94 



HORTICULTURE FOR SCHOOLS 



the top, that is eaten. The roots may be boiled for a table 

 vegetable, or used in salads and soups. Celeriac does best 



in a cool climate and in a 

 rich soil. The seed is sown in 

 flats or in the greenhouse and 

 the young plants are usually 

 transplanted once before they 

 are finally set out in the field. 

 Celeriac requires no blanch- 

 ing ; otherwise its culture is the 

 same as for celery (Fig. 64). 

 153. Chicory, which was 

 FIG. 64. Celeriac, used as a salad plant by the 



untrimmed root and .->,,. , . 



root trimmed for Greeks in early times, is found 



market. . ... . ' . 



in a wild state in continental 

 Europe and in England. It is common along roadsides in the 

 older settled regions of North America. It blooms in autumn 

 profusely. Its flowers are of the 

 brightest blue. 



The roasted roots are employed 

 as a substitute for coffee. Chicory 

 roots (Fig. 65) are used as a table 

 vegetable also. The tops are fre- 

 quently cooked for greens, and 

 when blanched are eaten as a salad. 

 To produce the blanched leaves, 

 the tops of the plants are cut off 

 in the fall, and the roots are dug 

 and replanted and then covered 

 with several inches of soil. An 

 abundance of blanched leaves is 

 then produced. Seeds of chicory 

 are sown early in the spring in 

 much the same manner as carrot 

 seeds. 



FIG. 65. Chic- 

 ory root. 



FIG. 66. Root 

 of horse-radish. 



