Soil Culture: Containing a Comprehensive View of Agriculture, Horticulture, Pomology, Domestic Animals, Rural Economy, and Agricultural LiteratureWalden, J. H.
Science
Soil Culture: Containing a Comprehensive View of Agriculture, Horticulture, Pomology, Domestic Animals, Rural Economy, and Agricultural Literature
Walden, J. H.
Agriculture -- Handbooks, manuals, etc.
ENDIVE.
This is a well-known winter-lettuce. Sow from July to September,
according to latitude. It should come into maturity at the time of the
first smart frosts. To get beautiful, white, tender bunches, they should
be tied up when the leaves are about six inches long. When frost comes,
protect by covering. In very cold climates, place it in the cellar, with
the roots in moist earth, and it will keep for a long time. It will not
be extensively used in this country for soups and stews, as it is in
Europe; and but few of the American people care much about
winter-lettuce. This is the best variety of lettuce, except for those
who have hot-houses and attend to winter-gardening. They will prefer the
other finer varieties. There are two varieties of endive cultivated in
this country: _green curled_, which is the most common, and used
principally as a salad; the _broad-leaved_, or Batavian, has thicker
leaves and large heads, and is principally used in stews and soups.
Still another variety, called _succory_, which is used to some extent in
Europe as a winter-salad, but is cultivated mainly for the root. It is
dried and ground to mix with coffee: some consider it quite as good.
This is more cultivated at the South than at the North--their winters
are much better adapted to it. The medicinal virtues of this plant are
nearly equal to those of the dandelion. When it is bleached, by tying or
earthing up, the bitterness is removed, and the taste is pleasant; this
must be done when the plants are dry, or they will rot. Plant them in a
sunny place and in a light soil.
FEEDING ANIMALS.
Feed as nearly as possible at the same hours. All creatures do much
better for being so fed. Do not feed domestic animals too much: animals
will be more healthy, grow faster, and fatten better, by being fed
almost, but not quite as much as they will eat. Giving food to lie by
them is poor economy; always let them eat it all up, and desire a little
more;--at the same time, let it be remembered that creatures kept very
poorly for a considerable time, especially while young, will never fully
recover from it. This is often done under the idea of keeping them
cheap, but it is dear keeping. They never can make as fine animals
afterward.
All grains and vegetables, except beets and turnips, are better for
being boiled or steamed. The increased value is much more than the cost
of cooking, provided persons are not so careless as to allow food to be
injured by standing after cooking. Cooking is supposed to add one fourth
to the value of food. Grinding dry grains adds nearly as much to their
value, as feed for animals, as cooking. If you neither grind nor boil
hard grain for feed, it will pay well to soak it somewhat soft before
feeding. Variety of food is as pleasant and healthy for animals as for
men.
FENCES.
These are matters of great importance to the farmers of the whole
country, but especially to those on the prairies of the west.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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