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sf 
THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 
APRIL, 1916 
"IN MY OWN GARDEN ie 
AND ELSEWHERE 
Growing French Endive in the Backyard 
RENCH endive, or Witloof chicory, resem- 
bles celery in taste and somewhat in looks, 
being blanched white, but it has a peculiar, 
pronounced flavor of its own, nutty rich, with a 
tinge of not unpleasant bitterness which is 
delicious and appreciated. This endive can be 
eaten with salt the same as celery, but the best 
way of preparing it is with a sprinkling of 
highly seasoned French salad dressing, as used 
on lettuce. 
Up to a few years ago it was imported ex- 
clusively from France and Belgium. EHven to- 
day 90 per cent. of the Big Brussells Chicory, 
under which name it is marketed in Europe, 
used in consumption in this country is im- 
ported, and sold to consumers through fancy 
grocers and fruiterers, during the fall and 
winter season. The imported article comes in 
small willow baskets, packed in excelsior, and 
retails for twenty-five to thirty cents a pound. 
I was one, if not the first, in America, to 
grow it here in quantities for high-class hotels. 
In former years seed was not poe here 
and had to be imported direct, but of late sev- 
eral of the leading Kastern seed houses carry 
imported seed in stock and list it in their cata- 
logues as Witloof chicory. 
n growing French endive have a rich and 
deep soil, moist, but well drained. Harly in 
April broadcast well rotted manure liberally 
over the bed and spade it in. It is essential 
that the soil is turned under at least twelve 
inches deep, with the manure at lowest depth, 
as the roots of the endive plant penetrate 
deeply and plant food at that depth has to be 
provided for, as it cannot be supplied with a 
top dressing later on. The surface is now 
evened up, and raked several times with the 
hand rake to get the top soil as finely pulver- 
ized as possible. The furrows are laid out 
about an inch deep with a hoe handle or any 
other convenient implement on hand. The dis- 
tance from row to row 
is 15 inches; length, 
of course, depends on 
the size of the seed 
bed desired. Sow the 
seed very thinly in the 
furrow and cover up - 
lightly with good ice 
soil. Here care shoul 
be exercised, as ae 
covering will retar 
and sometimes pre- 
vent sprouting of the 
seed. A good way to 
cover up the furrows 
is to take a handful 
of fine soil and sprin- 
kle it over the seed in 
the furrows, then firm 
it, by pressing a small 
board, the size of a 
shingle, over it. The 
seed bed should 
always be kept moist, 
the water being sup- 
plied evenly. In a few 
weeks the sprouts will 
commence to show and 
when the plants have 
attained a height of 
about two inches, they 
have to be weeded and 
at the same time 
thinned out to about 
two inches apart. As 
is the case with all 
thinning out work, 
preference is given to 
the most promising 
plants, which are re- 
tained and the poor 
ones removed. After 
this is done a top 
If you wish information about dogs apply to the Readers’ Service 
French endive, resembling celery, has a peculiar flavor 
of its own. It is a delicious salad plant 
dressing of two parts of nitrate of soda and one 
part of muriate of potash is thoroughly mixed 
and broadcasted between the rows at the rate of 
about eight pounds to every hundred feet of 
row. <A planet hand cultivator can be used 
to work in the fertilizer and stir up the soil 
between the rows. No further attention is re- 
quired until the plants are about four to five 
inches high, then deep hoeing will be necessary. 
The soil around the plants should be loosened 
up thoroughly, the spaces between the plants 
weeded and the hand cultivator used between 
the rows. Clean cultivation at this early stage 
is necessary, as a good root formation must be 
developed. Very large roots have to be grown 
first, before any attempt to force endive can be 
made. From now on until the middle of July 
the plants are cultivated and hoed frequently, 
kept free of weeds, the soil loose, pulverized 
and moist so as to insure a rapid, unchecked 
growth. At the end of July the plants are 
thinned out again to their permanent distance 
of three to three and one half inches apart. 
Only the most promising ones should be re- 
tained and given room for mature development. 
The cultural requirements during summer and 
early fall consist in persistent cultivation, fre- 
quent hoeing and weeding and supplying suffi- 
cient water in dry weather. By October, when 
the plants have attained their maturity, they 
should be about two feet high with large leaves 
of intensive green color. The growing of plants 
is for the sole purpose to get roots of sufficient 
size. The leaves are valueless. 
French endive is produced by forcing a sec- 
ond growth of blanched sprouts out of large, 
mature roots. Knd of October or beginning of 
November is the usual time for the first fore- 
ing. ‘Trenches are used for this purpose; they 
are dug out with a hand spade, sixteen inches 
deep and the width of the spade. If possible 
have them near the house in a sheltered loca- 
tion. If more than 
one trench is to be 
used, dig them closely 
together, only a few 
inches apart. After 
the trenches are fin- 
ished, a layer of well 
rotted manure mixed 
with good top soil is 
placed in the bottom 
of the trenches, so as 
to encourage a more 
rapid second growth. 
They are now ready 
for the roots from the 
seed beds. The plants 
in the seed beds have 
to be dug carefully, 
avoiding any injury to 
the roots. Use an 
ordinary potato fork; 
by loosening the 
ground deep enough, 
they can be handled by 
the leaves and pulled 
up from the loose soil. 
Each root should be 
taken up separately 
and discarded if too 
small, double headed 
or in any way imper- 
fect. Only roots with 
a diameter of one and 
one quarter to two 
inches at the neck can 
be used if perfect en- 
dive, comparable with 
the imported article, 
is to be obtained. Be- 
fore placing the roots 
in the trenches, clip 
the leaves with a clip- 
(Continued on p. 186) 
