The Home Vegetable Garden 
13 
Clean cultivation is given during the summer, and before win¬ 
ter comes, the tops should be cut off and burned, after which a 
mulch of well-rotted manure three or four inches deep should be 
put over the bed. This prevents alternate freezing and thawing 
during the winter, which is detrimental to the plants. Manure 
which is free from weed seeds is best, and it may be worked into 
the soil in the spring. 
Cultivation begins in the spring as soon as the ground can be 
worked and is kept up throughout the summer. None of the young 
shoots should be cut the second spring, as the plants will be much 
stronger if left undisturbed until the third spring. The crop is 
given practically the same culture each year. Shallow cultivation 
is the rule during the summer, and the old stalks are cut and burn¬ 
ed after the berries have turned red. This is followed by the 
mulch of manure late in the fall. When the first shoots appear 
the third spring the soil is thrown toward the plants, hilling them 
up slightly. This is particularly desirable if bleached asparagus 
is to be grown. Soon after this, cutting of the young shoots be¬ 
gins, and they are kept cut clean for six or seven weeks. After 
this, the shoots are allowed to grow in order to provide for next 
year’s crop. 
The shoots are cut with a knife, or they may be broken off 
just below the surface of the soil, after they have attained a length 
of six or eight inches. 
In growing bleached “grass,” the rows are hilled up, and 
when the tips of the shoots appear above the surface of the ridge, 
they are cut off several inches below the top of the ground. 
Varieties .—Some of the best varieties of asparagus are Con¬ 
over’s Colossal, Palmetto, Giant Argenteuil, and Columbian (Mam¬ 
moth White). 
BEANS 
Types of Beans .—There are several types of beans, but the 
two of the most importance to the average vegetable grower are 
the kidney and Lima beans. From the former come our ordinary 
string or snap beans, while the large, flat-seeded kinds belong to 
the Lima type. 
Culture of Snap Beans .—Beans are tender plants and cannot 
be planted until danger of frost is past. When ready to plant, 
make rows two and a half feet apart and plant the seed two or three 
inches apart in the row. Six inches would probably be the best 
distance if a perfect stand could be obtained. Beans planted this 
