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 properties of the plant are cooling and healing, with some degree of
astringency. A few of the leaves, immersed a short time in a tumbler of
water, give it a jelly-like consistence, without imparting color or
flavor; and in this form it is generally used.
There are three varieties:--
BIFORMED-LEAVED. _Mill._
Plant larger than that of the Oval-leaved; the lower leaves are
three-parted, while those of the upper part of the stalk are oval or
entire.
OVAL-LEAVED.
Stem about two feet high, with a few short branches; the leaves are
oblong, and entire on the borders.
TRIFID-LEAVED. _Mill._
Taller and more vigorous than either of the preceding. The upper as well
as the lower leaves are trifid, or three-parted.
* * * * *
CAMOMILE.
Anthemis nobilis.
This is a half-hardy, herbaceous, perennial plant, growing wild in
various parts of England, by roadsides and in gravelly pastures. Its
stems rest upon the surface of the ground, and send out roots, by which
the plants spread and are rapidly increased.
_Soil and Culture._--Camomile flourishes best in light, poor soil; and
is generally propagated by dividing the roots, and setting them in rows
a foot apart, and eight or ten inches from each other in the rows. They
will soon entirely occupy the ground.
_Gathering._--The flowers should be gathered in a dry day, and when they
are fully expanded. They are generally spread in an airy, shady
situation for a few days, and afterwards removed to a heated apartment
to perfect the drying.
COMMON CAMOMILE.
The flowers of this variety are single. Though considered more
efficacious for medicinal purposes, it is not so generally cultivated as
the Double-flowering. Its leaves are finely cut, or divided; and, when
bruised, emit a peculiar, pungent odor. It may be grown from seeds, or
slips, and from divisions of the plants, or roots.
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 with the Single-flowering, and much more ornamental.
Though generally considered less efficacious than the last named, it is
generally cultivated for use and the market on account of the greater
bulk and weight of its flowers.
It is propagated by slips, with a few of the small roots attached. Both
of the sorts are classed as hardy perennials; but, in the Northern and
Eastern States, the plants are frequently destroyed in severe winters.
_Use._--"The flowers, which are the parts principally used, have long
been in high repute, both in the popular and scientific Materia Medica,
and give out their properties by infusion in either water or alcohol.
The flowers are also sometimes used in the manufacture of bitter beer,
and, along with Wormwood, made, to a certain extent, a substitute for
hops. In many parts of England, the peasants have what they call a
'Camomile seat' at the end of their gardens, which is constructed by
cutting out a bench in a bank of earth, and planting it thickly with the
Double-flowering variety; on which they delight to sit, and fancy it
conducive to health."--_M'Int._
It is considered a safe bitter, and tonic; though strong infusions, when
taken warm, sometimes act as an emetic.
* * * * *
COMMON COLTSFOOT.
Tussilago farfara.
A hardy, herbaceous, perennial plant. The leaves are all radical,
roundish-heart-shaped, and from five to seven inches in diameter; the
flower-stem (scape) is six or seven inches high, imbricated, and
produces a solitary yellow flower, which is about an inch in diameter.
The plants blossom in February and March, before the appearance of the
leaves, and often while the ground is still frozen and even covered with
snow.
_Propagation and Culture._--Coltsfoot thrives best in rich, moist soil.
It may be propagated from seeds, but is generally increased by dividing
its long, creeping roots. The plants require little attention, and will
soon occupy all the space allotted.
_Gathering and Use._--The leaves are the parts of the plant used, and
are generally cut in July and September. They should not be exposed to
the sun for drying, but spread singly in an airy, shaded situation. They
are esteemed beneficial in colds and pulmonary disorders.
* * * * *
ELECAMPANE.
Inula helenium.
A hardy, herbaceous, perennial plant, introduced from Europe, but
growing spontaneously in moist places, by roadsides, and in the vicinity
of gardens where it has been cultivated. Stem from three to five feet
high, thick and strong, branching towards the top; the leaves are from
nine inches to a foot in length, ovate, toothed on the margin, downy
beneath; the flowers are yellow, spreading, and resemble a small
sunflower; the seeds are narrow, four-sided, and crowned with down.
The plants blossom in July and August, and there is but one variety
cultivated.
_Propagation and Culture._--It is generally propagated by dividing the
roots; but may be grown from seeds, which are sown just after ripening.
The plants should be set in rows two feet asunder, and a foot from each
other in the rows.
