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, can