ONIONS 271 



Parsley is used for flavoring in salads and soups, and for gar- 

 nishing. The seed germinates slowly, and must have plenty of 

 moisture. The plants are hardy and may be planted early in the 

 open ground, or started inside and transplanted to the garden 

 whenever early cabbage is put out. The plants should be about 

 six or eight inches apart in rows eighteen inches apart. By pick- 

 ing only a few leaves from each plant, the same plants will thrive 

 throughout the season. They may be taken up in the fall and put 

 into cold frames, or into boxes or flower pots, and kept in a sunny 

 window all winter. The green leaves may also be dried in summer 

 and used as flavoring for soups in the winter. 



Upland Cress is another hot weather salad plant easily grown, 

 and much liked by the few who cultivate it. It should be better 

 known. Like parsley it will continue to furnish leaves if care is 

 taken in gathering. It is used as a substitute for water cress. The 

 seed is sown in drills in good garden soil, early in the spring. In 

 the South a fall-sown crop may be grown for spring use. 



Endive also endures the heat of summer. The leaves are much 

 cut and very curly, growing in dense heads like lettuce. The flavor 

 is bitter unless the plants are tied and blanched. Only a few heads 

 are tied at a time as they rot quickly. Two or three weeks are 

 necessary to blanch properly, and they must not be tied up on a 

 rainy day. The plants should be thinned to one foot apart in 

 rows which are eighteen inches apart. Good soil and good tillage 

 are necessary. The crop is harvested in the fall. 



Onions. The onion crop includes also leeks, garlic, shallots 

 and chives. 



For the fall crop of onions, sow seed in early spring in very 

 clean, rich soil. It should be particularly well drained because of 

 the season at which the seed is to be started. Sandy loam is usually 

 preferred, but it should be black and well provided with organic 

 matter to produce the best crops. Drill in rows about fifteen or 

 eighteen inches apart to allow of cultivation either by wheel hoes 

 or by small horses. The plants will need thinning to about two 

 inches apart. Practice clean and thorough cultivation and avoid 

 the growth of weeds in the rows. As maturity of the bulbs ap- 

 proaches the tillage should be stopped so as not to start them into 

 a second growth. As the tops begin to die, the onions should be 

 pulled and if the weather is favorable leave them on the field ex- 

 posed to the sun for several days. They are then put into shallow 

 crates, care being taken not to bruise them. They may be hauled 



