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THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  DATE 
INDICATED  BELOW  AND  IS  SUB- 
JECT TO  AN  OVERDUE  FINE  AS 
POSTED  AT  THE  CIRCULATION 
DESK. 


HISTORY 


OF 


CULTIVATED  VEGETABLES. 


VOL.  I. 


LONDON  : 
PRINTED    BY    S.  AND    R.   BENTLEY,    DORSET    STREET. 


4l  ISTORY 


OF 


CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES;, 


COMPRISING 


THEIR  BOTANICAL,  MEDICINAL,  EDIBLE, 
AND  CHEMICAL  QUALITIES;  NATURAL  HISTORY; 


AND    RELATION     TO 


ART,  SCIENCE,  AND  COMMERCE. 


BY  HENRY  PHILLIPS, 

AUTHOR    OF    THE 
HISTORY  OF  FRUITS  KNOWN  IN  GREAT  BRITAIN. 


IN    TWO    VOLUMES. 
VOL.  I. 


LONDON: 

HENRY    COLBURN    AND    CO. 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY,  CONDUIT  STREET,  HANOVER  SQUARE. 


MDCCCXXII. 


PREFACE. 

It  is  not  without  feelings  of  anxiety  and 
apprehension,  that  the  Author  commits  his 
second  Work,  on  the  vegetable  gifts  of  Na- 
ture, to  the  public. 

Their  indulgence  to  his  labours  in  the 
vineyard,  has  emboldened  him  to  venture  on 
a  more  extensive  field ;  he  therefore  now 
offers  his  Treatise  on  "  Cultivated  Vege- 
tables," in  a  similar  shape,  with  a  hope  of 
similar  reception.  Considering,  however,  the 
almost  infinite  variety  of  plants  which  are 
cultivated  for  use  or  pleasure,  the  Author 
has  thought  it  expedient  to  select  those 
familiar  plants  which  seem  entitled  to  the 
most  general  attention.  He  has  also  intro- 
duced some  species  of  vegetables  that  are 
not  strictly  cultivated,  but  whose  services 
and  singular  properties  render  them  worthy 
of  notice. 


IV  PREFACE. 

He  has  avoided  the  technical  terms  of 
Botany  as  much  as  the  subject  would  pos- 
sibly allow ;  keeping  in  mind  the  advice  of 
an  ancient  poet,  who  says, 

'A/uadiarepov  <j>pdaop  icai  aatyiarzpov. 

"  Speak  with  less  shew  of  learning,  so  it  be  with 
more  perspicuity." 

And  the  extracts  from  medical  works  have, 
on  the  same  principle,  been  as  much  sim- 
plified as  the  nature  of  the  subject  would 
properly  admit. 

In  giving  the  medicinal  qualities  of  the 
plants,  the  Author's  intention  is  to  make 
their  various  properties  known,  in  order  that 
the  prescriptions  of  the  physician  may  not  be 
counteracted  by  the  effects  of  an  improper 
vegetable  diet ;  not  to  induce  the  inexperi- 
enced to  tamper  with  their  constitutions, 
by  means  of  the  powerful  juices  of  physical 
herbs,  which  are  not  more  beneficial  when 
skilfully  applied,  than  they  are  baneful  when 
administered  unseasonably  by  the  ignorant. 


TO  THE  KING. 


SIRE, 

In  dedicating  this  "  History 
of  Cultivated  Vegetables"  to  Your 
Majesty,  the  Author  is  sensible  that  the 
condescension  of  the  Sovereign,  in  accept- 
ing so  humble  a  tribute,  will  be  far  more 
conspicuous  than  the  ability  of  the  Subject 
by  whom  it  is  offered. 

However  deficient  the  Writer  may  be  in 
the  graces  of  style,  he  is  not  without  a  due 
sense  of  the  advantages  with  which  a  high 
state  of  Cultivation  has  blessed  these  king- 
doms. Under  the  liberal  Patronage  of  Your 
Majesty,  and  your  Illustrious  Predecessor, 
the  Arts  of  Agriculture  and  Horticulture 
have  advanced  towards  perfection  with  a 
rapidity  unparalleled  in  the  history  of  any 
other  nation,  ancient  or  modern. 


DEDICATION. 

The  benign  influence  of  these  two  arts  is 
indiscriminately  enjoyed  by  all  ranks ;  for 
while  they  supply  the  wealthy  with  all  the 
luxuries  of  more  genial  climes,  they  afford 
to  the  humbler  sons  of  industry  and  labour 
a  diversified  banquet,  which  in  ancient  times 
even  kings  could  not  procure.  These  arts 
have  banished  famine  from  the  land,  blessed 
the  poor  with  plenty,  beautified  the  country, 
and 

"  Made  Albion  smile, 

One  ample  theatre  of  sylvan  grace.1' 

That  Your  Majesty  may  long  enjoy 
these  blessings,  with  which  bounteous  Na- 
ture has  rewarded  the  skill  and  industry  of 
your  Subjects,  and  enriched  your  dominions, 
is  the  fervent  prayer  of, 

Your  Majesty's 
Most  faithful  subject  and  servant, 

Henry  Phillips. 

Queen  s  House,  Baysivater, 
Dec.  24,  1821- 


PREFACE.  Vll 

Author  could  give.  He  has  been  more  par- 
ticularly desirous  to  introduce  cheerful  (but 
at  the  same  time,  he  trusts,  inoffensive)  anec- 
dote, with  a  hope  of  leading  by  an  agreeable 
road  to  a  knowledge  of  Plants,  and  love  of 
Natural  Philosophy  :  and  more  particularly 
to  render  his  work  attractive  to  the  younger 
part  of  his  readers,  whom  he  intreats  not  to 
abandon  Virgil,  when  they  bid  adieu  to  their 
tutors,  but  to  remember  those  lines  of  his 
Georgics  : 

"  Felix,  qui  potuit  rerum  cognoscere  causas, 
Atque  metus  omnes  et  inexorabile  fatum 
Subjecit  pedibus,  strepitumque  Acherontis  avari ! 
Fortunatus  et  ille,  Deos  qui  novit  agrestes, 
Panaque,  Silvanumque  senem,  Nymphasque  sorores! 

Thus  translated  by  Dryden  ; 

"  Happy  the  man,  who,  studying  Nature's  laws, 
Through  known  effects,  can  trace  the  secret  cause, 
His  mind  possessing  in  a  quiet  state, 
Fearless  of  fortune,  and  resign'd  to  fate. 
And  happy  too  is  he  who  decks  the  bowers 
Of  Sylvans,  and  adores  the  rural  powers." 


PREFACE. 


The  most  experienced  medical  practitioner 
will  admit,  that  he  must  often  rely  on  the 
assistance  of  the  nurse  and  the  cook  for 
the  perfect  re-establishment  of  his  patient. 
Cooling  medicine  will  afford  little  relief  to  the 
fevered  invalid  who  is  supplied  with  astrin- 
gent diet ;  nor  will  stimulating  cordials  in- 
vigorate the  body,  while  it  is  relaxed  by 
attenuating  aliment. 

The  Author  is  aware,  that  modern  prac- 
tice has  long  since  disregarded  the  high 
encomiums  bestowed  on  certain  vegetables 
by  the  ancients ;  but  he  considers  the  antique 
physic-gardens  an  object  of  no  less  interest 
than  antique  orchards;  and  as  the  modern 
sons  of  Ceres  and  Pomona  have  improved 
their  art,  by  reviving  and  adopting  some 
of  the  ancient  practices,  (particularly  that 
of  cutting  corn  before  it  is  perfectly  ripe, 
which  was  so  strenuously  recommended  by 
Pliny  nearly  eighteen  hundred  years  ago,)  the 
disciples  of  Esculapius  may,  in  like  manner, 
discover   some  valuable  matter   among  the 


VI  PREFACE. 

neglected  or   disregarded    receipts    of  th< 
ancient   world.      Should  the   present  work 
contribute  to  such  a  result,  the  Author  will 
then  have  effected  all  the  benefit  he  could 
anticipate. 

It  is  hoped  that  the  learned  Reader  will 
not  deem  the  Author  intrusive  or  pedantic 
in  giving  a  slight  biographical  sketch  of  the 
ancient  writers  he  has  quoted;  as  such  me- 
moirs may  not  always  be  familiar  to  those 
who  may  be  disposed  to  turn  over  his  leaves, 
nor  is  it  to  be  expected  that  the  farmer  or 
the  gardener  is  fully  acquainted  with  ancient 
physicians;  or  that  those  whose  occupations 
confine  them  to  cities,  should  have  acquired 
a  perfect  knowledge  of  the  lives  of  the  agri- 
culturists of  antiquity. 

Selections  from  those  poets  who  seem  to 
have  made  this  part  of  Nature's  works  their 
peculiar  province,  have  been  interspersed, 
from  a  desire  to  clothe  information  in  an 
amusing  garb  ;  and  sometimes  as  the  only 
confirmation  of  ancient  customs,  which  the 


4-.v  »'• ' l  v  ?  '•  >  "I 

1i»U»vtxcuUuial 


INTRODUCTION. 


"  To  me  be  Nature's  volume  broad  display'd  ; 
And  to  peruse  its  all  instructing  page 
My  sole  delight." 


It  would  be  a  difficult  question  to  decide, 
whether  the  study  of  the  natural  history  of 
Plants  be  more  agreeable  to  the  mind,  or 
beneficial  to  the  body.  The  importance  of 
this  pursuit  must  be  deeply  felt  by  the  re- 
flecting mind ;  indeed  it  has  advantages  over 
every  other  science.  The  study  of  Natural 
History,  and  particularly  of  Botany,  calms 
the  mind,  and  quiets  the  passions;  whereas 
Historical  research  produces  unpleasant  re- 
flections, and  in  tracing  the  fate  of  kingdoms 
or  individuals  our  feelings  are  often  as  much 
distressed  as  our  minds  are  amused.  Other 
branches   of  philosophy  too  often  disgust  us 

VOL.    I.  B 


2  INTRODUCTION. 

with  the  world,  whereas  the  wonders  of  Na- 
ture display  the  power  of  the  Almighty  in 
the  most  agreeable  and  tranquil  manner. 

"  Go,  mark  the  matchless  workings  of  the  Power 
That  shuts  within  the  seed  the  future  flower  ; 
Bids  these  in  elegance  of  form  excel, 
In  colour  these,  and  those  delight  the  smell ; 
Sends  Nature  forth,  the  daughter  of  the  skies, 
To  dance  on  earth  and  charm  all  human  eyes." 

Cowper. 

Ray  says,  "  No  knowledge  can  be  more 
pleasant  to  the  soul  than  Natural  History  : 
none  so  satisfying,  or  that  doth  so  feed  the 
mind.  The  treasures  of  Nature  are  inex- 
haustible :  there  is  enough  for  the  most  inde- 
fatigable industry,  the  happiest  opportunities, 
the  most  prolix  and  undisturbed  vacancies/' 

The  vegetable  world  presents  an  almost 
infinite  variety  of  objects,  calculated  not  only 
to  supply  our  numerous  wants,  but  to  gratify 
the  senses,  to  delight  the  most  refined  taste, 
and  to  elevate  the  mind  to  the  God  of 
Nature. 

"  Thus  the  men 


Whom  Nature's  work  can  charm,  with  God  himself 
Hold  converse,  grow  familiar  day  by  day 
With  his  conceptions  ;  sit  upon  his  plan, 
And  form  to  his  the  relish  of  their  souls." 

Ak  en  side's  Pleasures  of'  Imagination* 


INTRODUCTION.  3 

The  charms  of  Nature  have  ever  enchanted 
the  sensitive  soul  of  the  poet,  and  inspired 
his  verse.  Courtier  says,  in  his  "  Pleasures  of 
Solitude." 

"  Though  yet  no  cynic,  still  I  must  prefer 
The  works  of  Nature  to  the  whims  of  Art : 
Those  speak  their  God — these  oft  from  God  deter; 
Those  to  the  soul  true  health  and  peace  impart, 
These  oft  pervert  the  head,  and  oft  corrupt  the  heart." 

Blackmore  also  invites  us  to  this  study : 


f( 


Your  contemplation  further  yet  pursue  ; 
The  wondrous  world  of  vegetables  view  ! 
See  various  trees  their  various  fruits  produce, 
Some  for  delightful  taste,  and  some  for  use. 
See  sprouting  plants  enrich  the  plain  and  wood, 
For  physic  some,  and  some  design'd  for  food. 
See  fragrant  flowers,  with  different  colours  dyed, 
On  smiling  meads  unfold  their  gaudy  pride." 


And  Thomson  must  have  induced  many 
an  admiring  reader  to  a  contemplation  of 
the  wonders  and  wisdom  of  the  Almighty 
Maker ; — who, 

—  "  when  young  Spring  protrudes  the  bursting  gems, 
Marks  the  first  bud,  and  sucks  the  healthful  gale 
Into  his  freshen'd  soul ;  her  genial  hours 
He  fully  enjoys  ;  and  not  a  beauty  blows, 
And  not  an  opening  blossom  breathes  in  vain." 


b2 


INTRODUCTION. 


Natural  philosophy  has  never  been  intro- 
duced with  success  into  any  country  until  its 
inhabitants  had  made  considerable  progress 
in  other  arts.  The  Assyrians,  Chaldaeans, 
and  Egyptians,  had  attained  great  proficiency 
in  this  science  long  before  the  existence  of 
either  the  Greeks  or  Romans,  who  did  not 
encourage  it  until  they  had  learnt  the  art  of 
war,  and  had  in  great  measure  become  civi- 
lized by  the  very  nations  they  had  con- 
quered. 

In  this  kingdom,  Lord  Bacon  was  the  first 
who  cultivated  natural  philosophy ;  and  it  is 
from  his  torch  that  many  excellent  lights 
have  since  been  kindled. 

In  the  primitive  times,  when  men  were 
driven  either  by  war,  or  a  wandering  disposi- 
tion, to  form  colonies  in  distant  countries, 
they  lived  upon  such  fruits  as  sprang  out  of 
the  earth  without  art  or  cultivation.  At 
Argos  they  fed  chiefly  on  pears,  at  Athens 
on  figs,  in  Arcadia  on  acorns;  but,  as  their 
numbers  increased,  it  became  necessary  for 
them  to  cultivate  vegetables  for  the  subsist- 
ence of  themselves  and  their  cattle  ;  and  we 
find  that  in  those  early  days  the  labours  of 
the  agriculturists  were  so  duly  appreciated, 
that  the  persons  of  the  husbandmen  and  the 


INTRODUCTION.  O 

shepherds    were   held   sacred    even   by   the 
enemies  of  their  country. 

Herodotus  informs  us,  that  one  of  the 
greatest  princes  of  the  East,  Xerxes,  when  he 
led  his  army  into  Greece,  gave  strict  orders 
to  his  soldiers  not  to  annoy  the  husbandmen. 
Among  the  Indians,  it  was  held  unlawful  to 
take  these  men  in  war,  or  to  devastate  their 
plantations. 

Cultivated  vegetables  afford  the  principal 
part  of  our  subsistence ;  for  without  the  aid 
of  cultivation  our  numerous  flocks  and  herds 
could  not  be  supported;  and  it  is  from  the 
same  source  that  we  derive  every  comfort  and 
luxury  that  we  enjoy.  They  furnish  our 
wine,  our  oil,  and  our  ale ;  as  well  as  the 
greater  portion  of  our  garments  and  furni- 
ture; they  are  the  natural  medicine  of  all 
animals,  as  well  as  the  principal  one  for  man. 
A  medical  writer  of  eminence  says,  "  Vege- 
table food  is  not  only  necessary  to  secure 
health,  but  long  life.  In  infancy  and  youth 
we  should  be  confined  to  it  mostly ;  in  man- 
hood, and  decay  of  life,  use  animal ;  and 
near  the  end,  vegetable  again." 

I  am  persuaded,  says  Dr.  Veitch,  that  it 
will  be  invariably  found  true,  that  those  who 
are  living  on  animal  food,  are  more  impetu- 


6 


INTRODUCTION. 


ous  in  temper,  than  those  who  live  on  vege- 
table aliment."  The  same  author  says,  "The 
influence  of  diet  is  of  the  most  vital  im- 
portance in  the  prevention  and  cure  of  in- 
sanity. Those  living  on  animal  food  pre- 
sent great  fulness  of  the  vessels  on  the  sur- 
face of  the  body,  which  is  not  confined  to 
the  visible  and  external  frame,  but  will  be 
felt  in  the  brain  and  membranes  of  those 
who  are  afflicted  with,  or  who  have  a  ten- 
dency to  this  disease. 

It  is  to  vegetable  productions,  that  com- 
merce owes  its  support.  They  form  our 
ships,  cordage,  and  sails ;  and  it  is  for  vegeta- 
ble rarities,  principally,  that  we  cross  the 
seas,  and  explore  every  clime  from  the  equa- 
tor to  the  poles. 

The  unlettered  countryman  examines  ve- 
getation with  delight  and  instruction,  The 
peasant,  who  is  an  attentive  observer  of  Na- 
ture, substitutes  the  pimpernel  and  the  chick- 
weed,  for  a  weather-glass ;  finding,  when 
these  flowers  fully  expand,  that  no  rain 
will  fall  for  some  hours.  The  husbandman 
finds  also  a  barometer  in  the  trefoil,  which 
always  contracts  its  leaves  at  the  approach 
of  a  storm.  The  shepherd,  when  he  sees 
the   thistle-down  agitated   without    an   ap- 


INTRODUCTION.  ( 

pearance  of  wind, 

"  And  shakes  the  forest-leaf  without  a  breath," 

drives  his  flock  to  shelter,  and  cries,  Heaven 
protect  yon  vessel  from  the  approaching 
tempest !     Then 

"  chaffwith  eddy  winds  is  whirl'd  around, 

And  dancing  leaves  are  lifted  from  the  ground  ; 
And  floating  feathers  on  the  waters  play." 

Virgil. 

The  philosophical  student  of  Nature  not 
only  accounts  for  these  phenomena,  but 
sees  as  far  as  man  can  ken  into  the  wonders 
of  vegetation. 

"  But  the  hidden  ways 

Of  Nature  wouldst  thou  know?  how  first  she  frames 
All  things  in  miniature  ?  thy  specular  orb 
Apply  to  well-dissected  kernels  ;  lo  ! 
Strange  forms  arise,  in  each  a  little  plant 
Unfolds  its  boughs  :  observe  the  slender  threads 
Of  first-beginning  trees,  their  roots,  their  leaves, 
In  narrow  seeds  described  ;  thou  'It  wondering  say, 
An  inmate  orchard  every  apple  boasts !" 

Philips's  Cider. 

We  shall  often  have  to  remark  in  this 
work,  how  much  the  atmosphere  of  this 
country  has  been  improved  by  the  attention 
paid  to  agricultural  pursuits  ;  and  that  the 
high  state  of  cultivation  now  attained,  has  in 
a  great  measure  banished  the  ague,  and 
other  pests  of  life,  from  our  shores  ;  while 


'  9 
8  INTRODUCTION, 


we  learn  with  regret,  that  the  once  purer  air 
of  Italy  is  become  almost  pestilential  in  the 
vicinity  of  Rome,  from  the  want  of  proper 
attention  to  the  draining  and  cultivation 
of  the  fields. 

Gardens  have  ever  been  esteemed  as  afford- 
ing the  purest  of  human  pleasures,  and  the 
greatest  refreshment  to  the  spirits  of  man; 
and  as  these  rural  delights  greatly  promote 
sedateness  and  quietness  of  mind,  while  they 
afford  the  advantages  of  air  and  exercise,  they 
must  tend  to  the  establishment  of  health 
and  the  prolongation  of  life.  We  notice 
with  great  satisfaction,  that  the  lives  of  the 
ancient  as  well  as  of  the  more  modern  herb- 
alists, have  generally  extended  to  an  ad- 
vanced age  ;  and  that  some  of  them  have 
even  pursued  their  tranquil  course  without 
indisposition  through  life. 

A  knowledge  of  plants  will  prevent  many 
of  those  ills,  for  the  relief  of  which,  mineral 
aid  is  often  sought  in  vain.  We  have  found 
the  perfume  of  flowers  and  shrubs  in  the 
garden,  not  only  refresh  the  sense,  but  in- 
spire cheerfulness  and  good  humour  in  those 
who  walk,  and  create  appetite  in  those  who 
join  in  the  labour,  whether  to  turn  the  earth, 
or  to  prop  the  drooping  flower.   For  where  is 


INTRODUCTION.  9 

the  man  who  can  forbear  to  join 

"  the  general  smile 

Of  Nature  ?     Can  fierce  passions  vex  his  soul, 

While  every  gale  is  peace,  and  every  grove 

Is  melody?" 

Thomson. 

"  Where  every  breeze  shall  medicine  every  wound." 

Shenstone. 

Rapin  says, 

"  Thrice  happy  they  who  these  delights  pursue  ; 
For  whether  they  their  plants  in  order  view, 
Or  overladen  boughs  with  props  relieve, 
Or  if  to  foreign  fruits  new  names  they  give, 
If  they  the  taste  of  every  plum  explore, 
To  eat  at  second  course,  what  would  they  more? 
What  greater  happiness  can  be  desired, 
Than  what  by  these  diversions  is  acquired  ?" 

The  Chinese  have  no  school  for  the  study 
of  physic ;  but  they  make  use  of  simples 
and  roots,  and  are  generally  well  experi- 
enced in  the  knowledge  of  the  several  vir- 
tues of  all  the  herbs  growing  in  their  coun- 
try ;  and  which  every  master  of  a  family 
teaches  his  servant.  Lewis  and  Clark,  and 
other  travellers  up  the  Mississipi,  observe, 
that  the  native  Americans  always  carried 
with  them  roots  and  herbs,  of  which  they 
had  discovered  the  use. 

