670 
.Tilly 11, 
Ruralisms 
Asparagus Cutting Ends. —New Jer¬ 
sey growers in general aim to finish as¬ 
paragus cutting by July 4, but ship¬ 
ments are made a few weeks longer 
from old fields that are to be broken up 
and planted to other crops. \ he Long 
Island and Hudson Valley growers cut 
somewhat later, but the demand rapidly 
diminishes at the approach of mid¬ 
summer, and price quotations are us¬ 
ually dropped before August. While 
perhaps the most delicious of Spring 
vegetables it is largely replaced by the 
many excellent kinds of garden peas 
that come so freely in June. Although 
the early season was rather backward, 
owing to the prevalence of cool nights, 
the deficiency has since been made up 
by continued warm weather, and the 
markets have been abundantly supplied. 
Prices! ruled lower than for several 
years past, but an average of at least 
$2 the dozen bunches was received for 
high grade “grass.” As the yields were 
probably better than ordinary, fair 
profits were returned to competent pro¬ 
ducers. 
Plenty of Work. —Asparagus har¬ 
vest, where the acreage is large, is a 
most exacting period, giving occupation 
to about all the local labor that can 
readily be procured. Cutting is particular 
work, as a careless operator may injure 
many crowns. It is almost entirely done 
by local experts at a cost of two cents 
the bunch. Cutters start work as early 
as the light permits, often at 4.30 a. m., 
and aim to finish by noon. Bunching is 
largely the work of women and also of 
children, before and after school hours, 
costing the grower one to t '4 cent per 
bunch. Returnable crates holding two 
dozen bunches cost $1 each, and there 
are losses from breakage and theft, add¬ 
ing quite a percentage to the original 
outlay. Each day’s cut, often amounting 
to scores of crates, must be ready for 
shipment by evening. Many carloads 
leave each of the Monmouth County 
shipping stations every night, arriving 
in New York in time for the earliest 
markets, and considerable quantities are 
shipped by steamers from the various 
ports. The returns, aggregating thous¬ 
ands of dollars each day, arc most wel¬ 
come additions to the farmers’ incomes, 
as asparagus earnings are practically 
the first money of the year to those not 
having dairy interests. 
Field Work. —Asparagus planting and 
fertilization are over before the cutting 
begins. The former is an operation of 
early Spring, as soon as the soil can be 
worked. Fertilization, in the form of 
stable manure, is given mainly in late 
Winter, while the soil is still frozen. 
From 10 to 20 tons are applied to each 
acre, and the heavier dressings are gen¬ 
erally the most profitable. This is in¬ 
corporated in the soil by plowing and 
thorough harrowing, after which the 
ridges are thrown up by special tools, 
and renewed whenever the crests are 
blown off by wind, or a crust forms 
after heavy rains. Asparagus shoots are 
usually strong enough to break through 
the toughest soil crusts, but become so 
bent and misshapen in doing so that 
they are unsalable. The great majority 
of growers produce white or blanched 
asparagus, and for this purpose aim to 
maintain a ridge of loose soil at least 
12 inches high over the crowns through¬ 
out the entire cutting season. The 
shippers of green or natural “grass” 
maintain a nearly level surface, but are 
careful to keep it in loose tilth, so that 
no crust may form or weeds grow. 
The receipts for green asparagus of 
equal quality with the white average 
somewhat higher, and the demand in¬ 
creases, but there is more loss from at¬ 
tacks of the beetle, which has little 
chance to injure the white spears that 
THE RURAL NEW-VOKKER 
are cut as soon as they break ground, 
and it is also the general impression 
that the green shoots do not attain the 
same size and that the yield conse¬ 
quently is less. The writer’s conclusion, 
from a limited series of experiments, is 
that the yield from similar plants in the 
same plot does not materially differ 
whether riuged or grown level, if the 
shoots are cut at the same distance 
above the crowns. When a spear has 
grown a foot above tlie crown whether 
through loose soil or into the light 
the crown-bud or growing point begins 
to contract in preparation for throwing 
out branches. If still covered from the 
light, as in a high ridge, it will continue 
to elongate until the surface is reached, 
after which the contraction is more 
sharply marked, but in either event the 
first 12 to 14 inches of growth from 
the base will be about the same in di¬ 
ameter. The damage by beetles, how¬ 
ever, is obvious to all. Sudden flights 
of adult beetles may come in from road¬ 
side plants or neglected seedling beds 
and do serious harm, particularly on 
Sundays when no cutting is done. In¬ 
secticides are only practicable in seed¬ 
ling beds and new plantings, where no 
“grass” is cut for human consumption. 
