ASPARAGUS. 



13 



business, the irrigation is repeated. Early in the third growing 

 season the beds are lightly covered with a strewing of rough grass, 

 hay, or other litter to protect the rising shoots. This is a matter 

 of great importance. The litter should not be strewed until there 

 are signs of growth, and then it will be of great service, and will 

 augment the supply of shoots by protecting them from frost. 

 The litter need not be removed, for if it is light clean stuff the 

 growth will push through it and the stuff will settle itself. 



In this third growing season farther care must be taken to 

 protect the plant. If the produce is gathered as I shall propose, 

 the green tops will attain to dimensions far beyond what is com- 

 monly seen, and the summer storms will wrench them and do 

 much damage. Our rule has been to thrust a lot of pea- stakes 

 between the rows to give support ; the stakes must be stout, and 

 firmly planted, but ties are not wanted ; it is sufficient if the 

 green tops have something to lean upon when strong winds pre- 

 vail. In November the beds are lightly forked over, made clean 

 from weeds, and a dressing of stable dung is put on to give pro- 

 tection through the winter and nourishment in spring. In very 

 dry seasons the irrigation is preceded by lightly pricking the soil 

 between the rows with a small fork ; great care must be taken to 

 avoid any damage to the grass or top-growth throughout the 

 season, for every spray contributes to the vigour of the roots and 

 tells upon the crop at last. 



On breaking up some of these beds on a certain occasion, I 

 had the curiosity to trace some of the roots, and I found they 

 had entered freely into the clay below, and had therefore 

 pumped up from it a lot of support. The reason for breaking up 

 the bed was to supply a nurseryman with roots of what he insisted 

 on regarding as a distinct variety. I told him as I tell you, 

 there is no peculiar variety of Asparagus ; there is but one, and 

 when differences are observable they are due solely to cultivation. 

 The variations in growth of the plant are strikingly illustrated 

 by the samples I place before you. For the average of gardens, 

 wherein it is the practice to cut all that appears until about 

 the end of June, straws 2 feet high and of the thickness of a 

 common lead-pencil may be considered a fair growth. The 

 spring produce of such beds will consist of heads of the thick- 

 ness of the middle finger of a man's hand for the very best 

 sample, down to mere sprue, which in many cases predominates. 



