G8 THE PRACTICAL GARDEN -BOOK 



dishes when ^ it is used to season'. Sow seeds and cultivate 

 the same as parsley. 



The tuberous Chervil resembles a short carrot or 

 parsnip. It is much esteemed in France and Germany. 

 The tubers have somewhat the flavor of a sweet potato, per- 

 haps a little sweeter. They are perfectly hardy, and, like 

 the parsnip, the better for frosts. The seed may be 

 sown in September or October, as it does not keep well ; or 

 as soon as the ground is fit to work in the spring, it being 

 slow to germinate after the weather becomes hot and dry. 

 One packet of seed will give all the plants necessary. 



Chestnuts. Of Chestnuts there are three types 

 in cultivation: the European, the Japanese, and the Amer- 

 ican. The American, or native Chestnuts, of which there 

 are several improved varieties, are the hardiest and most 

 reliable, and the nuts are the sweetest, but they are also the 

 smallest. The Japanese varieties are usually injured by the 

 winter in central New York. The European varieties are 

 somewhat hardier, and some of the varieties will thrive in 

 the northern states. Chestnuts are very easily grown. 

 They usually bear better when two or more trees are 

 planted near each other. There are few really good Chest- 

 nut orchards in North America, but Chestnut planting is now 

 considerably agitated. Sprouts in old Chestnut clearings 

 are often allowed to remain, and sometimes they are 

 grafted to the improved varieties. The young trees may be 

 grafted in the spring by the whip -graft or cleft -graft 

 method ; but the cions should be perfectly dormant, and 

 the operation should be very carefully done. Even with 

 the best workmanship, a considerable percentage of the 

 grafts are likely to fail or to break off after two or three 

 years. The most popular single variety of Chestnut is the 

 Paragon, which bears large and excellent nuts when the 

 tree is very young. When the home ground is large 

 enough, two or three of these trees should be planted near 

 the borders. 



