PLANTING 53 



the roots should not be planted as closely together as 

 was customar}' in former years; and it obviously demon- 

 strates that when land is cheap and manure and labor 

 high, asparagus can not be hurt by giving it plenty of 

 room. It should also be considered that earliness, 

 size, and quality make a great difference with the price 

 and profits when early and large shoots are in demand. 

 It might be possible to get double the number of shoots 

 per acre from thick than from thin planting, but they 

 might be so small and spindling as not to be worth the 

 labor and expense of cutting and marketing. 



DEPTH OF PLANTING 



Contrary to the all but universal belief, asparagus 

 is not a deep-rooted plant. In the wild state its most 

 frequent habitat is on the fertile marshes of the shore- 

 line in Europe, on ground but a few inches above the 

 tidewater which permeates the sandy subsoil. As the 

 roots can not live in water, they naturally grow to long 

 distances parallel with the surface and retain this habit 

 under cultivation. The tendency of growth in the 

 asparagus roots in this dire(5lion is obviously demon- 

 strated in Fig. 14. 



The proper depth of planting asparagus roots varies 

 somewhat, according to the character of the soil, the 

 method of cultivation, and the kind of spears desired, 

 whether white or green. As the new crowns rise 

 somewhat above the old ones annually, it seems but 

 rational that the plants should have sufficient room for 

 the new growths before their crowns become even with 

 the surface of the land. When the crown once comes 

 near the level of the soil it is impossible to give proper 



