CULTURAL DIRECTIONS 329 



CORN SALAD (Valerianella olitoria) 



425. Character and uses. This is an annual plant pop- 

 ular in Europe. It finds limited sale in this country. The 

 leaves have a mild flavor and are valued for salad pur- 

 poses, for greens and seasoning, and the curly varieties 

 for garnishing. As the plants are sensitive to heat, they 

 are grown as a fall or spring crop. They are hardy and 

 may be wintered in the milder sections by protecting in 

 cold frames, or with mulches where the winters are not 

 too severe. Although the plants attain a height of nearly 

 2 feet, the young leaves are tender and delicious. Two 

 crops may be gathered from the same plants. 



426. Culture. The soil should be fertile and contain 

 a bountiful supply of nitrogen. Dressings of nitrate of 

 soda may be made to advantage. For the spring crop, 

 sow in the open as soon as the ground can be prepared, 

 or in the fall as for spinach. For the fall crop, sow late 

 in the summer. The seed should be sown thinly in shal- 

 low drills. The rows need not be more than 12 inches 

 apart, the plants thinned to 6 inches. Irrigation is a 

 great advantage in growing this crop. 



CRESS 



The piquant leaves of cress are used in salads and for 

 garnishing. Three common forms are in cultivation. 

 They belong to different genera, but all are members 

 of the Cruciferse or mustard family. 



427. Water Cress (Nasturtium officinale) is a hardy, 

 perennial, aquatic plant popular on all our city markets. 

 The leaves of the prostrate plants are small and round- 

 ish. Water cress thrives best in shallow, running water 

 which should be pure and clean. It may also be grown 

 in moist or wet, shady places, but springs and brooks 

 are preferable. With irrigation it is grown to perfec- 



