1909, 
the rural nrw-yorkrr 
887 
THE MASSACHUSETTS ASPARAGUS 
GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION. 
Part I. 
The first field meeting of the Massa¬ 
chusetts Asparagus Growers’ Associa¬ 
tion was held at the Experiment Sta¬ 
tion, Concord, Mass., September 10, 
1909, at 11 A. M., and although the 
weather was threatening, almost •seventy 
members and friends were present. 
This association owes its origin to the 
Asparagus rust, for had the rust not 
appeared there would have been no as¬ 
sociation formed to fight it. Primarily 
the organization of the Association was 
to this end, but its work has so grown 
now, that the outcome of the movement 
has resulted in a government substa¬ 
tion for the study and breeding of as¬ 
paragus. To review briefly the history 
of asparagus growing in Concord will 
perhaps make more clear the necessity 
for the establishment of this station. 
Up to the year 1895 the farmers of Con¬ 
cord and vicinity had grown asparagus 
with apparently no great problems to 
combat. Suddenly, in July of that year, 
without a bit of warning, the beautiful 
green fields of asparagus were turned 
as brown and dead as Winter, and con¬ 
sternation reigned supreme among the 
growers, for their very bread and butter 
seemed to be snatched from them. The 
rust continued for a few years, until 
the acreage of asparagus in Concord 
was reduced to less than one-third the 
usual amount, and market prices soared 
accordingly, yet few dared plant new 
beds. Some of the more venturesome 
growers, however, made inquiries and 
got new seed from abroad where rust 
them. On inquiry among the farmers 
of Concord, as to the amount of fertil¬ 
izer applied to asparagus, 1 was sur¬ 
prised at the large quantities of plant 
food used; there was more applied than 
came away in the crop. I kept a careful 
record of a small garden bed and found 
that I cut 'at the rate of 15.000 pounds 
of green asparagus to the acre, while 
6,000 pounds is a common average. In 
order to find the amount of plant food 
contained in the 15,000 pounds per acre 
I had it analyzed and found that in the 
green shoots there were 50 pounds of 
nitrogen, 16 pounds phosphoric acid, 50 
pounds of potash; while the tops after 
the shoots had been allowed to grow 
contained 50 pounds of nitrogen, 50 
pounds of phosphoric acid. 150 of pot¬ 
ash; making a total of 100 pounds of 
nitrogen, 30 pounds of phosphoric acid, 
200 pounds of potash. This proved to 
me_ that there was little danger in ap¬ 
plying too much fertilizer or plant food 
to asparagus. In arranging the plots at 
this station for a fertilizer experiment, 
it has been our plan to apply the differ¬ 
ent forms of plant food * in varying 
amounts, so that we can determine how 
much of the various elements to use. 
In the nitrate experiment three plots 
are fertilized in amounts as follows: 
300 pounds nitrate of soda, 450 pounds 
and 600 pounds, and this year there was 
no difference in the yield of the plot 
where 600 pounds of nitrate of soda 
had been used, and that where only one- 
half the amount had been put on. In 
the potash test potash in the form of 
muriate was applied in amounts as 
follows: 170 pounds per acre, 250 
pounds per acre, and 340 pounds per 
acre. The first preparation of the soil, 
PROP. NORTON rOLLEXIZING ASPARAGUS. Fig. 495. 
had been prevalent for years, but where 
asparagus still grew in spite of it. With 
this stock, although not immune from 
rust, some of the farmers succeeded in 
growing asparagus, but not on the same 
scale ^s formerly. 
About this time a group of the most 
interested farmers realized that an in¬ 
vestigation of the causes of rust might 
take years, and more money than the 
farmers could afford to spend, so these 
men decided to ask the Government to 
help. Accordingly steps were taken in 
this direction, and the seed fell on good 
ground, for the Bureau of Plant Indus¬ 
try took up the matter through the 
Massachusetts Agricultural College. 
Land was obtained in the center of the 
rust affected district, and a substation 
for experimenting with asparagus was 
established. The station has now been 
in operation three years, and while noth¬ 
ing final has been accomplished, yet 
many interesting experiments are being 
conducted, both in breeding for rust- 
resistant varieties, and in fertilization, 
to see what, if any effect this may have 
on the rust, and to determine the best 
fertilizer for the asparagus. ' 
At the field meeting referred to, after 
an inspection of the grounds, during 
which Prof. Norton, Prof. Brooks and 
Mr. Prescott explained the various ex¬ 
periments which are in progress, lunch¬ 
eon was served. Following this Mr. 
Prescott, president of the association, 
told the origin of this movement and of 
the hopes which the founders of the 
association had for better asparagus 
growing in the future. Mr. Prescott 
then introduced the first speaker of the 
'lay, Prof. Win. P. Brooks of Amherst, 
who spoke on the fertilization of as¬ 
paragus. Prof. Brooks said in part: “I 
am at present a student of this very 
important question, with no final results 
to give or show you, but with strong 
hopes that we shall work out something 
of great benefit to asparagus growers. 
In looking over the fertilizer test plots 
at station I am not able to discover 
any great difference, as yet, between 
which was very complete and thorough, 
may account for the lack of variation 
in the crop, for all the plants had an 
equal opportunity at the start. The 
plots where nothing but manure has 
been used show practically the same 
result as where the combination of 
manure and fertilizers were applied, 
but the latter method is a more desira¬ 
ble way of enriching the soil. At least 
10 tons of manure should be applied to 
the acre. One of the points upon which 
we have satisfied ourselves, in our in¬ 
vestigations, is the season for applying 
nitrate of soda. From the experiments 
conducted here and in other places, it 
is evident that the crop of asparagus 
receives no great benefit from the ni¬ 
trate applied in the Spring before the 
cutting season. The plants depend for 
the crop, upon what they have stored 
up the previous season, so all applica¬ 
tion of nitrate of soda should be after 
the cutting season. Manure can be ap¬ 
plied with success during the late Fall 
and Winter; as for the other chemicals, 
there is not so much danger of their 
leaching out, so they can be put on in 
the early Spring and the crop for the 
current year will receive a direct bene¬ 
fit.” 
From Prof. Brooks’ remarks the con¬ 
clusions were reached that an excess of 
plant food in the soil was of no value 
to asparagus, provided the first prepa¬ 
ration of the bed was thorough; that 
a combination of manure and other fer¬ 
tilizers was the best to use ; that potash 
in the form of muriate was preferable; 
that the application of nitrate of soda 
should be after the cutting season, and 
that the experiments at this station, so 
far, have not shown enough difference 
to prove the excessive value of any one 
of the combinations of commercial fer¬ 
tilizers. A general discussion of the 
subject followed Prof. Brooks’ talk, and 
many points of interest were brought 
out, particularly in regard to the use 
of lime. Prof. Brooks recommended 
freshly burned lime. w. w. 
(Continued next week ) 
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Farm implements, too, should be 
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