asparagus, and in the wholesale markets of New York City a great variety
of styles is found. Of late ordinary twenty-four or thirty-two quart
berry crates have come into favor with near by growers, as they are
cheap, light, and easily handled. In these the bunches are laid down
flat, in tiers, alternating the butt ends so that when the crates are
full the top row is level with the cover. Some growers, of very fine
asparagus even, use solid wooden boxes. Fig. 32 shows such a box
containing three dozen bunches. A crate with the top a few inches
narrower than the bottom has the advantage that it holds the bunches
more firmly together than straight-sided boxes. Fig. 33 shows a crate
containing two dozen bunches of green asparagus ready for shipment, with
the exception of the slats to be nailed on the side. Fig. 34 shows the
shape of the end pieces. These crates are made of various sizes,
according to the length of the bunches. The crate here illustrated was
24 inches long, 12 inches high, 19 inches wide at the bottom, and 14-1/2
inches at the top, inside measurement. The end boards were 7/8 of an
inch thick, and the slats about half an inch.
In shipping to a distant market some thoroughly wet grass, or sphagnum
moss, should be put in the bottom of the crate, the bunches stood on
ends, butt down, and pressed so tightly together that they can not move
or shift in handling. The crate should have a tight bottom and ends. The
sides may be tight half way up, and the rest of the sides and the top
should be slatted. This keeps the butts moist and the tops dry and
cool.
XII
FORCING
The forcing of asparagus in various methods has been practiced for
centuries, and is rapidly developing into an important industry. The
forcing may be done in any place where a temperature of 50 deg. to 60 deg.
can be secured, in the greenhouse, hotbed, pit, cellar, or in the garden
and field. Whichever plan is pursued, the management of the plants to be
forced is the same. The roots should not be less than three years old,
and, if obtainable, four or five-year-old plants are to be preferred.
These may be dug up from ordinary out-of-door plantations, or, if the
forcing is to be done on a large scale and as a permanent industry, the
plants have to be grown from seed for this special purpose. To keep up a
continuous succession new sowings have to be made every year. The sowing
of the seed and the management of the plants during the first year is
the same as described in Chapter V.
The following year, as early as the season permits, the one-year-old
seedlings are planted out in rows, to develop as much strength as
possible. As the plants are to remain only two years in the nursery bed,
they may be placed closer than in a permanent plantation. A distance of
two and one-half feet between the rows and one foot in the rows is,
however, the narrowest limit, and, where enough ground is available,
three by one and one-half or two feet would be still better. By
purchasing one-year-old plants a year's time may be gained, but
otherwise there are decided advantages in raising one's own plants.
During the following two seasons the ground has to be kept in the best
possible tilth, and at the end of the third season from seed the roots
may be dug just before the ground is likely to freeze. In lifting the
roots it is important not to expose them to the drying influence of the
sun and air more than is unavoidable. It is also important to preserve
the entire clump intact with as much soil adhering to the roots and
crown as possible. They are then placed in a shed, pit, or cool cellar,
and covered with sand or soil to prevent their drying out. Moderate
freezing does not injure the roots, and some growers think that it even
adds to their forcing value.
FORCING IN THE GREENHOUSE
With florists the forcing of asparagus has this important advantage:
that the income obtained from it is nearly all gain, as the space under
the benches, which may thus be utilized, is of but little use for other
purposes. If the floor under the benches is soil this is dug out so as
to form a pit about a foot deep, or at least a few inches deeper than
the clumps are high. Three or four inches of good rich soil is scattered
over the bottom, and upon this the clumps are placed close together.
Dry, mellow soil is then scattered between and over the clumps, so that
the crowns are covered one or two inches, and given a thorough watering.
If blanched shoots are desired, the crowns will have to be covered with
six or eight inches of soil. The same object may be obtained by shutting
off the light, which can easily be accomplished under greenhouse
benches. Where it is not practicable to make excavations under the
benches, a pit may be constructed by placing boards against the posts
and filling in the space thus furnished. To secure a succession, new
roots from the reserve stock have to be planted every three or four
weeks.
