Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1900-04-28
CULTIVATED cnIcoay Plant.


worse than worthless, as they spreat
over land like other noa ious weeds AIN
rob 1t OF useful vitality. Cultivated
chicoiY has it's herbaceous portion rdf
ducrd In height and rendered s-rvic,h
able for forage. while tie root IL de,elE
oped aud enlarged 10 the condition srItI
able for drying, roasting and reduction
TO the pulverized article Of commorce.t
History tells us that the ancient Ro-I
mans used young and tender chicoryI
plants for salad. and modern Europe
ans cook the leaves and serve them as
we do spinach, The use of the pulver-
lied root as beverage is attributed TO
Napoleon. who prohibited the lmporta-
tlon of coffee and cocoa because they
We're the products Of hostile nations.
Loan or a mixture Of clay and sand
lis the best soil for ehicory. Ii pfepar-
ing for chicory planting II is best to se-
lect land which has been well ferti-.
llzed. a local authority says that sur
face plowiug should be deep and fol-
lowed by subsoil plow in order to
break up the hardpan Just beneath the
shallow plpwing depth and to loosen
the subsoil sufficiently to enable tue
penetration of the chicory taproot,
which. when conditions We're favora-
bic. has been found to reach to the
depth Of three to four feet. The plant
to do well requires constant supply
Of moisture, and. though II will not
thrive. in a marshy soil. il must have
opportunity In dry weather to send
its roots deep enough TO secure what
II needs or the crop will fail. As
guide the soil should be put In root
penetrabe condition for from 10 to 1S
inches downward In planting from 20
to 30 seeds to the foot in rows are lsuf-
fcient The rows Should he from 12 TO
- inches apart. and the seed should
be covered by about one-third of an
inch of soil.
The time of planting In this part of
the country Is from May Is to 20. A
great deal Of cultivation Ii needed to
keep down weeds. Tue crop natures
In the latter part of September or early
In October. and an expert agent from
some factory Is usually on hand TO ex-
anime the condition OF the roots aud
inform growers as to the bes, tltne Cor.
harvesting. According TO u local laan.
ufueturer. one mode OF gathering isIo
first nov off the leaves and either
place them In -silos or cure aud stare
them fer winter use of stock, .Anoiaer
ie 10 lei the leaves rclpain Oh the route
until Gug. In both cases the cfegn ef
the root out Of which the leaves groN
must be removed. II being of no valve
20 the factory Digging 'uc the root Is
slmpisheo by rcnii.ng plow deeply
aloag me side OF and turning ',c ca til
away from the rows. The roots ARE
tLon extracted with comparative rase
In the same ipanner as carrots, pay-
snlps or other root vegcta b.es or ny
machine cliicory digger. After the
roots have lain out on the field for a
day or 80 and dried sufficiently for tho
earth 10 shake of then they aiH ready
for shipment TO the factory.
Chcory was formerly used to coa-
siderable eatcnt for medicinal pur-
poses. having been considered benen-
cial In jaupdice and vlscoral obstrac-
tiops. It's CHEF use. however, is as n
substitute for cotgee II was farmerly
alleged that chicory had an Injurious
effect upon the nervous system. hut
the same charge is made against ccn'ce
with quite rs much II not more founda-
tlon fD fact In England and some
other countries the use Of chicc:y in
adulie'atiag coffee Is lcgaiiicd provi,i-
ed the packages are so marked as 10 In
dicate the mixtures.
OWEN ROryRa