ASPARAGUS 183 
forced in the field where the roots stand, it will be neces- 
sary to dig the crowns late in the fall before the ground 
freezes. In most sections of the North this work should 
be done not later than November 10. There should be as 
little mutilation of the roots and buds as possible, for any 
damage to them will necessarily reduce their value for 
forcing purposes. The grower, however, must not be 
alarmed if he finds that it is impossible to remove old 
plants from beds without breaking off many of the 
long, fleshy roots. It was a difficult task to dig the large 
root shown in Fig. 60, and this is one of the chief reasons 
for using younger roots. Four and five-year-old roots 
may be removed by plowing along both sides of the row 
and then loosening the roots with a spading fork. The 
expense of this method of harvesting the roots is much 
less than that of digging them. Any soil that naturally 
adheres to the roots is allowed to remain. 
The crowns should not be unnecessarily exposed to 
the wind and air, but should be promptly stored where 
they will not dry out. A shed, cool cellar, cave or pit 
may be used for this purpose. Sufficient soil should be 
thrown over the roots to keep them moist. 
Forcing in permanent beds.—Numerous plans have 
been used for forcing asparagus in permanent beds with- 
out removing the roots to other quarters. It is claimed 
by some growers that this method produces larger shoots 
of better quality than can be obtained from transplanted 
roots. An additional advantage, as previously stated, is 
that the roots are not completely exhausted and may be 
used again, perhaps several times, for forcing. While 
the arguments seem to be in favor of forcing the roots 
where they have been grown, we do not know of any 
extensive growers, though there may be some, who are 
following this method. 
The simplest plan of field forcing, sometimes practiced 
by amateur gardeners, is to pile hot manure around bar- 
