Asparagus On Long Island

The cultivation of asparagus on Long Island does not differ materially,

in most respects, from that practiced in other localities, other than in

its extent. But there is probably more to be learned about its

cultivation there than in any other section of the country, from the

fact of its being grown under such changed conditions of soil. Here it

can be shown that the character of soil is not, of itself, of great

importance, and that on soil usually considered worthless--on land that

can be bought, uncleared, at from five to ten dollars per

acre--asparagus can be made as profitable a crop as on land considered

cheap at one hundred dollars per acre.



Nearly every farm, the northern boundary of which is the Long Island

Sound, has from two to twenty acres of soil composed very largely of

fine drift sand, in all respects like quick-sand in character. This,

when mixed with light loam, as is frequently the case, is the most

favorable land for asparagus, and in such it is largely grown, being

unsuited to potatoes or cereals, and where grasses make but a feeble

struggle for existence. Within five minutes' walk to the south the soil

is from a lively to a quite heavy loam, in which corn, potatoes,

cabbage, cauliflower, and, in fact, all other crops revel. In this soil

the asparagus also finds a congenial home, but no better than in the

sand, in which but little else can be grown; neither can it be grown

here more profitably. The expense for fertilizers is a little more on

the sandy soil, but the cost in labor on the heavy soil will quite

equal the cost of extra fertilizer required on the light.



Whether away from a saline atmosphere a light soil would be as favorable

as a heavy one for the asparagus is a question that practical experiment

only can settle. But it is an important one, as it is not generally

supposed that it is possible to grow asparagus, at a profit, on such

soils as are now being devoted to this crop on Long Island.



That which has been called the barren wastes, the dwarf-pine and

scrub-oak lands of Suffolk County, can be made most profitable farming

lands may be a surprise to many, but that such is the case does not

admit of a doubt. As evidence of this, let us state what is being done

along these lines. Messrs. Hudson & Sons, leading canners of asparagus,

have bought a farm of 525 acres of as poor land as it is possible to

find on Long Island, which they are to devote exclusively to this crop.

They have already more than fifty acres planted, and are getting the

whole in readiness as rapidly as possible. This is no experiment, but

simply doing on a large scale what has profitably been done on a small

one.



On similar soils a low estimate of net profit is $100 per acre, and

there are many instances where double this profit is made. The price

paid last season by the canners was $14 per 100 bunches for first

quality, and $6 per 100 for culls, or "tips," as they are usually

called. With good cultivation, which means a liberal supply of plant

food--and there is no crop that requires more--and the surface kept

clean, free from weeds, and frequently cultivated, so that the surface

is at all times loose and fine to prevent evaporation, the average yield

is 2,500 bunches per acre. If we estimate the tips at 25 per cent. of

the crop, the gross receipts will amount to $200 per acre.



After a given acreage is ready for cutting, which is the third year

after planting, the annual cost of cultivation is not very much, if any,

more than that of a crop of potatoes. It is a question whether the

actual cost of growing and marketing an acre of asparagus is not less

than that of an acre of potatoes. Some growers assert it is three times

as much work to take care of a given acreage of asparagus as of

potatoes; admitting it, the relative cost is stated above.



C. L. ALLEN.



Nassau County, N. Y.