure into the soil. The plants should be set deep 
enough so that the whole bed may be spaded. Continue 
