The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1881-03-09
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g Asparagus.
The plant is common to NIL soils, says
Mr.. George Thompson, of Kentucky,
! but does its best IN heavy loans or stiff
: CLAWS, avoiding at all times one inclined
to be wet, for here drainage must be re-
sorted to. Progress in the development
of the plant has been Carried to a great
cA;ent in late ,vcals by selecting seed
from the best grown stalk. ." ! has been
repeated till stalks have nIen produced
in size from one-half inch in diameter to
IL and one-half inch, all the
sorts being only improvements. The
site of an asparagus bed is of Importance
when the place will admit Of it. Any
land not wet will do for the plantation,
as manure is the dependence for de-
velopment. Let the plat be level, and
if possible have an inclination to the
north. This inclination will not pro-
duce it early, but larger and finer. II
for early, the inclination should be
southwark; but let the plat be of as
strong soil rs the place will afford, and
any good ordinary land will make
the first years growth sufficient,
as manure does the future work.
The pillow will be adapted for
the planting, and hoe and cultivator for
future cultivation. and not the old cX-
. plodcl theory of spade and line. With
a large two-horse pillow throw out four
burrows the length of the land required.
! Furrow deep, and after the large pillow
take a one-horsc pillow to clean out, then
a subsoiler to loosen up the bottom. 1t
is supposed now that these burrows are
about eight to ten inches deep, and this
is one bed or line in which to set the
roots. Beds should be prepared this
way not less than six feet apart. Plant
ing.-Anv time in April procure plants
two or three Years old. These plants
may be carried to the field in q barrel,
with a basket to plant from. The plants
are dropped in the newly-made trench
eighteen to twenty inches apart, crowns
up, and covered about two inches deep
with the hoe, pressing the plant firmly
with both feet when covered. The
planting is now complete, and will re-
main so a few weeks till weeds will begin
to show themselves. Cultivution.-This is
n with a garden horse cultivator and
hoe. In a few weeks, if the weather is
warm and favorable, q few shoots or
stalks will make their appearance, and
in hoeing care must be taken not to
break them off. All plants that have not
made signs of growing at the first hoeiug,
the places where the plants are missed
must be carefully hoed over, and it is
best to put down q stake to note the
place in case it fails to come, that the
next spring another plant may be set.
Hoe the full width of the burrows and
avoid putting on more than two inches
of earth till satisfied that all plants
have made their growth, keeping the
Srowingstalks always we'll above ground,
Is too much dirt on young plants at first
slnothers them, and, being in a trench.
under heavy rains may become water
soaked or drowned. After they are
we'll up the earth may nc gradually
pulled to them at each working through
out the season. In November the
trenches will he filled or nearly so, when
good stable manure, old or new, should
be hauled and scattered broadcast
throughout the burrows three to four
inches deep. The dead tops may he
left on and go in with the manure In
the second year the beds will he level,
and should have level cultivation
throughout the season with hoe and cul-
~tivator. In the spring of the second
year ell missed plants car be reset. In
the fall of the second ~vear-about No
rember with Onc-lorsc pillow open
out burrows on each side of plants, leav-
ing part of tops to be guided by, and in
these burrows spread manure as the first
year, only spreading more over
the ground each year until the
fourth year, when the entire sur
face should he spread with manure.
In the spring of the fourth wear the
roots will bear cutting. Buds may be
raised for giving length to stalks bv
throwing burrows together with n one
horse pillow, throwing four or six to.
: gether and dressing down with harrow
and blackboard. Avoid, when blow
ing, the cutting Of crowns. The cutting
OF stalks may he done with chiscls or
knives, taking care not to cut crowns, Or
, the stalks may be broken down Mt the
surface after they have grown several
inches. In this way they are more ten
der and highly favored. The cutting
OF n plantation will last for many wears,
for fine large stalks will always produce
we'll in quantity but not in size.