CULTURAL DIRECTIONS 209 



very delicate, the depth of covering over the seed should 

 not be more than i^ inches to insure germination. Since 

 asparagus seeds germinate very slowly, a few radish seeds 

 should be sown with them to mark the rows, so that 

 tillage may begin as soon as the radish plants appear. The 

 button-shaped radishes should be used because they will 

 be ready to pull in four weeks or less and may be removed 

 without any detriment to the asparagus plants. The 

 most thorough tillage should be given the nursery plat 

 throughout the season. Nitrate of soda can generally 

 be employed very effectively, by applying as a top dress- 

 ing at frequent intervals during the summer. One hun- 

 dred pounds an acre may be applied each time, sowing 

 broadcast or along the rows. 



The Missouri Experiment Station recommends sowing 

 the seeds in hotbed or greenhouse during February or 

 early March, transplanting the best when 3 inches high 

 into small pots. Later the plants are shifted into larger 

 pots, so they may make a good start before being set in 

 the field. By this method very strong plants are secured 

 the first season, and a larger percentage of marketable 

 shoots become available during the early life of the plan- 

 tation. 



Asparagus may also be propagated by dividing the 

 crowns. This method, however, is not satisfactory and 

 it is seldom, if ever, practiced by commercial growers. 



274. Plcint selection. — In seed production, the impor- 

 tance of selecting proper plants, then the best berries on 

 the chosen plants, and, finally, the large, plump seeds, 

 has been emphasized. Selection again plays an impor- 

 tant part when seedlings are chosen for the new planta- 

 tion. The possibility of rigid selection is one of the 

 main arguments advanced by the Missouri Station for 

 the pot method of propagation. Professor Whitten urges 

 liberal sowing, because seven-eighths of the seedlings 

 should be discarded. In regard to selection he recom- 



