l i t a r é ■■
Sect. IV. Spinaceous Plants.
3714. As the excellence oi spinaceous plants consists in the succnlcncy of tho leaves,
much depends on giving them a ricli soil, stimng it frequently, and supplying water in
diy seasons. The space they occupy iu the garden is not considerable, say a thirtieth
part; more especially as some of them, the common spinach for example, often comes in
as a temporaiy crop between rows of peas, or beans, or among cauliflowers and broccolis,
&c. The plant of this class the most deserving of culture in the cottage garden is the
Swiss chard, which produces abundance of succulent and most nutritious foiiage. It is
to be found in eveiy cottage gai'den in Switzerland and the north of Fi-ance.
Sdbsect. 1. Spinach.— Spinacia olerácea L. (Schk. Hand. iii. t. 324.) ; Hicec. Hex. L.
and ChenopbdecB, B. P. E'pinard, P r.; Spinat, Ger.; Spinagie, Dutch; Spinaci,
Ital.; and Espinaca, Span.
3715. The common spinach is an annual plant, cultivated in this countiy since 1568,
and probably long before; but of what countiy it is a native is not certainly known ;
somc refer it to Western Asia. The leaves are large, the stems hollow, branching, and,
when allowed to produce flowers, rising from 2 ft. to 3 ft. high. The male and
female flowers, as the name of the class imports, are produced on different plants; the
former come in long terminal spikes; the latter in clusters, close to the stiilk at every
joint. It is almost the only dicecious plant cultivated for culinaiy pm-poses.
3716. Use. The leaves are used in soups ; or boiled alone, and mashed and served up with gravies,
butter, and hard-boiled eggs. The leaves may be obtained from sowings in the open ground a t most
seasons of the year, hut chiefly in spring, when they are largest and most succulent.
3717. Varie tie s. These are—
The round-leaved, smooth-seeded. | Flanders, or large-leaved. The leaves I general, and especially for winter, cul-
The oblong tnangular-leaved (prickly- of tills last species are very large, and tivacion. Tlie seeds are smooth. (Seo
seeded) or Bordeaux, | it is now considered by far tiie best for | Gard. Mag., vol. ii. p. 450.)
a spring or summer spinach, and the prickly for
3718. E s tim a te o f soi'ts. The first may be sown a
w in ter; but th e Flanders is so decidedly preferable
choice of where its seeds can be obtainei. ' ------
. ; for this purpose, th a t it ought always to be made
Its lower leaves measure from 12 in. to 14 in. in length, and
from 6 in . to 8 in. in breadth, and they are more succulent than those of any other variety.
3719. S um m e r c rop. “ Begin in January, if open weather, with sowing a moderate crop of the round-
c«... « ,•« . ««a The ' .
leaved. Sow a larger quantity in F eb ru a ry ; and more fully in March. “The plants presently fly to seed
in summer, especially if they stand crowded; it is therefore proper to sow about once in three weeks,
from the beginning of MarchI t1 o th' e middle of Ap ril: then, every week till th e middle of May; foom
which time, till the end of Jul1y—, sow once a fortnight. cS_m^a„U11 crops, tAlh_u_s_ r_e_p_e_a_Ate„dJ , w il1l1 1 »k_e_e_p__ a— suc_c_e_s_sion
during th e rest of summer and throughout autumn. A portion of th e prickly-seeded spinach may be
sown, if thought proper, to come in among the successive summer cro p s; andd iiif drilled between lines of
other vegetables, will encroach less than the smooth-seeded,—a thing to be considered where the spare
room is not of a liberal width.”
3720. Soil a n d s itu a tio n . “ T h e soil which suits any of the general summer crops will do for spinach;
that for the early crop should be lightest and driest. F or a January sowing, allot a warm border, or the
best-sheltered compartment. Afterwards, for all the supplies during summer, sow in an open compartment.
Where it is necessary to make the utmost of the ground, the spring sowings, in February, March,
and April, m ay b e made in single drills between wide rows of young cabbages, beans, peas, or other
infant crops of slow g row th ; or they may be made still better on spots intended to receive similar plants,
including cauliflowers and horse -radish; and the spinach will be off before th e slower-growing crops
advance considerably: or spinach and a thin crop of radishes may be sown together; and the radishes
M'ill be drawn in time to give room for th e spinach.”
