16 



THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 



so much more satisfactory than in 

 the common way that the ground 

 affords a better and more satisfac- 

 tory return. There are two prin- 

 cipal ways of growing this crop 

 near Paris — one, devoting a certain 

 portion of ground to it, as usual 

 with us ; the other, putting single 

 plants between Vines or small fruits, 

 or placing a plant wherever there 

 is room for one. This last way is 

 important, because it may be car- 

 ried out in small gardens every- 

 where, and by its means we should 

 become more readily convinced of 

 the value of giving plenty of room 

 to the roots. Single plants here 

 and there in the open spaces, or in 

 " blanks " between bushes, fruits, 

 or dwarf pyramidal Apple or Pear 

 trees, or single lines, wherever room 

 can be found for them, would, from 

 the superior result, soon convince 

 all of the value of the system. 



Planting. — Healthy yearling 

 plants are always chosen, and they 

 are planted about the time, or a 

 little before the time, when growth 

 commences in spring. They are in- 

 variably planted in a shallow trench 

 somewhat like a Celery trench — not 

 quite so deep and not manured as 

 that is, supposing that the ground 

 is in fair condition. In a trench 

 about 8 in. deep the plants are 

 placed on little low hillocks, and 

 they, are carefully attended to for 

 the first year. The plants, be it 

 noted, are 4 ft. apart in the line, 

 and 4 ft. apart in the trench. It 

 will be noticed that the second 

 essential difference between the 

 common way — that in use with us 

 — and the way it is now desired to 

 make known is, that in garden soil 

 ■of fair quality no manure is used 

 at the time of planting. There are 

 soils in which drainage and pre- 

 paration might be required ; but 

 assuming that the soil is as good 



as garden soil generally is, no pre- 

 paration whatever is given beyond 

 the opening of the trench and the 

 planting of each root in a little fine 

 surface soil ; the great preliminary 

 expense which has been supposed 

 to be necessary in the culture of 

 this plant is avoided. It is when 

 the plants begin to get strong and 

 well estabhshed that a litde manure 

 is applied. There is thus a great 

 economy in two things — in plants 

 and in manure, which under the 

 usual system with us is used to the 

 most wasteful extent ; so much so, 

 indeed, as to seriously limit produc- 

 tion by causing alarm as to expense. 



Home Culture. — Our markets 

 are full of Asparagus in spring, 

 grown in other countries, sometimes 

 hundreds of miles from London. It 

 is a vegetable which, perhaps more 

 than any other, loses quality every 

 day after it is cut. This is one 

 reason why it should be grown in 

 our own country. The soil and the 

 climate of England, in almost every 

 county, are admirably suited for the 

 production of Asparagus. Never- 

 theless, not only do we not supply 

 our own markets, but many pos- 

 sessing large gardens cannot get 

 a really good sample. All this 

 is wholly unnecessary, for every 

 farmer's garden and every cottage 

 garden might grow it well. In large 

 places, where a few beds formed on 

 a costly and wrong principle now 

 furnish a very limited supply of 

 very poor Asparagus, there ought to 

 be an abundance of the best quality. 

 Our markets ought to be supplied 

 by our own people, the early sup- 

 plies coming from the southern and 

 the late ones from the northern 

 counties. 



Blanching. — The question of 

 blanching it is more or less apart 

 from the question of cultivation, 

 and people may adopt the only true 



