The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1886-12-23
ASPARAGUS CULTURE.
Obse rvation. and Experiments Made BY
Successful Cultivator.

Obse rvation. and Experiments Made bys
Successful Cultivator.
1t seems to m. that the method OF
deep setting this crop is a mistake.
have spent money carting d rt on to
asparagus beds, but it was labor lost;
the yield was no better. We live and
| arm. Studying the habit of the plant
I found much that is interesting.
Plow ng an old meadow found roots
of asparagus that had sprung from
seeds. and the clumps of roofs when
turned up were about eighteen inches
long and had in all cases grown ty
inches toward the south. add ng new
bud each year. the old buds or roots
beng connected together with the
power to reduce an upward grow b
onl, in the new bud. Another led, in
bearing over tn rty years and for the
last fifteen without manure, as shown
Signs of running ut The stalks are Of
good size, but very thin y scattered
over the ground. so that one-fourth Of
the two-acre lot was ploughed up. This
was done with little difficulty, as the
roots were not strong in the land.
The decay and decreased production
was laid, not SO much to the lack of
fert liz ng as to the fact that of late
years the ground had been worked
twice each season with a ght one
no Sc plow, instead of by the Old meth
cd of hand-digging with the six-tinei
| fork; the roots were probably cut off
below the bearing point from time to
time by the p ow, and the part of the
| lot worst Affected was where the plants
| were deepest IN the so |. Another bed
was set in r.ch land ten years ago. not
very deep. This, when small part Of
it was plowed up to make rom for hot
beds, proved a very tough iob-the
hardest plowing remember. The
roots here seemed to grow all direc-
tions as to points of compass, but
always with the terminal shoot only,
ready for the spring trade.
A bed of one-fourth acre set in the
spring of '85 with two-vear-old roots oi
the Moore's Crossbred variety had las,
spring stalks all along tho rows from
one-hah to one inch through. large
enough to cut; but none of them were
cut this season, as it is not considered
advisable to cut much II the third sea
son after pianting. This bed is on &
s de-hill sioplng east that had received
an annual manur,ng for twenty years
The land was heav ly manured at the
time and the manure worked into th'
SO !. The plants were set n rows thre,
feet apart. The plants were about /.
foot apart in rows and not more thai
four or live inches below the surface; Il
fact, set in the rich surface soil of tn,
garden without subsoilng or any sucl
trench ng as is usually recommended
Next season tn 8 led will yield al
abundant cutting of splendid shoots
and # worked W tn fork and not witt
plow will remain n bearing at leas
thirty years.
AS for manure, believe for aspara
gus, as for rhubard, that The manur
should be applied in the fall. Our al
luvial soil does not respond to CONNER
C al fertilizers; but wood ashes, leache,
or unleached, and horse manure are ou
dependence. This put on in the fal
and worked nto the so early in spr ng
the ground cleared of weeds about Jul
/, and then # till November. whel
the bed are moved down and burne
to kill seeds. There is absolutely n
"best tine" to set he'd. but g ther fal
or spr ng, as SUITS. The fall IS better o
some m nor accounts-the land is j
hetter condition to work. the plants ar
dormant and there is more les ire to d
that .ob well. The plants are best fo
setting at two years. for then you &c
the plants in fresh so l, free OF weed
and strong enough to make a vigorou
growth at once. One-yaar-o,d p ant
, are good if the best ones be chosen an
! y,u can raise your own seedlings an
in the meantime prepare the Ian
} for the future ed by crops VIII ch wi
leave the soil in good cond.t on to sc
the asnaragus.-W H. Bull, in N.
| T,r Lnne