_Use._--Elecampane is cultivated for its roots, which are carminative,
sudorific, tonic, and alleviating in pulmonary diseases. They are in
their greatest perfection when of two years' growth.
* * * * *
HOARHOUND.
Marrubium vulgare.
Hoarhound is a hardy, herbaceous, perennial plant, introduced from
Europe, and naturalized to a considerable extent in localities where it
has been once cultivated. Stem hoary, about two feet high; leaves
round-ovate; flowers white; seeds small, of an angular-ovoid form and
grayish-brown color.
_Propagation and Cultivation._--The plant prefers a rich, warm soil; and
is generally propagated by dividing its long, creeping roots, but may
also be raised from seeds. When once established, it will grow almost
spontaneously, and yield abundantly.
_Gathering and Use._--The plants are cut for use as they come into
flower; and, if required, the foliage may be cut twice in the season.
The leaves possess a strong and somewhat unpleasant odor, and their
taste is "bitter, penetrating, and durable." The plant has long been
esteemed for its efficacy in colds and pulmonary consumption.
* * * * *
HYSSOP.
Hyssopus officinalis.
Hyssop is a hardy, evergreen, dwarfish, aromatic shrub, from the south
of Europe.
Three kinds are cultivated, as follow:--
COMMON OR BLUE-FLOWERING.
More generally found in gardens than either of the following varieties.
The stems are square and tender at first, but afterwards become round
and woody; the leaves are opposite, small, narrow, with six or eight
bract-like leaves at the same joint; the flowers are blue, in terminal
spikes; seeds small, black, oblong.
RED-FLOWERING HYSSOP.
Quite distinct from the Common or Blue-flowering. The stem is shorter,
the plants are more branching in their habit, and the spikes more dense
or compact; flowers fine red. It is not so hardy as the White or the
Blue Flowering, and is often injured by severe winters.
WHITE-FLOWERING HYSSOP.
This is a sub-variety of the Common Blue-flowering; the principal if not
the only mark of distinction being its white flowers. Its properties,
and modes of culture, are the same.
_Soil and Cultivation._--The plants require a light, warm, mellow soil;
and are propagated from seeds, cuttings, or by dividing the roots. The
seeds are sown in April; and, when the seedlings are two or three inches
high, they are transplanted to rows eighteen inches apart, and a foot
from each other in the rows. The roots may be divided or the slips set
in spring or autumn.
_Use._--The plant is highly aromatic. The leaves and young shoots are
the parts used, and are cut, dried, and preserved as other pot-herbs.
"Hyssop has the general virtues ascribed to aromatic plants; and is
recommended in asthmas, coughs, and other pulmonary disorders."--_Rog._
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LICORICE.
Glycyrrhiza glabra.
Licorice is a hardy, perennial plant. The roots are fleshy, creeping,
and, when undisturbed, attain a great length, and penetrate far into
the earth; the stem is herbaceous, dull-green, and about four feet high;
leaves pinnate, composed of four or five pairs of oval leaflets; flowers
pale-blue, in terminal spikes. The fruit consists of short, flattened
pods, each containing two or three kidney-shaped seeds.
_Soil, Propagation, and Culture._--"Licorice succeeds best in deep,
rich, rather sandy, or in alluvial soil. The ground should be well
enriched the year previous to planting: and it should either be trenched
three feet deep in autumn, laid in ridges, and allowed to remain in that
state till spring; or it may be trenched immediately before planting.
The former method is the preferable one.
"Licorice is propagated by portions of the creeping stem (commonly
termed 'the creeping root'), from four to six inches in length, each
having two or three buds. These are planted in March or April, or as
soon as the ground can be well worked, in rows three feet apart, and
eighteen inches from each other in the rows; covering with earth to the
depth of two or three inches. Every year, late in autumn, when the sap
has gone down and the leaves have turned yellow, the old stems should be
cut down with a pruning-knife to a level with the ground. At this time,
also, the creeping stems are forked up, cut off close to the main stems,
and preserved in sand, or in heaps covered with straw and earth, for
future plantations. The roots will be ready for taking up three years
after planting. This should be done towards winter, after the descent of
the sap. A trench three feet must then be thrown out, and the roots
extracted; after which, they may be stored in sand for use."--_Thomp._
_Use._--The roots are the parts of the plant used, and these are
extensively employed by porter-brewers. "The sweet, mucilaginous juice
extracted from the roots by boiling is much esteemed as an emollient in
colds."
