14 THE SEED-GROWER. 



In the rigorous winters of the Northern States, arti- 

 choke requires protection with a covering of straw or 

 stable Utter, but in the warmer climates of the Southern 

 and Pacific Coast sections this is not necessary. 



Seed may be shelled by hand, or thrashed out on a 

 floor, with a flail, running seed through a fan mill for 

 cleaning. 



Market. While the more general cultivation of this 

 vegetable in the United States is confined to the South 

 and to the Pacific Coast, it is also grown with success, 

 but on a lesser scale, in Northern sections. 



All seedsmen have a moderate demand for artichoke 

 seed; it is mostly imported from Europe, at price laid 

 down in New York of about $1.00 per pound. 



In a favorable season, a yield is about 300 pounds 

 per acre. 



ASPARAGUS. 



Asparagus reaches full growth generally in the second 

 year. On its numerous branches there are borne a 

 great profusion of bright-scarlet berries, which contain 

 the seeds, several in each berry. When these berries 

 are soft-ripe seeds are sufficiently matured for saving. 

 The stalks are then cut and taken to the barn or shed 

 for extraction of seed. 



Extracting and Drying Seed. The first operation 

 is to separate the berries from the stalks, which may be 

 done by stripping them off by hand, or by threshing 

 them out on a cloth spread on the floor. 



Then to extract the seed, the berries are first mashed 

 or crushed in a tub or a barrel, using for the purpose 

 a wooden pounder; next, they are washed to clean the 

 shells from the seed, which may be done in the same 

 tub or barrel. The vessel used is filled two-thirds with 

 water, the berries are poured in, and then the whole is 



