94 
Practical  Hints  on  Vetjetahle  Farming. 
growth  in  the  oj)en  ground  by  placing  large  pots,  barrels,  or 
boxes  over  the  crowns  and  covering  the  whole  with  fermenting 
stable  manure  and  litter. 
Salsify. — Salsify  is  a native  plant,  and  is  sometimes  found 
growing  in  wet  meadows.  It  is  occasionally  cultivated  as  a 
vegetalde  in  this  country,  but  much  more  extensively  on  the 
Continent.  Its  cultivation  is  very  simple  : sow  seed  in  A])ril 
on  grouiul  prej)ared  as  for  carrots  or  parsnips  ; sow  it  in  drills 
fourteen  inches  apart  and  an  inch  in  depth  ; thin  out  the 
plants  to  six  or  seven  inches  apart.  When  fully  grown  the 
roots  may  remain  in  the  ground  like  j)arsnips,  and  be  used  as 
required  ; or  they  may  he  taken  up  and  stored  like  beet  or 
carrots. 
In  cooking,  the  roots  should  first  be  washed,  then  parboiled 
and  the  skin  removed,  after  which  they  should  he  boiled  in 
milk  until  quite  tender. 
Scorzonera. — Though  of  a different  genus  the  cultural  and 
culinary  details  are  the  same  as  for  salsify  ; there  is  not  much 
demand  at  present  for  either  plant,  hut  it  is  impossible  to 
say  how  long  their  unpopularity  will  continue.  It  is  not 
many  years  since  a few  hundredweight  of  tomatoes  su])])lied 
the  requirements  of  the  whole  country  ; to-day  the  demand  is 
for  as  many  hundreds  of  tons.  ' 
Spinach. — The  culture  of  Sj)inach  is  so  simple  that  it 
requires  little  explanation.  It  is  usually  sown  between  rows  of 
early  peas  ; hut  it  is  more  luxuriant  when  grown  in  breadths 
by  itself.  Sow  in  drills  fifteen  inches  a]>art,  and  as  often  as  the 
demand  necessitates.  The  crop  which  has  to  stand  through 
the  winter  should  he  sown  about  the  end  of  August  ; hut  as  a 
mild  autuihn  would  cause  it  to  l)e  too  tender  to  withstand 
severe  weather  another  sowing  should  he  made  in  September. 
The  plants  sliould  he  thinned  out  to  six  inches  apart,  hut  the 
summer  crop  need  not  he  thinned,  because  it  is  not  required 
to  be  so  hardy,  and  the  entire  plant  is  cut  when  gathered 
for  use. 
Seakale. — Seakale  is  a hardy  perennial,  growing  naturally 
on  the  coasts  of  England  and  Scotland.  This  j)lant  merits  a 
wider  culture,  being  a delicious  vegetable  and  profitable  to 
grow.  It  requires  a porous  but  rich  soil  ; cold  and  wet  soil 
causes  the  roots  to  decay.  I have  sold  early  forced  Seakale 
at  2s.  per  pound,  and  outdoor  grown  and  blanched  at  '?>d.  per 
pound  ; and  I have  cut  “ heads  ” from  single  crowns  weighing 
over  sixteen  ounces  (‘ach.  A good  plantation  of  Seakale  not 
