104 



CANNING AND PRESERVING. 



of manure and sow rye, letting it grow large enough to 

 cover the ground The rye keeps the ground warm and 

 prevents the surface from blowing away in winter. Plow 

 the rye under in spring, as a fertilizer. The second 

 spring give a dressing of guano, hen manure, or bone ; 

 cultivate it in and plough up the middle, using stable 

 manure between the rows and covering it well. The 

 cutting will last about 4 weeks, after which apply manure 

 and clean out all weeds and grass, so as to get a strong 

 growth of roots for the next season. If cut too late, the 

 root is weakened. To hasten the plants in spring, throw 

 a light furrow away from each side of the crown, to let 

 in the sun and air. After cutting two weeks, throw the fur- 

 row back again to destroy the weeds and loosen the 

 soil. 



Good strong Cuba bass is best for tying. Put one 3 

 inches from the top, another 4 inches below. Use a 

 bunching mold to make the bunches uniform in size, 

 and tie tightly, so that they will not loosen in transporta- 

 tion. The heads should all be even, and the butts all 

 cut off square. Cull the sprouts, taking out all small or 

 crooked ones, which may be put in bunches and sold as 

 cullings. 



Get a knife made at the blacksmith's of sheet steel J,, 

 of an inch thick, i ' , inches wide, and 15 inches long. 

 Bend it lengthwise like a carpenter's gouge, put on a 

 handle and grind the round side off about i inch back 

 from the end, so as to have the cutting edge on the in- 

 side of the knife. Leave the outer corner 's inch wide 

 without sharpening, but grind it off' to prevent injuring 

 adjacent sprouts. The bunches should be 8 to 9 inches 

 long and 4'/2 across the butt.' Asparagus can be cut 

 when 3 inches above the ground, but is better when 5 or 

 6 inches long, as the green part is all that is eaten. 

 But it is necessary to leave on some of the white butt as 



it holds the moisture and makes a solid bunch to tie and 

 handle. In cutting, take the sprout in the fingers, run 

 the knife down close to it, the hollow side next the 

 sprout. 'When at the proper depth, slant the knife by 

 moving the hand away and cut off the sprout. Cut all 

 spindling sprouts, as they check the growth of the larger 

 ones. The sprouts should then be washed by dipping 

 the butts in clean water, but do not wet the crown, as the 

 water mixes with the gum in the crown and hastens de- 

 cay in the bunch. 



For shipping, make crates as follows, to hold two 

 dozen bunches : The two ends and one middle piece 

 are 12 inches wide, 18 inches long and }i inch thick ; 

 bore four one-inch holes near the top of the end piece 

 for handles. Use half-inch boards for bottom and 6 

 inches up on each side. Make the bottoms entire. Or 

 the crate may be 30 inches long, with slats ij^ or 2 

 inches wide and the same length as the bottom, for 

 upper part of sides and top, with spaces between for 

 ventilation. Place 2 inches of thoroughh' wetted moss 

 or grass in the bottom of the crate ; then stand the 

 bunches butts down on it, crowding them close together. 

 When full, crowd the bunches together again. This 

 will keep the butts moist and the heads and tops cool. 

 Leave a space of one inch or more between the heads 

 and cover for ventilation. To raise the young roots, 

 plough the ground deeply, run out furrows two feet 

 apart, fill with well rotted manure ; turn a furrow over 

 the manure and drop the seed two or three inches apart in 

 the rows, in a straight line. Cover the seed about Yz 

 inch deep and tread down. 'When the plants are up, 

 clean them out, and thin to about 4 inches; keep the 

 ground clean and loose by the frequent use of some 

 good fertilizer. One pound contains 10,000 seeds. 



S. B. CCNOVER. 



CANNING AND PRESERVING. 



THE SKILL REgUIRED IN CANNING METHODS OF EVAPORATING COST OF EVAPORATORS QUALITY OF 



STOCK USED--THE CO-OPERATIVE PLAN. 



Fourth 



PREVIOUS papers have dealt 

 more largely with canners 

 than with any other branch 

 of the allied industries. This 

 seemed to the writer expedi 

 ent in view of the fact that 

 canning demands more work- 

 ers to properly conduct it. 

 than do the other branches of the work. As a mat- 

 ter of fact, evaporating employs considerable help, 

 but not for so long a period as canning, and the pro- 

 cesses of canning require that the majority of the 

 help shall be skilled in their work. Take, for ex- 

 ample, the heating of the pulp in the manufacture 

 of tomato ketchup ; this process requires one or 



Paper. 



more men who, from long practice, can tell at a 

 glance whether the pulp has reached the proper 

 condition for further manipulation. So are there 

 other branches in this line of work, the lack of 

 proper help to manage which would result in seri- 

 ous losses. 



The primary object in preparing these papers has 

 been to answer inquiries which have been put to 

 The American Garden regarding the practicability 

 of certain growers in several localities establishing 

 and managing canning and preserving factories, 

 with a view to finding a way out of the difficulties 

 arising from the overproduction alleged to exist in 

 these localities. Having such a purpose in view, it 

 is but just to the inquirers that we tell of the dis- 



