CULTURAL DIRECTIONS 223 



inches deep, outside measurements. The ends are 

 pieces and the side slats ^ of an inch thick and 4^2 inches 

 wide. This crate holds thirty 4^-inch bunches. For long 

 shipments, damp moss should be placed in the bottom 

 of the crate and the bunches should always be packed 

 firmly to carry well. In California the shoots are not 

 bunched, but packed loosely, usually in 4O-pound boxes, 

 sold by weight. 



283. Yields and returns. Two thousand bunches an 

 acre is considered a good yield, and is probably somewhat 

 above the average. Yields at Concord, Mass., have run 

 as high as 3,400 bunches an acre.. An extensive grower 

 in New Jersey has been averaging about 2,500 an acre, 

 and another grower in the same state has been doing 

 somewhat better. Prices are variable. Ten dollars a 

 dozen bunches is received sometimes for the fancy extra 

 grade early in the season, but prices generally range 

 from 15 to 35 cents a bunch, and 20 cents is a fair aver- 

 age price, after deducting commission and transportation 

 charges. An expert grower shipping to Boston, New 

 York and Philadelphia sold $5,000 worth of asparagus 

 from 10 acres in one season. The gross income from 

 small areas often exceeds $500 an acre, while half 

 this is; regarded satisfactory by the majority of gar- 

 deners. When modern methods are applied -asparagus is 

 unquestionably one of our most profitable vegetables. 



284. The age of plantations. There are asparagus 

 beds in England, and probably in this country, more than 

 half a century old. It is not uncommon to find beds 20 

 to 30 years old producing profitable crops. In all such 

 cases, however, there has been great reduction in the 

 size of shoots and the crop is nearly always sold on local 

 markets, which are not discriminating. After the plants 

 are 8 to 10 years old, the size of the shoots diminishes 

 rapidly, unless unusual conditions are provided. Fifteen 

 years is the limit of satisfactory production in most large 



