i i
; i
r . I
sidered the most favourable circumstance in which they can he placed. Where the plants are not in
rows, the water is impeded in its course, and the plants are choked up with weeds and th e different
mutters which float clown the stream; and when tho cress is grown in deep wa te r,th e roots arc easily
drawn out of the soil in gathering. The cress will not grow freely in a muddy bottom, nor will it taste
well when tliere is miid about th e roots ; which should be carefully removed, and replaced by gravel or
chalk. It is absolutely necessary to have a constant current, as, where there is any obstruction to the
stream or flow of water, the plauts cease to thrive. After the plants have been cut about three times,
they begin to stock, anct then the oftener they are cut the b e tte r; in summer it is necessary to keep them
very closely cu t; and in water of a proper depth, and with a good soil, each bod supplies a gathering
once a week. In winter the water should be ra the r deeper than in summer (4 in. or 5 in.) : to obtain
this, the plants are left with more head, th a t the water may thus be impeded.
39S3 R e p ’’'' — J''— 'PI.« .-V. «rtf «OT«.«.. rti.T« ..«„I- «Cfi. rt rt.rtiA:....:«.. 4rt fl.R e p la n tin g . The most expensive part of the cultivation is th ert OnTerctret-srtsrititfy. of cleaning out and replanting
the bods twice a y e a r; as the mud quickly collects about th e roots, and th e duckweed and other
plants become intermixed with and choke np the cress ; it is almost impossible to pick it in a fit state for
market after the plantation has been made five or six months. The mode of replanting is to remove all tfh l.ret .r.ortrotftrst ortTf -pirltaOnTtfs-, bi,retg~i nn:in__g_ aft ftlh. _e -sft_re_a__m1 head1 , a...n. dJ fth,_e_n cle_a_r .t1h- e bed orft t. h1. Ve s.t rea®m frtrom mud and
rubbish, which, however, it should be remarked, make excellent garden manure. From th e crop of
plants thus taken out, the youngest, and those with most roots, are selected ; these are placed on th e
gravel in rows a t the requisite distance, with a stone on each plant, to keep it in its place. The times of
renewing the beds are in May and June, and from September to November. The planting is done in
succession, so th at the crops may come regularly into cuttmg. Those planted in May are fit to cut in
August, and those planted in November are ready to gather in the spring.
3984. Culture in water-heds. Some market-gardeners who can command a small stream of water, grow
the water-cross in beds sunk about I ft. in a retentive soil, with a very gentle slope from one end to the
other. Along the bottom of this bed, which may be of any convenient breadth and length, chalk or
gravel is deposited, and the plants are inserted about 6 in. distance every way. Then, according to the
slope and length of the bed, dams are made 6 in. high across it, at intervals ; so that, when these dams
are full, the water may rise not less than 3 in. on al! the plants included in each. The water being
turned on will circulate from dam to dam ; and the plants, if not allowed to run to flower, will afford
abundance of young tops in all but the winter months. A stream of water, no larger than what will fill
a pipe of 1-inch bore, will, if not absorbed by th e soil, suffice to irriga te in this way an eighth of an acre.
As some of the plants are apt to ro t off in winter, the plantation should be laid dry two or three times a
year, and all weeds and decayed parts removed, and vacancies filled up. Cress grown in this way, however,
is far inferior to that grown in a living stream flowing over gravel or chalk.
3985. T a k in g the c rop. The shoots are cut for market, not broken off, which is th e usual mode of
gathering th e wild cress, and which latter practice is found to be very injurious to th e plants in th e heds.
{U o r t. T ra n s ., vol. iv. p. 540.)
S u b s e c t . 10. Bumct. — Rotèrium Sanguisórba L. {Etig. Bot. 860.) ; Monade. Pohjän.
L. and Rosàcece J. Petite Pimprenelle, Pr, ; Pimpernelle, Gcr. ; and Pimpinella,
Ital.
3986. The burnet ìs a hardy perennial plant, indigenous in Britain, and found in dry
upland calcareous soils. The leaves are pinnated, and form a tuft next to the root ; but
alternate on the stem : the leaflets are partly round-shaped, partly pointed, and much
seiTated on the edges. The stem rises 15 in. Iiigh, and the flowers form small gTCcnisli
heads tinged with purple in July.
3987. Use. Burnet leaves are sometimes put into salads, and occasionally into soups, and they form
a favourite herb for cool tankards. When slightly bruised, they smell like cucumber, and they nave a
somewhat warm taste. They continue green through the winter, when many other salad-phints are cut
off, or in a state unfit for use. Burnet was formerly in much greater repute than a t present.
