The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1881-05-05
Asparagus Culture.
New England Farmer.l

/ Asparagus thrives best on a deep
sandy loan. 1t should by no means be
I planted on stony land, for the stones
will obstruct the tender sprouts and
make them grow crooked, and Will also
interfere with the knife in cutting. The
best land is the fine sandy loan of our
corn fields or plain land.
The plants are grown from seed sown
thickly in seed bed the year before
the field is planted; if only few hun
dred are wanted for family supply.
they can be bought Of some nurseryman
more cheaply than they can be raised
from seed.
The seed is sown early in spring in rows,
by machine, about as thicklyas onions,
and cultivated by the shovel hoe and
weeded by hand in prec sely the same
manner required for a bed of onions.
The plants are in better order for trans
planting at one year old than older.
There is a great deal Of controversy
a. to the value Of the so called varieties
Of asparagus. am satisfied that there
is more value in good land, in good filth
and heavy manuring than any difference
in seed. / have planted the Conover's
Colossal alongside the common kind,
and could see no difference in favor Of
the former Still, / believe that seed
selected in the way that Capt,
Moore, Of Concord, practices, is worth
more than all the trouble it costs to save
it in fact, it is one Of the secrets Of his
uniform success in growing asparagus,
the others being good land, heavy
manuring, wide planting and thorough
tillage.
His method of saving seed is as fol-
lows: Early in spring he goes through
his field and marks those stools which
throw unusually large sprouts, by drIv
Ing sake near them; the men who
cut the sprou daily for market are in
structed to let these stools grow up and
run to seed thus they grow up and
blossom without danger Of mixing the
pollen from inferior stems, which are
kept closely cut. The seed gathered
from the staked stools may be expected
and really do prove Of superior quail
ty.
The land for asparagus Is prepared
by blowing in a good dressing OF manure,
narrowing and rolling; the burrows are
then struck out with a large pillow, three
and a half feet apart, going several
times in the same furrow, and finally
shoveling out the furrow by hand, SO as
to plant the roots six or eight inches
below the general surface after the fur
rows are filed. The turrow Is dressed
with some fine compost and the roots
planted a foot apart, covering at first
only lightly with a hoe, 50 rs not 10
smother the young plants with to much
covering. The ridge between the rows
is usually planted with carrots or beets
and after this crop is harvested the
ridges are Ieveled down.
The next year the asparagus will re-
quire cultivating and hoeing to keep it
in order, but by no means crop 1t TIL
the third year from planting, or the
fourth from seed 1t should receive a
moderate dressing of fine manure
every spring, which is worked in with
the disk harrow. The object in plant
ing the roots so deeply is to give the
harrow Il chance to work over the tops
of the roots without injuring them. The
cropping and marketing of asparagus
needs a good deal Of care; it should be
cut every morning before breakfast, and
tied up directly in punches. The bes,
knife is a common butcher knife, filed
with saw teeth for three inches from
the point With this a man can cut
rapidly for an hour without stopping to
sharpen, which is not true Of any other
style Of knife [ have seen. The knife
viii need grinding and filing daily.
The frame used for punching is a sim
pie affair, and can be made at home by
an ingenious person. 1t consists Of four
pegs driven into horizontal board, with
another board set up on edge at the end
Of the first and nailed to it. The pegs
are 50 placed as to guage the size of the
bunch, the standard size being such that
three dozen punches just fill a bushel
box. The best tying material is Russia
mating, and the strings must be wet
and drawn very tightly. 1t requires
some skill and a good deal Of care, to
tie up asparagus we'll and much de-
ponds upon the care used in making it
look we'll.
Asparagus is one of the most whole
some and delicious of all vegetables. 1t
comes so early in the spring that moth
ing completes with it except Southern
produce, and its culture and popularity
are yearly increasing. 1t is so easily
transported, and bears carriage so well,
that a good deal of it is produced forty
miles or more from market, and large
amounts are sent here from New Jersey,
and even from Carolina in early spring.