i 82 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
March 24 
a few days until it runs steadily at 102 degrees; then 
put in the eggs, l^lace the thermometer on top of the 
eggs with the bulb in the center of the tray. The 
eggs are to be turned regularly, morning and even¬ 
ing. To do this, take out the tray, set it on top of 
the incubator, or of a barrel, stand feeing it, remove 
the two front rows of eggs, place them on the eggs at 
the back ; then, with the hands extended, gently roll 
the eggs from the center all across to the outside, and 
place the eggs, that were outside, in the center. Turn 
the tray around, repeat the operation, aod replace in 
the incubator; thus every egg has changed position 
and that quickly. This is all the airing that eggs 
require. 
Test out the infertile eggs on the evening of the 
seventh day; a second test should be made on the 
fourteenth day. As incubation proceeds, animal heat 
is generated by the live eggs so that by the end of the 
hatch the flame of the lamp must be very low. 
The question of moisture is unsettled; too much is 
as fatal as not enough. The amount used must be 
governed by location of incubator, and the climate in 
which the operator lives. Less is required in a climate 
where the air is saturated with moisture, as near the 
seacoast, and more must be used in a hot, dry climate. 
Common sense and experience gained by experiment 
must be the guides. I can only give my method which 
I find satisfactory in northern New Jersey. No 
moisture is given until the nineteenth day, when a 
small moisture pan, 12 inches square by one inch deep, 
is half filled with lukewarm water and placed under 
the egg tray on the sand with which the bottom of 
the incubator should be covered. I would advise 
against sprinkling the eggs with water ; more harm 
than good is usually done. In a hot, dry climate, put 
the moisture pan under the tray about the fourteenth 
day, and when the eggs begin to pip, put small cups 
containing moist sponges in the egg tray. 
When the eggs begin to pip, open the ventilator as 
shown in Pig. 8. Do not turn the eggs after the nine¬ 
teenth day. Now is the critical time and I would warn 
the novice against undue impatience “to see the chicks 
come out.” The incubator must not be opened oftener 
than is absolutely necessary, once in four hours is 
often enough, then be quick about it, remove all t'je 
shells within reach, but do not remove the chicks 
until you are satisfied they are all out that will hatch; 
this is from 24 to 36 hours from the time the first one 
makes its appearance. During this period, keep the 
temperature as near 102 degrees as possible. When 
all of the chicks are out remove the moisture pan 
and egg tray, place the chicks for a few hours, until 
the following morning, on the sand in the bottom of 
the incubator and get the brooder warmed up for 
them. When they are placed in the brooder is time 
enough for the first feed ; they come into the world 
with their crops full. j. h. k. schultz. 
Mountain View, N. J. 
THE DEACON TALKS ASPARAGUS. 
The Whole Story from A to Z. 
THK “ GRAS8”LKSS MAN IS A GRACELESS FELLOW. 
Talking Over Mr. Donald’s Methods. 
The Deacon came over the other evening and brought 
along his Rural of November 18, containing the 
account of Mr. Donald’s asparagus bed. “ I was very 
much interested,” said he, “in reading of Mr. Donald’s 
methods of cultivating and marketing asparagus, and, 
as I knew that you have been raising asparagus for 
several years, I thought I would drop in and have a 
talk with you about it. How do his methods compare 
with yours ? Did you learn anything new from him ?” 
“ Well,” said I, “ Mr. Donald evidently knows what 
he is talking about, although his practice and mine 
differ in many respects. In the first place, his claim 
that good, one-year-old plants are best, coincides ex¬ 
actly with my idea. I never have selected plants hav¬ 
ing big buds such as he describes, but I raise my own 
plants from the seed and thin them out as soon as they 
are well above ground leaving them about three 
inches apart in the rows. As the rows are planted 16 
inches apart, there will be no poor plants if they are 
given clean culture and good soil.” 
“ I notice,” said the Deacon, “ that your asparagus 
is planted in rows, while Mr. Donald plants his in 
squares.” 
“ Yes” said I; “his plants each have 121^ square 
feet which is little enough. The first acre that I 
set, was planted 4x2 feet, giving eight feet to each 
plant. That seemed to give room enough the first few 
years, but as the crowns kept spreading, I found that 
the rows were too close. I set some more two years 
ago, planting 6x2 feet, which gives about the same 
space that 3K feet square does. I set the crowns only 
about four inches below the surface.” 
“ What is the objection to planting six inches deep?” 
said he. 
“ What is to be gained by it ? Deep planting is a 
ralic of the old idea that asparagus must h« aut beneath 
the surface. I want my asparagus roots as near the 
surface as possible, consistent with horse cultivation, 
in order that they may get the benefit Of the sun’s 
rays, and also of the fertilizers which are always 
applied on the surface.” 
