The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-11-30
Aspnrngms.

The culture of asparagus is far too
much neglected throughout the southern
states, and when we consider the adapta-
bility of the soil and climate for it's sue
cessful production we cannot help being
somewhat surprised that this should be
so, says the Farm and Fruit Grower, but l
presume one of the reasons for this state
of matters is that a great many of the
southern farmers and truckers are under
the impression that it is of very difficult
production, requiring extraordinary rich
soil and a peculiar mode of treatment all
its own. This is quite an erroneous idea,
for it is one of the easiest handled and at
the same time one of the most profitable
crops that any one can make The old
idea Of digging four feet deep trenches and
filling them up with all sorts of rubbish
(old shoes and scrap iron included is all
exploded long ago. All that is required is
to make the soil as rich as possible and
to have it in as perfect a condition, phys
ically, as it is possible to make it, always
to be sure that there is plenty of humus
there for other fertilizers to work upon.
The best bed of asparagus l ever saw was
on the site of an old pig pen that had
been usel as such for quite number of
years. The old bedding and the solid and
LIQUID manure were all mixed up and in
]
ideal spot to grow asparagus to perfection
in. All the other fertilizing it ever got
was about a bushel of common salt to
every square rod of ground every fall.
One grand secret of the fertility OF. the
| bed was that hog manure is rich in pot
ash, and it showed it quite decidedly on
that spot, as the yield was something
| enormous.
| In laying out land for asparagus Qet the
| patch be large or smalD the first essen
| tial is deep and perfect plowing and, If
| possible, get it well SUBSIDIZED so as to open
| up the lower soil strata TO air and sun
shine so as to sweeten it. The soil should
be of a sandy loan; heavy soil does not
yield so sweet and crisp an article as a
nice sandy loan does In the very be-
ginning the land ought to be covered solid
to the extent of two or three inches with
barnyard manure and six to eight hun
bred pounds of kainit per acre broadcasted
over this, and when this is all plowed I'M
der and mixed with the soil it fills il
with the essentials for an extra good crop
of asparagus year after year when it gets
to bearing. After the land is well plowed
and subsoiled there should be added about
four hundred poundsspe acre of a ferti-
lizer containing per cent. potash, to
per cent. phosphate and 3 per cent. nit
rogen. This should be narrowed in and
the land rolled or smoothed well over in
some way. With all this preparation we
are now ready to plant our roots. / would
not advise any one to grow their own roots
from seed, as two-year-olds can be got
very cheap from Dealers and this saves
at least two years time. In laying off the
land for planting it should be checked
three by three or three and half by two
and a half. This is considerably wider
than usual, but you will find it gives all
the better crops the wider they are. In
setting the plants the crown ought to be
L. So. 1..v.~
surface of the ground. The second year
after planting the bed should get in the
winter (say January a top dressing of
bone phosphate, worked well in the soil
with a harrow, applied, If possible, before
rain, and the following autumn
six to ten hundred pounds of kainit and
every fall after 1t comes into bearing a
liberal supply of kainit should be APP
piled. increasing the quantity yearly as
the bearing capacity increases. Every win
ter some heterogeneous fertilizer should be
added--nitrate of soda one year and cotton
seed meal the other year. This alternates
mineral and vegetable fertilizers which
tends to an increased yield, and with the
liberal quantities of kainit, to a superior
quality. ] might say in passing, when it
gets to be ten years old or so if 1t Is still
thrifty and healthy a ton of kainit every
autumn is none too much for every acre.
Different individuals have different ideas
of the treatment it should yearly get
Some leave all rubbish and grass and weed
growths until spring, but l believe in
burning all that off along in November,
just before applying the kainit, and then
the bed is ready for business whenever the
first breath of spring is in the air. omitted
to say that phosphate should be added to
the soil a little every year, alternating
with bone phosphate and acid phosphate.
This should be applied in January at the
same time that the nitrogen is applied, but
the main necessity for short, crisp and
sweet asparagus is plenty of potash in the
shape of kainit. If this is applied yearly
in a systematic manner we may rest as
sured Of profitable results
G. X. McQuarrie.