Page:The family kitchen gardener - containing plain and accurate descriptions of all the different species and varieties of culinary vegetables (IA familykitchengar56buis).pdf/25

 in catalogues, but there is a great similarity among them, and we will class them into two only, the Green-top and the Purple-top. The former is round in the top and of a bright green color. The latter of a purple reddish-green color, very close headed, and is the sort generally cultivated. There is another supposed variety called the Giant, which is greatly extolled by Seedsmen on account of its size, but I believe the principal secret lies in the quality of the soil and the superiority of culture. Sow the seed early in Spring, (about a pound will be sufficient for a family), thinly, in drills, one and a-half to two inches deep, and eighteen inches from row to row—in good, rich, sandy, loamy soil, well manured and prepared. Strong one-year old plants are much better for transplanting than those of even three years' old, when the growth has been indifferent. Rake the ground even, and keep it free from weeds by frequent hoeing. About the first of the following November, some stable litter should be spread over the ground, to keep the young roots from frost.

.—The best ground for Asparagus is a light, sandy loam, at least two feet deep. Before planting it should be dug very deep or trenched in the way we have recommended, burying in plenty of manure, as no more can be supplied after the beds are planted (unless by surface dressings). The ground can scarcely be too rich, for the sweetness and tenderness of the shoots depend on the rapidity of the growth, which is greatly promoted by the richness of the soil. A plot of ground twenty feet wide and from forty to fifty feet long will be suitable for a moderate-sized family. Over it sow from fifty to one hundred pounds of salt, incorporating it with the soil to the depth of four or five inches. The ground having been well prepared and pro perly leveled, divide it off into beds four feet wide. with alleys of two fect between them. The work should all be done in fine wea ther, about the end of March. Drive in a strong stake at each corner, take up the plants carefully from the seed-rows with a fork, and expose them to the air as little as possible, keeping