182 THE KITCHEN-GARDEN. [chap. vi. 
blanched by bending down the tips of the 
leaves over the heart, and tying them to¬ 
gether with bast mat. Lettuces are also 
sown by the French to cut for salads when 
quite young, as we grow mustard and cress. 
j Endive is a native of China and Japan, 
introduced before 1548. It is generally 
sown in large gardens at three seasons, viz., 
April, June, and August; but in small gar¬ 
dens one sowing is generally thought suffi¬ 
cient, and that is made in May. The seeds 
are sown very thinly in beds of rich mellow 
earth; and when they are from four to six 
inches high, they are transplanted into beds 
of rich light earth, where they are planted in 
drills about a foot apart in the line; and 
as they grow, are occasionally earthed up. 
When the plants are about three parts grown, 
the outer leaves are tied over the hearts to 
blanch them, with strands of bast mat, or 
osier twigs; a dry day being chosen for the 
operation. Only a few plants should be tied 
up at a time; and they should be seldom al¬ 
lowed to stand more than a fortnight or three 
weeks after the operation; as, if they remain 
longer, particularly if the weather be wet. 
