376 THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 



Sponge" is a eucurbitaceous fruit (Fig. 249), seeds of 

 which are now commonly sold by seedsmen. The fibrous 

 interior of the mature fruit is dried and used as a sponge. 



7. Salad Plants and Pot-herbs. 



These plants are all grown for their tender, fresh, suc- 

 culent leaves. It is, therefore, manifestly expedient that 

 they be grown in warm, mellow ground, well cultivated 

 and copiously watered. Such small plants as cress, corn 

 salad and parsley can be grown in small beds, or even 



249. Luffa, or Dishcloth Gourd. 



in boxes or pots; but in a garden where space is not 

 too scant, they may be more conveniently managed in 

 rows, like peas or beets. This remark applies to all gar- 

 den crops. Nearly all the salad plants may be sown in 

 the spring, and from time to time throughout the summer 

 for succession. (Consult Waugh, Vermont Exp. Sta. 

 Bull. 54.) 



LETTUCE is a typical salad plant, and, unfortunately, 

 the only one well known in America. Seeds may be sown 

 early in drills, the rows being three to three and one half 

 feet apart in the garden, or fourteen inches apart in the 

 bed. Several successive sowings should always be made, 



