1909. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
265 
STARTING AN ASPARAGUS BED. 
J. IF. T.j Roanoke, Ya .—Will you tell me 
how to prepare ground for asparagus, 
when to plant seed, or set plants, and how? 
How long will it take before I can get re¬ 
turns from plants set or seed sown? 
Ans. —The first factor in successful 
asparagus growing is good seed. Living 
as I do, in the heart of the largest as¬ 
paragus section in New Jersey, I have 
had ample opportunity to observe and 
discuss the merits and demerits of this 
important factor, good strong seed. The 
question is, where can this seed be pro¬ 
cured? Surely not from the bulk seed, 
commonly sold in the market. In this 
section, growers procure their seeds of 
this vegetable, from the best beds and 
choicest plants to be found in the neigh¬ 
borhood. After gathering the berries 
mash them, and separate the seed from 
the pulp; wash clean, dry, and hang 
in a cool, dry, airy place till Spring. 
Select a piece of ground in a good 
state of cultivation, and as near where 
poultry runs as possible. Cover that 
during the Winter, or very early Spring, 
with a coat of very fine barnyard or 
stable manure at the rate of 15 or 16 
tons per acre, disk-harrow the plot a 
sufficient number of times to incorpor¬ 
ate the manure with the upper three or 
four inches of soil, then plow with a 
two-horse turning plow, six or seven 
inches deep. At the usual time for 
planting early Spring crops, harrow and 
mark off this plot in rows, as for po¬ 
tatoes; apply in each furrow a good 
high-grade potato fertilizer at the rate 
of 1.000 to 1,500 pounds per acre, ac¬ 
cording, to the natural fertility of the 
soil. Mix well with the earth before 
covering. Cover each drill with two 
shallow furrows making a ridge. Rake 
down by hand nearly, level, taking off 
all stones and rubbish. Set the seed 
drill to sow one inch deep, and to drop 
not more than four seeds to the inch. 
If the grower is quite sure by test, 
that his seeds have a high per cent 
of germinating power, three seeds' to 
the inch would be better. Roll down 
solid to bring the moisture to the sur¬ 
face, because the asparagus seed is very 
slow to germinate. Watch carefully for 
weeds and foul growth, for they are apt 
to appear before the young plants are 
over ground. 'If they are allowed to get 
fairly started, it will require the pa¬ 
tience of Job, and the courage of Na¬ 
poleon, to get the bed clean. Cultivate 
frequently. When plants are about four 
inches high side-dress with nitrate of 
soda at the rate of 1,500 pounds per 
acre. Do this at intervals of about four 
weeks, until three applications have been 
put on. This may seem, to the in¬ 
experienced, very heavy feeding sim¬ 
ply to grow plants, but anyone trying it 
and keeping his bed scrupulously clean 
and free from the Asparagus beetle 
and its _ young (which will cause no 
trouble if poultry, both young and old, 
are allowed to roam at will through 
the bed), he will find his plants one 
year from the time of planting equal 
if not superior in size to most two- 
year-old plants commonly sold by nur¬ 
serymen, and a far better plant for 
setting commercial beds than any two- 
year-old plant ever was. 
Selecting a soil for an asparagus bed 
should be carefully considered. Sand, 
as many suppose, is not the soil that 
the largest crops are produced on, 
neither is a stiff, hard, compact clay, or 
any soil with much stone in it, or one 
where the water table in wet time rises 
near the surface. The ideal soil is a- 
deep, rich, light loam. 
In preparing a field to plant asparagus 
various methods are used, much de¬ 
pending on the soil and the kind of 
“grass” the grower wishes to produce. 
If white “grass,” where it has to be 
blanched by ridging the earth over the 
rows, then it is necessary to plant the 
crowns much deeper than where the 
grower intends producing green aspar¬ 
agus. In my judgment the best way 
of preparing a field where white “grass” 
is to be grown, mark out the field with 
a one-horse plow, then plow a back- 
furrow over each furrow, mark out, 
continue this, being particular to make 
the dead furrow come midway between 
each first furrow marked out. Clean 
out _ these dead furrows smoothly and 
straight with a plow and in each set 
the one-year-old plants, covering each 
with about two inches of soil drawn • 
down with the hands by the setter, and 
tread down with the feet as the setter 
passes from one plant to the next, set¬ 
ting each plant about 18 inches distant 
from its neighbor. 
After the plantation is set, and shoots 
begin to appear, spread fertilizer down 
the row; a good brand of potato man¬ 
ure is about right for this application. 