The  predilection  of  the  ancient  Syrians 
for  gardening  gave  rise  to  the  proverb  of  the 


10  INTRODUCTION. 

Greeks,    "  Many  worts    and    pot-herbs     in 
byria. 

The  Greeks  had  physic-gardens  in  the 
time  of  Theophrastus  ;  and  Pliny  often  men- 
tions the  medicinal  herb-gardens  of  the  Ro- 
mans. 

We  meet  with  no  English  work  on  plants 
prior  to  the  sixteenth-  century.  In  1552, 
all  books  on  geography  and  astronomy  in 
England  were  ordered  to  be  destroyed,  as 
being,  it  was  supposed,  infected  with  magic. 
It  is  very  probable,  that  works  on  the  virtues 
of  herbs  underwent  the  same  fate  ;  as  witch- 
craft was  thought  to  be  assisted  by  various 
plants.  The  Babylonians  had  their  magical 
observations  in  gathering  certain  herbs;  and 
the  Latin  poets  inform  us,  how  superstitious 
the  Romans  were  on  this  head. 

"  These  poisonous  plants,  for  magic  use  design'd, 
(The  noblest  and  the  best  of  all  the  baneful  kind) 
Old  Mceris  brought  me  from  the  Pontic  strand, 
And  cull'd  the  mischief  of  a  bounteous  land. 
Smear'd  with  these  powerful  juices,  on  the  plain 
He  howls  a  wolf  among  the  hungry  train  : 
And  oft  the  mighty  necromancer  boasts, 
With  these,  to  call  from  tombs  the  stalking  ghost, 
And  from  the  roots  to  tear  the  standing  corn, 
Which,  whirl'd  aloft,  to  distant  fields  is  borne : 

Such  is  the  strength  of  spells/' 

Virgil. 


INTRODUCTION.  1  1 

» 

"  In  a  large  caldron  now  the  medicine  boils, 
Compounded  of  her  late  collected  spoils, 
Blending  into  the  mash  the  various  powers 
Of  wonder-working  juices,  roots,  and  flowers." 

Ovid. 

Our  immortal  bard,  availing  himself  of  the 
credulity  of  the  age,  makes  the  weird  sisters, 
in  their  incantations,  employ 

"  Root  of  hemlock,  digg'd  i'  the  dark  ; 

Liver  of  blaspheming  Jew : 

Gall  of  goat,  and  slips  of  yew." 

Macbeth. 

* 

The  English  surgeons  and  apothecaries 
began  to  attend  to  the  cultivation  of  medi- 
cinal herbs  in  the  time  of  Henry  the  Eighth. 
Gerard,  the  father  of  English  herbalists,  had 
the  principal  garden  of  those  days,  attached 
to  his  house  in  Holborn,  and  which  we  think 
was  in  existence  as  late  as  1659 ;  for  on  the 
7th  of  June  in  that  year,  Evelyn  mentions  in 
his  Diary,  that  he  "  went  to  see  the  founda- 
tion laying  for  a  street  and  buildings  in 
Hatton  Garden,  designed  for  a  little  towne, 
lately  an  ample  garden." 

Gerard  mentions  several  private  herb-gar- 
dens in  1597,  but  does  not  notice  any  public 
establishment  for  the  encouragement  of  his 
art.  We  therefore  presume,  that  Oxford 
has  to  boast  of  the   earliest  public  physic- 


12  INTRODUCTION. 

garden  in  this  country,  which  appears  to 
have  been  planted  about  the  year  1640, 
when  Parkinson  first  published  his  work  on 
plants;  as  in  a  letter  written  to  that  author 
by  Thomas  Clayton,  his  Majesty's  professor 
of  physic  at  Oxford,  to  compliment  him  on 
his  "  Herculean  botanical  labours"  he  says, 
"  Oxford  and  England  are  happy  in  the 
formation  of  a  specious  illustrious  physicke- 
garden,  compleatly  beautifully  walled  and 
gated,  now  in  levelling,  and  planting,  with 
the  charges  and  expences  of  thousands,  by 
the  many  ways  Honourable  Earl  of  Danby, 
the  furnishing  and  enriching  whereof,  and  of 
many  a  glorious  Tempe,  with  all  useful  de- 
lightfull  plants,  will  be  the  better  expedited 
by  your  painfull,  happy,  satisfying  worke." 

We  may  infer  how  little  the  art  of  garden- 
ing was  understood  in  this  country  at  that 
period,  when  we  find  the  garden  at  Oxford 
was  put  under  the  direction  of  a  German, 
who  continued  to  hold  that  situation  in  the 
time  of  Evelyn,  as  appears  by  his  Diary : 
"  24  Oct.  1664,  I  went  to  the  Physic-garden 
at  Oxford,  vvhere  were  two  large  locust-trees, 
as  many  platana*,  and  some  rare  plants,  under 

#  We  presume  this  was  the  Plantain  tree,  Musa. 


INTRODUCTION.  13 

the  culture  of  old  Bobart." — "  Jacob  Bobart 
was  a  German,  and  was  appointed  the  first 
keeper  of  the  Physic-garden  at  Oxford." 

A  botanic  garden  was  planted  at  Padua 
in  1533,  and  one  at  Presburg  in  1564.  At 
the  present  time  there  are  twenty-three  bo- 
tanic gardens  in  the  Austrian  monarchy. 
France  has  two  noble  establishments  for  the 
encouragement  of  this  art ;  and  Amsterdam 
may  boast,  not  only  of  having  enriched  Eu- 
rope, but  the  West  Indies  also,  with  plants 
from  her  public  garden  ;  while  Sweden  may 
justly  pride  herself  on  giving  the  world  a 
Linnaeus. 

Evelyn,  whose  Sylva  has  immortalized  his 
name,  notices  in  his  Diary,  June  10,  1658, 
"  I  went  to  see  the  medical  garden  at  West- 
minster, well  stored  with  plants,  under  Mor- 
gan, a  skilful  botanist."  This  remark  has 
given  rise  to  a  supposition,  that  it  was  the 
garden  belonging  to  the  Apothecaries  of  Lon- 
don, prior  to  its  being  removed  to  Chelsea ; 
but  this  was  not  the  case,  as  Coles  mentions 
it  as  a  private  garden,  in  his  Paradise  of 
Plants,  published  in  1657,  where  (in  chapter 
8)  he  says,  "  some  plants  grow  only  in  the 
gardens  of  herbarists,  as  in  Mr.  Morgan's 
garden  at  Westminster." 


14  INTRODUCTION. 

• 

We  find  no  authentic  account  of  a  public 
physic-garden  in    the   vicinity    of    London, 
before  the  year  1673,  although  it  appears  in 
the  minute-books  of  the  Society  of  London, 
(June  21,  1674)  that  several  members  pro- 
posed to  build  a  wall  round  Chelsea  Garden, 
at  their  own  expense,  with  the  assistance  of 
such  subscriptions  as  they  might  be  able  to 
procure  ;    provided  the  Court  of  Assistants 
would  agree  to  pay  two  pounds  every  year 
for  ever,   to   each  of  the  six   Herborizings : 
which   proposal   was   accepted.      The   pro- 
prietors of  the  Laboratory  Stock  gave  fifty 
pounds  towards  the  building  of  this  wall,  on 
the  condition  that  they  were  to  be  allowed  a 
piece  of  ground  in  the  garden  for  Herbs. 

Evelyn  observes,  in  his  Diary,  7th  August, 
168.5,  "  I  went  to  see  Mr.  Wats,  keeper  of 
the  Apothecaries  Garden  of  Simples  at 
Chelsea,  where  there  is  a  collection  of  innu- 
merable rarities  of  that  sort,  particularly,  be- 
sides rare  annuals,  the  tree  bearing  Jesuits 
bark,  which  had  done  such  wonders  in  quar- 
tan agues.  What  was  very  ingenious,  was 
the  subterranean  heate,  conveyed  by  a  stove 
under  the  conservatory,  all  vaulted  with  brick, 
so  as  he  has  the  doores  and  windowes  open 
in  the  hardest  frost,  secluding  only  the  snow." 


INTRODUCTION.  15 

We  conclude,  that  this  was  the  first  green- 
house heated  by  artificial  means,  in  this 
country ;  as  Mr.  Evelyn  had  visited  most 
gardens  in  England,  as  well  as  in  France  and 
Italy,  without  noticing  green-houses  before. 

Sir  Hans  Sloane  was  a  great  friend  to  the 
Chelsea  Garden  establishment,  and  by  the 
deed  of  conveyance  of  the  land  from  this  great 
man,  it  will  be  seen  how  anxious  he  was  for 
its  prosperity ;  a  clause  is  inserted  which  runs 
thus:  "  That  the  Master,  Warden,  and  So- 
ciety of  Apothecaries  shall  render  yearly  to 
the  President,  Council,  and  Fellows  of  the 
Royal  Society  of  London,  fifty  specimens  of 
distinct  plants,  well  dried  and  preserved,  which 
grew  in  their  garden  the  same  year,  with 
their  names  or  reputed  names ;  and  those 
presented  in  each  year  to  be  specifically  diffe- 
rent from  every  former  year,  until  the  num- 
ber of  two  thousand  shall  have  been  deli- 
vered." This  part  of  the  covenant  has  long 
since  been  much  more  than  fulfilled. 

In  the  same  year  that  this  conveyance  was 
signed  (1722),  Mr.  Philip  Miller  was  appoint- 
ed gardener  to  the  establishment,  which  of- 
fice he  filled  with  great  honour  to  himself 
and  benefit  to  his  country  for  the  long  space 
of  forty-eight  years.     He   had  not  been  in 


16  INTRODUCTION. 

that  situation  more  than  two  years  when  he 
published  his  Gardener's  Dictionary,  in  two 
volumes  octavo,  but  which  is  not  generally 
noticed  by  his  biographers,  although  we  deem 
it  the  germ  and  embryo  from  whence,  in 
1781,  sprang  his  folio  volume,  which  has  since 
swelled  into  four  large  folios,  and  has  been 
translated  into  the  Dutch,  German,  and 
French  languages. 

Sir  Joseph  Banks,  who  was  a  liberal  bene- 
factor to  this  garden,  commenced  his  botani- 
cal studies,  it  is  said,  under  the  tuition  of  the 
venerable  compiler  of  the  Gardener's  Dic- 
tionary. Sir  Joseph  presented  to  the  Chel- 
sea Botanic  Garden  more  than  five  hundred 
different  kinds  of  seeds,  which  he  had  col- 
lected in  his  voyage  round  the  globe.     Th 


Ok 


services  wThich  this  great  naturalist  has  ren- 
dered his  country  are  unparalleled,  and  will 
be  remembered  by  posterity  with  gratitude, 
as  long  as  these  kingdoms  are  blessed  with 
civilization. 

It  is  said  that  the  finest  and  most  interest- 
ing collection  of  hardy  herbaceous  plants  that 
this  country  could  ever  boast  of,  has  been 
formed  by  the  care  and  knowledge  of  Mr. 
William  Anderson,  the  present  gardener  of 
the  Apothecaries'  Botanic  Garden  at  Chelsea, 


INTRODUCTION.  17 

who  was  recommended  to  that  situation  by 
the  late  Sir  Joseph  Banks  in  the  year  1814. 
Aiton  and  Forsyth  were  transplanted  from 
Chelsea  Garden  to  Royal  grounds.  The 
former  is  succeeded  by  his  son  in  the  care  of 
the  King's  gardens,  particularly  that  of  the 
exotic  garden  of  Kew,  which  perhaps  con- 
tains the  finest  collection  of  plants  ever  con- 
gregated in  any  one  spot  on  the  globe. 

This  exotic  garden,  although  now  so  su- 
perbly furnished  with  vegetable  rarities,  is  of 
no  great  antiquity,  having,  we  are  told,  been 
first  established  in  the  year  1760,  by  the 
Princess  Dowager  of  Wales ;  but  from  an  old 
verse  in  the  Gentleman's  Magazine  for  the 
year  1732,  dated  June  2,  we  find  the  garden 
was  of  some  celebrity  at  that  time. 

"  The  King  and  the  Queen,  the  weather  being  fine, 
On  Saturday  last  went  to  Richmond  to  dine ; 
His  Royal  Highness  that  day  was  to  view 
His  gardens  and  house,  repairing  at  Kew." 

Evelyn  writes  in  his  Diary,  Aug.  27,  1678, 
"  I  went  to  my  worthy  friend  Sir  Henry  Ca- 
pel  (at  Kew),  brother  to  the  Earle  of  Essex: 
it  is  an  old  timber-house  ;  but  his  garden  has 
the  choicest  fruit  of  any  plantation  in  Eng- 
land, as  he  is  the  most  industrious  and  under- 
standing in  it." 

vol.  i.  e 


18  INTRODUCTION. 

The  present  Royal  Family  being  greatly 
attached  to  the  study  of  Botany,  his  late  Ma- 
jesty bestowed  much  attention  on  the  garden 
at  Kew,  and  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the 
example  which  he  set,  followed  with  such  ar- 
dour by  his  subjects,  that  not  less  than  6756 
rare  exotic  plants  were  introduced  into  these 
kingdoms  during  his  reign,  and  exotic  beau- 
ties are  now  seen  blended  with  our  natural 
verdure  in  every  corner  of  the  island.  The 
bad  taste  in  laying  out  our  gardens,  which 
was  originally  brought  from  France,  no  longer 
exists ;  and  we  are  happy  to  observe,  that 
the  disguising  of  Nature  and  the  frivolous 
formality  in  gardening  is  fast  declining  where 
it  first  took  birth,  as  English  gardeners  are 
now  in  great  demand  in  the  vicinity  of  Paris. 
History  furnishes  no  instance  where  a  coun- 
try has  so  rapidly  improved  in  the  arts  of 
agriculture  and  horticulture  as  Great  Britain, 
under  the  protection  of  George  the  Third,  of 
whom  justice  and  gratitude  compel  us  to  say, 
"  He  made  the  land  to  flow  with  milk  and 
honey." 

It  is  within  the  memory  of  the  author,  that 
Mr.  Scrace  first  sowed  wheat  on  the  Downs 
near  the  Race-stand  at  Brighton,  for  which, 
and  the  building  of  barns  on  these  supposed 


INTRODUCTION.  19 

sterile  hills,  he  was  thought  to  have  lost  his 
reason  ;  but  the  following  harvest  turned  the 
ridicule  of  his  neighbours  into  admiration  and 
imitation,  and  these  uncultivated  tracts  soon 
became  a  waving  ocean  of  corn,  which  has 
made  the  Southdown  farmer  the  pride  and 
envy  of  the  people. 

The  example  given  by  one  of  the  best  of 
Kings,  and  the  attention  shewn  to  agricul- 
tural pursuits  by  an  enlightened  Nation,  will, 
we  trust,  never  be  forgotten,  as  no  treasure 
can  be  so  valuable  as  that  which  protects  us 
from  famine  and  pestilence. 

Sterne  says,  "  I  am  convinced  there  would 
be  more  attentive  observers  of  Nature,  if,  for 
example,  the  spider  spun  threads  of  gold,  if 
the  lobster  contained  pearls,  or  if  the  flowers 
of  the  field  made  old  people  young." 

Reason  tells  us,  that  a  well-tilled  garden 
produces  us  more  real  luxuries,  than  mines 
of  gold  or  oceans  of  pearls  could  afford  us ; 
and  experience  teaches  us,  that  although  we 
are  not  made  young  by  the  virtue  of  plants, 
we  may  prevent  premature  old  age  by  a 
knowledge  of  herbs. 

We  now  offer  our  Literary  Herbage,  with 
a  hope  that  most  readers  will  gather  some 
little  store  for  the  table,  although  the  famili- 
es 2 


20  INTRODUCTION. 

arity  of  the  plants  here  presented,  may,  in 
some  degree,  detract  from  the  novelty  ex- 
pected in  every  new  garden  that  is  laid  open 
to  the  public.  The  Author  has  endeavoured 
to  plant  his  beds  amusingly,  as  an  induce- 
ment to  lead  those  into  the  study  of  plants, 
who  have  not  yet  entered  on  that  delightful 
pursuit ;  and  although  his  parterres  may  not 
present  that  science  which  the  learning  of  the 
present  day  demands,  he  flatters  himself  that 
no  weed  will  be  found  so  obnoxious  as  to 
offend  the  most  refined  delicacy. 


HISTORY 


OF 


CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES 


ARTICHOKE.— CINARA. 

Natural  order ',    Flosculosce.     A   genus  of  the 
Syngenesia  Polygamia  JEqualis  class. 


The  generic  name  is  said  to  be  derived  from 
the  word  cinis,  because,  according  to  Colu- 
mella, land  for  artichokes  should  be  manured 
with  ashes.  Parkinson  says,  it  is  so  called 
from  the  ash  colour  of  its  leaves. 

This  vegetable  now  bears  the  same  name 
in  all  the  European  languages,  with  very 
little  variation.  It  is  nearly  allied  to  the 
curduus  or  common  thistle,  and  is  said  by 
Pliny*  to  have  been  more  esteemed,  and  to 
have  obtained  a  higher  price,  than  any  other 
garden  herb.     He  was  ashamed  to  rank  this 

*  Book  19,  chap.  8. 


22  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

vegetable  amongst  the  choice  plants  of  the 
garden,  being  in  fact  no  other  than  the  this- 
tle. He  states,  that  the  thistles  about  Car- 
thage  the  Great,  and  Corduba  especially, 
cost  the  Romans,  annually,  six  thousand 
thousand  sesterces  ;  and  concludes  by  cen- 
suring the  vanity  and  prodigality  of  his  coun- 
trymen, in  serving  up  such  things  at  table  as 
the  very  asses  and  other  beasts  refuse,  for 
fear  of  pricking  their  lips.  We  find  in  the 
fourth  chapter  of  the  same  book,  that  the 
commoners  of  Rome  were  prohibited,  by  an 
arbitrary  law,  from  eating  artichokes.  The 
same  author  says,  artichokes  are  preserved 
in  vinegar,  and  in  honey,  and  seasoned  also 
with  the  costly  root  of  the  lazerwort  plant, 
and  cumin  ;  by  which  means  they  were  to 
be  had  every  day  in  the  year. 

The  juice  of  the  artichoke,  pressed  out 
before  it  blossoms,  was  used  by  the  ancients 
to  restore  the  hair  of  the  head,  even  when  it 
was  quite  bald.  They  also  ate  the  root  of 
this  plant  (as  well  as  that  of  the  thistle)  sod- 
dened  in  water,  to  enable  them  to  drink  to 
excess,  as  it  excited  a  desire  for  liquor.  It 
was  supposed  to  strengthen  the  stomach, 
and  was  reported  by  Chaereas  the  Athenian, 
and  Glaucias,  to  cause  mothers  to  be  blessed 


ARTICHOKE.  23 

with  male  children,  as  well  as  to  sweeten  the 
breath  of  those  who  chewed  it.  Columella 
notices  the  same  quality  in  the  artichoke, 
but  intimates  that  it  injures  the  voice. 

"  Let  the  prickly  artichoke 


Be  planted,  which  to  Bacchus,  when  he  drinks, 
Is  grateful ;  not  to  Phoebus,  when  he  sings." 

Both  the  Greeks  and  Romans  appear  to 
have  procured  /this  plant  from  the  coast  of 
Africa  about  Carthage,  as  also  from  Sicily. 

From  Italy  it  was  brought  to  this  country, 
during  the  reign  of  Henry  the  Eighth,  about 
the  year  1548 ;  and,  by  reason  of  the  great 
moisture  of  our  climate,  and  the  attention 
which  was  paid  to  its  cultivation,  it  soon  be- 
came so  much  improved  in  size  and  flavour, 
that  the  Italians  sent  for  plants  from  Eng- 
land, deeming  them  to  be  of  another  kind, 
but  they  soon  returned  to  their  natural  size, 
when  restored  to  that  country. 

Gerard  has  left  us  correct  representations 
of  both  the  French  and  the  Globe  varieties, 
but  makes  no  mention  of  their  country  or 
their  introduction ;  we  may  therefore  con- 
clude, that  they  were  become  common  in 
1596. 

The  Globe  kind,  being  a  plant  infinitely 
more  tender  than  the  French  artichoke,  was 


24  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

nearly  lost  in  the  severe  winter  of  1739-40, 
previously  to  which  time  it  was  almost  the 
only  kind  cultivated,  on  account  of  its  great 
superiority ;  but  our  gardeners  supplying 
themselves  on  that  occasion  with  plants 
from  Guernsey,  where  the  French  kind  is  cul- 
tivated, this  variety  again  found  its  way  into 
our  gardens;  but  was  only  retained  until  the 
Globe  artichoke  could  again  be  reared,  when 
the  French  species  was  no  longer  cultivated. 

The  artichoke  affords  a  pleasant,  whole- 
some, and  nourishing  food ;  Arbuthnot  says, 
"  it  contains  a  rich,  nutritious,  stimulating 
juice."  The  Italians  and  French  eat  the 
heads  raw,  with  vinegar,  salt,  oil,  and  pep- 
per ;  but  they  are  considered  to  be  hard  of 
digestion  in  a  raw  state,  and  are,  therefore, 
generally  preferred  after  having  been  boiled. 
In  this  state  they  are  sold  in  the  streets  of 
Paris,  and  form  a  standing  dish  at  a  French 
breakfast. 

The  Germans  and  French  eat  not  only  the 
heads,  but  also  the  young  stalks  boiled,  sea- 
soned with  butter  and  vinegar. 

