THE PLAIN WAYS OF GROWING ASPARAGUS, 
221 
stars of ocean have been sown in microscopic 
myriads, a living milky way. Partly from 
their small size, but more from their extreme 
transparency, they escape all observation by 
day-time, nor can they be seen even by the 
microscope, so perfectly translucent are the 
bodies ; but as the night reveals the stars of 
heaven, so does the darkness bring to light 
these living luminaries, else invisible, con- 
trasting, as it were, with those above, and 
silently repeating the great truths they tell. 
' To Him, no high, no low, no great, no small ; 
He fills, He bounds, connects, and equals all." 
—Pp. 176—178. 
Most cordially do we congratulate the 
scientific world, as well as the multitude, on 
the acquisition of a volume which is as plain 
and popular in its language as it is valuable 
for its instruction. 
THE PLAIN WAYS OF GROWING 
ASPARAGUS. 
There is much more trouble taken to 
grow this vegetable than there is any necessity 
foi', and although I agree with the practice 
recommended in the Gardener and Practical 
Florist, in a general way, I have been two 
years growing it on another plan, which I 
began by accident, and now forward you the 
result. I raised some hundreds of seedlings, 
and sold them out. There were, however, a 
considerable number of them carelessly and 
unintentionally left in the bed, which was 
made up of very rich soil, and they conse- 
quently grew very strong. They were so nearly 
covered all over the bed, that I left them, 
having a notion that they would do for three 
year-old plants the next season. Here they 
remained without being earthed up, or any- 
thing else but weeded. In due course of time 
they came up fine buds, tempting to cut, and 
the only disadvantage was, that some of the 
crowns were all but above ground, so that 
there was no length of white; and, therefore, 
I let them grow three or four inches of green, 
and then cut them, so that every morsel could 
be eaten. The next year, all I did was to 
raise the ground, by throwing two inches of 
soil over, and no more. The crowns were just 
covered, and that was all. The season after they 
came strong and good, so much so, that I have 
since that period grown my asparagus in the 
most simple way. I first dig out a trench about 
eighteen inches broad, and as deep; I then 
half fill it with dung well trodden in, and re- 
turn the soil which I have taken out, until I 
level the surface, leaving a considerable bank 
on the side which is north-east or east, as the 
case may be. This level surface will sink in a 
few days, and I draw down more earth, so as 
to make it quite level with the original surface 
of the ground. It is best to do all this in sum- 
mer time. Along these ridges I plant, in the 
autumn, two-year old asparagus roots, nine 
inches apart, in a single row only to each 
trench, and draw the bank of spare soil down 
upon them, in a sort of rounding form, which 
throws off" wet, and let them bide their time 
of coming up, which they will in pretty good 
strength in April or May. I keep them clear 
from weeds ; and the second season, without 
any other trouble than throwing a little earth 
on the crowns in the autumn, and rakino- it 
off again in the spring, I grow the finest 
asparagus in the county. I dig the dung 
into a trench, that the plants may be perma- 
nently strong; for it has improved every year for 
some years, both in quantity and quality. I 
presume the roots get down to the dung after 
a while, and thus obtain very great nourish- 
ment. In all this there is nothing very 
troublesome. There is no more difficulty in 
preparing, than there would be in trenching 
for celery; and my object was, to see whether 
asparagus could not be grown, like all other 
crops, on the level ground, instead of on high 
beds, so as to enable me to crop between with 
greater advantage than I ever could in deep 
gutters; for in this mode of culture, be it remem- 
bered, there are no alleys, no breaking down of 
the edges, but simply plants growing like cab- 
bages, or any other crop, close down on the 
ground, and within two inches of the surface, 
cut without any white handle, and all eatable. 
I observe in your calendarial notice of this 
vegetable, in the Gardener and Practical 
Florist, it is recommended to all gardeners to 
let the head grow three inches, for the sake of 
increasing the eatable portion. I have followed 
this advice with great advantage, and I think, 
if gentlemen once had it so cut, they would 
never try any other way. The only objection 
I have heard made to growing asparagus on 
the level ground was the trouble of cutting. 
" Use is second nature." Men and women have 
been accustomed to walk in the trenches, and 
have to cut from beds as high as a table, and 
therefore they find the difference between that 
and stooping; but nursery men and market gar- 
deners might, if this excuse were permitted 
to weigh a moment, grow onions upon the 
same plan; for weeding onions, and thinning 
them out, are labours by no means enviable. 
Spinach is quite as much trouble to pick as 
asparagus is to cut; drawing of radishes and 
small onions requires the stooping posture 
quite as much, so that the excuse is at best 
an idle one. I like growing on the ground 
for many reasons; first, because the plant has 
more nourishment in rains ; secondlv, the 
manure is not washed away into alleys ; thirdly, 
because other crops can be grown between 
