New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1892-03-09
THE FARMERS COLUMN.
VALUABLE SUGGESTIONS ABOUT
FARM WORK.
How to Make an Asparagus Bed
Flowing ExperimentS--Fe
ing Straw to Cattle--
Other Valuable In
formation.
How to Make an Asparagus Bed.

What a time used to be made over
the preparation OF an asparagus bed,
to be sure! Deep and laborious
trenching. and carloads Of manure
involving q great amount of heavy
toll and large expense, We're deemed
essential to success in raising the sue
culent vegetable. But most of this
was entirely unnecessary, results as
satisfactory being obtained at little
of the expense and very much less Ia
Dor.
1t is true, however, that the land
for an asparagus bed cannot be too
rich. 1t must also be free from stag
nant water, dry and warm. If at all
inclined to be wet. it should be tile
drained-in fact. it would be well to
underdrain in any case.
II it is desired to have an asparagus
bed quickly, plants should be purchas-
ed, not more than ayear old, if they
can be obtained; as vigorous, we'll
grown plants Of that age are as good
as those OF two years growth, and
less apt to be stunted.
But those who have an asparagus
bed already growing, and want to
plant another, can afford to wait q
year and raise plants of their own.
Asparagus seed should be sown in
rich, mellow earth early in the spring,
in rows about fifteen inches apart.
They should be an inch apart in the
rows, and covered about an inch
deep.
The first seasons care consists SIM
ply in keeping the soil mellow and free
from weeds. The following spring the
plants should be set out in the per-
manent bed prepared for them.
1t is some trouble, OF course, to
raise ones own plants, and causes the
delay Of a year if one has not q bed
already. But it is the best way, pro-
vided proper care is taken Of
them, to get plants, because they will
usually be better than those obtained
in the market and besides they can
remain undisturbed in their original
bed until the time arrives for trans
planting.
One OF the most important points
plants is to give them plenty OF elbow
room. They will give better crops
and provide them earlier in the sea-
son than If closely crowded. AS these
suggestions are for farmers, with
whom saving OF space is OF less conse-
quence than saving OF time and la
Dor, we would advise making the rows
not less than four feet apart and set
ting the plants two and half to three
feet apart in the rows, so as to admit
of cultivation with a horse hoe both
ways. With SO much space in which
to grow, the roots, if strong at the be-
ginning, will make vigorous growth.
1t is not now considered essential,
nor, indeed, advisable, to set the
plants as deep as was formerly rec
commended: Three or four inches
IS deep enough. Mark off
the rows at the distance in
dictated above with a common
corn marker, and set the plants where
the lines cross, carefully spreading out
the roots and 'tirming'' the soil above
them. AS the plants are to remain a
long time, it is worth while to do the
Job thoroughly and we'll
Asparagus is a wholesome and
agreeable vegetable, and every farm
should have a bed Of it for home con-
sumption. But, grown in the practi.
cal way above described, it may be
made d source OF considerable profit,
for large, tender asparagus shoots
command good price in the market.
The best quality is always sure OF a
quick sale at handsome figure.
Flowing Experiments.
This is one OF the practical questions
which must be determined by each
farmer for himself, or by one enter
prising farmer for his neighborhood,
when the same conditions exist over
the same locality.
One farmer, whose experience we
noted some years ago, seemed to
throw absolute discredit on the the
DRY that deep blowing is best, espec-
tally in q dry season. He prepared
half all acre ,with great care, manur-
ing heavily and ,subsoiling to the depth
OF sixteen inches. After narrowing
thoroughly, he thought the tract was
in the best possible shape for giving a
fine crop. Another contiguous half
acre, which he had not time to pre-
pare in the same way, was equally
well manured, but plowed only two
inches deep and given an extra ,har-
rowing
Both tracts were planted to corn,
which came up well, aud for the first
month there was no apparent differ
.ence between them. Then q severe
drought began, and by the, close of
July the shallow-plowed part was far
ahead of the other. August was
dry, and at. the end of the month the
deeply -plowed tract was suffering bad
ly, the leaves becoming yellow nearly
up to the ears, while the Other half
acre suffered but little. It grew rap
idly, and made the best crop of corn
on the place or an the neighbour
hood.
The surface soil i'm this casa was a.