Complete Text (Part 18)

is cultivated in the same way. Soil should be light and sandy, with a warm aspect. In France and England the plant is if possible grown at the foot of a sheltering wall. Distances. — One by two feet to eighteen by thirty inches. Depth. — Cover seed lightly. Roots the same as before. Sow seed as soon as ripe (in August and Septem- ber), as it rapidly loses the power to germinate. Sow 240 THE BOOK OF VEGETABLES in seed-bed, rows one foot apart, thin the seedlings to six inches apart, and mulch over winter. Set out young plants, or root divisions, in spring, after frosts are past. Culture. — Keep free of weeds till the plant covers the ground. Fertilizer. — Except at the seashore, where the plant will usually thrive, water occasionally with sea- water or a solution of sea-salts ; or with weak solutions of salt and soda; or sprinkle the ground in spring with powdered barilla. Pick the young leaves and tips as wanted, in August and September. They may be pickled. Protect over winter with a mulch. SAVORY, SUMMER. Summer Savory (Satureia hortensis) is an annual plant grown for its leaves and tender shoots, used in seasoning. Soil light, warm, and fairly rich. Distance*. — Rows twelve to eighteen inches apart. Depth. — One inch. Sow under glass in March or April, or outdoors when frosts are past. Thin or set out to six inches apart in the rows. Thinnings may be transplanted. Pick as wanted, or Pull the whole plant when in early flower, dry, and store. SAVORY— SCALLION 241 SAVORY, WINTER. Winter Savory (Saturem montajia) is a hardy perennial, whose leaves and tips are used as above, for seasoning. It is propagated by root-divisions and by cuttings as well as by seed. Soil should be well drained and warm. Rows one foot apart. Depth. — About one inch for seed. Roots as before. Sow under glass in March or April, or in the open when the ground is fit. Thin or set out to one foot apart in the rows. Take root-divisions in spring. Depth as before. Take cuttings in spring, and water till established, in a shady seed-bed. Set out in summer or in the next spring. Culture. — Give ordinary care. Pick the leaves and tips as wanted. Cut to the ground in fall. Protection. — Mulch lightly, north of New York city. Reset or renew every three years. SCALLION (often Scullion, but improperly) is an onion when pulled young, before the bulb has formed. Its white part may be eaten raw or chopped in salads, and is popular abroad. Or the term is applied to onions which do not " bottom " or bulb well, so that the neck remains thick. Leeks are sometimes called Scallions, as are Shallots, especially a variety majus. 242 THE BOOK OF VEGETABLES SCOLYHUS (Scolymw Hispamcua), called Golden Thistle or Spanish Oyster Plant, is grown and used like Salsify, though of milder flavor. Its disadvantage is that the leaves are prickly; as an offset the roots are '_ much larger, the seeds easier to sow, and from the same space a much larger crop can be raised than of Salsify. Its roots may be left in the ground over winter. The leaves of the plants are some- times blanched and eaten. Soil should be cool, rich, deep, in fine tilth, and not recently manured. Distances. — Rows eigh- teen inches apart or more. Depth. — One-half to one inch. Sow when the ground is fit. Only one crop is usual, as the plant requires the full Root of Srolymu.H. season, Thin to six inches apart in the rows. Culture . — Preserve the surface mulch, and weed. Dig in fall or spring. Blanch the tops like Cardoon, which see. SCORZONERA 248 SCORZONERA, Black Salsify, or Viper's Grass (Scorzonera Hispanica), is a perennial plant usually grown as an annual or biennial, though the roots con- tinue to enlarge if left still longer in the ground. It is much like salsify, but with roots black on the outside, while white inside. It is more difficult to raise than salsify, but some prefer its flavor. The leaves are some- times used as salads. Soil cool, rich, deep, not recently manured, and in good tilth. Distances. — Rows twelve to eighteen inches apart. Depth. — One-half to one inch. Sow when the ground is fit. Thin to six inches in the rows. Dig in fall or spring, or leave still longer, as the roots continue to grow. Store for winter use in sand away from frost. SCORZONERA, FRENCH (S. picroides, otherwise classified as Picridium vulgare\ is an annual salad plant, grown for its leaves, of which several cuttings may be had in the course of the season. The leaves have a muttony flavor. Soil moist and shady. Distances. — Rows twelve to eighteen inches apart. Depth. — One-half to one inch. Sow when frosts are past. Thin to six inches. 244 THE BOOK OF VEGETABLES Culture, — Preserve the mulch and keep down weeds. Pick the leaves as wanted, when the plant is grow- ing well; or pull whole plant. SCURVY GRASS (Cochlearia officinalis) is a peren- nial plant grown as an annual, for its leaves, which are used like those of water-cress, which the plant resembles, though the taste is bitter and tarry. It is ant i -scor- butic. Soil cool and moist, if possible with partial shade. Rows one foot apart or more. Depth. — About one inch. Sow when heavy frosts are past. Thin to four to six inches in the rows. Pick the leaves as wanted when once the plant is growing well. SEA-KALE (Crambe mariiimd) is a perennial plant, which, like asparagus, thrives naturally near the sea- shore, but which (also like asparagus), can be success- fully grown inland under widely varying conditions. It is chiefly an English delicacy, grown