This section is from "The Horticulturist, And Journal Of Rural Art And Rural Taste", by P. Barry, A. J. Downing, J. Jay Smith, Peter B. Mead, F. W. Woodward, Henry T. Williams. Also available from Amazon: Horticulturist and Journal of Rural Art and Rural Taste.
I think this is a vegetable too seldom seen in this country. I do not remember to have found it for sale in any of the city markets more than once or twice. I suppose this is because it demands a little attention in the spring, and besides, it does not yield so large crops as asparagus. The flavor is, however, more delicate to my taste than asparagus, and as it has the merit of being more of a novelty, the gardener should always have a bed of it about twelve by twenty or thirty feet. It wants deep, rich soil, like as* paragus, and beds made in the same way, answer well for sea kale. Sandy soil is the most congenial to it. To make beds of sea kale, sow the seeds in April, and thin them out, when well growing, so as to leave them about twelve inches apart. In the autumn cover the beds with a little manure, and over this spread three or four inches of black bog earth that has been well pulverised; or, if you have it at hand, tan bark will answer equally as well - charcoal dust is still better. Through this layer, the young shoots will rise in the spring, and force their way up in a blanched state. They are then ready for cutting and cooking, as the sea kale, like celery, must be blanched.
When you have cut over the bed twice, remove the loose materials, except the manure, which, (with the addition of a slight sprinkling of refuse salt,) may be lightly turned under. The plants then grow all summer, and at the end of autumn the blanch covering should be again renewed. Considering how much importance every body seems to attach to the asparagus bed, it is surprising how little sea kale is known. I am sure if one half the ground usually devoted to asparagus, were occupied by a permanent bed of sea kale, it would give more variety, and more satisfaction, at the dinner table.
Salsify, or the "vegetable oyster," as its admirers call it, is now pretty generally cultivated, and a limited supply of it may be had in many of our markets. It is as easily raised as parsnips, if the seeds are planted early in April, in the same way - but it should have a place in the richest part of the garden. As the salsify is an excellent winter vegetable, and may be left out in the beds all winter without any injury by the frost, and is unquestionably the most delicate and agreeable of all the root vegetables, there is no reason for its very limited culture. I presume that many who plant it, fail because they sow fee seeds too late.
T. M. This is a most excellent vegetable, and well deserves more general cultivation. We will give an article on its cultivation in an early number.
 
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