280 THE VEGETABLE CULTIVATOR. 



when dressed with cream, they are very delicious; 

 but the following is recommended by the author as 

 one of the best. Previously to boiling the roots, let 

 them be lightly scraped, and then laid in water for 

 about an hour, to draw out any little bitterish taste 

 they might happen to have ; this, however, is rarely 

 the case, except when they are grown in moist heavy 

 soils. After the roots have been in the water the 

 time mentioned, they should be boiled till they are 

 quite tender, when they are to be taken out and 

 laid to drain for a short time, during which a thick 

 batter should be made with the white of eggs, beat 

 up with a little flour, in which the roots are to be 

 dipped, and, after having been rolled in crumbs of 

 bread, fried with a small piece of melted fresh but- 

 ter, previously put into the pan; they should be 

 frequently stirred, and when observed of a deep 

 brown colour, they will be ready for table. 



The next mentioned vegetable (Scorzonera) may 

 be dressed in a similar manner, and either of them, 

 or both, will form, when cooked after the above re- 

 ceipt, a most agreeable and delicious dish. 



Culture. The salsafie, as before observed, being 

 biennial, can only be propagated by seed, which 

 should be sown in a light rich piece of ground, 

 previously well worked to the depth of twelve or 

 fifteen inches, towards the end of March, but not 

 sooner, otherwise the plants will be apt to run to 

 seed. The best way of sowing the seed is in 

 shallow drills drawn about a foot apart, where, 

 after being regularly covered, the plants will soon 

 make their appearance ; and if observed to rise in 

 clusters, they must be thinned to the distance of 



