246 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[June, 
io those about to get married—“Don’t.” 
;Stifl, Chicory is perhaps as harmless as any 
other Coffee substitute. As an adulteration 
it can only be used ground, and any one who 
will buy his coffee in a ground state must ex¬ 
pect to be cheated. Great quantites of Chic¬ 
ory root are imported, and if people will 
buy it as Coffee, the root may as well be 
raised at home. In cultivation the seeds are 
sown, in soil prepared as for other root crops, 
in rows 12 inches apart, using three or four 
pounds of seed to the acre. The plants are 
thinned to six or eight inches, and kept well 
cultivated. In the fall the roots are forked 
cut, washed, sliced, and dried. Singularly 
that has been said of prairie flowers. The 
prairies of Texas, and those of Arkansas, are 
often lighted up by patches of the richest 
golden yellow; this plant, which has been 
sent for a name, is the Golden Selenia— 
Selenia aurea. There is a genus Lunaria, 
the name of which is from the Latin word 
for the moon ; the plant in question being 
botanically related to that, it was given a 
name derived from the Greek word for our 
satellite, hence we have Selenia. Its specific 
name aurea is properly given, for it would 
be difficult to find a more “ golden ” yellow 
than its flowers present. The engraving, 
which gives the real size, shows the flowers 
early enough for planting, and in such places 
it is better to plant upon ridges. We have 
for some years followed the method first given 
in our columns more than 10 years ago by 
Mr. Thompson, of Staten Island. His direc¬ 
tions were to place a liberal supply of well- 
rotted manure, or rich compost, upon hard, 
undug ground, in rows three feet apart; then 
with a small garden plow, turn the earth 
from between these rows upon the manure, 
finishing with the hoe and spade to form 
ridges about a foot high. It would be better 
had this been done a month ago, to allow the 
earth to settle, but it may be done at plant¬ 
ing time, making the ridges a couple of 
inches or so higher to allow for settling. 
After the ridges are well made up, and the 
top levelled off with a rake, set the plants 
Near New York we find that any time before 
the 10th of the month is early enough. To 
those who know nothing whatever about 
cultivating the sweet potato, we may say, 
that the sets when they arrive will be 
tender-looking shoots, six inches or more in 
length ; they should have a good cluster of 
fibrous roots at the bottom, and each have 
several leaves, those at the top being young 
and tender as in any other growing shoot. 
As soon as the sets or plants are received, 
mix the most loamy soil at hand with water, 
to form a thin mud, about like cream ; then 
put in the roots of each plant—one at a time, 
and gently work it about until every fibre of 
the root is covered. As each plant is dipped, 
or “grouted,” as it is called,lay its roots against 
that of the preceding, until the roots make a 
mass as large as the double fist; press the 
roots together ; dip the whole mass in the 
mud again, and then with ordinary soil put 
upon the mass, as long as it will stick, make 
a compact ball of earth that completely covers 
the roots. In this condition, the plants will 
keep until the ground is ready for planting. 
If the tender tops of the sets are bruised or 
injured, carefully pinch off whatever will not 
recover, but no more. In planting, if the 
earth around the roots has so dried that the 
plants cannot be separated without breaking 
the fibres, wet the ball of earth until they 
will separate readily. The plants are to be 
set upon the top of the ridge, at 15 inches 
apart. If there are several hands to do the 
work, let one with a dibble—a stick somewhat 
larger than a broom-handle, blunt pointed— 
make the holes about 6 inches deep. It is well 
to have the dibble 15 inches long, to serve as 
a measure between the holes. Another hand 
should place the plants in the holes, while a 
third, with a watering-pot without the rose, 
or a bucket of water and a dipper, holds the 
plant erect with one hand and fills the hole 
with water with the other. If the soil is 
light and sandy, the water will carry it to the 
roots, and no other filling in is needed, but 
it is well to go over the rows the next day, 
and where necessary draw more earth to the 
plant. In planting, observe one thing: Al¬ 
ways make sure that the first joint, that is, 
where the lowest leaf joins the stem, is always 
placed well below the surface, as this will 
often insure the success of a very unpromis¬ 
ing set. It is well to keep a few sets in re¬ 
serve, to replace any that may die. If the 
plants look very sorry for a few days after 
planting, do not be discouraged ; so long as 
any part of the stem remains green, the set 
is safe. As soon as the roots “ get hold of the 
ground,” as the gardeners say, new shoots 
will start, and often from the joint below 
the golden selenia ( Selenia aurea). 
enough, in England, where Chicory is used 
as an adulteration, it is itself falsified. 
Hassall, in his work on adulterations, says 
that parsnips and carrots, dried and roasted, 
are used to adulterate Chicory, but the chief 
substitute is spent tan-bark that has been 
roasted. We cannot see why either of these 
are not quite as good substitutes for Coffee as 
Chicory itself, and none of them are superior 
to peas, Indian corn, or roasted ship-bread. 
Prairie Flowers—Golden Selenia. 
Those who have read of the beauty of prai¬ 
rie flowers are quite sure, when they first see 
a real prairie, to be disappointed. This is 
due to the fact that most persons travel late 
in the season. Prairie flowers of mid-sum¬ 
mer and later are large, and often showy, 
but being largely of the Sunflower Family, 
are, as a whole, coarse and disappointing. 
Nevertheless there are prairie flowers that 
are worthy of all the praise that has been 
given them. These appear quite early in the 
season, run their career in a very few weeks, 
and by the time that the grasses and the tall 
growing plants of summer come, the more del¬ 
icate spring flowers have entirely disappear¬ 
ed. To enjoy prairie flowers, one must be on 
hand when winter gives way to spring. The 
writer's first experience upon a prairie in 
early spring was in Western Texas ; he recol¬ 
lects one stretch of Phlox Drummondii (now 
in its many varieties so popular in our gar¬ 
dens), which, variegated by a blue Lupine, and 
here and there patches of Lantana and Pent- 
stemons,formed a show of bedding plants that 
dwarfed anything that could be seen in our 
gardens, and which more than warranted all 
to be of the structure common to the Mustard 
Family, to which it belongs. The seeds and 
pods present peculiarities distinguishing it 
from related plants, which, while of interest 
to botanists, would be out of place here. We 
hope that the friend who sent the plant may 
look out for the promised seeds, that we may 
ascertain its value as a garden plant, for 
should it make there such a show as it does 
upon the prairies, it will be welcome. The 
botanical works speak of it as “ annual or 
biennial.” The specimens that were sent 
us have every appearance of an annual. 
Culture of the Sweet Potato. 
The cultivation of the Sweet Potato in the 
Northern States is rapidly extending. With 
the introduction of new varieties, it is per¬ 
haps safe to say that, wherever Indian corn 
will succeed, a fair crop of sweet potatoes 
can be raised. Those living where transpor¬ 
tation from southern localities is costly, are 
thus enabled to enjoy this acceptable vege¬ 
table by cultivating it. It is not necessary 
for each one to raise his own sets. There are 
those who make a business of this and affox-d 
the plants by mail, at a price that puts them 
within the reach of all. Though the plants 
are very tender as to frost, they endure car- 
riage remarkably well, and when the upper 
leaves get braised when sent by mail or ex¬ 
press, the sets, if well i-ooted at the start, 
will readily recover. We have had plants 
sent by mail from southern Ohio to central 
Michigan, and though they looked very un¬ 
promising when they came to hand, very few 
of them failed. In localities north of New 
York City, the third week of June is quite 
