Asparagus — Rhubarb 



441 



Beetle, N. Y. Bull. 75, p. 425, good plate ; Dept. Agric. Yearb. 

 . 1896, p. 342, good ills. ; N. J. Kept. 1898, p. 457. Destroy 

 all volunteer asparagus. In beds being cut, leave small trap- 

 shoots ; twice a week cut these and destroy. In young beds 

 treat with fresh air-slaked lime as soon as larvae appear; 

 application while yet damp ; thoroughness. In hot weather 

 brush off and insects are baked on soil. In rare eases, Paris 

 green or London purple, 1 lb. to 50 lbs. of dry hydrated or 

 air-slaked lime; second application a week later; be very 

 careful with poisons in patches from which asparagus is to 

 be used. 



Rust, N. J. Rept. 1896, p. 407; Farmers' Bull. No. 61, p. 30; 

 Ct. 20th Rept., p. 281 and plates. Mass. Bull. 61: Iowa 

 Bull. 53. The cutting, careful collection and immediate 

 burning, not only of all visibly affected stalks but of all 

 asparagus brush, both cultivated and wild, early in the 

 autumn. Exercise every effort to secure vigorous plants, 

 and in very dry seasons practice irrigation if possible. 



RHUBARB OR PIE PLANT 



Rhubarb delights in a deep rich soil. Since its value 

 depends on the succulence and size of the leaf-stalks, every 

 care must be given that will contribute to leaf groivth. It 

 is an early spring crop; the land, therefore, should be 

 qiiicJc, and the plants should have made a sturdy growth 

 the previous year in order to have energy to start quickly 

 and vigorously. A tv ell -prepared and ivell-handled rhic- 

 barb plantation should last twenty years or more. Pro- 

 pagated by divisions of the root or by seed. 



Rhubarb is one of the most popular of all perennial 

 vegetable -garden plants. It is prized for its large, thick, 

 juicy acid leaf-stalks, which are used in early spring for 

 sauces and pies. The size of the stalks depends partly 



