218 Commercial Gardening 



Endive. A very important crop in France, and one that should receive 

 more attention in England for salad purposes. There are two distinct 

 kinds the broad-leaved or Batavian Endives (known to the French as 

 Scaroles or Escaroles) and the finely cut mossy Endives, known as 

 Chicorees frisees. For early work the fine -leaved Italian Chicory 

 (Chicoree fine d'ete) is greatly favoured and is much grown in frames, and 

 is succeeded by the " Rouen " or Stag's Horn Endive. For open-air culture 

 there are many fine-leaved varieties used, amongst them being the 

 "Ruffec", the "Meaux" (or Fine-curled Winter Endive), the "Passion", and 

 "La Parisienne" (or Winter Queen). 



The seeds of the first crops are sown in September and October 

 under cloches, and are pricked out when the seed leaves have well formed. 

 They are afterwards planted in frames from which they are fit to gather 

 in January and February. A succession is kept up by planting at 

 intervals of two or three weeks, and during the summer months Endives 

 are intercropped with Cos and Cabbage Lettuces on beds on which, 

 maybe. Corn Salad, Spinach, Radishes, or Carrots have been sown a 

 day or two before. When the plants are nearly fully grown they are 

 tied up with raffia in the same way as Cos Lettuces, the hearts being 

 thus blanched. 



Lettuces. Both Cos and Cabbage varieties are extensively cultivated. 

 The Cos Lettuces are known under the name of Romaine in French 

 gardens, to distinguish them from the Cabbage varieties, which are simply 

 called Laitue, or Lettuce. 



For early frame crops the best Cabbage Lettuces are "The Crepe", 

 or "Petite noire", and these are followed by the "Gotte" (white and 

 black seeded) varieties, including Tom Thumb, Golden Frame (Jaune 

 d'or), The George, and the Black -seeded Tom Thumb (Gotte lente a 

 monter). 



For early outdoor crops such varieties of Cabbage Lettuce as " All the 

 Year Round " (Blonde d'ete and Merveille de Quatre Saisons), Brown Genoa, 

 or Palatine, Giant Summer or Mogul (Grosse brune paresseuse), White 

 Stone or Nonpareil (Grosse blonde paresseuse), and White-seeded Chavigny 

 (Blonde de Chavigny) are chiefly grown; but there are many others accor- 

 ding to the taste of the individual growers. 



Fdr the winter season one of the best Cabbage Lettuces is the 

 " Passion ", both white and black-seeded varieties, the black- seeded variety 

 having green leaves, while the white has the foliage tinted with red. The 

 black-seeded Passion Lettuce resembles very much the well-known " Stan- 

 stead Park" variety so largely grown in English market gardens. Other 

 winter Cabbage Lettuces are Winter White (Grosse blonde d'hiver), Ham- 

 mersmith, or Hardy Winter Green (Morine), and Winter Tremont all 

 good hardy varieties. 



Cos Lettuces (Romaines). Among the best varieties are Dwarf Frame 

 (Plate a cloches), Paris White (Blonde maraichere), Paris Market (Grise 

 maraichere), and Paris Green (Verte maraichere) the two last-named 



