CULTURAL DIRECTIONS 
209 
very delicate, the depth of covering over the seed should 
not be more than i ]/ 2 inches to insure germination. Since 
asparagus seeds germinate very slowly, a few radish seeds 
should be sown with them to mark the rows, so tha. 
tillage may begin as soon as the radish plants appear. The 
button-shaped radishes should be used because they will 
be ready to pull in four weeks or less and may be removed 
without any detriment to the asparagus plants. The 
most thorough tillage should be given the nursery plat 
throughout the season. Nitrate of soda can generally 
be employed very effectively, by applying as a top dress- 
ing at frequent intervals during the summer. One hun- 
dred pounds an acre may be applied each time, sowing 
broadcast or along the rows. 
The Missouri Experiment Station recommends sowing 
the seeds in hotbed or greenhouse during February or 
early March, transplanting the best when 3 inches high 
into small pots. Later the plants are shifted into larger 
pots, so they may make a good start before being set in 
the field. By this method very strong plants are secured 
the first season, and a larger percentage of marketable 
shoots become available during the early life of the plan- 
tation. 
Asparagus may also be propagated by dividing the 
crowns. This method, however, is not satisfactory and 
it is seldom, if ever, practiced by commercial growers. 
274. Plant selection^ — In seed production, the impor- 
tance of selecting proper plants, then the best berries on 
the chosen plants, and, finally, the large, plump seeds, 
has been emphasized. Selection again plays an impor- 
tant part when seedlings are chosen for the new planta- 
tion. The possibility of rigid selection is one of the 
main arguments advanced by the Missouri Station for 
the pot method of propagation. Professor Whitten urges 
liberal sowing, because seven-eighths of the seedlings 
should be discarded. In regard to selection he recom- 
