616 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



equal space for the development of the roots and tops. Do not cover 

 the seeds with more than one and a-half inches of soil. As the as- 

 })ai'agus seed is very slow to germinate, it is desirable to sow a few 

 radish seeds with the asparagus so that the young radish plants will 

 mark the rows and cultivation may be begun a few days after sow- 

 ing. If a radish plant grows every four or five feet in the row, they. 

 will be sufficient to enable the cultivator to keep between the rows 

 and thus avoid disturbing the asparagus seeds or youug plants which 

 may be coming up. The asparagus nursery should receive thorough 

 tillage until late in the fall. If the plants do not grow rapidly, 

 nitrate of soda should be applied at intervals of about three weeks at 

 the rate of one hundied pounds to the acre. In small nurseries an 

 excellent plan is to top dress with fresh horse manure about the 

 25th of July. The mulch of manure should be heavy enough to pre-' 

 vent weed growth and conserve soil moisture. 



Plant Selection. — Experiments at the Pennsylvania State College 

 have shown that the strongest roots are very much the most profit- 

 able. In an experiment which has been in progress for several 

 years, No. 1 roots have produced |100 more to the acre than No. 3 

 roots. Practical growers in many sections have had the same ex- 

 perience and this information shows how important it is for the com- 

 mercial grower to produce probably twice as many plants as will be 

 needed to plant his fields, and then to select and plant only the strong- 

 est. No information can be given in this talk which will count for 

 larger profits than the proper selection of plants. 



Soil Preparation. — A heavy clover sod provides the best condi- 

 tions for the growing of a good crop of asparagus. The field shoirld 

 be heavily manured in the fall and also jjlowed in the fall, so that 

 the vegetable matter will be partly decayed at planting time the fol- 

 lowing spring. It is necessary to plant at the earliest possible date 

 in order to secure the greatest growth the first season. There should 

 be no delay in harrowing the land and preparing it for setting the 

 young roots. The grower should not lose sight of the fact that the 

 field is to remain in this crop for not less than ten years and prob- 

 ably for twenty and that too great care cannot be exercised in plow- 

 ing and harrowing. 



Planting. — Most commercial growers in New Jersey and else- 

 where allow not les than five and a-half feet of space between rows. 

 The most successful and intensive growers of Pennsylvania are mak- 

 ing the rows only four feet apart and setting the plants about two 

 feet apart in the row. This is ample space to grow green asparagus 

 and the returns per acre at these distances will be greater than when 

 more liberal spacing is provided. The universal jn-actice of the most 

 successful growers is to plant one year roots. It has been clearly 

 demonstrated by experiment stations and hundreds of practical 

 growers that one year roots are more satisfactory than older roots. 

 If two year plants could be lifted from the nursery row and trans- 

 planted to their new home with no interference with the roots they 

 would produce just as good results. This, however, cannot be done 

 so that the universal practice is to plant strong, vigorous one year 



roots. 



The grower should bear in mind that the buds of the crowns 

 come closer the surface every year. This is due to the fact that 

 the new buds form slightly higher each year and it is therefore an 



