698 
THE RURAL NEW-Y'ORKEk. 
September 21, 
deemed advisable, or as amended by 30th Acts, can levy 
tax up to one mill to improve private owned cemeteries 
in township, if used by general public. It has been 
over 10 years since we were compelled to start a new 
one. Our trustees bought land and since then there 
have been two additions bought. On the payment of 
one dollar by any taxpayer of the township or five by 
a non-taxpayer to township clerk, he is assigned a lot 
10 by 25 feet. We even pay sexton’s fee for burial to 
taxpayers. We have sexton mow and clean twice a 
year, the first before Decoration Day, the second about 
September 1. Our tax averages half a mill for same; 
this year no levy. In my six years as trustee, I find 
township as willing to pay the tax as any other, and 
I think all are satisfied with the looks of our two 
little county cemeteries. H. H. o. 
Conesville, la. 
ASPARAGUS IN MONMOUTH CO., N. I. 
Part II. 
Having followed the subject as I see and understand 
it in previous article up to and including the setting 
of the plants, let us for a moment consider the young 
plant the first year of its life while in the seed beds. 
Good pure seed, true to name, is the first consideration. 
Having secured this, select a clean piece of suitable 
soil, one neither too heavy nor too light is best. This 
should be in a high state of cultivation, and receive 
clean cropping for a year or two prior to planting with 
asparagus seed. These seeds germinate slowly, hence 
if soil is full of foul seed the soil is covered with a 
growth that is discouraging to the grower before the 
asparagus plants appear. Have this piece for your 
young plants located if possible where hens and young 
chickens can run through it. This will insure against 
any damage by the beetles and their young. Hens and 
half-grown chickens are a sure remedy. The asparagus 
grower wants to encourage the much-despised English 
sparrow as well. This little bird destroys endless quan¬ 
tities of beetles and their young. 
Lay off rows after properly fitting the soil 30 to 33 
inches apart; scatter along the furrow a complete fer¬ 
tilizer high in nitrogen, using this at the rate of 800 
or 1,000 pounds per acre. Cover by plowing two fur¬ 
rows together, making a sharp ridge, but not high. 
Rake off top to get clear of all stones, lumps, etc.; then 
roll with a light hand roller. Sow seed with hand drill 
not too thickly, and see that it is covered an inch or 
more. Seed should be sown as early as soil can be 
nicely worked and weather is settled. When young 
plants appear cultivation must begin, and sometimes 
before. Should young plants appear too thickly pull 
out some, or spindling weak plants will be the result. 
Keep spotlessly clean and thoroughly cultivated; this 
insures a healthy and rapid growth the entire season. 
Side-dress once or twice during the growing season 
to insure a good top. Plants raised in this way will 
be quite as good at one year old as the average nursery 
plants are at two. 
Preparing a field for asparagus should begin one or 
two years prior to planting out the crowns, by planting 
such crops as require liberal feeding and clean culture. 
When plants are first set nothing more is to be done 
till young shoots appear. At this time a dressing of 
fertilizer rich in mineral matter, with a fair amount 
of nitrogen, is beneficial. Keep clean by hoeing and 
cultivation, but avoid filling furrows full. When sec¬ 
ond crop of shoots appear, usually in July, dress over 
the rows with 150 to 200 pounds of nitrate of soda per 
acre; this is to stimulate a rank top. If bugs appear 
use Paris-green from a gun, or mixed with lime or 
water. If mixed with water use some lime; it shows 
plainer and insures against burning. When all growth 
is done the first season and work is not pressing so 
hard plow away from each side of row, going twice 
around to clean out all loose soil; then apply a good 
coat of stable or yard manure in these furrows. This 
manure need not be very fine. Let lie for a time and 
get a good soaking rain on it, then cover by plowing 
a furrow over it. The amount to be used should not 
be less than 10 to 12 tons per acre; more if your 
pocket can stand it. This, properly done, will never 
be forgotten by the crop. We hear a great deal about 
asparagus crowns “coming to the surface.” This will 
have a tendency to keep them down and establish a 
root system where it should be. During late Winter or 
very early Spring broadcast a mixture of two parts 
acid phosphate and one part potash, using 700 to 900 
pounds per acre. This will be all that is needed till 
after the cutting season is finished. 
