THE FIELD AND GARDEN VEGETABLES OF AMERICA
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d with dough, they make a wholesome bread; but, for this purpose, the white or yellow rooted sorts are preferred. The roots of all the varieties are better baked than boiled."--_M'Int._
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brown above the surface, where exposed to the sun. Flesh white, rarely circled, with rose-red. Leaves pale green, or yellowish green; the stems and ribs or nerves sometimes
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lourishing better in wet, heavy soil, than any other variety. SHORT WHITE. Blanche des Vosges. _Vil._ Root obtusely conical, seven or eight inches long, by about four inches in diam
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oses. PURPLE. _Thomp._ _Vil._ This variety differs little from the White, except in color; the bulb being purple, and the leaf-stems and nerves also tinged with purple. Like the Whit
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of the parent stock, the seeds will produce numerous varieties, some white, some dark, in color, with tubers of different forms, round, oblong, and kidney-shaped, and varying greatly i
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ut the middle of September, rarely producing seed or blossoms; tubers white, of medium size, round; skin rough or netted; flesh white, comparatively dry, and well flavored. It yields ab
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f the Gray Turnip-rooted; skin dull black, rough, and wrinkled; flesh white, solid, crisp, and piquant; leaves of the size of those of the Gray Turnip-rooted. Season intermediate betwee
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the best of all varieties for growing for feeding stock. GREEN-TOP WHITE. Bulb turbinate, smooth, and symmetrical. The skin above ground is of a fine, clear, pea-green; often browne
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ecommended as the best red Sweet Potato for Northern culture. LARGE WHITE. Patate-blanche of the French. Tubers from six to ten inches in length,--thickest at the middle, where they
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-brown. Below the surface of the soil, the skin is of a dull or dirty white. Flesh white, moderately fine, tender, and of a sugary flavor. Half early. The variety has some resemblance
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llection of leaves, and is about four feet in height. The flowers are white, with a stripe of red, and are produced in terminal, globular groups, or umbels; the seeds are black, irregul
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the ground. They attain their full size by September. SILVER-SKIN. White Portugal, of New England. Bulb of medium size, flattened,--average specimens measuring about three inches in
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e top is deeper colored. GIANT PURPLE-TOP. Dutch. Red-top. Sprout white; the top, as it breaks ground, purple; size very large, sometimes measuring an inch and three-fourths in diam
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hes; skin prickly, green,--at the blossom-end, often paler, or nearly white,--brownish-yellow when ripe; flesh white, seedy, tender, and well flavored, but less crispy or brittle than t
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with the above description, though known by different names, as the "White," "Gray," "Black," "Prescott," &c. Much esteemed in France, and extensively grown by market-gardeners in the
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ODELL'S LARGE WHITE. _W. D. Brinckle._ Size very large, sometimes weighing sixty pounds; form round; skin gray, with fine green
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four feet apart. Three plants will be sufficient for a hill. EARLY WHITE BUSH SCOLLOPED. White Pattypan. Cymbling. White Summer Scolloped. Pattison Blanc. _Vil._ This is a sub-vari
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onsiderable extent with a gray netting. Flesh very deep yellow; seeds white. It is used only in its full-grown or ripe state, in which it will keep for several months; and even during
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airy, or hispid, on the nerves and borders. The leaf-stems are nearly white. The variety produces small tufts, or collections of leaves, which are excellent for fodder, and which may b
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A fine, white, early autumn variety, much grown about Edinburgh. GRANGE'S EARLY CAULIFLOWER BROCCOLI. _M'Int._ Grange's
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the border, and comparatively smooth on the surface; nerves greenish-white. The plants of the true variety have short stalks, occupy but little space, and seldom fail to produce a well
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"It is not size that constitutes a good Cauliflower, but its fine, white, or creamy color, its compactness, and what is technically called its 'curdy' appearance, from its resemblanc
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y cabbaged. YELLOW CURLED SAVOY. _Thomp._ Large Late Yellow Savoy. White Savoy. Dwarf, middle-sized, round; leaves pale-green at first, but quite yellow in winter; the heart is not
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e into ropes and cordage, but also into sewing-thread, and beautiful, white, linen-like cloth of very superior quality. It does not, however, appear that its cultivation for this purpos
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ck, and fleshy. A hardy and productive sort, similar to the Yellow or White Sorrel-leaved, but differing in the deeper color of its stalks and leaves. SUMMER OR ROUND-LEAVED SPINACH.
