8i8 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
December 18 
some heretofore dormant plant food ; surely it will be 
better enabled to store up more moisture, as well as 
allow the roots of plants to penetrate deeper into the 
earth in their search for moisture. 
I was very fortunate in having’ a more than ordina¬ 
rily strong man to bold the subsoil plow. At first, 
we put three men behind each plow, but it was not 
long before one of them had to come back to help be¬ 
hind the subsoil, the driver declaring “ that thing 
would find stones, whether there was any there or 
not”. Charging $2.50 for team and driver, and $1 
each for the other bands, it cost (including 69 pounds 
of dynamite) $127 50 to throw out the stone with the 
team and plow, and haul the stone off the field. Of 
course, the field was pretty thoroughly worked up by 
this means, with the exception of, probably, one-half 
acre near the middle that was left without subsoiling 
to note the difference—if there were any. The dif¬ 
ference was plainly noticeable when the field was 
cross-plowed the following spring, 1896, for cow peas 
again. Where the plow crossed the strip not sub- 
soiled, the bottom of the furrow was so dry and hard 
that the horse in the furrow made but little more 
than an impression on the ground, while on both sides 
of that strip, where the “ Shanghai ” subsoil plow had 
loosened it the fall before to a depth of 14 inches be¬ 
low the lead plow, the bottom of the furrow was 
damp and mellow, and the plowman’s foot made 
as much of an impression on the ground as the 
horse’s did where not subsoiled.. This same dif¬ 
ference was equally noticeable the past summer 
when the field was planted with potatoes ; the 
portion not subsoiled was the first to succumb to 
dry weather, and the yield on that portion was 
scarcely half as much as was produced on other 
portions of the field. The field was entirely re¬ 
plowed in the spring of 1896, and sown with cow 
peas, the first week in May. The varietifs were 
Whippoorwill and Wonderful, 2% bushels per acre 
sown with a grain drill both ways of the field, 1% 
bushel each time, fertilized with 400 pounds of 
acid phosphate, 100 pounds of muriate of potash, 
and 100 pounds of nitrate of soda per acre. 
September 26, this crop was approximately 
weighed by measuring a square yard here and 
there over the field, carefully cutting those squares 
with my pocketknife, weighing them and striking 
an average. The result, as noted at the time, was 
a gross yield of tops of 35 695 pounds per acre, be¬ 
sides the leaves that had fallen off from time to 
time, and had already made quite a coating on the 
ground, to say nothing of the roots whose thread¬ 
like filaments seemed to fill the whole ground. A 
clipping from the Rhode Island Experiment Sta¬ 
tion says that an acre of Black cow peas yielded 
at the rate of 35.003 pounds of green stuff per acre, 
find contained 157 pounds of nitrogen, 32.2 pounds 
of phosphoric acid and 109 5 pounds of potash. 
From the New Jersey Station, I have a report of 
cow peas following Crimson clover, that yielded 
14.400 pounds of green matter per acre. The vines 
contained 2 278 pounds of organic dry matter, 70.6 
pounds of nitrogen, 17 3 pounds of phosphoric acid, 
and 50 4 pounds of potash. The roots on one acre 
weighed 1 080 pounds, and contained 295 2 pounds 
of organic dry matter, 2 4 pounds of nitrogen, 1 5 
pound of phosphoric acid, 4 4 pounds of potash 
per acre. The same authority says that the nitro¬ 
gen in the vines is equivalent to that contained in 
437J4 pounds of nitrate of soda, and was valued at 
that time at about $11. Without entering too 
closely into details, I calculated, to my own satis¬ 
faction. at least, that my crop of 35 695 pounds per 
acre of tops, with the roots added, would leave plant 
food in the soil, to the value of from $25 to $30 per 
acre. Some of the Wonderful measured nine feet in 
length. How much of this growth was due to the 
application of fertilizers, and how much to increased 
tillage, would be difficult to ascertain to the satisfac¬ 
tion of all; but after reading the experience of the 
Cornell professor with potatoes on a gravel knoll, 
one may be pardoned for thinking that in Jethro Tull 
and Prof. Roberts, the teachings of the centuries are 
coming nearer together. m. garrahan. 
