CELERY CHICORY 47 



distressed. They must never want for water, or the roots will not 

 attain to a proper size. The lateral shoots and fibres must be 

 removed to keep the roots intact, but not to such an extent as to 

 arrest progress. When a good growth has been made, and the season 

 is declining, cover the bulbs or stems with a thin coat of fine soil, 

 and in the first week of October lift a portion of the crop and store 

 it in sand, all the leaves being first removed, except those in the 

 centre, which must remain, or the roots may waste their energies in 

 producing another set. The portion of the crop left in the ground 

 will need protection from frost, and this can be accomplished by 

 earthing them over with soil taken from between the rows. 



Celeriac is cooked in the same manner as Beet, and requires about 

 the same length of time. The stems, bulbs, or roots (for the knobs, 

 which are true stems, are known by various names) are trimmed and 

 washed, and then put into boiling water without salt or any flavouring, 

 and kept boiling until quite tender ; they may then be pared and 

 sliced, and served with white sauce, or left uncut to get cold to be 

 sliced up for salads. 



CHICORY 



( Cichorium Intybus) 



A VALUABLE addition to our winter and spring esculents. When 

 stewed and served with melted butter, it bears a slight resemblance 

 to Sea Kale. More frequently, however, it is eaten in the same 

 manner as Celery, with cheese, and it also makes an excellent and 

 most wholesome salad. All the garden varieties have been obtained 

 from the wild plant, and some of the stocks show a decided tendency 

 to revert to the wild condition. It is therefore important to sow a 

 carefully selected strain, or the roots may be worthless for producing 

 heads. 



Seed should be sown in April or May, in rows one foot apart, and 

 the plants thinned out to about nine inches in the rows. The soil 

 must be deep and rich, but free from recent manure, except at a 

 depth of twelve inches, when the roots will attain the size of a good 

 Parsnip. 



In autumn the roots should be lifted uninjured with the aid of a 

 fork, and only a few at a time, as required. After cutting off the tops 

 just above the crown, they can at once be started into growth, and it 

 is essential that this be made in absolute darkness. French growers 



