Complete Text (Part 9)

as before. Sow when the ground is fit; set out roots in April. Thin seedlings to six inches in the rows; thinnings can be transplanted. Cut the leaves (when the plants are well estab- lished) as wanted throughout the season. Protection is scarcely needed except in very cold winters. Reset the roots, by taking up and dividing, every three or four years. Winter the plants in boxes in the house, for use as needed. CLARY {Salvia sclared) is an herb now little known, grown for its leaves, used in seasoning, especially of soups. It is a perennial, but best cultivated as an annual or biennial. Soil. — Any good garden soil. Distances. — Rows fifteen to eighteen inches. Depth, about one inch. Sow thinly, where the plants are to stand or in a seed-bed when the ground is warm. Thin to fifteen to eighteen inches, or transplant from the seed-bed to the above distances, when two to three inches tall. Culture. — Preserve surface mulch, or mulch with manure. COLEWORT— COLLARDS 97 Pick the leaves when the plant is well established, usually in midsummer, and at intervals until the plant goes to seed, which is usually in the second summer. After seeding, the plant is of less value. Protection. — Cover with straw or litter. Renew from seed, or by cuttings taken in spring; shade the cuttings and water till they start. COLEWORT. The cabbage or allied plants when grown as a pot-herb and cut for use when young, be- fore heading. Fig. 18. A plant of Collsrds. COLLARDS. A form of kale, grown chiefly in the South, where the cabbage will not head, and not par- ticularly prized in the North where true cabbages can 98 THE BOOK OF VEGETABLES be grown. A seed-bed crop. Best known variety is the Georgia Collard. The word Collard is also used for young cabljages, planted thickly in rows and picked when young for use as greens. Soil. — Rich and moist. Distance^ three to four by three feet when set out. Rows in the seed-bed a foot or more apart, as convenient. Depth, about an inch. Sow in the North in July or early August. Thin in the seed-bed when well up, to three or four inches apart. Transplant at six inches or more. Fertilizer as for cabbage. Pick the leaves as wanted. Disease and pests are those common to the cabbage tribe. See Cabbage. Succession. — Sow fortnightly. CORIANDER (Coriandrnm sativum), an annual herb grown for its seeds, used in confectionery and in the manufacture of liqueurs, as well as for seasoning in cooking. A hardy plant, easily grown, except as noted below. Soil. — Any good garden soil, but a light, warm loam is best. Yet on some soils Coriander will not produce seed. Distances. — Rows eighteen inches apart, plants one foot or more in the row. CORIANDER— CORN Depth, about one inch. Sow in fall or early spring. Culture. — Give ordinary culture. Pkk the seeds when ripe ; or pick whole plant and let it dry on a sheet, on which shake out the seeds. Pop-corn in front, S' CORN, or Sweet Corn, is developed from the Indian Maize (Zea May.i); it is often called Sugar Corn. Of great importance as a market -garden and a commercial crop, it is also much grown in American vegetable -gar- dens. Being very tender, it is not planted till danger 100 THE BOOK OF VEGETABLES of frosts is over, and is killed by the first real frost in the fall. The warmest and " quickest'" of soil should be chosen; the ground should be rich, and well sup- plied with quickly available fertilizers. A handful of chemical fertilizer beneath each hill is well applied whenever possible ; for small gardening operations Corn is occasionally started under glass, and set out when the weather is warm. Corn may be forced under glass under much the same conditions as tomato or eggplant. For table use, the ear is picked when the kernels are plump and well filled, but before it is ripe. Varieties are early (dwarf) and late. The chief Corn diseases are smut and blight. Pests are many. Soil. — Warm and light, but with a good supply of moisture, and a sunny exposure. Soil should be rich. In rotations, Corn follows clover well. Hill or Drill Culture. — Corn is usually grown in hills, with three plants in the hill ; but in intensive gardening, Corn is often grown in drills, which with a little more work and with less development of each plant, and also with the stalks less able to support each other against the wind, will produce more ears to a given area. Distances are entirely according to variety, rows from two and one-half to four feet apart ; hills in the row the same, single plants a foot to eighteen inches. Depth. — In spring, about an inch; later, one and one-half to two inches. CORN 101 Sow. — Under glass, for setting out, in April. In the open, when danger of frosts is over. If the ground is cold or wet, sow thickly in the rows, ten to twelve kernels in the hill. Ordinarily, sow thinly in the rows, five to six kernels in the hill. Thin to three plants in the hill, or in the row to Fig. 59. Seedlings of Sweet C twelve to eighteen inches apart, according to height of variety. Set out plants started under glass after the middle of May, or when frosts are past, Culture. — Preserve the surface mulch, and keep down the weeds. Fertilizer.