198 SCHOOL AND HOME GARDENING 



the fall, leave out to freeze, then bed them closely together 

 on a cellar bottom. They should be kept in a rather dark 

 situation to produce the best winter growth. Eoots forced in 

 this way may be returned to the garden, but not cropped for 

 a year or two. 



Salsify, or Vegetable Oyster. — The culture for this crop 

 is similar to that given for parsnips, and the crop may be 

 treated in much the same way. 



Salsify is used the same as carrots. It is also boiled and 

 then made into cakes and fried like oysters, because of the 

 resemblance in flavor. 



Spinach. — This is the greatest " greens " crop of America. 

 The plant is hardy and may be started in earliest spring. 

 The seed is sown in drills one foot apart and one inch deep. 

 Successive sowings every two weeks may be made throughout 

 the season unless the weather becomes very hot. When the 

 school opens in September, spinach may be sown in rich 

 garden soil. These plants may be covered with straw on the 

 approach of severe cold weather. Some of this may even be 

 ready for use before the groujid freezes. The crop may also 

 be forced by starting seeds in hotbeds during winter. Savoy 

 and Victoria are popular varieties. The New Zealand type is 

 larger and better suited to hot weather. This might be called 

 an "evergreen" type as -the plants persist and the branches 

 are broken off for use. 



Squash. — This is a hot-weather crop. The seeds are 

 sown in the open field after the settled warm weather has 

 started. For this reason the crop is not well suited to school 

 garden work, but the harvesting will come in the fall after 

 school opens. With this in mind, it is best to use late varieties 

 such as Boston Marrow and Hubbard. Care must be taken 

 not to let the squash vines grow too near the cucumbers and 

 muskmelons because of the danger of the seeds becoming 

 mixed by the crossing of pollen. The hills may be started in 

 the same way as for those crops, but the distances may be a 



