CULTURAL DIRI'.CTIONS 
213 
mon practice is to trench the soil to the depth of 2 or 3 
feet before planting and to work in large quantities of 
manure. Formerly, trenching was popular in this coun- 
try, but it has been abandoned among commercial 
growers. A study of the habit of root growth has led to 
the conclusion that little if anything is to be gained by 
unusually deep preparation. 
Subsoiling is seldom practiced by commercial growers, 
and it is of doubtful permanent benefit. The soil should 
not be plowed deeper than its natural depth, but there 
should be complete pulverization to the full depth of the 
plow furrow. To accomplish this a disk or a cutaway 
harrow can be used repeatedly to advantage before plow- 
ing. This treatment is especially important when sod 
lands are to be planted. After plowing, the same types 
of harrows should be employed until the ground is in 
perfect condition. While it is customary to plant land 
that grew other vegetables the previous year, some of the 
most successful growers prefer to precede the asparagus 
plants with clover sod. The crop has been known to 
thrive remarkably well planted on land which has pro- 
duced alfalfa for several years. 
277. Fertilizing. — Earliness, high quality and large 
size are the factors that count for the most in securing: 
remunerative prices, and liberal and intelligent feeding 
bear a direct relation to each of these requisites. The 
gardener expects a great deal of his asparagus plants; he 
wants them to produce salable shoots for two months or 
more and then recuperate sufficiently to yield a good 
crop the next year. 
When starting a new field the plants should have all 
the food they can utilize. Soon after setting, 800 pounds 
of a 5-8-10 fertilizer should be applied along the rows, 
and a top-dressing of nitrate of soda used at intervals of 
three or four weeks. Rotten manure can be used profit- 
ably before planting. A similar treatment should be 
