GARDEN VEGETABLES AND FLOWERS 321 



flower-bearing stems, as in the case of cauliflower. 

 But we must not cut them all off, for we then weaken 

 the roots too much. 



Asparagus for market is mostly grown in rich valley 

 soils, in low and even peaty ground, as on the islands 

 of the Lower Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers in 

 California. Asparagus beds are made by setting out 

 roots obtained from the seeds of strong-growing stems. 

 Asparagus can stand considerable alkali, and is bene- 

 fited by the application of some common salt. 



Celery is another stem vegetable, much grown in Cali- 

 fornia, and in soil much like that for asparagus. The green 

 leaf stems are bleached (" blanched ") by heaping earth 

 around them as they grow, so as to keep them in the dark 

 (see page 119). Celery is said to be very wholesome. It is 

 much grown in the peat lands of Orange County, California, 

 for early shipment to the East. 



Rhubarb (pieplant) is extensively grown for its leaf 

 stems, which are quite acid from the same acid (oxalic) as 

 sheep sorrel and sour dock. Rhubarb is a native of the 

 mountainous regions of southern Asia, where it is grown, or 

 gathered wild, for its yellow, bitter roots much used in medicine. 



The cardoon or chard is doubtless the wild form of the 

 true artichoke, which is so commonly seen in markets of 

 California and southern Europe. Of the chard, however, it 

 is the tender leaf stalks that are used in cooking, much like 

 celery stalks when boiled. It is much liked and grown in 

 southern Europe, which is doubtless its original home, as it 

 still grows wild there. It is much esteemed in southern 

 California and northern Mexico. 





