ENC 



[319] 



END 



posit PS [Asteracese]. 19 Syngenesia 3- 

 Ffmtrunea. Allied to Selerocarpus.) 



Greenhouse evergreens. Seeds, when obtain- 

 at)l- % , in spring; cuttings, a little dried at the 

 base, in sand, under a glass, and shaded ; sandy, 

 titii-y loam, with a little peat. Winter temp., 

 3:>'to 45. 

 K. cane'scens (hoary). 1. Orange. July. Peru. 



1786. 



haiimifo'lia (halimus-leaved). 1$. Yellow. 

 July. Mexico. 1826. 



ENCHANTER'S NIGHTSHADE. Circa" a. 

 KNDIVE. (Cicho'rium endi'via.) Used 

 in salads. 



Varieties. The green-curled is culti- 

 vated for the main crops, as it best en- 

 dures wet and cold ; the white-curled, 

 chiefly grown for summer and autumn ; 

 the broad-leaved, or Batuvian, is preferred 

 for soups and stews, but is seldom used 

 for salads. 



Soil and Situation. A. light, dry, but 

 rich soil, dug deep and unshaded. It is 

 best to form an artificial bed by laying 

 a foot in depth of earth on a bed of 

 brickbats, stones, &c. 



Sowing. For a first crop about the 

 middle of April, to be repeated in May, 

 but only in small portions, as those which 

 are raised before June soon advance to 

 seed. Towards the middle of June the 

 first main crop may be sown again, in 

 the course of July, and lastly, early in 

 August; and in this month the main 

 plantation is made. Sow in drills twelve 

 inches apart, and about a quarter of an 

 inch below the surface. When an inch 

 in height, thin the plants to three or four 

 inches apart : those taken away are too 

 small to be of any service if pricked out. 

 Give water freely in dry weather. 



When the larger seedlings have been 

 transplanted, the smaller ones which 

 remain should have a gentle watering, 

 and in twelve or fourteen days they will 

 afford a second successional crop ; and, 

 by a repetition of this management, in 

 general, a third. The plants are gene- 

 rally fit for transplanting when of a 

 month's growth in the seed-bed, or when 

 five or six inches high. 



Planting. Set them in rows twelve 

 or fifteen inches apart each way; the 

 Batavian requires the greatest space 

 Water must be given moderately every 

 evening until the plants are established 

 after which only in excessive and pro 

 tracted drought Those which are left 

 in the seed-bed, in general, attain a finer 

 growth than those that have been moved 



[n November, some plants that hava 

 attained nearly their full size may be re- 

 moved to the south side of a sloping bank 

 of dry, 1 light earth, raised one or two feet 

 behind ; to be protected by frames, mats, 

 or thick coverings of litter, during severe 

 and very wet weather ; but to be care- 

 fully uncovered during mild, dry days. 

 The plants, in this instance, are not re- 

 quired to be further apart than six or 

 eight inches. This plan may be followed 

 in open days during December and Janu- 

 ary, by which means a constant supply 

 may be obtained. Instead of being 

 planted in the above manner on a terrace, 

 t is sometimes practised to take the 

 plants on a dry day, and the leaves being 

 tied together, to lay them horizontally in 

 the earth down to the tip of the leaves ; 

 this accelerates the blanching, but other- 

 wise is far more subject to failure. As 

 the number necessary for a family is but 

 small, but few should be planted at a time. 



Blanching. About three months elapse 

 between the time of sowing and the fit- 

 ness of the plants for blanching. This 

 operation will be completed in from ten 

 to fourteen days in summer, or in three 

 or four weeks in winter. To blanch the 

 plants tie their leaves together ; or place 

 tiles or pieces of board upon them, or 

 tie their leaves together, and cover them 

 to their tips with mould, making it rise to 

 a point, so as to throw off excessive rains. 

 All these methods suceed in dry seasons, 

 but in wet ones the plants, treated accord- 

 ing to any of them, are liable to decay. 



The one which succeeds best in all sea- 

 sons is to fold the leaves round the heart 

 as much as possible in their natural posi- 

 tion ; and, being tied together with a 

 shred of bass-mat, covered up entirely 

 with coal-ashes in the form of a cone, 

 the surface being rendered firm and 

 smooth with the trowel. Sand will do* 

 but ashes are equally unretentive of 

 moisture, whilst they are much superior 

 in absorbing heat, which is so beneficial 

 in the hastening of the process. If the 

 simple mode of drawing the leaves toge- 

 ther is adopted to effect this blanching, 

 they must be tied very close, and, in a 

 week after the first tying, a second liga- 

 ture must be passed round the middle of 

 the plant to prevent the heart-leaves 

 bursting out. A dry afternoon, when the 

 plants are entirely free from moisture, 

 should be selected, whichever modo is 

 adopted. 



