In The Busy Woman’s Garden Book by Ida D. Bennett (Small, Maynard & Company, 1920), Bennett included chapters on groups of vegetables including early spring vegetables, mid-season vegetables, vegetables of the vine family, and vegetables less commonly grown.
But she gave asparagus its own chapter.
In the asparagus chapter, Bennett concludes with, “Salt was formerly considered essential to successful asparagus culture and certainly does no harm, but its chief value is in keeping down weeds and this can be quite as successfully done by hand cultivation; this is better than to form the habit of depending on some quick, laborless road to clean beds — in the annals of gardening “There ain’t no such animule.”“
I now feel somewhat chastised at even the slightest thought of considering the idea that I might “form the habit of depending on some quick, laborless road…” to anything in the garden.
Funny. Yes, weed free beds are not realistic are they? Yet, we keep trying.~~Dee
Ida D doesn't mince words, does she?
I'm interested in the idea that people salted their gardens!
Salt for asparagus is still referred to in Texas but not really recommended.
What kills me was seeing Ida use 'animule'! That post-WWI slangy way of talking shows up in old song lyrics & in letters. Do you also find it easy to imagine Ruth Campbell saying it, Carol?
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
There has never been a day when my gardens were all weed free.