ANNUAL REPORT, 1935 65 



2. The results of the experiment lead to the conclusion that organic matter 

 in the form of either manure or seaweed is of utmost value in the early develop- 

 ment of the asparagus plants and in the production of high yields of asparagus. 

 The supply of organic matter in the soil of asparagus plantings should be main- 

 tained at a fairly high level by the application of manure or some other form 

 of organic matter if above average production is to be obtained. 



3. The yield of asparagus was greatly increased by the application of an 

 ample supply of potash. Under the conditions of the experiment, this amount 

 was 700 pounds per acre. The most economical application appeared to be 

 nearer 500 pounds per acre. Muriate of potash produced much better yields 

 than did either sulfate or nitrate of potash. 



4. The use of calcium cyanamid proved to be an excellent method of con- 

 trolling weeds either during or after the cutting season, and at the same time 

 supplied all the nitrogen necessary. The lime residue would also be of value 

 in maintaining the proper soil reaction for asparagus. 



Varietal Improvement. An analysis of the individual yield records obtained 

 from 278 selected asparagus plants shows that the plants that produced a good 

 yield in 1933 and 1934 were among the best producers this past year. The 

 average production for all plants was 11.5 spears weighing 15.6 ounces. The 

 female plants produced an average of 8.9 spears weighing 14.0 ounces as com- 

 pared with the male plants that produced 13.8 stalks weighing 16.9 ounces. 

 The average spear production for the 10 highest plants was 194 percent above 

 the average spear production of all plants. The weight of spears for the highest 

 10 was 161 percent above the average for all plants. Records were made of the 

 number of stalks sent up by the plants during the summer, and a positive 

 correlation was found between the production of a large number of stalks in 

 the summer and high yield during the cutting period. 



There seems to be considerable difference in the denseness of the growth of 

 these plants. All plants were classified as having dense or sparse growth. When 

 the yields of these two groups were compared it was found that the plants 

 having dense foliage were the largest producers. 



The five highest yielding female plants were paired with the high five males 

 for the production of seed. By the use of cages and both hand and fly pollina- 

 tion, sufficient seed was obtained for future trial to determine the yielding power 

 of the various lines. 



Depth of Planting and Height of Cutting. The results from the depth-of- 

 planting phase of this experiment have changed only slightly from the results 

 obtained for the past two years. Deep planting (8") has reduced the stand 

 and thus the yield, while the shallow planted roots (2 to 4") have apparently 

 not been injured by either cultivation or freezing and thawing. 



Due to the late start of the asparagus season and to the fact that the cutting 

 was not quite so prolonged as usual, the yield was below that of last year. In 

 the height-of-cutting experiments, the plots where the spears were cut with 4 

 inches of green yielded about the same as last season. Where the spears were 

 cut with 8 and 12 inches of green, the yields were considerably below the yields 

 of last season. While the yield from the plot where spears are cut with only 

 4 inches of green was not reduced by the shortened season, it was still much 

 below that produced where the spears are allowed to grow until 8 or 12 inches 

 of the stalk is green. Cutting asparagus with only 4 inches of green has not 

 increased the yield, as many growers expected. 



