122 Market Gardcninc^. 



should then be made firm, so as to retain the moisture. 

 In this section they succeed best on a rather I'ght, 

 sandy soil. It does not need to be very rich, or heavily 

 manured. For field culture, the rows should be put 

 one foot apart. The dandelions, when they first come 

 up, are so dark colored as to be almost invisible. A 

 little lettuce seed, say one ounce per acre, mixed and 

 sown with the dandelion, will come up quickly and 

 show the rows plainly. When sown in beds, to be 

 forced, the rows should be six inches apart. Roots 

 may be removed from the field to a hot-bed, and 

 forced ; but in any case it takes somewhat over a year 

 from the time of sowing to grow the crop. It is mar- 

 keted precisely as spinach — thirteen pounds weight is 

 considered a bushel. The price varies greatly. On 

 the forced crop from $r.oo to $2.00 is about the range 

 of price. On the out-door crop, $1.00 is considered 

 high, the usual average benig lower, and prices some- 

 times very low. At fifty cents per bushel, the crop is 

 a paying one. When prices run high the proceeds per 

 acre often reach as high as $i,ooo. 



There happens a failure sometimes in starting a crop. 

 The sowing may be renewed any time before the first 

 of August, and provided it comes up well, and escapes 

 scorching by the sun, the crop will be just as early as 

 one sown in April. 



Women and boys are usually employed to gather and 

 trim the plants, and remove a portion of the roots before 

 sending to market, at a cost of about 10 cts. per bushel. 



The roots are often dried, and in this condition are 

 an article of commerce, being used quite extensively for 



