156 The Cultivation of Asparagus. [june, 



roots are damaged by cutting off the stalks is confuted by the 

 fact that there are beds where this process has been pursued 

 which still yield a plentiful supply after twenty-four and even 

 thirty years. . ' 



For preserving, stalks from in. long are most suitable. 

 If longer it will be found that the lower end is hard and has not 

 a good flavour. In the fourth and the fifth year the asparagus 

 may be cut till 24th of June. When the weather has continued 

 warm uninterruptedly the growing power is soon exhausted^ 

 and cutting must be stopped earlier. The main point is to see 

 that the root and stalks develop fully, in order that in the 

 next year these can again produce strong stalks. The beds 

 should be systematically manured every year, at the rate 

 of eight to ten loads of dung per acre. Where artificial 

 manure is used, the land, before being dug in autumn, should 

 be dressed with kainit at the rate of about 10 cwt. per acre. 

 Where the land is poor a very advantageous manure is : 8 cwt. 

 basic slag, 3 cwt. nitrate of soda, and 3 cwt. superphosphate,, 

 which can be dug in in spring. Asparagus thus cultivated 

 is not only very fine in flavour, but has very thick stalks weigh- 

 ing from seven to ten per lb. Sometimes even two weigh i lb. 

 Smaller plots can be subjected to an intenser cultivation than 

 large fields, so that the yield of the former is incomparably 

 greater. A case has been known where the asparagus from a 

 plot of 200 square yards was sold for ^15 in one season. Plants 

 from the fifth to the eighth year prove most productive. 



Storing and Packing. — As the value of asparagus is deter- 

 mined by its freshness and whiteness, care must be taken after 

 cutting it to keep it in a dark place. In this way, when the 

 weather is cool, its freshness and whiteness may be preserved for 

 several days, but when the weather is warm it withers and 

 looks blue or red after it has been cut twenty-four hours. To 

 prevent this it should be buried in moist sand in some dark 

 place or cellar or covered with a damp cloth. 



In sending off large quantities, it should not be packed with 

 moist grass or moss, as this might cause it to beconje too heated 

 and thus be spoilt. It is best to pack it in a basket lined with 

 paper covered over with a linen cloth. In this way quantities are 

 exported to England, Sweden, and Russia without deteriorating. 



