The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-03-25
TELLS HOW TO GROW
GOOD ASPARAGUS
Department OF Agriculture viii Leave
General Distribution OF New
Washington Variety to
Growers.

The Washington family OF rust
resistant asparagus, developed by the
United States Department of Agricul
ture in cooperation with the Mas
sachusetts Agricultural Experiment
station and other co-operators
throughout the country as the result
of thirteen years OF effort, is now
well disseminated among interested
growers and seedsmen, some of whom
have available stocks of the new
strains for sale. The pedigreed
stock thus far distributed to growers
is intended TO form basic stock for
further breeding work. The depart
nent of agriculture announces that
while it will continue to distribute
the new strains. private enterprise
must be looked to hence forth ~
furnish the general trade with its
main supply of seeds and roots.
The department will not make
general distributions of seed or roots
of the new strains. The names OF
firms and individual growers who
have stSssSs o. Tia A.ss-sg ,rSsa$Ssss ~
be obtained from the Bureau OF Pan !.
Industry, department of agriculture.
Improved stocks thus far distribut
ed are from matinGs of the male plant
Washington with the female plants
Martha and Mary and two other fe.
males as yet unnamed, R2-22 and R4-
ll01. Pedigree numbers or combi-
nations OF unnamed females with
Washington. 1t is pointed out, should
be preserved by growers, as some o.
them will be named later and thes,
records will be valuable.
Cultural suggestions for the grow
ing of the new strains include early
sowing, clean seed bed a small per-
'centage OF spinach or radish seeds
to mark the row of cultivation before
the asparagus seedlings show the
dropping of seed by hand five or six
TO the foot, cultivation between the
rows with cultivators or scuffle hoes.
land removal OF weeds in the rows by
hand. At the end of the season the
tops should be allowed to die down to
make q covering for holding snow. A
layer OF coarse hay or straw to pre-
vent winter-killing should be put on
after the ground has frozen.
In digging seedlings greet pains
should be taken to preserve all the
storage roots unbroken and unbruis-
led. Trimming the roots down to a
uniform length of six or eight inches
is strongly condemned. One-year-old
roots are said to be better than two
iyear-old roots OF the same stock. 1t
has been found inadvisable to plant a
permanent bed on ground occupied
by seedlings the year before.
r. The ei6sa.f" sfiUot' sfsyuM be about Rr
inch in diameter, straight and not
much flattened. Of clean growth. with
scales fitting closely In tight bud
The new pedigreed strains, to be
available for seed production, must
not be planted in fields near inferior
varieties.
The grower who expects to sell
seeds or roots IL reminded that con-
lstant care 10 necessary to keep up =
high standard.
To get the best returns from fields
iof the new strains for market pur-
poses. they should be labeled and sold
as Washington asparagus.
| The Department OF Agriculture has
recently issued q circular giving In
formation on tho breeding and cui-
ture Of the new rust resistant strains
OF asparagus supplementary to that
on general asparagus growing con-
tanned III Farmers Bulletin So.