For the first week or ten days after placing the roots in the
forcing-pit they should be kept rather cool, so as to give them a chance
to become established. A temperature of 45 deg. to 50 deg. is best, at
first. Afterward it should be raised to 55 deg. to 60 deg., and during
the day it may rise as high as 80 deg. to 85 deg. But, as a rule, very
high temperatures induce a spindling growth. During the entire forcing
process asparagus requires a large amount of water, but unless it has the
chill taken off, and ample means for drainage are provided, it may do far
more harm than good. The interval between the time of planting and the
first cutting varies greatly, according to the temperature and other
conditions.
The following are actual dates of asparagus forcing under benches at
Cornell University: Plants taken from an old patch November 29th and set
under benches three days later. December 4th, shoots just pushing
through. December 8th, first shoots cut, averaging nine inches long.
December 14th, first good cutting, shoots running from six to fifteen
inches long. December 18th, second good cutting. December 26th, a good
cutting, some of the shoots having remained too long and become woody;
some of these shoots were two feet long. January 10th, a heavy cutting.
January 19th, cut about half as many shoots as on the 10th. January
30th, cut about as much as on the 19th, but shoots growing smaller.
February 10th, small cutting of weak shoots. Beyond this time there were
no shoots worth cutting.
FORCING IN HOTBEDS AND FRAMES
The forcing of asparagus in hotbeds does not differ materially from that
in the greenhouse, except in the supply of heat. "A most suitable place
for forcing asparagus," writes William Scott, in _Garden and Forest_,
"is a frame about four feet deep with one-fourth inch hot-water pipe
running around it. About two and one-half feet of fresh stable litter
should be put into the frame and firmly packed, with an inch or two of
sand spread over it. This bed should be allowed to stand until the heat
of the manure has declined to about 70 deg., and not below 65 deg., before
the crowns are placed on it. For this work advantage should be taken of a
day when the weather is mild, as the crowns are easily damaged by frost.
Large crowns five or six years old are preferable to smaller ones for
forcing. They may be placed rather closely together in the frame, but
the distance apart must be regulated by their size. The roots should be
spread evenly over the surface and covered with six inches of sand.
Little water will be required, as the steam from the manure affords
considerable moisture; but if the bed should become dry, it may be
moistened with water of the same temperature as the soil in the frame. A
little air may be admitted, when the day is bright and warm, to keep
the temperature from rising above 80 deg. When the points of the shoots
begin to appear above the sand the crop is ready to cut. When ground is
plentiful, a supply of forcing crowns can be kept up by sowing a little
seed every year, having five or six successions, the oldest plants being
forced for cutting."
With French gardeners it is customary to plunge the frames in warm
stable manure and place the roots directly in the manure, packed as
closely together as possible. A mere sprinkling of soil is placed over
them. As a result the shoots come up very thick. Only strong, fine
three-year-old roots are used, and as many as five crops of roots follow
each other through the autumn, winter, and spring in the same frame.
Straw mats are used to cover the frames at night.
FORCING IN THE FIELD
Forcing asparagus where it is grown in the field has a twofold advantage
over removing the roots to a warm place. First, it saves the trouble and
expense of transplanting them, which must be done with much care; and,
second, it saves the plants from being ruined by the forcing process.
Plants forced in the field where they grow will, if given good care,
regain their vigor in a season or two, and may be used again for
forcing. By this latter method a better quality and a larger quantity of
marketable asparagus is also secured.
Various means have been devised to force asparagus in the field, where
it is so well established that it continues growth in the summer as
though it had not been forced the previous winter. A simple and rather
common method of accomplishing this is to place barrels over clumps of
asparagus very early in the spring and pile fermenting manure about
them, the warmth from the manure forcing the shoots into rapid growth.
When the forcing season is over and the danger from frost is past the
barrels are removed, and the plants continue growth in the open air.
Sometimes asparagus is forced by placing frames, covered with sash, over
the plants in the field, the rows of asparagus being set rather close
together. This is considered a very profitable method by many market
gardeners. Another method of forcing asparagus in the field is to dig
ditches between the rows and fill them with fermenting manure. The
surface of the bed may also be mulched with manure. The latter plan is
extensively practiced by French market gardeners.
