ASPARAGUS 183 



forced in the field where the roots stand, it will be neces- 

 sary to dig the crowns late in the fall before the ground 

 freezes. In most sections of the North this work should 

 be done not later than November 10. There should be as 

 little mutilation of the roots and buds as possible, for any 

 damage to them will necessarily reduce their value for 

 forcing purposes. The grower, however, must not be 

 alarmed if he finds that it is impossible to remove old 

 plants from beds without breaking off many of the 

 long, fleshy roots. It was a difficult task to dig the large 

 root shown in Fig. 60, and this is one of the chief reasons 

 for using younger roots. Four and five-year-old roots 

 may be removed by plowing along both sides of the row 

 and then loosening the roots with a spading fork. The 

 expense of this method of harvesting the roots is much 

 less than that of digging them. Any soil that naturally 

 adheres to the roots is allowed to remain. 



The crowns should not be unnecessarily exposed to 

 the wind and air, but should be promptly stored where 

 they will not dry out. A shed, cool cellar, cave or pit 

 may be used for this purpose. Sufficient soil should be 

 thrown over the roots to keep them moist. 



Forcing in permanent beds. Numerous plans have 

 been used for forcing asparagus in permanent beds with- 

 out removing the roots to other quarters. It is claimed 

 by some growers that this method produces larger shoots 

 of better quality than can be obtained from transplanted 

 roots. An additional advantage, as previously stated, is 

 that the roots are not completely exhausted and may be 

 used again, perhaps several times, for forcing. While 

 the arguments seem to be in favor of forcing the roots 

 where they have been grown, we do not know of any 

 extensive growers, though there may be some, who are 

 following this method. 



The simplest plan of field forcing, sometimes practiced 

 by amateur gardeners, is to pile hot manure around bar- 



