28 ASPARAGUS 



plants are allowed to grow without cutting any. On 

 each hill of the female plants the two strongest and 

 earliest stalks are allowed to grow, cutting the later 

 appearing spears with the others for market or home 

 use. Thus these early stalks of both male and female 

 plants bloom together before any other stalks, and 

 the blooms on the female plants will be fertilized with 

 the pollen of the seledted male plants. This last is of 

 prime importance, for on proper fertilization depends 

 the purity of the seed as well as the vigor of the 

 resultant plant. Not all seed of even a good plant 

 properly fertilized should be used for reprodu(5tion, as 

 of the seeds gathered from any plant some will be 

 better than others. Only the largest, plumpest, and 

 best matured seeds should be used, for b}^ saving these 

 the most nearly typical plants of the sort will be most 

 certainly produced. The selection of the best seed 

 from typical plants is as essential to success as are good 

 soil, thorough cultivation, and heavy manuring. 



The best seeds are produced from the lower part of 

 the stalk, hence it is well to top the plant after the seed 

 is well set, taking off about ten inches, and to remove 

 the berries from the upper branches, that all the 

 strength may go to the full development of the more 

 desirable berries. If, after this has been done, thex ^ is 

 more than sufficient seed for the purpose desired a 

 second discrimination can be made between the seed of 

 plants which produce numerous berries and those 

 which are shy bearers, the latter being desirable, as 

 this indicates a tendency in the plant to produce stalk 

 rather than seed, and it is as a stalk producer that 

 asparagus is valuable. 



