No. 33.] 309 
July 10 we washed out the roots of a plant on the trenched, and 
also on the untrenched part of the bed. The variety was Moore’s 
Cross-Bred. We find that in the asparagus and onion, two plants 
that belong to the same natural order, the root system is not unlike 
in kind, and in these two plants, it is decidedly different from that 
of any other garden plant that we have examined. This difference 
is to be expected when we remember that these plants belong to the 
botanical division. ndogens or inside growers, while almost all our 
other garden plants belong to the division Hzxogens, or outside 
growers. 
The asparagus has no tap root, but instead, many long, rather thick, 
cylindrical roots that unite in a crown at the base of the stem, form- 
ing a densely matted root-stock. The longest. of these cylindrical 
roots penetrated the soil toa depth of more than two feet, and 
others extended horizontally an equal distance. The roots seemed 
never to branch after leaving the crown, though they put out some 
short fibers. The latter were very few however, in proportion to 
the main roots. These were about one-fourth inch in diameter, and 
scarcely tapered except at the extremities, where they were bluntly 
pointed. The points reminded us somewhat of the terminus of an 
underground stem of quack grass, or the shoots of raspberry stems, 
when about to take root. : 
The new roots appeared growing out above the old ones, and at 
the base of the embryo shoots, that are to form the stems for next 
season. ‘These were shorter and more nearly white than the older 
ones, and like the latter, had fibrous roots. The roots formed the 
previous year appeared to have made an additional growth from 
their extremities the past summer. At least a part of them were 
more nearly white, aud more tender towards the extremity, than 
near the crown, while those toward the base of the crown, which 
were presumably formed earlier, were of uniform brownish color 
throughout. The original roots of the plants seemed to be mostly 
alive though they were very much crowded by those later formed. 
The greater part of the feeding ground of the roots seemed to be 
within fifteen inches of the surtface, though many roots extended 
below this. 
Strange to say, no difference appeared either in the amount or 
distribution of the roots where the soil was trenched, and where not 
trenched at the time of setting the plants. 
The very extensive root system of the asparagus plant clearly 
shows the folly of crowding the plants in the bed. The plantation 
from which the plants were examined was not at the time three years 
old, yet the roots penetrated beneath an area five feet in diameter. 
It would seem that the plants should not be set less than three feet 
apart each way, though we have rarely seen plants of asparagus set 
at such great distances. It is well known that this crop demands 
manure in immense quantities for its best development as ordinarily 
grown, a fact which is easily explained when we consider how much 
the roots must be crowded in the soil. 
