This justly esteemed vegetable has been in use, in Europe, from time immemorial, and is now seen in our own markets in the greatest abundance. In some instances, the cultivation is well understood; but still, there is need of improvement This must be acknowledged from the fact of the stalks having, in some instances, been grown over an inch in diameter, weighing more than four ounces each.

Asparagus is the ancient Greek name of this plant; it is the Asparagus officinalis of botanists, and has now become so much at home on this Western continent as to be fairly claimed as indigenous. Most probably, it is truly aboriginal on the steppes of Southern Russia and Poland, where it grows so abundantly (though of a diminutive size) as to constitute a considerable part of the food of the horses and oxen in those regions. It is also to be met with on the sea-shores of Britain, and other parts of Europe, though sparsely, and most likely has only become naturalized there at a more remote period than with us. The medical properties of Asparagus are not very powerful; but it is certainly an active diuretic, and of great service in obstructions of the urinary organs. This fact is now being applied to advantage by the medical profession, and a substance called Asparagens extracted, which is found to be a convenient director of other medicines. It is also considered to be antiscorbutic, and, no doubt, is so on the above-named principle.

There is no plant that is cultivated as a kitchen esculent that will accept of more salt without injury than this, which fact I tested somewhat extremely, some years ago. Wishing to destroy two worn-out beds that had been in bearing some ten or twelve years, and had become worthless, as an experiment, I covered them fully half an inch thick, in the fall, with common salt expecting certain death to follow, as it did to all the weeds; bat not to the Asparagus; for that was so mack improved as to become the beet in the garden, and so remained for many seasons afterwards.