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es from two to three feet in height; the flowers are small, yellowish-white, and are produced in umbels, or flat, spreading groups, at the extremities of the branches; the seeds are sma
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e root, or bulb, is the part of the plant eaten: the flesh of this is white, and comparatively tender, with the flavor of the stalks of Common Celery, though generally less mild and del
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stalk long, narrow, and pointed; the flowers are comparatively large, white, or rose-colored, and produced in erect, terminal clusters; the seeds are of a brown color, small, oblong, sh
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the plants in the rows. WHITE CURLED OR EVER-BLANCHED ENDIVE. _Vil._ Leaves pale yellowish-green, nearly white when young, ten inches long
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lor; diameter fourteen inches; weight twelve to fifteen ounces; seeds white. This is a crisp and tender lettuce, though sometimes slightly bitter. It is not early, and soon shoots up t
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he Alphange or Florence Cos; green, washed with brown; pointed; seeds white. The plant sends out numerous side-shoots, or suckers; and sometimes produces several distinct heads: these,
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t linear, glaucous-green, fleshy; flowers in terminal umbels,--small, white, or yellowish-white; the seeds are oblong, yellowish, and, though somewhat larger, resemble those of Fennel,-
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, and supports a solitary bell-shaped flower, the petals of which are white, finely lined or striped with purple; the seed-vessels are of an oblong form, five-angled, and, when ripe, bu
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ading corymbs; the seeds are small, slightly curved, and of a grayish-white color. HOARY-LEAVED COSTMARY. _Loud._ A variety with deeply divided and hoary leaves, less fragrant than t
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ed at the ends, and resemble those of Sweet Marjoram; the flowers are white, and are put forth in July and August, in spikelets about two inches in length; the seeds ripen in September.
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hen bruised, emit a strong, pleasant, mint-like odor; the flowers are white, and are produced in terminal, globular heads; the seeds are quite small, of a deep-brownish color, and retai
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s and a half long, slightly curved, pale-green while young, yellowish-white when ripe, and contain five seeds. If planted early in the season, the variety will blossom in seven weeks,
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oad. They are pale-green at first; and afterwards change to yellowish-white, tinted or washed with bright pink. At maturity they are dusky-drab, sometimes clouded or shaded with purple,
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-green, luxurious foliage, distinguish the variety from all others. WHITE FLAGEOLET. From sixteen to eighteen inches high, of strong and branching habit. Flowers white; pods five inc
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n the process of cooking, is by some considered an objection; and the White Cranberry, though perhaps less prolific, is preferred. As a shelled-bean, it is of good quality in its green
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near the middle of September till destroyed by frost. The seeds are white or dull yellowish-white, broad-kidney-shaped, much flattened, five-eighths of an inch long, and nearly half a
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potted and marbled with black. LARGE LENTIL. _Law._ Flowers small, white, generally two, but sometimes three, on each peduncle; the pods are three-fourths of an inch long, half an in
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better flavored. BRITISH QUEEN. _Cot. Gard._ Hair's Defiance. Tall White Mammoth. Erin's Queen. The plant is of a showy and robust habit of growth, from six to seven feet high, some
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of the same pod,--the produce of a plant found in a crop of the Dwarf White Knight's Marrows, to which class it properly belongs. It is, without doubt, one of the most valuable acquisit
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e Blue Cimeter, and contain seven or eight very large peas. Ripe seed white, large, and unevenly compressed. This is a quite distinct and useful pea; an abundant bearer; and the pods a
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DOUBLE-FLOWERING CAMOMILE. A variety of the foregoing, with large, white, double flowers. The leaves are of the same form, but milder in their odor and taste. It is equally hardy wit
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oom, when it first appears, is of a rounded or button-like form, of a white color, and apparently rests on the surface of the ground. When fully developed, "the stem is solid, two or th
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pastures. Its height is about four inches. It is distinguished by its white, cylindrical, hollow, or solid, smooth stem; its cap is of a pale-brown or gray color, nearly spherical, holl
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g to the top, which is often more or less sharply pointed; the cob is white; the kernels are long and slender, angular, sharply pointed at the outward extremity, as well as to some exte
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ts pods; those of all other sorts being erect. TALL OR GIANT OKRA. White-podded. Stem five to six feet in height; pods erect, sharply tapering to a point, eight to ten inches in len
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ght; leaves large, but narrower than those of the Large Bell; flowers white, and of large size,--usually an inch and a half in diameter; fruit sometimes erect, but generally drooping.
