THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



93 



SALSIFY. 



The Salsify or Vegetable Oyster is 

 Qne of our winter and early spring vege- 

 tables, and one that should be culti- 

 vated in every garden, however small. 



To those who are not acquainted 

 with this delicious esculent, it may be 

 described as having a long, white, taper- 

 ing root, somewhat resembling a Par- 

 snip in shape, and having the flavor of 

 an oyster when prepared for the table. 

 It is by some considered an excellent 

 substitute for the oyster, and, in addi- 

 to this, the young flowerstalks, if cut 

 in the spring of the second year, are pre- 

 pared and used similar to Asparagus, 

 which they somewhat resemble in 

 taste. 



SALSIFY. 



In order to obtain a satisfactory crop 

 of Salsify, with long, smootli roots, 

 proper preparation of the soil is an 

 es.sential point. This is best done by 

 digging or plowing the soil to the depth 

 of twelve or fourteen inches, and 

 thoroughly working in an abundant sup- 

 ply of well-decomposed stable manure. 



The ground should be f)repared in the 

 fall, and left in ridges during the winter 

 season. As soon as the weather be- 

 comes settled in the spring, the ground 

 should be neatly leveled off, and the 

 seed sown in drills from twelve to eigh- 

 teen inches apart, and covered to the 

 depth of half an inch. When the 

 young plants are about two or three 

 inches in height they should be well 

 thinned out, leaving them standing 

 about six inches apart. During their 

 season of growth they require to be 

 deeply hoed, and the ground should be 

 kept mellow and free from weeds at all 

 times, until the crop is ready for use, 

 which will be about the middle of Octo- 

 ber. The roots will continue good un- 

 til spring ; but those that are wanted 

 for winter use should be taken up be- 

 fore cold weather sets in, and stored in 

 sand in a cool, dry cellar. When 

 lifting the roots, the leaf stalks should 

 not be cut off closer to the crown than 

 about an inch. Those wanted for 

 spring use may be left in the ground 

 until required ; but care must be taken 

 to dig the roots before they comnjence 

 to grow. An ounce of seed will sow 

 about fifty feet of row. 



There is only one variety cultivated. 

 The so-called Black Oyster Plant is not 

 a Salsify at all, but a Scorzonera, which 

 although its root resembles the former, 

 belongs to another genus. Its cultiva- 

 tion does not differ from that of Salsify 

 except that, as it has a tendency to run 

 to seed, it should be sown later. — Chas. 

 E. Parnell, in American Garden. 



The Ben Davis Apple.— The Indiana 

 Farmer says the Ben Davis apple is so 

 poorly flavored that even the codlin moth 

 generally passes it by for some better va- 

 riety, and the consequence is that but few 

 of these apples are wormy, and being of 

 high color and handsome shape, they are 

 a very popular apple at the city fruit 

 stands, where they outsell other kinds 

 about two to one on the averafife. 



