prepared soil should be placed in the bottom of the trench. This may be
composed of such material as the trimmings of hedges, sweepings of
shrubberies, twigs from a faggot pile, wood ashes and leaf-mould. The
constituents must to some extent depend on the materials at command.
What is wanted is a light compost, consisting almost wholly of vegetable
matter in a more or less advanced state of decomposition. Add three or
four inches of rich loam, and on this, at the beginning of April, plant
strong one-year roots of a robust-growing variety. Between the plants it
is customary to allow a space of at least two feet, and some growers put
them a full yard apart. Cover the crowns with three inches of rich soil,
previously mixed with manure and laid up for the purpose. The second and
following rows are to be treated in the same way, and the work must be
so managed that an equal distance of four and a half or five feet is
left between the rows. When the foliage dies down in autumn, a layer of
fertile loam mixed with rotten manure should be spread over the surface.
In the succeeding spring remove just the top crust of soil and give a
thick dressing of decayed manure alone, upon which the soil can be
restored. During the autumn of the second year the furrow must be filled
with horse manure for the winter. Remove this manure in March, and
substitute good loam containing a liberal admixture of decayed manure
previously incorporated with the soil. The slight ridges that remain can
then be levelled down. By this treatment large handsome sticks of
Asparagus may be cut in the third year. To maintain the plants in a high
state of efficiency, it must be clearly understood that forcing with
horse manure will be necessary every subsequent year. Blanching may be
carried out by any of the usual methods, and Sea Kale pots are both
convenient and effectual. Not a weed should be visible on the beds at
any time.

==Forcing== is variously practised, and the best possible system,