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VEGETABLE GROWING IN NEW SOUTH WALES. 



Asparagus culture has proved a profitable side-line to orcharding in the 

 Goulburn district one grower, Mr. F. Stone, getting a particularly good 

 return. The asparagus is planted in single rows midway between the rows 

 of trees, and the beds are now a few feet wide. The asparagus is cut in the 

 morning, and graded, bunched, and packed during the afternoon, so that the 

 produce is on the Sydney market early the following morning. The bunches, 

 when tied, are tightened by pushing in a few extra sticks, and are then 

 placed upright in shallow trays of water, in order to keep them fresh ; each 

 bunch is carefully scrubbed clean with a brush before packing. When 

 packing into boxes, moistened paper is placed at the butt of each bunch, and 

 each layer of bunches is separated by a sheet of moist paper ; consequently 

 the asparagus arrives at its destination in a very fresh condition. 



A prolific Plant. 



The growth from a 14-year old plant. The earth has been scraped away to show the number of 

 shoots since the two days previous cut. 



A considerable quantity of asparagus is grown in the metropolitan dis- 

 trict, chiefly in the vicinity of Mascot, where the soil is of a sandy nature. 

 The crop is also grown in the Gosford and Camden districts with good 

 results. 



At Mascot the asparagus is planted in single rows either 3 feet or 4 feet 

 apart, but those distances are considered too close when the plants are fully 

 grown, and do not allow of earthing up. As the roots cover a wide 

 surface a large number of shoots are eventually found in the pathways. A 

 better distance to plant is 5 feet. Usually the pathways between the beds 

 are filled with long-strawed stable manure to prevent evaporation. The 

 beds are given an application of salt occasionally. 