Artichokes  are  usually  sent  to  our  tables, 
when  whole,  boiled  in  water ;  but  they  are 
much  preferable  when  boiled  in  oil  or  butter. 
The  artichoke  bottoms  are  generally  admired 


ARTICHOKE.  25 

when  served  up  either  plain,  ragou'd,  fricas- 
seed, fried,  or  pickled.  Coles  recommends 
artichoke  bottoms  baked  in  a  pie  after  being 
boiled,  as  a  restorative  and  strengthener  of 
the  stomach.  Artichoke  bottoms  are  dried 
in  the  sun  for  winter  use ;  but  the  whole  ar- 
tichoke may  be  preserved  for  a  considerable 
time,  if  covered  with  fresh  sand.  Young 
artichokes  are  pickled  whole. 

The  stalks  blanched  like  celery,  and  pre- 
served in  honey,  are  said  to  be  an  excellent 
pectoral :  the  roots  are  considered  aperient, 
cleansing,  and  diuretic ;  and  are  recommended 
in  the  jaundice,  for  which  disorder  the  com- 
mon leaves,  boiled  in  white- wine  whey,  or 
the  juice  of  the  leaves,  are  also  considered 
salutary.  We  have  known  many  persons 
greatly  relieved  from  the  bile,  by  drinking 
sherry  wine,  in  which  the  common  leaves  and 
cut  stalks  of  this  plant  had  been  steeped. 

Lord  Bacon  observes,  that  no  other  herb 
has  double  leaves ;  one  belonging  to  the 
stalk,  the  other  to  the  fruit  or  seed. 

The  field-mouse  is  a  great  destroyer  of  the 
roots  of  these  plants ;  and  it  is  a  good  pre- 
servative of  them  to  plant  beets  round  the 
beds  of  artichokes ;  as  the  roots  of  the  beet, 
being  still  more   agreeable  to  the   taste    of 


26  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

these  little  animals  than  those  of  the  arti- 
choke, preserve  the  latter  from  these  de- 
predators. 

The  French  artichoke,  Cinara  scolymus, 
grows  wild  in  the  fields  of  Italy,  where  it 
often  attains  the  height  of  a  man. 

The  bottoms  of  the  Cotton-thistle,  Onopor- 
dum  acanthium,  are  often  eaten  as  artichokes. 


27 


ASPARAGUS.— ASPARAGUS. 

Natural  order,  Sarmentacece.  The  genus  of 
Asparagus  is  allied  to  Convallaria.  In 
botany  it  stands  in  the  Hexandria  Mono- 
gynia  class. 


This  plant  takes  its  name  from  the  Greek 
word  AffTrapa-yoc,  signifying  a  young  shoot 
before  it  unfolds  its  leaves.  Gerard  says, 
"  it  is  called  in  English  Sperage,  and  likewise 
Asparagus,  after  the  Latin  name,  because 
asparagi,  or  the  springes  heereof,  are  pre- 
pared before  all  other  plants  ;  for  the  word 
asparagus  doth  properly  signify  the  first 
spring  or  sprout  of  euery  plant,  especially 
when  it  be  tender." 

It  is  evidently  a  native  of  this  country, 
for  the  same  author  observes,  that  "  the 
manured  or  garden  asparagus  comes  up  of 
the  size  of  the  largest  swan's  quill ;"  he 
adds,  "it  is  the  same  as  the  wild,  but,  like 
other  vegetables,  was  made  larger  by  culti- 
vation."— "  Our   garden    asparagus   groweth 


28  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

wild  in  Essex,  in  a  meadowe  adioining  to 
a  myll  beyond  a  village  called  Thorp,  and 
also  at  Singleton,  not  farre  from  Carbie,  and  in 
the  meadowes  neereMoulton  in  Lincolnshire: 
likewise  it  groweth  in  great  plenty  neere 
vnto  Harwich,  at  a  place  called  Landam- 
erlading."  Miller  was  of  opinion,  that  the 
common  asparagus  which  is  cultivated  for 
the  use  of  the  table,  might  probably  have 
been  brought  by  culture  to  its  present  per- 
fection, from  the  wild  sort,  which  grows  na- 
turally in  Lincolnshire,  where  the  shoots  are 
no  larger  than  straws.  It  is  well  known  how 
much  the  asparagus  is  improved  in  size  since 
Gerard's  time  (1597) ;  and  it  might  be  still 
farther  improved,  if  our  gardeners  were  to 
import  roots  of  this  plant  from  the  borders 
of  the  Euphrates,  where  it  grows  to  an  extra- 
ordinary thickness. 

The  colony  of  the  Joxides  in  Caria  had  a 
singular  custom  respecting  asparagus,  which, 
according  to  ancient  tradition,  owed  its  ori- 
gin to  the  following  story  : — Perigone,  hav- 
ing been  pursued  by  Theseus,  threw  herself 
into  a  place  thickly  filled  with  asparagus  and 
reeds ;  and  prostrating  herself,  made  a  vow, 
that  if  these  plants  would  hide  her  from 
Theseus,  she  would  never  pull  or  burn  them. 


ASPARAGUS.  29 

The  lover's  voice,  however,  succeeding  in 
drawing  his  fair-one  from  her  hiding-place, 
she  surrendered  to  the  intreaties  of  Theseus, 
and  her  descendants  ever  afterwards  forbade 
the  burning  of  asparagus. 

This  vegetable  first  came  into  use  as  a 
food,  about  two  hundred  years  before  Christ, 
in  the  time  of  the  elder  Cato  ;  and  its  quali- 
ties were  probably  discovered  by  this  distin- 
guished agriculturist,  as  it  was  the  last  vege- 
table written  upon  by  him.  He  mentions  no 
other  method  of  raising  this  plant  than  by 
seed  ;  and  recommends  sheep's  dung  for  the 
beds,  in  preference  to  any  other  manure. 
This  author  was  of  opinion,  that  asparagus 
beds  would  only  continue  productive  for 
nine  years. 

Suetonius  informs  us,  in  his  Life  of  Augus- 
tus, that  that  Emperor  was  very  partial  to 
asparagus  ;  and  Erasmus  tells  us  the  same  in 
his  Adagia. 

Pliny  states*,  that  asparagus,  which  for- 
merly grew7  wild,  so  that  every  man  might 
gather  it,  was  in  his  time  carefully  cherished 
in  gardens,  particularly  at  Ravenna,  where 
the    cultivated    asparagus    was    so   fair   and 

*  Book  19,  chap.  4. 


30  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

large,  that  three  heads  would  weigh  a  pound, 
and  were  sold  for  an  As,  (about  three-far- 
things.) He  afterwards  says,  "of  all  garden 
herbs  asparagus  is  (by  report)  the  best  to  be 
eaten,  and  agrees  well  with  the  stomach."* 
The  wild  asparagus  was  called  Corruda  and 
Lybicum,  and  by  the  Athenians,  Horminium. 

It  was  said  by  the  ancients,  that,  if  a  per- 
son anointed  himself  with  a  liniment  made 
of  asparagus  and  oil,  the  bees  would  not  ap- 
proach or  sting  him. 

Asparagus  is  said  to  promote  appetite,  but 
affords  little  nourishment.  Dr.  James  recom- 
mends it  to  be  eaten  at  the  beginning  of  dinner, 
when,  he  tells  us,  it  is  grateful  to  the  stomach. 
If  eaten  before  dinner,  it  refreshes  and  opens 
the  liver,  spleen,  and  kidneys,  and  puts  the 
body  in  an  agreeable  state.  Asparagus  is 
considered  to  be  of  admirable  service  to  those 
afflicted  with  the  gravel,  or  who  are  scorbutic 
or  dropsical.  It  is  also  of  singular  efficacy  in 
disorders  of  the  eyes ;  but  is  hurtful  to  such 
as  labour  under  the  gout,  or  have  weak  sto- 
machs. 

The    roots   are   more   diuretic    than    the 
sprouts,  because  they  have  more  of  the  salt, 

*  Book  20,  chap.  10. 


ASPARAGUS.  31 

from  whence  they  derive  that  quality,  than 
any  of  the  parts  growing  above  ground,  which 
cannot  imbibe  it  so  copiously  as  the  root 
itself  receives  it  from  the  earth.  And  this 
may  pass  for  a  reason  why  most  roots  are 
more  endowed  with  this  property  than  their 
plants.  The  root  of  asparagus  is  one  of 
those  called  the  five  opening  roots :  it  is  also 
of  some  use  as  a  pectoral;  and  makes  a  chief 
ingredient  in  the  syrup  of  marsh-mallows, 
given  as  a  remedy  for  the  stone.  It  is  good 
in  all  compositions  intended  to  cleanse  the 
viscera,  especially  where  obstructions  threaten 
the  jaundice  and  dropsy.  This  vegetable  is 
also  salutary  in  many  disorders  of  the  breast,  as 
operating  by  urine,  which  is  generally  of  ser- 
vice in  such  cases.* 

If  the  root  is  put  upon  a  tooth  that  aches 
violently,  it  causes  it  to  come  out  without 
pain,  according  to  Ant.  Mizald,  and  others. -f- 

M.  Roliquet  has,  it  is  said,  discovered  a 
new  vegetable  principle  in  asparagus  :  it  is  a 
triple  salt  of  lime  and  ammonia,  of  which  the 
acid  is  unknown.  This  chemist  and  M. 
Vauquelin  have  found  a  substance  in  the  juice 
of  this  vegetable,  analogous  to  manna. 

#  Galen,  Hoffman,  James,  8cc. 

t  Mizald,  cent.  7.     Memorab.  A  ph.  34.     Schenck,  Obs. 
Med.  L.  1 . 


32  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

In  Queen  Elizabeth's  time  asparagus  was 
eaten,  says  Gerard,  "  sodden  in  flesh-broth, 
or  boiled  in  faire  water,  and  seasoned  with 
oile,  vinegar,  salt,  and  pepper,  then  serued  at 
mens  tables  for  a  sallade." 

At  the  present  time  it  is  principally  served 
to  table  on  a  toast,  or  ragou'd.  It  makes  an 
excellent  soup,  and  the  small  sprue-grass 
forms  a  part  of  most  of  our  spring  pottages. 
It  is  often  cut  small  and  sent  to  table  as  a 
substitute  for  green  peas. 

The  flowers  of  asparagus  are  found,  on  a 
strict  examination,  to  be  dioecious,  although 
arranged  by  Linnaeus,  and  other  botanists,  as 
hermaphrodite.  Those  which  bear  berries 
have  abortive  stamina,  and  those  which  have 
perfect  stamina  are  destitute  of  pistils,  or 
have  only  such  as  are  abortive.  The  male 
plants  throw  up  a  far  greater  quantity  of 
shoots  than  the  female,  although  not  quite 
equal  to  them  in  size. 

In  making  new  beds,  the  males  only  should 
be  selected,  which  may  be  easily  done  by  not 
planting  them  from  the  seed-beds  until  they 
have  flowered.  When  the  plants  are  one 
year  old,  transplant  them  into  other  beds,  at 
six  inches  distance  ;  let  them  remain  there 
until  they  flower,  which  will  be,  with  respect 


ASPARAGUS.  33 

to  most  of  them,  in  the  second  year  ;  put  a 
small  stick  to  each  male  plant  to  mark  them, 
and  pull  up  the  females,  unless  it  is  preferred 
to  make  a  separate  plantation  of  them,  to 
prove  the  truth  of  the  experiment. 

Asparagus  is  now  obtained  by  the  attentive 
gardener  at  all  seasons  of  the  year,  and  the 
same  plants  are  made  to  give  two  crops  in 
the  year  by  the  following  method  :  towards 
the  end  of  July,  especially  if  it  be  rainy 
weather,  cut  down  the  stalks  of  the  plants, 
fork  up  the  beds,  and  rake  them.  If  it  be 
dry,  water  them  with  the  drainings  of  a 
dunghill,  or  with  water  wherein  horse  or  cow- 
dung  has  been  steeped;  leave  the  beds  rather 
flat  instead  of  the  usual  round  shape,  in  order 
that  they  may  retain  all  the  moisture.  In 
ten  or  fourteen  days  the  asparagus  will  begin 
to  appear  :  if  the  weather  is  dry,  continue  to 
water  the  beds  two  or  three  times  a  week. 
By  this  method  you  may  cut  asparagus  till 
about  the  end  of  September,  at  which  time 
the  produce  of  the  hot-beds  will  be  ready ; 
so  that,  with  five  or  six  hot-beds  during  the 
winter,  you  may  have  a  regular  succession  of 
this  agreeable  vegetable  for  every  month  of 
the  year. 

It  may  be   observed  that  by  cutting  the 

VOL.   J.  D 


34  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

beds  twice  a  year,  you  exhaust  them ;  to 
obviate  this,  succeeding  beds  should  be 
prepared.  We  are,  however,  of  opinion 
that  asparagus  beds  do  not  become  worn  out, 
or  unproductive,  so  soon  as  is  generally 
imagined  ;  as  some  of  the  finest  asparagus 
we  have  met  with  in  this  country,  the  author 
recollects  to  have  been  cut  from  a  bed  at 
Westburton,  in  Sussex,  which  he  was  then 
told  had  abundantly  supplied  Mr.  Upperton's 
family  for  more  than  seventy  years. 

In  Jamaica,  and  other  West  India  islands, 
they  cut  asparagus  in  twelve  months  after  the 
seeds  are  sown. 


3.5 


ASPHODEL— ASPHGDELUS. 

Natural  order,  Coronarice.     A  genus   of   the 
Hexandria  Monogi/nia  class. 


Asphodelus,  is  derived  from  a,  and  cr^aAAw, 
subplanto,  (nro&Xov,  from  airoSoq  ashes  :  aspho- 
dels being  anciently  planted  with  mallows  on 
graves.* 

The  asphodel  root  was  to  the  ancient 
Greeks  and  Romans,  what  the  potatoe  now 
is  to  us,  a  bread  plant,  the  value  of  which 
cannot  be  too  highly  estimated.  It  has  long 
since  given  way  to  its  successors  in  favour ; 
and  if  now  permitted  to  blossom,  it  is  seen 
only  in  obscure  corners  of  gardens,  in  which  it 
perhaps  was  formerly  the  principal  plant. 

So  universally  has  the  Virginian  plant  su- 
perseded that  of  Troas,  that  we  no  longer 
consider  the  asphodel  as  an  article  of  food ; 
and  were  it  not  for  the  occasional  appearance 
of  the  Hastula  regia,  King's  spear,  in  our  par- 

*  Ray. 
d  2 


36 


CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 


terres,  this  plant  which  nourished  the  an- 
cients, and  the  verses  in  which  it  is  cele- 
brated by  the  poets,  would  have  been  equally 
forgotten. 

The  origin  of  this  vegetable  is  traced  in 
fabulous  history  to  that  memorable  apple, 
which  Discord  threw  into  the  assembly  of  the 
gods  who  attended  the  nuptials  of  Peleus 
and  Thetis,  as  a  prize  for  the  fairest  of  the 
goddesses.  The  decision  of  Paris  in  favour 
of  Venus  is  said  to  have  offended  Juno  and 
Minerva  so  highly,  that  they  endeavoured  to 
break  the  beavitiful  crook  which  Pan  had  given 
to  the  shepherd  of  Ida,  but  which  was  saved 
by  its  turning  into  the  blossom  of  a  yellow  as- 
phodel, so  much  resembling  a  royal  sceptre. 

From  this  fable  we  conclude,  that  the 
ancients  considered  the  asphodel  a  native  of 
Mount  Ida;  and  as  modern  botanists  agree 
that  the  plant  is  indigenous  to  that  neigh- 
bourhood, we  will  not  dispute  whether  it 
first  sprang  up  in  the  valley  or  on  the  hill, 
but  will  turn  to  the  instructive  pages  of 
Pliny,  who  calls  it  one  of  the  most  sovereign 
and  renowned  herbs  that  the  world  pro- 
duces ;  and  says,  that  the  roots  boiled  with 
husked  barley  are  certainly  the  most  restora- 
tive diet  that  can  be  taken  by  consumptive 


ASPHODEL.  37 

persons,  or  those  whose  lungs  are  affected. 
He  adds,  that  no  bread  is  so  wholesome  as 
that  which  is  made  of  these  roots  and  the 
flour  of  grain  mixed  together.  The  same 
author  tells  us,  that  the  roots  of  the  asphodel 
were  generally  roasted  under  the  embers, 
and  then  eaten  with  salt  and  oil ;  but  when 
mashed  with  figs,  they  were  thought  a  most 
excellent  dish.  Hesiod,  the  first  poet  who 
wrote  on  agriculture,  mentions  the  latter 
method  as  the  only  way  to  dress  asphodels. 
Homer  has  also  noticed  this  plant.  The  as- 
phodel appears  to  have  been  highly  esteemed 
by  Pythagoras,  who  has  been  styled  by  an- 
cient authors  the  prince  of  philosophers. 
He  lived  upon  the  purest  and  most  innocent 
food,  and  was  so  averse  to  the  shedding  of 
blood,  that  it  is  said,  when  he  made  offerings 
at  the  temples  of  the  gods,  it  was  of  animals 
made  of  wax :  he  forbade  his  disciples  to 
eat  flesh.  Theophrastus  particularly  de- 
scribes the  asphodel  and  its  virtues ;  and 
Mago,  the  celebrated  Carthaginian  writer  on 
husbandry,  gave  minute  directions  for  its  cul- 
tivation. Dionysius  also  wrote  on  this  vege- 
table, one  species  of  which  he  considered  the 
male,  and  the  other  the  female  plant.  Pliny 
tells  us  that  these  plants  were  so  productive, 


38  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

that  it  was  not  uncommon  to  see  eighty  bulbs 
or  roots  clustered  together.  The  seed  of  this 
vegetable  was  also  eaten  when  parched  or 
fried,  and  it  was  generally  planted  by  the 
Roman  husbandmen  before  the  gates  of  their 
farms,  with  the  superstitious  idea  that  it 
would  preserve  the  place  from  charms  and 
sorceries.  According  to  the  fiction  of  Lucian, 
asphodels  are  eaten  by  the  ghosts  of  the 
condemned  in  the  infernal  regions.  Among 
the  physicians  of  ancient  celebrity  who  wrote 
on  this  plant,  Nicander  recommends  it  as  an 
antidote  against  the  poison  of  serpents  and 
scorpions,  if  either  the  seeds  or  roots  be 
drunk  in  wine  ;  and  asserts,  that  by  laying 
the  plant  under  the  pillow,  these  and  other 
reptiles  will  be  kept  from  the  bed  :  this  was 
a  most  important  discovery  for  the  armies, 
who  were  obliged  to  sleep  in  fields  abounding 
with  creatures  whose  bite  or  sting  was  deadly. 
Dioscorides  and  iEtius  prescribed  the  wine 
in  which  asphodel  roots  were  boiled  as  an 
excellent  diuretic.  Galen  says,  the  roots 
burnt  to  ashes  and  mixed  with  the  fat  of 
ducks,  are  the  best  remedy  for  alopecy,  and 
that  it  will  recover  the  hair  that  has  fallen 
off  by  that  disease.  Xenocrates  affirmed, 
that  a  decoction  of  the  root  in  vinegar  was 


ASPHODEL.  39 

a  cure  for  the  ring-worm,  &c.  We  are 
informed,  that  Chrysermus  the  physician 
boiled  the  root  in  wine,  and  by  it  cured  the 
swellings  of  the  kernels  behind  the  ears  ; 
and  that  Sophocles  used  it,  both  boiled  and 
raw,  with  good  success  against  the  gout. 
Simnus  esteemed  it  the  best  diuretic  drink 
for  the  gravel,  when  boiled  in  wine.  Hippo- 
crates prescribed  the  seeds  of  the  asphodel 
against  the  hardness  of  the  spleen,  and  the 
flux  which  proceeds  from  that  cause.  He 
also  applied  the  root,  pounded,  as  a  liniment 
for  horses,  or  dogs,  &c.  afflicted  with  the 
mange  ;  which,  it  is  said,  would  both  effect 
a  cure,  and  restore  the  hair. 

The  ancients  used  a  liniment  made  of  the 
leaves,  for  wounds  occasioned  by  serpents, 
and  other  venomous  creatures ;  and  the  juice 
of  the  root,  mixed  with  oil,  was  applied  to 
burns  and  scalds,  &c.  Immense  tracts  of 
land  in  Apulia  are  covered  with  asphodel, 
and  it  is  said  to  afford  good  nourishment  to 
sheep.*  The  onion-leaved  asphodel  grows 
also  in  the  natural  state,  both  in  Spain  and 
the  South  of  France. 

Dodoens,    who    nourished    at    the    coin- 

#  Symonds  in  Young's  Annals. 


40  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES, 

mencement  of  the  sixteenth  century,  highly 
extols  the  virtues  of  the  asphodel  for  most 
of  the  before-mentioned  maladies ;  and  adds, 
that  a  dram  weight  of  the  root,  when  boiled 
and  taken  in  wine,  relieves  the  pains  of  the 
side,  the  cough,  the  shrinkings  of  the  sinews, 
the  cramp,  &c. 

Gerard  has  given  us  a  description  of  six 
species  of  asphodel,  which  he  cultivated  in 
his  garden,  prior  to  1597 ;  one  of  which  he 
states  to  be  a  native  of  England ;  but  as 
more  modern  botanists  do  not  acknowledge 
it  to  be  indigenous  to  this  country,  we  shall 
give  his  own  words  :  "  The  Lancashire  as- 
phodill  groweth  in  moist  and  marishy  places 
neere  vnto  the  towne  of  Lancaster  in  the 
moorish  grounds  there,  as  also  neere  vnto 
Maudsley  and  Martone,  two  villages  not  far 
from  thence  ;  where  it  was  found  by  a  wor- 
shipfull  and  learned  gentleman,  a  diligent 
searcher  of  simples,  and  feruent  louer  of 
plants,  Master  Thomas  Hesket,  who  brought 
the  plants  vnto  me  for  the  increase  of  my 
garden.  I  received  some  plants  thereof  like- 
wise from  Master  Thomas  Edwards,  apothe- 
carie  in  Excester,  learned  and  skilfull  in  his 
profession,  as  also  in  the  knowledge  of  plants, 
unto  whom    I    rest    bounden  for  this  plant, 


ASPHODEL.  41 

which  he  found  at  the  foote  of  a  hill  in  the 
west  part  of  England,  called  Bagshot  hill, 
neere  vnto  a  village  of  the  same  name." 