3721. Seed, a n d p rocess in sow in g . “ When raised by itself, spinach is generally sown broad-cast, and
2 oz. will sow a bed 4^ ft. by 30 ft.; b u t in drills 1 oz. will sow th e same space. In drills, it is easier to
weed and gather: let the drills be from 9 in. to 12 in. apart. Beds 4 ft. wide, with small alleys, are convenient
of access. L e t the ground be thoroughly dug. Whether broad-cast or in drills, sow th in ly ; and
rake or earth in about 1 in. deep.”
3722. Subsequent cu ltu re . “ When th e plants are up, showing leaves about 1 in. broad, clear them
from weeds, either hy hand or small-hoeing; and thin the plants where crowded (especially the broadcast
crops) to 3 in. apa rt: and when advanced in growth, every other may be cut out for use, mcreasing
the distance to about 6in., that th e remainder may grow stocky, with large spreading leaves. T h e plants
of the early and succession crops attain proper growth for gathering in April, May, and June. When
the leaves are from 2 in. to 5 in . in breadth, cut the plants clean out to the bottom, or sometimes cut
only the larger leaves. But as soon as there is any appearance of th e ir running to seed, they may be
drawn out clean as wanted.”
3723. W in te r ci'op. “ The Flanders, or large-leaved, is best calculated to stand a severe winter, and
th e quantity of seed should be ra th e r less than th a t used for the spring sowings, as the plants of this
variety have much larger leaves than th e round-leaved variety. T h e main winter crop should be sown
in the first or second week of August, and a secondary one towards th e end of that month, to stand later
in th e spring, until the round spinach comes in. The plants of these sowings will acquire proper growth
and strength, and will not run th e same year, nor very early in th e spring, which is apt to be the case
with crops sown sooner.”
3724. S ite . “ Allot a compartment of dry-lying mellow ground, with an open aspect to the winter’s
s u n ; and let it be digged regularly.
3725. Process in sow ing. “ In general, sow broad-cast, treading th e seed down, and raking it well into
th e ground. T h e bed may be one continued space; or th e ground may be divided into beds 3 ft. or 4 ft.
wide, with spade-wide alleys between them, which are convenient both in th e culture and the gathering
of th e crop. A portion may be sown thinly in broad shallow drills, from 12 in. to 18 in. asunder for the
Flanders varieVtiyll, a1 nd f=r o-m 6 in. to 12 in. for t.h e smrt aller sor.t s. W. .h.e n th e p. lan, ts are advan cing, i n Sep-. - tember, they will require thinning and clearing from weeds; which may be done either by hand or by
small-hoeing: thin the plants from 3 in. to 9 in . distance. If by October and November the plants are
forward in growth, some leaves may be gathered occasionally; or, where most crowded, plants may be
c u t out to give the others room for a strong stocky growth, so as to be more able to endure the cold and
wet in winter, and produce larger and thicker leaves. In this stage, clear out all weeds by hand, as any
WIIITE BEET, — ORaVCIIE. 849
...OTA.A.gjvJ voA,,vv.iiii ioavtis: ine
■y,................. ''4 , HUH m e piancs to 7 in . bv 7 in 10 in liv 11„
v.A<v.vu, u U.e siuuuu ue wancea; as they will then soon ro to seed-stalk?
succeeded m May and Ju n e by the young spring-sown crops of round spinach.”
3OT7l 2— O6T .• AT. oOT UsLaAvC'eO sOOeled. “ To obtain seed of the rouucl-lo4,,h.,i i«....« « J--{!...a
plants in April, M
which have uot ruu. j. u save seea oi
some good strong plants of the winter
r h p n f«rtfr,i frl,4 « P IVJ r. „„U J.„ _A__J _ II February, c
Sc^ECT. 2 . White Beet, rrA Sea Beet.-B è t a okla L„ and Bèta maritima L. ; Pent.
n P. Bette, or Poiree, Ei-. ; Mangold Kraut, Gcr. B k t, Dutcli ; Elettola, Ital. ; and Acelga, Span. ; » ,
IS a hardy biennial plant, With leaves lai-gcr than the red beet
and vciy thick and succulent. It is a native of the sea-ooasts of Spain and Poitugal
and was introduced m 1570, and cultivated by Gerard and Pai-kinson. Tho sea beet
IS a native of the shores of Britain, but is not common.
asparagus, under the name of
3729. Varieties
Thecommon green-leaved small-rooted;
the root# not thicker tlian a man’s
thumb.
The sea-beet, a perennial.