At the beginning of November the pathways between the beds of asparagus
are dug up about two feet in depth and width. The soil coming from the
pathway is divided very carefully and put about eight inches thick on
the surface of the bed. The trench is filled up with fresh stable
manure, not litter, and frames are placed on the bed. The manure should
rise as high as the top of the frames and the lights be entirely covered
with mats and litter to prevent the heat accumulating in the frame from
escaping. In about two or three weeks the asparagus begins to show
itself on the surface of the bed. Many market gardeners cover the whole
of the bed inside the frames to a thickness of three or four inches with
manure, to force the vegetation more quickly; but in this case the
manure must be removed when the asparagus begins to shoot. When the
shoots are about three inches out of the ground they may be cut. The
mats must be taken off in the daytime, but the heat must be well kept
up, else the roots and buds will fail to push. The beds are forced every
second year only. The gathering of the asparagus may continue for about
two months but no longer, or the plantation would be injured. When the
gathering is over the frames are taken away, and the soil which was dug
up from the alleys is put back again.
An ingenious method of forcing asparagus in the field by means of
shallow tunnels was devised and successfully carried out by Prof. J. C.
Whitten, at the Missouri Experiment Station, who gives the following
account in Bulletin No. 43:
[Illustration: FIG. 35--TUNNEL THROUGH THE ROWS OF ASPARAGUS FOR FORCING
STEAM THROUGH THE SOIL]
"The field selected for the experiment was planted to asparagus about
ten years ago. The plants were in fair vigor, though of a small variety.
The first section forced embraced six rows, four feet apart, and fifty
feet long. Fig. 35 shows this section with one tunnel uncovered.
Trenches were first made between the rows. This was done by plowing
between them, twice in a place, throwing the furrows on the plants so as
to cover each row with two furrows of loose earth. These trenches
between the rows were then made uniform by means of the spade. When
finished they were three or four inches lower than the crowns of
asparagus in the adjacent rows. These trenches were then covered with
twelve-inch boards, which rested on four-inch blocks, placed at frequent
intervals along either side of the trenches. This formed tunnels
between the rows for conducting the steam. To guard against the steam's
escaping, two or three inches of soil was placed over the boards, and
the asparagus patch was then covered with five or six inches of horse
manure. This covering was to prevent the heat from escaping from the
soil too rapidly. It was then ready for the steam to be turned into the
tunnels.
"To conduct the steam a one and one-half inch pipe was carried above
ground from the boiler to one end of the central tunnel, a distance of
one hundred and eighty-five feet. A steam hose long enough to reach each
tunnel was attached to this pipe through which to blow steam into the
tunnels. It was not the idea to give a constant supply of steam, but to
discharge a little into the tunnels each afternoon, or as often as was
necessary to maintain sufficient warmth. A piece of tile was inserted
into the mouth of each tunnel to prevent the discharging steam from
tearing away the earth.
"The first steam was turned into the tunnels on November 14th. Steam was
discharged into each tunnel, not to exceed five minutes at a time, in
order not to heat the earth too hot in any single place. It required
about one hour of steaming the first day to bring the bed up to the
required temperature of sixty degrees. The distribution of heat
throughout the bed was very uniform and satisfactory. The moist steam
seemed to permeate the soil equally in all directions.
"After the first day very little steaming was necessary until the
asparagus began to be produced. On an average the bed was steamed about
twice in three days and then only for about five minutes for each
tunnel. The soil and horse manure mulch seemed to hold the heat very
well, the frequent steamings keeping up fermentation in the mulch.
"The first asparagus was cut November 24th, ten days after the first
steam was applied. The stems were cut just before they got through the
soil and were perfectly bleached. They were as large as those ordinarily
produced during the normal period of growth in spring, and were far more
crisp and delicious.
"Cuttings of asparagus were made almost daily for about a month, when
the growth became somewhat weak. The last cutting was made on December
22d. During the month 141 bunches of the ordinary market size, and
weighing about one-half pound each, were cut from this bed of 25 x 50
feet. This was equivalent to 300 feet of row or 100 hills of asparagus.