This  species  of  asphodel  has  a  yellow  blos- 
som, and  was  thence  called  the  King's  spear. 
Gerard  tells  us,  that  the  juice  of  the  aspho- 
del root  cleanses  and  takes  away  the  white 
morphew,  if  the  face  be  first  rubbed  with  a 
coarse  linen  cloth,  and  then  anointed  with  it. 
He  adds,  that  "  it  is  not  yet  found  out  if  the 
Lancaster  asphodil  is  of  use  either  in  nourish- 
ment or  medicine."  Ray  says,  this  species  is 
a  native  of  Sicily,  where  he  found  it  growing. 

The  asphodel  is  said  to  be  useful  in  driving 
away  rats  and  mice,  which  have  so  great  an 
antipathy  to  this  plant,  that,  if  their  holes  be 
stopped  up  with  it,  they  will  die  rather  than 
pass  it ;  and  it  is  said,  that  if  a  house  be 
smoked  with  this  root,  it  also  banishes  mice, 
or  proves  a  poison  to  them. 

If  the  root  is  put  into  the  water  which 
swine  drink,  it  prevents  their  being  affected 
with  a  pestilential  leprosy,  or  if  they  have 
taken  the  disorder,  it  restores  them  to  health. 
It  also  produces  the  same  effect,  if  they  are 
frequently  washed  with  such  a  water.* 

#  Florentinus. 


42  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

The  vinegar  in  which  the  root  has  been 
boiled,  if  used  for  washing  the  body,  cures 
scorbutic  eruptions.  Some  roast  the  roots 
in  hot  ashes,  and  rub  their  faces  and  hands 
with  them,  in  order  to  remove  all  blotches, 
and  purify  the  skin. 

This  plant  will  thrive  in  any  soil,  if  planted 
about  three  inches  deep  ;  it  is  principally 
raised  by  dividing  the  roots,  as  the  cultiva- 
tion by  seed  is  more  tedious.  It  blossoms 
best  in  a  damp  soil,  or  when  it  is  well 
watered. 


43 


BALM,   or  BAUM.— MELISSA. 

Natural  order,  Verticillata.     A  genus  of  the 
Didynamia  Gymnospermia  class. 


The  Greeks  called  this  plant  nAiaaotyvWov 
r)  fieX'KpvXXovy  melissophyllum,  or  melipayllum,  id 
est,  apum  folium,  that  is  bee's  leaf,  from  the 
fondness  these  insects  shew  for  this  herb. 
It  is  called  melissa,  from  r^Xi,  honey,  because 
bees  gather  much  honey  from  its  flowers. 
It  has  also  been  called  apiastrum,  from  apes, 
a  bee,  on  the  same  account ;  and  it  is  still 
the  custom  to  rub  the  hives  with  balm  and 
sugar,  or  honey,  previously  to  taking  a  swarm ; 
a  practice  which  certainly  appears  to  have 
the  effect  of  attaching  the  colony  to  its  new 
settlement.  Pliny  notices  this  method  of 
securing  the  bees  in  his  time,  and  says,  that 
where  there  is  plenty  of  balm  in  the  garden, 
there  is  no  fear  of  the  swarms  straying ;  he 
tells  us  also,  that  it  is  a  good  remedy  for  the 
sting  of  bees  and  wasps,  &c.  and  enumerates 


44  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

a  long  list  of  complaints  for  which  it  was 
then  considered  an  effectual  medicine. 

Virgil  says,  that  bees  which  have  strayed 
may  be  brought  back  by  the  juice  of  this 
herb. 

"  When  you  the  swarms  'scaped  from  the  hives  descry, 
Like  a  dark  cloud  blown  through  the  summer  sky, 
Swimming  the  boundless  ocean  of  the  air, 
They  still  to  pools  and  leafy  bowers  repair : 
There  juice  of  balm  and  woodbine  sprinkle  round, 
Strike  jingling  brass  and  tinkling  cymbals  sound  ; 
The  loved  perfume  will  sudden  rest  inspire, 
And  they,  as  usual,  to  their  hives  retire. 

Lauderdale. 

Gerard  says,  "  Bawme  is  much  sowen  in 
gardens,  and  oftentimes  it  groweth  of  itself 
in  woods  and  mountaines,  and  other  wilde 
places."  From  this  we  should  have  been 
inclined  to  consider  it  a  native  plant ;  but 
that  we  have  never  met  with  it  growing 
wild.  Regnault,  and  after  him  Aiton,  tell 
us,  that  it  is  a  native  of  the  South  of  Europe, 
and  was  first  cultivated  in  this  country 
about  the  year  1573.  We  have  now  eight 
species  of  balm,  two  of  which  are  indige- 
nous to  England,  viz.  the  common  Calamint, 
Melissa  calamintha,  and  the  lesser  Calamint, 
Nepeta. 

The  old  English  herbals,  as  well  as  those 


BALM.  45 

of  the  ancients,  are  copious  on  the  supposed 
virtues  of  this  plant,  but  of  which  modern 
practice  takes  little  notice.  It  is,  however, 
much  esteemed  by  the  common  people  of 
this  country,  who  take  it  in  the  manner  of 
tea,  and  it  is  thought  to  be  good  in  disorders 
of  the  head  and  stomach,  as  also  in  hypo- 
chondriac and  hysteric  complaints. 

The  infusion  of  this  plant  is  better  when 
made  from  the  green  herb,  than  when  dried, 
which  is  contrary  to  the  general  rule  in  re- 
gard to  other  plants. 

Without  being  misled  by  the  high  en- 
comiums which  our  herbalists  have  bestowed 
on  balm,  we  think  it  is  not  duly  appreciated 
at  present. 

Hoffman  contrived  a  process  for  obtaining 
the  virtues  of  this  plant,  which  affords  its 
principles  better  than  any  other,  and  gives 
two  medicines  to  the  physician,  unknown 
before,  but  of  great  value.  He  took  a  large 
quantity  of  the  leaves  of  balm,  fresh  picked 
from  the  stalks,  and  filling  a  glass  vessel  more 
than  half  full  with  them,  fixing  the  stopple 
carefully  in,  he  put  the  vessel  into  a  dunghill, 
where  he  let  it  remain  three  months.  At  the 
end  of  this  time  he  took  it  out,  and  found  the 
whole  reduced  to  a  kind  of  poultice.     This 


46 


CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 


being  distilled  in  a  retort,  yielded  first  an 
empyreumatic  liquor,  but  afterwards,  when 
the  fire  was  increased,  a  black  and  stinking 
oil  came  over,  in  form  of  thin  lamina,  spread- 
ing itself  over  the  surface  of  the  liquor. 
There  remained  at  the  bottom  of  the  retort, 
a  black  and  burnt  mass,  resembling  a  coal, 
which,  being  thrown  on  burning  charcoal, 
had  very  much  the  smell  of  the  common 
tobacco. 

In  this  first  distillation,  no  volatile  salt  ap- 
peared; but  the  empyreumatic  liquor  being 
examined,  was  found  very  sharp  and  acrid 
on  the  tongue,  and  of  a  sharp  and  pungent 
smell.  Spirit  of  vitriol  being  mixed  with  it, 
it  afforded  no  effervescence  ;  but  on  the  mix- 
ing it  with  spirit  of  hartshorn,  spirit  of  urine, 
or  the  like,  a  small  ebullition  was  always  pro- 
duced, though  it  lasted  but  a  few  moments. 

This  liquor,  rectified  by  a  second  distilla- 
tion, affords  the  volatile  salt  of  balm,  which  is 
a  fine  white  and  pellucid  substance,  adhering 
to  the  neck  of  the  glass  in  form  of  fine 
white  and  striated  crystal ;  and  a  yellow 
aethereal  oil,  of  a  very  penetrating  smell, 
and  sharp  taste,  becomes  separated  by  the 
same  rectification.  These  are  both  found  to 
be  very  powerful   medicines,    the  salt  as  a 


BALM.  47 

sudorific,    and  the  oil  as  a  high  cordial,  a 
carminative,  and  a  deobstruent. 

In  France,  the  women  bruise  the  young 
shoots  of  balm,  and  make  them  into  cakes 
with  sugar,  eggs,  and  rose-water,  which 
they  give  to  the  mother  in  child-birth,  as 
a  strengthener.  It  has  also  been  thought 
beneficial  to  those  who  are  troubled  with 
the  palpitation  of  the  heart. 


48 


BARLEY.— HORDEUM. 

Natural  order  >  Gramma.     A  genus  of  the 
Triandria  Digynia  class. 


The  generic  name  seems  either  horridum, 
from  horres,  on  account  of  its  long  awns  or 
beards ;  or,  as  it  was  anciently  written  for- 
deum,  rather  from  4>epj3w,  to  feed  or  nourish, 
whence  ^opj3^  and  forbea,  and  changing  the 
b  into  d,  for  deum*  The  name  is,  however, 
derived  by  Junius  from  the  Hebrew  *n. 

Barley  is  evidently  a  native  of  a  warmer 
climate  than  Britain,  for  in  this  moist  atmo- 
sphere it  is  observed  to  degenerate,  when 
either  neglected  or  left  to  a  poor  soil.  Dr. 
Plott  speaks  of  barley  and  rye  growing  in  the 
same  ear  alternately. 

We  have  the  best  authority  for  its  having 
been  cultivated  in  Syria  so  long  back  as  3132 
years  ;  therefore  that  part  of  the  world  may 
be  fairly  fixed  as  its  native  soil. 

#  Vossius. 


BARLEY.  4J) 

"  Ruth  gleaned  in  the  field  until  even,  and 
beat  out  that  she  had  gleaned  ;  and  it  was 
about  an  ephah  of  barley." 

—  "  So  she  kept  fast  by  the  maidens  of 
Boaz,  to  glean  unto  the  end  of  barley  harvest, 
and  of  wheat  harvest." 

—  "  Behold  he  winnoweth  barley  to-night 
in  the  threshing-floor."  * 

In  the  seventh  chapter  of  the  second  book 
of  Kings,  we  learn  what  proportion  barley 
bore  in  price  to  wheaten  flour  in  Samaria, 
about  892  years  b.  c. 

"  To-morrow,  about  this  time,  shall  a  mea- 
sure of  fine  flour  be  sold  for  a  shekel,  and  two 
measures  of  barley  for  a  shekel." 

We  have  also  very  early  accounts  of  this 
corn  having  been  cultivated  in  Egypt;  and  it 
is  supposed  to  have  been  used  before  any 
other  sort  of  grain. 

Artemidorus  says,  it  was  the  first  food  which 
the  gods  imparted  to  mankind  -f .  Pliny  says, 
"  In  Chalica  (an  island  belonging  to  the 
Rhodians)  there  is  one  place  so  fruitful,  that 
the  barley,  which  was  sown  in  proper  time, 
is  mowed  and  committed  to  the  ground  a  se- 
cond time,  which  is  ready  to  cut  again  with 
the  other  corn." 

*  Ruth,  1312  r.  c.       f  Plut.  Marcello,  Livius,  lib.  27. 

VOL.  I.  E 


50  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

"  The  russet  field  rose  high  with  waving  grain  ; 
With  bended  sickles  stand  the  reaper  train. 
Here  stretch'd  in  ranks  the  levell'd  swarths  are  found, 
Sheaves  heap'd  on  sheaves  here  thicken  up  the  ground. 
With  sweeping  stroke  the  mowers  strew  the  lands ; 
The  gatherers  follow,  and  collect  in  bands  ; 
And  last  the  children,  in  whose  arms  are  borne 
(Too  short  to  gripe  them)  the  brown  sheaves  of  corn. 
The  rustic  monarch  of  the  field  descries, 
With  silent  glee,  the  heaps  around  him  rise. 
A  ready  banquet  on  the  turf  is  laid ; 
Beneath  an  ample  oak's  extended  shade 
The  victim  ox  the  sturdy  youth  prepare  ; 
The  reapers'  due  repast,  the  women's  care." 

Pope's  Homer. 

Barley  (husked),  says  Pliny,  was  the  most 
ancient  food  in  old  times,  as  will  appear  by 
the  ordinary  custom  of  the  Athenians,  accord- 
ing to  the  testimony  of  Menander,  as  also 
by  the  sirname  given  to  sword-fencers,  who 
from  their  allowance  or  pension  of  barley 
were  called  H  or  dear  it,  barleymen.*  This 
naturalist  farther  observes,  that  of  all  grains 
barley  is  the  softest,  and  least  subject  to  ca- 
sualties, and  produces  fruit  speedily  and  pro- 
fitably. 

The  meal  so  highly  commended  by  the 
Greeks,  was  prepared  from  barley  in  the  fol- 

« 

lowing   manner.    It  was    steeped   in    water, 

#  Book  xviii.  chap.  7. 


BARLEY.  51 

and  then  dried  for  one  night;  the  succeeding 
day  it  was  parched  or  fried,  and  afterwards 
ground  in  a  mill,  or  pounded  in  a  mortar ; 
the  meal  was  then  mixed  with  coriander  and 
other  seeds,  with  a  small  portion  of  salt : 
when  intended  to  keep,  it  was  put  into  new 
earthen  vessels. 

It  was  not  until  after  the  Romans  had 
learnt  to  cultivate  wheat,  and  to  make  bread, 
that  they  gave  barley  to  their  cattle.  They 
made  barley-meal  into  balls,  which  they  put 
down  the  throats  of  their  horses  and  asses, 
after  the  manner  of  fattening  fowls ;  which 
was  said  to  make  them  strong  and  lusty. 

Barley  continued  to  be  the  food  of  the 
poor,  who  were  not  able  to  procure  better 
provision  ;  and  in  the  Roman  camp,  as  Ve- 
getius  has  informed  us,  soldiers  who  had 
been  guilty  of  any  offence,  were  fed  with  bar- 
ley, instead  of  bread  corn.* 

An  example  may  also  be  found  in  the  second 
Punic  war,  when  the  cohorts  who  lost  their 
standards  had  an  allowance  of  barley  assigned 
by  Marcellus.  And  Augustus  Caesar  com- 
monly punished  the  cohorts  which  gave 
ground  to  the  enemy,  by  a  decimation,  and 
by  allowing  them  no  provision  but  barley,  f 

*  De  Re  Militari,   lib.  i.  cap.  13.      +  Sueton.  chap.  24. 

e  2 


52  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

We  find  that  the  Romans  obtained  barley 
from  Egypt  and  other  parts  of  Africa,  and 
Spain.  It  was  also  grown  in  France,  as  Colu- 
mella calls  one  variety  of  barley  Galaticum. 
There  are  no  means  of  ascertaining  whether 
barley  was  cultivated  in  Britain,  when  the 
Romans  first  discovered  this  country ;  but  as 
Caesar  found  corn  growing  on  the  coast  of 
Kent,  it  is  probable  that  this  species  of  grain 
had  been  obtained  from  Gaul.  It  might 
have  been  introduced  by  the  Phoenicians  in 
exchange  for  British  tin.  The  Romans 
knew  perfectly  well  that  corn  was  as  easily 
obtained  in  cold  as  in  warm  climes ;  and  it 
is  remarked  by  Pliny,  as  a  phenomenon,  that 
extreme  heat  and  cold  have  the  same  effect 
in  producing  corn.  Thracia  is,  he  says,  ex- 
ceedingly cold,  and  thereby  plentiful  in  corn  : 
Egypt  and  other  parts  of  Africa  are  hot, 
and  yet  abound  in  corn,  although  not  so 
copiously. 

We  know  from  good  authorities,  that  the 
Romans  soon  procured  corn  in  England,  and 
were  even  enabled  to  send  it  thence  to 
Italy. 

It  is  not  within  the  limits  of  this  work  to 
go  into  the  detail  of  the  cultivation  of  corn, 
which  has  been  so  properly  attended  to  by 


BARLEY.  53 

the  Agricultural  Society,  and  so  ably  dilated 
on  by  various  writers;  but  we  must  not  omit 
an  important  observation  that  was  made  by 
Pliny,  and  which  seems  worthy  of  being 
attended  to :  That  barley  yields  the  better 
groats  if  it  be  taken  whilst  it  is  somewhat 
green,  rather  than  when  it  has  arrived  at  its 
full  ripeness. 

"  Lo,  how  the  arable  with  bailey  grain 

Stands  thick,  o'er-shadow'd,  to  the  thirsty  hind 
Transporting  prospect !  Philips's  Cider. 

The  invention  of  malt-liquor  appears  to 
have  originated  from  the  attention  which  an 
eastern  monarch  paid  to  the  health  of  his 
army,  as  both  Hippocrates  and  Xenophon 
inform  us,  that  Cyrus,  having  called  his  sol- 
diers together,  exhorted  them  to  drink  water 
wherein  parched  barley  had  been  steeped, 
which  they  called  Maza.  In  all  probability 
this  was  to  counteract  the  bad  effects  of  im- 
pure water  in  warm  climates,  as  Pliny*  states, 
that  if  water  be  nitrous,  brackish,  and  bitter, 
by  putting  fried  barley-meal  into  it,  it  will  in 
less  than  two  hours  be  purified  and  sweet, 
and  that  it  may  then  be  drunk  with  safety  ; 
and  this,  says  he,  is  the  reason  that  barley- 
meal  is  generally  put  in  bags  and  strainers 


i 


*  Book  xx iv.  c.  1. 


54  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

through  which  we  pass  our  wines,  that  they 
may  be  refined  and  drawn  the  sooner.  This 
information  may  be  serviceable  to  nautical 
men,  and  to  those  who  travel  in  tropical 
climes. 

In  the  retreat  of  the  ten  thousand,  Xeno- 
phon  thus  describes  the  beer  which  he  found 
in  some  Armenian  villages  :  "  Beer  (literally 
barley-wine)  in  jars,  in  which  the  malt  or  bar- 
ley itself  was  in  them  up  to  the  brim,  and  with 
it  reeds,  some  large  and  others  small,  without 
joints.  These,  when  any  one  wras  dry,  he 
was  to  take  into  his  mouth  and  suck.  The 
liquor  was  very  strong,  when  unmixed  with 
water,  and  exceeding  pleasant  to  those  who 
were  accustomed  to  it." 

Diodorus  Siculus  tells  us,  that  Osiris,  that 
is,  the  Egyptian  Bacchus,  was  the  inventor  of 
malt-liquor,  as  a  relief  to  those  countries 
where  vines  did  not  succeed,  which  is  the 
reason  assigned  by  Herodotus  for  the  Egyp- 
tians using  it.  This  was  also  the  liquor 
used  in  France,  till  the  time  of  the  Emperor 
Probus,  when  vines  were  first  planted  there. 
Pliny  says,  they  called  it  Cervisia,  a  word 
probably  derived  from  Cervoise,  which  among 
the  ancient  Gauls  signified  beer  *. 

#  Spelman. 


BARLEY.  55 

Tacitus  mentions  a  sort  of  beer  in  use 
among  the  ancient  Germans,  made  of  barley 
or  of  wheat. 

The  fertility  of  the  Egyptian  soil  in  grain, 
and  its  unfitness  for  the  vine,  induced  the 
people  of  that  country  to  make  a  sort  of 
wine  or  ale  from  barley,  which  was  drunk 
by  those  who  could  not  afford  to  purchase 
the  juice  of  grapes.* 

The  principal  use  of  barley  in  this  country, 
is  for  making  beer;  a  beverage  too  well  known, 
from  the  peasant  to  the  monarch,  to  require 
any  eulogium  on  its  agreeable  and  salutary 
qualities :  we  shall,  therefore,  only  observe, 
that  it  is  an  European  beverage  of  greater 
antiquity  than  wine.  It  was  drunk  in  Italy, 
Spain,  and  in  France,  before  they  had  learnt 
the  cultivation  of  the  vine,  or  the  making  of 
wine. 

Ovid  notices  a  sweet  drink  used  by  pea- 
sants, which  was  made  by  boiling  roasted 
barley-meal  in  water. 

"  The  Goddess  knocking  at  the  little  door, 
'Twas  open'd  by  a  woman,  old  and  poor, 
\fy ho,  when  she  bes^d  for  water,  oave  her  ale 
Brew'd  long,  but  well  preserved  from  being  stale." 

The    word  ale   is  from    the    Saxon    eale ; 

*  Conf.  Athenocus,  sub  finem  lib.  1 .     Arbuthnot. 


56 


CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 


and  beer  is  a  word  derived  from  the  Welsh 
bir. 

Pope  says  of  beer,  as  a  satire  on  Welsted : 

"  Flow,  Welsted !  flow,  like  thine  inspirer  beer, 
Though  stale,  not  ripe  ;  though  thin,  yet  never  clear; 
So  sweetly  mawkish,  and  so  smoothly  dull ; 
Heady,  not  strong;  and  flowing,  though  not  full. " 

For  some  years  past  the  brewing  of  porter 
has  nearly  superseded  that  of  ale  in  the  me- 
tropolis; but  from  whence  this  modern  word 
is  derived,  we  are  unable  to  conclude ;  unless 
it  is  so  called  after  that  useful  body  of  men 
who  are  its  principal  consumers. 

