11 ) 06 . 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
207 
asparagus and how to grow it. 
Which asparagus is the best, and which are used the 
most in market, the white or the green? a. i. 
Fleasant Plains. N. Y. 
Is it possible to grow good asparagus, for home use, on 
a village lot, without any stable manure, commercial fertili¬ 
zers being used from the foundation of the bed? How should 
such a bed be prepared, the ground being old sod, undisturbed 
for many years? What culture and fertility would be de¬ 
manded, up to the time the bed comes in bearing, and what 
dressing should be given after cutting begins? The inten¬ 
tion is to give careful culture with a wheel hoe. R. E. 
New Jersey. 
The culture of asparagus is not difficult, and it can 
be grown successfully in almost any part of the country. 
A thorough preparation of the land always pays liber¬ 
ally for the extra labor and outlay entailed in the work. 
The asparagus bed should be planted as soon as the 
owner conies in possession of the land, and it ought to 
be regarded as a permanent improvement, like an or¬ 
chard, and should add to the value of every place. 
The great and increasing demand for asparagus in spite 
of the heavy annual plantings has always been larger 
than the supply, and there is no doubt the crop will 
continue to be a paying one, as long as it is justly con¬ 
sidered one of the greatest health-imparting vegetables 
of all culinary delicacies. There is perhaps no crop that 
the possessor of a garden near a small local market 
could grow with greater prospects of success than this 
if lie has the patience to put it out in the right way 
and take care of it. It easily adapts itself to any soil 
that is well enriched and kept so. We planted our 
first acre of asparagus in the Spring of 1881; it was 
then considered to be more or less an experiment. We 
cut the product of this bed for 16 consecutive years, 
and few were the seasons during this long time when 
this acre of ground was not found to be the best paying 
one of a well-cultivated market garden. 
Since that time the acreage has steadily 
increased from year to year; the industry 
has grown to that extent where the ship¬ 
ments to New York markets far exceed 
that of any farm product of Monmouth 
County. My experience as a market gar¬ 
dener has on many occasions afforded ex¬ 
cellent opportunities for many interesting 
conversations with those largely engaged 
in asparagus growing. Some of these 
cultivate as high as 50 acres; others derive 
handsome incomes from four, five and six 
acres, and not a few arc enthusiastically 
interested in small beds for home con¬ 
sumption. 
Asparagus of late years has become 
more of a farm than a market garden 
crop, and when grown on such extensive 
lines the culture is seldom as thorough 
as that practiced by the gardener. I will 
therefore endeavor to describe the most 
reliable methods of culture, hoping that 
it may be of some assistance to those 
seeking information for the farm market 
or home garden. Asparagus will give 
good returns on almost any soil that is 
well drained and porous, but if choice can 
be had I would prefer a sandy loam. For field culture, 
place out furrows in well-prepared soil five or six feet 
apart; make the furrows 10 or 12 inches deep. This is 
easily accomplished by the use of a team and large 
plow, going two or three times in the row until deep 
enough; then run the subsoil plow in the bottom of the 
trench, breaking up the clay bed and making a porous 
subsoil. This is almost a necessity, for in this operation 
appears the secret of planting all permanent crops, and 
the more thoroughly this is done the more profitable 
the returns. A liberal application of well-rotted com¬ 
post and topsoil should be spread along in the furrows, 
the more of this the better; then set the plants one foot 
apart in (he row. Two-year-old crowns are to be pre¬ 
ferred ; spread the young roots out even on the com¬ 
post, then cover with one or two inches of soil, firm¬ 
ing it well by the use of the feet. As the plants grow 
the furrows are gradually filled up at each cultivation. 
When the young plants have grown well out of the 
trench the furrows should be made level with the sur¬ 
face. Cultivation should be continued until the end of 
the season. The following Spring fertilizer should be 
distributed on either side of the row and then kept 
well cultivated and free from weeds. The first season 
a crop of potatoes, beets, carrots, etc., can be grown 
between the rows. No asparagus should be cut 
the first year, and but little the second. Each 
year thereafter the yield should increase, but some¬ 
what :n proportion to the manure and fertilizers 
that are to be used. These should be applied every year, 
either in the Spring or Fall. If commercial fertilizers 
are used they should be applied in the Spring by open¬ 
ing a furrow on the side' of the row. Distribute about 
600 pounds to the acre in the furrow, then turn the 
soil back upon it. Manure or compost, however, should 
always be applied late in the Fall. When the top growth 
of the previous year has sufficiently dried it should be 
raked off and burned, and the bed harrowed level, and 
top-dressed with a heavy coat of manure, which should 
be lightly worked into the soil the following Spring. 
