VEGETABLE GARDENING 
338 ' 
Plant Lice are serious pests, and are controlled by spray- 
ing or dusting with tobacco at first sign of infestation. 
444. Diseases. — Among the diseases of cucumbers, 
downy mildew, leaf blight and anthracnose are impor- 
tant. Bordeaux mixture is the chief fungicide used in 
combating these diseases. Applications should begin 
early and be repeated at intervals of about 10 days. 
DANDELION (Taraxacum officinale) 
445. Importance. — -The wild dandelion is frequently 
used as greens, but the leaves are much inferior to those 
of cultivated varieties, which are larger and often cut or 
frilled. The most common use of the leaves is for greens, 
although when blanched with soil they are valuable for 
salads. The frilled forms make attractive garnishes. The 
plants are grown in many private gardens and some com- 
mercial growers have found small areas very profitable. 
446. Culture. — A deep, rich soil is required to gw -7 
large leaves. It should be prepared as soon as poss ,.e 
in the spring and the seed sown at once in shallow drills 
a foot or more apart, depending upon the method of cul- 
tivation. The plants should be thinned to at least 6 
inches in the row, and more space is favorable to large 
leaves. Several cuttings may be made, but the first is 
always the finest. Some growers plow and start some 
other crop after harvesting one lot of leaves. The plants 
are often held over winter, when very early cuttings may 
be made the following spring. Top dressings of nitrate 
of soda are valuable for this crop. 
DILL (Ancth urn grav colons) 
447. Culture.— Dill is an annual herb the foliage and 
seeds of which are especially popular in the flavoring of 
pickles. It should be sown thinly, about L2 inch deep. 
