THE CULTURE OF ASPARAGUS

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1651, 21 October 1903, Page 66 (Supplement)

THE CULTURE OF ASPARAGUS

In 'beginning the growth of asparagus, we may do worse than remember that it is a native British plant, growing wild here and there along our coasts from Anglesea and Suffolk southwards; lienee we ana- safely infer that it enjoys an exposed position, with plenty of fresh air and sunshine, and those saline principles in soil and atmosphere which are present all along our coast lines. In any case, the asparagus delights in a deep, rich and ■well-drained sandy or gravelly soil. Systems or methods of growing asparagus may vary, but the main point is to ensure a vigorous and luxuriant growth, and this cannot be done* on low-lying, cold, wet soils, except under special cultural conditions. The older cultivator's took great pains in the formation of their beds for this vegetable. After excavating sffc or 6ft of the soil, a layer of faggots, or brushwood, was put into to ensure drainage, and the bed was then filled up and elevated with a compost of fresh turfy loam, old

bones, well-rotted farmyard manure, and with these were mixed, at times gravel, charcoal, old lime rubbish, or sea sand. While a;ll this fuss and trouble went on in private gardens, the market gardeners of Fulhaim and Battersea supplied Covent Garden with produce grown on far more simple and COMMON-SENSE LINES. Their practice was to sow seed every year in lines amongst the vegetables or fruit trees, and the young seedlings were thinned out and encouraged to grow as freely as possible. The second year all superfluous plants were lifted from the seed rows, and replanted into deeply-dug and well-manured ground. The original seedlings left in tho second rows at 18in or so apart were liberally top-dressed, and yielded a first cutting of heads the third year, but it is not until the fourth and fifth years that seedling asparagus plants attain to their full vigour and are capable of supplying fine produce. It is sometimes passible to shorten the period between planting and cutting a crop by purchasing and planting roots from the raisers of two, or th.reo, or even more years old; but, as a rule, the best and most permanent beds are those from seeds sown on, the spot. In cold and wet districts asparagus should be planted in the highest and driest part of the kitchen garden. Also, it is often belter to grow asiwragiis in single lines, or in three rows of lines side by sido at 2ft apart, and the plants 211 apart in rows, than it is to grow solid beds 4ft or sft wide in the usual way. As a profitablo crop asparagus most usually fails from two causes. Firstly, because its fleshy roots, naturally used to warm stones and sand of mild seaside localities, sicken and die back in cold, wet and heavy soils, especially inland; and, secondly, because the plants are too closely crowded together go that

THEY ROB EACH OTHER of soil food below and light and air above .ground level. After cutting is over, it too often happens that the asparagus lines or beds are forgotten., coarse weeds are allowed to rob or choke them, and tho top growth is broken down by wind and rains. *lt is to the vigorous development of the feather top growths, after cutting the crop ceases, that the development of stout and succulent asparagus is due the following spring, and a good topdressing of good nianurial compost, or good soakings of diluted liquid manure, just as cutting is over, works wonders in improving the next season’s supply. The usual plan is to top-dress or .manure on the approach of winter just as the top growth turns yellow and is out away. This late manure dressing acts merely as a mechanical protection to the roots, otherwise it is a drawback by keeping the ground too wet during the cold weather. Those who would enjoy .good asparagus must encourage the top growth, from the early summer onwards, keeping down weeds. and supporting the growths against high winds as far as possible, and the results obtained will amptly rethem. IN LIGHT. SANDY SOILS’ near the sea we have seen asparagus plants set here and the ire amongst herbaceous plants in the flower border's, with excellent effect, since but few plants are really more fresh and ornamental than the asparagus in full growth, and during the spring such plants yielded many a good dish of succulent heads for the table. It is singular how very rarely one meets with really good and productive asparagus bods Or plantations in Irish gardens, where nearly all other choice vegetables grow so well- It may be that the moisture exists there in excess of the sun heat, so that the plant becomes starved. In-any case, there are notable exceptions to the rule, and given a well-drained bottom. or elevated beds, plenty of manure darly in the growing season, thin planting, and attention to weeds and 1 the young top growth, asparagus of good quality ought to be readily grown nearly everywhere in the British Islands. ‘ Trie Field/’