Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 12.djvu/301

289 VEGETABLES.] HORTICULTURE 289 should suffer from drought. The principal autumn and winter sowings, which are the most important, should be made about the cud of June in the northern districts, and in the beginning of July in warmer districts; a small so wing may be made at the end of August to come in before the spring-sown crops are ready. If the weather is showery at the time of sowing, the seed speedily germinates, and the young plants should be kept growing quickly by watering with rain or pond water and by surface stirrings. The drills for the ear liest sorts need not be more than 15 inches apart, and the plants may l)e left moderately thick in the row ; the late crops should have at least 2 feet between the rows, and be thinned to 12 inches in the row, a free circulation of air about them being very important in winter. As a provision against prolonged periods of severe weather, it has been recommended to lay the finest roots in rows, covering them well with soil, and leaving intact the whole of the foliage. The very latest sown crops of half-grown roots will prolong the supply until the earliest spring-sown crops are fit for use. The following are the best sorts of turnips for garden crops :- Early Purple-top Munich, the earliest and best of all ; Early White Strap- leaf, very quick growing, and good ; Early Snowball, for summer use ; Early Vhite Stone, for summer sowing ; Orange Jelly, for summer sowing ; Yellow Finland, for winter use; Chirk Castle, for winter use. In addition to these, which have round roots, there are the Jersey Xavet, an excellent oblong variety, and very hardy, and the Teltow, a small tapering-rooted sort, em ployed, on account of its piquant flavour, in ragouts, aud for seasoning. The latter should be sown in April and July in sandy soil. 195. The Water Cress, Nasturtium officiuale, is a hardy perennial, occurring wild in Britain, and also throughout Europe and Asiatic Russia, except the extreme north. It is highly prized as a salad, and accredited with powerful antiscorbutic properties. It may be pro pagated from seed, but in forming plantations rooted divisions are usually employed. They should occupy positions where they can be supplied with water from a spring, as this will be rarely frozen. The plant will not grow freely on a muddy bottom ; hence this has to be replaced by gravel or chalk. A constant current of water is absolutely necessary ; and the plants should be disposed in rows parallel with the course of the stream. They thrive best in water about 1% inch in depth ; this increases to about 3 inches when the plants begin to grow, and thereby check the current. In summer the tops of the plants must be kept closely cut, and under proper conditions of water and soil they will yield a gathering once a week. In winter the water should be 4 to 5 inches deep, to obtain which the plants are left with more head. The time for the renewal of the beds is in May and June, and from September to November, the planting being done in succession ; those planted in May are fit to cut by August, and those planted in November are ready to gather in the spring. When collected for sale, the shoots are cut, not broken off, the latter plan being injurious. The water cress may also be grown in a shady border of rich light soil, kept con stantly moist ; but the surface should be covered with a thin layer of sand to keep the leaves clean. It maybe also grown in tubs par tially filled with soil which is covered with water, in which case the water should be frequently changed, or in shallow pans set in stands of water. If protected from frost in a brick pit with a slight service of hot- water piping, it may be had in use through the winter. To secure this, pans are filled with loamy soil in October or November, and planted with the tops of outdoor cresses ; in about six weeks they will be fit to cut, and will furnish successional gatherings. 196. The Chinese Yam, Dioscorea Batatas, is a fleshy-rooted perennial climber, native of China. It has annual stems, and deeply penetrating thick club-shaped fleshy roots, or rhizomes, full of starch, which when cooked acquire a mild taste like that of a potato, but have besides somewhat of a medicinal flavour. The roots grow 3 feet or upwards in length, and sometimes acquire a weight of more than 1 !t&amp;gt;. The plant grows freely enough in deep sandy soil, moderately enriched. The sets, consisting of pieces of the roots, may be planted in March or April, and require no other culture than the staking of the climbing stems. They should not be dug up before November, the chief increase in their sizo taking place in autumn. They sometimes strike downwards 2 or 3 feet into the soil, and must be carefully dugout, the upper slender part being reserved for propagation, and the lower fleshy portion eaten after having been allowed a few days to dry. 197. CULINARY HERBS. Besides the foregoing esculent and salad plants, there are several minor herbs used for flavouring and garnishing. For the most part they are dwarf perennial plants re quiring to be grown on a dry warm soil in an open sunny aspect, or annuals for which a warm sheltered border is the most suitable place ; and they may therefore be conveniently grown together in j the same compartment an herb garden. The perennials should be j transplanted either every year or every second year. For winter use the tops of the most useful kinds of herbs should be cut when in flower or full leaf and quite dry, and spread out in an airy but shady place so as to part slowly with the mois ture they contain, aud at the same time retain their aromatic pro perties. When quite dry they should be put into dry wide- mouthed bottles and kept closely corked. In this way such herbs as basil, marjoram, mint, sage, savory, and thyme of the aromatic class, balm, chamomile, horehound, hyssop, and rue of the medicinal class, as well as parsley, may be had throughout the seasou with almost the full flavour of the fresh herb. perfection. Balm, Melissa officinalis. A hardy labiate perennial ; divide the roots in October ; dry for winter use. Basil, Ouymnm Basilicum. A fragrant