Each lug box contains a net weight of from 45 to 50 pounds, their 

 gross weight, including a temporary cover, being about 12 pounds 

 higher. These lug boxes constitute the unit in general use in California, 

 although there are some small boxes containing 30 pounds and a large 

 one that holds 60 pounds. The standard box is the one holding from 

 45 to 50 pounds. Shipments to the canneries, being loosely packed, run 

 45 pounds; those going to the markets approximate the higher amount. 



The asparagus stalks in a well-tilled field will run about as follows, 

 as to size : 



f inch and under (in diameter) 30 per cent. 



I to i inch (in diameter)- 50 per cent. 



Over 1 inch (in diameter) 20 per cent. 



It is not customary to attempt to segregate the stalks by size or to 

 otherwise grade the asparagus for the market. Shipping according to 

 the run of the field is the rule. 



Field laborers are paid 70 cents per hundred pounds or 30 cents a box 

 for cutting. Those engaged in hauling, washing, boxing, etc., receive 

 $30 to $45 per month and "found." 



The production runs from nothing the first year to 25 to 50 boxes per 

 acre the second, 50 to 100 the third and 100 to 150 thereafter, up to the 

 eighth or ninth year, when the plants begin to run down and lose their 

 virility. As a rule the canneries will not Accept asparagus cut from 

 fields nine years old and over, though it is not unusual for fair aspar- 

 a SHIS to be obtained for three or four years longer. The stalks, however, 

 deteriorate after nine years, being both smaller and tougher, and not 

 infrequently develop a tendency to bitterness. 



It has been found that the San Joaquin delta lands produce but 60 per 

 cent as much as those of the Sacramento delta. The San Joaquin sec- 

 tion has a lighter soil with more humus than the Sacramento soils, 

 which are heavier and are more sedimentary,, partaking of the nature 

 of adobe. 



It may be noted in this connection that scientific observation has re- 

 sulted in the division of asparagus plants into "male" and "female." 

 The male is the more vigorous grower, more productive and of longer 

 life than the female. This distinction is now recognized by the prac- 

 tical growers, who resort to the "female" plant for their seeds. 



There are two enemies of asparagus that are to be feared. These are 

 the asparagus beetle, a European importation, and rust, a fungous growth 

 that turns the sprouts to a rusty brown and renders it unfit for con- 

 sumption. Fortunately both of these pests are easily controlled under 

 modern culture methods and neither of them have any foothold in Cali- 

 fornia. This is probably due to the vigilance of the growers. Twenty 

 years ago a large acreage in asparagus near Milpitas became infected 

 with rust, with the result that the growing of asparagus in that vicinity 

 was abandoned. 



History. According to the botanist, asparagus is a member of the 

 liliaceous family of plants, of which there are about 1,000 members, 

 including the lily, violet, onion, etc. They also tell us that it is one of a 



