December, 1916. 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



295 



The Cellar Vegetable Garden 



I 



iy^^ELLAR gardening is not new to 

 I man}' of the older school of 



^^ amateurs. Many of them in 

 some way or other have found the cel- 

 lar of inestimable service, not only for 

 the storage of plants, but for growing 

 certain salads and vegetables. Who of 

 us has not had visions of rhubarb for 

 sauce and pies in mid-winter as well as 

 in spring. All you need is a barrel of 

 nice large roots put into your cellar any 

 time during the present month. Near 

 the end of the month, put these roots 

 outside, with ho protection whatever, 

 for you want them to freeze. It is only 

 necessary to put them near the door 

 to accomplish this. 



Two or three days later spread some 

 coal ashes on the cellar floor ten or 

 twelve feet from the hot water heater. 

 The roots are then set close together 

 on this layer of ashes and watered 

 thoroughly. Ashes are also worked in 

 between and over the roots until the 

 bed is nearly a foot thick. A thorough 

 soaking of water completes the job of 

 planting. Water once a week is all 

 that is needed thereafter. It is essen- 

 tial that the cellar be kept almost dark, 

 and that the water used for watering 

 be tepid or as warm as new milk. From 

 a plantation made about the end of the 

 month you will be able to get fine 

 stalks of luscious rhubarb by the first 

 week in February. 



The roots for forcing may be dug 

 from an ordinary plantation in your 

 own garden if you happen to have 

 sufficient so that you may dig some 

 without interfering materially with 

 the supply from the garden in the 

 spring time. Generally speaking, out- 

 door plantings over four years old are 

 past their best. Then is the time to use 

 the clumps for forcing. Good roots 

 may also be grown in one year from 

 seed if sown early under glass and 

 r^transpl anted into rich soil early in the 

 'spring. Still another plan for getting 

 pearly roots for forcing is to sow the 

 seed in a cold frame in August, mulch 

 the roots in the fall, and plant out into 

 the open ground the following spring. 

 It is important to use an abundance of 



?ell rotted cow manure. Commercial 

 Ifertilizers, especially nitrate of soda, 



I'm be beneficial. 

 The roots should be dug in the fall 



before freezing weather sets in. They 

 fmay be kept in any cool place or 

 thrown in piles out of doors, and cov- 

 ered with soil to prevent drying out, 

 but not to keep out frost. Freezing 

 before attempting forcing is absolutely 

 essential to success. 



It may be asked by someone why we 

 recommend ashes in preference to soil? 



By Henry Gibson 



Simply becavise one happens to have 

 more ashes than soil in the cellar. It is 

 doubtful if soil is any better. The ma- 

 terial that makes the stalks is stored up 

 in the roots, many of which weigh sev- 

 eral pounds, and it is only a matter of 

 transforming this material into leaf- 

 stalks and leaf-blades. Any medium 

 that will retain moisture about the 

 roots will suffice for this. The temper- 

 ature of the forcing place is not a mat- 

 ter of great importance. If very warm, 

 say, sixty degrees or more, the stalks 

 will be more slender owing to the more 

 rapid growth, but the cutting season 

 will not last so long. Low tempera- 

 tures are favorable to large stalks and 

 heavy yields. 



The quality of the forced product is 

 superior to that of outdoor crop. It is 

 more tender, not so acid. The skin is 

 so tender that it is not necessary to peel 

 it. >The veriest novice should experi- 



Winter does not rob Geo. F. Baldwin, Toronto, 

 of fresh ve.&etables. In his inexpensive green- 

 house he has a perpetual garden. 



ence no difficulty in forcing rhubarb in 

 the cellar during the winter. The beds 

 of pink stalks caused by the diffused 

 light are as pretty as flowers them- 

 selves. It is a pleasure to look at them 

 as one is tending the furnace. And 

 when this delicious vegetable appears 

 on the table a happy smile goes around 

 as the possibilities of cellar gardening 

 in mid-winter are more, fully appreci- 

 ated. 



Chickory (French Endive or Christmas 

 Salad). 



Rhubarb is not the only possibility of 

 the cellar in winter. Chickory is an- 

 other vegetable that is as easily grown, 

 and as a salad it is relished by all \\lio 

 use it. Many persons confuse this 

 chickory with the two varieties more 

 coijimon, the curled, and the broad- 

 leaved Batavian. French endive be- 

 longs to another family, the proper 



name being Witloof Chickory. Much 

 of this product sold on this side of the 

 Atlantic comes from Europe. The 

 roots are raised from seeds sown not 

 earlier than the last week in May or the 

 first of June. The cultural require- 

 ments are the same as for lettuce or 

 other salads, save that the habit of 

 growth is different. The leaves resem- 

 ble those of the dandelion, and the roots 

 those of the parsnip. It is a biennial. 

 During the second year the flower stalk 

 will develop like that of the common 

 field chickory, with a blue flower. For 

 forcing the roots are lifted just before 

 frost. The leaves are cut off, taking 

 care not to cut away the crown or 

 growth will not commence when forc- 

 ing is attempted. 



The roots are stored in sand in the 

 same manner as carrots are stored, and 

 brought out for forcing as required. 

 They are forced in much the same man- 

 ner as rhubarb, save that it is better to 

 use soil or even sand. We believe that 

 soil makes more compact heads than 

 sand, hence soil is preferable for this 

 reason. The crowns of the roots should 

 be covered at least six inches deep in 

 order to% blanch the leaves as they de- 

 velop. It is also essential that the tem- 

 perature does not exceed fifty-five de- 

 grees at any time. Warm water should 

 be applied to the soil. A month to six 

 weeks is required for forcing the roots. 

 The leaves are then cut off with a small 

 piece of the roots adhering. Heads 

 may be had sooner by increasing the 

 temperature, but the heads are not of 

 such good quality as when grown 

 cooler. When only a few heads are 

 needed for family use, the roots may be 

 planted in boxes, large plant pots or 

 tubs of from twelve to fourteen inches 

 in diameter. From eight to ten roots 

 can be got into such a receptacle. Pack 

 firmly between with soil. Another pot 

 or tub is then inverted over the top, 

 after watering, and placing in the cel- 

 lar or under the bench of a cool green- 

 house if you happen to have one. The 

 drainage hole of the inverted pot or 

 tub should be covered with paper or 

 other material to exclude the light, 

 even with the small amount of light 

 that would be admitted the leaves 

 would come green. That is to be avoid- 

 ed at all times. 



By planting a batch of roots as soon 

 as they are lifted fi'oin the garden one 

 may have this salad for Christmas. It 

 may also be had in the fall before frost 

 is too severe by covering the plants in 

 the open ground with leaves, or using 

 paper and boards as in blanching 

 celery. 



