News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1889-02-07
Asparagus,

Asparagus is hardy perennial plant
that may be grown upon the same
ground for years without being renewed
The soil best suited for it is deep,
rather sandy loan, such as is often
found upon the edge of ponds or lakes
land formed by the washing of higher
grounds, and known as alluvial.
If asparagus is raised in q small way
for home use, the soil may be prepared
for n bed of it by trenching to a depth
of two or three feet and mixing two or
three inches of well-rotted manure with
each layer as it is turned over. If rails
ed on large scale for sale, the soil is
generally prepared by deep and
thorough pulyerizing by pillow and sub
soiler.
Asparagus is propagated from seed,
the soil can. be worked. The soil should
be made very fine, and plenty of we'll
rotted manure worked into it. Sow the
seed in rows one foot apart, about an
inch in the rows. Keep the plants free
from weeds, and carefully hoed, and
they will he ready to trans plant when a
year old. One pound of seed will pro-
duce 5000 plants, and if set thick in
the bed it will take from 5000 to 90
900 plants to the acre. One OF the best
gardeners near New York City places
his plants in rows, six feet apart in the
rows. In this way he uses less than
1000 plants to the acre. The plants
should be moved from the growing bed
to the permanent bed in the spring; the
sooner this is done the better. If for
home use make the beds five feet wide
and have three rows in ench bed-one
row in the middle of the bed and one
row foot from each edge. Have the
plants nine inches apart in the rows.
If raised for sale make the rows three
feet apart, plants nine inches apart in
the rows. If on q farm where the
garden work is done with a horse, we
prefer row or two on one edge
of the garden; then they will not
interfere with the blowing or the
cultivating of the vegetables in
rows, which we consider far the
cheaper and better plan for farm gar
en-. In planting, dig a trench six or
eight inches deep, place the plants in
position, nine inches apart, using care
to spread the roots properly. Have the
crown OF the plant covered three inches.
Keep the bed we'll raked until the
plants begin to show themselves above
ground. In this way the weeds can be
kept down. After the plants appear
above ground, the weeds near them
must be ''hand we'd" The rest of the
cultivation may be with hoe or pillow,
rs circumstance or fancy dictates
Thorough cultivation now will have it's
reward, as it did if pursued during the
year the plants were i'll the seed bed.
Do not cut the asparagus the first or
second season after planting; cut lightly
the third. Give the led an annual top
dressing of manure. Dig or pillow it in
before the plants begin to grow in the
spring 1t will be well to cover the
plant during the winter with mulching
of some kind.
Away from the sea shore it is very
beneficial to asparagus beds to give
them dressing of salt once q year
spring only. Use from two to three
pounds per square yard; strew it upon
the surface and the rains will Dissolve it
and carry it down to the roots. Besides
the direct good done the asparagus, the
salt is destructive to wire worms and
other insects that often trouble aspara-
gus. A spring top dressing of super.
phosphate of lime is very beneficial if
applied at the rate of 500 pounds to the
acre and hoed in. Don't cut asparagus
close. The middle of May to June LIST,
according to the season, IS a good time
to stop cutting. Form, Field and Stock
man.