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Asparagus trimmer and harvester on the John Wall & Son farm near Port Burwell
- Museum / Archive
- Elgin County Archives
- Part Of
- Ross Andrews fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- GMD
- graphic material
- textual records
- Date Range
- June 1965
- Accession Number
- 2008-27
- Storage Location
- M1 S3 Sh3 B5 161
- Museum / Archive
- Elgin County Archives
- Part Of
- Ross Andrews fonds
- Creator
- Ross Andrews
- Description Level
- Item
- Accession Number
- 2008-27
- Storage Room
- Archives 4th Floor Storage Room
- Storage Location
- M1 S3 Sh3 B5 161
- GMD
- graphic material
- textual records
- Date Range
- June 1965
- Publication
- 161b was posted on Facebook and Twitter on May 2, 2022.
- Series
- Ross Andrews fonds- Photographic negatives series
- Physical Description
- 5 photographs : b&w negative ; 5.5 x 5.5 cm
- History / Biographical
- Ross Andrews was a photographer for the Tillsonburg News.
- Scope and Content
- Five photographic negatives of an asparagus trimmer and harvester on the John Wall & Son farm near Port Burwell in June 1965. An envelope with the identification of what is depicted in the negatives, is stored with the negatives.
- 161a & b were published in the Tillsonburg News on June 23, 1965 with the following article written by Ross Andrews: "Two ladies were discussing the high price of asparagus in the local supermarket recently. Said one: 'Isn't the price of asparagus ridiculous?'. The other answered: 'It certainly is. Do you know, they tell me that this stuff seeds itself, and all you have to do is eat it, just like grass. It's almost like a wild plant'. The ladies were unaware that they were overheard by Mrs. Frank Wall of Port Burwell, who might be classified as an expert on the subject. She works with her husband to harvest and market some fifty acres of asparagus on their fruit and vegetable farm near Port Burwell. Mrs. Wall resisted the urge to explain the fight with weeds, insects, drought, the costs of fertilizers and labour and machine and buildings that are involved in the producation of the 'wild plant'. We could not resist the temptation, however, and here is the story. First, you must select a good, well-drained soil for the crop. Then you will have to decide which of the three varieties will be best suited to your soil and weather conditions. The Walls found that Viking, a strain developed at the Vineland Experimental Station a few years ago, produces more and straighter stalks than the Washington or Waltham varieties in this area. Having made these decisions, you set the young plants a foot apart in rows that are four feet apart. Then you wait three years while they establish themselves, having only to fertilize and control weeds and insects during that time. The tiresome cutting comes later. At last your crop is ready to harvest, but who wants to bend over from morning to night cutting asparagus when more money can be made planting tobacco, which happens to coincide with the work, and which happens to be a heck of a lot easier. To get into the competition, Walls had to mechanize. They have two harvesting machines, a three-row and a five-row self-propelled type made by Langman's Welding service in Leamington, Ontario, and sold by Cadman Power Equipment Company. In comparative comfort, the harvesters cover the fifty acres of asparagus once a day, cutting the shoots from 5 to 8 inches tall. The cutting begins in May and ends early in July.
Frank Wall has found that the harvesting machinery has other benefits than the mere attraction of labourers. The rhythm of the machine sets a pace for the workers who cut more shootsin a given time than the would on foot. The wheels do not trample young shoots but straddle the sprwaling rows. The cutters, being less fatigued, are more selective, especially toward the end of the day. From the field, the asparagus goes to the grading room where Mrs. Wall and her helpers sort it into three grades, trim it, band it is 1/2 lb. bunches, and store it in baskets in a cooling room that maintains a constant 37 degree temperature. The cooling gives the product a longer shelf life and permits the growers to hold it until the regular market days at the end of the week.
Frank Wall has a machine to trim the shoots. It saves blisters and is fast, but Mr. Wall says it would be uneconomical unless the grower has over 10 acres of asparagus. Two or more workers lay the graded shoots in bunches on a revolving table that carries them past a circular saw. Another worker removes the trimmed shoots from the machine. Asparagus takes a lot of feeding. It receives 10 to 12 tons of manure annually per acre. Before cutting begins, it receives 600 to 700 lbs. per acre of 5-20-20 fertilizer, and after cutting a further application of 250 lbs. per acre of nitrate, Mr. Wall says that an acre sshould produce 2000 to 3000 lb. of asparagus by the fourth year, and it must produce 5000 lb. thereafter to be economical.
Once established, a field lasts for many years. Mr. Wall says that some still produce fairly good crops after 40 years. The life of the field depends on the managaement. Weeds and insects are fought chemically. The Walls use Cartnax at 4 lb. per acre for annuals and Dewpound for grasses at 10 lb. per acre twice a year. The most troublesome insect is the asparagus beetle. Eggs laid on the developing stalk may hatch in 3 to 4 hours under the right conditions. There are several products to control them. They act as a fummigant, the effect lasting only a few hours and so being harmless to humans. Spraying is done as needed, sometimes 3 or 4 times a year.
When the land becomes too dry, it is profitable to irrigate the crop. Mr. Wall watches the condition of his crop to be sure to begin watering before the plants are stunted by the drought.
Mr. Wall has plans to adapt his planting to machine harvesting. He envisions longer rows to save time a turning, and a ten-row harvester. He expects to increase the acreage of his crop to 100 acres soon.
A machine is being tried out in the USA which eliminates human cutters. It has an electric eye. When a shoot of proper height cuts a beam, a wire knife reaches out to cut it off and two felt hands grasp it to carry it to a hopper. Growers are skeptical, however. The machine misses leaning stalks, and it is likley that Mr. Wall's workers will be using the special knives that he designed for them for many years to come.
These knives are made by welding a special steel blade to a dandelion spud. The blades are about 1 1/2 inches wide and tapered to give a slicing motion as the cutter jabs it at the shoots. They are kept razor sharp and have to be replaced annually because of the frequent whetting.
Except for hauling the produce to market in their own truck, that covers the Wall's asparagus production. Now, ladies, do you really think that 39 cents a pound is too much to ask for asparagus?".
- Subject Access
- Agriculture
- Farming
- Website / Street View Notes
- Link directs to a Facebook post featuring image 161b.
Less detail