3988. P ro p a g a tio n a n d c u ltu r e . The plant may be raised from seed ; of which half an ounce will
suffice for a bed 3 ft. by 4 ft. It may either be sown in spring or early in autumn. It may also be very
readily propagated by parting the roots early in spring. When the plants are of 2 in. or 3 >n. growth,
transplant into rows, or a bed, at G in. plant from plant. Cut down all flower-stalks not intended for
seed.
S u b s e c t . ll. Wood Sorrel — O'xalis Acetosèlla L. {Eng. Bot. 762.); Decan. Pentag.
L. and Geraniàcea; J. Oseille, Fr. ; Sauerampfer, Ger. ; and Acetosa, Ital.
3989. The wood sorrel is an indigenous perennial plant, found in woods, and by
hedgc-sides, and in moist, shady situations. It has a scaly, bulbous, articulate root, and
ternate ohcordatc, haiiy leaves. The flowers rise from the root singly, are of a pale flesh-
colour, and appear in April and May.
3990. Use. The leaves form a very grateful addition to salading, and communicate an agreeable relish
to dishes of F rench cookery.
3991. _ Culture. The plant is readily propagated by dividing the roots, and may be planted in a moist
shady situation in bog earth. Here, by preventing the plants from cominginto flower, and cropping the
herb of a p art of the plantation two or three times in th e season, a supply of fresh young leaves mav be
obtained from Apr;! to October. ' e u s j &
S u b s e c t . 12. Small Salads.
3992. B y small salads gardeners and cooks understand the small herbs, or very young
plants, which are used in the seed-leaves ; such as cress, mustard, radish, and rape ; also
the laml)’s-lcttuce. Others, such as sorrel, are either potherbs or salad-herbs. Sometimes
the white cabbage, lettuce, endive, and succory, arc also sown, to be cut in the
seed-leaf. The small salads are occasionally used by themselves, when there is a deficiency
of the greater salad-plants, the lettuce, endive, celery, &c. But when both
kinds can be baci, they arc in general combined. In Prance and Italy the Picridium
vulgàrc, Coinpósitaj Cichoràccae, a little, low, thistle or dandelion looking plant, is
sown like salad lettuce, and used both in salads and as greens. The Bon Jardinier
(edit. 1833, p. 272.) says it tastc.s a little like mutton. Tn Turkey, and also in Prance,
tho flowers oi’ the Judas tree are mixed with small salads; they have an agreeable acid
fiavour.
3993. Culture . Sow very thick in drills, or on beds of very finely pulverised soil, watering in dry
weather, to accelerate germi• na•t•i on and. the -s-u--c-c--u len cy o f “th1e6 pp lants. Early in spring sow under glas.s,
or in a warm sheltered situation, and in winter in pots and boxes to be placed
some of the forcinghouses,
or in the stove; or sowin ...............................theborde rs ofthe forcing- houses, or r i r ho*’” iiotbeds ’
or pits, &c. Observe,
th a t a supply is wanted in most families throughout the year.
3994. Gaiheving. Cut off the seed-leaves, and about halt' their foot-stalks, as soon as the former are
expanded : some prefer letting small salading grow till one or two of the proper leaves appear, in which
case it is of a stronger flavour.
S e c t . VIII. Potherbs and Gamishings.
3995. Potli£i-bs and gamishings require but a very small portion of the kitchen-
garden, perhaps not above two or three poles, even in the largest; and, with the exception
of parsley, maidgold, and Indian cress, they are rarely found iu thoso of the
cottager.
S u b s e c t . 1 . Parskg. — A'pium Vetroselinum L .; Pent. Trig. L. and UnibeUifera J.
Persil, F r.; Petersilie, Gcr.; Peterselk, Dutch ; Petroselino, Ital. ; and Perejil,
Span.
3996. The parsley is a hardy biennial, a native of Sardinia, and introduced in 1648.
It is so common as to be naturalised in several places both of England and Scotland.
“ It may be right to notice, that the poisonous plant called fool’s parsley (o®thusa
Cynapium), a common weed in rich garden-soils, has sometimes been mistaken for
common parsley. They are very easily distinguished; the leaves of fool’s parsley arc
of a darker green, of a different shape, and, instead of the peculiar parsley smell, have,
when bruised, a disagreeable odour. When tho flower-stem of the fool’s parsley appeai-s,
the plant is at once distingnishecl by what is vulgarly called its beard, tlirec long pendent
leaflets of the involucram. The timid may shun all risk of mistake by cultivating
only tho curled variety. This last, it may he remarked, makes tho prettiest garnish.”