The second Spring, or one year from planting in the 
permanent bed. cutting can commence, provided the 
grower has done his part in all details. Cutting this 
season should not last longer than 12 days to two 
weeks, when it should be discontinued and cultivation 
begun and kept up, sufficient to keep down all foul 
growth and conserve moisture. In after years the bed 
should have an annual dressing of stable or yard ma¬ 
nure, but it should be applied between the rows and 
as deep down as roots will permit, giving no possible 
inducement for the roots to come to the surface. In 
addition to this use 600 to 800 pounds of the mineral 
mixture described above at the close of the cutting 
season, which should be the second year, for this lati¬ 
tude, June 15, and all after years July 1 to 4. As soon 
as young shoots appear after cutting has ceased apply 
PRINCE YBMA SPOFFORD. Fig. 341. 
200 pounds of nitrate of soda per acre. Keep this up 
annually, including mineral composition and manures. 
GATHERING THE CROP.—In this locality mostly 
all grass produced is blanched. This is done by ridg¬ 
ing over the crowns and cutting six to eight inches 
below the ground. Where this method is in vogue 
ridging has to be done about once a week, and middles 
iHween rows kept cultivated. 1 am of the belief, how¬ 
ever, that the time has arrived when white or blanched 
grass can no longer compete with the gr en or un¬ 
blanched. The demand is rapidly growing toward 
green grass; it sells for more money, and is by far the 
best flavored, and more of it can be used. 
MARKETING.—Here we depend on New York City 
PRINCE YBMA SPOFFORD 2d. Fig. 342. 
and its surrounding markets. Cutting is done every 
second day at first on the blanched grass, but green 
grass has to be cut daily most of the time or the buds 
will break, and this makes an inferior article on the 
market. The grass is tied in bunches about 8 l / 2 to nine 
inches long, and weighing nearly three pounds. These 
are packed in crates holding l/ 2 to two dozen bunches, 
and sold by commission men. Growing asparagus is an 
occupation that requires knowledge, patience, nerve and 
an outlay of capital that many crops do not. It 
requires three years’ time before a full crop is harvested, 
and many times longer. Growing the young plants 
from ed is a discouraging undertaking for the new 
beginner, and for him and all those who are too busy 
YBMA 3d’s PLEDGE CLOTIIILDE. Fig. 343. 
Sold for $6,000 to D. W. Fields. 
to give the young seedlings proper care I would say 
better buy your plants, but be sure you get what you 
pay for. An extra dollar per thousand plants would 
be practically five dollars per acre, 5,000 being the 
amount in round numbers that we plant per acre. My 
candid belief is this money would yield a larger income 
than in any other way. A few acres of asparagus well 
set, well fed, well cultivated, well gathered, well pre¬ 
pared for market, is already sold, and will return more 
profit than twice as many handled in the usually slip¬ 
shod fashion. Let the beginner start with a few acres 
and increase as he obtains knowledge, c. c. iiulsart. 
MONDAY MORNING DISEASE. 
About two weeks ago found one of my horses one morn¬ 
ing quite lame on one hind leg, and somewhat swollen. It 
kept swelling all that day, growing more lame and tender, 
and was in some pain. It lasted three or four days, the 
swelling growing less slowly; then the sheath and small 
spot on abdomen swelled. I-Ils leg is swollen some now, 
but exercise reduces it nearly all away. I first gave him 
a pint of linseed oil, then three small doses of spirits of 
niter until water came freely; then got Humphrey’s kid¬ 
ney cure and am «till giving it twice a day. He had a 
light attack about six months ago; has always been well 
fed and work is light, mostly driving; the horse is about 
15 years old and all right. w. h. c. 
