The asparagus beetle is the worst enemy and must be steadily fought. In young beds, apply fresh air-slaked lime as soon as the larvae appear. It should be put on while the plants are still damp with dew, and only the greatest thoroughness can accomplish anything. Destroy all volunteer shoots. As the beds are cut, leave some small trap-shoots upon which the beetles will gather; cut these twice a week and destroy. In hot weather brush the insects off and they will bake on the soil in the sun. It is so risky to use poisons on asparagus that is to be eaten, that Paris green may be used only in very rare instances; then the mixture consists of one pound of the poison to fifty pounds of air-slaked lime. Two applications are made, about a week apart. Some gardeners turn a hen with chickens, or a number of young chickens, into the asparagus field as soon as the crop is cut. This is one of the best ways of keeping down the beetles, and the scratching of the fowls cultivates the crop. This will lessen your own work and increase the value of your chickens to you. Rust is the chief disease, and for this there is no sovereign remedy. Every effort should be made to secure only vigorous plants, and in very dry weather irrigation should be practiced, if possible. Early in the autumn, cut, carefully gather together and burn, all affected stalks, and all asparagus brush whether garden or wild. Read Massachusetts Bulletin 61; Iowa Bulletin 53; Farmer’s Bulletin 61, p. 30. RHUBARB. Of all the perennial garden plants rhubarb is the easiest to grow, and the most inexperienced may be sure of success. It is very hardy and the roots remain in the garden all winter, even in climates where the frost is heavy and the cold quite severe. But in spite of its hardiness and willingness to flourish under ordinary conditions, rhubarb responds quickly to good care and gives such enormously increased returns that it pays to attend to it. Rhubarb likes a deep, rich soil, thoroughly cultivated and fertilized before the plants are set out. It is usually more satisfactory to propagate by roots than by seed, although some growers prefer to raise their plants from seed. Like asparagus, rhubarb will last twenty years, if given a good start and if the roots are occasionally separated. All this time it will yield large, tender, juicy stalks if the soil be in good condition, and if a little tillage is given to the plant in fall and spring.