ACETARIACEOUS PLANTS. — ENDIVE. 



159 



to the class Syngenesia and order iEqualis in 

 the Linnsean arrangement. For derivation, vide 

 Succory. It is said to be a native of the East 

 Indies, China, and Japan, and to have been in- 

 troduced in 1548. This Phillips disputes, and 

 we think with good reason, for Ovid mentions 

 it in his tale of " Philemon and Baucis." Colu- 

 mella also notices this vegetable as sufficiently 

 common in his day ; and Pliny tells us clearly 

 that it was " eaten both as a pot-herb and salad 

 by the Romans in his time ; " and in book xx. 

 chap. 8, he speaks of the endive or garden suc- 

 cory as being medicinal. Gerard gives an ac- 

 count " of the manner by which the garden 

 endive was preserved for winter use in the time 

 of Queen Elizabeth." His method may not be un- 

 interesting to the horticulturist of the present 

 day. He says — " Endive being sown in July, it 

 remaineth till winter, at which time it is taken 

 up by the roots, and laid in the sun or air for 

 the space of two hours ; then will the leaves be 

 tough, and easily endure to be wrapped up in 

 a heap, and buried in the ground with the 

 roots uppermost, where no earth can get within 

 it, which, if it did, would cause rottenness ; and 

 which, so covered, may be taken up at any time 

 convenient, and used as salads all winter, as in 

 London and all other places is to be seen ; and 

 then it is called white endive." Taking a hint 

 from this quotation, we have often, in taking up 

 endive in November, planted it in an inverted 

 position, by burying the leaves in dry peat 

 earth (which is an excellent antiseptic), the 

 roots uppermost, and exposed to the air, and 

 have kept it in good condition from two to three 

 months. From all we can learn, we are dis- 

 posed to believe endive a native of Egypt, 

 and that it was carried from thence to Italy, 

 and from thence to Britain, along with many 

 other of our horticultural productions. 



Uses. — The leaves are the only parts used, 

 and these only when blanched, to diminish the 

 natural bitterness of taste. It is one of our 

 best autumn, winter, and spring salads, and is 

 also stewed much in the same way as lettuce. 



Propagation. — In a cultivated state it 

 can only be regarded as an annual, and 

 is therefore propagated by seed, which is 

 light, and vegetates freely : half an ounce of 

 seed will sow a seed-bed of 40 square feet. 



Sowing and planting. — The earliest crop 

 should be sown in May, on a warm border, 

 in rich and well-pulverised soil. In sow- 

 ing, scatter the seed thinly, and cover to 

 the depth of a quarter of an inch. If 

 sown earlier, the plants are apt to run to 

 seed in autumn ; and if sown too thick, 

 they come up slender, and if not timeously 

 thinned, are much retarded in their 

 growth. For principal crops, sow twice in 

 June and twice in July ; and for a late 

 crop to stand over winter, if mild, and to 

 come in early in spring, sow again towards 

 the middle or end of August. 



The seeds may be sown broadcast in 

 beds 3 feet in breadth. In dry warm 

 weather water freely, both while in the 

 seed-bed and nursery plantation. As bulk 

 of vegetable and tenderness in texture, as 

 in the case of the lettuce, are the great 

 requisites, every stimulus should be given 

 to increase the rapidity of growth, and 

 this will be accelerated by the application 

 of liquid manure, such as dissolved guano, 

 soot, or pigeons' dung, applying it either 

 early in the morning or late in the after- 

 noon. When the plants are about 2 J 

 inches high, remove them carefully, and 

 transplant them into another bed of 

 equally enriched soil. Set the plants from 

 3 to 4 inches apart each way, water at 

 planting, and afterwards, if the weather is 

 dry. From this bed they may be trans- 

 ferred, when about 4 to 5 inches in height, 

 to where they are to come to their full 

 size. The early crop should be sparingly 

 planted, unless the demand is great, as 

 they are very apt to shoot up to seed, 

 more especially if the seed is of last year's 

 growth. A part of this early crop may 

 be planted on a warm well-exposed bor- 

 der, and the remainder interlined with 

 newly -planted-out broccoli or cabbage, or 

 between rows of dwarf pease, the partial 

 shade being of advantage to them, and in 

 some degree preventing their running 

 to seed prematurely. In taking up for final 

 transplanting, great care should be taken 

 that the roots are disturbed as little as 

 possible, and that as much soil as will 

 conveniently remain about them be also 

 taken along with them — and for this 

 purpose the planting trowel should be 

 used, instead of the dibber. As the plants 

 are taken up, set them closely together in 

 the planting- tray, with their leaves up- 

 right, and on no account follow the bar- 

 barous practice of cutting the leaves off 

 nearly by the middle. The planting-tray 

 is a light shallow box, about 27 inches in 

 length, 18 inches wide, and 3| inches in 

 depth. In the sides should be cut two 

 slits sufficient to introduce the fingers, 

 for greater convenience in carrying it to 

 the place of planting. Such trays are 

 much better than baskets, as they prevent 

 the loose earth falling on the walks, pro- 

 tect the roots better from the air during 

 their transport, and are more economical, 

 on account of their greater durability. 

 The ground for the principal crops should 



