,i9ii.] Willows and their Cultivation. 557 



insect pests or fungoid diseases. Mention may be made of the 

 Asparagus Beetle (see Leaflet 47) and the Asparagus Rust 

 (Puccinia asparagi). The latter first appears in brown 

 patches, and afterwards in black patches, which latter 

 condition causes the stems to ripen off a dull brown 

 colour instead of a golden yellow. It amounts, in fact, 

 to a slow starvation of the roots. As yet, the disease 

 does not appear to have had very serious effects among 

 asparagus growers, and it does not seem that any noteworthy 

 remedial measures have anywhere been adopted. 



Marketing the Crop. — Asparagus is marketed in bundles 

 of 25, 50, or 100 stems. The Evesham growers tie up bundles 

 of 20 heads with raffia, and pack them in crates, half-a-dozen 

 of the small bundles being tied up in one large market bundle. 

 Flat-lidded baskets or hampers are to be preferred for market- 

 ing asparagus, as it is then possible to cover the stems with 

 some greenstuff which will help to retain their freshness. 

 After tying up a bundle, its appearance is vastly improved 

 if the jagged ends are trimmed level with a knife. 



Grading is of much importance in connection with this 

 vegetable as with any other; the heads are sorted out into 

 different sizes and tied up accordingly. The smallest heads 

 are known as "sprue." In packing the bundles in crates, the 

 different grades should be carefully labelled and named so 

 that there will be no necessity to unpack them again in the 

 market. A yield per acre of 250 doz. bunches of 25 heads 

 each may be taken as an average, and 4s. per doz. bunches as 

 a fair price for good quality produce. 



WILLOWS AND THEIR CULTIVATION. 



W. Paulgrave Ellmore and Thomas Okey. 



Previous articles * on this subject have dealt with the pre- 

 paration of the ground, methods of planting, cleaning, cut- 

 ting, &c. It is now proposed to indicate the approximate cost 

 of preparing, planting, cultivating, and cutting per acre, and 



'"Journal, April, 1911, p. 12; and June, 1911, p. 207. 



