THE DIVERSIFIED FARM. 



PROFITS IN CHICORY. 



The growing of chicory has become a 

 profitable industry in the past few years 

 in the states of Michigan, Illinois, Wis- 

 consin and Nebraska. The plant averages 

 six to ten tons of roots per acre, many 

 getting 15 to 20 tons from an acre, where 

 the soil is properly prepared and cultiva- 

 tion perfect. From numerous reports 

 made on the crop the general cost of grow- 

 ing an acre and preparing for the market 

 ranges about $33, and the income at $6.00 

 to $8.00 per ton runs $50 to $80. The 

 crop is practically the same as sugar beats 

 in the yields, cost of growing and income 

 from a given area. As the uses of chico- 

 ry are established and increasing among 

 Americans every year and factories are 

 being erected in various places for hand- 

 ling the product the wide awake farmers 

 have in this another valuable product that 

 can be successfully handled in almost 

 every section. 



Chicory comes to us from Europe where 

 it has been used for many centuries. It 

 was regarded as a table delicacy in many 

 forms among the ancient Romans, who 

 used the tops as spinach and the roots for 

 coffee. The use as coffee has become so 

 general among the people of Europe, that 

 the demand is greater than the supply. 

 This accounts for the rapid increase in 

 the planting of chicory in this country 

 during the past three or four years. The 

 plant is extensively used for pastures for 

 sheep, and cut and cured tne same as 

 clovers for hay. Some reports are that an 

 acre will yield the second year after plant- 

 ing fully 35 tons of forage and the next 

 year will increase to 40 or more tons of 



good feed. This hay is valuable for feed- 

 ing sheep and beef cattle. Hogs thrive 

 on the roots and horses will eat both plant 

 and roots and be benefitted by the toning 

 effect on their system. 



The soil best suited to chicory growing 

 is the rich sandy loom, free of stones, 

 containing little clay and well under- 

 drained. Land that produces good carrots 

 or parsnips will yield fine crops of chicory. 

 The plant takes up much of the earth 

 elements, especially potash. This plant 

 needs a fertilizer something like the Irish 

 potato; a complete mixture should contain 

 about 8 per cent, each of phosphoric acid 

 and potash and 3 per cent nitrogen and 

 500 to 700 pounds per acre is a fair appli- 

 cation. 



The chicory seed should be sown with a 

 drill in rows 15 to 18 inches apart, and 

 when the plants appear be thinned to 

 stand about the same distance as parsnips. 

 This is for the growth of roots. If only 

 hay is wanted then the seed may be sown 

 broadcast and left unthinned. For root 

 growth about 2 pounds of seed will plant 

 an acre, but for the hay crop 4 to 5 pounds 

 may be drilled and even 20 pounds sown 

 in the broadcast method. May is a good 

 time for planting. Cultivation is practi- 

 cally the same as that given other root 

 crop. Harvesting may be done with a 

 plow, shovel or specially prepared machine. 

 The tops should be cut off and used for 

 forage and the roots stored in cellars or 

 sent to the factory. 



Many people desire to use chicory for 

 home coffee and cannot purchase it on the 

 market. Such persons can grow what they 

 want and dry it as easily as they could 