The   extent  to    which   porter-brewing   is 
carried,   in    London,  may  be   conceived    by 
the  dreadful  accident  which  happened  at  the 
brewhouses  of  Mr.  Henry  Meux,  in  the  parish 
of  St.  Giles.    In  the  month  of  October  1814, 
one  of  the  large  porter-vats  by  some  accident 
burst,  when,  from  its  enormous  bulk,  the  por- 
ter rushed  with  such  an  impetuous  current, 
that  the  adjoining  streets  resembled    rivers 
that  had  burst  their  banks,  and  the  surround- 
ing houses  were  so  instantly  filled  with  this 
liquor,  that  the  inhabitants,  who  had  no  means 
of  escape,  were  drowned  as  they  sat  at  break- 
fast.    The  vat  was  nearlv  100  feet  in  circum- 


BARLEY.  *     57 

ferjnce,  36  feet  over,  22£  feet  in  height,  and 
contained  3556  barrels,  or  128,016  gallons, 
and  caused  the  death  of  eight  persons  by  its 
bursting. 

It  is  generally  a  custom  with  brewers 
to  give  entertainments  in  these  immense  vats 
when  first  built,  and  before  being  used ;  large 
parties  are  often  entertained  in  them  with  a 
dinner  or  a  ball ;  and  it  has  a  curious  effect  to 
look  down  on  the  party  thus  situated,  which 
gives  the  idea  of  the  Lilliputians  having  pos- 
sessed themselves  of  the  casks  of  the  people 
of  Brobdignag. 

Wine  made  from  malt,  when  kept  to  a  pro- 
per age,  has  as  good  a  body,  and  a  flavour 
nearly  as  agreeable,  as  the  generality  of 
Madeira  wines. 

The  wort  of  malt  is  an  excellent  antiscor- 
butic. Barley  was  used  by  the  ancients  for 
many  medicinal  purposes.  Galen,  in  his  book 
of  the  Faculties  of  Simples,  says  barley  is  not 
so  heating  as  wheat,  and  that  it  has  a  little  abs- 
tersive, or  cleansing  quality.  The  ladies,  in 
old  times,  mixed  the  meal  of  this  corn  with 
honey  and  vinegar,  to  take  away  freckles  and 
other  spots  on  the  flesh. 

Dr.  James  says,  barley,  however  prepared, 


58  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

never  heats  the  body,  but  moistens  or  dries, 
according  to  its  various  ways  of  preparation. 
Thus,  when  it  is  boiled,  as  in  a  ptisan,  it  mois- 
tens ;  when  it  is  torrified,  as  in  polenta,  it 
dries.  Barley  differs  from  wheat,  as  it  ge- 
nerates a  mild  and  detergent  juice,  whereas 
that  of  wheat  is  thick  and  viscid,  and  some- 
what of  an  obstruent  quality. 

There  are  various  ways  of  preparing  bar- 
ley, either  as  simple  or  medicinal  aliment.  A 
cataplasm  made  of  barley-flour  and  butter,  is 
an  anodyne  remedy  against  all  kinds  of  pain. 
The  polenta  of  barley,  says  Sim.Paulli,  boiled 
in  vinegar,  and  strained  through  a  linen  cloth, 
frequently  mitigates  the  intolerable  pain  of 
the  teeth,  being  used  as  a  collution,  or,  rather, 
held  for  some  time  in  the  mouth. 

Pearl  barley  and  French  barley  are  only 
barley  freed  from  the  husk  by  a  mill ;  the 
distinction  between  the  two  being,  that  the 
pearl  barley  is  reduced  to  the  size  of  small- 
shot,  all  but  the  very  heart  of  the  grain  being 
ground  away. 

Barley-water  is  a  decoction  of  either  of 
these,  and  is  reputed  soft  and  lubricating ;  a 
very  useful  drink  in  many  disorders,  and  is 
recommended  to  be  taken  with  nitre  in  low 


BARLEY.  59 

fevers.  Its  use  is  of  great  antiquity,  as  Hip- 
pocrates wrote  a  whole  book  on  the  merits  of 
gruel  made  of  barley. 

The  French  or  Scotch  barley  is  principally 
used  to  thicken  broth  and  soup. 


60  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 


BASIL.— OCIMUM. 

Natural  order,   Verticillata,     A  genus  of  the 
Didynamia  Gymnospermia  class. 


Fabulous  history  informs  us  that  this  plant 
originated  from  the  death  of  Ocimus,  who 
first  ordained  the  combats  in  honour  of  Pallas, 
and  being  killed  by  Cyclodemas,  a  famous 
gladiator,  was  immediately  metamorphosed 
into  the  plant  which  bears  his  name. 

The  Greeks,  who  seldom  gave  names  to 
plants  without  an  appropriate  meaning,  called 
it  axifjLQV  ab  wkvs,  quia  cito  crescit,  from  the 
speedy  springing  of  the  seed,  which  is  usually 
within  three  or  four  days,  if  the  weather  be 
hot  and  dry.  It  was  also  called  Basilicum, 
from  Bac-itevs,  rex,  a  king,  from  which  the 
English  name  is  derived,  and  whence  also  it 
is  styled  a  royal  plant. 

The  difficulty  of  overcoming  superstitious 
prejudices  is  fully  exemplified  in  this  fra- 
grant herb.  It  was  an  opinion  among  the 
ancients,  that  if  basil  was  pounded  and  put 


BASIL.  61 

under  a  stone,  it  would  breed  serpents ;  from 
this  notion  its  use  was  decried ; — and  when  it 
was  transplanted  into  our  climate,  which  was 
found  too  cold  for  serpents,  these  reptiles 
degenerated  into  worms  and  maggots,  which, 
we  are  told,  this  vegetable  will  engender,  if 
it  be  only  chewed,  and  put  into  the  sun. 

Basil  was  condemned  by  Chrysippus,  more 
than  two  hundred  years  b.  c.  as  being  hurtful 
to  the  stomach,  a  suppressor  of  urine,  an 
enemy  to  the  sight,  and  a  robber  of  the  wits. 
Diodorus  added,  that  the  eating  of  this  plant 
caused  cutaneous  insects ;  and  the  Africans 
were  persuaded  that  no  person  could  survive 
if  he  were  stung  by  a  scorpion  on  the  same 
day  that  he  had  eaten  basil. 

We  notice  the  story  told  by  Hollerus  of 
this  plant,  to  shew  how  far  superstition  and 
credulity  carried  the  ill  effects  of  basil.  He 
relates,  that  an  Italian  by  frequent  smelling 
this  herb,  bred  a  scorpion  in  his  brain. 

Notwithstanding  these  impressions  were 
so  much  against  reason,  and  the  decided 
opinion  of  the  Roman  physicians  as  to  the 
beneficial  qualities  of  the  plant,  it  never  be- 
came a  favourite  in  medicine,  and  has  been 
but  little  used  for  culinary  purposes,  although 
Philistis,  Plistonicus,  and  others,  extolled  its 


62  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

virtues,  and  recommended  its  use,  as  strongly 
as  it  had  been  formerly  condemned.* 

Galen  says,  basil  was  eaten  by  many  per- 
sons in  his  time,  being  corrected  with  oil 
and  vinegar,  and  that  it  was  esteemed  ser- 
viceable to  women,  to  dry  up  their  milk. 

The  Romans  sowed  the  seeds  of  this  plant 
with  maledictions  and  ill  words,  believing 
that  the  more  it  was  cursed,  the  better  it 
would  prosper  ;  and  when  they  wished  for  a 
crop,  they  trod  it  down  with  their  feet,  and 
prayed  to  the  gods  that  it  might  not  vege- 
tate.-f* 

Lord  Bacon  says,  in  his  Natural  History, 
"  It  is  strange  which  is  reported,  that  basil 
too  much  exposed  to  the  sun,  doth  turn  into 
wild  thyme  :  although  these  two  herbs  seem 
to  have  small  affinity ;  but  basil  is  almost 
the  only  pot-herb,  that  hath  fat  and  succulent 
leaves  ;  which  oiliness  if  it  be  drawn  forth 
by  the  sun,  it  is  likely  it  will  make  a  very 
great  change. "j 

Gerard  describes  six  species  of  basil  in  his 
Herbal,  that  were  cultivated  in  England 
prior  to  1597 ;  and  he  agrees  with  Simeon 

*  Plin.  book  xx.  chap.  12  and  13. 

t  Pliny.  %  Century  6. 


BASIL.  63 

Zethy,  that  "  the  smell  of  this  plant  is  good 
for  the  heart  and  for  the  head  :  that  the 
seede  cureth  the  infirmities  of  the  heart, 
taketh  away  sorrowfulnesse  which  commeth 
of  melancholie,  and  maketh  a  man  merrie 
and  glad." 

Basil  leaves  a  grateful  smell  when  stroked 
with  the  hand ;  and  it  was  said  that  the  hand 
of  a  fair  lady  made  it  thrive.  Farmers  who 
had  learnt  to  compliment  in  the  reigns  of 
Queen  Mary  and  Elizabeth,  planted  it  in 
pots  to  offer  to  their  landladies,  or  others 
who  visited  the  farm.  It  is  thus  noticed  by 
Tusser : 

"  Fine  Basil  desireth  it  may  be  hir  lot 

to  grow  as  a  gilleflower,  trim  in  a  pot : 
That  ladies  and  gentils,  for  whom  you  do  serve, 
may  help  her  as  needeth,  poore  life  to  preserue." 

Schroder,  and  other  medical  writers  of 
latter  days,  give  it  the  virtue  of  cleansing  the 
lungs  of  phlegm. 

It  is  used  as  an  ingredient  in  the  aqua 
bryonies  composita,  or  hysteric  water. 

Aiton  mentions  thirteen  species  of  basil, 
now  cultivated  in  this  country,  the  earliest 
of  which  was  in  1548.  It  is  a  native  of  the 
South  of  Europe,  as  well  as  the  East  Indies, 


64 


CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES 


and  some  parts  of  Africa  ;  and  is  found  also, 
growing  naturally,  in  Persia. 

The  French  are  now  so  partial  to  the 
flavour  and  qualities  of  this  plant,  that  its 
leaves  enter  into  the  composition  of  almost 
all  their  soups  and  sauces. 


65 


BEAN.— FABA. 

Natural  order,  Papilionacece.    A  genus  of  the 
Diadelphia  Decandria  class. 


The  Bean  was  called  in  Greek  Kvapos, 
by  the  Falisci,  a  people  of  Hetruria  (now 
Tuscany),  Haba ;  whence  the  name  Faba 
seems  to  be  taken.  Martinius  derives  the 
word  from  Ww,  to  feed;  as  if  it  were  Paba; 
Isidorus  from  pdyta,  to  eat. 

The  flowers  of  this  pulse,  which  are  of  the 
butterfly  kind,  emit  a  most  agreeable  per- 
fume. 

"  Long  let  us  walk 


Where  the  breeze  blows  from  yon  extended  field 
Of  blossom'd  beans.     Arabia  cannot  boast 
A  fuller  gale  of  joy  than  liberal  thence 
Breathes  through  the  sense,  and  takes  the  ravish'd  soul." 

Thomson. 

Of  all  the  pulse  kind,  this  held  the  first 
rank  in  ancient  times.  We  find  the  Athe- 
nians used  beans  sodden,  in  their  feasts  de- 
dicated to  Apollo;  and  the  Romans  presented 

VOL.    I.  F 


66 


CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 


beans  as  an  oblation  in  their  solemn  sacrifice 
called  Fabaria,  a  festival  held  in  honour  of 
Carna,  wife  of  Janus.  Pliny  informs  us,  that 
they  offered  cakes  made  of  bean  meal  unto 
certain  gods  and  goddesses,  in  these  ancient 
rites  and  ceremonies.  Lempriere  states, 
that  bacon  was  added  to  the  beans  in  the 
offerings  to  Carna,  not  so  much  to  gratify 
the  palate  of  the  goddess,  as  to  represent  the 
simplicity  of  their  ancestors. 

One  of  the  most  noble  and  powerful  fa- 
milies of  Rome  derived  the  name  of  Fabii 
from  some  of  their  ancestors  having  culti- 
vated the  bean  called  Faba. 

The  meal  of  beans  is  the  heaviest  made 
from  pulse,  and  was  called  in  Latin  lomentum. 
This  was  mingled  with  frumentic  corn,  whole, 
and  so  eaten  by  the  ancients;  but  they 
sometimes,  by  way  of  having  a  dainty,  bruised 
it  first :  it  was  considered  a  strong  food,  and 
was  generally  eaten  with  gruel  or  pottage. 
It  was  thought  to  dull  the  senses  and  under- 
standing, and  to  cause  troublesome  dreams. 
Pythagoras  expressly  forbade  beans  to  be 
eaten  by  his  disciples,  because  he  supposed 
them  to  have  been  produced  from  the  same 
putrid  matter  from  which,  at  the  creation  of 
the  world,  man  was  formed.     The  Romans  at 


BEAN.  67 

one  time  believed,  that  the  souls  of  such 
as  were  departed,  resided  in  beans ;  there- 
fore they  were  eaten  at  funerals  and  obse- 
quies of  the  dead. 

Varro  relates,  that  the  great  priests  or 
sacrificers,  called  Flamines,  abstained  from 
beans  on  this  account,  as  also  from  a  suppo- 
sition that  certain  letters  or  characters  were 
to  be  seen  in  the  flowers,  that  indicated 
heaviness  and  signs  of  death.  Clemens 
Alexandrinus  attributes  the  abstinence  from 
beans  to  the  opinion  that  they  occasioned 
sterility ;  which  is  confirmed  by  Theophras- 
tus,  who  extends  the  effects  even  to  the 
plants.  Cicero  suggests  another  reason  for 
this  abstinence,  viz.  that  beans  are  great 
enemies  to  tranquillity  of  mind ;  for  which 
reason  Amphiaraus  is  said  to  have  abstained 
from  them,  even  before  Pythagoras,  that  he 
might  enjoy  a  clearer  divination  by  his 
dreams. 

The  Egyptian  priests  held  it  a  crime  to 
look  at  beans,  judging  the  very  sight  un- 
clean. The  Flamen  Dialis  was  not  per- 
mitted even  to  mention  the  name.  Lucian 
introduces  a  philosopher  in  hell  saying,  that 
to  eat  beans,  and  to  eat  our  father's  head, 

were  equal  crimes. 

f2 


68 


CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 


The  ancients  made  use  of  beans  in  gather- 
ing the  votes  of  the  people,  and  for  electing 
the  magistrates.  A  white  bean  signified  ab- 
solution, and  a  black  one  condemnation. 
From  this  practice,  we  imagine,  was  derived 
the  plan  of  black-balling  obnoxious  persons. 

The  Roman  husbandmen  had  a  religious 
ceremony  respecting  this  pulse,  somewhat 
remarkable ;  when  they  sowed  corn  of  any 
kind,  they  took  care  to  bring  some  beans 
from  the  field,  for  good  luck's  sake,  super- 
stitiously  thinking  that  by  such  means  their 
corn  would  return  home  again  to  them ; 
these  beans  were  then  called  Refrince  or 
Re/erina.  The  Romans  carried  their  super- 
stition even  farther,  for  they  thought  that 
beans  mixed  with  goods  offered  for  sale  at 
the  ports,  would  infallibly  bring  good  luck 
to  the  seller. 

Columella  notices  them  in  his  time  as 
food  for  the  peasants  only  : — 

"  And  herbs  they  mix  with  beans  for  vulgar  fare." 

Pliny  states  that  the  sowing  of  beans 
is  equal  to  manure  for  land,  and  enriches 
it  exceedingly  ;  and  that  in  the  vicinity  of 
Macedonia  and  Thessaly,  the  custom  was 
to  plough  them  into  the  ground  just  as 
they  began   to  bloom.     This   author    adds, 


BEAN.  69 

that  beans  grew  spontaneously  in  most  places 
without     sowing ;     particularly     in     certain 
islands  lying   within   the    northern    ocean ; 
from  whence  they   have   derived  the  name 
of  FabaricB.  They  grew  wild  also  throughout 
Mauritania    (now   Morocco)   in  Africa ;  but 
these    Pliny    characterizes    as    so   hard   and 
tough,  that  they  could  not  be  boiled  tender. 
From   Mazagan  (a  settlement  of  the  Por- 
tuguese, on  the  coast  of  Morocco),  we  have 
obtained  the  bean  so  called,  and  it  is  by  far 
the   best   sort   for    an   early   crop.     It  may 
be  observed  of  seeds  in  general,  that  those 
brought     from      warm    climates    will    fruit 
earlier  than    those    of  cold    countries.     It 
must   therefore   be    desirable    to   have   the 
seeds    constantly  renewed   at  intervals   of  a 
few  years,   since  the  bean  will  naturally  be- 
come a  later  variety,  as  it  grows  accustomed 
to  the  soil  and  climate  of  this  kingdom. 

Gerard  states,  that  the  garden  bean  is 
the  same  in  all  respects  as  the  field  bean, 
the  one  having  been  improved  only  by  the 
fertility  of  the  soil : — we  perfectly  coincide 
in  this  opinion,  as  the  ancient  authors  men- 
tion but  one  kind  of  the  bean  called  Faba. 
Virgil  says,  that  if  beans  are  soaked  in  lees, 
or   dregs  of  oil  and  nitre,   before  they    are 


70  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

planted,  they  will  produce  seeds  of  a  far 
greater  size.  Other  ancient  authors  state, 
that  if  they  are  steeped  for  three  days  in 
water  mixed  with  urine,  they  grow  more  ra- 
pidly, and  the  seed  will  be  larger. 

Beans  were  used  medicinally  by  the  an- 
cients :  when  bruised  and  boiled  with  garlic 
they  were  said  to  cure  coughs  that  were 
thought  past  other  remedy. 

The  meal  or  flour  of  beans,  called  lomentwn 
by  the  Romans,  was  a  celebrated  cosmetic 
with  the  ladies,  in  former  times,  as  it  was 
thought  to  possess  the  virtue  of  smoothing 
the  skin  and  taking  away  wrinkles. 

Beans  are  nowT  seldom,  if  ever,  used  as  food, 
in  this  improved  country,  in  their  dried  state ; 
but  when  sent  to  table  young,  they  are  gene- 
rally admired  and  esteemed  a  proper  vegeta- 
ble with  bacon. 

The  ancients,  with  Dodonseus,  Casp.  Hoff- 
man, and  others  of  the  moderns,  tell  us  that 
beans  are  flatulent,  and  the  greener  they  are, 
the  more  flatulent,  and  consequently  the 
more  difficult  of  concoction :  "  However  we," 
says  Ray,  "do  not  find  this  to  be  true,  though 
we  frequently  feed  upon  beans  in  the  sum- 
mer :  nor  do  we  approve  of  the  opinion  of 
Dodonaeus,    who    prefers    the    old   and    dry 


BEAN.  71 

beans  before  the  green  ones,  because  he 
thinks  them  less  flatulent ;  but  with  Tragus, 
leave  them  to  our  horses  :  nor  do  I  see  why 
they  should  not  fatten  men  as  well  as  swine, 
and  other  animals." 

Dr.  Mundy,  in  his  Treatise  on  Foods,  says, 
that  he  knew  a  peasant,  who  in  a  great  dearth 
of  provisions  fed  his  children  with  nothing 
but  boiled  beans  ;  and  yet  you  would  hardly 
see  boys  of  a  better  colour  or  habit  of  body ; 
which  proves,  that  dry  beans  afford  a  copious 
nutriment,  when  the  stomach  is  once  accus- 
tomed to  bear  them. 

Dodonaeus  says,  that  beans,  with  their 
skins,  or  husks,  are  neither  slow,  nor  very 
quick,  in  passing  through  the  body ;  but 
that  without  their  husks  they  are  binding. 
We  agree  in  this  opinion,  knowing  that  in 
wheat,  the  flour,  separated  from  the  bran, 
binds  the  more  powerfully,  and  that  the 
bran  is  detersive,  and  promotes  the  passage 
of  the  flour :  hence  brown  bread  is  the 
most  wholesome,  particularly  to  persons 
of  feverish  habits.  Dr.  James  says,  "  we  are  of 
opinion,  with  Tragus,  that  the  young  beans  are 
wholesome  aliment,  and  generate  good  juice." 

The  prevailing  opinion  is,  that  beans  are 
a  flatulent  and  coarse  food,  better  suited  to 


72  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

the  laborious,  than  the  sedentary  class  of 
society.  Mr.  Boyle  has  several  experiments 
of  beans,  treated  pneumatically,  to  shew  the 
great  plenty  of  air  they  afford,  on  which 
their  flatulency  depends.  The  expansion  of 
a  bean,  says  this  author,  is  found  so  consider- 
able in  growing,  that  it  is  capable  of  raising  a 
plug  clogged  with  an  hundred  pounds 
weight. 

The  green  pods  boiled,  after  the  beans  are 
taken  out,  is  a  dish  that  many  people  prefer 
to  the  beans ;  they  should  be  served  with 
parsley  and  butter.  The  young  leaves  of 
beans,  boiled  in  broth,  are  esteemed  highly 
emollient. 

The  varieties  of  beans  recommended  are, 
the  early  Aldridge,  early  Mazagan,  dwarf  fan> 
green  Genoa,  sword,  long-podded,  and  the 
white-blossomed  Windsor. 

We  have  found  it  an  excellent  plan,  in 
procuring  late  beans,  to  cut  down  the  stalks 
after  the  crop  is  gathered  for  the  kitchen ; 
they  then  soon  sprout  up  again,  and,  if 
showery  weather  succeeds,  yield  a  better 
supply  than  is  obtained  by  late  planting.  In 
the  summer  of  1820,  the  author  had  some 
Windsor  beans  so  much  blighted,  that  they 
produced  but  little  more  than  the  original 


BEAN.  73 

seed;  but  when  cut  down,   they  yielded  an 
excellent  crop  in  the  month  of  November. 

