ASP 
There are feme perfons who plant the feeds of Afpa- 
Vao'us in the place where the roots are to remain, which 
is 'a very good method, if it is performed with care. 
The way °is this : after the ground has been well 
trenched arid dunged, they lay it level, and draw a 
line crofs the ground (in the fame manner as is prac- 
tifed for planting of the young plants ;) then with a 
dibble make holes at a foot enhance, into each of 
which they drop two feeds, ror fear one fhould mif- 
carry ; thefe holes fhould not be more than half an 
inch deep •, then cover the feeds, by {hiking the earth 
in upon it, and go on removing the line afoot back 
for another row ; and after four rows are finifhed, 
leave a fpace for an alley between the beds, if it is 
defigned to hand for the natural feafon of cutting •, but 
if it is to be taken up for hot-beds, there may be fix 
rows planted in each bed, and the diftance in the 
rows need not be more than nine inches. This fhould 
be performed by the middle of February, becaufe the 
feeds lie long in the ground ; but if Onions are in- 
tended to be fown upon the ground, that may be per- 
formed a fortnight or three weeks after, provided 
the o-round is not ftirred fo deep as to difturb the 
Afparagus-feeds, in raking the Onion-feeds into the 
ground. 
As the roots of Afparagus always fend forth many 
long fibres which run deep into the ground, fo when 
the feeds are fown where they are to remain, the roots 
will not be broken or injured, as thofe muft be which 
are traniplanted ; therefore will flioot deeper into the 
ground, and make much greater progrefs, and the 
fibres will pufli out on every fide, which will caufe 
the crown of the root to be in the center ; whereas in 
transplanting, the roots are made flat againft the fide 
of the trench. 
When the Afparagus is come up, and the Onions 
have railed their feed-leaves upright (which will be in 
fix Weeks after planting) you muft with a fmall hoe 
cut up all the weeds, and thin the crop of Onions 
where they may have come up in bunches : but this 
muft be done carefully, and in dry weather, _ that the 
weeds may die as fail as they are cut up, being care- 
ful not to injure the young fhoots of Afparagus, as 
alfo to cut up the Onions which grow near the fhoots. 
This work muft be repeated about three times, 
which, if well done, and the feafon not too wet, will 
keep the ground clear from weeds until the Onions 
are fit to be pulled up, which is commonly in Au- 
o-uft, and is known when their greens fall down and 
begin to wither. When you have drawn off the Oni- 
on^ it will be neceffary to clean the ground well from 
weeds, which will keep it clean till tne alleys ai e dug 
to earth the beds, which mult be clone ill OdobiU, 
when the haulm is decayed; for if you cut off the 
haulm while green, the roots will flioot frefli again, 
which will greatly weaken them. This young haulm 
fliould be cut off with a knife, leaving the items two 
inches above ground, which will be a guide foi you- 
to diftinguiih the beds from the alleys •, then with a 
hoe clear off the weeds into the alleys, and eng up 
the alleys, burying the weeds in the bottom, and 
throw the earth upon the beds, fo that the beds may 
be about four or five inches aoove the level of the 
alleys : then a row of Coleworts may be planted in 
die middle of the alleys, but never fow or plant any 
thing upon the beds, which would greatly weaken 
the roots ; nor would I ever advne tne planting or 
Beans in the alleys, as is the practice of many for 
that greatly damages tne two outride rows of Aipa- 
ragus? In this manner it muft remain till fpring, when 
feme time in March, the beds fhould be hoed over, 
to deftroy all young weeds then rake them fmootli, 
and obferve all the fticceeding hummer to keep them 
dear from weeds, and in October dig up the alleys 
again, as was before directed, earthing the beds, &c. 
