5B4 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
June 12, 
Ruralisms 
Clover With Asparagus. —Aspara¬ 
gus is grown with greatest commercial 
success in the East, in light and often 
sandj' soils, subject to blowing or drift¬ 
ing when dry during high winds. Some 
of the best fields in the Long Island 
and New Jersey districts are exposed 
to the sweep of ocean gales, and suf¬ 
fer injury in early Spring from blow¬ 
ing and washing of the ridges thrown 
up as growth begins for the purpose 
of bleaching the shoots as they 
lengthen. A practical Winter cover 
crop and soil binder has long been 
wanted. Crab grass meets, in a meas¬ 
ure, the requirements of soil binding 
during Winter, and needs no sowing, 
being an ever-present weed in light and 
warm soils, but its growth takes place 
only during hot ' Summer weather, 
when asparagus requires clean and fre¬ 
quent cultivation, and being an annual 
it decays so thoroughly during Winter 
that it does not hold the ridges when 
made up in Spring. Crimson clover 
was tried last year by a few wide¬ 
awake growers, sowing the seeds 
thickly at the last cultivation in mid- 
August. Soil in condition to produce 
good asparagus will grow clover well, 
so .there was little trouble in getting 
good stands. The Winter was mild 
and little killing occurred, the fields ap¬ 
pearing as green as pastures (when 
plowing and ridging commenced in 
April. If was tough work getting the 
rooty, fibrous clover sod into shape, but 
once formed, the ridges withstood 
some of the highest winds and heaviest 
rains experienced for many seasons 
that leveled the unprotected soil in 
neighboring fields. The somewhat 
open texture of the clover sod ridges 
prevented baking and allowed the 
tender shoots to come to the surface 
without deformity. Most of the grow¬ 
ers testing clover in their asparagus 
fields pronounce it a success as a 
binder, and consider it well repays in 
that, feature alone the expense of seed¬ 
ing and the somewhat horse-straining 
labor of working the root-filled soil in 
Spring, without considering the very 
substantial addition to fertility made by 
the thick growth of this easily-grown 
nitrogen-retainer. It looks as if clover 
and asparagus can be made profitable 
partners, at least in light, shifting soils 
where ridge culture is practiced. Less 
use appears to have been- made of 
clover .by growers of green “grass” 
where nearly level culture is practiced, 
though one or two have found it ex¬ 
tremely desirable as a cover to prevent 
surface blowing in Winter. On the 
Rural Grounds a short row of well- 
established plants has been Continu¬ 
ously in Crimson clover, without culti¬ 
vation, for five years. The only care, 
aside from cutting the shoots in Spring 
is to hoe in the ripening clover heads 
in June, thus destroying weeds and 
giving a fresh seeding. A close stand 
of clover invariably follows. The only 
fertilization is a dressing of 10 pounds 
ground bone and a peck of home- 
burned wood ashes to each square rod 
of surface. The adjoining rows have 
clean, level culture throughout the 
growing season and an application of 
10 pounds guano, containing four per 
cent nitrogen and at least 15 per cent 
phosphoric acid and 10 pounds of mu¬ 
riate of potash to each rod at close of 
cutting season. The number and size 
of shoots in the clover sod row have 
been about equal to those of any row 
in the well-tilled and better fertilized 
area until this year, when considerable 
falling off is noticed. This experiment 
would show that clover alone is not 
sufficient to keep up the nitrogen sup¬ 
ply, but that it goes far toward that 
desirable end. We may add that this 
little planting of asparagus in ordinary 
sandy soil is about as productive of 
large thick shoots as the best commer¬ 
cial fields near by. The surface is al¬ 
ways kept level, the crowns are now 
perhaps four inches deep and the 
shoots are cut when nine inches high 
and brittle enough to snap at ,the 
ground level. We have never had bet¬ 
ter quality from other sources. 