Another application in mid-season would 
be beneficial. Cultivate frequently and 
use the hand hoe when necessary, but 
do not allow those furrows to get more 
than half full at any time during the 
first season’s growth. If it be the in¬ 
tention of the grower to produce green 
asparagus then I would plow my ground 
level, harrow and mark oft" in rows same 
width as given before, with a fair size 
turning plow going once each way in 
order to get a clean, straight furrow. 
In this set the plants, as described for 
white grass. Where the plants used 
are good and strong and the field they 
are planted in produces a good, full 
strong growth a few cuttings the fol¬ 
lowing Spring is quite frequently prac¬ 
ticed, but if kept up very long it will 
surely lessen succeeding crops. When a 
bed is two years old, if well cared for 
and liberally manured, a month’s cut¬ 
ting will do no harm; after that time 
a full season’s cutting can be expected. 
C. C. HULSART. 
HOTBED NOTES. 
Size preferred is about 20 square feet 
Position, facing south preferred, southeast 
next best against building, wall or any¬ 
thing to shelter from north and northwest 
winds. The depth depends on how early 
you wish to plant seed. Here at an altitude 
of 1400 feet, March 1 to 15, four feet; 
March 15, three feet; April 1, two feet; 
April 15, IV 2 foot. I have known many 
cases where two feet depth was used March 
15. I have lost whole plantings, but not 
since using as above. For filling, fresh 
horse manure with fully one half by weight 
or looks of straw, hay, leaves or litter. 
Fill and pack so you have not over eight 
inches space on top. Pour on a boiler or 
two of boiling water, then 3%. or four 
inches good soil, and it is'ready to plant 
at once. 
ri.ANTixG.—Take a board three inches 
wide and start three inches from east end 
with celery seed. Sow this on top of 
ground and cover with three handfuls of 
dirt and a strip of burlap or muslin and 
keep wet till seeds germinate. Then tack a 
strip of cheese cloth three inches wide to 
stake top and bottom of row to shade 
young plants two or four inches above them. 
When nicely started or rooted this can be 
taken off. Next to this egg plants, then 
peppers, parsley and tomatoes. At the other 
or west end I start lettuce, cabbage, cauli¬ 
flower, and if any space is left plant Hail¬ 
stone White Forcing radish. These are 
ready to pull in 21 to 28 days, and it is 
then ready to transplant all excepting the 
four on east end. I use the same rows the 
radishes were in and plant four inches 
apart. In the next row I put plants in 
centre of first row or diagonally. This 
gives each plant over four inches space 
and one-third more plants than if planted 
four inches apart in straight rows. At this 
time a second hotbed, cold frame or boxes 
are needed. 
Transplanting. —Tomatoes I plant down 
in soil three inches and roots will start to 
surface after transplanting, which I do any 
time of day. I water, lower sash, *put a 
three or four-inch block under bottom and 
cover glass with carpet or muslin for a day 
or two, and then force till plants are about 
six inches high, when I leave sash open to 
harden them and give very little water till 
transplanting in open ground, then soak 
well and each plant will take all the dirt 
with it and will not wilt if squared out. 
Never leave a single glass sash closed on a 
sunny day that is not freezing; raise from 
one-half inch to all the way off, as too much 
heat will cause plant to wet off or die at 
the bottom and they need fresh air. Never 
water when sun shines unless you cover 
with carpet or muslin for an hour or two; 
with double or air space sash the danger 
is not so great, and the plants can be forced 
faster than with a single sash. I like con¬ 
crete, «four inches top, six inches bottom, 
for early bed; it looks nicer, draws heat, 
less liable to cool the edges than a single 
board, and is well worth the extra expense 
where stones, gravel and sand are easy to 
get. One hotbed as above with cold frames 
will furnish thousands of plants. I like 
sash made the reverse of commercial, that 
is strips to run short instead of long way 
with glass butted in saw-cut groove, and 
can reach anywhere in bed from the bot¬ 
tom. Plants I sell are placed 13 in a box 
made of three 114-inch lath cut in two 
with two blocks 2% inches square for ends, 
two pieces on bottom, two each side, 12 
nails. I find it a good plan with pepper 
seed, after dropping on ground, to wet the 
seed in row with boiling water and then 
cover. It quickens germination ; even then 
they are slow enough. When celery puts 
out the second leaf and is about one inch 
high take shallow boxes, 214 inches of rich 
dirt, and transplant an inch apart, soak 
with water and put in place where no sun 
will strike for a week, wetting daily ; then 
force and when large enough to "fill all 
space take a knife and cut out squares 
and the plants will not need to be covered 
unless very hot weather. Give plenty of 
water to celery. Try a few radish "seed 
with cucumbers and melons; will keep away 
bugs and are just as good to eat as when 
planted separately. Try celery in garden in 
double rows; it takes the same space as 
single rows, works nicer and gives nearly' 
double the yield. w. s. D. 