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owers are yellow, in branching groups, or clusters; the fruit is red, white, or yellow, and exceedingly variable in size and form; the seeds are lens-shaped, yellowish-white, or pale-gr
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ver exhibit the rambling, recumbent character of the Common Tomato. WHITE TOMATO. Plant similar in habit to the Large Red; fruit large, generally ribbed, often irregular, but sometim
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r's Large Pale Scarlet, 26. Flander's Pale-red, 26. Green-top White, 30. Half-long Red, 25. James's Scarlet, 28. Long Lemon, 27. Long Orange, 26. Long Red, 2
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aded, 140. Underground, 136. Wethersfield Large Red, 134. White Florence, 141. White Globe, 140. White Lisbon, 141. White Nocera, 132. White Portugal, 137--1
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Variegated, 447. Tare, 558. Summer, 559. White, 558. Winter, 559. Tarragon, 400. Tetragonia expansa, 295. Thlaspi Bursa Pastoris, 303. Thous
the recent additions to our list of esculent plants, "we have not one so
wholesome, so easy of cultivation, or one that would add so much to the
sanitary condition of the community, particularly of that class who live
much upon salt provisions."
The species and varieties are as follow:--
ALPINE SORREL.
Oseille des Neiges. _Vil._ Rumex nivalis.
A new, perennial species, found upon the Alps, near the line of
perpetual snow. The root-leaves are somewhat heart-shaped, thick, and
fleshy; stem simple, with verticillate branches; flower dioecious.
It is one of the earliest as well as the hardiest of the species,
propagates more readily than Alpine plants in general, and is said to
compare favorably in quality with the Mountain Sorrel or Patience Dock.
COMMON SORREL.
R. acetosa.
This is a hardy perennial, and, when fully grown, is about two feet in
height. The flowers--which are small, very numerous, and of a reddish
color--are dioecious, the fertile and barren blossoms being produced
on separate plants; the seeds are small, triangular, smooth, of a
brownish color, and retain their germinative properties two years. An
ounce contains nearly thirty thousand seeds.
Of the Common Sorrel, there are five varieties, as follow:--
BELLEVILLE SORREL.
Broad-leaved. Oseille Large de Belleville. _Vil._
Leaves ten or twelve inches long by six inches in diameter; leaf-stems
red at the base. Compared with the Common Garden Sorrel, the leaves are
larger and less acid.
The variety is considered much superior to the last-named sort, and is
the kind usually grown by market-gardeners in the vicinity of Paris.
It should be planted in rows eighteen inches apart, and the plants
thinned to a foot apart in the rows.
BLISTERED-LEAF SORREL. _Trans._
Radical leaves nine inches long, four inches wide, oval-hastate or
halberd-shaped, growing on long footstalks. The upper leaves are more
blistered than those attached to the root; the flower-stems are short.
The principal difference between this variety and the Common, or
Broad-leaved, consists in its blistered foliage.
It is slow in the development of its flower-stem, and consequently
remains longer in season for use. The leaves are only slightly acid in
comparison with those of the Common Sorrel. It is a perennial, and must
be increased by a division of its roots; for being only a variety, and
not permanently established, seedlings from it frequently return to the
Belleville, from whence it sprung.
FERVENT'S NEW LARGE SORREL.
