120 



CULINARY OR KITCHEN GARDEN. 



would be difficult to apply manure to it 

 afterwards ; besides, it is at the bottom of 

 the soil that the spongiolets of the roots 

 are chiefly placed, few being near to the 

 surface. And although the asparagus is 

 a native of poor drifting sand, still, as its 

 chief merits rest on the size and tender- 

 ness of its shoots, it follows that, to insure 

 this condition, they should be stimulated 

 to the greatest extent possible, both by 

 manure, and by being placed in the 

 warmest part the garden affords. In 

 sowing for the formation of a permanent 

 plantation, some excellent cultivators sow 

 in rows 2 feet apart in April, thinning 

 out the plants to the distance of 1 foot 

 from each other. Every alternate row is 

 taken up the second year for forcing, thus 

 leaving those that are to form the crop 

 at the distance of 4 feet row from row, 

 cropping the ground between them with 

 summer cauliflower, which enjoys a par- 

 tial shade from the asparagus. They also 

 recommend, if the transplanting system 

 is to be followed, that the operation be 

 performed in April, when the young 

 shoots are 3 or 4 inches long. The crowns 

 are kept near the surface at planting ; and 

 in October, 2 or 3 inches of rich manure 

 is laid over them, and is slightly forked in 

 amongst the roots in the spring following ; 

 but no soil is ever laid over them, and all 

 the future care is an annual top-dress- 

 ing as above, with liberal supplies of 

 liquid manure, in which salt is mixed at 

 the rate of 2 ounces to a gallon. 



The Vienna mode of planting asparagus 

 is to trench the ground 5 feet in depth, 

 and to place a layer of bone, horn, chips 

 of wood, or branches of trees, a foot in 

 thickness, at the bottom of each trench ; 

 while the French practice is to excavate 

 a trench 5 feet wide, and of the length 

 the bed is intended to be. The best of 

 the soil removed is reserved to be mixed 

 in the following manner, viz. : — 6 inches 

 of best dunghill manure is laid along the 

 bottom j over that, 8 inches of turf, 6 

 inches of dung, 6 inches of the best of 

 the soil that had been removed and well 

 sifted, 8 inches of turf, 6 inches of very 

 rotten dung, and then 8 inches of the 

 good earth removed at the excavation. 

 The last two layers are then to be well 

 incorporated together, and the beds formed 

 5 feet in breadth, with alleys 2 feet broad 

 between them. The roots are then 



planted 18 inches asunder, placing a 

 handful or two of mould under the centre 

 of each, so that the roots may be spread 

 out in regular order, and in form of an 

 expanded umbrella, their crowns being 

 kept 1^ inches under the surface. A 

 small peg is then placed at each plant, 

 and a spadeful of fine sand is placed over 

 the crown, which finishes the operation. 

 The plants should not be transplanted too 

 early in spring, as there might be a possi- 

 bility of some of the roots being over- 

 looked, which might be deficient in 

 healthy buds. To guard against that, defer 

 planting until they have sprung an inch 

 or two inches in length. Some defer it 

 longer, and thus reason : Early in spring 

 is the period in general recommended for 

 making new plantations of this plant. 

 Custom only sanctions the practice, while 

 experience says custom is in this case a 

 fallacy, and recommends the operation to 

 be performed late in May, or even early 

 in June, and that when the plants have 

 attained the height of 10 or 12 inches. 



In cold situations, this late planting is 

 of the utmost consequence, and if attended 

 to, would in a great degree remedy the 

 defects, so often seen, of blanks in the 

 beds, and not unfrequently the dwindling 

 appearance of the whole crop during the 

 first year. Many will no doubt object 

 to this late spring planting, from a dread 

 that the plants will suffer from removal 

 while in a state of growth ; and others 

 will argue that, by following the " good 

 old rule " of planting in March, the plants 

 will have a longer season to grow in, and 

 also that the roots will sustain less injury, 

 because they have not then become ex- 

 cited into growth. All these fears are 

 groundless : the young shoots, should 

 they even perish, will be succeeded by 

 much stronger ones from the latent buds, 

 with which the crown of the plant is always 

 furnished ; and others may be consoled 

 by the fact, that, the ground being much 

 warmer in May or June .than in March, 

 and the juices of the plant being in motion 

 at the time, it is prepared to encourage 

 immediate growth ; whereas the roots 

 transplanted in March lie, till excited by 

 the natural warmth of the soil, in a dor- 

 mant state — the elaborated sap in them 

 escaping at the injured parts, weakens 

 them amazingly, as well as brings on a 

 disposition to rot and decay. Keeping 



