POT-HERB 
139 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 
