The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1890-10-17
a sTUDY OF

IL Seelifb 10 me LBdI tl0 mebDOu OF Heei
setting this crop is q mistake. | have
spent money carting dirt on to asparagus
beds, but it was labor lost; the yield was
no better. We live and learn. Studying
the habit Of the plant l found much that
is interesting. Flowing an old mead
ow | found roots Of asparagus that had
sprung from seeds, and the clump Of roots
when turned up were about eighteen inches
long and had in all cases grown by inches
toward the south, adding a new bud each
year, the old buds or roots being connected
together with the. power to produce an up
ward growth only in the lew bud. An
other bed. in bearing over thirty years and
for the last fifteen without ma
mule, has shown signs of running
out. The stalks are of good size,
but very thinly scattered over the
ground SO that one-fourth of the two-acr
lot was ploughed up. This was done with
difficulty as the roots were not strong in
the land.
The decay and decreased production was
laid not so much to lack of fertilizing as
to the fact that of late years the ground
has been worked twice each season with a
light one-horse plough, instead Of by the
old method of hand digging with the six
tined fork; the roots were probably cut off
below the bearing point from time to time
by the plough, and the part of the lot
worst affected was where the plants were
deepest in the soil. Another bed was set
in rich land ten years ago, not very deep.
This when a small part oft was plough
ed up TO make room for hotbeds proved a
very tough job-the hardest plonghing
remember. The roots here had seemed to
grow in all directions as to points of COM
pass but always with the terminal shoot
only, ready for the spring trade.
a bed of one fourth acre set in the spring
of IS with two-year-old roots of Moore's
Crossbred variety had last spring stalks all
along the lows from one half to one inch
through, large enough to cut; but none
of them were cut the past season as it is not
considered advisable to cut much till the
third season after planting. This bed is on
a side hill sloping east that had received
an annual %manuring for twenty years.
The land was heavily MANFRED at the time
aud the manure worked into the soil.
The plants were set in rows three feet a.
part. The plants were abouta foot in row
and not morethan four or five inches below
the surface: in fact, set III the rich surface
soil Of the garden without subsoillng or
any such trenehing as is usually recon-
mended. Next season this bed will yield
an abundant cutting of splendid shoots
and if worked with a fork and not with a
plough will remain in bearing for at least
thirty years.
As for manure, I believe for asparagus,
as for rhubarb, that the manure should be
applied in the fall. Our a~.luvial soil does
not respond to commercial fertilizers; but
wood ashes, leaehed or unleached, and
horse mauare are our dependence. This
put on in the fall and worked into the soil
early in the spring. the ground cleared of
weeds about July first II then left till
November. when the beds are moved
down and burned to kill seeds. There is
absolutely no "best time to set a bed
but either fall or spring as suits. The fall
is better on some MINOR acconnts-the land
is in better condition to work, the plants
are dormant and there S more leisure tc
do the job well. The plants are best fol
setting at two years, for then yon get the
plants in fresh soil, free of weeds anc
strong enough to make a vigorous growth
at once. Oae-year-old plants are good
the best ones be chosen and you car raise
your own seedlings aud in the meantime
prepare the land for the future bed b!
clods which will leave the soil in good
condition to set the asparagus.-WHB0H
Mass.