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