560 
they should be carried to a shady place 
where they are sorted and packed in 
bunches. These bunches are made uni- 
form by using wooden boxes open at the 
top and at one end and of the desired 
length. The stems are then cut to an 
even length with the asparagus knives 
and the bunch is tied with raffia. These 
bunches usually weigh about one pound. 
All small, tough, withered stalks should 
be discarded. To keep the bunches fresh 
for the local market the bunches should 
be set upright in pans containing about 
an inch of water. All cutting should be 
done bright and early in the morning be- 
fore the dew is off the plants. 
The bunches are packed in crates hold- 
ing two dozen bunches and the bases of 
the bunches are set on a layer of damp 
moss. The crates are made of 4 slats 
314x22 inches, 2 slats 644x22 inches and 
2 pieces 614x9 inches, the latter for the 
heads. 
If bleached grass is desired, hill up the 
rows and cut the stalks 5 inches below 
the surface. 
If the plants are to be raised from 
seed a good sunny, well drained slope 
should be selected and the land should be 
prepared as for the permanent bed. Sow 
the seed in February and after the 
plants come up keep them well cultivated 
and fertilized. The plants are allowed 
to remain in the seed rows for one year 
and are then transplanted to the perma- 
nent bed. One ounce of seed will sow 
about 50 feet of drill and this will make 
about 200 plants. 
It requires 2,900 plants for an acre, and 
if the plants are purchased they will 
cost $5.00 to $6.00 per 1,000, the cost for 
the acre being about $15.00. 
A good patch of asparagus that has 
been well cared for should last 25 years 
and a good average yield per season 
should be 150 crates. If asparagus is de- 
sired very early in the spring the site for 
the patch should be selected on a sandy 
southern slope. 
Varieties to be recommended are Palm- 
etio, Conover’s Colossal and Argenteuil. 
W. P. WILLIAMS 
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 
ASPARAGUS DISEASES 
Anthracnose 
Colletotrichum syp 
Is said to have appeared in New Jer. 
sey and Ohio, but seems not to have 
spread destructively. It appeais as small 
specks upon the stem. 
Rust 
Puccinia asparagr 
Causes premature death of the bushy 
tops which grow up afte: the cutting sea- 
son, thus injuring the vitality ot the 
plants. The fungus causing the rust 
shows three different stages, the spring 
rust, appearing in the form of elliptical 
patches on the stems of plants which 
are allowed to grow up early in the sea- 
son, the summer or red rust, which covers 
the tops with a reddish, dusty powder 
of spores during the summer, causing 
their death, and the black rust stage, 
which appears on the tops in the form 
of numerous black pustules following 
the red rust. 
During the cutting season 
wild asparagus to grow up. 
Keep the fields well irrigated and cul- 
tivated during the summer and fall after 
cutting stops. Dust the tops thoroughly 
with flowers of sulphur about three weeks 
after the cutting season ends and repeat 
this two or three times during the re- 
mainder of the season. 
Select seed for planting from the most 
rust-resistant plants. 
RaLtpu E. SMIvriH 
Berkeley, Cal. 
allow no 
"(The Palmetto variety is said to be more rust 
resistant than others.—RKd ) 
Damping Off, Rhizoctonia, Root Rot 
Fungus, Stem Rot Fungus 
Corticium vagum B. & C. 
This fungus atlacks a variety of 
garden plants and causes a wet rot at the 
surface of the ground. 
The disease is difficult of control as it 
seems to live indefinitely in the soil. 
General sanitary measures, good sur- 
face drainage and lime on acid soils is 
suggested. 
Tendency to Variation 
We give herewith an illustration of 
an asparagus stem, which represents the 