HURRYING THE ASPARAGUS SEASON. 
The commonest and best way to begin the forcing 
of asparagus on a small scale is to place a half-barrel 
over a clump of roots in the field very early in the 
spring, and then to pile fermenting horse manure 
about it. When the beginner has learned the time 
and place to market his product, he may lay plans for 
forcing in hotbeds and in greenhouses. The strong¬ 
est field roots, at least four years old, are best for this 
purpose. The roots are dug late in the fall, stored in 
a cold place, and covered with straw to prevent dry¬ 
ing out. Freezing is considered beneficial if they are 
kept moist. A good frame is four feet deep with a 
four-inch hot-water pipe running around it. About 
2>4 feet of fre3h stable litter are firmly packed down 
and covered with an inch or two of sand. When the 
heat is down to 70 degrees, the clumps are put in and 
packed closely. The spaces between are filled with 
soil. The top covering of soil or sand must be, at 
least, an inch, and six to eight inches are best, for 
blanching. Use warm water when necessary. Ven¬ 
tilate lightly on warm days, and keep the temperature 
below 80 degrees. 
When the points of the shoots appear above the 
sand, the blanched crop is ready to cut. Very few 
greenhouses are devoted entirely to forcing asparagus. 
The clumps are placed under the benches, as they 
need little or no light, because the roots are not 
established in the soil. Sometimes the potting room 
is warm enough, or the cellar room near the heater 
may be used. High temperatures give a rapid but 
spindling growth, and exhaust the plants too soon. 
The stocky, tender, salable growth is obtained in a 
night temperature of 65 to 70 degrees, with the day 
range 10 degrees higher. The temperature should be 
lower at first, until the roots have settled. New roots 
are brought in every three or four weeks for a succes¬ 
sion, and seven cuttings may be had between Decem¬ 
ber 15 and February 10. The above methods may be 
practiced with little capital or experience. 
Asparagus is, probably, the most promising of the 
winter vegetables now of minor importance, and 
FRAME OF ASPARAGUS FORCING HOUSE. Fig. 344. 
ASPARAGUS FORCING HOUSE COMPLETE. Fig. 345. 
may, perhaps, become as specialized as the forcing of 
lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes, which now enlist 
the most capital. At present, no other forcing pro¬ 
cess is so wasteful. It is a common thing to force 
six-year-old roots once and throw them away. Some 
new scheme must be devised for commercial forcing 
on a large scale. The most original idea is to grow 
the plants permanently in a mere skeleton of a house, 
with a removable roof of muslin. When the canvas 
is taken off, the plants find themselves growing out¬ 
doors in normal conditions, and have all the natural 
season to recuperate. 
An asparagus house of this type, constructed at the 
Cornell Experiment Station, is shown in Figs. 344 and 
345. Fig. 344 shows the framework and heating 
pipes. The frame, consisting of a ridge-pole and 
three pairs of rafters, is made of steam pipes. The 
heating pipe, or riser, is shown at A, Fig. 344. Fig. 345 
shows the same house when covered with canvas or 
muslin. A description of this house was given, with 
the illustrations, in The R. N.-Y. of March 27 last, 
page 205. The Cornell house is in size about 20 x 50 
feet. The sides or walls are only 18 inches high. Can¬ 
vas or muslin is stretched over the frame, when forc¬ 
ing time arrives. No trouble is experienced in forcing 
the asparagus into growth in January and February. 
The cover is kept on until frost is past. w. m. 
THE WORK OF ANGLEWORMS. 
HOW THEY PLOW AND SUBSOIL THE GROUND. 
All are familiar with the AngTeworm or Earthworm, 
the favorite victim of an art which serves to lure 
boys to brooks, and to betray fishes into the frying 
pan. We owe to the indefatigable worker and cele¬ 
brated naturalist, Darwin, a series of most interest¬ 
ing observations on the habits of Earthworms, and 
the role they play in the economy of Nature. There 
are several different kinds of Earthworms, but the 
most common one, both in Europe snd America, 
bears the scientific name of Lumbricus terrestris. 
