26 riCTOEIAL PRACTICAL VEGETABLE GROWING, 



rank manure, or gritty, inorganic particles, such as stones and 

 cinders, are bad for these crops, leading to scaV>. forking, and canker. 



Group Xo. 2 might comprise those which swell up a great deal of 

 fleshy, succulent matter at or near the surface, such as Celery, Leeks, 

 Turnips, and Onions. 



Group Xo. 3 could be composed of vegetables which make a good 

 deal of growth in the air, and expose a considerable amount of leaf 

 surface to the atmosphere, such as Beans and Peas. 



Group Xo. 4 is made up of vegetables with very coarse leaf 

 growth, such as Cabbag-s. Caulitiowers. and Winter Greens. 



Group X'). 5 might be composed of fruit-bearing crops, such as 

 Cucumbers. Tomatoes, and Vegetable Marrows. 



I cannot imagine any one system of manuring suiting such diverse 

 crops as these equally well, nor, to be brit;f, is there one. Group 

 Xo. 1 is suited by very little dung, and that only well decayed, 

 friable, and dry. Finely ground artificials are the best. Groups 

 Xos. 2 and 4 will take dung, rich, and plenty of it. Group Xo. 3, 

 contrary to general belief, will thrive spkndidly without dung, and 

 needs, as a matter of fact, very little of any sort. Group Xo. 5 

 wants abundance of potash — far jiiore than dung yields— and, there- 

 fore, artificials may be turned to with advantage. 



These, it will be understood, are generalisations. An intelligent 

 cultivator Avho took them as a guide, and worked out the details for 

 him>elf. would douV.tle>s get satisfactory returns, but it may be 

 interesting to particularise a little. 



Artichokes.— The Chinese, the Jerusalem, and the Globe Arti- 

 chokes present us with considerable difterences. The first two 

 certainly approximate, but the gulf between them and the Globe is 

 wide. Chinese and Jerusalem Artichokes do not need heavily 

 dunged ground. A well-tilled soil will yield a full crop of sound, 

 finely flavoured tubers if dressed with decayed stufi' once in three 

 years. Heavy applications of dung may increa-e the crop, but the 

 tubers are coarse iri appearance and rank m taste.- Globe Artichokes 

 enjoy liberal dressings of dung. 



Asparagus. — We have here a somewhat uncommon vegetable- 

 one difficult to group. It has the sort of fibrous, matted rootstock 

 which generally takes up large stores of food from the soil, and 

 might, therefore, be expected to be quite at honie with good dressings 

 of dung. But there is something more than dung required Ijv 

 Asparagus. The fact thcit it will thrive without dung in some 

 places, and will resolutely refuse to thrive with it in others, is a 

 proof of thi.s. The crop has some resemblance to Peas in its general 

 characters. It dislikes a heavy, cold bottom ; and it very mudi 

 appreciates a moisture-laden atmosphere. Success liardly turns on 

 manuring, therefore, but rather on drainage and atmc^spheric 

 humidity. However, manuring is our subject just now. Other 

 things being right, Asparagus will do well if dressed every autumn 

 with a mixture of short, dry, crumbly manure (not rank stufi") 

 and burnt rubbish, followed in spring by a dressing of salt and 



