164 



EXPERIMENT STATION. 



[Jan. 



Tho hio-hcr percentage of nitrogen duo to the summer top- 

 dressing with nitrate of soda is very noticeable, as was the 

 smaller average weight of roots, compared with the spring 

 application. 



The roots of 1911 gathered in the summer just before the 

 annual summer top-dressing showed the same general differences 

 between the spring top-dressing and summer top-dressing. 



Plot Number. 



31, . 

 34, . 



Spring Application. 



Per Cent. 



1.81 

 2.05 



Average, 1.93 



Plot Number. 



32, . 

 35, . 



Summer Application. 



Per Cent. 

 , 2.06 

 , 2.15 



Averaj^e, 2.10 



Whatever exhaustion of material occurred during the cutting 

 season did not influence the percentages of nitrogen in the roots. 



Effkct of FektilizePvS on the Non-nitrooenous Material 

 OF Asparagus Roots. 

 Wichers and Tollens ^ have shown the proximate composition 

 of asparagus roots and crowns to be as follows : — 



Moisture, 



Ash, 



Crude protein, 



Crude fiber, . 



Fat, 



Nitrogen-free extract. 



Sugar, 

 Pentosans, 



April. 



Roots. 



3.00 

 12 20 

 14 13 



8.72 



.72 



61.23 



100.00 



30.80 

 6.25 



Crowns. 



3.86 

 15 21 

 10 25 

 15.42 

 '1.59 

 53.67 



100.00 



17.70 

 9.77 



July. 



Roots. 



3.61 

 11.77 

 16.50 

 13.54 



1.10 

 53.42 



100.00 



23.19 

 7.73 



Crowns. 



2.93 



11 67 

 9.90 



19.79 

 1.67 



54.04 



100 00 



15 32 

 11.48 



« Loc. cit., p. 109. 



