V 
THE RAISING OF PLANTS 
“}SPARAGUS can be propagated by division of 
the roots, but this method gives:so unsatis- 
factory results that it is rarely practiced. 
Raising the plants from seed is therefore the 
only method worth considering. The seed may be 
sown either in the fall or spring. But far more im- 
portant than the time for sowing is the quality of the 
seed. While asparagus seed retains its vitality for 
two or more years, it is not safe to use seed older than 
one year. Fresh seed may be recognized by its glossy 
black color and uniform smooth surface, while old seed 
has a smutty gray color and its surface is generally 
rough and wrinkled. Yet even with this as a guide 
it is not easy to distinguish bad from good seed, and 
still more difficult, if not impossible, is it to distinguish 
the seed of different varieties. It is therefore advisa- 
ble to procure seed only from dealers of undoubted 
reliability and pay a fair price for it rather than to 
accept poor seed asa gift. A uniformity of the indi- 
vidual plants in the asparagus bed or field is a matter 
of prime importance; only large, fully developed seeds 
should be used, screening out and rejecting all small 
and inferior ones. 
In northern latitudes spring sowing is preferable 
to fall sowing. The ground of the seed-bed should 
be well drained and fairly retentive of moisture. As 