Disfigured and egg-encrusted shoots are 
thrown away—a dead loss, as pigs or 
chickens do not eat asparagus. Paris- 
green and hellebore are effective 
against both bettles and slugs or larvas, 
but they cannot be used until cutting is 
over. 
Leveling the Ridges. —Immediately 
as cutting ceases the ridges are leveled 
with plow and harrows and clean culti¬ 
vation kept up throughout the growing 
season, or until it is difficult to pass be¬ 
tween the rows. Chemical fertilizers 
are now applied by growers who deem 
their use profitable, in quantities rang¬ 
ing from 400 to 1,200 pounds to the 
acre. Formulas rich in potash and phos¬ 
phoric acid are preferred, as the Win¬ 
ter dressings of manure supply most of 
the needed nitrogen. Growers are gen¬ 
erally convinced that it is poor policy to 
apply readily soluble chemicals until 
foliage development is about to begin, 
as the plants are unable to assimilate 
nutriment before. Many believe that 
better results might be had by with¬ 
holding the manure dressing until cut¬ 
ting is over, but find that Winter is the 
only time that such bulky material can 
be hauled and spread with reasonable 
economy. They console themselves with 
the idea that most of the valuable con¬ 
stituents of manure are not available 
until the heat of Summer. Fair as¬ 
paragus can be raised with chemicals 
alone, but manure is needed for the 
highest results, very likely as much for 
its ameliorating effects on the soil as 
for the actual nourishment it supplies. 
Asparagus rust has given so little 
trouble for several years past that it is 
scarcely taken into account. Natural 
parasites are known to be at work on 
the rust organism, and late Summers 
have been moist and favorable for the 
development of asparagus. Should we 
now have a hot and dry season there 
may be a different tale. 
Varieties have been practically re¬ 
duced to Palmetto and French Argen- 
teuil, as they are believed to resist rust 
better than the kinds formerly grown. 
Very light-colored kinds, such as Co¬ 
lumbian, have not been favorably re¬ 
ceived in market, which appears to be 
satisfied either with blanched or deep- 
colored shoots if the quality is otherwise 
satisfactory. w. v. F. 
Lime Water for Snails. —May I add 
a word to Dr. Slingerland’s suggestions 
given on page 521, in reply to H. H., 
Richfield, N. Y. ? He asks for reme¬ 
dies for snails in cold frames. I used 
to be very much troubled by these on 
the Pacific coast, where the naked snails 
are worse than they are here, and found 
a very simple and effective way of keep¬ 
ing them off my radishes and lettuce. I 
slaked about a pound of quicklime in 
two gallons of water, then added enough 
water to make four or five gallons of 
liquid. I do not recall the exact pro¬ 
portions, but I believe that under the 
circumstances one does not have to be 
absolutely exact in the case under dis¬ 
cussion. The clear liquid from this I 
sprinkled over lettuce with a watering 
pot. This was so very mild that it in 
no way injured the lettuce, but let the 
smallest amount of it touch a naked 
snail, or slug, as we called them, and 
an immense amount of mucus would be 
secreted by the animal, and it would 
curl up and die. Two or three applica¬ 
tions did the business. This, as I re¬ 
call it, was on head lettuce, and used in 
the early stages, so that the lime was 
not objectionable when wc came to use 
the lettuce. For that matter, it could 
easily be washed off shortly after treat¬ 
ment with clear water. 
State Entomologist, f. l. washburn. 
Weight of Gasoline Sprayer. 
What is the weight of a gasoline power 
sprayer ? R - 
It varies with power required and style 
of pump and fixtures. The “Friend“ outfit 
for example with wagon, 250 gallon tank, 
engine and pump complete ready to load, 
weighs about 1,200 pounds. The weight 
of the liquid will be extra, of course. The 
engine and pump ready to mount the outfit 
weigh 400 pounds. 
Gas Power for Spraying. 
You stale you use gas power for single- 
handed spraying of fruit trees. Can you 
slate how the power is used, or where an 
outfit could he obtained? Could acetylene 
gas be used ? J. L. 
JIuonville. Tasmania. 