“ Do you carry off the seed stalks every season ?”. 
“No. As I cultivate it, there is no necessity. I 
simply mow the tops down, seed sialks and all, as 
soon as the first frost occurs, and when dry e ough, 
burn them on the ground. A few young asparagus 
plants are no harder to manage than so many weeds. 
I have the whole thing reduced to a system, making 
the cultivation very simp’e and cheap.” 
How the Weeds Are Killed Out. 
“ Can you explain the system ? ” 
“ Oh, yes, very easily. Having the bed once started 
in rows either four or six feet apart, I consider it as 
in two parcels. The first parcel consists of the por¬ 
tion between the rows. This is easily disposed of. I 
run a one-horse cultivator over it regularly once a 
week from the time the weeds start in the spring till 
the tops are allowed to grow and shade the ground. 
There is no excuse for having any weeds or young 
asparagus plants growing on this portion. The other 
parcel consists of the portion immediately over the 
rows of crowns, and is 12 to 18 inches wide in a fully- 
developed hed. I can best describe my treatment of 
this by commencing on the day we make our last cut¬ 
ting. On that day, we take a one-horse plow and throw 
a furrow each way upon the rows, making a ridge of 
nice, clean soil over each row for the new shoots to 
sprout through. It requires a steady horse and an 
expert plowman to do this, or the roots and crowns 
will be injured. If the hired man is intrusted with 
this job, I am usually on hand with a shovel to finish 
up any little skips made by the plow. As soon as the 
ground is dry enough in the following spring, I take 
the team and a steel-shod road scraper, and by driving 
lengthwise of the rows, the ridges are leveled ; at the 
same time all the old stubs where the last year’s 
growth of tops was mown off, are broken or scraped 
off, making a nice, clean space for the young shoots. 
I keep my eye on the weeds and seedling asparagus 
plants. As soon as the weeds get nicely started, and 
before the rootlets get far below the surface we are 
ready. About ton of salt is spread evenly over 
the rows of crowns. The large asparagus seems to 
enjoy this, but the weeds and seedling asparagus, well 
there ! Deacon, that reminds me of the grass spoken 
of in Scripture. How does that passage read ? ” 
“ In the morning it fiourisheth and groweth up. In 
the evening it is cut down and withereth,” said the 
Deacon. 
“That is it exactly, especially if we get the salt 
applied in the morning before the dew is off.” 
Not Such a Hard Job After All. 
“ What next ?” said the Deacon. 
“ Nothing more so far as cultivation is concerned. 
The salt keeps the weeds in check till it is time to 
quit cutting and ridge it up again with the plow.” 
“ Well ! Well!” said he. “ What will become of 
the old fogies like me who think it is such difficult 
work to raise asparagus ? It looks very simple as you 
describe it.” 
“ No harder than raising a crop of potatoes. I have 
not had a hoe in my asparagus field in several years, 
and it is always clean, except a few weeds that get 
started towards fall, and they do no harm.” 
“ Why,” said the Deacon, “ I believe I could raise a 
row across my garden myself if that is all that is re¬ 
quired.” 
“ Certainly you could. There is no excuse for any 
farmer’s family being without a plentiful supply any 
more than there is of their being without potatoes. A 
hundred plants set and treated in this way, will fur¬ 
nish more good dinners at a time when it is hard to 
get a variety for the table than any crop of which I 
know, and do it with less labor.” 
“ What fertilizers do you apply besides the salt ?” 
“ Prom 15 to 20 loads of stable manure to the acre, 
regularly every fall, or in early winter as soon as the 
ground freezes. Some seasons, I apply a half ton of 
phosphate the same day we finish cutting the crop and 
ridge up the soil over the rows. I shall have to try 
nitrate of soda. I would like to get into Mr. Donald’s 
fix just once, and have too heavy a growth just to see 
how I would feel. My customers all want big aspara¬ 
gus, and it pays to humor them, although I think 
medium sized stalks make the best eating.” 
How to Cut and Sell. 