Big Crop of Asparagus. —The Mon¬ 
mouth County, N. J., asparagus is un¬ 
usually heavy this year, though two 
weeks late in coming in. The cold, 
backward season so retarded growth 
that shipments were made in early 
May by the crate instead of by the 
carload, as usual. By the middle of 
the month, however, “grass” of excep¬ 
tionally good quality was going out al¬ 
most by the trainload. Early prices 
for high grade ranged in the neighbor¬ 
hood of $4 the dozen bunches, but this 
has fallen to $2, with inferior stock as 
low as 75 cents the dozen. It is hard 
for the grower to figure a profit on 
asparagus under present labor and liv¬ 
ing conditions at a less price than 
$3 a crate of 24 bunches, as packing, 
transportation and commission charges 
considerably diminish the gross re¬ 
ceipts. The average grower of a 10- 
acre field finds himself “in” at least 
$500 for fertilizer and about as much 
in addition for labor and incidentals at 
the end of the growing season. If he 
can market his crop for something over 
$1200 he must, perforce, be satisfied. 
The returns at this early season of the 
year are particularly acceptable and 
give a perceptible impetus to trade in 
asparagus-growing localities. Taken 
one year with- another, asparagus prob¬ 
ably has afforded greater profits than 
any other commercial crop, but soil 
and man must be especially adapted to 
it, and no effort spared to perfect the 
quality of shipments. The consump¬ 
tion of asparagus increases, but some 
growers think the limit of really prof¬ 
itable production has nearly been 
reached, and there is danger of over¬ 
planting! Immunity from rust dam¬ 
age for several seasons, on account of 
cool wet Summers, has encouraged 
planting. Acreages in this locality 
have been considerably extended and 
cultural methods generally improved. 
Last Summer was hot and droughty, 
giving the rust organisms a good 
chance to flourish. Considerable in¬ 
fection was evident, the top growth in 
arid situations dying some weeks be¬ 
fore frost, though in moister places it 
held color until cool weather; but the 
yield this Spring does not show much 
damage, being relatively almost as 
good in rust-affected fields as those ap¬ 
parently free from the disease. A 
rusty season or two following wculd, 
however, make a great difference irf 
output. 
Green “Grass” Brings Good Prices. 
—Good thick green, or unbleached, 
asparagus realizes a better price than 
similar sizes in white or underground 
growth. The difference averages about 
20 per cent in favor of green grass, but 
the demand is less and the loss and risk 
of production is correspondingly so 
much greater that few growers make a 
specialty of it. Asparagus shoots 
diminish in size as they grow into the 
light, so that a greater number are re¬ 
quired to form a bunch of standard 
size, 'and injury by the Asparagus; 
beetle on warm days sometimes causes 
serious loss. Growers of ridged, or 
white “grass” avoid this infliction by 
cutting as soon as the spear breaks the 
soil, before the beetle pest has a chance 
at it. Fig. 257, page 593, shows a 
good but.not unusual spear of bleached 
asparagus, such as can be found in al¬ 
most any first-class bunch when packed 
for a discriminating market. Freak 
or fasciated shoots double or triple 
the size of this one, are often found in 
large cuttings. w. v. F. 
To kill potato bugs and to check 
blight, use Bowker’s uyrox early. 
Sticks like paint. Cost 50c. to $1 per 
acre. Mail orders to Bowker Insecti¬ 
cide Co., Boston.— Adv. 
I HAVE LIVED UNDER THATOLD 
SLATE ROOF 
MORE THAN FIFPYYEARS 
WITHOUT SPENDING 
ONE PENNY FOR R /^ IRS 
IT IS STILL IN PERFECTCONDITION 
There are hundreds of instances in this country where Slate 
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28 Jay Street. Rochester, N. Y. 
The Deyo Power Sprayer 
The original. Others have copied. Our a h.p. air¬ 
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GETTHE BEST 
A Good Spray Pump earns 
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THE ECLIPSE 
is a good pump. As 
> practical fruit grow¬ 
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.FERTILIZERS 
TANKAGE = = $12.00 per ton 
IRON CITY *= - 22.00 per ton 
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2^ to 8 H. P. Proportionate Prices. 
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143 Bellevue Avenue, Detroit, Michigan 
HAY UNLOADER 
REDDEN BROS., Norwich, N.Y. 
Niagara Brand 
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Taking the s a m e 
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Middleport , N. V. 
SPR AY POTATOES^ 
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GO SOUTH FOR BIG CROPS 
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fcOSt’SBINDERTWINE 
Farmers Wanted As Agents. 
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BINDER TWINE l'/c. LB. 
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HARNESS m b a1 L 
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| THE KING HARNESS CO., « hake St., Owego, Tioga Co., S. Y« 