* * * * *
PENNYROYAL.
Hedeoma pulegioides.
The American Pennyroyal is a small, branching, annual plant, common to
gravelly localities, and abounding towards autumn among stubble in dry
fields from whence crops of wheat or rye have been recently harvested.
The stem is erect, branching, and from six to twelve inches high; the
leaves are opposite, oval, slightly toothed; flowers bluish, in axillary
clusters; seeds very small, deep blackish-brown.
_Sowing and Cultivation._--In its natural state, the seeds ripen towards
autumn, lie dormant in the earth during winter, and vegetate the
following spring or summer. When cultivated, the seeds should be sown
soon after ripening, as they vegetate best when exposed to the action of
frost during winter. They are sown broadcast, or in drills ten or twelve
inches asunder. When the plants are in full flower, they are cut off, or
taken up by the roots, and dried in an airy, shaded situation.
_Use._--Pennyroyal possesses a warm, pungent, somewhat aromatic taste,
and is employed exclusively for medical purposes. An infusion of the
leaves is stimulating, sudorific, tonic, and beneficial in colds and
chills.
This plant must not be confounded with the Pennyroyal (_Mentha
pulegium_) of English writers, which is a species of Mint, and quite
distinct from the plant generally known as Pennyroyal in this country.
* * * * *
POPPY, OR MAW.
Papaver somniferum, var. nigrum.
A hardy annual, growing naturally in different parts of Europe, and
cultivated to a considerable extent in Germany for its seeds, which,
under the name of "Maw-seed," are an article of some commercial
importance. Stem five or six feet high, branching; leaves smooth,
glaucous, clasping, and much cut or gashed on the borders; flowers
large, terminal, purple and white; the bud pendent, or drooping, until
the time of flowering, when it becomes erect. The petals soon fall to
the ground, remaining on the plant but a few hours after their
expansion; and are succeeded by large, roundish heads, or capsules, two
inches and upwards in diameter, filled with the small, darkish-blue
seeds for which the plant is principally cultivated.
_Soil, Sowing, and Culture._--"The soils best suited to the growth of
the Poppy are such as are of medium texture and in the highest state of
fertilization. As the seeds are small, and consequently easily buried,
the land should be well pulverized by harrowing and rolling. The seeds
are sown in April, in drills about half an inch in depth, and twenty
inches or two feet distant from each other. The young plants are
afterwards thinned out to from six to ten inches' distance in the rows,
and the whole crop kept free from weeds by frequent hoeing.
"The period of reaping is about the month of August, when the earliest
and generally the largest capsules begin to open. The plants are then
cut or pulled, and tied in small bundles, taking care not to allow the
heads to recline until they are carried to the place allotted for the
reception of the seed; which is then shaken out, and the sheaves again
set upon their ends for the ripening of the remaining capsules.
"In Germany and Flanders, a mode of obtaining the first crop is to
spread sheets by the side of the row, into which the seeds are shaken by
bending over the tops of the plants: these are then pulled, tied in
bundles, and removed; when the sheets are drawn forward to the next row,
and so on, until the harvesting is completed."--_Law._
_Use._--Maw-seed is imported to some extent from different parts of
Europe, and is principally used in this country for feeding birds.
OIL-POPPY. _Law._
Gray Poppy. Papaver somniferum olifer.
Stem three feet high, smooth and branching; flowers dull-red, or
grayish; capsules very large, oblong; seeds of a brownish color, and
produced in great abundance.
It is chiefly cultivated in Italy, the south of France, Germany, and
Flanders.
_Use._--"The oil of the seeds of the Poppy is of an agreeable flavor;
and, in Europe, is chiefly applied to domestic purposes, for which it is
esteemed nearly equal to that of the Olive. Its consumption in this
country is comparatively trifling; being principally used for the finer
kinds of oil-painting and by druggists."
OPIUM, OR WHITE POPPY. _Law._
P. somniferum, album vel candidum.
Plant strong and vigorous,--the stem, in favorable situations, reaching
a height of five or six feet; flowers large, white, and of short
duration; seed-pods globular, of large size, often measuring upwards of
two inches in diameter; seeds small, white, ripening in August and
September.