{NeiU, in Ed. Enajc.)
3997 Use The leaves of the first two varieties mentioned below are used as potherbs a t all seasons
of th e v e a r: also as a garnish. The third kind is esteemed for its large white carrot-shaped root, a r . p. ... ...._rt_fl__ frtl.. Irt rt.rt-lrtrtrtrtrttrt... rtlt.. I-«1.« ..rt«.? ir, ni«rl ftjne t )f 'yeai ;uisu «« « „...c ....... — ...- — — . ,.
drawn in autumn and winter, like parsneps, for the table, and occasionally to be used in medn
considered a remedy for the gravel.
3998. Varieties. These are—
¿inter, edit, for 1853, p. 271.), most
esteemed.
3. The hroad-Uaved; or largc-rootcd
Hamburgh; ciUtiyatedforitscaiTot-
sbaped root.
!, being
1. The commonplain-Uaved ; seldom cultivated.
2. The curled-kaved ; Persil nain très
frisé, of wbicti a beautiful variety is
cultivated by M. Vilmorin {Bon Jar- celery. (JOid. p. 272.)
3999. Culture o f the f i r s t tiuo, o r p othe rb, k in d s . “ One .sowing —s.p..r.i..n.-g-- -w--i-l-l- --m---o-s.t«l y furnis, h -y oungleaves
all the yea r; though, to answer a constant demand, many persons make successive sowings trom
February to May. Some also sow early in autumn for young parsley in winter and spring; but such a
supply is better provided by cutting down established plants. Sow in a single drill, along theedgc of any
compartment or occasionally in rows 9 in. or 12 in. asunder. Draw small drills, .something less than
lin deep - in which drop the seed moderately thick, and cover a little above half an inch. The plants will
come up in three or four weeks, and when 2 in. or 3 in. high, may be gathered as wanted, all the summer,
winter and following spring, till May, when they will go to seed. Have always a young crop sown
I> III tu 1 , clllM lu ll Vi VTlll¿5 . . . . ... « T , . . . . . . . . .. wj _ rt,rt
timely • in ...........................the spring, to succeed ’ the -i declining old plants. In gathering potherb parsley, cut
cut close and
rc n ila r In summer, when the plants grow rank, yielding more leaves than can be used, cut them in
close to the bottom, and they will shoot up stocky in a regular close growth. Observe also to do the
same in autumn, about the end of September, that th e plants may form heads of fresh young leaves
before winter. On the approach of frosty weather, protect them with haulm or reed panels, laid upon
branches of birch or other light supports.” a a u ft. •
4000. CuUure o f H am b u rg h iiarsle y . “ To obtain large roots, allot a compartment where th e soil is
deen and has been well dug. Any common mould will suit, if dry and not too rich. Sow in I ebruary,
March or early in April, in one or more b ed s; either in drills 9 in. asunder, or broadcast, and rake in.
T h e plants should be thinned to 9 in . distance, to give room for proper growth in th e roots ; for use in
August, September, October, and thence till the following spring. On th e approach of frost, take up
some roots, and preserve them in sand. A sowing may be made in the third week in June, where young
roots are wanted in winter.” The culture of Naples parsley is the same as that of cominon celery.
4001. To save seed. “ Permit some old plants to run to stalks in May; they will produce plenty of seed,
ripening in July or August.” {Abe rc rombie .)
S ubsect. 2. Purslane.— Portulaca olerácea L. {Plant, grass. 123.) ; Dodec. Monog. L.
and VortuloBecB J. Pourpier, P r.; Portulak, Gcr.; Porselein, Dutch ; and Porcellana,
Ital.
4002. The purslane is an annual plant, a native of South America, aud introduced in
1652. It has a round, smooth, rather procumbent stem, and diffused branches; the
leaves somewhat wedge-shaped and fleshy; the flowers, yellow and sessile, appear in
June and July.
400.1 Usr T h e vouiig shoots and succulent leaves are esteemed cooling, aud are used in spring and
summer as an ingredient in salads, and as potherbs and pickles. The plant was formerly much more iii
*^*^4004*.*’ rréririforé^^'Fhere are two varieties of the P . olerácea cultivated, the green and the golden. Tne
£ I ' ' ■li.