— Any good general fertilizer, liberally applied, as com is an exhaustive crop; should be rich 102 THE BOOK OF VEGETABLES in nitrogen for a sandy soil. Dress once with nitrate of soda or liquid manure when the plants are up. Maturity is according to variety, from fifty-five to ninety days. Pick the cars as they are fit. Succession. — A late crop can be had in a favorable season by plant- ing an early variety about the mid- dle of July. Plant for succession every two weeks until then. Storage of corn is only of the ripe ears, for seed. Diseases. — Corn-smut is the worst disease affecting corn, its dark masses being very conspicuous; the plants yield less, and if the fungous growth attacks the ears, these are ruined. Continuous spraying of the ground and plants will control smut to some extent, but is too expensive. The Fir- si- hesft. preventives are collecting and plant of Sweet Corn, burning all smut as soon as it shows, and avoiding all manure from cattle which have been fed with smutted com. Use only healthy seed. The sorghum-head smut may be controlled by the same means. Corn blight is destructive, and has not yet been controlled by the known remedies. Corn pests are more than two hundred in number, CORN 103 the worst being the cutworm, the wireworm, the corn- stalk borer, and the corn-worm or cotton-boll worm. For almost all of them late fall plowing, and dressing Fin. 5*. An ear of early Corn. with kainit, one thousand pounds per acre, are advised. Rotation is also of value. Against cutworms use poisoned baits. Against wireworms dig into the ground poisoned sweetened dough; rotation, clover being used for the grass crop, and not to be followed by corn or potatoes. For the corn- worm, burn infested stalks and ears. For the corn bill-bug, plant late. For the corn-stalk borer, bum butts of corn ; burn over any neighboring^:^ marsh land; rotation. For the southern corn root- worm do not plant 104 THE BOOK OF VEGETABLES with squash or pumpkins; for its beetle spray with Bordeaux or arsenicals, or both. For the western corn root-worm, rotation at least every third year; keep the soil rich. CORN, POP-. Pop-corn is raised for its mature ears, which are dried and the grains popped by heat, for cooking, candy- ma king, and eating. It is cultivated like sweet com. CORN-SALAD, Fetticus, Vetticost, or Lamb's Let- tuce ( VaUrianella olitoria) is an annual salad - plant grown for its leaves, which are very mild in taste; they are occasionally blanched, and sometimes are cooked like spinach. The plant is tender to heat, but (except for the Italian Corn-Salads) hardy to frost, and is chiefly grown as a fall and spring crop. In inild winters or **$ FiB. M. Seedlings of Corn-Salad. Two-thirda natural sixc. climates it may be gathered out-of-doors through the winter; for winter use, however, it does better in a coldframe. It may be planted like spinach for spring use, and will winter well under a light mulch. Or it CORN -SALAD 105 may be sown in the fall for an early spring start. It is a small plant, and the drills may be less than a foot apart if space is scant. Vilmorin-Andrieux names nine varieties; American seedsmen rarely offer more than one. Soil. — Should be rich; old manure or nitrogenous fertilizers, previously applied, will help the crop. For fall or spring sowing, choose a light, warm soil; for a summer crop, choose heavier and moister land. Distances. — Drills a foot apart, or even nine inches. Depth. — Very shallow. Sow thinly in late August for a crop to be wintered in the open, or for transference to a coldframe. For spring crop sow in late September, or in spring as early as the ground can be worked. As the plant is tender to heat, successional sowings are rarely tried. Thin to six inches in the rows. Transplant thin- nings. Preserve soil moisture; water in drought. Fertilizer. — Liquid manure or nitrate of soda, weekly. Pick the leaves when the plant is about as large as half-grown lettuce. A later crop can be had from the same plant. Plants wintered in coldframes will con- tinue to yield through a mild winter. Protect young plants in fall under a light mulch. Blanching is not often attempted, the leaves not having enough flavor to stand the process. 106 THE BOOK OF VEGETABLES COSTMARY or Alecost (Chrysanthemum Balsamita tanacetoides) is a little-grown herb, a hardy perennial, its leaves used in salads. It is propagated by dividing the roots. Soli. — Preferably light, well drained and sunny. Distances. — Two by two feet. Depth. — As before. Set out root-divisions in spring or autumn. Re-set every three or four years. Protect lightly in the North. CRESSES are best reduced to three classes. ("In- dian Cress" is Tropceolum or Nasturtium; see under Nasturtium. ) (1) Cress, Garden Cress, Common Cress, or Pepper Cress (Lepidium sativum) , is a salad and garnishing plant, very popular in Europe and especially in the neighborhood of London, where with mustard some market-gardeners use as much as 500 bushels of seed in a season. It should be better known in America, being one of the freshest and crispest of salad-plants, of very simple cultivation. Its taste is slightly peppery. A valuable characteristic of the plant is its rapid growth, yielding its crop in from three to four weeks; but as it runs quickly to seed, successional sowings a week or more apart are advisable. The plant and seed are hardy. When the seed-stalk has formed, only the young leaves are palatable. The leaves are used as CRESSES 107 garnishing or for salads, and are picked when about three inches in length. Cress is usually a spring or fall crop, not being so good in summer, Vilmorin-Andrieux gives five varieties, but American seedsmen. seldom offer Fig. 55. Seedlings of Garden Cress. Two-thirds natural size.' more than the common and the curled. Its chief enemy is the flea-beetle. Soil. — Preferably moist, cool and rich, but any good garden soil will do. Distances. — Rows a foot apart. Depth. — Shallow; about one-fourth inch. Sow thickly, as soon as the ground is fit in spring, and at weekly intervals till warm weather; begin again at the middle of August for fall succession. Thinning is scarcely necessary. Culture. — Preserve soil-moisture. Pick when from three to six inches tall; cut the leaves and leave roots to develop a second crop. Or pick as wanted. In the house Cress can be easily grown, in pots or boxes, by a sunny window. 