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Botany
American Varieties
Pot-grown Asparagus Plants
Historical Sketch
Manner Of Planting
Ornamental Species
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Care During The Second Year
Seed Growing
The Soil And Its Preparation
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Recognition Of The Rust
The Twelve-spotted Asparagus Beetle
Asparagus Leopard Spot
Forcing
The Asparagus Miner
Forcing In Hotbeds And Frames
Asparagus In The South
Fungus Diseases
Asparagus In New Jersey
Asparagus In France
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Care During The Third And Future Years
The third year cutting may begin in a moderate way, but too much should
not be attempted. If all the conditions of growth have been favorable
half a crop may be cut without injuring the roots, but under no
circumstances should cutting in the third year be continued for more
than three weeks. The general care of the bed during the third year is
similar to that of the second, with the exception that the soil is
worked more toward the rows, ridging them slightly.
In the spring of the third and each succeeding year, as soon as the
ground can be worked it should be plowed between the rows, turning the
soil toward and over the crowns, leaving a dead furrow between the rows,
as seen in Fig. 19. If bleached asparagus is desired, these ridges over
the rows should be twelve inches higher than the bottom of the dead
furrows between the rows, and when the soil is very light and sandy a
hight of fifteen inches is preferable. For green asparagus the ridges
are left lower, and the shoots are allowed to grow several inches above
the ground before cutting, provided the asparagus beetle does not
appropriate them sooner.
After the furrows are plowed out between the rows a home-made ridger is
used to smooth the ridges and complete the work. This is formed of two
heavy oak boards shod with tire iron, sloping upward and backward,
attached to a pair of cultivator wheels. This requires a good team, one
horse walking on either side of the row. On the light soils of Long
Island this implement works to perfection, but on stiff lands a
two-horse disk-wheel cultivator, with two disks on each side, going
astride of each row and throwing up fresh soil upon the ridge, proves
more effective. The same implements are used for renewing the ridges
during the cutting season, which will be required about once a week, as
the rains beat them down and the sun bakes a crust upon the top.
Immediately after the cutting season is over the ridges are leveled, by
plowing a furrow from each side of the center (Fig. 20), after which the
land is harrowed crosswise until the surface is level and smooth. As
long as practical, surface cultivation should be given, especially after
rains, but usually at this time the plants make such rapid and vigorous
growth that there will be little time for the work. Their tops and
branches soon fill the entire space and quickly shade the ground so
densely as to keep down weed growth. Of course, whatever tall weeds may
spring up here and there have to be pulled out by hand.
Next: Fall Treatment
Previous: Care During The Second Year
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