VEGETABLE CROl'S. 



23 



Asparagus Culture in the Goulburn District. 



This crop lias proved a profitable side-line to orcharding in Goullmrn 

 district. The asparagus is planted in single rows between the rows of trees, 

 and the beds arc now a few feel 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. 



Beds near Sydney. 



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 these 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. 



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 cut two days previous. 



