HARVESTING AND MARKETING 87 
and the knife run down close alongside of it to the 
proper depth, carefully avoiding other spears that are 
just beginning to push up all around the crown. 
Then the handle of the knife is moved away from 
the stalk, to give it the proper slant, the knife shoved 
down so as to sever the stalk with a tapering cut, 
and at the same time the stalk is pulled out. After 
cutting, the asparagus should be removed out of the 
sun as soon as possible to prevent its wilting and 
FIG. 25—HORSE CARRIER FOR TEN BOXES OF ASPARAGUS 
discoloring. Usually this is done by dropping the 
stalks in a basket which, when full (Fig. 23), is 
carried to the bunching shed. On large plantations, 
however, the cutters leave the stalks on the ground to 
be picked up by boys following closely, as seen in 
Fig. 24. To facilitate the picking up and carrying 
away, horse carriers are used, as shown in Fig. 25. 
In some sections of Europe, especially at the famous 
asparagus regions of Argenteuil, a knife is never used. 
According to W. Robinson: ‘‘ The slightly hardened 
crust around the emerging bud and on top of the little 
mound is pushed aside, the fore and middle finger 
