30 



Perennial Crops 



seed, and often the shoot is topped and only the lower 

 berries saved. The flowers of asparagus are usually im- 

 perfect, and one male plant should be left close to every 

 three or four female plants to make sure of pollination. 

 When the berries are fully ripe, the seeds are rubbed 

 or washed out and kept till spring, when they are 

 sown as already explained; or, if 



5. Sterile or stamlnate flowers 



Qf asparagus. (Separate 6. Fertile or pistillate flower of aspara- 



flower X 3.) gus (X %)■ 



The pot method readily encourages the discarding of 

 all unpromising seedlings in the transplanting. Male 

 plants are considered to be more productive than the 

 female or seed-bearing plants, but the sexes cannot be 

 certainly distinguished until blossoms appear. Perhaps 

 the inferiority of the fertile plants is due to the lessening 



