ASPARAGUS GROWING.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 200, 24 July 1937, Page 5

ASPARAGUS GROWING.

ON AHUItIRI LAGOON. SMALL FARM DEVELOPMENT. The Napier Telegraph says : Of the several /proposals winch have been made in regard to the use of the Almriri Lagoon area of 7500 acres, now under development for the Small Farina Board, quite one of the most promising is the use" of an area of up to 1000 acres for the production of asparagus for canning purposes. Such an area would be sufficient to cater for the needs of the whole Dominion and then leave a considerable quantity for export purposes and would involve the establishment of a secondary industry which would employ a large number of hands.

That the possibilities of the block are recognised by .the Government is illustrated by the fact that during the next two months an area of an acre on the lagoon is to be laid down in asparagus for trial purposes. Those who have made a close study of the matter are confident that the type of land on the lagoon is most suitable for asparagus. That the trials will be successful is the firm belief of Mr N. J. Adamson, Government orchard instructor for Hawke’s Bay, who is to direct the work on behalf of the Department of Agriculture. Mr Adamson remarked that asparagus was most tolerant to soils with a high content of salt. It was thought formerly that applications of salt encli year were necessary in the case of asparagus beds. That theory had been exploded. Salt was not necessary to the wellbeing of the plant and acted more as a weed-killer than anything else. Asparagus would grow in salty ground, however, and the type of soil available on the lagoon should l>rove most suitable. EXCELLENT QUALITY.

The growing of asparagus for cannings purposes was actually carried out in the Hastings district last year and some 12,000 tins were produced. The quality was proved to be excellent and it is expected that, the industry will be extended during the coming season. There are still thousands of pounds spent in the purchase of imported asparagus, however, and any endeavour made to establish an industry in this district which would at .- least supply all the needs of New Zealand is well worth consideration and support. Valuable pioneering work in arousing interest in the. asparagus canning industry has been done by an Auckland lady. Mrs A. Bradley, who, greatly impressed with what she had seen overseas, lias given those in .New Zealand who are interested the benefit of her observations.

Reviewing the prospects for the establishment of an industry on an extensive scale in this country, Mrs Bradley stated that asparagus was still a luxury in the Homeland. The supply never equalled the demand, despite importations from other countries where canning factories had been established, and it was never cheap in London. Mrs Bradley stated that seven years ago a relative of hers decided to plant 500 acres of asparagus in New South Wales. In three years it matured and by tliat time a canning factory had been built. That factory was now employing 400 hands and the canned asparagus was distributed to all parts of Australia.

IN COLD STORAGE. The remarkable success of the industry in California was mentioned b.v Mrs Bradley. That State produced threequarters of the world’s supply. She added that she had seen asaparagus freight trains leaving San Francisco for New York entirely laden with fresh crops. They were forwarded to London in cold storage and met with a ready demand. In tlie off-season flowers were .grown between the beds and it was not unusual for a grower to make as much , as 1000 dollars a , year from a quarter-acre section. During the past two years New Zealand has experimented with ' shipments of asparagus in cold storage to London, and the fast of these trials was perfectly successful, the asparagus reaching London in good condition and commanding an excellent price. It is interesting to know that in

tile production of “white” asparagus, favoured in America and used exclusively there for canning purposes, the asparagus is cut some eight inches below the level of the ground immediately the tops show through. They grow asparagus ill California by the mile. 'Work in tho season begins at dawn and the 'employees work furiously in order to cut the asparagus and gather it before the sun has time to change the colour. From tho fields it is rushed to the factory, cooked canned and packed all within a few hours of cutting. Whether or not white asparagus is preferable to the green asparagus with which we are more familiar is a matter for conjecture. From inquiries, however, there appears ,to he’a definite movement in favour of the latter, which is obtained bv allowing the growth to extend above the ground and so become influenced by the sun before it is cut. ■lt will be of interest to many farmers to know that further trials are being carried out in the district and the results which are obtained from the lagoon block will be closely watched.