The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-06-02

II. w. MRseE. cut uood 10.
paraeus In one year from the sowing
". me SEED and i never did SO in one
year after setting roots
Making the ABpnrngu. lied.
The plantation OF asparagus is to be
permanent matter, and hence the
preparation should be very thorough.
u there Is choice or soils mako the
asparagus bed in the lightcst and most
SANDY place. 1t Will be all the better
the SOIL has been manfred and cult
Hatcd In vegetable crops for years, and
Is naturally very fertile
Make trenches or burrows fully a
1901 deep ana four feet apart. II would
ne better still IL they are a little deeper
Put into the burrows six inches of fine
ola rotten manure. Cover this lightly,
and SOW the seed in n continuous row.
When the little plants are few inches
high thin them to two feet In the
row and work the soil into them TIL
level. During the summer apply nitrate
OF soda alongside the rows TO encour-
age rapid growth. DO this two or
three times. You will find that in this
way the growth is unusually large and
strong.
Then in the fall cover the whole bed
heavily with manure. Now II the
growth has been good. you can cut
little asparagus that first spring, but
90 not cut much. Encourage the growth
again during the summer with side
dressing of nitrate OF soda, and the
following spring you will have big
shoots In plenty.
Every summer after cutting has
stopped for the season, manure tho
bed heavily. TO encourage strong
growth for the next spring. AS the
asparagus grows II gradually gets
nearer the surface and you will have
to earth UP the rows II you want to
get the usual shoots with a white base
To them. But ] never care for these
and want all green and tender. and,
therefore, keep the crown OF the roots
near the surface where they VIII start
earlier in the spring. If you are grow
ing asparagus for market you will find
that the green shoots are now com
Inanding "A higher price than the white.
as people have found that all that
white part under ground is hard and
tough, and that the green above ground
is tender.
The great advantage OF this method
OF growing asparagus is not only get
ting the shoots sooner. but saving the
cost OF buying or growing roots for
transplanting.
Growing Onions.
still another belatcd correspondent
wants to know all about growing
onions Methods VIII! differ to
varieties, and the purpose for which
they are to be grown.
Green Onions for Spring punching.
10 produce EIctl' OHiOiiS '''
home use or for punching for market.
plant sets of the Norfolk Queen. the
earliest white onion. and sets OF the
yellow potato onions in september
ilant in rows sixteen inches apart and
cultivate with the handwheel Guilt
v,tor. The Queen will give the earliest
onions. often ready for punching here
in late February. But they must be
used early, as they ARE apt to run TO
seed as tho weather gets warm The
side offsets that form around the main
bulb OF these can be pulled and cleaned
white for punching, and Will continue
the green onion season through May
and early June
Growing the Sets.
To get sets OF the Norfolk Queen
onion ! SOW the seed very thickly in
rows in late April. and these rpen In
July and are cured for replanting IN
September To get sets or the potato
onion that does not make seed plant
the large onions in the early spring.
end they will break up into sets of
various sizes. and these can he re-
planted in September.
One advantage of the potato onion
for green onions is that the Offsets
that form around the main bulb can
be used and the main bulb left TO ripen
and sold or used as ripe onions, or for
planting the next spring 10 make more
Offsets.
Growing tho Mature or Ripe Crop.
Every one has noticed the great yell
low onions that are imported in crates
from Spain. and sold at our grocery
stores We can make these large
onions here we'll as in Spain. In
the lower section. about Norfolk, for
instance, the seed OF the Prizetaker
and Giant Gibraltar can be sown in
early September. and the plants trans
planted 10 rows In November. and
grown on during the winter. But here
and in most parts of Virginia. the
best method is to SOW the seed in late
January or early February in cold
frame covered with glass sashes. The
plants can then he transplantcd when
the size of Il goose quill In March in
well prepared and heavily fertlized
soil and will make very large onions
This transplantins method is we'll
suited TO the Spanish Denia. Gibraltar
and the Italian varieties. but is of no
advantage in the growing OF the Amer
lean or New England sorts
Growing Onions Direct From Seed.
The opinion has been common all
over the South that. while in the North
they can grow good ripe onions the
first season from seed. it is necessary
to plant sets III the South TO grow the
crop. But this is an error. for we can
grow onions as fine and az success
fully in the South the first season from
seed as in the North. The only diff
ference is that we must understand
that the onion is a hardy plant. and
thrives best in cool weather, and that
if we SOW the seed late. the hot
weather will cut their growth short
and ripen them into sets instead of
large onions. TO make good, ripe
onions from seed the first year, we
must SOW as early as possible in the
spripg. Usually we have weather that
will allow this the last Of February and
early March. No matter whether
grown on a large scale or only for
home use, the seed should be sown In
rows only sixteen inches apart. for IL
does not pay to grow onions In rows
wide enough to use horse working
The cultivation in any method must be
largely done by hand, for the onion
demands the cleanest of cultivation
and wedding and thinning must he
hand work. The seed should be of the
New England sorts, and should be
d.S.axy~