THE AMERICAN GARDEN. 



3 



course, will give Lettuce for table use four 

 or five weeks earlier than hot-bed plants. 

 There is one fact that should be borne in 

 mind, that is : to grow crisp and tender Head- 

 Lettuce, the soil must be mellow and rich. 

 One of the pleasant features of raising Let- 

 tuce for home use is to have it come in suc- 

 cession, and this can only be attained by 

 planting at different times, three or four 

 weeks apart. The way to get early Lettuce 

 has been briefly outlined. The later crops 

 come from sowing the seed in the open 

 ground, in some sheltered spot, as early in 

 the spring as it will do to work the ground. 

 The seed-bed should be made mellow and 



EARLY CURLED SIMPSON LETTUCE. 



smooth, and the seed may be sown broadcast 

 or in shallow drills, covered very lightly by 

 raking over the bed with a wooden rake, 

 drawing the rake in the direction of the 

 drills. The latter method is preferable, from 

 the fact that, while the plants are small, the 

 spaces between the rows may be disturbed 

 with a hoe, and the growth of the plants 

 hastened, as well as the weeds kept down. 



There is now a long list of varieties, and 

 unless one has had some experience in raising 

 Lettuce, it is rather difficult to choose and 

 not make an error in the choice. Among 

 the very best sorts to select for family use, 

 one that is widely and favorably known is 

 the " Early Curled Simpson." This Lettuce 

 is a favorite with market gardeners, and is 

 extensively grown in the vicinity of New 

 York for that market. When planted on 



HANSON LETTUCE. 



rich ground, it grows into a large head, that 

 on the table will be found crisp, tender, and 

 of good quality. Another and very excel- 

 lent variety is the "Hanson" Lettuce, which 

 grows to a large size, forming a solid head, 

 crisp and of fine flavor, and very popular 

 among the consumers. " Tennis Ball," "Bos- 

 ton Market," " Early Butter," and other sorts, 

 are prized on the table, when grown on 

 ground that is in good heart. There is neither 

 profit nor pleasure in attempting to grow 

 Lettuce on poor, thin soil. In planting in 

 the garden, set the Lettuce one foot apart 

 each way, and then keep the ground mellow 

 and free from weeds. 



ASPARAGUS CULTURE. 



To judge from the fact that we receive 

 more inquiries abotit Asparagus than almost 

 any other vegetable, it seems that although 

 the mysteries and secrets which were for- 

 merly considered necessary for its cultivation 

 have long since been uncovered and proved 

 to be detrimental rather than otherwise, 

 there still clings to the popular mind some 

 mysterious halo connected with the idea of 

 Asparagus culture. And yet it necessitates 

 less labor and expense than almoct any other 

 garden vegetable. The roots cost hardly 

 more than the seeds for other vegetables 

 occupying the same space, and the first 

 expense is the only one. While Peas and 

 Lettuce and the whole list of vegetables have 

 to be sown every year, Asparagus yields its 

 delicious crop year after year, without re- 

 planting, for generations. 



The most frequent cause of failure with 

 Asparagus is too close planting. Favorable 

 soil and good roots are, of course, necessary 

 to obtain good results, but these can amount 

 to but little unless sufficient space is given 

 for their development. A deep, light, sandy 

 loam is best, but with proper preparation any 

 garden soil can be made to produce a good 

 crop. If so heavy and wet that water stands 

 on the ground during winter, under-draining 

 and deep working will be necessary before 

 planting. On ordinary garden soil, deep 

 plowing or spading and the working in of 

 enough stable manure — a coating of four or 

 five inches would not be too much, although 

 less will do — is sufficient. If this can be 

 done during the fall or winter previous to 

 planting, so much the better. Where prac- 

 ticable, it is far better to plant the roots in 

 long rows on one side of the garden than in 

 short beds. A single row of one hundred 

 and fifty or two hundred plants, set eighteen 

 inches or two feet apart, will give an ample 

 supply for a family of half a dozen and, 

 during the height of the season, some to sell 

 or give away to neighbors who are not so 

 fortunate as to delight in an Asparagus-bed. 

 When more than one row has to be planted, 

 they should never be nearer together than 

 three feet, and, unless forced into very narrow 

 limits, a distance of four feet is to be pre- 

 ferred. 



After the rows are marked out and the line 

 stretched, a ditch with one side slanting and 

 about twelve inches deep is dug with a sharp 

 spade. Against the smooth side of the ditch 

 the plants are placed, and the roots spread out 

 so that the crowns are four or five inches 

 below the level of the ground. A handful of 

 soil is then drawn over the roots and firmly 

 packed down ; more soil is then raked in, so 

 as to fill the ditch to within two or three 

 inches of the surface. In a few weeks the 

 sprouts will appear ; the ground has then to 

 be loosened with a cultivator or a hoe, and 

 kept mellow and clean during summer. At 

 each cultivating some soil should be drawn 

 into the remaining ditch, so as gradually to 

 fill it entirely. 



Often it becomes desirable to plant Aspara- 

 gus without sufficient preparation having 

 been given to the soil. In such cases, a trench 

 may be dug eighteen inches deep and twelve 

 or fifteen inches wide. Eich stable-manure 

 is put into the trench and trodden down so as 

 to fill it one-half. A layer of three inches of 

 fine surface-soil is thrown on the manure and 

 shaped into a ridge, with its highest point in 

 the center of the ditch; on this ridge the 



roots are placed at the proper distances, 

 the rootlets evenly spread out toward the 

 sides and covered with about one inch of 

 soil, which has to be firmly jjaeked down, 

 especially over the lower ends of the roots ; 

 one-half of the remaining ditch is then filled 

 in, and the rest not before the shoots have 

 grown several inches above the level of 

 the ground. The subsequent cultivation is 

 the same as given above. 



During the second year, no care is required 

 except to keep the bed clear until the stalks 

 cover the entire ground. The third year, and 

 not sooner, the cutting may commence, but if 

 there are any roots which have not made a 

 very strong growth it is best not to cut from 



BAY VIEW MELON. 



these, and, in fact, as soon as any plants 

 show lack of vigor the cutting should be dis- 

 continued. Many Asparagus-beds are ruined 

 by too long-continued cutting. We have 

 found it a good rule to commence cutting as 

 soon as the first stalks appear, and stop with 

 the beginning of Strawberry picking. 



Immediately after the cutting season, when 

 the roots are enfeebled by the severe tax of 

 having produced many times more than their 

 natural requirements of stalks, is the best 

 time for manuring, yet an application of fer- 

 tilizers does not come amiss at any time. 



The stems, which, after the cutting season, 

 shoot up with great rapidity, should not be 

 disturbed until they die off naturally, when 

 they should be cut and burned. Salt is, by 

 general consent, considered a special fertil- 

 izer for Asparagus. We have during several 

 years applied salt to one part of our bed, and 

 not to the other, without perceiving the least 



EXTRA EARLY PEACH BLOW. 



difference in the respective yields. At any 

 rate, salt can do no harm, no matter how 

 liberally applied. Stable-manure, bone-meal, 

 superphosphates, and, in fact, almost any 

 kind of fertilizer and plenty of it, are bene- 

 ficial to Asparagus. 



Hot-beds. — In the Northern States, where 

 it is not safe, to trust Tomatoes, Peppers, and 

 other tender plants to the open ground before 

 the middle of May, much advantage may yet 

 be derived from hot-beds made during April. 

 Full directions for the construction and care 

 of hot-beds were given in our J anuary number. 