When the time for cutting draws nigh and the soil is 
in good condition for working the rows should be nicely 
ridged up for cutting. This is neatly done with a 
plow especially designed for the purpose; on small 
beds this can be accomplished with the ordinary plow 
and steel hand rake. There are two ways in prepar¬ 
ing the rows for cutting asparagus. For large markets, 
especially New York City, where the demand is for large 
white “grass,” the stalks are grown under ground. 
This requires high ridging, so at least two-thirds of its 
length can be cut below the surface. Where green 
“grass” is preferred but little ridging is required; the 
stalks are allowed to grow the desired length out of the 
ground and then cut for market. This gives us the 
green grass so much talked of, always tender and 
rather pronounced in flavor. It should be remembered, 
however, that where the grass is cut below the sur¬ 
face it is of the largest size attainable, but when cut 
above ground it will diminish in size, and in consequence 
a great difference may be looked for in the yield of the 
entire crop. The green grass, however, usually sells 
for a higher price in markets that demand it. The 
grower with long experience and close observation al¬ 
ways cuts his grass below the ground, thus avoiding any 
loss from overgrown stalks, which frequently happens 
on warm days when allowed to grow out of the ground. 
For small beds of asparagus for home use the owner 
can well afford to take a little extra pains in the prepa¬ 
ration of his bed, and it will make very little difference 
as to the nature of the soil, provided the work is thor¬ 
ough in preparing the trenches for planting. These 
should be made about 15 inches deep and 12 inches wide. 
Cart away the poor subsoil or clay, replacing it with 
good garden loam, intermixing a liberal quantity of 
stable manure and sand. In the absence of the manure 
a good reliable brand of commercial fertilizer may be 
used in the same way. Fill the trenches to within six 
inches of the top of the ground; then plant the young 
roots one foot apart, and cultivate as above described 
for field culture. Since such a bed, so prepared, may 
be expected to yield a fine product for many years, the 
extra labor and expense should not be considered for 
the initial planting. The cutting of asparagus should not 
be continued too long in the season; it would finally 
exhaust the roots, hence it is customary to stop cut¬ 
ting about the latter part of June, allowing the remain¬ 
ing shoots to grow on, and thus accumulate sufficient 
strength to produce another crop of shoots the next 
season. The plants, one and two-year-old crowns, are 
now obtainable everywhere at a very moderate price, 
so the raising of these crowns from seed may safely 
be left to those making this their special business. Large 
growers and truckers usually raise their own plants, 
and select the best and strongest two-year-old crowns. 
Varieties of asparagus are but few. Conover’s Colos¬ 
sal is an old standard. It has stood the test for 30 
years, and displaced the Van Sicklen’s Colossal about 
that time, which it closely resembles, and in some 
localities it is yet a great favorite. The Palmetto and 
Giant Argenteuil surpass it in size and quality, and are 
likely to supersede it altogether. Like the strawberry 
among fruits, so the asparagus among vegetables is the 
money crop for the skillful grower, but a source of an¬ 
noyance and disappointment to the shiftless manager. 
Therefore the chief aim of the grower must be directed 
towards growing the finest grass and bringing it to mar¬ 
ket in the best possible shape. T. M. white. 
Monmouth Co., N. J. 
BACK TO THE COUNTRY. 
The following note from a reader of The It. N.-Y. is re¬ 
spectfully submitted to those discontented farmers who 
grieve because they cannot live in the city. There are 
many like this man. We hear from dozens of them : 
We are going back to the country; back to good milk, 
real cream, fresh eggs, chickens, pure air, work, and a 
farmer’s vigorous appetite. The little children have 
longed for the freedom of country life. Our house here 
in Baltimore is like thousands of others: 14 feet wide, 
with 12-inch brick wall separating us from neighbors on 
either side. There are three stories with three rooms 
on each floor. The front door opens directly on the 
sidewalk. The back yard is 14x16 feet. No place for 
children to play in Summer but that little hot yard or 
on the street. To be sure, there are parks, but very 
few live near enough for children to go alone. “God 
made the country” for the children, but the city, I think, 
Satan had a hand in. Lie has an office in every square 
here in the shape of a beer saloon or something worse. 
