276 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 171. 



The translocation of potash, magnesia and . phosphoric acid back to 

 the roots is indicated but not proven, since there are the blossoms and 

 berries to be considered as a possible destination in their transfer. These 

 two sets of organs were not collected, however, as it was nearly impossible 

 to get anything approaching accurate amounts of them from a series of 

 stalks, because the red asparagus beetle destroys them in preference to 

 other parts of the plant. 



Inorganic Constituents of the Asparagus Plant at its Different Stages {Per- 

 centages in Dry Matter). 



Effect of Fertilizers on the Composition of the Asparagus 

 Plant. 



The material for the study of the effects of fertilizers on the composi- 

 tion of the different parts of the asparagus plant was chiefly obtained 

 from the experiment field ^ at Concord, but some was taken from the plots 

 at the experiment station in Amherst. 



The soil of the experiment field is typical of the soils chosen in Massa- 

 chusetts for asparagus culture, i.e., a coarse, sandy loam. Samples of the 

 soil from four sections of the field were analyzed by the conventional 

 method, and the results are given in the following table: — 



Soil Analyses. 



See annual reports for 1908 and following years for description of fertilizer experiments. 



