CULTURAL DIRECTIONS 
223 
inches deep, outside measurements. The ends are J^-inch 
pieces and the side slats of an inch thick and 4.3/2 inches 
wide. This crate holds thirty 43/2-inch bunches. For long 
shipments, damp moss should be placed in the bottom 
of the crate and the bunches should always be packed 
firmly to carry well. In California the shoots are not 
bunched, but packed loosely, usually in 40-pound boxes, 
sold by weight. 
283. Yields and returns. — Two thousand bunches an 
acre is considered a good yield, and is probably somewhat 
above the average. Yields at Concord, Mass., have run 
as high as 3.400 bunches an acre. An extensive grower 
in New Jersey has been averaging about 2,500 an acre, 
and another grower in the same state has been doing 
somewhat better. Prices are variable. Ten dollars a 
dozen bunches is received sometimes for the fancy extra 
grade early in the season, but prices generally range 
from 15 to 35 cents a bunch, and 20 cents is a fair aver- 
age price, after deducting commission and transportation 
charges. An expert grower shipping to Boston, New 
York and Philadelphia sold $5,000 worth of asparagus 
from 10 acres in one season. The gross income from 
small areas often exceeds $500 an acre, while half 
this is regarded satisfactory by the majority of gar- 
deners. When modern methods are applied asparagus is 
unquestionably one of our most profitable vegetables. 
284. The age of plantations. — There are asparagus 
beds in England, and probably in this country, more than 
half a century old. It is not uncommon to find beds 20 
to 30 years old producing profitable crops. I11 all such 
cases, however, there has been great reduction in the 
size of shoots and the crop is nearly always sold on local 
markets, which are not discriminating. After the plants 
are 8 to 10 years old, the size of the shoots diminishes 
rapidly, unless unusual conditions are provided. Fifteen 
years is the limit of satisfactory production in most large 
