68 BIGGLE GARDEN BOOK 



When cut off uniformly at the butts, washed, and 

 tied with neat, narrow tape, or cord, they are ready 

 for the customer or for packing into crates for 

 shipment. Sizes of crates and bunches vary in dif- 

 ferent localities; usually the bunches are about four 

 inches in diameter and seven to nine inches long. 

 Asparagus is a profitable crop when properly han- 

 dled. No other crop responds more generously to 

 liberal and intelligent treatment. One of the most 

 successful Illinois growers makes three grades, and 

 the bunches of each grade are tied with different 

 colored ribbon or tape. The stalks in each grade 

 are uniform in size and quality. His entire crop 

 is shipped to Chicago and handled by one firm. 

 When cutting "grass," he is careful not to leave the 

 stalks long in the sun after being cut. The yield to 

 the acre varies greatly from about 500 to 2,000 

 bunches, according to soil and season. The later 

 crop can often be sold to canneries. 



Growing asparagus from seed : This is easily 

 done, and the gardener who wants many plants can 

 save money by growing his own. Two ounces of 

 seed should sow about 100 feet of drill ; two pounds 

 should grow enough roots to plant an acre. This 

 seed germinates very slowly, and it is a help to soak 

 the seed in warm water twenty-four hours before 

 sowing. For wheel-hoe culture, make the rows about 

 one foot apart ; for horse cultivation, two and one- 

 half feet apart. In the North, sow in early April ; 

 farther south, earlier, according to latitude. Cover 

 the seed about an inch deep. When the plants are an 

 inch or so high, thin them to about three inches 

 apart. Give good culture all summer, and the next 

 spring you should have some nice one-year-old roots 

 to transplant to their permanent place. ('Tis said 



