The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-02-23

No other group of plants is so justly
entitled to place in the home garden
as the salad plants. The reason Is that
these plants in order to be at their
best when eaten must have been out
of the soil the shortest possible time,
so as to be crisp and tender They
can also be grown to better advantage
at home than in the commercial gar
dens, because more attention can be
given to a larger variety, and many
that would not pay the commercial
gardener to grow can be grown at
home at very small cost.
The majority of salad plants do best
in a rich, moist garden loan, well sup
piled with organic matter. especially
| that which has large proportion OF
nitrogen in it. 1t Is important that
there be plenty of nitrogen and moist
ure, because these combine to make
| the leaves large, succulent. free from
stringiness, tender and of high flavor
| 1t is a good plan therefore to grow
| the salad plants in the moister parts
OF the garden, and also to give occa-
sional dressings of the most soluble,
| heterogeneous fertilizers, such as nitrate
| of soda and sulphate of ammonia.
These can both be procured at the
seed stores. They may be applied
either in powder or liquid form; If the
Il rmer, care must be taken not to get
either salt on the leaves because dew
would form a solution which would
burn the foliage. In watering also it
advisable TO pour the water on the
ground near the plants In a small solid
| stream rather than to sprinkle IL on
| the foliage.
| After the ground has beon dug,
] finely raked and the seed sown ac-
cording to the brief directions given
' by the scotsman on the seed packets,
all that is necessary is to keep the
surface of the soil loose and open by
cultivation every two weeks and after
| rainy weather TO break the crust OF
soil that forms during each shower.
| This crust should be broken as soon as
the ground can be worked without
having II become puddled. What is
REQUIRED Is half an inch to an lnch
OF finely pulverized soil on the surface
to act as q mulch to prevent the es-
cape of water from the loan. II may
be necessary to use hand wedding tools
to remove weeds, but the hand wheel
hoes and ordinary hoes will take care
of the ground between the rows. All
these remarks will apply in general
way to the cultivation of the varieties
of salad plants mentioned below.
Internationally the easiest salad
plant of all to grow is peppergrass
or garden cress. Within three weeks
OF the date OF sowing the plants should
have reached a height of three inches
or perhaps more and thus be ready
for the table. If, however, the ground
is dry. growth will be slower. This
plant has a piquant flavor which suS-
gests that of watercress, but is yet dis
tinct. II is perhaps best appreciated
when eaten with salt and bread and
| butter, though il does make n very
| welcome addition to mixtures of milder
! salads, such as fictitious Cor corn salad
and lettuce. All that is necessary 10
prepare it for the table is to cut il
with the shears about an inch above
ground and wash it. In a few days
new shoots will come from the stumps
OF the plants that have been cut and
a second cutting may be made in about
two weeks.
Garden mustard is a plant closely
related to peppergrass. but is coarsei
growing and of not quite so pleasant q
flavor, especially when grown slowly
II may be cut in the same way us pep
pergrass, and either used for a salad
or boiled like spinach, to be served as
a pot herb. For the latter purpose II
is generally allowed to grow somewha,
taller than salad.
Many people have been disappointed
in their attempts TO grow fictitious, also
known as lambs lettuce or corn salad
The most frequent reason for this Is
probably that they have waited unit
spring TO sow the seed The plant is
Istrictly ii winter annual; that is. il
terminates in the fall and lives over
winter TO develop its flowers and seeds
early the following summer. Spring
sown seeds are therefore too dry anC
the season is not favorable to the
; plants. Fresh seed should he bough
in the autumn, sown where the plant:
are to remain and covered with a fairly
thick mulch OF marsh hay or othel
loose. light material which will no
smother the plants and yet will pre-
vent the heaving and settling of tn,
soil due to alterations Of cold anC
mild weather during winter. In tn
spring this mulch may be removed
about the time that pussywillows de
velop their buds naturally out OF doors
The plants when four to six inches
across are cut and used either Xix
spinach or mixed with piquant sala,
plants served as 4 salad.
Spinach may be sown in the autumn
in the same way as corn salad. Usu