Vegetables with Edible Tubers or Roots 279 



SALSIFY OR OYSTER PLANT 



Salsify can be raised in the outer parts of the tropical 

 belt. The demand for this, the vegetable oyster, is 

 continually increasing. While it will not be in great 

 demand for home consumption, it is still a good plant to 

 raise, as it sells readily and can stand shipping. The seed 

 is difficult to save on account of birds destroying it. 



This seed should be sown in the fall or during the winter. 

 The cultivation and preparation of the soil are much the 

 same as for the usual root crops. A sandy loam is 

 preferred. The rows are about 2 feet apart, and the 

 plants thinned to 4 or 6 inches in the row. 



For market the large tap-root is dug up, and, with the 

 leaves, is washed and trimmed. Six or eight usually 

 make a bunch. It is used mostly in the North during 

 the winter and early spring. A good market for this 

 vegetable can be opened by growing it in the South so 

 that it can be offered for sale during May and June, after 

 the fresh oyster can no longer be obtained. Sandwich 

 Island Mammoth is one of the best varieties. 



DASHEEN OR TARO 



The taro, frequently called tanyah in Florida (Colocasia 

 antiquorum var. esculentum) , is cultivated in most tropical 

 countries, being a staple food in the Pacific Islands. 

 Varieties of it are grown in India, China, and Japan. It 

 may readily be distinguished from tanier by the leaf-stalk 

 being attached near the middle, not at the base, of the 