"Exhausting steam into the asparagus bed, instead of returning it to the
boiler in an inclosed circuit, would at first seem to be a wasteful
process of heating. Experiment showed, however, that the circumstances
justified this method. Heating a bed of this kind by a circuit of
steam-pipes or hot-water pipes is very unsatisfactory. The heat from
pipes very soon dries out the soil around the tunnels, destroying its
power to conduct heat. In this way the bed becomes too hot and dry
adjacent to the tunnels and too cold a short distance from them. It also
becomes necessary to maintain heat in the pipes a good part of the time.
"By blowing steam directly into the tunnels the soil is kept moist; the
steam has a penetrating effect, and permeates all parts of the bed,
giving a uniform heat throughout; this moist steam keeps up a continual
fermentation of the manure mulch, thus giving heat, and only occasional
brief steamings are necessary.
"Care must be taken not to use too much steam at one time, or the plants
may be ruined by overheating. Our asparagus rows were four feet apart,
the tunnels midway between them were only eight inches wide, and yet we
found that five minutes at a time was as long as was safe to force steam
into a single tunnel.
"These experiments have been so successful as to indicate that any one
provided with a steam-heating plant could successfully force asparagus
for the markets in this manner."
Another plan of forcing asparagus in the field, devised by Prof. L. H.
Bailey, is thus described in his "Forcing Book": "The Cornell asparagus
house--if it may be called a house--is about twenty by fifty feet and
the frame is made of steam-pipes. The sides, or walls, are only eighteen
inches high, and the frame consists simply of a ridge and three pairs of
rafters. The steam-heating pipe or riser is just beneath the ridge, and
this feeds two returns upon either side of the house, next the walls.
When it is desired to force the asparagus, canvas or muslin is stretched
over the frames. No difficulty has been found in starting the asparagus
into growth in January and February. The cover is left on and the heat
kept up until all danger of frost is past, when the canvas is removed
and the plants grow naturally out-of-doors. The secret of this method
will no doubt be found to lie in allowing the plantation to become very
thoroughly established (at least, three or four years old) before
forcing is attempted, in the very best tillage and fertilizing during
the summer while the plants are growing, in taking off the cover just as
soon as settled weather comes, and in not cutting the plants until after
that time."
XIII
PRESERVING ASPARAGUS
CANNING
The canning factory has made asparagus a vegetable for every day of the
year instead of being a luxury for a few weeks, as was formerly the
case. The canners have made it a farm crop instead of a garden product.
To a great extent canning has transformed the farm into a garden,
increasing the profits from every acre planted many fold. In many
localities an acre of what was formerly considered a sandy waste is now
yielding more than double the net profit of the best acre under
cultivation in ordinary farm crops.
_Eastern methods._--The pioneers in this industry on Long Island, N. Y.,
have been the Messrs. Hudson & Sons, who have extensive plants at
Mattituck and Riverhead, each of them as complete as mechanical skill
and enterprise can make them. Each plant consists of a storehouse, 50 x
150 feet; a packing-house, 40 x 125 feet; and a can manufactory, 25 x 60
feet. A steam-engine of ten horse-power is required for hoisting,
pumping, and for generating gas for the soldering-heaters, and a boiler
of one hundred horse-power to generate steam for sterilizing the
asparagus. A perspective view of one of the plants is seen in Fig. 36.
[Illustration: FIG. 36--PERSPECTIVE VIEW OF A LONG ISLAND ASPARAGUS
CANNERY]
The asparagus, as it comes from the growers, is in bunches seven and
one-half inches long and weighing two and one-half pounds each. These
bunches are put under a cutter and cut to six and five-eighths inches;
they are then untied and put in a tank four feet wide by eight feet long
and two feet deep, in which they are washed as carefully as it is
possible to do it. It is then hoisted up to what is called the blanching
tank, which contains forty gallons. In this it is kept at a scalding
heat for one-half hour, when it is ready for the cans. These are filled
by women who soon become very dextrous, which is always the case when
the pay is in proportion to the amount of work done. Each can contains
just one and one-half pounds. Exact weight is imperative, as are details
in all manufacturing establishments. Great care is exercised in packing,
so that there are no bruised or broken heads, and that on opening the
can the stalks may appear as well as if cut fresh from the garden. After
the asparagus is in the cans they are filled with a weak brine, which
not only expels the air, but adds materially to the flavor of the
asparagus.
