Der verbesserte Spargelbau nach eigenen und dem neuesten Ersabrungen. by REIDER, Jakob Ernst Von - 1835

Leipzig: Vetter & Rostosty, 1835. 8vo. 65 pages plus title page, table of contents, forward, and short list of related works. Text is in German. Original condition with green wrappers titled to front. Minor age-toning, particularly to rear of wrappers, otherwise in very good condition, a rare work. Presented herein are improvements to the cultivation of asparagus, a most uncommon yet significant nineteenth century contribution to the field of agriculture, which begins with the statement, "Die spargel ist unser edelstes Gemüse" [The asparagus is our finest vegetable]. Following a detailed description of the plant's natural features and its perennial nature, Reider reveals new methods for producing the best results, including the ideal soil and location, among other things. The author, Jacob Ernst von Reider (1784-1853) was a German zoologist and botanist. He was a prolific writer on agriculture and horticulture, publishing treatises on flax, sugar substitutes, tobacco, hops, fruit trees, cactus, viticulture, medicinal plants, various flowers and ornamental plants, et al. The present volume is one of his least known and most scarce titles; only two copies are found in OCLC. Reider also wrote "Gartenbau als die höchste Kultur des Grund und Bodens in Deutschland" (Leipzig 1821 ) and with Carl Wilhelm Hahn "Fauna Boica, oder gemeinnützige Naturgeschichte der Thiere Bayerns" (Zeh Nuremberg, 1830-1835). Asparagus was introduced to the Americas around 1850, not long after this treatise was published. By 1469, asparagus was cultivated in French monasteries. It appears to have come into use in England around 1538, and in Germany circa 1542..