The common iBhile small-rooted; the
leaves whiter, and witii white ribs and
veins.
species. The principal a re—
The great white, or Siviss chard; large
stalks, smaller erect leaves, with strong'
white ribs and veins; grown in many
parte of tlie Continent for the chard,
wiiich in taste nearly equals asparagus.
In France and Germany, where the
3730. P n
requisite.
..„----- 1 a n d soil. It is raised from
i'he soil for th e varieties to be used ;
white beet is much cultivated for its
chard, there are several other varieties,
(bee Lippold's Taschenbuch, vol. i.
p. 270., and Le Bon Jardinier, edit.
18oo.)
; and, for a bed 4J ft. by 12 ft. sown in drills, lo z . is
th in for the rod or yehow; beeTsrinta ta lto s w f
autumn of the second l_but it is best not to depend on the shot or shoot leaves of the secoiîd year'
t IS Dftrftnn n - n n rl in o e.«;! i_. . rt ’
ing the
autumn, by e u ttln g o ffth c flowering stems a l they a riS : ’ '" " ''» o r and
. 1. ■ ■ Tbe white beet generally sown in gardens in the beginmng of March and sometimes
„{AU -- - ' i - -— 'OTA, -OT AtOaT..A“.AO?TA'.* cr e P P '. r u» f1 bteCnHduecir ilceaavvcess llaattce iinn tthhee sseeaisisoLn ,, aanndd eeaarrllvv nnecxxt t tsan traintge ^ S ow
OWTI ii lz iiini . lfoorta cthnee flaarrgeeerr, i-nThe e ceoommmmoin ‘ g re e n t ab“e e'?t’, ®w Ih”e' n” s o*w n “thFr"e“e ftoimr tehse as mvaefalre r fkLiondd ¥iV o.aantida d1 0h iin-«.
Tp. 4S.3a6.) perpetual supply o f an excellent substitute fo r tliat vegetable (G« j-tf. , vol ii?
t o ¥ f ¥ ta 'ih " ree p lants have put out four leaves, they are hoed and thinned out to from 4 in
iho m ’i, £ 1 F i ' r e [ toooiid tlimmng should take place a month afterwards and the gromid
1l1i1 c«u litiivvnamtinEg' ttbh et aS woifs ws ecehdasr d,. atnhde s tpilrarnedts oanrec ef rofiro ntwoiiicreiv udrunri-innrgo Hth eri .«s-e;«a«s-o nr tw...«it«h, „a_ fo rk 'or Lpr*o n™d li™^ 111 cultivating t ^ Swiss to ard ,the plants are frequently watered during summer, to promote the su^c!
-iy litter, and solietimes e a rt/e d Z pariiv f S
radfofos!"^™**^*^ annuals, with fusiform roots, as th e turnip, carrot, &c., to throw out leaves anil lateral
Gathe ring. The most succulent and nearly full-grown leaves being gathered as wanted other?
will be thrown out in succession. The root is too coarse for table use waiitea, oiners
3734. To save seed. Proceed as in growing the seed of red beet.
Subsect. 3. Orache, or Mountain Spinach.— A'triplex hortcnsis D (Blackw t 99 )*
Pd,jg Momdc. L. and Chenopodeoe B. P. Arroche, Pr. ; Meldehraut, Gcr.': Melde’
Dutch ; Atrcpice, Ital. ; and Armuelles, Span.
3735. The orache is a hardy annual, a native of Tartaiy, and introduced in 1548. Tlie
item rises 3 ft. or 4 ft. high; the leaves ai-e oblong, variously shaped, £i thick, pale green, and gl1a' ucous, andV orft a slight ly aci“dV flavour. tuIitd p cruotd uact etsh ef leodigraerss,
of the colour of the foliage m July and Aug-ust. There are sevcrai vai-icties but the
two principal are the white or pale green, and the red or pm-ple-leaved fSee Gard.
Mag., vol. iii. p. 178.) ' ^
¿ 3 6 . T h e are used as spinach, and sometimes also th e tender stalks. The stalks are eood
only while to e plant is young; but t ^ larger leaves may be picked off in succession througho i f the
season l i v in g the stalks and smaller Ictyes untouched, by which th e latter will increase in size T h e
spinach tlms procured is very tender, and much esteemed in France
3 7 ^ . C u ltu re . T h e orache is raised from seeds, which may be sown early in sprina in drill? 2 ft
a p a rt; the plants being afterwards thinned out till they are 2 ft. distant in th e r •
3 I
e rows. A second sowing,
I'i 1 : •
I ■