The Hope b'arm man talks about the country cider bar¬ 
rel. I will risk my children along with that barrel 
rather than in the city. A little sweet cider as a bever¬ 
age is much better than that “beer with less alcohol than 
cider,” and all that goes with it in the city. We came 
here a year ago. Our business here gives us more 
money than we ever made on the farm. Six farmers 
from my home section went into the same business. 
One quit the business some time ago. He was doing 
well enough, but he said money could not hire him to 
stay in the city. He had been born and brought up in 
the country, and was like a fish out of water. That is 
the case with my wife. She says that I want to get 
back again just as bad as. she, but won’t own it. 
When we came here / wanted to stop The R. N.-Y. 
and be a city man, but she said: “No! I will not 
keep house without the Llope Farm 
Notes.” So keep the Hope Farm page 
going. I have had many lessons on 
home life from that page. It helps to 
make a home, instead of a place to stay. 
Our city experience is valuable in many 
ways. We can better appreciate the liv¬ 
ing part. Then where is there a city posi¬ 
tion that will compare with farm work for 
freedom from worry? With modern tools 
farm work is much easier than the average 
city job. A city man speaks of the mo¬ 
notony of the country. I say monotony 
of the city. The country with its beau¬ 
ties of nature; the farm with its possi¬ 
bilities; the domestic animals with their 
growth and improvement; and most of all 
the farmer’s home and children, ought to 
dispel all the monotomy and gloom that 
could exist outside of a city. A constant 
reader (because my wife makes me take 
The R. N.-Y.) h. e. m. 
FEEDING THE BIRDS IN JANUARY 
Within four feet of me, just outside of 
the window, hangs a bunch of suet 
fastened to the wire netting of the porch, 
on which the five-leaved ivy grows. On 
this bunch of suet there is a bright-eyed, black-capped 
chickadee getting its dinner. Lie does not seem to be 
afraid, and returns my stare with interest when I turn 
and look at him. He is one of a crowd that come daily 
for their fare. There are others, one big Red-headed 
woodpecker, smaller woodpeckers and some whose 
names I do not know. Last Winter we became inter¬ 
ested in the problem of reducing the insects in a valua¬ 
ble orchard near by, and read about the value of birds 
for that purpose. One remedy was that of enticing the 
birds to remain in the vicinity during the Winter and 
give them food so they would not die of starvation. 
We kept the cats away, and kept a constantly replen¬ 
ished supply of food in the trees. The daily attendance 
at lunch constantly increased, and many were bred near 
here last season. This Winter there arc more than ever. 
This chickadee friend will hunt every day for the 
eggs of plant lice, caterpillars. Fall canker-worms. Cod¬ 
ling moth. Shot-hole borers and beetles. They will put 
the average boy at Easter time to shame by eating 400 
eggs per day and 2,000 to 4,000 during the Winter. The 
Apple louse has five to eight generations in one season, 
and if a bird eats one egg, it means a big reduction bv 
the end of the year. Birds like cutworms, army worms 
and similar pests, and when they can get them prefer 
them to any other food. The woodpecker eats but 
little of the suet, and hunts over every inch of the trees 
for borers and ants. He runs up and down the dead 
limbs, tapping with his bill until the orchard rings with 
his signal. About a quarter of his food is wood-bur¬ 
rowing ants. From our experience. I know that one 
will get a good deal of pleasure in watching them eat, 
will think more of the great rules which are in force, 
to keep things equalized, and will have better fruit. 
With a few fruit trees that would grow in the woods, 
the increase of insects would be slow, and such birds 
as survived the Winter would keep them in check, but 
the unusual increase of insects from the unnatural con¬ 
ditions calls for more birds than natural conditions 
could possibly furnish, and we should grow birds as 
well as trees. The Winter is a season of comparative 
quiet, and the grower has time to attend to these mat¬ 
ters, and can accomplish more at less cost by feeding 
birds than by spraying trees hastily and without skill. 
C. E. CHAPMAN. 
s 
LAYING TILE IN WESTERN NEW YORK ORCHARD LAND. Fig. 96. 
