604 



Ohio Station, Bulletin Vol. Ill, Ho. 9 (Second Series), October. 1890 (pp.11). 



Asparagus and transplantiisg onions, W. J. Green (pp. 241- 

 251, illustrated). 



Scedbcaring and non-seedhearing asparagus. — " The male aud female 

 flowers in the asparagus are borue on separate plants; hence, as is well 

 known, all of the plants do not produce seeds. Seed-bearing is an exhaust- 

 ive process, and, as might be supposed, those plants that produce seed 

 have less vigor than those that do not. In order to determine the diiier- 

 euce in vigor between the seed-bearing and non-seed-bearing plants, fifty 

 of each were staked off in a plantation of about half an acre. When the 

 cuttings were made the shoots taken from male and female plants were 

 kept separate aud the weight of each recorded." 



Observations upon the two kinds of plants were extended through 

 the seasons of 1889 and 1890, arid cuttings were made in the ordinary 

 manner. The results are as follows : 



Asparagus, producl from male and ftmale plants. 



Prodncfc 

 Iruiu 50 

 female 

 ])lauts. 



First )ieriod, 10 days 



Second period, 10 days ... 



Third period, 10 days 



Fourth period, 10 days 



Total for the season 



Ounces. 



21 



08 



164 



151 



The total average gain of the male plants over the female was a little 

 more than 33 per cent, while in the first period the gain was 43 per 

 cent. The greatest difference between the two lots occurred during 

 the first period, showing that male plants are earlier than the others. 

 The shoots from the male plants were also larger than those from the 

 female. Male plants can be secured by dividing old roots or by select- 

 ing such 2-year-old seedlings as do not bear seeds. 



The use of rubber hands in bunching asparagus. — Rubber bands are 

 found to be superior to string for bunching asparagus, because they 

 hold the stalks in place better, and they are also cheaper when the 

 labor of putting them on is considered. 



" The method employed in bunching with rubber bands is to slip a 

 band over an ordinary tea-cup — one with straight sides and without a 

 handle — fill the cup with asparagus shoots, the heads downward, and 

 then slip the band from the cup to the bunch. This makes a bunch of 

 about the right size, and gives the upper end a nicely rounded apj)ear- 

 ance. All that remains to be done is to slip on another band and to 

 square the butts with a sharp knife. ^ Possibly a metallic cup would 

 answer better, being thinner, but a tea-cup is not objectionable in this 



