Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: asparagus, and this amount of space will require one hundred roots to plant it. An asparagus bed is a permanent investment and the plot should be planned with a view to keeping it in one location. When asparagus shoots become stringy, stop cutting the crowns and let the shoots go to seed. All dead tops should be removed in the fall and fertilizer should be applied between the rows. When growing asparagus from seed, sow the seed either in the spring or fall and tend the plants carefully. Transplant when two years old. BALM Balm seed should be sown thinly in rich earth, and the soil should be packed down firmly after the seed are in. Seed should be sown in the spring at the spot where the plants are to grow from year to year, as they will be self-perpetuating once they have gotten a good start. A liberal amount of water is necessary for balm if it is to grow luxuriantly, though it will thrive in somewhat dry soil. The plant grows to a height of about twenty inches. chapter{Section 4BASIL Sweet basil seed should be sown broadcast in the garden in the early spring, after the ground has been warmed and all danger of frost is over. If early plants are desired, it may be sown in the hotbed or indoors during March or April and successfully transplanted to the open a month later. Basil has much the same iaste as cloves and is often substituted for them. If potted and kept in a warm sunny spot, it will yield throughout the winter. BEANS Beans thrive best in a rather warm, sandy loam, but are not difficult to raise on almost any kind of soil. The soil should not be too rich in nitrogenous matter or there will be an overabundance of foliage and stems and a yield of poor seed pods. Heavy clay is not well adapted to growing beans, as it bakes easily and prevents th...