_Sowing and Cultivation._--"Being an annual plant, the Poppy, when sown
in spring, matures its seed the last of summer or early in autumn. It is
of easy culture, and can be successfully grown in any section of the
Northern or Middle States. It may be sown at any time during the month
of April, or the first week in May. The best method of cultivating the
plant is in rows two feet and a half apart; and, on the poppies
attaining a few inches in height, they are hoed out to a distance from
one another of six or eight inches.
"Opium is obtained from the capsules or heads of seed, and is extracted
after they are fully formed, but while yet green. The process is simple,
and may be taught to children in an hour.
"Two or more vertical incisions are made in the capsule with a sharp
knife or other instrument, about an inch in length, and not so deep as
to penetrate through the capsule. As soon as the incisions are made, a
milky juice will flow out, which, being glutinous, will adhere to the
capsule. This may be collected by a small hair-brush such as is used by
painters, and squeezed into a small vessel carried by the person who
collects the juice. The incisions are repeated at intervals of a few
days all round the capsule, and the same process of collecting the
exuded juice is also repeated.
"The juice thus collected is Opium. In a day or two, it is of the
consistence to be worked up into a mass. The narcotic matter of the
plant may also be collected by boiling; but it is only the exuded juice
that forms pure Opium.
"In the opium countries of the East, the incisions are made at sunset by
several-pointed knives or lancets. On the following day the juice is
collected, scraped off with a small iron scoop, and deposited in earthen
pots; when it is worked by the hand until it becomes consistent. It is
then formed in globular cakes, and laid in small earthen basins to be
further dried. After the opium is extracted from the capsule, the plant
is allowed to stand, and ripen its seeds.
"The seeds of the Poppy have nothing of the narcotic principle, and are
eaten by the people of the East as a nourishing and grateful food; and
they yield, by expression, an oil which is regarded as inferior only to
that of the olive."--_Law._
The expense of labor forms the principal objection to the cultivation of
the Poppy in the United States for its opium. As, however, the plants
succeed well, and can be easily and extensively grown in any section of
the country; and as the process of extraction, though minute, is yet
simple,--the employment of females or children might render its
production remunerative.
* * * * *
PALMATE-LEAVED RHUBARB. _Law._
Turkey Rhubarb. Rheum palmatum.
This species is readily distinguished by its deeply divided or palmate
leaves, and is generally considered as that from which the dried roots
chiefly used in medicine are obtained. Like the Pie Rhubarb, it requires
a deep, rich soil, which should be thoroughly stirred, and put in as
fine a state of cultivation as possible, before setting the plants.
These should be placed about three feet apart in each direction, and
kept free from weeds during the summer. They will not be ready for
taking up until five or six years old.
The roots are thick and succulent, with a brownish skin and
bright-yellow flesh, streaked or variegated with red. After being dug,
they are washed clean, cut in rather large pieces, and dried either by
the sun, or in kilns formed for the purpose; when they are ready for
use.
Rhubarb from Turkey and the neighboring countries is generally
preferred; but it is said its superiority, to a great degree, is
attributable to the manner in which it is dried and prepared for market.
It is propagated by seed, or by a division of the roots.
* * * * *
RUE.
Ruta graveolens.
Rue is a hardy, shrubby, nearly evergreen plant, and thrives best in
poor but dry and warm soil. It is propagated by seeds, or slips, and by
dividing the roots. The seeds are sown in April, and the roots may be
separated in spring or autumn. The plants should be set about eighteen
inches apart in each direction. When extensively cultivated, they are
set in rows eighteen inches apart, and a foot asunder in the rows.
_Use._--"Rue has a strong, unpleasant odor, and a bitter, pungent,
penetrating taste. The leaves are so acrid as to irritate and inflame
the skin, if much handled. Its efficacy as a vermifuge is unquestioned;
but it should be used with caution. It was formerly employed in soups;
and the leaves, after being boiled, were eaten pickled in vinegar." The
plant is rarely used in this country, either as an esculent or for
medical purposes.
The kinds cultivated are the following:--
BROAD-LEAVED RUE.
Stem shrubby, four or five feet high; leaves compound, of a
grayish-green color and strong odor; flowers yellow, in terminal,
spreading clusters; the fruit is a roundish capsule, and contains four
rough, black seeds.
At one period, this was the sort principally cultivated, and is that
referred to in most treatises on medicine. More recently, however, it
has given place to the Narrow-leaved, which is much hardier, and equally
SOURCES & PROVENANCE
1 listed
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