THE MANURING OF MARKET-GARDEN CROPS. 



1045 



The mere number of bundles produced on a bed, therefore, is not to 

 be taken as having any necessary connection with the mode of manuring 

 adopted ; nor is it necessarily a good index by which to judge the value 

 or quality of the crop. 



Many of the shoots produced on any bed are always thin and small, 

 and a plant throwing up a number of thin shoots may be much less 

 valuable than one throwing up a few strong shoots. Our records of 

 total bundles include all shoots cut, but there is on every Asparagus 

 bed a certain proportion of thin stuff, which has to be sold at a very 

 small price compared with that obtained for bundles of substantial 

 "shoots. In judging, therefore, of the effect of manuring, we must rather 

 have regard to the average size of the shoots expressed as " weight per 

 bundle " than to the actual number of bundles grown. 



Effect of Salt. — The following summary shows the results obtained 

 over six years, with and without salt, on the dunged plots receiving no 

 other fertilisers : — 



ASPARAGUS — Six Years' Average. 



Annual manuring per acre 



Bundles 

 per acre 



Weight 

 per bundle 



50 loads London Dung, with 2 cwt. Salt .... 

 50 loads London Dung, without Salt .... 



1,916 

 2,045 



oz. 

 181 

 179 



25 loads London Dung, with 2 cwt. Salt .... 

 25 loads London Dung, without Salt .... 



2,160 

 2,086 



18-6 

 182 



The influence of the salt appears to be inconsiderable. It will be noticed 

 also that the heavier dunging has not added either to the quality or to 

 the weight of the produce. 



Effect of Potash Salts. — As kainit contains a good deal of salt, we 

 can, by comparing the salt and kainit plots, estimate the effect produced 

 by potash. This is seen in the following table : — 



ASPARAGUS. 





Average of first three years 



Average of last three years 





Bundles 

 per acre 



Weight 

 per bundle 



Bundles 

 per acre 



Weight 

 per bundle 



Average of various plots annually 

 receiving Phosphates, Nitrate of 

 Soda, and Dung, without Potash . 

 Average of similar plots with Potash 

 Average of various plots annually 

 receiving Phosphates and Nitrate 

 of Soda but no Dung, without 



Average of similar plots with Potash 



1,174 

 1,306 



1,040 

 1,168 



oz. 



19- 1 



20- 4 



193 



21- 7 



2,607 

 2,663 



2,098 

 2,341 



oz. 



190 

 185 



203 

 199 



On the whole the results appear to show that potash is a useful fertiliser 

 for Asparagus, and one which should not be neglected if the best results 

 are to be obtained. 



