ASPARAGUS CULTURE. 



33 



mound at the level of the soil. This angle disappears 

 as soon as the stool is covered over with earth, and 

 the base of the mound is at the bottom of the trench, the 

 sides meeting in an angle at the top. Beware of digging up 

 the bottom of the trench, or of hoeing or raking it as recom- 

 mended by many authors. The soil should be left alone, for As- 

 paragus likes to run over the surface and not to penetrate beneath 

 it ; besides, as already stated, the roots, if they penetrate too 

 deeply, will not feel the beneficial effects of the sun during the 

 spring. On the other hand, they may meet with a subsoil that is 

 cold, damp, and dry, all of which conditions are unfavourable 

 to the plant, independently of the fact that the manure which 



& 11 H 



has been applied has great difficulty in reaching the roots, 

 either nullifying its effects entirely or retarding them consider- 

 ably. If the soil is very light, instead of digging trenches 

 of 10 in. make them only 7 in. or 8 in. in depth. If the 

 ground is very dry and we plant late, the trenches should not 

 be more than 10 in. deep, and a hole of from 2 in. to 2J in. 

 should be dug out to receive the stool. Loose earth is then 

 thrown in and the whole is filled up until it takes the form 

 shown in the cut (fig. 4). If you do not wish to have an 

 Asparagus plot distinct from your ordinary kitchen garden, 

 open several trenches a yard wide at a distance of 3 or 4 yds. 

 from each other and plant in two rows. By adopting this 

 plan your Asparagus will have a considerable space over which 



Mg. 4.— Asparagus trenches. 



