152 WISCONSIN STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
60 days of ten hours each, at a cost of $180, to say nothing of 
loss from reaching the market at a later hour in the morning. 
Our land had no preparation when we took it, except two 
acres of bearing raspberries and two acres of strawberries in 
very fair condition. Taking 'possession in September, w T e at 
once began to manure at the rate of 50 good two-horse loads 
to the acre, and to plow under. All winter long, the same as 
every winter since, we were steadily hauling manure, except 
for a few days of very stormy weather. This we procure 
mostly from private stables of parties in town who regard it 
as of little value, so that it costs little except the hauling; and 
we get every load we possibly can before spring work begins. 
Manure not only strengthens the land so as to produce good 
crops, but it also brings them much earlier ; moreover, in case 
of drouth, by rendering the soil more friable and porous, it is 
a protection, as we have found repeatedly. With a plenty of 
manure and thorough tillage, good crops are almost certain, 
and with an abundance of the former, so easily to be had, and 
the facilities for the latter, no one need fail in gardening in 
Wisconsin for the lack of crops to sell. Our practice has been 
to apply from 50 to 70 two-horse loads to the acre for root 
crops, cabbages, and all early vegetables, and about 20 to 80 
to the vines, potatoes, tomatoes, sweet corn, and the coarser 
crops in the manner described hereafter. 
In addition to vegetables we grow in connection with 
our garden several acres of small fruits, but as they are rarely 
considered a part of a market garden I confine myself to the 
market garden proper. 
Asparagus. —First on the list of vegetables and first in the 
season is asparagus. This can, and should be made one of the 
most important vegetables of the garden, for we have never 
known a market to be flooded with it, nor have we ever 
known it to fall below a paying price, though every other 
vegetable does at times ; nor have we ever heard of any other 
gardener who ever knew of such an occurrance. Moreover, it 
comes in at a season when little else is producing an income, 
