i,Q POT-HERB 



^"^^ CROPS 



want plants with large, cut or frilled leaves, you 

 will see that the soil is rich and deep, and that 

 the plants have good tillage all the season 

 through. The leaves of these varieties are not 

 only good to eat, but they are extensively used 

 for garnishing. If they have been properly 

 cared for, the plants will often measure 12 to 

 20 inches across, with a crown or rosette of 

 dense foliage. 



Dandelion seeds are usually sown where the 

 plants are to stand, although occasionally they 

 are sown in seed-beds and transplanted. As 

 soon as they have made a fair growth they are 

 thinned to about one foot apart: the distance 

 between the rows will depend upon the sort 

 of cultivation the plants are to receive. Hand 

 tools require less space than horse tools, and 

 hand-hoeing less than wheel-hoeing, with more 

 labor and less returns. If the plants are allowed 

 to stand through the winter, they are ready for 

 the market very early in the spring when the 

 demand is briskest and the prices best. In 

 harvesting, the plant is cut off just below the 

 rosette and the roots must then be plowed out 

 so that there is no danger of the herb becoming 

 a weed. It is not worth while to try to sell the 

 small plants, but they should be cut off, to 

 prevent them going to seed and becoming a 



