118 
from eight to twelve 
inches with a _ two-norse 
plow. it the first furrow 
does not reach tae desired 
depth, the plowman 
should go over it again. 
lhe deeper the plants are 
set, the more enduring the 
bed. 
If you examine an as- 
paragus root, you will dis- 
cover two or three small 
white sprouts. These 
sprouts will eventually be- 
come the feathery top vis- 
iole above ground. Some 
roots will have more 
sprouts than these, but 
tneir greater number is a 
disadvantage as the root 
cannot support them in 
vigor. 
The root must be so placed in the trench that these 
sprouts or pips are uppermost, and, as the gardener sets 
them in position he should cover them with about two 
inches of earth. The first shoots up are so fragile that 
too great a depth of earth will often smother them, and 
after exhausting all of its sprouts the root must die. A 
distance of twelve inches is sufhcient space between plants. 
Roots are set about the first of April, before growth com- 
mences, or after growth has ceased in the fall. 
Assuming that the roots have been properly set and are, 
with the warmer days, sending up slender spears, and it 
becomes necessary to stir the soil to destroy tiny weeds and 
for needs of cultivation, the soil along the edge of the 
trench must be gently stirred so that about an inch or two 
falls in about the plants where a second or third sprout is 
struggling through. <A straight or harrow toothed culti- 
vator is excellent for this end, but if a hand-tool is used 
an iron garden rake drawn along the edge of the trench 
will answer the purpose. ‘This process is repeated at in- 
tervals during the season, till in August the trenches are 
almost on a level. The bed must be kept clear of weeds 
at all times and the ground frequently stirred by hoe or 
cultivator. 
When the young tops have feathered out, a good fer- 
tilizer should be applied in the trench along the roots, about 
a handful opposite each plant. Fertilizers that are ready 
prepared are convenient, but if one buys the necessary 
ingredients and mixes them himself he is sure of an unadul- 
terated product. Cleanings from the hennery are excellent. 
A serious menace is the asparagus beetle, which appears 
with the first warm days—first a few able-bodied ones, 
winged, agile, and equipped for mischief. They eat enough 
to sustain them through egg-laying and about twelve or 
fifteen days later are reinforced by fresh relays of kindred in 
the form of helpless looking slugs whose only assets are able 
The root system of an asparagus 
plant three years old 
The species are cut by a long knife which is 
passed beneath the surface of the ground 
AMERICAN: “HOMES” AND “GARDENS 
If properly set and well fertilized, the 
asparagus bed should yield an abun- 
dance of fine, large spears 
March, 1gII 
jaws and voracious appe- 
tites. One hatching sion 
these upon a plant will 
soon reduce it to a naked 
skeleton of |*stem sand 
branches. 
At this stage the slugs 
are wingless and may be 
killed by beating them 
from the plant when the 
sun is shining hot. With 
a small garden plot this 
method is as effectual and 
less expensive than spray- 
ing. Some prefer spray- 
ing with a_ solution of 
arsentc or Paris: green. 
Poultry are exceedingly 
fond of these beetles and 
are great aids in their ex- 
termination, but do not 
apply chickens and poison 
at the same time. 
A bed that was planted with roots two years old at 
setting may be cut about two weeks the second year, one 
month the third year and until July rst in the subsequent 
seasons. 
Where green asparagus is desired the beds are not 
mounded, but the asparagus is allowed to grow several 
inches above the ground before it is cut. 
The gardener who would keep the beds in condition 
must cut the growth of spears regularly—every day in 
warm weather and every other day when it is cooler. 
After the cutting season the beds are thrown down by 
plowing apart the mounded ridge and another application 
of fertilizer or manure is given, and the asparagus left to 
a season of recuperation and growth. Cultivation continues 
until frost. 
There are three distinct varieties of asparagus. The 
Palmetto, a thick growing, green asparagus, considered 
immune from the asparagus rust; the French Argentenil, 
also immune the first few years after its importation, and 
an ordinary variety resembling the Argentenil, which suc- 
cumbs readily to the rust. The asparagus rust is a disease 
which appears in late summer, and which turns the tops 
to a dusty brown. It is destructive to patches when it gains 
headway early. 
The only method of combating it seems to be the 
strengthening of the plant by heavy fertilizing and persis- 
tent cultivation. Patches that are cut beyond the usual 
Fertilizer may be applied to the 
asparagus with a scoop 
time succumb readily and beds that have rusted the previous 
season will be helped by a shorter cutting season. 
An application of compost in furrows between the rows: 
should be made late in the fall or early in the spring and 
this should be covered by a furrow of earth. 
The virtue of any manure or fertilizer is lessened if it 
remains exposed to the air. 
Asparagus stacked, tied into neat bundles 
and made ready for transportation 
to the market 