“ How about cutting and marketing the crop ? ” 
“ I usually cut every day, and cut everything that 
appears above ground, large or small. A reason in 
addition to the ones given by Mr. Donald for not leav¬ 
ing the small spires to grow, is that they would furnish 
breeding places for the asparagus worm. When every¬ 
thing is cut as soon as it is high enough, the eggs 
don’t hav« time to hatch. I tie my asparagus in 
bunches weighing about two pounds each. We aim 
to cut every sp're as soon as it has seven inches of 
tender meat. The tender or edible portion is always 
at the upper end of the stalk. Here is a pointer for 
the cooks. Most people who cook their first bunch of 
asparagus take it for granted that the lower or white 
end of the stalk is best because it grew under the sur¬ 
face. Just the reverse is true. When the stalk first 
appears above ground about an inch of the top or bud 
is tender. As it continues to grow, the tender portion 
increases in length. It is at its best just before the 
side branches begin to appear. I find that when a 
medium sized stalk is about 10 inches high, seven 
inches of it will be tender. The bunches are cut 
square off at the butts so that they will stand erect, 
and I aim to have no tough or woody portions left in 
the bunch. It is then sure to give satisfaction as the 
cook could not use the tough ends if she would. The 
best place for them is in the compost heap.” 
“What is the objection to selling it loose by the 
pound ?” 
“No objection, except inconvenience in handling, 
where it is to be used at once. After the woody por¬ 
tion has been cut off, it is very perishable if carelessly 
handled. If any considerable quantity is piled to¬ 
gether, it soon heats and spoils ; or. if it is spread out 
loosely, it soon wilts and becomes worthless.” 
“ I should think,” said the Deacon, “ that grocers 
would be afraid to handle it, if it is so perishable.” 
“On the contrary they are more anxious tn secure 
my asparagus than any kind of produce I take to mar¬ 
ket. You see I take all the risk, usually, when a 
grocer buys his asparagus exclusively of me. If a 
bunch spoils on his bands, I replace it with a fresh 
one. Of the thousands of bunches I have marketed I 
presume I never lost to exceed 50 bunches all told. ” 
A Water Crate Helps the Sale. 
“ I learned years ago that an asparagus stalk set in 
a little clean water (not over an inch deep), would 
not only keep fresh and crisp, but would actually con¬ 
tinue to grow in length. I learned this from a few stalks 
set aside in the cellar in a pitcher of water and left for 
several days. I took the hint at once, and made a lot 
of crates about four inches high and large enough to 
hold 1)^ dozen bunches. These crates were lined with 
zinc about half their height, and into them the bunches 
are set as soon as tied, and a little cold water poured 
in, enough to keep their feet wef. In hot weather a 
small lump of ice helps to keep it wet and cold. It is 
delivered in these crates and kept in them till sold. 
The dealers say that they can always sell the oldest 
bunches first, even if kept side by side, as nearly every 
buyer will select the oldest bunch on account of its 
greater length. You see, they have not yet ‘ caught 
on.’ I have known bunches cut at seven inches in 
length to be an inch higher the next morning, while 
the dealer wondered what had become of the water he 
was sure he poured into the crate the day before, and 
vainly examined it for a leak. I owe most of my suc¬ 
cess in marketing at paying prices, to these crates. 
Middletown is only two hours from New York city, 
and any glut in the market there is sure to send a lot 
of it to our market. It stands a poor show, however, 
so long as there is any home-grown in the market. I 
have frequently sold at 20 cents per bunch at whole¬ 
sale when the New York grass was selling at 15 cents 
per bunch at retail next door.” 
“ Well I ” said the Deacon, “it must be a paying crop, 
and no hard work about it.” 
“ Hard work, indeed !” said I, “You come over next 
June and cut 100 pounds before dinner in a broiling 
sun, and if you don’t say, ‘ Oh, my back ! ’ before you 
get through, I will pay for the ice cream.” 
“ How many pounds or bunches can you cut from an 
acre at once ? ” 
“ It depends altogether on the weather. It delights 
in hot sunshine. We consider 100 bunches per day a 
good cutting. I have sold from one acre during the 
last three years a little over 6,000 bunches, or an aver¬ 
age of over 2,000 per year.” o. w. mafes 
BEST ARRANGEMENT FOR COWS IN A STABLE. 
If four rows of stanchions are placed across the 
stable they will provide room for 36 cows with wide 
walks and feed floors. The walk behind each row of 
cows may be 4Ji feet, the gutter IX and the platform 
on which the cows stand 4% feet in width. This will 
give room for two feed floors 113^ feet wide. These 
distances are right for a stable to be cleaned with a 
wheelbarrow or hand cart. I would much rather 
•have this arrangement than to have two long rows 
with platform behind the cows only 2X feet wide and 
the feed floor so narrow that the cows in stanchions 
could reach the hay as it is carried in front of them. 
Two rows, 66 feet long, will provide stanchions for 
44 cows or stalls for 40 cows. The platform behind 
the cows may be 33^ feet, the gutter 13^', and from the 
gutter to the stanchions 4% feet wide. This will give 