The cans are then taken to the soldering-bench for sealing up. There
systematic labor is noticeable, as every detail of canning must be
carried on systematically to make it profitable. The soldering-irons
used are hollow and the exact size of the caps, which fit perfectly the
grooves made for them. A single turn of the iron finishes the work.
Before the caps are put in their places a small hole is made in each to
allow the gas, which is generated by the heat from the soldering, to
escape. Without this precaution it would be impossible to hermetically
seal the cans. A single drop of solder closes the small opening, and the
cans are ready for the retorts for sterilizing.
[Illustration: FIG. 37--STERILIZING TANK]
Here two methods are employed--dry steam, which is the quicker method,
and boiling in a closed tank. Most of the first-class stock is
sterilized in the latter. This tank (Fig. 37) is in three sections, in
all twenty feet long, each section holding five hundred cans. The cans
are put in iron cribs and are pushed in and taken out with steam
elevators. As soon as the cans are lowered the sections are closed
tightly and the steam is turned on. The first process of sterilization
lasts twenty minutes, when the tank is opened, the cans taken out, and a
vent given each. This permits the accumulated gas to escape, which, if
allowed to remain, would materially injure the quality of the asparagus,
both in flavor and preservation. For this work a small prick punch is
used, which makes a hole not larger than a pin's head. This vent is
almost immediately closed with a single drop of solder and the cans are
again returned to the tanks, where the same operation of cooking is
repeated. Another twenty minutes completes the work, when the cans are
removed to the packing-room, where they are labeled, wrapped, and packed
ready for shipment. The cans or boxes are seven inches long, four wide,
and two and one-half deep. A view of the sterilizing-room is presented
in Fig. 38.
[Illustration: FIG. 38--VIEW OF STERILIZING-ROOM]
The culls, which are put up as tips, are small-sized and crooked heads
which, although of equal value as a vegetable, are not shipped to
market, as they would detract from the value of the first quality, and
are considered by both farmers and canners as by-products. These are cut
to three and one-half inches in length, and then go through the same
process in canning as the first quality, except that dry steam only is
used in sterilization. After going through the blanching process the
tips are put in round cans, four inches in diameter and five inches
high. After soldering up these cans they are put in the retorts, which
are three feet square, each containing five hundred cans, and treated
with steam two hundred and fifty pounds to the inch. The cans remain in
these retorts half an hour. Then they are taken out, vented, put back
again, and remain under the same pressure another half hour, when the
work is completed.
By rigid economy even in the most minute detail, and by the skill
required in the knowledge of canning, asparagus can now be had at a
reasonable price at all seasons of the year, which is a boon to both
producer and consumer. At $14.00 per one hundred bunches for No. 1 and
$7.00 per hundred bunches for No. 2, or culls, asparagus is one of the
most profitable of agricultural crops, and even at one-half these prices
it is a much better paying crop than potatoes at 50 cents per bushel.
[Illustration: FIG. 39--INTERIOR VIEW OF A CALIFORNIA ASPARAGUS CANNERY]
_Pacific Coast methods._--Canning and preserving of asparagus in
California is carried on on as grand a scale as are most other
undertakings. An idea of the extent and importance of this comparatively
new industry may readily be conceived when it is considered that one
establishment alone, The Hickmott Asparagus Canning Co., on Bouldin
Island, in the San Joaquin River, has recently shipped an entire
train-load of canned asparagus from San Francisco to New York. This
train consisted of fifteen freight-cars containing 600 cases each,
making a total of 9,000 cases, averaging forty-eight pounds each, thus
making an actual weight of 432,000 pounds. By far the larger portion of
the yearly asparagus crop in California is canned or preserved in glass,
and in that shape sent to the East, exported to England and the
continent of Europe, and, in fact, to every civilized country of the
world. For canneries where nothing but the white product is put up the
shoots are cut the instant they show their tips above the surface. The
canneries are located as near the fields as possible, the effort being
to get the product in glass or cans before it becomes in any way
withered, the important point being that asparagus is never allowed to
become dried.
[Illustration: FIG. 40--PERSPECTIVE VIEW OF CANNING PLANTS AT BOULDIN
ISLAND]