for its first shoots in spring, which are blanched, and are served like asparagus. The English prize it highly, as it comes into use in the spring when green vegetables are scarce. Besides this, however, it may be forced, the roots being taken into the house and easily brought into bearing, much as rhubarb is. Roots thus used SEA-KALE 245 have lost most of their vitality, and are scarcely worth nursing back to vigor. Sea-kale is such a strong grower that it seems to pay cultivation for forcing better than other vegetables, and most English private gardens have their plantations of it. American and even French use of it is very limited, but the plant is perfectly hardy in New England, and could be used in spring as a supplement to asparagus. Sea-kale is propagated from seed and from root cut- tings ; rarely from root-di visions. The root grows much like a branched parsnip, say, with several buds at the crown and with a short thick root which divides at a depth of about six inches into many side roots, often called thongs. When the main root is taken up for forc- ing, these thongs are also carefully taken up, lest by remaining in the ground they sprout and become troublesome. When taken they are cut into lengths for future planting. These thongs or sets should be stored over the winter in earth or sand, or may be left in a trench out-of-doors; in the spring if they have formed buds these should all be rubbed off but one, and then set out; they will make good plants for forc- ing or field-cutting in two years. From seed it is also possible to get a good bearing crop at the beginning of the third year, although some gardeners prefer thongs for raising permanent plants, even though the thongs be cut from seedlings. Sea- kale, like asparagus and rhubarb, is grown in a. 246 THE BOOK OF VEGETABLES permanent plantation, the plants often living to ten or twelve years with good management, although if heavily cropped they should be replaced at the end of seven or eight years. Replacing a plantation from cuttings is an easy matter, however, and when properly managed a garden can always have strong plants. Sea-kale likes good cultivation, and requires some care in cutting out weak or superfluous leaf-buds, while unless seed is wanted all flower-stalks should be cut off. In cutting the blanched stalks an inch or so of the root should also be taken, or the plants will stand up out of the ground more and more each year. It is quite safe to cut at the surface of the ground. Sea-kale is always blanched for the table, either under glass by artificial methods as described below, or by earthing-up or covering over in the open field before the plants start in spring. If blanched under glass, heat is generally used; in the field heat may be used for an early supply, and other plants may be left to come on naturally later. By one method and another the Eng- lish manage to stretch their Sea-kale season from about Christmas until late in spring. Varieties are few, Vilmorin-Andrieux naming but four. American seedsmen seldom offer more than one, which may be supposed to be the Common Sea-kale. Of this the leaves tinge purple when exposed to light after blanching and before cutting. The Lily-white has not that habit. SEA-KALE 247 Soil. — Sea-kale will grow in many soils, but the best is rich, cool, moist, deep, and in good tilth. If heavily manured, so much the better. Fertilizers with a good proportion of nitrogen may be worked in. Distances are according to the purpose. A good scheme is: set the seedlings or sets twelve by eighteen inches. At the end of the second year every other plant and the alternate rows may be taken up for forc- ing, leaving the rest as a permanent plantation at three by two feet. In very good ground this distance may be increased to four feet apart each way. In the seed- bed sow in rows a foot apart and thin to six inches in the rows ; or sow in rows closer together and when the plants are two to three inches high, transplant to twelve by six inches, to grow for the first year. Twelve by twelve is better, if the space can be spared. Depth. — Of seed, one and one-half to two inches. Of seedlings, as they were before. Of thongs, cover about an inch, setting them upright. Sow. — The seed as bought is in a pod or capsule, which it is the practice to sow without shelling, but if shelled they sprout more quickly. Although Vilmorin- Andrieux says that but one plant will come to each pod, frequently two or three will be produced. Sow seed under glass in March, in the coldframe as early as possible, in the open when the ground is fit. Seed may be sown in the hills, four to five to a hill, at the per- manent distances. 