512 On the Cultivation of Asparagus during the Winter. 



the soil, or the moist and nutritious sea-air, I am not able 

 to decide. 



I shall now proceed to describe my method of forcing 

 Asparagus. For this purpose I select the best beds which 

 are left uncut in the preceding summer. The period at which 

 I have to deliver my chief crop is always fixed ; it is the 

 King's birth-day, which happens on the 28th of January. 

 Forcing is consequently commenced four or five weeks before 

 that date. A great deal of fresh horse dung having been 

 collected before hand, the beds which are destined to be 

 forced, are usually four, measuring about forty feet in length 

 each. It is necessary to remark, that when severe frost is 

 likely to occur, before forcing is commenced, the beds must be 

 covered with a layer of litter or leaves, to keep out the frost. 

 The beds are at first stirred up loosely with a fork, and the 

 surface spit of the alleys is thrown on them to heighten them, 

 for the crowns are sometimes so near the surface, that it is 

 otherwise impossible to get the shoots of a proper length. 

 The alleys are then cleared out to the depth of about three 

 feet and a half, and hot dung immediately put into the ca- 

 vities, and raised up as high as a foot and a half, above the 

 level of the top of the beds, after being trod a little and 

 made level, it is covered with some old boards or planks, 

 which keep in the heat more regularly, and are also useful 

 for treading upon when the Asparagus is to be gathered. In 

 the middle of each bed is placed a narrow board, on which 

 a man, when gathering, may place one foot, whilst his other 

 foot goes close along the lining. When the alleys are filled 

 up with the fresh horse dung, the beds must be covered 

 with litter, or with some of the same dung, about three or 



