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FORCING ASPARAGUS. 
ing them on a level, as the surface of the bed at first lay, 
till you have finished planting them ; then lay among the 
buds and roots some fine vegetable or other rich mould, work 
it in among them with your fingers, and cover the beds over 
about an inch thick; and upon that, lay three inches in 
depth of vegetable mould not very rotten, old tan, or any 
other light compost that will admit the water to run quickly 
through. 
If there be a strong heat in the bed, slide down the sashes 
till it begins to decline. The temperature at night should 
never be under 50°, and it may rise to 65° without injury ; 
when the buds begin to appear, as much air must be daily 
admitted as the weather will permit. In two or three days 
after the beds are planted, the heat will begin to rise : the 
beds should then have a moderate supply of water, applied 
from a watering-pot with the rose attached ; repeat such 
watering every three or four days. 
When the buds are up three inches above the surface, 
they are fit to gather for use, as they will then be six or seven 
inches in length. In gathering them, draw aside a little of 
the mould, slip down the finger and thumb, and twist them 
off from the crown : this is a better method than to cut them ; 
at least, it is less dangerous to the rising buds, which come 
up thick in succession. 
An ordinary -sized frame calculated for three sashes will 
hold from three to five hundred plants, according to their age 
and size, and will, if properly managed, yield a dish every 
day for about three weeks. On the above estimate, if a con- 
stant succession of Asparagus be required, it will be neces- 
sary to plant a bed every eighteen or twenty days. 
Rhubarb and Sea-Kale may be, and sometimes are, forced 
in the same manner as Asparagus ; but the most general 
mode is to excite them where they stand in the open garden, 
by the application of warm dung. 