This  species  of  pulse  is  extremely  prolific 
when  planted  in  suitable  soil.  A  single  He- 
ligoland horse-bean,  planted  in  the  garden 
of  Beaulieu  poor-house,  in  the  year  1821, 
produced  126  pods,  which  contained  399 
good  beans  fit  for  seed ;  and  had  the  plant 
not  been  blown  down  by  the  wind  in  the 
midst  of  its  bloom,  there  is  reason  to  sup- 
pose it  would  have  produced  nearly  double 
the  quantity. 

Field  beans  are  cultivated  exclusively  for 
horses. 

Beans  make  one  of  the  finest  of  all  baits 
for  fish,  if  prepared  in  the  following  manner : 
Steep  them  in  warm  water  for  about  six  hours; 
then  boil  them  in  river-water  in  a  new  earthen 
pot,  glazed  in  the  inside  ;  when  about  half 
boiled,  to  a  quart  of  beans  add  two  ounces 
of  honey,  and  about  a  grain  of  musk  ;  after 
which  let  them  boil  for  a  short  time.  Select 
a  clear  part  of  the  water,  and  throw  in  a  few 
of  these  beans  early  in  the  morning,  and 
again  at  evening,  for  two  or  three  days, 
which  will  draw  the  fish  together,  and  they 
may  be  taken  in  a  casting  net  in  great 
numbers. 


74  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

The  ashes  of  bean-stalks  make  good  and 
clear  glass. 


KIDNEY  BEAN.— PHASEOLUS. 

A  leguminous  plant.  In  Botany  it  is  ar- 
ranged in  the  same  class  and  order  as  the 
bean  Faba. 

This  pulse   is  generally,  but  improperly 
called  French  bean,  for  the  old  French  name 
of  this    pulse,    Fives    de  Home,    evidently 
proves  it  not  to  have  been  a  native  of  France. 
We  also  find,  that  it  was  called  the  Roman 
bean  in   our   language,    about  the  time   of 
Queen  Elizabeth.     Gerard  gives  it  also  the 
name  of  Sperage  bean,  and  says  it  is  called 
Faselles,  or  long  peason.     The  Dutch  at  that 
time   (1596)  called  them  Turcks-boonen,  viz. 
Turk's  bean.     From  thence,  but  more  parti- 
cularly from  the  account  of  the  great  Roman 
naturalist,  we   may  conclude  this  excellent 
and  wholesome  vegetable  is  a  native  of  the 
eastern  extremity  of  Europe,  or  that  part  of 
Asia  now  belonging  to  the  Turks  ;  for  Pliny 
in  the  7th  chapter   of  his   18th  book,  men- 
tions these  beans,  and  says,  those  of  Sesama 


BEAN.  75 

and  Iris  are  red,  resembling  blood.  He 
also  in  his  12th  chapter  of  the  same  book 
calls  them  Phaseoli,  and  says  the  pod  is  to  be 
eaten  with  the  seed :  from  this  laconic  notice 
we  may  assume  that  they  were  but  little 
esteemed  at  that  time  in  Italy,  where  lupines 
were  then  so  much  admired  as  food. 

The  French  name  of  Haricot  for  this  pulse 
originated  from  their  being  much  used  by 
their  cooks  in  the  composition  of  a  dish  so 
called. 

The  English  name  of  Kidney-bean  was 
given  on  account  of  the  seed  being  somewhat 
of  a  kidney  shape. 

We  conceive  it  probable,  that  these  beans 
were  first  introduced  to  this  country  from 
the  Netherlands  about  the  year  1509,  when 
gardening  first  began  to  be  attended  to  in 
England ;  the  white  Dutch  kidney-bean 
having  been  the  earliest  sort  known  in  this 
kingdom. 

Gerard  mentions  a  considerable  variety  that 
was  cultivated  in  England  in  his  time,  and  says, 
"  The  fruit  and  pods  of  kidney-beans  boyled 
togither  before  they  be  ripe,  and  buttered, 
and  so  eaten  with  their  pods,  are  exceeding 
delicate  meate,  and  do  not  ingender  winde  as 
the  other  pulse  doe."     This  medical  herba- 


76  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

list  adds,  "  they  are  gently  laxative,  and  in- 
gender  good  bloode." 

The  dwarf-beans  are  the  most  generally 
cultivated  at  present,  as  the  running  varieties 
require  tall  sticks,  which  add  considerably  to 
the  expense  ,  of  cultivation.    But  of  all  the 
varieties  none  exceed  the  scarlet  runners  in 
point  of  agreeable  flavour  and  tenderness ; 
they  are  also  the  most  productive,  and  afford 
a  succession  of  pods  until  checked  by  the 
frost.     It  is  rather  remarkable,  that  although 
this  variety  has  been  cultivated  in  England 
since  1633,  yet  there  still  exists  a  prejudice 
against   these  beans ;  some,    on  account  of 
their  size,  consider  them  old.  The  author  re- 
members their  being  planted  in  many  parts 
of  the   country,    merely   as   an  ornament  to 
cover  walls  and  to  form  arbours,  without  an 
idea  of  cooking  the  pods  for  the  table. 

The  French  carried  this  prejudice  to  an 
extent  equal  to  the  superstition  of  the  an- 
cients respecting  the  bean,  Faba.  Some  years 
back  a  lady  of  our  acquaintance  took  some 
seeds  of  the  scarlet  runners  to  Jamaica,  and 
by  planting  them  in  her  garden  on  the  moun- 
tains, they  were  brought  to  tolerable  perfec- 
tion ;    but  her  gardener,  who   was   an  old 


BEAN.  77 

Frenchman,  would  not  by  any  persuasion 
allow  them  to  be  eaten,  on  account  of  the 
scarlet  or  blood  colour  of  the  blossom.  The 
family  thought  it  more  prudent  to  deprive 
themselves  of  the  promised  delicacy  than  to 
lose  a  valuable  servant,  whose  superstition 
prohibited  him  from  serving  a  master  who 
could  eat  a  vegetable  producing  (as  he  styled 
it)  a  bloody  flower. 

The  dwarf  kidney-bean  being  easily  forced 
in  a  hot-bed,  and  growing  freely  in  the  house, 
now  forms  an  important  and  profitable  article 
to  the  market-gardener,  and  enables  the  ve- 
getable epicurean  to  indulge  his  appetite 
with  these  beans  nearly  throughout  the  whole 
year.  It  is  one  of  the  least  hurtful  luxuries 
of  the  table ;  and  nothing  adds  more  to  the 
elegant  arrangement  of  a  dinner  than  early 
and  rare  vegetables. 

Kidney-beans  are  preserved  in  salt  for 
winter-use,  and  the  young  pods  of  the  scarlet 
runners  make  an  excellent  pickle. 

The  white  kind  are  used  in  the  ripe  and 
dry  state  by  foreign  cooks  in  their  haricots, 
particularly  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Rome, 
where  its  cultivation  forms  an  important  ar- 
ticle, the  seed  affording  great  part  of  their 


78  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

Lent  food,  in  the  shape  of  haricot,   fageoli, 
and  caravansas. 

The  seed  of  the  large  kidney-bean,  five 
haricot,  sliced  and  stewed  in  milk,  is  a  fre- 
quent dish  at  the  farm-houses  in  Flanders. 


19 


BEET.— BETA. 


Natural   order,    Holorai.      A   genus    of  the 
Pentandria  Digynia  class. 


It  takes  its  name  from  the  shape  of  its 
seed  vessel,  which,  when  it  swells  with  seed, 
has  the  form  of  the  letter  so  called  in  the 
Greek  alphabet. 

It  appears  to  be  a  native  of  Sicily,  as  the 
Greeks,  according  to  Pliny,  had  as  well  as 
the  black,  a  white  beet,  which  also  they 
called  Sicilian  beet. 

The  Grecians  held  this  root  in  great  esteem, 
as  it  was  their  custom  to  offer  it,  on  silver,  to 
Apollo  in  his  temple  at  Delphos.  They  used 
also  to  cut  the  leaves  in  preference  to  lettuce, 
and  observed  the  method  of  laying  a  small 
weight  on  the  plant,  to  make  it  cabbage. 

Pliny  says,  of  all  garden  herbs,  beets  are 
the  lightest  roots;  that  they  are  eaten  (as 
well  as  the  leaves)  with  lentils  and  beans, 
and  the  best  way  to  eat  them  is  with  mustard, 


80  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

&c,  to  give  a  taste  to  their  dull  flatness. 
The  seed,  says  this  author,  has  a  strange  and 
wonderful  quality  above  the  rest,  for  it  will 
not  all  come  up  in  one  year,  but  some  in  the 
first,  others  in  the  second,  and  the  rest  in 
the  third  year. 

The  Roman  physicians  held  the  roots  more 
hurtful  than  the  leaves. 

The  beet  was  first  cultivated  in  this 
country  in  the  year  1548,  a  period  when 
many  valuable  plants  were  introduced,  to 
gratify  a  luxurious  monarch.  Cicla,  the  white 
variety,  was  brought  to  England  from  Portu- 
gal, in  1570.  It  is  observed,  that  the  larger 
the  roots  grow,  the  more  tender  they  will  be; 
and  the  deeper  their  colour,  the  more  they 
are  esteemed.  The  roots  of  the  beet  are 
either  baked  or  boiled,  and  eaten  with  salad; 
they  also  make  an  agreeable  pickle.  They 
are  said,  however,  to  be  prejudicial  to  the 
stomach,  and  to  afford  little  nourishment. 
The  juice  both  of  the  roots  and  leaves  is 
said  to  be  a  powerful  errhine,  occasioning  a 
copious  discharge  of  mucus,  and  thereby 
greatly  relieving  the  head-ache. 

From   the  roots  of  this  plant,  sugar  has 
been  extracted;  by  boiling  them  when  taken  j 
out  of  the  earth,  slicing  them    when    cold, 


BEET.  81 

and  afterwards  pressing  out  the  juice,  which 
is  filtered, evaporated,  and  the  sugar  procured 
by  crystallization.  The  process  at  length, 
may  be  found  in  the  New  Annual  Register 
for  1800,  and  in  the  18th  volume  of  the 
Transactions  of  the  Society  for  the  Encou- 
ragement of  Arts,  &c.  in  London. 

The  most  successful  manufacturer  of  sugar 
from  the  beet-root  was  M.  Achard  of  Berlin, 
who  pursued  the  process  altogether  in  a  large 
way,  and  so  satisfactorily,  that  a  reward  was 
bestowed  upon  him  by  the  Prussian  govern- 
ment for  his  elaborate  experiments.  It  was 
expected  that  this  process  would  enable 
Europe  to  supply  itself  with  sugar  from  its 
own  soil,  and  to  be  no  longer  dependent  on 
the  West  Indies  ;  but  this  project  was  for 
many  years  relinquished,  until  necessity  com- 
pelled the  French  to  renew  it,  when  Napo- 
leon adopted  the  policy  of  prohibiting  the 
importation  of  all  colonial  produce.  The 
French  government  then  gave  large  premiums 
to  the  greatest  growers  of  beet,  and  encou- 
raged the  making  sugar  from  this  root,  and 
in  which  they  succeeded  so  far  as  to  obtain  a 
good  sugar;  but  it  was  done  at  an  expense 
that  could  only  insure  its  duration  so  long  as 

VOL.   I.  G 


82  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

his  power  could  prevent  the  introduction  of 
foreign  sugar,  which  could  be  sold  at  more 
moderate  prices. 

The  beet  is  one  of  the  five  emollient  herbs, 
but  the  root  is  more  frequently  used  to  gar- 
nish dishes,  than  for  any  medicinal  purpose. 


83 


BORAGE.— BORAGO. 

Natural  order,  Asperifolice.     A  genus  of  the 
Pentandria  Monogynia  class. 


The  name  is  derived  from  cor  and  ago,  on 
account  of  its  supposed  cordial  qualities. 

According  to  Pliny,  the  ancient  Romans 
called  it  Buglossus,  from  the  Greek  EuyAwo-aos, 
because  the  leaf  is  like  an  ox-tongue.  It 
was  also  called  Euphrosynon ;  for  when  put 
into  a  cup  of  wine,  it  made  those  who 
drank  of  it  merry. 

It  is  said  to  have  been  originally  brought 
from  Aleppo ;  but  it  grows  so  freely  in  this 
country,  that  many  authors  deem  it  an  indi- 
genous plant.  Parkinson  states,  that  it 
grew  in  Kent. 

The  whole  herb  is  succulent  and  very 
mucilaginous,  having  a  peculiarly  faint  smell 
when  bruised.  Its  flowers  are  of  the  number 
of  the  four  cordial  ones  of  the  shops,  and  it 
has  been  recommended  as  a  medicine  of  great 
efficacy  in  malignant  and  pestilential  fevers, 


G   Z 


84  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

and  against  the  bite  of  poisonous  animals. 
It  has  always  been  esteemed  as  an  excellent 
cooling  cordial  in  all  febrile  cases  ;  and  may 
be  justly  regarded  as  a  proper  simple  to  be 
used  in  an  over-heated  state  of  the  blood :  it 
is  generally  administered  in  decoctions  and 
infusions  with  other  cooling  medicines. 

Coles,  and  M.  Valmont  Bomare,  say,  these 
flowers  have  no  virtue  when  dry,  therefore  it 
is  better,  in  the  winter,  to  use  the  roots, 
which,  being  fresh,  possess  all  the  qualities 
of  the  blossoms. 

Water  distilled  from  both  the  leaves  and 
flowers  of  this  plant,  has  been  formerly  kept 
in  the  shops,  as  well  as  a  conserve  of  the 
blossoms ;  but  these  are  very  little  regarded  in 
modern  practice,  especially  in  England,  where 
most  diseases  (says  Brown)  proceed  rather 
from  inaction  and  the  viscidity  of  the  juices. 

By  the  experiments  of  M.  Margraaf,  in 
1747,  it  appears,  that  the  juice  of  this  plant 
affords  a  true  nitre.  The  clarified  juice  of 
borage  evaporated  by  a  water-bath,  in  a  con- 
sistency of  thick  honey,  becomes  saponaceous, 
and  will  dissolve  in  part  in  spirit  of  wine. 
The  juice  of  the  borage,  distilled  at  a  naked 
fire,  bloats  itself  out  considerably,  and  yields 
an  insipid  phlegm,  which  is  soon  followed  by 


BORAGE.  85 

an  alkaline  volatile  spirit,  very  penetrating,  and 
then  an  empyreumatic,  fetid,  and  heavy  oil ; 
there  remains  a  very  light  coal,  which  is  re- 
duced with  some  difficulty  into  ashes.  These 
give  an  alkali,  such  as  the  most  part  of  vege- 
tables furnish :  the  coal  itself,  before  the 
incineration,  furnishes  a  great  deal  of  nitre, 
some  little  marine  salt,  and  an  alkaline  salt 
of  a  deliquescent  nature.  M.  Bucquet  says, 
it  is  clear,  that  of  all  these  principles,  the 
juice  of  the  borage  contains  only  the  phlegm, 
the  oily  part,  the  nitre,  the  marine  salt,  the 
fixed  alkali,  and  the  earthy  part.  As  to  the 
volatile  alkali,  it  is  the  produce  of  the  fire, 
which  has  formed  it  at  the  expense  of  the 
fixed  alkali,  and  of  the  oil ;  because  this  pro- 
duce, though  very  volatile,  only  passes  after 
the  phlegm,  and  when  the  decomposition  is 
already  advanced  ;  for,  operate  how  you  may 
to  separate  the  salts  contained  in  the  borage, 
you  will  never  find  volatile  alkali. 
'  This  plant  divides  thick  and  vulgar  hu- 
mours, attenuates  the  blood,  re-establishes 
secretions,  and  excretions,  and  is  useful  in  all 
illnesses  where  it  is  essential  to  avoid  hot 
remedies  ;  as  in  pleurisy,  peripneumony,  &c. 
It  is  esteemed  diuretic,  emollient,  and  ex- 
pectorant. 


86 


CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 


Lord  Bacon  observes,  that  "the  leaf  of 
the  borage  hath  an  excellent  spirit,  to  re- 
press the  fuliginous  vapour  of  dusky  melan- 
choly, and  so  to  cure  madness  :  But  never- 
theless, if  the  leaf  be  infused  long,  it  yieldeth 
forth  but  a  raw  substance,  of  no  virtue  ;  but 
if  the  borage  stay  a  small  time,  and  be  often 
changed  with  fresh,  it  will  make  a  sovereign 
drink  for  melancholy  passions." 

There  is  an  old  verse  on  this  plant,  which 
says, 

"  Ego  Borago  gaudia  semper  ago/' 

which  has  been  thus  paraphrased  : 

"  I  Borage  bring  courage." 

Gerard  informs  us,  that  in  Queen  Eliza- 
beth's time,  both  the  leaves  and  flowers  of 
this  plant  were  eaten  in  salad,  "  to  exhila- 
rate and  make  the  mind  glad."  There  is,  says 
he,  also  many  things  made  of  them ;  "  vsed 
euerywhere  for  the  comfort  of  the  heart,  for 
the  driuing  away  of  sorrowe,  and  increasing 
the  joie  of  the  mind.  Sirrupe  made  of 
the  flowers  of  borage,  comforteth  the  heart, 
purgeth  melancholie,  quieteth  the  phrenticke 
or  lunaticke  person.  The  leaves  eaten  raw 
do  ingender  good  bloode,  and  when  boiled 
in  honey  and  water,  they  cure  hoarseness." 


BORAGE.  87 

With  all  the  advantages  which  this  herb 
is  said  to  possess,  it  is  now  nearly  neglected, 
and  but  seldom  used  in  England  either  in 
salads  or  as  a  pot-herb ;  it  is  principally  cul- 
tivated in  our  gardens  to  make  cool  tankards, 
which  are  a  pleasant  and  wholesome  summer 
drink. 


88  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 


BURNET.—  POTERIUM. 

Natural  order,  Miscellanece.     A  genus  of  the 
Monozcia  Polyandria   class. 


The  ancient  name  of  this  plant  cannot 
be  fixed  with  any  degree  of  certainty ;  but 
it  is  thought  by  the  best  etymological 
herbalists,  that  we  have  been  able  to  consult, 
that  it  is  the  plant  which  the  Greeks 
called  UifjoriveM,  and  that  it  is  likewise 
the  Sideritis  Secunda  of  Dioscorides.  It  has 
been  called  in  Latin,  Pimpinella,  Pempinula, 
and  Peponella,  from  the  likeness  of  the 
scent  to  that  of  melons  or  pompions ;  while 
others  give  the  same  name  to  some  species 
of  saxifrage.  Old  medical  writers  called  it 
Sorbastrella  and  Sanguinaria,  but  mostly 
Sanguisorba,  quod  sanguineos  fluxus  sistat, 
as  it  was  supposed  to  stop  fluxes  of  blood. 
Some  of  the  ancient  botanists  called  it 
Bipinella  or  Bipenida,  from  the  leaves  being 
placed  opposite  each  other  like  wings. 

The  origin  of  the  English  name  must  be 


BURNET.  89 

left  to  conjecture  ;  the  oblong  spike  of 
its  flowers  forms,  in  some  degree,  a  miniature 
resemblance  of  the  bur  of  the  dock ;  and  from 
thence  it  may  probably  have  been  derived. 

The  common  burnet,  Poteriwn  Sanguisorba, 
is  an  indigenous  perennial  plant  of  England, 
and  is  found  growing  on  chalky  lands  and 
heathy  commons.  We  find  it  was  cultivated 
in  our  gardens  as  long  back  as  we  can  trace 
any  other  herb  or  vegetable  with  certainty. 
Gerard  says,  "  it  is  pleasant  to  be  eaten  in 
sallads,  in  which  it  is  thought  to  make  the 
heart  merry  and  glad,  as  also  being  put  into 
wine,  to  which  it  yeeldeth  a  certaine  grace  in 
the  drinking." 

Our  forefathers  seem  to  have  been  as 
anxious  to  have  herbs  added  to  their  wine, 
as  the  present  generation  are  desirous  to 
obtain  it  pure. 

Coles  says,  (in  1657,)  "  Burnet  is  a  friend 
to  the  heart,  liver,  and  other  principall  parts 
of  a  man's  body  :  two  or  three  of  the  stalks 
with  leaves  put  into  a  cup  of  wine,  espe- 
cially French  wine,  as  all  know,  give  a  won- 
derful fine  relish  to  it,  and  besides  is  a  great 
means  to  quicken  the  spirits,  refresh  the 
heart,  and  make  it  merry,  driving  away 
melancholy.' ' 


90  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

It  is  still  accounted  cordial  and  sudorific, 
and  on  that  account  is  often  put  into  cool 
tankards. 

We  have  now  several  species  and  many 
varieties  of  burnet  in  our  botanical  gardens; 
but  it  is  seldom  used  for  culinary  purposes. 


91 


CABBAGE.— BRASSICA. 

Natural  order,   Cruciferce.     A   genus  of  the 
Tetr adynamia  Siliquosa  class. 


Theophrastus  and  the  earlier  Greek  au- 
thors called  this  vegetable  'Pctqxzvo?,  Raphanus, 
from  the  seed  bearing  a  resemblance  to  that  of 
the  radish.  It  was  named  by  later  writers 
Kfa//tCtf,  and  attice,  Kopx^n,  or  Koja//,£A>?,  as 
it  was  thought  to  injure  the  eye-sight,  which 
is  signified  by  Columella  in  these  words,  oculis 
inimica  Coramble  ;  but  he  afterwards  contra- 
dicts himself,  and  states  that  it  is  good  for 
dim  eyes. 

