30 
THE FLORIST’S JOURNAL. 
drill and gently raked over: tliis will protect the crown of the 
roots from the strong heat of the sun. Care must be taken 
when removing the covering not to damage the crown of the 
roots. 
Cultivation — Situation and Soil. The situation for grow¬ 
ing asparagus must be of a light, dry, and airy description, and 
such that the sun may act upon it with all its influence. Seeing 
what its natural situation is, it would be at once obvious that it 
should have a light soil, affording little resistance either to the 
emission of roots or the protrusion of its stems : the soil should 
also be capable of both receiving and parting with water readily: 
rich, light, turfy soil, that would readily break or fall to pieces, 
is the best for such purposes; but it must have been cut at 
least one year before it is wanted for use, and it must also be 
well enriched with thoroughly decomposed horse or pig ma¬ 
nure. I recommend the latter, it being a much stronger manure ; 
and the asparagus plant being a gross feeder it will derive more 
nourishment from it than it would do from a manure of less 
powerful qualities. Bones have by some been recommended as 
a manure for asparagus, and in some situations there is not the 
smallest doubt but they would be highly beneficial; but never 
having seen them tried, I am not prepared to say they are good 
for the purpose mentioned. 
Such a soil as that I have been describing is not always to be 
procured, and the asparagus must then be planted in what the 
garden affords. In such cases the ground must be trenched to 
the depth of two feet and a half; and at the same time a sufficient 
quantity ot manure should be added to make the ground very 
rich. If the ground should have been long under crop, the ad¬ 
dition of a small quantity of fresh turf, if it can be procured, will 
be highly advantageous. If the soil should be of a strong clayey 
description I would recommend to add to it at the time of 
trenching either sand, lime rubbish, or lime siftings; either of 
which will have the effect of keeping the soil open, and will 
assist it very much in parting with superfluous water: in all 
soils lime will be found useful, as asparagus plants root very 
freely in it. 
Attention being paid to these circumstances, asparagus is one 
of the easiest of all vegetables to cultivate ; but no art or skill 
will produce precisely the soil which is most favourable to its 
growth. This exists naturally in the fittest of all possible states, 
and it is in these situations only that the plant is to be obtained 
