36 ASPARAGUS 
is very difficult to thin them out, and if left they will 
produce an inferior growth. 
POT-GROWN ASPARAGUS PLANTS 
In the tests made at the Missouri Experiment 
Station, Prof. J. C. Whitten found that it is much 
better to plant the seeds in six inches of rich, sandy 
soil in the greenhouse or hotbed, in February or early 
March, than to wait two or three months for outdoor 
planting. Professor Whitten advises to ‘‘ sow liberally, 
for seven-eighths of the seedlings should be discarded, 
When the seedlings are three inches high, select those 
which have the thickest, fleshiest, and most numerous 
stems, and pot them. They vary more than almost 
any other vegetable. Many that appear large and 
vigorous will have broad, flat, twisted, or corrugated 
stems. Discard them. Beware, also, of those that 
put out leaves close to the soil. ‘These will all make 
tough, stringy, undesirable plants. The best plants 
are those which are cylindrical, smooth, and free from 
ridges. ‘They shoot up rapidly, and attain a hight of 
two inches before leaves are putout. They look much 
like smooth needles. ‘This matter of selecting the best 
plants for potting, and subsequent planting out, is of 
the greatest importance in asparagus culture. 
‘These young plants should first be put in small 
pots and moved into larger ones as soon as they are 
well rooted. ‘They may need to be shifted twice before 
they are planted out-of-doors, which should be done 
when danger of frost is over. Started in this way 
they continue to grow from the time they are planted 
out and reach very large size the first season. In the 
