182 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[Mat, 
CUTTING AND PACKING ASPARAGUS. 
The earliest asparagus always commands the 
highest price, therefore it is hest to commence 
cutting as soon as practicable. Early in the 
season, when it is scarce, it will sell with a larg- 
er proportion of white stalk than it will later. 
"When it is plenticr customers demand that a 
greater length of stalk shall be green. 
It will hasten the growth of the asparagus to 
run a plow, as soon as the frost is out, as near 
to the rows as practicable. Throw a furrow 
away from the plants upon each side, taking 
care not to wound the crowns. This will let 
the air and heat into the crowns and start them 
early. 
The best knife for culling asparagus is an 
ordinary 8-inch butcher-knife with the point 
cut square off, leaving the end about an inch 
and a quarter wide ; this should be ground sharp 
like a chisel. 
In cutting for very early market, cut the 
sprouts when they are three inches above 
ground; as the season advances let it grow to 
four or five inches. In cutting cut clean, taking 
all the "cullings" or small sprouts, as well as 
the large ones. If the weak and spindling shoots 
are allowed to grow they will take away the 
strength from the roots. 
To cut, take the sprout in one hand and run 
the knife down close along side of it to the pro- 
per depth, move the handle away from the 
stalk and shove the knife down so as to sever 
the stalk with a tapering cut. Care must be 
taken not to wound the young sprouts which 
are coming up all around the crown. After 
cutting, the asparagus should be removed out 
of the sun as soon as possible and be put into a 
tub of clean water and gently stirred to wash 
it, after which it is laid out to drain off the 
water. Use none but clear fresh water, as dirty 
water will discobrlhe sprouts, and if the water 
has been used the previous da}' it wiil be sour 
and hasten fermentation of the heads. In 
bundling all small shoots as well as those that 
have crooked heads are to be thrown out. Ma- 
chines of cast-iron are now used for bundling 
which allow the work to be done rapidly and 
form a bunch of uniform size; this is a matter 
of importance, as asparagus is of more ready 
sale and commands a better price if the bunches 
are uniform in size. The bunches should be 
about 8 inches long when " butted" or cut off 
at the butt, and the heads all even. There 
should be two ties, one placed about two inches 
from either end. The bunch must be tied so 
tightly that it will not loosen in handling after 
it lias reached the market and dried out some- 
what. Bass matting is the best material for 
ties, this and the bnnching-macliines being fur- 
nished by us, and we suppose by other dealers. 
If the bunches are to be kept over night before 
packing v dip Die butts in clean water and stand 
them on end on a cold cellar bottom or upon 
grass or hay that has been thoroughly wet ; do 
not sprinkle or wet the crowns or the green 
portions of the sprouts. 
In handling the asparagus every care should 
be taken not to bruise the crowns or heads and 
to keep the crowns cool, as the gummy juice of 
these soon heats and spoils the whole. 
In packing use crates that are 10 inches high, 
and if shipping from a distance put some tho- 
roughly wet grass or moss ill the bottom of the 
crate, stand the bunches on end, butt down, and 
press them so tightly together that they can not 
move or shift in handling. The crates should 
have a tight bottom and ends; the sides may 
be tight half-way up, the rest of the sides and 
the lops are slatted. This keeps the butts 
moist, and the tops dry and cool. Nail corner- 
pieces on the crates and cleats on the top at 
each end in order to keep the crates apart dur- 
ing shipment and allow of a circulation of air. 
Mark the number of bunches of prime and culls 
on each crate. 
STRAWBERRIES. 
Strawberry-culture is now receiving at the 
bauds of fruit-growers greater attention than 
that of any other of the small fruits. Leaving 
the discussion of varieties, soils, and planting, 
to the journals, we wish to give some suggest- 
ions in regard to picking, packing, shipping, 
etc., which if properly observed will be of great 
advantage to both shipper and dealer. 
The crates and packages should be neat, clean, 
and uniform, as very much depends upon mak- 
ing a good show to attract the eye of the buyer. 
This is an important matter, as neat, tidy, uni- 
form crates and baskets improve the looks of 
the fruit, and that thus packed will sell in pre- 
ference to that in the old, ungainly, and ill- 
shaped packages. Our first-class dealers do 
not like to have rough-looking parcels about 
their places, hence such are the last sold and 
consequently at reduced prices. The crates and 
baskets must be well-ventilated, as fruit that has 
sufficient circulation of air through it l.o keep it 
cool, will keep longer and be brighter than that 
in close packages. The round-top ventilated 
cup is decidedly the best in use and is being 
generally adopted by our most experienced 
fruit-growers. The crates should be slatted or 
otherwise ventilated, and have angle-pieces 
nailed on each corner, extending two inches 
each way, and one across each end upon the 
bottom. These pieces, which should be of half- 
inch stuff, preserve a space between the crates 
so that during shipment there will be a circula- 
tion of air all around them. Crates that are 
bound with strips of iron, when placed together 
in the cars or on the boats lie so close together 
that there is no ventilation and the fruit is 
spoiled. Crates containing 45 or 60 pints are 
the most desirable size to use. For quarts, 24 
or 36 crates are large enough. "When too large 
the crates arc so heavy that the fruit is liable to 
be bruised by loading and unloading. The old- 
fashioned tight chests with tight square boxes 
are entirely unfit for shipping fruit and should 
be discarded. "We advise all shippers to pro- 
cure at once round-top ventilated cups or bas- 
kets and open crates, as the difference in price 
received for the fruit will often, in one shipment, 
justify the outlay. 
