VEGETABLES DESCRIPTION AND CULTURE. 341 



inches long, tie up the leaves of a few every week or so to 

 blanch, and render them tender and remove their bitter 

 taste. Perform this in dry days. The curled sort will 

 sometimes blanch pretty well if neatly earthed up with- 

 out being tied, but it is better to tie it. The broad leaved, 

 from its loftier and looser growth, needs a bandage. Fold 

 the leaves round the heart as much as possible in their 

 natural position, and tie them up with a string or shred 

 of bass; then cover them entirely with sand in the form 

 of a cone, making the surface smooth and firm. This must 

 be done in dry, but not frosty weather, as the plants will 

 rot if the leaves are wet or frozen. They may also be 

 blanched under garden pots like sea-kale, or by merely 

 tying them closely, winding the string several times 

 round the plant and closing the top, so as to exclude the 

 rain, drawing the earth around the base to support it. 

 This is the best mode in hot weather; in autumn they will 

 blanch in ten days; in winter they require nearly twice 

 that time. Succory to blanch is taken up and planted in 

 boxes of mould, which are carried into a cellar or dark 

 room and watered when necessary. The blanched leaves 

 will be supplied all winter. Endive needs no protection 

 in our Southern winters. At the North it is taken up with 

 earth about the roots, and wintered in frames. 



For Seed. — Let some of the best and most vigorous 

 plants remain till February, and transplant if you wish to 

 use the ground, in rows eighteen inches apart. Support 

 the stems by stakes, and gather the seed vessels as they 

 ripen. Dry them thoroughly on a cloth, thresh, and pre- 

 serve in paper bags. The seed will keep four years. 



Use. — Endive is cultivated for its stocky head of leaves, 

 which, after their bitterness is removed by blanching, are 

 used in autumn and winter for salads and stews. It 

 possesses several of the virtues of the dandelion; it never 