The  Roman  name,  Brassica,  came,  as  is 
supposed,  from  prceseco,  because  it  was  cut  off 
from  the  stalk  :  it  was  also  called  Caulis  in 
Latin,  on  account  of  the  goodness  of  its  stalks, 
and  from  which  the  English  name  Cole,  Col- 
wort,  or  Colewort,  is  derived.  The  word  Cab- 
bage, by  which  all  the  varieties  of  this  plant 
are  now  improperly  called,  means  the  firm 
head  or  ball  that  is  formed  by  the  leaves  turn- 


92  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

ing  close  over  each  other;  from  that  circum- 
stance we  say  the  cole  has  cabbaged,  the  lettuce 
has  cabbaged,  or  the  tailor  has  cabbaged. 

"  Your  tailor,  instead  of  shreds,  cabbages 
whole  yards  of  cloth*." 

From  thence  arose  the  cant  word  applied 
to  tailors,  who  formerly  worked  at  the  private 
houses  of  their  customers,  where  they  were 
often  accused  of  cabbaging;  which  means  the 
rolling  up  pieces  of  cloth,  instead  of  the  list 
and  shreds,  which  they  claim  as  their  due. 

The  Greeks  held  the  cabbage  in  great 
esteem,  and  their  fables  deduce  its  origin 
from  the  father  of  their  gods;  for  they  inform 
us,  that  Jupiter  labouring  to  explain  two  ora- 
cles which  contradicted  each  other,  perspired, 
and  from  this  divine  perspiration  the  cole- 
wort  sprang. 

The  inference  to  be  drawn  from  this  fable 
is,  that  they  considered  it  a  plant  which  had 
been  brought  to  its  state  of  perfection  by 
cultivation  and  the  sweat  of  the  brow. 

The  most  ancient  Greek  authors  mention 
three  kinds  of  cole,  the  crisped  or  ruffed, 
which  they  called  Selinas  or  Selinoides,  from  its 

#  Arbuthnot's  History  of  John  Bull. 


CABBAGE.  93 

resemblance  to  parsley;  the  second  was  called 
Lea,  and  the  third  Corambe  *. 

This  vegetable  was  so  highly  regarded  by 
the  ancients,  that  Chrysippus  and  Dieuches, 
two  physicians,  each  wrote  books  on  the  pro- 
perties of  this  plant,  as  well  as  Pythagoras 
and  Cato,  the  latter  of  whom  in  later  times 
amply  set  forth  the  praises  of  this  pot-herb. 

It  is  related,  that  the  ancient  Romans, 
having  expelled  physicians  out  of  their  terri- 
tories, preserved  their  health  for  six  hundred 
years,  and  soothed  their  infirmities  by  using 
and  applying  this  vegetable  as  their  only  me- 
dicine in  every  disease. 

The  verse  of  Columella  informs  us  that  he 
considered  it  a  universal  pot-herb. 

u  That  herb,  which  o'er  the  whole  terrestrial  globe 
Doth  flourish,  and  in  great  abundance  yields 
To  low  plebeian,  and  the  haughty  king, 
In  winter,  cabbage  ;  and  green  sprouts  in  spring/' 

Pliny,  in  speaking  of  the  spring  sprouts  of 
cole,  says,  "  Pleasant  and  sweet  as  these  crops 
were  thought  by  other  men,  yet  Apicius  (that 
notable  glutton)  loathed  them,  and  by  his 
example    Drusus   Caesar   held    them   in   no 

#  Plin.  book  xx.  c.  19. 


94  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

esteem,  but  thought  them  a  base  and  homely 
food;  for  which  nice  and  dainty  tooth  of  his," 
says  this  author,  "  he  was  well  checked  and 
stented  by  his  father,  Tiberius  the  emperor. 
I  dwell  long  on  this  vegetable,"  says  Pliny, 
"  because  it  is  in  so  great  request  in  the 
kitchen  and  among  our  riotous  gluttons." 

We  find  that  the  Greeks  as  well  as  the 
Romans  esteemed  it  good  to  be  eaten  raw,  to 
prevent  the  effects  of  excessive  indulgence 
in  wine :  it  was  also  thought  to  clear  the 
brains  of  the  intoxicated,  and  make  them 
sober. 

It  is  observed  by  Pliny,  that  as  coleworts 
may  be  cut  at  all  times  of  the  year  for  our 
use,  so  may  they  be  sown  and  set  all  the  year 
through  ;  and  yet,  says  this  author,  the  most 
appropriate  season  is  after  the  autumnal  equi- 
nox. He  adds,  after  the  first  cutting,  they 
yield  abundance  of  delicate  tops  ;  so  there  is 
no  herb  in  that  regard  so  productive,  until, 
in  the  end,  its  own  fertility  produces  its  death. 
We  learn  from  this  naturalist  their  manner  of 
cultivating  them,  as  well  as  from  whence  the 
Romans  obtained  these  useful  plants.  Many 
of  the  ancients,  when  they  transplanted  coles, 
put  sea-weeds  under  the  roots,  or  else  nitre 
powdered,  as  much  as  they  could  take  up 


CABBAGE.  Q5 

with  three  fingers,  imagining  that  they  would 
the  sooner  come  to  maturity ;  others  threw 
trefoil  and  nitre  mixed  upon  the  leaves  for 
the  same  purpose  \  it  was  also  thought  to 
make  them  boil  green. 

Cabbage  will  not,  at  the  present  day, 
bring  a  price  to  enable  the  growTer  to  use 
nitre;  but  we  have  often  been  surprised  that 
sea- weed  should  not  have  been  more  used  on 
the  coast  as  a  garden  manure,  when  the  ad- 
vantage of  the  saline  particles  is  so  generally 
acknowledged. 

The  ancients  manured  their  land  with 
asses  dung,  where  they  intended  to  plant  coles. 
"  If  you  would  have  very  fine  coleworts, 
both  for  sweet  taste  and  for  great  cabbage," 
observes  Pliny,  "  first  let  the  seed  be  sown  in 
ground  thoroughly  digged  more  than  once 
or  twice,  and  well  manured ;  secondly,  you 
must  cut  off  the  tender  spring  and  young 
stalks  that  seem  to  put  out  far  from  the 
ground,  and  such  as  run  too  high ;  thirdly,  you 
must  raise  mould  or  manure  up  to  them,  so 
that  there  may  be  no  more  above  the  ground 
than  the  very  top  :"  these  kinds  of  coles,  he 
says,  are  justly  called  Tritiana,  for  the  three- 
fold care  about  them.  "There  are,"  continues 
he,  "  many  kinds  of  coleworts  in  Rome,  such 


96  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

as  that  of  Cumes,  which  bears  leaves  spread- 
ing flat  along  the  ground,  and  opening  in 
the  head ;  those  of  Aricia  are  tall,  and  send 
forth  numerous  buds.  The  colewort  Pompe- 
ianum,  so  called  from  the  town  Pompeii, 
also  grows  high,  and  sends  out  many  tender 
sprouts."  The  coles  of  Bruzze,  or  Calabria, 
like  the  winter  best,  and  are  nourished  by 
the  hard  season ;  their  leaves  are  described 
as  being  very  large,  their  stalks  small,  and 
their  taste  acrid.  The  Sabellian  coles,  with 
curled  and  ruffed  leaves,  are  mentioned  as 
having  a  small  stem,  which  supports  heads 
of  a  wonderful  size:  these  were  reputed  the 
sweetest. 

"  It  is  not  long,"  says  the  same  author, 
"  since  we  have  procured  a  kind  of  cabbage- 
cole  from  the  vale  of  Aricia  with  an  exceed- 
ingly great  head  and  an  infinite  number  of 
leaves,  which  gather  round  and  close  toge- 
ther." These  he  calls  Lacuturres,  from  the 
place  whence  they  came ;  he  adds,  there  are 
some  coles,  which  stretch  out  into  a  round 
shape,  others  extend  in  breadth,  and  are 
very  full  of  fleshy  brawns ;  some  are  described 
as  bearing  a  head  twelve  inches  thick,  and 
yet  it  was  observed,  that  none  put  forth  more 
tender  buds  than  these.     It  was  noticed  that 


CABBAGE.  97 

all  the  varieties  eat  sweeter  for  being  touched 
with  the  frost.  With  all  the  veneration 
we  have  for  the  great  naturalist  of  Rome, 
we  cannot  agree  with  him  when  he  states, 
that  the  seeds  of  a  very  old  cabbage  will 
produce  turnips,  and  that  the  seeds  also  of 
an  old  turnip  will  produce  coleworts.*  The 
Romans  were  not  aware  that  plants  so 
nearly  affined  would  mix  their  species  by 
impregnation,  and  produce  mongrel  plants. 
This  was  unfortunately  not  known  in  England 
until  it  had  ruined  and  broke  the  heart  of 
poor  Ball,  the  Brentford  gardener  ;  for  which 
see  Pomarium  Britannicum.-jf 

We  find  that  the  Romans  planted  the 
sprouts  as  well  as  the  young  plants.  Colu- 
mella tells  us  that  the  latter  should  be  re- 
moved when  they  have  attained  six  leaves. 
The  ancients  often  steeped  them  in  oil  and 
salt  before  they  put  them  over  the  fire  to 
boil;  and  it  was  observed  by  them,  that  if 
any  brass  pot  or  kettle  was  ever  so  much 
furred,  and  however  hard  to  get  off,  if  a 
cabbage  was  boiled  in  it,  the  fur  would  peel 
from  the  sides  without  difficulty. 

It  is  also  related  that  a  physician,  having 

#  Book  xix.  chap.  10.  t  P.  373. 

VOL.   I.  II 


98  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

a  mess  of  coleworts  upon  his  table  before 
him,  and  being  suddenly  sent  for  to  visit  a 
patient,  he  covered,  at  his  departure,  his 
dish  with  another,  and  found  it  at  his  return 
bedewed  with  moisture :  observing  from  this 
circumstance,  that  the  extraction  of  humidi- 
ty was  very  easy,  he  bent  his  study  so  far 
that  way,  as  to  give  being  to  the  art  of  dis- 
tillation. 

The  ancients  were  firmly  persuaded  that 
there  was  a  sympathy  in  plants,  as  well  as  in 
animals.  "The  vine,  says  one  of  their  authors, 
by  a  secret  antipathy  in  nature,  especially 
avoids  the  cabbage,  if  it  has  room  to  decline 
from  it ;  but  in  case  it  cannot  shift  away,  it 
dies  for  very  grief."  Pliny*  says,  the  cole- 
worts  and  the  vine  have  so  mortal  a  hatred 
to  each  other,  that  if  a  vine  stand  near  a 
colewort,  it  will  be  sensibly  perceived  that 
the  vine  shrinks  away  from  it ;  and  yet  this 
wort,  which  causes  the  vine  thus  to  retire 
and  die,  if  it  chance  to  grow  near  origan, 
margiram,  or  cyclamen  sowbread,  will  soon 
wither  and  die  in  its  turn.  The  cause  is 
evident,  for  where  two  plants  are  neighboured 
that  require  the  same  juices  to  support  them, 

#  Book  xxiv.  chap.  1. 


CABBAGE.  99 

the  weaker  must  give  way  to  the  one  that 
has  the  greater  power  to  suck  up  the  nutri- 
tious moisture. 

Ancient  authors  have  handed  down  to  us 
the  various  uses,  which  they  made  of  this 
plant  in  medicine,  some  of  which  we  notice 
as  a  matter  of  curiosity,  more  than  with  a  view 
of  recommending  these  experiments. 

The  Greeks,  as  well  as  the  Romans,  used 
the  juice  of  coleworts  with  honey  as  an  eye- 
salve;  they  also  made  a  liniment  of  this 
plant,  which  was  used  to  assuage  the  swellings 
of  the  glands,  as  also  for  the  hard  swellings  of 
women's  breasts.  A  liniment  was  also  made 
of  cabbage  and  brimstone,  which  was  used 
to  bring  bruises  to  their  natural  colour,  or 
prevent  their  turning  black. 

Philistian  recommended  the  juice  with 
goats'  milk,  salt,  and  honey,  for  the  cramp, 
or  stiff  necks. 

Apollodorus  says,  that  either  the  seed  or 
the  juice  of  this  plant,  taken  in  drink,  is  a 
good  remedy  for  those  who  have  eaten 
poisonous  mushrooms. 

Hippocrates  recommended  this  vegetable 
to  mothers  who  were  nurses. 

Cato  advises  coleworts  to  be  stamped 
raw  with  vinegar,  honey,  rue,  mint,  and  the 

H  2 


100  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

roots  of  laser,  as  a  cure  for  the  head-ache, 
and  many  other  complaints,  not  even  omit- 
ting the  gout. 

Erasistratus,  and  all  his  school,  resounded 
again  (says  Pliny)  with  the  praises  of  cole- 
wort,  and  averred,  that  there  was  nothing  in 
the  world  better  for  the  stomach,  and  nothing 
more  wholesome  for  the  sinews ;  they,  there- 
fore, prescribed  it  for  the  palsy,  and  all 
tremblings  of  the  limbs,  and  those  that  retch 
up  blood. 

It  was  observed  by  the  ancients,  that  this 
vegetable  was  light  of  digestion,  and  that  it 
clarified  all  the  senses,  when  ordinarily  eaten. 

Gerard  is  the  oldest  English  author  who 
has  written  fully  on  this  useful  vegetable  ; 
he  mentions  the  white  cabbage  cole,  the  red 
cabbage  cole,  the  curled  garden  cole:  the 
Savoie  cole  is,  he  says,  numbered  among  the 
headed  coleworts  or  cabbages :  he  notices  the 
curdled  Savoy,  but  says  the  "  Swolen  cole- 
wort  of  all  others  is  the  strangest,  and  which 
I  received  from  a  worshipfull  marchant  of 
London,  Master  Nicholas  Lete,  who  brought 
the  seed  out  of  France ;  who  is  greatly  in 
love  with  rare  and  faire  flowers  and  plants; 
for  which  he  doth  carefully  send  into  Syria, 
having  a  servant  there  at  Alepo,  and  in  many 


CABBAGE.  101 

other  countries ;  for  the  which  myself  and 
likewise  the  whole  lande  are  much  bound 
vnto."  The  same  author  says,  "  Rape  cole 
is  another  variety  ;  they  were  called  in  Latin 
Caulo-rapum  and  Rapo-caulis,  participating  of 
two  plants,  the  coleworts  and  turnips,  from 
whence  they  derive  their  name.  They  grow 
in  Italy,  Spain,  and  some  places  in  Germanie, 
from  whence  I  have  received  seeds  for  my 
garden."  "  They  must,"  says  he,  "  be  care- 
fully set  and  sowen  as  musk  melons  and 
cucumbers." 

This  variety  has  now  become  one  of  our 
hardiest  field  plants. 

The  principal  cabbages  now  cultivated  in 
this  country  are,  the  early  Battersea,  early 
Dwarf,  early  York,  imperial  Penton,  Sugar- 
loaf,  Drum-head,  red  Dutch,  purple  Turnip, 
Savoy,  green  Savoy,  and  yellow  Savoy.  The 
German  cabbage  is  grown  to  so  great  a  size 
in  Holland,  that  a  single  head  often  weighs 
forty  pounds,  and  remains  perfectly  sweet 
and  tender. 


CAULIFLOWER.— BRASSICA  FLORIDA. 

This  plant  was  first  called  Cole  florie  and 
Colieflorie,  and  is  said  to  have  been  derived 


102  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

from  caulis  a  stalk,  and  fero  to  bear.  Gerard 
says,  "  The  white  cabbage  is  best  next  to 
the  cole  flourey  ;  yet  Cato  doth  chiefly  com- 
mend the  russed  cole,  but  he  knew  neither 
the  whites,  nor  the  cole  flourey,  for  if  he 
had,  his  censure  had  been  otherwise."  But 
we  find  it  noticed  by  the  Roman  herbalist  of 
later  days,  who  observes,  that  of  all  kinds  of 
coleworts,  the  sweetest  and  pleasantest  to 
the  taste  is  the  cole  florie,  although  of  no 
value  in  medicine,  and  unwholesome,  as 
being  hard  of  digestion,  and  an  enemy  to 
the  kidneys. 

Pierre  Pompes  says,  cauliflower  "  comes  to 
us  in  Paris,  by  way  of  Marseilles,  from  the 
Isle  of  Cyprus,  which  is  the  only  place  I  know 
of  where  it  seeds."  From  this  account  it 
would  appear,  that  cauliflowers  were  not 
much  cultivated  in  France  in  1694,  when  his 
work  was  published ;  and  the  French  have 
at  present  no  distinct  name  for  this  vegetable, 
but  call  it  Choufleur,  viz.  cabbage  flower. 

Cauliflowers  are  now  cultivated  in  this 
country  with  such  care  and  success,  that  they 
exceed,  in  goodness  and  magnitude,  all  in 
Europe.  Our  gardeners  furnish  us  with  an 
early  and  a  late  variety,  both  of  which  are 
much  esteemed  at  table,  either  plain  boiled 


CABUAGE.  1()3 

and  served  with  meat,  or  when  dressed  with 
sauce  after  the  French  fashion.  It  also  makes 
a  favourite  pickle. 


BROCOLI.-BRASS1CA  BOTRYTIS  C YiVIOSA. 

This  plant  appears  to  \)e  an  accidental 
mixture  of  the  common  cabbage  and  the 
cauliflower  ;  and  it  is  said,  that  it  grows  in  no 
part  of  the  world  to  such  perfection,  as  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Portsmouth.  Our  va- 
rieties of  this  vegetable  are,  the  Cape,  early 
purple,  late  purple,  early  white,  late  white, 
and  the  Siberian.  Brocoli  occupies  a  large 
space  in  the  garden,  where  it  requires  near  a 
year  to  perfect  its  heads  ;  but  repays  us  for 
the  time  and  space  by  its  early  arrival  in  the 
spring. 

SEA-KALE.— CORAMBLE  MARITIMA. 

"  Now  let  sea  cabbage  also  come, 


Though,  to  the  eyes  a  foe,  it  blunts  the  sight." 

Columella. 

Kale,  or  agreeably  to  our  oldest  writers, 
Sea  Colewort,  is  an  excellent  vegetable,  indi- 
genous to  our  southern  shores. 


104  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

Valmount  Bomare,  calls  it  Chou  Marin 
sauvage  d'Angleterre. 

Gerard  observes,  in  his  Herbal,  that 
"  The  sea  colewort  groweth  naturally  vpon 
the  bayche  and  brimmes  of  the  sea,  where 
there  is  no  earth  to  be  seene,  but  sand  and 
rowling  pebble  stones.  I  found  it  growing 
between  Whystable  and  the  Isle  of  Thanet, 
neere  the  brincke  of  the  sea ;  and  in  many 
places  neare  to  Colchester,  and  elsewhere  by 
the  sea-side/' 

It  is  often  found,  at  the  present  time, 
growing  out  of  the  crevices  of  our  highest 
cliffs,  and  this  is  observed  to  be  the  most 
delicate  ;  but  it  is  only  procured  with  the 
greatest  danger,  by  boys  who  let  themselves 
down  by  means  of  a  rope,  which  is  lowered 
or  shifted  by  others  standing  on  the  top,  the 
very  sight  of  which  makes  the  most  indif- 
ferent observer  tremble,  while  it  excites  the 
wonder  of  others,  that  so  great  a  risk  should 
be  ventured  for  so  small  a  reward  as  a  dish 
of  this  marine  vegetable. 

Sea  kale  is  now  cultivated  in  all  good 
gardens,  and  forms  a  profitable  article  with 
market-gardeners ;  as,  when  forced,  it  meets 
a  ready  sale,  and  bears  a  high  price  in  the 
metropolis. 


CABBAGE.  105 

It  appears,  that  the  Romans  had  not  at- 
tempted to  raise  this  vegetable  in  their  gar- 
dens in  the  time  of  Pliny,  who  calls  it  Hal- 
myridia,  and  says  it  grows  only  on  the  sea- 
coast.  He  observes,  provision  is  made  of  them 
to  serve  in  long  voyages  at  sea,  for  as  soon  as 
they  are  cut  up,  they  are  put  into  barrels 
where  oil  has  lately  been  kept,  and  then 
stopped  up  close,  that  no  air  come  to  them. 


The  different  opinions  as  to  the  qualities 
of  cabbage  in  general,  are  as  various  as  the 
authors  are  numerous  ;  we  notice  these  con- 
tradictory opinions  without  falling  into  the 
enthusiasm  of  one  party,  or  the  prejudice  of 
others,  as  experience  teaches  us,  that  the 
same  vegetable  diet  which  affords  medicine 
to  one  constitution,  may  be  venomous  to  an- 
other, and  that  to  preserve  our  health,  we 
should  change  our  diet  with  our  habits,  as 
we  change  our  garments  with  the  seasons. 

All  the  species  of  cabbage  are  now  gene- 
rally supposed  to  be  hard  of  digestion,  to 
afford  little  nourishment,  and  to  produce 
flatulencies.  They  tend  strongly  to  putre- 
faction, and  run  into  this  state  sooner  than 
almost  any  other  vegetable  ;  when  putrefied, 
their  smell  is   likewise  the  most  offensive, 


106  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

greatly  resembling  that  of  putrid  animal  sub- 
stance. They  are  now  out  of  use  as  medi- 
cine, although  so  much  recommended  by 
ancient  writers.  Etmuller  says,  they  have 
much  nitre  in  their  composition,  which  makes 
them  diuretic.  The  authors  of  the  Schola 
Salernitana  make  them  of  very  different  qua- 
lities;  and  will  have  them  both  to  astringe 
and  relax  the  bowels ;  and  say  also,  they 
prevent  the  intoxication  occasioned  by  spi- 
ritous  liquors. 

