The Culture of Vegetables and Flowers From Seeds and Roots | Page 4

way as a Potato it certainly is a very poor vegetable indeed. It is a
matter of some interest, however, that in respect of nutritive value it is
about equal to the Potato; therefore, in growing it for domestic use
nothing is lost in the way of food, though it needs to be cooked in a
different way.
The Jerusalem Artichoke will grow anywhere; indeed, it will often
yield a profitable return on land which is unsuitable for any other crop,

but to insure a fine sample it requires a deep friable loam and an open
situation. We have grown immense crops on a strong deep clay, but it
is not a clay plant, because it soon suffers from any excess of moisture.
To prepare the ground well for this crop is a matter of importance, for it
roots freely and makes an immense top-growth, reaching, when very
vigorous, a height of ten or twelve feet. Trench and manure in autumn,
and leave the land rough for the winter. Plant in February or March,
using whole or cut sets with about three eyes to each, and put them in
trenches six inches deep and three feet apart, the sets being one foot
apart in the trenches. When the plants appear, hoe the ground between,
draw a little fine earth to the stems, and leave the rest to Nature. Take
up a portion of the crop in November and store in sand and dig the
remainder when wanted, as recommended in the case of Parsnips. The
tubers must be dug with a fork by opening trenches and cleaning out
every scrap of the roots, for whatever remains will grow and become
troublesome in the following season.
==ASPARAGUS==
==Asparagus officinalis==
Asparagus is a liliaceous plant of perennial duration, and it demands
more generous treatment than the majority of Kitchen Garden crops.
Under favourable conditions it improves with age to such an extent as
to justify the best possible cultivation. Plantations that have stood and
prospered for twenty or even thirty years are not uncommon, but a fair
average term is ten years, after which it is generally advisable to break
up a bed, the precaution being first taken to secure a succession bed on
fresh soil well prepared for the purpose. Plantations are made either by
sowing seeds or from transplanted roots; and although roots are
extremely sensitive when moved, success can, as a rule, be insured by
special care and prompt action, assuming that the proper time of year is
chosen for the operation. The advantage of using roots is the saving of
time, and in most gardens this is an important consideration.
Fortunately roots may be planted almost as safely when two or three
years old as at one year.
==Soil.==--Asparagus will grow in any soil that is well cultivated; a

deep rich sandy loam being especially suitable. Calcareous soil is by no
means unfavourable to Asparagus; still, a sand rich in humus is not the
less to be desired, as the finest samples of European growth are the
produce of the districts around Paris and Brussels. The London
Asparagus, which is prized by many for its full flavour and tenderness,
is for the most part grown near at hand, in deep alluvial soils enriched
with abundance of manure. Nature gives us the key to every secret that
concerns our happiness, and on the cultivation of Asparagus she is
liberal in her teaching. The plant is found growing wild on the sandy
coasts of the British Islands--a proof that it loves sand and salt.
==Preparation of Ground.==--The routine cultivation must begin with a
thorough preparation of the ground. Efficient drainage is imperative,
for stagnant water in the subsoil is fatal to the plant. But a rich loam
does not need the extravagant manuring that has been recommended
and practised. Deep digging and, where the subsoil is good, trenching
may be recommended, but an average manuring will suffice, because
Asparagus can be effectually aided by annual top-dressings, and proper
surface culture is of great importance in the subsequent stages. It is
necessary to choose an open spot for the plantation. Preparation of the
ground should commence in the autumn and be continued through the
winter, a heavy dressing of half-rotten stable manure being put on in
the first instance, and trenched in two feet deep. In the course of a
month the whole piece should be trenched back. If labour is at
command a third trenching may be done with advantage, and the
surface may be left ridged up until the time arrives to level it for
seeding. It will be obvious that this routine is of a somewhat costly
character, but we are supposing the plantation is to remain for many
years, making an abundant return for the first investment. Still we