becoming weakened by subsequent severe freezing."

As the reverse of this plan, M. Godefroy-Leboeuf, the famous French
authority, recommends "to clear out of the trenches the soil which has
fallen into them from the sides of the mounds, and also remove from
above the stools a portion of that with which they were covered at the
time they were planted--say, to a depth of one and one-half inches--so
that the action of the frost may open the soil and that the rain may
penetrate and improve it; also that during the first fine days of spring
the sun may warm the surface of the soil and penetrate as far as the
stools. There is no fear that the action of the frost should hurt the
plants. Asparagus will never freeze as long as the stool is covered with
a layer of soil one and one-half to one and three-fourth inches in
depth."

If the rows are not less than four feet apart a crop of some other
vegetables may be raised between them. Beans, dwarf peas, lettuce,
beets, or any kinds which do not spread much, are suitable for the
purpose. These by-products will help considerably toward paying the cost
of cultivating the main crop, besides having a tendency to keep the soil
cool and moist, a condition of no little importance to the asparagus.

CARE DURING THE SECOND YEAR

The treatment of the asparagus plantation during the second year does
not differ materially from that of the first season after planting. The
ground has to be stirred frequently and kept scrupulously clean, and a
sharp lookout must be kept for the advent of injurious insects. As soon
as berries appear on the tops they should be stripped off and destroyed,
as the ripening seed absorbs a large share of the nourishment which
ought to go to the development and strengthening of the crowns which are
to produce the following year's crop.

Even with the best of care, some plants will die out from time to time,
although the more thoroughly the ground has been prepared at the time of
planting, and the better the quality of the roots planted, the fewer
failures of this kind will occur. These blank spaces are not only
constant eyesores to the methodical gardener, but in the course of
several years the aggregate shortage of crops will be considerable,
while the amount of labor and fertilizer will be the same as in a fully
stocked plantation. Therefore, such vacancies should be filled in the
spring, not only of the second year, but whenever they occur in future
seasons.

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