In picking, too much care can not be taken 
in regard to the point of ripeness. The fruit 
should not be too ripe, but firm and hard. If 
to be sold within twelve hours after picking it 
can be of full color and ripe, but not soft. If it 
is to be a longer time than this on the way it 
should not be so ripe when picked, i. e.,the ber- 
ry should not be full colored but a little lighter 
on the under side, as it will ripen on the way. 
Each picker is to be provided with a tray or box 
made of light material which will hold four to 
eight baskets or cups. The pickers must be 
cautioned to pick clean every day, as if it is not 
picked regularly some of the fruit will become 
too soft, and if these are mixed with the hard 
berries they will mash and spoil the whole. A 
single over-ripe berry will spoil a whole basket. 
"When the baskets are filled they are to be car- 
ried to the shade to cool, or to the packing-shed 
to be assorted and arranged for packing. In 
assorting, every unripe and every soft berry must 
be thrown out, and the baskets or cups be well 
filled. The fruit should be assorted as much as 
possible in picking so as to avoid any more 
handling than is necessary. Small and inferior 
berries should be put in cups by themselves and 
packed in separate crates,which are to be marked 
" seconds," with chalk. Put no leaves in the 
bottom of the cups. Before packing set the 
fruit in the shade, where there is a free circula- 
tion of air, so that it may be thoroughly cooled 
off. In finishing off the cups turn the stem end 
of the berries down so as to hide the stem as 
much as possible. If the berries are sandy or 
soiled, -as they frequently are after a heavy rain, 
put them up as such, and do not face the crate 
off with clean and fair berries. The "facing" 
or "topping" of fruit practiced by inexpe- 
rienced growers is pernicious, and is. one of the 
greatest difficulties the trade have to contend 
with. It inspires distrust among buyers, and is 
often the means of injuring tiie sale of carefully 
selected fruit. A reputation for putting up good 
fruit when once established is invaluable to the 
grower, and can not be too highly appreciated, 
as buyers learn the marks and buy accordingly. 
Have each crate well marked on each end 
with a card upon which is the commission mer- 
chant's name in large distinct letters, in order to 
insure the return of empties by buyer. Have 
also the shipper's name and station in full on 
each end to prevent errors and facilitate the re- 
turn of empty packages. The large dealers fur- 
nish shipping-cards and pasters free of charge 
to customers, and stencil-plates when ordered. 
■ ■■■ •-« 
A Lady's Experience with Roses. 
Mrs. C. E. S., Baltimore, Md., sends the 
following: 
For the benefit of the many amateur florists 
among your readers, and to ventilate the delight 
over my success in rose culture, I beg the favor 
of a small space. 
Two years since . married, and secured a 
house with the nicest bit of a garden attached 
of about 80 :< 18 feet. On the advent of spring, 
I began to improve this heretofore neglected 
strip, rising at five o'clock in the morning and 
working until seven. To illustrate my utter 
ignorance of gardening at this time, I planted 
the seed of flie Petunia, Dianthus, Pansy, Phlox, 
etc., t/eer two inches deep! The labor I per- 
formed in laying out beds, borders, walks, etc.. 
and in}' neighbors complimented my hobby as 
"neat and tasty." 
After a while, I consulted Henderson, Vick. 
Buist, and other books, and learned how to 
sow seed and cultivate plants, and succeeded to 
my satisfaction. 
But I love the Rose ! Fihding prices too 
far above my means to secure all the varieties 
I would like to possess, I bought a treatise ou 
Rose-culture with a view of raising my own. 
After patiently going through this book, I got 
the idea. The author was quite learned, not 
only in roses, but botany in general, and Latin 
and Greek to a certain extent. He rather 
aimed to teach experienced florists, instead of 
amateurs to whom he specially addressed him- 
self. Having no hot-house or other appliances 
recommended, I thought to do a little summer 
experimenting in my own way. 
Last spring I procured a box 12 x 18 inches 
and three inches deep, and filled it nearly to the 
top witli clean paving sand, into which I placed 
cuttings from my neighbors' best stocks, about 
fifteen in number. These were all quite young 
shoots, three to five inches long. The box was 
kept all through the summer in the most ex- 