Earthworms are essentially burrowing animals, noc¬ 
turnal in their habits, although they sometimes leave 
their boles and crawl over the ground to a new local¬ 
ity, and also, are occasionally active during the day¬ 
time. They are able to climb perpendicularly up 
boards, etc., as well as over the ground, by minute, 
short curved bristles, hardly visible to the eye, but 
sensible to the touch, which are deeply inserted in 
the muscular walls of the body, and arranged in four 
rows along each side of the body. They have no eyes, 
but are sufficiently sensible to light to enable them 
to distinguish between day and night. Their sense 
of touch is well developed, but they have no 6ense of 
hearing. They seem to be slightly affected by cer¬ 
tain odors, and appear to be able to distinguish 
between different varieties of cabbage leases; 
possibly, however, this may be due to the differ¬ 
ence in texture of the leaves. 
Earthworms are exceedingly dependent on moist¬ 
ure, for a single day in the dry air kills them, 
while on the other band, they will survive in water 
for a long period ; hence, whenever there comes a 
“ dry spell ”, they all retreat into the lower stra 
turn of soil not yet parched by the heat upon the 
surface. They have been known to retire to a 
depth of four feet in a period of prolonged drought, 
which completely exhausted the moisture to that 
depth. In winter, too, they always go down be¬ 
low the frost, and make a little hollow or chamber 
at the bottom of their burrow, in which they coil 
up to hibernate, often several of them getting to¬ 
gether. They usually carry down with them a 
few small stones, for what purpose is not known. 
In summer, they live close to the surface, if it is 
not too dry, shutting up the mouths of their tubes 
with little pellets gathered from about, or with 
their own castings. Keeping quiet during the day, 
they emerge at night, stretching forth the head 
end of their bodies, and exploring the neighbor¬ 
hood ; keeping, however, most of their long selves 
within doors, and retreating entirely upon the 
least alarm. A jar of the soil, or light falling 
upon them, is often sufficient to awaken their 
timidity, and, cause an instantaneous retraction 
back into their holes. But their habit of remain¬ 
ing so near the surface renders their timidity, even 
an insufficient protection, for they are often dis¬ 
covered and dragged forth by robins and other 
birds, which, unlike Luther, esteem a diet of worms. 
The Earthworm is hermaphroditic. Pairing is 
reciprocal, each worm fertilizing the eggs of the 
other; they pair in June and July in the night 
time. One European species lays its eggs singly 
in dung, whileanother lays numerous egg-capsules, 
each containing sometimes as many as 50 eggs, 
though only three or four live to develop. Ilow 
many eggs one cf our common Angleworms lsys, 
and where they are laid I have not found it stated. 
Neither have I found any sccount of how long the 
egg stage lasts, or how fast an Earthworm grows. 
Earthworms are omnivorous; beefsteak, cabbage, 
fruit, green leaves and dead ones, dirt, stones, broken 
glass, are all swallowed (Angleworms have no teeth) 
with an impartiality that would do credit to Aristides. 
But, although it has its preferences as to what it will 
eat, the Earthworm is not content without dirt and 
small stones, or other hard, indigestible objects, to¬ 
gether with more nutritious fare. Apparently, from 
the dirt it is able to extract some matter, perhaps to 
assimilate the microscopic organisms it contains ; the 
stones, probably act as grinders, serving to crush the 
food proper, and mix it thoroughly with the digestive 
juices. The Earthworm, then, passes through its 
intestine pretty much everything in ard on the 
ground, which can possibly get through ; but it dis¬ 
charges its castings upon the surface, a manure 
which is universally known as vegetable mold, but 
more properly, animal mold. Now, as the worms 
burrow in every direction, they constantly bring up 
from below and deposit on the surface, so that a 
superficial layer grows slowly but steadily. Thus it 
happens that, if ashes are strewn on a field, the 
Earthworm castings are deposited over them, gradu¬ 
ally burying them until they finally disappear. 
In his book, Mr. Darwin gives many instances of 
this apparent subsidence which, under the most 
favorable circumstances, goes on at the rate of two- 
