MISCELLANEOUS VEGETABLES 373 



SWISS CHARD 



Swiss chard is popular as greens, which offers possi- 

 bilities for greenhouse culture. It requires practically 

 the same treatment as lettuce. The seed may be sown in 

 drills where the crop will be matured, or time and space 

 may be saved by starting the plants in flats in the same 

 manner as lettuce. High fertility and an abundant mois- 

 ture supply are essential to heavy yields and good quality. 

 The leaves may be picked whenever they have attained 

 the size desired, and new ones will continue to grow out 

 from the heart of the plant during the entire forcing 

 season. Lucullus is one of the best-known varieties. 

 Large plants in the garden may be cut back in the fall 

 and transferred to the greenhouse beds. It is likely, how- 

 ever, that younger plants will give better results for 

 midwinter forcing. 



TURNIP 



It is a simple proposition to grow turnips in green- 

 houses where conditions are suitable for the forcing of 

 lettuce. Early varieties should be employed. The drills 

 should be 8 to 10 inches apart and the plants thinned to 

 about 2 inches. Turnip tops are sometimes grown for 

 greens from large roots planted close together. The 

 leaves should be blanched in order to secure the highest 

 quality. Leaves of edible size may be grown in three 

 weeks. 



WITLOOF CHICORY 



This vegetable is one of the most important salad crops 

 of France, Belgium and England. It is variously known 

 as witloof chicory, French endive and English endive. 

 Perhaps the most appropriate name is witloof chicory, 

 because it is a development of the common chicory. 



Until the great European war broke out in 1914, thou- 

 sands of baskets were imported every year from France 



