i76 



MANUAL OF GARDENING 



(Fig. 305). The leaves are very tender and make ''greens" much Hke 

 young beets. They are cultivated exactly like beets. Only one variety 

 is offered by most seedsmen in this country, though in France and 

 Germany several varieties are grown. 



Chicory is grown for two purposes, — for the roots and for the 

 herbage. " Barbe de capucin " is a salad made from young shoots of 

 chicory. 



The Magdeburg chicory is the variety usually spoken of, it being 

 the one most extensively grown. The roots of this, after being 

 ground and roasted, are used either as a substitute or an adulterant 

 for coffee. 



The Witloof, a form of chicory, is used as a salad, or boiled and 

 served in the same manner as cauliflower. The plants should be 

 thinned to 6 inches. In the latter part of summer they should be 

 banked up like celery, and the leaves used after becoming white and 

 tender. This and the common wild chicory are often dug in the fall, 

 the leaves cut off, the roots packed in sand in a cellar and watered until 

 a new growth of leaves starts. These leaves grow rapidly and are very 

 tender, making a fine salad vegetable. One packet of seed of the Wit- 

 loof will furnish plants enough for a large family. 



Chervil. — The chervil is grown in two forms, — for the leaves, and 

 for the tuberous roots. 



The curled chervil is a good addition to the Hst of garnishing 

 and seasoning vegetables. Sow seeds and cultivate the same as 

 parsley. 



The tuberous chervil resembles a short carrot or parnsip. It is 

 much esteemed in France and Germany. The tubers have somewhat the 

 flavor of a sweet potato, perhaps a little sweeter. They are perfectly 

 hardy, and, like the parsnip, the better for frosts. The seed may be 

 sown in September or October, as it does tiot keep well; or as soon 

 as the ground is fit to work in the spring, it being slow to germinate 

 after the weather becomes hot and dry. One packet of seed will give 

 all the plants necessary for a family. 



Collards. ■ — This is a name given to a kind of kale, used when young 

 as greens ; also to young cabbages used in the same way. 



