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.