This disease, technically known as “lymphangitis’ or 
inflammation of the lymphatic vessels of the leg, is 
induced by letting a hard-worked horse stand for a day 
or two idle in the stable, and during that time feeding 
t- e usual amount of oats or other rich food. As many 
horses are not taken out of the stable on Sunday the 
disease is prone to appear on Monday morning, hence 
the name we have used as a title for this answer. 
When a horse is worked he burns up and utilizes for 
repair of tissue, for energy, for power, vigor, vim, 
sweat, heat and all other necessities of his laboring 
body, the nutrients he derives from the food he con¬ 
sumes. He draws upon the stored up matters of his 
body for any lack of “fuel” he may experience and so 
keeps going. If heavily fed and worked he manages the 
labor required of him, and may lay on some flesh and 
fat from the surplus, unneeded nutrients of his food. 
If insufficiently fed he works at the expense of his 
tissues and becomes thin and weak. If sufficiently 
worked and fed he has no surplus to burden his body, 
but let him stand idle a day or two and at that time 
eat his usual rations and at once his blood becomes 
loaded with nutrients for which the tissues have no use, 
as they are at rest. These nutrients are thrown into the 
lymphatic vessels, overcharge them, cause sluggish flow 
and possibly a form of fermentation which sets free 
injurious toxins which poison the parts. 1 he lym¬ 
phatic vessels become engorged and painful at first, 
and then the leg swells immensely by reason of serum 
thrown into the tissues, and when this occurs the pain 
lessens. Practically the horse has an attack similar 
to gout of man (fat, overfed, under-exercised, plethoric 
man), and suffers, unlike man, not from his own fault, 
but simply because his owner thoughtlessly forgets to 
give him exercise and at the same time continues to 
supply abundant stores of rich food. There is a ten¬ 
dency in big, coarse, lazy, plethoric horses to suffer 
from this disease; it is far less common in the high- 
strung horse of Thoroughbred or Coach blood, as he 
“works off” the energy of his food in nervous fretting 
and restlessness, or manages to accommodate the extra 
supply of nutrients without overtaxing his lymphatic 
vessels. Always the horse that has suffered one attack 
is prone to another, and always it is the heavy feeding 
and lack of exercise that brings it on. To prevent the 
attack always stop feeding grain when there is no work 
for the horse to do, or at least greatly reduce the amount 
fed, and at the same time give him some form of exer¬ 
cise indoors or out. In the great city stables, where 
veterinarians have instructed “barn bosses” what to do, 
you will see a gang of men walking the horses back 
and forth for hours at a time on Sunday, and where 
this plan is in vogue diseases such as lymphangitis and 
azoturia have been reduced to a minimum. As an addi¬ 
tional precautionary measure it is an excellent plan to 
give the heavy horse bran with his grain daily, and a 
bran mash instead of grain on Saturday night, and in 
the mash dissolve a tablespoonful of saltpeter, which 
acts upon the kidneys. The bran mash is somewhat 
dangerous unless the horse has been accustomed to dry 
or wet bran during the week, and apt to cause colic. 
At time of attack give the horse, according to size and 
severity of case, two to four teaspoonfuls of saltpeter 
at intervals of four to six hours, and give no food other 
than sloppy mashes. If the attack is very severe he 
may have four small doses of tincture of aconite—not 
over 10 drops at a time at intervals of four hours and 
not more than the four doses. Local treatment con¬ 
sists in bandaging the affected leg loosely from foot 
to body with a rope of soft straw or meadow hay, and 
keeping this saturated with cold water. When inflam¬ 
mation subsides the patient should have gentle walking 
exercise daily, a dram of iodide of potash twice a day 
and at same intervals applications of vinegar and water 
or tincture of iodine to swollen parts. 
A. S. ALEXANDER, V. S. 
The Portland Oregonian complains that among the free 
seeds sent out hv the Department of Agriculture are “bach¬ 
elor’s buttons,” which are simply the “French pink,” now 
the pest of wheat growers in the Willamette Valley. Ap¬ 
parently this is the blue cornflower (Centaurea cyanus) ; 
we had no idea It had become a pest anywhere in the United 
States. Tn the East it is a favorite among old-fashioned 
garden flowers. 