The fecond fpring after planting, feme perfons begin 
to cut feme of the buds of Afparagus for ufe, though 
it would be much better to ftay until the third year ; 
therefore now the beds fliould be forked with a ftat- 
1 pronged fork made on purpofe, which is commonly 
ASP 
called an Afparagus-fork : this imifc be done before 
the buds begin to flioot in the fpring, and fliould be 
performed with care, left you 'fork too deep, and 
bruife the head of the root then rake the beds over 
fmooth, juft before the buds appear above ground, 
which will deftroy all young weeds, and keep your 
beds clean much longer than if left- unraked, or if 
done fo foon as forked. When the buds appear about 
four inches above ground, you may then cut them ; 
but it fhould be done fparingly, only taking the large 
buds, and fuffering the fmall to run up to ftrengtheri 
the roots ; for the more you cut, the greater will be 
the increafe of buds, but they will be fmaller and the 
roots fooner decay. In cutting the buds, you muft 
open the ground with your knife (which fhould be 
very narrow-pointed, and long in the blade, and filed 
with teeth like a faw) to fee whether any more young 
buds are coming up clofe by it, which might be 
either broken or bruifed in cutting the other, then 
with the knife faw it off about two inches under 
ground. This may appear a very troubiefome affair 
to people unacquainted with the practical part, but 
thofe who are employed in cutting Afparagus, will 
perform a great deal of this work in a fhort time ; 
but care in doing it is abfolutely neceffary to be ob- 
ferved by all who gut Afparagus. 
The manner of clrefiing the Afparagus-beds is every 
year the fame as di reded for the fecond, vi z. keen- 
ing them dean from weeds in fummer, digging the 
alleys in Odober, and forking the beds toward the 
end of March, &c. only obferve every other year to 
lay feme rotten dung (from a Melon or Cucumber- 
bed) all over the beds, burying feme in the alleys 
alfo, at the time for digging them up. This will 
preferve the ground in heart to maintain the roots in 
vigour, and by this management, a plot of good Af- 
paragus may be continued for ten or twelve years in 
cutting, and will produce good buds, efpecially if it 
is not cut too long each feafon for when it is not left 
to run up pretty early in June, the roots will be 
greatly weakened, and the buds will be fmaller : 
therefore, in thofe families where Afparagus is re- 
quired late in the feafon, a few beds fhould be fet 
apart for that purpofe, which will be much better 
than to injure the whole plantation, by cutting it too 
long. 
I cannot help taking notice of a common error that 
has long prevailed with many people, which is, that 
of not dunging the ground for Afparagus, believing 
that the dung communicates a ftrong rank tafte to 
. the Afparagus, which is a great miftake, for the fweet- 
eft Afparagus is that which grows upon the richeft 
ground •, for poor land occafions that rank tafte fo 
often complained of, the fweetneis of Afparagus be- 
ing occafionecl by the quicknefs of its growth, which 
is alwaysproportionable to the goodnefs of the ground, 
and the warmth of the feafons. In order to prove 
this, I planted two beds of Afparagus, upon ground 
which had dung laid a foot thick •, and thefe beds 
were every year dunged extremely thick, and the Af- 
paragus produced from thefe beds was much fvyeeter 
than any I could procure, though they were boiled 
together in the fame water. 
The quantity of ground neceffary to be planted with 
Afparagus, to fupply a fmall family, fliould be at 
leaft eight rods, leis than that will not do ; for if you 
cannot cut one hundred at a time, it will fcarcely be 
worth while, for you muft be obliged to keep it after 
it is cut two or three days, efpecially in cold feafons, 
to furnifh enough for one mefs •, but for a larger fa- 
mily, fixteen rods of ground fliould be planted, which, 
if a good crop, will furnifh two or three hundred each 
day in the height of the feafon. 
But as there are feveral people who delight in having 
early Afparagus, which is become a very great trade 
in the kitchen-gardens near London, I fliall give 
proper diredions for the obtaining it any time in 
winter. 
You muft firft be provided with a quantity of good 
roots (either of your own raifing, or purchafed from 
fuch 