248 THE BOOK OF VEGETABLES Thongs may be started under glass in March or April, and set out when well hardened, about May 1, or when heavy frosts are past. Set thongs ordinarily (not started), when the ground is fit. Thin seedlings as under Distances. Thin hills to one plant. Set out seedlings or thongs as above, either at half distances, the intermediate plants to be taken up for forcing, or at the full spaces. Culture for the first year should be clean, no especial care being needed. Mulch over winter, and in the second spring transplant. Culture for the permanent plantation consists chiefly in cutting out all superfluous leaf-buds and all flower- stalks. Cut in the early spring to three or four strong buds, and occasionally during the year make sure that no more have formed. A cluster of leaves comes from each bud. Keep the surface of the soil in good condi- tion, or mulch with manure, until the leaves cover the ground. Fertilize. — In the spring work into the ground well- rotted manure. Occasionally during the year dress lightly with nitrate of soda or liquid manure, though in case of a manure mulch these will not be so neces- sary. In August dress with a good general fertilizer. It is an old habit to sow salt on the soil once a year, but as in the case of asparagus the advantage is doubt- ful. Kainit is preferable. SEA-KALE 249 Blanching is necessary to make the young shoots tender and to remove the natural bitterness of the plant. It should not be attempted until the plant, from transplanted seedling or from thong, has been growing undisturbed for two years. The shoots have thick meaty midribs with the slightest amount of leaf, and are best at from six to ten inches, the shorter being the better and more tender. The shoots are blanched by keeping them from the light. For outdoor blanching, cover the plants in the fall, or in the spring before they start, with light earth, sand, or litter, to the depth of six to ten inches. Or inverted pots may be used, the bottoms stopped; or boxes may be placed over the plants. As the shoots come to the proper length, they may be cut. If earthed, cut as soon as the tips show. Forcing in the field is done by heaping heating manure around the plants, but not so as to be in con- tact with the shoots. Pots or boxes are best used to cover the plants. By forcing a few plants in this way, several pickings may be had before the field-plants come naturally into bearing. Forcing the roots after lifting is a common practice, and is resorted to both for the blanched tips and for the thongs to make new plants. Take up the plants in the fall, when the foliage is dead, and after breaking off all side-roots trim the main ones to six to nine inches in length, and take out all but one dormant bud, 250 THE BOOK OF VEGETABLES Uniform lengths are best for convenience in forcing. Store the roots in sand or earth where they will not be frozen in, or in sand in a cold cellar, until wanted. (As for other plants, a period of rest before forcing is advisable.) The side shoots are used for sets, as below. Methods of forcing are innumerable; it is done either outdoors in trenches or in frames, in the ordinary house-cellar or in the greenhouse. In any case the roots are packed closely together in earth, the crowns just showing, and are then covered six to nine inches with any loose material; or are covered with pots or boxes of sufficient depth. If the roots stand over ma- nure, a few inches of earth should be between. Heat should be applied gently and slowly, and should seldom be above 65 degrees; 55 to 60 degrees is generally con- sidered enough. When the shoots push through their covering, they may be cut, taking part of the crown with them, for convenience in handling. The roots, once forced, are best thrown away. Forced shoots sel- dom come to the same length at the same time, and the bed must be repeatedly gone over until all are cut. Ether forcing might be as successful as with rhubarb, which see. Cut all shoots with a part of the crown. As said above, in the plantation it is safe to cut to the ground. Mulch in the fall with several inches of rough manure. In the spring rake off the straw and work the rest into the ground. Sea-kale being hardy, the mulch SEA-KALE— SHALLOT 251 • is not needed so much for protection as to prevent deep freezing and aid an early start in spring. Renew the plantation when the plants grow less vigorous. The new plants, from seedlings or sets, may be set between the old ones for two years, and then the old ones taken out; this is only possible if the plants have been set at generous distances, four feet or more each way. Sets or thongs when taken should be trimmed to about nine inches, though less will do. Trim the top square, the bottom slanting; tie in bundles, and store in sand in the cellar, or out-of-doors in a trench. In the spring take up and set; if they have formed crown buds, rub off all but the strongest from each set. Plant with a dibber, covering one inch deep. Sets are occasionally lifted in the spring. They will vary in size from that of a quill to that of the little finger, and may be cut as short as four inches if the roots are few. SEA-PURSLANE. See Orach. SHALLOT (Allium Ascalonicum) is a plant of the onion family producing a small gray or russet bulb, compound, its parts pointed. It is grown for these bulbs, used in seasoning, the flavor being milder than that of onion; the green leaves are sometimes eaten. Shallots are not raised from seed, but from their cloves, 258 THE BOOK OF VEGETABLES or parts of the compound bulb. Varieties are the true Shallot (of which Vilmorin-Andrieux gives three sub- varieties) and the Jersey, Ghent, Russian, and Alen^on Shallots, all larger and of differing botanical character- istics. Cibol is another name for the plant. Small brownish onions arc often sold as Shallots. Sail. — As for onion. Most good garden soil will do if not too dry. Distances. — Rows one foot apart, cloves three to five inches in the row. Plant in spring, setting the point of the clove just below or at the surface. Culture should be clean, but not deep. Pull when the tops die down; dry and store like onions. SKIRRET, formerly also called Skirwort, is Stum Sixarum, a plant once grown much more than today, for its roots, which are clustered like a dahlia's, though thinner and