160 GREENS AND SALAD PLANTS THAT ENDURE HEAT 



in cool weather; but in order that it may have time to complete 

 its growth before winter sets in, it must be started in early or 

 midsummer. Fortunately it is able to endure the heat of that 

 season. The seed may be sown in June or July where the plants 

 are to stand, or may be sown in a seed-bed and the plants later 

 transplanted. In either case the plants should eventually stand 

 a foot apart in rows twelve to eighteen inches apart. Good tillage 

 should be given and water supplied if the weather is dry, especially 

 following transplanting. 



Endive makes a dense, wide-spreading mass of cut and curled 

 leaves (Fig. 99), the flavor of which is likely to be bitter and the 

 texture tough unless they are blanched. Blanching is accomphshed 

 by drawdng the leaves of a plant together and tying them at the 

 top with raffia or soft twine. From two to three weeks are re- 

 quired for the blanching, and the plants should be used as soon 

 as the blanching is completed, for the inner leaves soon begin to 

 rot. For this reason, only a few plants should be tied up at a time; 

 otherwise, the crop would be of short duration. Care should be 

 taken to be sure that the plants are dry at the time they are tied, 

 or they may rot before blanching is completed. 



QUESTIONS 



1. At what season of the year is there the greatest demand for greens? 



2. What plants grown for greens will stand the heat of summer? 



3. By what other names is chard sometimes known? 



4. Describe the culture and harvesting of chard. 



5. Through how long a season will chard continue to produce, if properly 



handled ? 



6. How may an extra early crop of chard be secured? 



7. What is the present status of chard from a market standpoint? 



8. Describe the kale plant. 



9. Discuss the abiUty of kale to withstand extremes of temperature. 



10. Describe the collard plant. 



11. In what part of the country are collards most popular? Why are they 



grown in that region? 



12. At what stages of development maj^ collards be used? 



13. Describe the character of growth of New Zealand spinach as compared 



with ordinary spinach. 



14. W^hat are the edible parts of New Zealand spinach? 



15. Through how long a season will New Zealand spinach continue to furnish 



an edible product? 



16. How does a cultivated dandelion plant compare wdth one growing wild? 



17. Describe the culture of dandelions. 