108 THE BOOK OF VEGETABLES (2) Upland Cress, in two varieties — Barbarea vul- garis and B. prcecox — is known as Broad-leaved Winter, American, Belleisle, Hardy, and Scurvy Cress. It is a hardy plant; the seeds may be left in the ground over winter, to sprout in the spring. It resembles Water Cress in form and flavor; like garden Cress, it is best grown as a fall or spring salad, the leaves becoming tough and bitter in summer. As the leaves lie flat on the ground, they are often soiled by heavy rains. It is of later maturity than Garden Cress, requiring about seven weeks. The varieties are very slightly distin- guished. Soil. — Any good garden soil, not too dry. Distances. Drills one foot apart. Depth. — About one-half inch. Sow as soon as the ground is fit, and again in mid- July for a fall crop. Or sow in September for an early spring start. Thin to four to six inches. Pick at about four inches, and again as the leaves grow. Successional sowings are not usual, as the plant does not bear heat. (3) Water Cress (Nasturtium officinale) is a hardy perennial aquatic plant, grown for its leaves, which are used as garnishings, salads, and even for boiled greens. It flourishes naturally in slow-running, shallow water, or at the edges of springs, but with care may be cul- CUCUMBER 109 tivated in shady land, well watered. It is propagated from seeds or root-divisions, and may be started in flats under glass. If cultivated in the garden, choose a shady spot with good loam, fork in manure, and mix in sand or gravel. Watering should be frequent. It may be grown on the outer edge of a hotbed, or will do well in an unused frame. Varieties are few. Soil should not be muddy. Distances. — In flats, rows a couple of inches apart, or broadcast; prick out once. Outdoors, rows nine inches apart; or set roots six inches apart each way. Depth about one-fourth inch for seed; roots as be- fore. Sow under glass in April; in the open at any time during spring or summer. Set out house-raised seedlings early in May. Pick when well established; pick the leaves only, not the roots, and the supply will continue indefinitely. Succession. — The plants will multiply under favor- able circumstances, by their own seeds and roots. Winter growing of Water Cress is possible in the house or under glass, from roots taken up and kept in good loam, in a warm and moist place. CUCUMBER (Cucumis sativus) is an annual semi- tropical fruiting vine ; fruits are picked while immature, and used for salads, for pickling, and occasionally for cooking. It is very tender to frosts, and for early 110 THE BOOK OF VEGETABLES Cucumber seeds are started under glass; as the young vines transplant with difficulty, jx>ts or inverted sods are advisable. A continuous picking is usually possible once the fruits have set; in fact, if a fruit is allowed to ripen, the yield of the plant is at once lessened, but early solitary fruits should be picked, to aid a more profuse crop. If the plant runs to vine, pinch- 'SZ&C// typ&ZL) Fiff. 56. Seeding of Cucumber. Two-thirds natural size. ing off the end will often help fruiting. Varieties classify (Cyclopedia of American Horticulture): (1) English Forcing Cucumbers (seldom grown in Amer- ica except for private use.) (2) Field Varieties. — (a) Black Spine type, (b) White Spine type. Other Cucum- bers are the Sikkim, the Snake or Serpent, and the West India Gherkin. (Ordinary Cucumbers picked when small are often called gherkins.) Cucumber culture is invariably in hills. Pests are numerous and very troublesome. CUCUMBER 111 Soil. — Any good garden soil, but preferably light and neither dry nor wet. Cucumber soil should be in the best of tilth, rich, and "quick." Into each hill well- rotted manure should be spaded, and a handful of chemical fertilizer should also be added. Too much nitrogen in the soil will, however, cause the plants to run to vine. Distances. — Hills four or five feet each way. For large late varieties four by six feet is advisable. A hill should be about two feet in diameter. Depth. — Under glass, cover seed lightly. Out-of- doors, about three- fourths of an inch. Sow. — Under glass, in April. A good practice is to sow several seeds in a five- or six-inch pot, half filled ; when the plants are up, pick out all but the strongest ; fill in as the plant grows ; transplanting is thus avoided. Berry baskets may be used, and set out baskets and all. Or sow in inverted sods. Sow out-of-doors when danger of frosts is over, about June 1, eight to ten seeds to the hill, on account of insects. Sow for pickles in June and early July. Let all plants grow that will, until it is evident which are the strongest against their pests, when Thin to four or five in the hill. - Set out house-grown plants when danger of frosts is over. They should be stocky to withstand enemies, and well hardened to bear the sun and wind. Cultivate till the vines cover the ground. 112 THE BOOK OF VEGETABLES Fertilizing' should be done before the plants are sown or set. Nitrate of soda or liquid manure applied late will make them run to vine, but may be applied frequently in small quantities to the pickle crop. Pick any early single fruit, to force a numerous growth. Pick all fruits when of proper size, even if not needed, or the plant will cease to bear.