lleys, and to dig is to destroy them. In the spring clear
the beds of the autumn dressing by raking any remnant of manure into the
alleys, and the beds and the alleys should then be carefully pricked
over with a fork two or three inches deep only, and with great care not
to wound any roots.

The application of salt requires judgment. For a time it renders the bed
cold, and when followed by snow the two combine to make a freezing
mixture which arrests the growth of established plants. On a newly made
bed salt is unnecessary, and may prove destructive to the roots. The
proper time for applying salt must be determined by the district and the
character of the season; but in no case should the mineral be used until
active growth has commenced, although it is not needful to wait until
the growth is visible above the surface. In the southern counties a
suitable opportunity may generally be found from the beginning to the
middle of April. Second and third dressings may follow at intervals of
three weeks, which not only stimulate the roots but keep down weeds.

==Planting Roots.==--In many gardens where there is space for two or three
beds only there will be the very natural desire to secure Asparagus in a
shorter time than is possible from seed, and we therefore proceed to
indicate the best method of planting roots. Asparagus roots do not take
kindly to removal, especially old and established plants. The mere
drying of the roots by exposure to the atmosphere is distinctly
injurious to them. They will travel safely a long distance when well
packed, but the critical time is between the unpacking and getting them
safely into their final home. Everything should be made ready for the
transfer before the package is opened, and the actual task of planting
should be accomplished in the shortest time possible.

A three-feet bed should be prepared by taking out the soil in such a
manner as to leave two ridges for the roots. The space between ridges to
be eighteen inches, and the tops of the ridges to be so far below the
level of the bed that when the soil is returned, and the bed made to
its normal level, the crowns will be about five inches beneath the
surface. This may be understood from the following illustration of a
section cut across the bed.

[Illustration]

A, A represent the alleys between the beds, and B the top of one bed.
The dotted lines show the ridges on which the roots are to rest at C, C.
When the bed is ready, open