January, 1908 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



21 



gather them the cultivator seizes a bundle in his arms and 

 carries it above to the daylight. There women take them, 



Planting the Roots on the Subterranean Manure-bed 



and after having picked them over, divide them into small 

 bundles, in which form they are sold. Each small bundle 

 contains at its center a sod of earth that nourishes the roots. 



They then pack the vegetables in baskets, with a great deal 

 of care, and the next morning the market-gardener takes 

 them to the market. 



Some people, who make use of only one corner of the cel- 

 lar, plant the roots of wild chicory upright in a trough full 

 of heaped-up earth or sand, and gather the leaves when they 

 reach a sufficient height. Use is also made of a barrel pierced 

 laterally with holes capable of receiving three or four roots; 

 in these holes the roots are inserted pointing toward the cen- 

 ter. The crop lasts thus all through the winter without the 

 roots being changed. As to the bleaching under the frame 

 of a hotbed or in the open air beneath upsidedown flower 

 pots, the product is an excellent chicory, but one which is not 

 held in very high esteem. 



Certain market-gardeners of the outskirts force, in an 

 identical manner, another variety of wild chicory called "En- 

 dive." This large rooted plant has merits residing prin- 

 cipally in the size of the leaf and in the strong development 

 of the ribs. When bleached by subterranean forcing, it forms 

 a sort of head similar to that of romaine lettuce, very com- 

 pact and of the whiteness of ivory. The endives are culti- 

 vated exactly like the Barbe-de-Capucins, but the bundles that 

 are placed in the cellar to be wedged together on the bed of 

 manure are composed of a smaller number of roots, owing 

 to their large size. Moreover, once picked, the head is cut 

 from the roots. Again, endives are not sold in small bundles. 

 However, the endives form, together with the Barbe-de- 

 Capucin, a savory winter salad, as well as a picturesque form 

 of cultivation. 



The Aspidistra 



I ALMS are popular. Nearly everybody 

 who cares for plants attempts their cul- 

 ture. But not one specimen in ten affords 

 satisfaction to its owner, because of ill 

 health, which causes the foliage to take on 

 a pale look or turn brown at the tip of the 

 leaflets. The fiscus gives better satisfaction, 

 in the majority of cases, because it is able to withstand the 

 debilitating conditions which prevail in the average living- 

 room better than any variety of palm except Phoenix reclin- 

 ata, which would be the favorite of the amateur palm-grower 

 if it were more graceful in habit. As it is, it sprawls about 

 and takes up too much room. The ficus is ornamental only, 

 while it retains its foliage well down to the pot. As soon 

 as it loses its lower leaves it ceases to be attractive, unless the 

 specimen is well-branched, and not many specimens can boast 

 the possession of even one branch. 



The aspidistra is one of the best of all plants adapted to 

 house-culture and hall-decoration. This is because it is so 

 strong in constitution that it is able to stand the trying ordeal 

 to which all plants grown in the dwelling must be subjected 

 without any harmful effect whatever, if one may judge from 

 its appearance. A dry atmosphere evidently causes it no 

 discomfort. Dust can be washed off its thick leathery leaves 

 as easily as from a china plate. It does not seem to be at- 

 tacked by any insect. Give it all the water it needs and it 

 will keep on growing indefinitely. It rarely loses any of its 

 old leaves. The pot will become crowded with roots, but 

 the production of new foliage goes on as if there was no 

 restriction of root-room. 



This plant has no branches. Its foliage is all produced 

 from the thick, fleshy root-stalks which come to the surface, 



but never rise about it, except as they are crowded upward 

 by surrounding roots. The leaves average about fifteen 

 inches in length. The leaf-stalks run all the way from four 

 to six inches in length. Its chief characteristic is massive- 

 ness and luxuriance, because of its great profusion of rich, 

 glossy foliage. Well-grown specimens will often have from 

 fifty to a hundred leaves. 



There are but two varieties of aspidistra in general culti- 

 vation. A. lurida has foliage of a very dark green. A. 

 lurida variegata has foliage of the same rich green as a 

 ground color, striped irregularly with creamy white and yel- 

 low. Some leaves will show no variegation whatever. 

 Others will have but a single narrow stripe of light color, 

 while some will be so heavily marked that the light color 

 predominates. This variety is preferable to the plain-leaved 

 sort, because of the charming contrast afforded by the com- 

 bination of light and dark colors. 



Only the close observer would discover the blossoms of the 

 aspidistra. They are produced close to, or partly in, the 

 soil, at the junction of root and leaf. They are a dull 

 chocolate in color, thick in texture, and with no claim what- 

 ever to beauty. They are very interesting, however, to the 

 person who likes to study the peculiarities of plants. 



Those who have grown tired of sickly palms and naked- 

 stemmed ficuses, should try an aspidistra. Give it a soil of 

 ordinary garden loam. Feed it well. Water moderately. 

 Shift it into larger pots as its roots fill the old ones, until you 

 have it in a ten or twelve inch one, and after that let it alone. 

 You will be delighted with your acquisition, because it will 

 always look well, and you will never have to worry about it. 

 One of the strong points of this plant is that it does not 

 require a great deal of light. 