Oseille de Fervent. _Vil._
An excellent sort, with large, yellowish-green, blistered leaves and red
leaf-stems. It is comparatively hardy, puts forth its leaves early, and
produces abundantly.
The rows should be eighteen inches apart.
GREEN OR COMMON GARDEN SORREL.
Root-leaves large, halberd-shaped, and supported on stems six inches in
length. The upper leaves are small, narrow, sessile, and clasping. A
hardy sort; but, on account of its greater acidity, not so highly
esteemed as the Belleville.
Sow in rows fifteen inches apart, and thin to eight or ten inches in the
rows.
SARCELLE BLOND SORREL.
Blond de Sarcelle. _Vil._
This is a sub-variety of the Belleville, with longer and narrower leaves
and paler leaf-stems. It puts forth its leaves earlier in the season
than the Common Sorrel, and is of excellent quality. The seed rarely
produces the variety in its purity, and it is generally propagated by
dividing the roots.
ROUND-LEAVED ON FRENCH SORREL. _Thomp._
Roman Sorrel. Oseille rond. _Vil._ R. scutatus.
This is a hardy perennial, a native of France and Switzerland. Its stem
is trailing, and from twelve to eighteen inches in height or length; the
leaves vary in form, but are usually roundish-heart-shaped or
halberd-shaped, smooth, glaucous, and entire on the borders; the flowers
are hermaphrodite, yellowish; the leaves are more acid than those of the
varieties of the preceding species, and for this reason are preferred by
many.
The variety is hardy and productive, but not much cultivated.
It requires eighteen inches' space between the rows, and a foot in the
rows. There is but one variety.
MOUNTAIN SORREL.
Oseille verge. _Vil._ R. montanus.
The leaves of this variety are large, oblong, of thin texture, and of a
pale-green color; the root-leaves are numerous, about nine inches long
and four inches wide, slightly blistered. It is later than the Common
Garden Sorrel in running to flower; and is generally propagated by
dividing the roots, but may also be raised from seeds. The leaves are
remarkable for their acidity.
This is the _Rumex montanus_ of modern botanists, though formerly
considered as a variety of _R. acetosa_.
BLISTERED-LEAVED MOUNTAIN SORREL.
This variety is distinguished from the Green Mountain Sorrel by its
larger, more blistered, and thinner leaves. The leaf-stems are also
longer, and, as well as the nerves and the under surface of the leaf,
finely spotted with red. It starts early in spring, and is slow in
running up to flower.
GREEN MOUNTAIN SORREL.
This is an improved variety of the Mountain Sorrel, and preferable to
any other, from the greater size and abundance of its leaves, which
possess much acidity. It is also late in running to flower.
The leaves are large, numerous, ovate-sagittate, from ten to eleven
inches long, and nearly five inches in width; the radical leaves are
slightly blistered, and of a dark, shining green color. It can only be
propagated by dividing the roots.
The plants require a space of eighteen inches between the rows, and a
foot from plant to plant in the rows.
* * * * *
SPINACH.
Spinacia oleracea.
Spinach is a hardy annual, of Asiatic origin. When in flower, the plant
is from two to three feet in height; the stem is erect, furrowed,
hollow, and branching; the leaves are smooth, succulent, and oval-oblong
or halberd-shaped,--the form varying in the different varieties. The
fertile and barren flowers are produced on separate plants,--the former
in groups, close to the stalk at every joint; the latter in long,
terminal bunches, or clusters. The seeds vary in a remarkable degree in
their form and general appearance; those of some of the kinds being
round and smooth, while others are angular and prickly: they retain
their vitality five years. An ounce contains nearly twenty-four hundred
of the prickly seeds, and about twenty-seven hundred of the round or
smooth.
_Soil and Cultivation._--Spinach is best developed, and most tender and
succulent, when grown in rich soil. For the winter sorts, the soil can
hardly be made too rich.
