256 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Aprtn, 1898. 
When the young seedlings are an inch or two high the necessary thinning 
should be done, provided the seedlings are very strong ; if not, the operation 
is best done the following season. Care must be taken not to injure those 
selected to remain. A very sharp-bladed knife is often a useful implement for 
this purpose. If the seedlings are slightly sprinkled with salt about twice a 
month, it will benefit them and keep off injurious pests. 
AFTER CULTURE. 
The whole after culture of such a plantation of asparagus consists in 
placing a liberal row of decayed fine manure along the rows, exactly over the 
crowns, during March* each year, or before the blades begin to push up. If 
the manure is not sufficient to produce a moiety of white base to the blades, a _ 
little soil from the sides should be drawn over it with a hand hoe. 
Though the largest, highest-priced “ srass’’ is generally sold with about 
_half its entire length quite white, wasteful, and useless, there are not wanting — 
signs that purchasers far prefer the more natural English grown; hence I do 
not advise drawing mounds of too great depth over the crowns, as a prepara- 
tion for growth and cutting. 
METHODS OF TRANSPLANTING. 
Reverting to the plan of transplanting seedling plants, instead of seed- 
sowings made direct for the after crop, two distinct plans are variously 
advocated. One is to chop out with a spade a slanting drill, against which the 
plants are laid at proper distances, the roots being spread fan-shape against it 
and covered with soil. The other is to draw a drill row, of sufficient width for 
the roots on either side of the crowns ; then, with the corner of the hoe, slightly 
draw the soil from the two outer sides of such wide drill as to cause a ridge in 
its centre. Upon these ridges the crowns of the plants are made, so to speak, 
to ride, with thin roots spread out down its sides to the lower levels on both sides. 
As the habit of the roots is to grow somewhat horizontally at but a few degrees 
angle downwards, it is obvious this latter plan gives greater facilities to the 
roots to assume a natural position, than when forced too directly downwards in 
a fan-like cluster as by the former method. Asarule, plants are purchased for 
transplanting. When this is done, I cannot too strongly urge on purchasers 
the desirability to procure fresh-dug plants, promptly dispatched and planted, 
as they lose much initial vigour if dug up some time previously and permitted 
to become dry, besides which mounded plants become very subject to extensive 
decay when replanted. In planting, insert the crowns 2 inches deep. 
To secure the crop in the best possible condition requires almost daily 
supervision, because the rate of growth varies very greatly in accordance with 
the weather, and it is important to cut all when in a perfect state of uniform 
length, attention to which lessens waste and unnecessary tax upon the roots. 
Each blade must be cut before the scales are in anywise rough or loose about its 
apex. When any are’cut, bundle them, and stand them upright in a dark, cool 
place—not in water—so that the bundles can be added to from succeeding 
cutttings. Do not cut the bottoms of the bundles to the necessary lengths 
until required for packing. Bundles of various sizes consist of hundreds, half, 
and quarter hundreds. Green grass is the best material for packing. 
MANURING ASPARAGUS BEDS. 
The Florida Agriculturist gives the following directions for manuring 
asparagus beds:—In nothing relating to asparagus has there been a greater 
change than in the practice of manuring. Formerly it was thought necessary 
to place large quantities of manure in the bottom of the deep trenches in which 
the young plants were set out, “in order that sufficient fertility might be 
* September, 
