The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
307 
Asparagus from Seed 
In “Notes From a Maryland Garden,” 
\V. F. Massey advocated planting aspara¬ 
gus seed in the permanent bed. In doing 
this should the trenches be made and 
partially filled with rotted manure, and 
then filled with earth, and the seed 
planted near the natural level of the 
ground? If this is done how will the 
roots and crowns be far enough below the 
surface to permit surface cultivation over 
the rows in early Spring? In setting 
roots we are advised to set the crowns 
from four to six inches below the surface 
and then fill in the earth as the plants 
grow. j. ir. o. 
Trumansburg. N.Y. 
I thought that I bad fully explained the 
method of growing asparagus from seed 
in the permanent bed. The depth of the 
crowns below the surface or below the an¬ 
nual hilling will depend on what you wish 
to grow, green or whitened shoots. The 
markets are fast finding out that shoots 
with green tips and white base are mainly 
hard and. tough, and green asparagus cut 
at the surface has of late years been 
bringing the best price. In preparing a 
garden bed I make the rows three feet 
apart and make trenches 15 inches deep, 
filling them half full of rotten manure. 
Then cover with three inches of soil in 
which in a light furrow the seed are sown 
and covered. This will put them low 
enough for any method of cultivation. 
The plants are thinned to two feet in the 
row when only four or five inches high. 
It is evident to anyone who has studied 
plant life that the digging up of roots at 
the end of one season’s growth is a shock 
to the plant, which requires a good While 
to recover from it. To see the difference 
plant a bed as I have suggested, and at 
the same time transplant some one-year 
plants with similar preparation and note 
the difference in that second year’s growth. 
You will find that the transplanted roots 
make shoots like a coarse knitting needle 
while the undisturbed roots make stout 
shoots, and once in my experience in very 
fertile soil made some shoots large enough 
to cook. The undisturbed roots will be 
ready to begin some cutting in two years 
from seeding, the roots in three years. The 
undisturbed roots should have dressings 
of nitrate of soda to push a rapid growth 
and should be cleanly cultivated. In the 
Fall, after the tops are matured and cut. 
the whole bed should be heavily covered 
with stable manure in which a goodly 
amount of acid phosphate has been mixed. 
This is turned under in the Spring, and 
if white stalks are desired the soil should 
be ridged over the rows. In full use the 
cuttings should not continue longer than 
two months, and then fertilization and 
cultivation should be carried on till frost 
to make the strongest new crowns for the 
following season. I have proved more 
than once in the past “0 years that I can 
get asparagus shoots at least a year 
sooner by sowing seed where the plants 
are to remain than by tearing them up 
and setting elsewhere. w. P. MASSEY. 
Hairy Vetch and Spelt; Frost-proof Silo 
1. Have you ever grown Hairy vetch? 
If so, what is its feeding value, and what 
yield per acre-does it attain? When is it 
best sown? 2. Have you ever grown any 
spelt, and what is its feeding value? How 
does it yield? When best sown? 3. Is 
there any way to make a wooden stave 
silo frost-proof? If so, would you brief¬ 
ly describe it? g. e. b. 
Waterloo. N.Y. 
1. We have grown Hairy vetch in 
Northern New Jersey—chiefly for green 
manuring. Its feeding value is about 
equal to Canada field peas, but our stock 
never took kindly to the vetch. With the 
price of seed considered we prefer the 
peas. 
2. We have grown spelt, obtaining the 
seed from the West. In our section this 
grain does not equal either oats or bar¬ 
ley. either in grain or fodder. We under¬ 
stand it is superior in the Northwest, 
but is not so with us. 
3. In the West and North we are told 
that long poles arc set up around the 
outside of the silo, about one foot out. 
Chicken wire is tacked on around the 
outside of these poles, and the space thus 
left around the silo stuffed full of straw 
or chaff. This keeps the heat in on the 
same principle employed in using saw¬ 
dust in an ice-house to keep the outside 
heat from the ice. No doubt some of our 
readers can tell of other plans. 
Sunday Schooi. Teacher: “Now, 
Hazel, can you tell what the epistles are?” 
Small Hazel: “Yes. ma’am; they are the 
wives of the apostles.”—New York Globe. 
XJ E put running water and electric lights on my 
farm: he did a hard job easily, because he’s a 
trained expert. You ought to see him, Joe, because this 
water and light system will make things pretty handy 
and comfortable for you, and make you more profits. 
He’s the representative of the Milwaukee Air Power 
Pump Co., and they have to take a regular course on 
how to put in water and electric light systems. He fixes 
it so that we get fresh water right from the well every 
time we turn the faucet. No storage tank or stale 
water. 
He fixed it so my same engine runs the water system, 
electric lighting plant, feed grinder, washing machine 
and cream separator. Now I’ve got hot and cold 
cistern and well water in my kitchen and bathroom; 
good fresh drinking water at all times; water for my 
stock, and electric light in all my buildings. 
Running water and electric light, Joe, makes all the 
family satisfied, and increases my farm profits so 
much that it has more than paid for the whole system. 
Joe, if I were you, I’d go talk to this man. 
We have a representative in your county. If you 
don’t know him, write us. 
MILWAUKEE AIR PUMP CO., 863 3rd St., Milwaukee, Wis. 
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The best-built drills 
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Disc Styles— meet every soil condition, sow 
any seed. Also Crown 
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Lime Sow e r s and 
Grass Seeders. 
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112 Wayne St.. 
Phelps, New York 
2 
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