It is always raised from seeds, which are sown in drills twelve or
fourteen inches apart, and three-fourths of an inch in depth. The seeds
are sometimes sown broadcast; but the drill method is preferable, not
only because the crop can be cultivated with greater facility, but the
produce is more conveniently gathered. For a succession, a few seeds of
the summer varieties may be sown, at intervals of a fortnight, from
April till August.
_Taking the Crop._--"When the leaves are two or three inches broad, they
will be fit for gathering. This is done either by cutting them up with a
knife wholly to the bottom, drawing and clearing them out by the root,
or only cropping the large outer leaves; the root and heart remaining to
shoot out again. Either method can be adopted, according to the season
or other circumstances."--_Rogers._
_To raise Seed._--Spinach seeds abundantly; and a few of the fertile
plants, with one or two of the infertile, will yield all that will be
required for a garden of ordinary size. Seeds of the winter sorts should
be saved from autumn sowings, and from plants that have survived the
winter.
_Use._--The leaves and young stems are the only parts of the plant used.
They are often boiled and served alone; and sometimes, with the addition
of sorrel-leaves, are used in soups, and eaten with almost every
description of meat. "The expressed juice is often employed by cooks and
confectioners for giving a green color to made dishes. When eaten
freely, it is mildly laxative, diuretic, and cooling. Of itself, it
affords little nourishment. It should be boiled without the addition of
water, beyond what hangs to the leaves in rinsing them; and, when
cooked, the moisture which naturally comes from the leaves should be
pressed out before being sent to the table. The young leaves were at one
period used as a salad."--_M'Int._
_Varieties._--
FLANDERS SPINACH. _Trans._
This is a winter Spinach, and is considered superior to the Prickly or
Common Winter Spinach, which is in general cultivation during the winter
season in our gardens. It is equally hardy, perhaps hardier.
The leaves are doubly hastate or halberd shaped, and somewhat wrinkled:
the lower ones measure from twelve to fourteen inches in length, and
from six to eight in breadth. They are not only larger, but thicker and
more succulent, than those of the Prickly Spinach. The whole plant grows
more bushy, and produces a greater number of leaves from each root; and
it is sometimes later in running to seed. The seeds are like those of
the Round or Summer Spinach, but larger: they are destitute of the
prickles which distinguish the seeds of the Common Winter Spinach.
For winter use, sow at the time directed for sowing the Large
Prickly-seeded, but allow more space between the rows than for that
variety; subsequent culture, and treatment during the winter, the same
as the Prickly-seeded.
LARGE PRICKLY-SEEDED SPINACH.
Large Winter Spinach. Epinard d'Angleterre. _Vil._
Leaves comparatively large, rounded at the ends, thick and succulent. In
foliage and general character, it is similar to some of the round-seeded
varieties; but is much hardier, and slower in running to seed. It is
commonly known as "Winter Spinach," and principally cultivated for use
during this portion of the year. The seeds are planted towards the last
of August, in drills a foot apart, and nearly an inch in depth. When
well up, the plants should be thinned to four or five inches apart in
the drills; and, if the weather is favorable, they will be stocky and
vigorous at the approach of severe weather. Before the closing-up of the
ground, lay strips of joist or other like material between the rows,
cover all over with clean straw, and keep the bed thus protected until
the approach of spring or the crop has been gathered for use.
LETTUCE-LEAVED SPINACH.
Epinard à Feuille de Laitue. _Vil._ Epinard Gaudry.
Leaves very large, on short stems, rounded, deep-green, with a bluish
tinge, less erect than those of the other varieties, often blistered on
the surface, and of thick substance. It is neither so early nor so hardy
as some others; but it is slow in the development of its flower-stalk,
and there are few kinds more productive or of better quality. The seeds
are round and smooth. For a succession, a sowing should be made at
intervals of two weeks.
"A variety called 'Gaudry,' if not identical, is very similar to this."
SORREL-LEAVED SPINACH.
Leaves of medium size, halberd-formed, deep-green, thick, and fleshy. A
hardy and productive sort, similar to the Yellow or White Sorrel-leaved,
but differing in the deeper color of its stalks and leaves.
SUMMER OR ROUND-LEAVED SPINACH.
