The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-05-07


AS beginner in this line of farming I
/ can't afford TO be governed by the numer-
| Gus theoretical authorities on the subject
hence my inquiry for practical ex-
perlence for my guidance PLANTER.
The following suggestions which we
| gave IN these columns two or three wears
ago are as applicable now as they were
! then:
1t IS rather late now to start an aspara-
| gus bed, and doubtless it would be better
| for our correspondent to defer planting
until November or December. There are
| quite number of growers of the plant,
and this season prices were very reasona-
| Die. One-year-old plants are the best
though 2-year-olds can be used very
satisfactorily. During the summer il
| would be wei! to get your plat where you
design planting in thorough condition,
| applying manure freely and blowing
| deeply several times. Just as fast as
| the young grass and weeds appear pillow
or harrow the soil, and this will make
the SOIL omparatively clean afterward.
| we can give you all the necessary in
formation this fall when you are nearly
ready to plant. Go ahead now, however,
ana prepare the soil
Every vegetarian of taste knows what
asparagus is-the most delightful vege-
table that we have. 1t is not very easy
TO get real nice asparagus in the market,
ana 1t Is not often that it is found in the
| nome gardens. 1t is not appreciated as il
should be. Asparagus comes in very
early in the spring-about the earliest
vegetable we can have along with the
radishes and lettuce.
1t is propagated by the seed, which
should be SOwn early in the spring, and
the plants put out in permanent beds the
| following autumn.
III is not incumbent upon all growers to
| resort TO the slow process of securing an
| asparagus bed by planting the seed. There
| are many persons who make it business
to grow plants for sale, and one can get
one, TWO or three year old plants from
| sucn growers at any time they may wish
| to start an asparagus bed and this is
much the best plan for ordinary garden
| ers. One-year-Old roots set out in the
fall will make bed from which aspara-
! gus may be cut the second year often, and
twoyear-old roots, if carefully planted
| out in the fall, will give a limited crop
the following spring, and after that full
| crop.
After bed or plant of asparagus is
well established it will continue for many
years-twenty or thirty years, in fact.
! The starting of the crop appears to be a
slow business, but one is amply rewarded
| for the trouble and delay in the end
| plant in beds three or four feet wide and
at any length desired. or small gardens
| this is the very best plan, but for market
| purposes, where one or more acres are
! cultivated, OF course it is better to plant
so that most Of the cultivation can be
done with the plow. In this case the
| rows are made three and a half 10 -four
| feet apart and the plants set two or three
| feet apart in the row.
! To old cultivatOrs of asDarapus IL is mt
| necessary to say that after it is once
started il is only question Of top-dress-
| ing every year or two with some good
| compost to keep up the bed for twenty
five years. As to permanency, it is a
most remarkable plant, having more vi
tally than any other plant we know of,
| and there is no other vegetable plant
! grown that is entitled TO more considera-
ton. II is not specially nutritive, but it
has medicinal qualities that is lacking in
most other vegetables in ordinary use.
The palmetto and the colossal are the
only varieties that need be resorted to.
Eight or nine named sorts appear in the
catalogues, but it is a mere matter OF
| name and not variety.
On good soil with good cultivation all
asparagus will grow large. One or two
year-old roots of the colossal can be pur-
| chased from IS to So per thousand
In setting out the roots first prune of
all the bruised roots and spread the roots
out evenly in every direction. If the soil
is a deep rich loan with plenty Of vege-
table matter in it the plants may be set
| deeper than where the soil is thin and
| shallow.
Three to four inches is deep enough to
start with, and where desired more rich
soil can be added afterwapd. Top dress
! ing Of Stable manure and vegetable mat
ter will gradually deepen the soil after
| the crop has been gotten under way.