Sullivan Co., N. Y. 
Plant Wood’s Seeds 
For The 
Garden 6 Farm. 
Thirty years in business, with 
a steadily increasing trade every 
year—until we have to-day one 
of the largest businesses in seeds 
in this country—is the best of 
evidence as to 
‘Ihe Superior Quality 
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We are headquarters for 
Grass and Clover Seeds, 
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Cow Peas, Soja Beans and 
all Farm Seeds. 
Wood’s Descriptive Catalog 
the most useful and valuable of 
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mailed free on request. 
T. W. WOOD & SONS, 
Seedsmen, • Richmond, Va. 
There is 
scarcely any limit to the 
possible improvement in seeds, 
but it takes time and money. We have 
been improving flower and vegetable 
seeds for over 50 years. More than 2000 
people are working to make Ferry’s 
Seeds suit you. Buy the best—Ferry’s. 
For sale everywhere. 
FERRY'S 1909 SEED ANNUAL 
FREE ON REQUEST. 
D. M. FERRY & CO., Detroit, Mich. 
SEEDS 
Test My Seed Com 
This year I grew 10,000 bushels of corn. 1 
For years I have been selecting for a more 
g rolitic crop—for full sized, perfect ears. I 
ept at it until I succeeded. That’s why I 
grew this year’s bigerop. It is the 
finest type of corn I ever saw and 
I have selected the best of it for | 
seed. I guarantee it. I will re¬ 
fund your money if you do not find 
it satisfactory. Send us your or- 
I ders now—before it is all sold. An 
1 order means a full corn crib fori 
you next fall. 
My new oats and seed potatoes 
are the same high grade. Cata- , 
logue free. Ir you are inter- 
ested in fruit, I will send you a 
[nice plant—free. 
^ W. N. SCARFF, 
Dept. O • New Carlisle, Ohio. I 
&1909 SEED ANNUAL 
Most complete annual we 
everoffered. It’s free. Your 
request on a postal card 
„ gets it. We still continue our 
custom of listing 
Nothing but the Tried Varieties 
Our customers have confidence in ns 
and we want more customers and 
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“Onondaga” and “Columbia” 
Onr Annual tells all about “Onon¬ 
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timothy. The farmer who buys eith¬ 
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the 1909 Seed Annual tods 
Batchelor Seed Sto 
i Lafayette St., Utica, N. .. _ 
© 
EUREKA CORN 
For Moro 
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Grows tallest, often 20 ft.; Is sfTort- 
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not an unusual crop with Eureka. 
Standard for 21 years. Better than 
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genuine elsewhere. And stock is 
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early or you will be disappointed. 
We have 
, CORN OF ALL KINDS 
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See letters on Eureka and other kinds from satis¬ 
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Seeds, Farm Machinery, Implements. Tools, Etc. 
BOOK IS FREE. Address— 
ROSS BROS* CO., Worcester, Mass. 
When you write advertisers mention The 
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OUR CATALOGUE 
—the acme of perfection in cata¬ 
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J. M. THORBURN & CO. 
Department Y 
33 Barclay St. : : New York 
107 YEARS IN BUSINESS IN NEW YORK CITY 
iLADIOLUS*^ 
BULBLETS 
200 for 25c 
Do you love flowers? I do and 
I want every one to have plenty. 
My special hobby is the Gladi¬ 
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Send me 25c and I will mail 
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I wrote it myself—20 years ex- 
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Box 26 Shenandoah, Iowa. 
h'l 
T H E IT. S. Dept, of Agriculture says: -“In 
addition to the hay-crop, Alfalfa at two 
years adds $100 to the value of every 
acre on which it grows.” 
“There is no state in the Union in which 
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One of the finest of all pasture and hay 
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Montana Grown Alfalfa. Very hardy and 
productive. Adapted to nearly all localities. 
Turkestan Alfalfa. Grown in mountains 
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1 Grimm Alfalfa. Genuine seed grown in 
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regions and localities of limited rainfall. 
The above varieties are fully described 
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N0RTHRUP, KING & CO.. Seedsmen, 
158 Bridge Sq., Minneapolis, Minn. 
B 
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