The Culture of Vegetables 



A deep sandy soil with a coat of manure put in the bottom of the 

 trench will produce fine roots of Salsify. But there should be no 

 recent manure within fifteen inches of the surface, or the roots 

 will be forked and ugly. In a soil that produces handsome roots 

 naturally the preparation may consist in a good digging only, but 

 generally speaking the more liberal routine will give a better result. 



In November dig a portion of the crop and store in sand, and 

 lift further supplies as required. A portion may be left to furnish 

 Chards in spring. These are the flowering-shoots which rise green 

 and tender, and must be cut when not more than five or six inches 

 long. They are dressed and served in the same way as Asparagus. 



Salsify is a root of high quality, the growing of which is generally 

 considered a test of a gardener's skill. Perhaps the after-dressing 

 and serving of Salsify may be a test of the skill of the cook, but upon 

 that point we will not insist. It is a less troublesome root than 

 Scorzonera, and superior to it in beauty and flavour in fact, it is 

 often dressed and served as 'Vegetable Oyster,' having somewhat 

 the flavour of the favourite bivalve. 



Salsify roots require to be prepared for use by scraping them, and 

 then steeping in water containing a little lemon juice or vinegar. 

 They are boiled until tender, and served with white sauce. To 

 prepare them as the ' Vegetable Oyster,' the roots are first boiled 

 and allowed to get cold, then cut in slices and quickly fried in 

 butter to a light golden brown, being dusted with salt and white 

 pepper while cooking. Serve with crisped Parsley and sauce made 

 with butter, flour, and the liquor from tinned or fresh oysters. 



SAVOY seepage 35 



SCORZONERA 



Scorzonera hispanica 



SCORZONERA is not much grown in this country, but as it is prized 

 on the Continent, it might be introduced to many English tables with 

 advantage. The main point in the cultivation is to obtain large clean 

 roots, for carelessly grown samples will be small, forked, and fibrous. 

 Trench a piece of ground, and mix a good dressing of half-rotten 

 manure with the bottom spit, taking care that there is none in the 

 top spit. Make a nice seed-bed, and sow in the month of March in 



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