106 Subtropical Vegetable-Gardening 



Bulletins. 



American Varieties of Lettuce, U. S. D. A. Bur. of Plant Ind. Bul- 

 letin 69, 1904. 

 Lettuce Culture, Cuba Agr. Exp. Sta. Bulletin 8, 1907. 



ENDIVE 



Endive is used either as cooked greens (the broad-leaved 

 variety) or in making salads (the curled endive), but it is 

 not demanded in the markets of the southern United 

 States. While it is raised to a considerable extent in some 

 places in the northern states, it receives greater attention 

 in Europe. Endive stands heat and cold better than 

 lettuce. It is easily grown within the tropics from seed 

 sown broadcast or in drills, at the beginning of the cool 

 season, and the curled varieties are readily blanched by 

 tying up. They are of little use for salads unless thor- 

 oughly blanched. The plant is very closely allied to 

 chicory. It produces a dense clump or rosette of leaves. 



A quick loam is required to make a good crop, but, 

 like spinach, endive is a surface-feeder. The land should 

 be thoroughly prepared and the fertilizer evenly dis- 

 tributed. Of the ordinary vegetable fertilizer 800 to 

 1200 pounds should be used to the acre. If the nitrogen 

 is in the form of vegetable matter, it should be thoroughly 

 decomposed; if in the form of mineral matter, it had 

 better be applied at different times. The fertilizer should 

 be applied in the drill. The rows should be made about 

 2 feet apart and the seed sown thickly, thinning out later 

 to about 9 inches in the row. September or October is 

 the best time for sowing. 



