88 FRENCH MARKET-GARDENING 



are likely to leave the grower a sadder if not wiser 

 man. 



When one bears in mind that the best Asparagus 

 fetches from 6s. to 155. per bundle in market in the 

 season, there is every incentive to select only the 

 best shoots, and pack them carefully. 



As the shoots do not retain their freshness beyond 

 five or six days, they should be spread out on fresh- 

 cut rye or other grass in a cool dark place free from 

 draughts. 



ASPARAGUS PESTS AND DISEASES. The larvae of the 

 " Asparagus Beetle " (Crioceris asparagi) often do 

 much mischief to young Asparagus plants.. The 

 beetles lay their eggs on the stalks, and in due course 

 the young maggots feed upon the more tender portions, 

 doing great damage to the growth. The beetles them- 

 selves may be picked off by hand, or knocked from 

 the stems by tapping with a stick, so that they are 

 not allowed to lay their eggs. By syringing the 

 plants once or twice a week from April to June with 

 soft soap and quassia chip and nicotine solution, or 

 any other well-known insecticide, they will be rendered 

 distasteful to the pests, and these latter will be killed 

 if they happen to be feeding at the time of spraying. 

 Slugs and snails are also to be guarded against, as 

 they eat the tender young shoots when pushing 

 through the soil. They may be destroyed by dusting 

 with lime and soot three or four mornings or evenings 

 in succession and by keeping the beds cleared of any 

 refuse in which they conceal themselves. 



The " Asparagus rust " (Puccinia Asparagi}, which 

 sometimes attacks forced crowns when the temperature 

 is irregular, rarely appears on properly grown open- 