Round Dutch. Epinard de Hollande. _Vil._
Leaves large, thick, and fleshy, rounded at the ends, and entire, or
nearly entire, on the borders.
This variety is generally grown for summer use; but it soon runs to
seed, particularly in warm and dry weather. Where a constant supply is
required, a sowing should be made every fortnight, commencing as early
in spring as the frost leaves the ground. The seeds are round and
smooth. Plants from the first sowing will be ready for use the last of
May or early in June.
In Belgium and Germany, a sub-variety is cultivated, with smaller and
deeper-colored foliage, and which is slower in running to flower. It is
not, however, considered preferable to the Common Summer or
Round-leaved.
WINTER OR COMMON PRICKLY SPINACH.
Epinard ordinaire. _Vil._
Leaves seven or eight inches long, halberd-shaped, deep-green, thin in
texture, and nearly erect on the stalk of the plant; seeds prickly.
From this variety most of the improved kinds of Prickly Spinach have
been obtained; and the Common Winter or Prickly-seeded is now considered
scarcely worthy of cultivation.
YELLOW SORREL-LEAVED SPINACH.
White Sorrel-leaved Spinach. Blond à Feuille d'Oseille. _Vil._
The leaves of this variety are similar in form and appearance to those
of the Garden Sorrel. They are of medium size, entire on the border,
yellowish-white at the base, greener at the tips, and blistered on the
surface.
New. Represented as being hardy, productive, slow in the development of
its flower-stalk, and of good quality.
* * * * *
WILD OR PERENNIAL SPINACH.
Good King Henry. Tota Bona. Goose-foot. Blitum Bonus Henricus.
A hardy perennial plant, indigenous to Great Britain, and naturalized to
a very limited extent in this country. Its stem is two feet and a half
in height; the leaves are arrow-shaped, smooth, deep-green, undulated
on the borders, and mealy on their under surface; the flowers are
numerous, small, greenish, and produced in compact groups, or clusters;
the seeds are small, black, and kidney-shaped.
_Propagation and Culture._--"It may be propagated by seed sown in April
or May, and transplanted, when the plants are fit to handle, into a
nursery-bed. In August or September, they should be again transplanted
where they are to remain, setting them in rows a foot apart, and ten
inches asunder in the rows, in ground of a loamy nature, trenched to the
depth of fifteen or eighteen inches, as their roots penetrate to a
considerable depth. The following spring, the leaves are fit to gather
for use; and should be picked as they advance, taking the largest first.
In this way, a bed will continue productive for several years.
"Being a hardy perennial, it may also be increased by dividing the plant
into pieces, each having a portion of the root and a small bit of the
crown, which is thickly set with buds, which spring freely on being
replanted.
"Most of the species of this genus, both indigenous and exotic, are
plants of easy cultivation, and may be safely used as articles of
food."--_M'Int._
_Use._--The same as Spinach.
CHAPTER VII.
SALAD PLANTS.
Alexanders. Brook-lime. Buckshorn Plantain. Burnet. Caterpillar. Celery.
Celeriac, or Turnip-rooted Celery. Chervil. Chiccory, or Succory.
Corchorus. Corn Salad. Cress, or Peppergrass. Cuckoo Flower. Dandelion.
Endive. Horse-radish. Lettuce. Madras Radish. Mallow, Curled-leaf.
Mustard. Nasturtium. Garden Picridium. Purslain. Rape. Roquette, or
Rocket. Samphire. Scurvy-grass. Snails. Sweet-scented Chervil, or Sweet
Cicely. Tarragon. Valeriana. Water-cress. Winter-cress, or Yellow
Rocket. Wood-sorrel. Worms.
* * * * *
ALEXANDERS.
Alisanders. Smyrnium olusatrum.
A hardy, biennial plant, with foliage somewhat resembling that of
Celery. Stem three to four feet high, much branched; radical leaves
pale-green, compound,--those of the stem similar in form, but of smaller
size. The branches of the plant terminate in large umbels, or spherical
bunches of yellowish flowers; which are succeeded by roundish fruits,
each of which contains two crescent-shaped seeds.
