482 



THE CENTURY BOOK OF GARDENING. 



apart, with a line, then with a spade throw out on to one side a furrow 4m. deep and 

 Sin. wide. Into this furrow carefully set the young plants previously lifted from the seed 

 rows, the roots being spread out flatwise all round. These should be i8in. apart. The soil 

 may then be filled in round the plants and be gently trodden. So done there should be no 

 difficulty in getting good strong growth from each root the same summer. 



Of course, it is not absolutely needful that roots should be thus personally raised. 

 They may be purchased at moderate prices at per 100 from nurserymen and seedsmen, thus 

 saving some trouble, but in any reference to Asparagus culture some detail as to raising 

 plants from seed is essential. The first season's treatment includes chiefly a free use of the hoe 

 between the rows of plants to keep them thoroughly clean and the soil well pulverised. It will 

 be helpful if advantage be taken of a prospective shower to strew either common salt or sulphate 

 of ammonia along the rows at the rate of 2lb. per rod of ground, but this may not be applied 

 until good growth has taken place. In the winter, after the season's tops have ripened 

 and have been cut away, a moderate dressing of animal manure may be spread over all the 

 breadth and allowed to remain or be lightly forked in, but only very lightly, lest the forking 

 injures the roots. The following summer, besides keeping the ground clean and loose by 

 frequent hoeing, the salt or sulphate dressing may be repeated twice. The result of this 

 treatment should be strong growths 4ft. in height, and they would be instrumental in creating 

 very strong and numerous stem crowns on the roots for the next season. Then the earliest of 

 these may be cut for table so soon as they show through the soil. But it may be advisable 

 before doing so to place 2in. of soil from between the rows as a slight ridge over the 

 plants, as in that way more of the stem will be blanched, prior to the tops appearing 

 through the ground. Many of the early shoots may be comparatively weak, but it is best 

 to cut all as they come through, so long as the cutting continues. Good Asparagus stems 

 for cutting should be the size round of a man's small finger at least, and have some 5m. 

 blanched beneath the ground and 2in. green out of the ground. Such stems are usually 

 soft and succulent throughout when well cooked. The cutting in the third season 

 should not continue later than the end of June, but may in future years conclude a fortnight 

 later. From that time all the growths should be left and encouraged, by hoeings and 

 dressings as before, to come as strong as possible. Sometimes plants die out from some 

 other cause, perhaps because too hard cut for edible stems in the summer. When 

 such is the case, if there be any reserve of roots others may be planted in the 

 vacant spaces, the soil being deeply dug and manured. Mending in this way is better 

 than leavx;C' vacant places in the beds. Cutting of stems for table use should always be 

 done with a proper saw-edged Asparagus knife, as in such case other stems receive no 

 injury. Where Asparagus is largely planted it is common practice to make some new 

 beds every year, so that those which have become some seven or eight years old may 

 be lifted and forced to secure very early stems. That is, however, an expensive 

 practice, and one not practicable in small gardens. There are two or three varieties of 

 Asparagus — Officinalis, Argenteiul, Conovers Colossal, and Giant — -each differing from the 

 other slightly, but all are good. Seed may be purchased at the moderate cost of about 

 4s. per lb. 



FORCING ASPARAGUS. — There are two methods of forcing Asparagus roots ; one 

 common, the other unusual. The latter, briefly dealt with, consists in planting permanent 

 beds of two rows of plants. These beds are about 3^ft. wide, and have between each pair of 

 beds a sunken trench or path 3ft. deep and 2ft. wide. The beds are supported at the sides 

 by 4 A i n . brick walls, pigeon-holed, that is, have at frequent intervals spaces left in the walls 

 to admit heat. Into these trenches or spaces is placed, early in the winter, a large quantity of 

 stable manure and tree leaves, well mixed, then firmly trodden in. Over the manure sheets 

 of corrugated iron or boards are laid to exclude water. The beds should also have the surfaces 

 dressed with long litter to shut out the cold air. Under such conditions it is possible to obtain 



