HARVESTING AND MARKETING $9 
SORTING AND BUNCHING 
In some local markets asparagus is sold loose, by 
weight, in which case but little regard is paid to the 
size and length and color of the stalks, nor to the style 
of packing. This is the most profitable way for the 
grower to sell, as it saves him all the expense and labor 
of bunching, and as even the smallest stalks are thus 
FIG, 20—VARIOUS ASPARAGUS KNIVES 
salable, there is no waste whatever, while the prices 
obtained are about the same as those for first-class 
bunches—that is, two pounds of loose asparagus sell 
for about the same price as a full-sized bunch. But in 
city markets asparagus could hardly be sold in such a 
condition, and it is of first importance that it should 
be carefully graded and neatly bunched. 
Sorting.—Careful growers assort into three sizes: 
extras, primes, and seconds. ‘The size and weight of 
the bunches vary somewhat in different markets. 