_Sowing and Culture._--It thrives best in light, deep loam; and is
raised from seed sown annually. Make the drills two and a half or three
feet apart, and cover the seeds an inch deep. When the plants are two or
three inches high, thin to twelve inches apart; or sow a few seeds in a
nursery-bed, and transplant.
_Blanching._--When the plants are well advanced, they should be
gradually earthed up about the stems in the process of cultivation, in
the manner of blanching Celery or Cardoons; like which, they are also
gathered for use, and preserved during winter.
_To raise Seed._--Leave a few plants unblanched; protect with
stable-litter, or other convenient material, during winter; and they
will flower, and produce an abundance of seeds, the following summer.
_Use._--It was formerly much cultivated for its leaf-stalks; which,
after being blanched, were used as a pot-herb and for salad. They have a
pleasant, aromatic taste and odor; but the plant is now rarely grown,
Celery being almost universally preferred.
PERFOLIATE ALEXANDERS.
Smyrnium perfoliatum.
A hardy, biennial species, from Italy; stem three feet in height,
grooved or furrowed, hollow; leaves many times divided, and of a
yellowish-green color; flowers, in terminal bunches, yellowish-white;
seeds black, of the form of those of the common species, but smaller.
It is considered superior to the last named, as it not only blanches
better, but is more crisp and tender, and not so harsh-flavored.
* * * * *
BROOK-LIME.
American Brook-lime. Marsh Speedwell. Veronica beccabunga.
Brook-lime is a native of this country, but is also common to Great
Britain. It is a hardy perennial, and grows naturally in ditches, and
streams of water, but is rarely cultivated. The stem is from ten to
fifteen inches in height, thick, smooth, and succulent, and sends out
roots at the joints, by which the plant spreads and is propagated; the
leaves are opposite, oval, smooth, and fleshy; the flowers are produced
in long bunches, are of a fine blue color, and stand upon short
stems,--they are more or less abundant during most of the summer, and
are followed by heart-shaped seed-vessels, containing small, roundish
seeds.
_Cultivation._--It may be propagated by dividing the roots, and setting
the plants in wet localities, according to their natural habit. It will
thrive well when grown with Water-cress.
_Use._--The whole plant is used as a salad, in the same manner and for
the same purposes as Water-cress. It is considered an excellent
anti-scorbutic.
* * * * *
BUCKSHORN PLANTAIN.
Star of the Earth. Plantago coronopus.
A hardy annual, indigenous to Great Britain, France, and other countries
of Europe. The root-leaves are put forth horizontally, and spread
regularly about a common centre somewhat in the form of a rosette; the
flower-stem is leafless, branching, and from eight to ten inches high;
flowers yellow; the seeds are quite small, of a clear, brown color, and
retain their power of germination three years,--nearly two hundred and
thirty thousand are contained in an ounce.
_Soil and Cultivation._--It succeeds best in a soil comparatively light;
and the seed should be sown in April. Sow thinly, broadcast, or in
shallow drills eight inches apart. When the plants are about an inch
high, thin them to three or four inches apart.
_Use._--The plant is cultivated for its leaves, which are used as a
salad. They should be plucked while still young and tender, or when
about half grown.
* * * * *
BURNET. _Mill._
Poterium sanguisorba.
Burnet is a hardy, perennial plant, indigenous to England, where it is
found on dry, upland, chalky soils. When fully developed, it is from a
foot and a half to two feet in height. The leaves proceeding directly
from the root are produced on long stems, and are composed of from
eleven to fifteen smaller leaves, which are of an oval form, regularly
toothed, and generally, but not uniformly, smooth. The branches, which
are somewhat numerous, terminate in long, slender stems, each of which
produces an oval or roundish bunch of purplish-red, fertile and
infertile flowers. The fertile flowers produce two seeds each, which
ripen in August or September. These are oblong, four-sided, of a
yellowish color, and retain their vitality two years. Thirty-five
hundred are contained in an ounce.
_Sowing and Culture._--The plant is easily propagated by seeds, which
SOURCES & PROVENANCE
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