labiate annual ; sow in a gentle heat in -March, and plant out on a warm border ; or sow in a warm sheltered place in April or May ; or in winter sow in heat (65-70) in pots or boxes in rich light soil, once a month from November onwards ; that sown in April or May should be cut when in blossom, and dried slowly for winter use Borage, Borago offlcinalis. A stout native British annual, used for garnish ing ; sow in March and May in an open place, in good soil Surnet, Poterium Sanguisorba. A hardy native perennial ; divide the roots in October or February. It tastes like cucumber. Caraway, Carum Carui. A hardy umbelliferous biennial ; sow in April or May to flower the following summer. Chamomile, Anthemis nobilis. A hardy native British composite perennial of prostrate habit ; divide the plants in autumn or spring, planting in rather poor dry soil ; the flower-heads should be gathered successively as they open, and carefully dried and stored. Chervil, Anthriscus Cerefolium. A hardy annual umbellifer ; sow in March, and again in October if required for spring use. Coriander, Coriaudram sativum. A hardy annual umbellifer ; sow in March in light loamy soil. Dill, Anethum graveolens. A hardy annual umbellifer ; sow in March on a warm border, in rich light soil. Fennel, Fceniculum vulgare. A hardy perennial umbellifer ; sow in March, or divide the roots at the same season. Finockio, FcBniculum dulce. A somewhat tender kind of fennel, with two- ranked leaves, fleshy at the base, which part is blanched by earthing up like celery ; sow in March and successioually if required, in light very rich soil. Horehound, Marrubium vulgare. A hardy native labiate perennial, be^t raised annually from seeds sown early in March, or by selecting self-sown autumn seedlings. Hyssop, Hyssopus officinalis. A hardy evergreen suffruticose labiate plant ; sow in March or April, young plants being more vigorous than older ones ; it may also be divided in spring. Lavender, Lavandula vera. An aromatic undershrub of the labiate order, requiring a light warm dry soil, and increased by cuttings, or by slips taken off with roots about March or April. Marie/old, Calendula officinalis. A hardy composite annual; sow in March, in any garden soil. Marjoram, Origanum Majorana. A tender labiate, usually treated as an annual, and known as Knotted Marjoram ; sow in March in a slight heat, and plant out on a warm sunny border. The Pot Marjoram, Origanum Onites, and Winter Sweet Marjoram, Origanum heracleoticum, are hardy perennials, growing best in dry warm soils ; divide and transplant in autumn or spring ; a winter supply is provided by cutting the stems, when the plant is in flower, and drying in an airy shady place. Mint, Meutha viridis. A hardy native labiate perennial, often called Spear- Mint. The running underground roots should be taken up in February or March, and replanted in fresh good soil. The young tops may be obtained early by forcing ; the leafy stems may also be cut when at their full growth in summer, and dried for winter use. The Peppermint, Menthapiperita, is cultivated like the spear-mint, only its runners grow above instead of beneath the ground, and require planting accordingly. Parsley, Petroselinum sativum. A hardy umbelliferous biennial ; sow in February, again in May, and again in July to have a good supply, a portion of the last-sown crop being protected by frames or hand-lights, so as to be accessible in frosty weather ; it likes a free soil of good quality, but not too richly manured. Pennyroyal, Mentha Pulegium. A hardy native labiate perennial, growing in moist situations, and best cultivated on a north border, is propagated freely enough by its running rooting stems, which should be well established early in autumn. Rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis. An evergreen undershrub of the labiate order, just tender enough to be killed in all but the most sheltered situations by the most severe British winters, but surviving uninjured through those of ordinary severity. It requires a light dry soil and a sheltered situation, and is increased by cuttings or rooted slips taken off in spring. Rue, Ruta graveolens. A hardy evergreen rutaceous undershrub, which will grow freely in ordinary garden soil, and is propagated by cuttings or slips, or very freely by seeds, which ripen abundantly. Sage, Salvia officinalis. A hardy evergreen undershrub, belonging to the labiates, of which there are two varieties, the green-leaved and the red-leaved, the Intter being somewhat the hardiest; it is increased by earthing up the outside stems, which after the lapse of a year may be taken orf as rooted plants in the following April or May. Savory, Satureja hortensis. A hardy labiate annual ; sow on a warm border in April ; when the plants reach the flowering stage, dry a portion for winter use. The Winter Savory, Satureja montana, a hardy evergreen undershrub, is propagated by cuttings taken off in April and May, or by dividing the plant about April. Tansy, Tanacetum vulgare. A hardy composite native perennial, which soon grows thick and exhausts the soil, and should therefore be divided and transplanted every second year. If required earlier than the natural ea.-e&amp;gt;n, a root or two may be potted aud set in a mild forcing-house or hotbed. Oc may be had during tb and placing them in heat. Thyme Thymus vulgaris. A hardy evergreen undershrub, requiring a light dry warm soil, and an open but sheltered situation ; it may be raised from seeds sown in April, and thinned out ; or the old roots may be divided aboi : pril The tops should be cut in summer, and preserved for winter use i! the same way as savory and marjoram. The Lemon Jlii/inc, rnymus citr odorus is of a more decumbent habit, and may be parted aud transplanted in spring in genial weather during the month of April. w&rmwood, Artemisia Absinthium. A hardy native composite perennial, which will grow in any soil, but is -most aromatic on those which are d:;&quot; and poor. The plants should be replaced annually in autumn, when se sown plants are generally to be found round about the old ones ; if not ^-&amp;gt; produced they can be provided by sowing the seeds during the summer. XII. 37