SALSIFY. 107 



the rows of rhubarb, or cabbage plants, or lettuce set there, 

 but it is better to let the rhubarb have the whole ground 

 the first year and certainly afterwards. Some varieties of 

 rhubarb have a disposition to throw up numerous seed 

 stalks; these should be cut off as they appear, as they ab- 

 sorb much of the sap which should be used for the 

 rapid growth of the edible stalks. The varieties of rhu- 

 barb generally grown in this country, are Linnaeus, 

 which is of good size, good quality, and early, the 

 Victoria, which is larger and later, and of excellent qual- 

 ity. The Gaboon's Seedling is a late and very large va- 

 riety, which was extensively sold some years ago, under 

 the deceptive name of "Wine Plant." 



SALSIFY. 



Salsify, often called Vegetable Oyster, is rarely grown 

 to perfection. When well grown and properly cooked, 

 it is a healthful and delicious vegetable, and deserves to be 

 much more generally and extensively cultivated. The cul- 

 tivation of salsify is precisely the same as for parsnips. It 

 is important to get good seed grown from carefully selected 

 roots. The seed can be sown as early in the spring as the 

 ground is in good working condition, and I have sown it as 

 late as the first week in June with excellent results. As a 

 rule, however, it is desirable to sow it early. The land 

 should be prepared in the autumn, and it can not be 

 made too deep, or too rich, and mellow. It will do well 

 on a great variety of soils. I have had a fine crop on a 

 well worked, heavily manured clay, but as a rule it is 

 better to sow it on a sandy loam, heavily manured the 

 fall previous or early in the spring. I sow in rows, 

 twenty inches apart. The seed is long and slim, and few 

 drills will sow it evenly without wasting the seed, and as 

 that is quite expensive, it is better to sow it by hand, 



