CHAPTER FOUR 

 SALAD CROP PROJECTS 



Celery, Lettuce, Parsley, Endive, Com Salad, Cress 



Though a few other vegetables of minor importance may be 

 included in the list of salad crops, the ones of main importance 

 are celery, lettuce, parsley, endive, corn salad, and cress. Celery 

 and lettuce are produced largely for the home table and for com- 

 mercial purposes in most parts of the country, and they are treated 

 as separate projects. Parsley is a species belonging to the carrot 

 family. It is a close relative of celery. Parsley behaves as a 

 biennial, growing a group of leaves the first season and sending 

 up an erect flowering stalk the second season. The leaves are much 

 cut and often curled in garden varieties. The flowers are greenish- 

 yellow. Parsley is a native of the Old World and is grown to some 

 extent in American gardens, but is not considered a crop of great 

 financial possibilities largely because of the limited demand for it. 

 Instructions relating to its culture may be found in W-VG : 406 ; 

 L : 157, 158, 310 ; C : 327. Endive, cress, and corn salad are of 

 less importance than parsley. Brief references to their production 

 may be found in W-VG, L, and C. 



The salad crops are comparatively shallow rooted. They re- 

 quire an abundance of plant food and a constant supply of soil 

 moisture. 



Project VI. Growing Celery 



Celery belongs to the carrot family which includes also the 



parsnip and parsley. This family is most at home in the north 



lis 



