THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 207 



which should be, if possible, a sheltered spot, where they will not interfere 

 with the cultivation of other things. In the seed bed the rows should be 

 one foot apart and the seed sown J^ to 1 in. deep, the seedlings being 

 thinned out to 10 to 12 in. Rhubarb, like Asparagus, stores much of its 

 early Spring plant food in the thick root stalks over Winter. Therefore, 

 manuring or fertilizing in the Fall wiU help the following crop. Dressings 

 of nitrate of soda in Spring also produce splendid results, but be careful to 

 keep it off the leaves. To bring one or two stools into early bearing, cover 

 at opening of Spring with 4 or 5 in. manure. Set anything around the 

 plants which wiU keep the heat in; a melon frame is ideal. Do not neglect to 

 remove all seed-bearing stalks as quickly as they form. 



RUTA BAGA— SALSIFY— SEA KALE 



Rutabaga, the Swedish or Russian Turnips, differ from the ordinary 

 kind in that they grow much larger and have a longer season in which to 

 mature properly. They should be sown early in July, in drills 18 to 24 in. 

 apart with a covering of 3^ to 1 in. As the ground is frequently dry at this 

 time, firm the seed well in, pressing the soil over the row with the back of a 

 hoe or with the sole of the foot. Thin out to 6 in. or more apart, according 

 to size of the variety grown and the richness of the soil. 



Salsify, or Vegetable Oyster, has a very decided flavor from which it 

 gets its common name. Unless you have used it and know you like it, 

 plant only a small quantity. Its culture is easy as it is free from injury by 

 either insects or disease. The only trouble in growing it is that it tends to 

 become undesirably forked. If possible, plant only on soil manured the 

 previous season, and avoid fertilizers that are rich in nitrogen. It requires 

 about the same season of growth and about the same general culture as 

 Parsnips, but the rows may be put nearer together as the fohage is not so 

 large. 



Sea Kale, which shares with Rhubarb and Asparagus the great advan- 

 tage of being a perennial plant, yielding year after year, may be grown easily 

 from seed or from sets — pieces of the roots such as are used in planting 

 Horse Radish. To grow from seed sow in April 3^ to 1 in. deep in drills 

 15 in. apart; thin out to 6 in. Plant early the following season as you would 

 Rhubarb, except that 3 ft. will be far enough apart between the plants. 

 The Spring growth must be blanched for use. This is accompUshed by 

 shovehng around the crown of each plant in the FaU a peck or so of clean 

 sand, and then throwing up over this, soil from between the rows. This 

 banking up is left in place until after the Spring growth has started; then 

 the soil is hoed or shoveled away, the ground enriched with bone and ma- 

 nure, and cultivated occasionally during the rest of the season, or the plants 

 when grown may betaken up and forced in frames, hotbeds, or the green- 

 house. In this case they are handled in much the same way as Witloof 

 Chicory. 



SPINACH— SQUASH 



As with Lettuce and some other crops, success with Spinach depends 

 largely on choosing a variety suitable for the season for which it is wanted. 

 For Spring use Winter Spinach is sown the previous Fall and carried over 

 with a mulching of hay, straw or dried litter. In Spring two or three suc- 



(jContinued on page 210) 