In the gas sprayer the power is sup¬ 
plied by liquid carbonic acid gas. This is 
carried in a steel tube. The sprayer is a 
strong steel tank with openings for pour¬ 
ing in the spraying liquid and for attach¬ 
ing hose to let out the spray at the bot¬ 
tom and to let in the gas at the top. In 
using the tank is filled nearly full with 
spray mixture and then closed airtight. A 
small hose is connected with the gas tube 
and the tank. On opening a valve in the 
tube the liquid instantly forms a gas 
which rushes into the tank until a suffi¬ 
cient pressure has formed. This is indi¬ 
cated by a gauge. Thus the tank becomes 
like a large pop-gun, and when the valve 
at the bottom is opened the spraying 
liquid is blown out through the hose and 
nozzle. We can find no record of the 
use of acetylene gas for this purpose. 
Killing Quack Grass. —Your Canadian 
correspondent, page 519, must have a very 
feeble variety of couch grass compared to 
what we have to fight against. Such 
treatment as he details would only serve 
as a tonic to our kind. The small, isolated 
patches we dig out by hand, one man using 
a spading fork to turn up the soil, while 
another with a potato hook pulls out the 
root. In this way, good men can clean 
the ground, but it is too expensive for any 
large area. I have had two good men 
spend a day on a piece less than 20 feet 
square, and I watched a neighbor who 
spent an entire Summer on less than an 
acre of ground and did not succeed then. 
When I can spare the material I find it 
works well to cover the ground a foot 
deep with any sort of litter, and leave it 
for a year or two. This, if thoroughly 
done, so that none of the grass can put its 
head up and breathe, will kill it out for 
keeps, but this cannot be done except in a 
Bmall way. H - w - H - 
“For the Land’s Sake use Bowker’s 
Fertilizers; they enrich the earth and 
those who till it. Est. 1873. For prices 
or agencies address Bowker, Boston or 
New York.” 
Leggett’s Dusters INSECTICIDES 
IN DUST FORM 
NO WATER TO HAUL 
LEGGETT’S 
CHAMPION 
DUSTER 
The CHAMPION 
dusts two rows of pota¬ 
toes or tobacco ns fast 
as you walk. 
The BEETLE 
Potato Dnster (Horse 
Power) dusts four rows. 
Illustrated Spray Calen¬ 
dar gives concise infor¬ 
mation with name of 
nearest agent. .Mailed 
on request. 
LEGGETT & BROTHER, 301 Pearl St., New York. 
TT Free Sprayer Book 
BROWN’S AUTO-Sl’KAY positive^ kills 
the San .lose Scale. Used and endorsed In U. S. 
Government and State Agricultural Stations. 
FREE BOOK. Contains 40 styles, sizes, 'Fraction 
and Hand Power. Write for It to-day. 
E. C. BROWN Co., 28 Jay St., Rochejter.N.Y. 
FERTILIZER 
Tanknge nn ideal Fertilizer for Wheat and the 
permanent enrichment of all soils. Free from sul¬ 
phuric. acid or other injurious chemicals. I .icensed 
for sale and analysis guaranteed under the laws of 
the State of Now York. Sold direct from factory 
to farm. $15.00 per ton delivered freight prepaid 
to any railroad station in New York State. 
AMERICAN REDUCTION COMPANY OF 
PITTSBURGH, Pittsburgh, Pa. 
!~i 
j i 
FROST HEAVY| 
WEIGHT KNOCKED 
DOWN AND WOVEN 
WIRE FENCES are the | 
strongest fences mado. Every 
wire carefully tested, and only 
the beet hard coiled .spring steel wire 
Is used. Catalouuo free. 
THE FROST WIRE FENCE COMPANY, 
CLEVELAND, OHIO. 
Perfection Swing Stanchion 
With Frame Fitted to Stable. 
Warranted the Best, Easiest 
to Operate and most Durable 
made. Stationary when 
Open. Noiseless. Does not 
Wear the Elate. 
SWIFT SPEC. MFC. CO., Box S, Cuba, N. V. 
BATES 
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Write NOW for particulars. 
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220 West St., Rutland, Vt. 
WHY NOT USE 
HUBBARD’S FERTILIZERS? 
Send for Hubbard’s Fertilizer Almanac 1908, telling all about them. 
IT is FREE. 
THE ROGERS (3 HUBBARD CO., 
Middletown, .... Connecticut. 