Bartholine  extols  cabbage  in  these  words  : 
"  The  common  cabbage  of  the  country  peo- 
ple is  justly  preferable  to  other  pot-herbs, 
since,  both  raw  and  boiled,  it  is  possessed  of 
such  salutary  qualities,  as  to  prevent  occasion 
for  the  medicines  used  in  the  shops.  For 
this  reason,  when  a  certain  foreign  physician 
came  into  Denmark  with  a  design  to  settle, 
and  saw  the  gardens  of  the  country  people 
so  well  stocked  with  cabbage,  he,  with  good 
reason,  prognosticated  small  encouragement 
for  himself  in  that  part  of  the  world.  It 
keeps  the  stomach  in  an  easy  and  soluble 
state ;  and  a  decoction  of  the  tops  of  its  ten- 
der shoots  discharges  such  an  incredible 
quantity  of  bile  and  phlegm,  that  no  medi- 
cine proves  a  quicker,  a  safer,  or  a  more  effi- 


CABBAGE.  10/ 

cacious  purge,  hellebore  and  scammony  not 
excepted."* 

Hoffman  says,  the  common  red  cabbage  is 
evidently  possessed  of  a  medical  quality ; 
and  abounds  with  a  juice,  which,  by  its  ni- 
trous, sweet,  emollient,  laxative,  aperitive, 
attenuating,  and  stimulating  qualities,  pro- 
motes those  excretions  which  are  absolutely 
necessary  to  the  preservation  of  health.  For 
this,  it  is  not  only  a  preservative  against 
diseases,  especially  of  the  chronical  kind,  but 
also  contributes  very  considerably  to  their 
cure. 

The  juice  of  cabbage  is  of  such  a  nature, 
says  Dr.  James,  as  not  only  to  afford  a  suffi- 
cient supply  of  nourishment  to  the  body, 
but  also  to  correct  the  acrid  salts  of  the 
juices,  allay  the  acrimony  of  the  blood, 
cleanse  the  intestines,  and  scour  the  kidneys. 
For  this  reason  cabbage  is  highly  salutary 
in  disorders  of  the  breast,  if  baked  in  a  close 
vessel  in  an  oven,  adding  sugar  or  honey  to 
it,  after  it  is  taken  out ;  for  by  this  means 
it  will,  in  the  space  of  half  an  hour,  become 
a  jelly,  or  thick  juice,  which,  used  as  a  lamba- 
tive,  is  of  singular  efficacy  in  dry  coughs,  &c. 

#  Lib.  de  Medicina  Danorum  Domest.  Dissert.  1. 


I 

108  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES.  J 

A  decoction  of  cabbage,  with  an  addition 
of  raisins,  was  formerly  much  used  by  preach- 
ers and  pleaders,  in  hoarseness,  and  defects 
of  voice,  arising  from  too  long  speaking. 

The  juice  of  cabbage  is  said  to  be  a  lax- 
ative, and  the  substance  an  astringent:  hence 
the  proverb  in  the  school  of  Salerno  : 

"  Jus  caulis  solvit,  cujus  substantia  stringit." 

The  Dutch  and  the  Germans  make  great 
use  of  cabbage;  and  in  Berne,  there  is  scarcely 
an  inhabitant  who  does  not  eat  of  it  at  least 
once  every  day. 

In  this  country  it  is  brought  to  table  plain 
boiled,  or  stewed  with  beef,  also  fried  with 
beef,  and  it  is  one  of  the  vegetables  that 
form  our  spring  soup.  Force  meagre  cabbage 
is  an  excellent  dish,  and  both  the  red  and 
the  white  make  a  good  pickle. 

Dr.  R.  James  says,  cabbage  is  agreeable 
to  the  stomach,  if  it  be  eaten  slightly  boiled; 
for  after  thorough  boiling  it  binds,  and  much 
more  so  if  twice  boiled.  We  cannot  here 
pass  over  the  advice  of  Bruyerinus,  respect- 
ing the  preparing  cabbage  for  the  table.  "  I 
must,"  says  he,  "  expose  an  error,  which  is 
no  less  common  than  pernicious,  in  preparing 
cabbage.     Most  people,  in  consequence  of 


CABBAGE.  109 

the  ignorance  of  their  cooks,  eat  it  after  it 
has  been  long  boiled,  a  circumstance  which 
does  not  a  little  diminish  both  its  grateful 
taste  and  salutary  qualities.  But  I  observe, 
that  those  who  have  a  more  polite  and  ele- 
gant turn,  order  their  cabbage  to  be  slightly 
boiled,  put  into  dishes,  and  seasoned  with 
salt  and  oil;  by  which  method  they  assume  a 
beautiful  green  colour,  become  grateful  to 
the  taste,  and  proper  for  keeping  the  body 
soluble.  This  circumstance  ought  not  to  be 
forgot  by  those  who  are  lovers  of  cabbage." 

The  ancients  boiled  their  cabbage  with 
nitre,  which  rendered  it  at  once  more  grate- 
ful to  the  palate,  and  more  agreeable  to  the 
eye. 

The  summer  cabbage  is  said  to  be  more 
acrimonious  and  hurtful  to  the  stomach, 
than  that  which  is  eaten  in  the  winter. 
The  use  of  this  vegetable  in  food  has  been 
affirmed  by  some  authors,  to  be  good  for 
dulness  of  sight,  and  tremblings  of  the 
limbs. 

Simon  Pauli  tells  us,  that  he  knew  a  young 
girl,  who,  in  the  space  of  fourteen  days,  had 
an  incredible  number  of  warts  taken  off  one 
of  her  hands,  by  anointing  them  with  the 
juice  of  cabbage,  which  was  allowed  to  dry 
on  them. 


110  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

From  the  nature  of  the  organization  of 
these  plants,  and  the  diversity  of  powers 
they  possess,  to  receive  nourishment  in 
the  superabundance  which  high  cultivation 
affords  them,  they  undergo  more  rapid 
changes  than  most  plants  ;  this  is  particularly 
observable  in  the  species  called  cauliflower, 
which  often  in  a  few  days  branches  from  the 
principal  stalk,  with  such  force  and  numbers, 
as  to  form  a  solid  head  of  snowy  tender 
buds,  which  are  afterwards  forced  to  a  consi- 
derable height  before  the  blossoms  open. 

In  the  Economicfal  Journal  of  France,  the 
following  method  of  guarding  cabbages  from 
the  depradation  of  caterpillars,  is  stated  to 
be  infallible;  and  may,  perhaps,  be  equally 
serviceable  against  those  which  infect  other 
vegetables. 

Sow  a  belt  of  hemp-seed  round  the  borders 
of  the  ground  where  the  cabbages  are  planted, 
and  although  the  neighbourhood  be  infected 
with  caterpillars,  the  space  inclosed  by  the 
hemp  will  be  perfectly  free,  and  not  one 
of  these  vermin  will  approach  it. 

We  have  known  brocoli  preserved  from 
the  injury  of  the  severest  winters,  by  being 
taken  out  of  the  ground  late  in  the  autumn, 
and  replanted  in  a  slanting  direction.  This 
experiment  was  made  in  the  year  1819,  with 


CABBAGE.  Ill 

such  success,  that  they  all  flowered  in  the  fol- 
lowing spring,  although  there  was  scarcely  a 
single  head  out  in  all  the  extensive  planta- 
tions at  Fulham,  that  survived  the  incle- 
mency of  that  winter. 


112  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 


CAPER  BUSH.— CAPPARIS. 

Natural  order,  Putaminece.     A  genus  of  the 
Polyandria  Monogynia  class. 


This  shrub,    or   bush,  the  flower-buds  of 
which,  when  pickled,  form  such  an  agreeable 
sauce  to  our  boiled  mutton,  is  not  a  native  of 
Europe,    being    originally    brought    out    of 
Egypt.    Theophrastus,  who  wrote  about  300 
years  before  the  birth  of  Christ,  was  of  an 
opinion,  that  the  caper  bush  was  of  so  wild 
a  nature  as  not  to  bear  cultivation.     Pliny, 
in  after-ages,  entertained  the   same  idea  re- 
specting the  citrus  tree,  and  says  it  will  not 
live  out  of  its  native  country.     The  Roman 
naturalist  as  little  thought  that  his   native 
valleys  would  be  covered  with  the  fragrant 
orange,  as  the  Lesbian  philosopher  expected 
the  ruins  of  the  temples  would  be  overrun  by 
the  trailings   of  the  caper  bush.     This  plant 
seems  to  have  sprung  from  a  dry  sandy  soil ; 
and  since  its  migration  into  Europe  has  fixed 


CAPERS.  1  13 

itself  in  old  walls  and  the  fissures  of  rocks, 
generally  taking  a  horizontal  direction. 

Pliny  directs  the  seeds  to  be  sown  in  san- 
dy ground,  and  that  a  bank  of  stone- work 
should  be  raised  for  it  to  spread  on :  he  says, 
those  who  eat  capers  daily,  need  not  fear  the 
palsy  or  the  spleen.  The  Romans  used  the 
root,  when  bruised,  to  take  off  the  marks  of 
the  leprosy,  and  to  remove  glandular  swell- 
ings ;  the  seeds  pounded  in  vinegar  were  an 
esteemed  remedy  for  the  tooth-ache.  Pliny 
cautions  his  countrymen  to  beware  how  they 
eat  foreign  capers,  excepting  those  of  Egypt, 
as  he  says  those  of  Arabia  are  poisonous, 
that  the  African  capers  are  hurtful  to  the 
gums,  and  those  which  are  grown  in  Apulia 
cause  sickness,  and  injure  the  stomach.* 

Dodoens  says,  the  capers  that  grow  in 
Africa,  Arabia,  Libya,  and  other  hot  coun- 
tries, are  apt  to  cause  ulcers  in  the  mouth, 
and  that  they  consume  and  eat  away  the 
flesh  even  to  the  bone  ;  but,  he  adds,  those  of 
Spain  and  Italy  are  not  so  strong,  and  when 
brought  to  us  preserved  in  salt  and  water, 
being  washed  and  eaten  with  vinegar,  are 
both  meat    and    medicine,    as    they    create 

#  Book  xiii.  c.  23,  book  xix.  c.  8,  and  book  xx.  c,  15. 

VOL.    1.  ] 


114  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

appetite,  although  they  give  but  little  nou- 
rishment. 

Capers  appear  to  have  been  eaten  in 
greater  abundance  in  the  time  of  Queen 
Elizabeth  than  at  present.  Gerard  says, 
"  They  are  eaten  boiled,  (the  salt  first 
washed  off,)  with  oile  and  vinegar,  as  other 
sallads  be,  and  somtimes  are  boiled  with 
meate."  This  author  adds,  "  In  these  our 
daies  diuers  vse  to  cherish  the  caper,  and  to 
set  it  in  dry  and  stony  places :  myselfe,  at 
the  impression  heereof,  planted  some  seedes 
in  the  brick  wals  of  my  garden,  which  as 
yet  (1597)  doe  spring  and  growe  greene ; 
the  successe  I  expect." 

In  the  garden  of  Camden  House,  at  Ken- 
sington, there  was  a  remarkable  fine  caper 
tree,  which  had  endured  the  open  air  of  this 
climate  for  the  greater  part  of  a  century, 
and,  though  not  within  the  reach  of  any  ar- 
tificial heat,  produced  flowers  and  fruit  every 
year.  This  has  been  termed  a  real  curiosity, 
and  should  induce  the  inhabitants  of  the 
warmer  parts  of  Devonshire,  Sussex,  and 
Kent,  to  cultivate  the  caper  bush,  where  they 
have  chalk-pits,  cliffs,  or  old  walls. 

As  the  caper  sauce  is  more  familiar  to  us 
at  our  tables,  than  the  plant  is  in  our  gar- 


CAPERS.  115 

dens,  it  may  be  remarked,  that  it  is  not  a 
capsule  or  seed,  which  is  pickled ;  but  the 
bud  of  the  flower  just  before  it  is  ready  to 
blossom,  when  the  branches  are  stripped  of 
their  buds  and  leaves,  and  afterwards  sepa- 
rated by  passing  through  a  sieve,  when  they 
are  dried  in  the  shade,  and  then  pickled 
either  in  salt  or  vinegar,  and  brought  to  us 
in  barrels,  principally  from  Italy  and  Toulon. 
The  small  Majorca  capers  that  are  brought 
in  a  salt  pickle  are  esteemed  by  many  per- 
sons. Capers  are  considered  an  aperient 
that  excites  appetite,  and  assists  digestion  ; 
and  they  sometimes  enter  into  compositions 
for  diseases  of  the  spleen   and  liver. 

Benivenius,  De  Abditis  Morborum  Causis, 
chap.  105,  informs  us,  that  he  cured  a  patient, 
labouring  under  disorders  of  the  spleen,  only 
by  the  use  of  capers,  ordering  him  to  drink 
forge-water  for  a  year ;  after  he  had  been 
harassed  with  this  distemper  for  seven  years, 
consulted  many  physicians,  and  tried  many 
remedies  to  no  purpose.  "  Externally,"  says 
Ettmuller,  "  the  pickle  of  capers  is  applied 
to  the  side,  under  the  left  hypochondrium, 
with  linen  cloths,  or  a  sponge,  for  discussing 
swellings  of  the  spleen.  If  to  this  mustard- 
seed  is   added,  that  the  vinegar  may  be  im- 

i2 


116  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

pregnated  with  its  volatile  salt,  it  is  an  excel- 
lent remedy  in  disorders  of  the  spleen." 

The  austere  bitterish  taste  of  capers  suf- 
ficiently convinces  us  of  their  astringent  and 
corroborating   virtues ;    and   if  we    consider 
the  qualities  they  derive  from  the  vinegar 
and  salt,  we  may  easily  conceive,  that  they 
are  of  a  resolvent  and  inciding  nature :  for 
this  reason,  they  are  recommended  as  pickles 
with  food,  in  order  to  strengthen  a  languid 
appetite ;  and   are   principally  beneficial  to 
those   whose   stomachs    abound    with  gross 
pituitous  humours,  or  who  have  weak  sto- 
machs,  and  want  a  due  appetite.     They  are 
also  good  for  obstructions  of  the  viscera,  espe- 
cially those  of  the  spleen;  for  the  palsy,  and 
convulsions    arising    from    a    superfluity    of 
peccant  humours.     They  are  also  highly  re- 
commended in  long  and  chronical  fevers.  * 

Laurentius  Joubert  recommends  them  in 
the  plague,  seasoned  with  salt,  gently  boiled 
in  water,  and  eaten  with  vinegar  ;  "  for,"  says 
he,  "  they  excite  an  appetite,  and  open  ob- 
structions, if  there  are  any  in  the  body."  For 
this  reason  they  ought  not  only  to  be  allowed 
in  pestilential  cases,  but  also  recommended 
because  they  resist  putrefaction. 

*  Prosp.  Alpin.  Hist.  Nat. 


CAPERS.  117 

According  to  Simeon  Sethi,  "  Capers  are 
possessed  of  different  qualities ;  such  as  bit- 
terness, by  which  they  absterge,  cleanse, 
and  incide ;  acridness,  by  which  they  heat, 
dissipate,  and  attenuate;  and  acidity,  by 
which  they  inspissate,  and  prove  astringent." 

We  have  procured  four  new  species  of  this 
plant  from  the  West  Indies ;  but,  as  these  na- 
turally require  the  stove,  we  can  only  expect 
from  them  the  gratification  of  our  curiosity, 
in  a  sight  of  the  living  plants  of  the  west- 
ern world. 


118  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 


GUINEA  PEPPER.— CAPSICUM. 

Natural   order,    Litridce.    A   genus   of  the 
Pentandria  Monogynia  class. 


The  generic  name  of  this  plant  is  derived 
from  a  Greek  word,  signifying  to  bite,  on 
account  of  the  biting  heat  of  its  fruit ;  some 
take  it  from  capsa,  a  chest. 

This  herbaceous  plant  was  brought  to 
Europe  by  the  Spaniards,  and  we  have  ac- 
counts of  its  being  cultivated  in  this  country 
as  early  as  the  reign  of  Edward  the  Sixth, 
although  it  seldom  ripens  its  pods  with  us 
unaided  by  artificial  heat ;  for  plants,  like 
men,  have 

"  constitutions  fitted  for  that  spot 


Where  Providence,  all  wise,  has  fiVd  their  lot." 

There  are  many  varieties  of  the  capsicum 
in  hot  countries,  where  Nature  has  sported 
so  much  in  the  form  of  the  fruit,  that  it  is 
almost  endless  to  trace  the  shapes  and 
figures  which  the  different  kinds  assume. 
They  are  principally   distinguished   by   the 


GUINEA    PEPPER.  119 

size,  colour,  or  shape  of  the  pods,  which 
are  hollow,  and  divided  into  two  or  three 
cells,  containing  kidney-shaped,  round,  or 
beaked  smooth  seeds. 

From  the  rich  and  varied  colour  of  the 
fruit,  this  plant  is  cultivated  among  our 
ornamental  housed  exotics  ;  but  it  is  also 
grown  in  considerable  quantities  by  the 
market  gardeners  for  the  supply  of  London, 
where  it  is  much  used  in  pickles,  seasonings, 
and  made-dishes,  as  both  the  capsula  and 
seeds  of  the  whole  tribe  are  full  of  a  warm 
acrid  oil,  the  heat  of  which  being  im- 
parted to  the  stomach  is  thought  to  pro- 
mote digestion,  assist  the  tonic  motion  of 
the  bowels,  invigorate  the  blood,  and  correct 
the  flatulency  of  vegetable  aliments. 

"  Capsicum  has  all  the  virtues  of  the  Ori- 
ental spices,  without  producing  those  com- 
plaints of  the  head  which  they  often  oc- 
casion. In  food  it  prevents  flatulency  from 
being  caused  by  vegetables  ;  but  its  abuse 
occasions  visceral  obstructions,  especially  of 
the  liver.  In  dropsical  complaints,  or  others 
where  chalybeates  are  prescribed,  a  minute 
portion  of  powdered  capsicum  is  an  excel- 
lent addition.  In  lethargic  affections,  this 
warm  and  active  stimulant  might  be  of  ser- 


120  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

vice.  In  tropical  fevers,  a  coma  and  deli- 
rium are  common  attendants,  and  in  such 
cases,  cataplasms  of  capsicum  have  a  speedy 
and  happy  effect ;  they  redden  the  parts, 
but  seldom  blister  unless  kept  too  long. 
In  ophthalmia,  from  relaxation  of  the  mem- 
branes and  coats  of  the  eyes,  the  diluted 
juice  of  the  capsicum  is  a  sovereign  remedy  ; 
and  I  have  often  witnessed  its  virtues  in 
many  obstinate  cases  of  this  sort.  In  some 
parts  of  South  America,  the  Indians  prick 
the  loins  and  bellies  of  hectic  patients,  with 
thorns  dipped  in  the  juice  of  capsicum. 

Of  late,  capsicum  has  been  successfully 
used  in  particular  cases  of  the  yellow  fever. 
It  settles  the  stomach,  abates  bilious  vomit- 
ings, and  even  milcena,  the  morbus  niger 
of  Hippocrates,  or  black  vomit,  has  been 
cured  by  it.  The  form  it  is  given  in  is  either 
the  green  pepper,  or  the  genuine  powder 
capsicum.  Three  parts  of  the  green  bonnet 
pepper,  and  two  parts  crumbs  of  bread, 
made  into  a  large  pill,  and  given  every  two 
hours  or  oftener,  till  the  stomach  is  settled. 
Or,  three  grains  genuine  powder  Cayenne 
pepper,  made  into  a  firm  pill,  and  completely 
coated  with  white  wafer,  to  be  given  as  above. 
This  medicine  has  been  given  to  patients  in 


GUINEA    PEPPER.  121 

the  end  of  the  yellow  fever,  when  debility 
and  extreme  weakness  had  taken  place,  and 
with  the  happiest  effect.  It  warms  and  sti- 
mulates the  stomach,  brings  on  a  genial 
warmth  and  diaphoresis,  and  assists  greatly 
in  giving  a  favourable  turn  to  this  disorder."* 

In  recent  pleuritic  stitches,  a  poultice  of 
bruised  pepper  applied  to  the  place  affected, 
frequently  changed,  removes  the  complaint ; 
and  the  berries  bruised  and  mixed  with  lard, 
are  recommended  to  be  rubbed  on  paralytic 
limbs. 

The  following  receipt  is  the  famous  pepper 
medicine  for  the  cure  of  malignant  influenza 
and  sore  throats ;  which  has  been  found 
highly  efficacious,  and  is  recommended  as  a 
powerful  diaphoretic,  stimulant,  and  anti- 
septic. 

Take  two  table  spoonfuls  of  small  red 
pepper,  or  three  of  common  Cayenne  pepper, 
add  two  of  fine  salt,  and  beat  them  into  a 
paste ;  add  half  a  pint  of  boiling  water, 
strain  off  the  liquor  when  cold,  and  add  to  it 
half  a  pint  of  very  sharp  vinegar.  Give  a 
table  spoonful  every  half  hour  as  a  dose  for 
an  adult,  and  so  in  proportion  for  younger 

*  Wright. 


122  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

patients.  Perhaps  this  medicine  might  merit 
a  trial  in  the  yellow  fever.* 

The  general  mode  of  preparing  Cayenne 
pepper  is  by  gathering  the  bird  peppers 
when  ripe,  drying  them  in  the  sun,  powder- 
ing and  mixing  them  with  salt,  which,  when 
well  dried,  is  put  into  close  corked  bottles, 
for  the  purpose  of  excluding  the  air,  which 
disposes  the  salt  to  liquefy,  and  therefore  is 
thought  by  some  an  improper  ingredient  in 
the  composition.  This  is  sometimes  called 
Cayenne  butter,  and  is  in  general  esteem  for 
the  excellent  relish  it  gives  to  different 
dishes. 

The  mixture  called  Man-dram  is  made 
from  these  peppers,  in  the  following  manner, 
and  seldom  fails  to  provoke  the  most  languid 
appetite :  the  ingredients  are,  sliced  cucum- 
bers, eschalots  or  onions  cut  very  small,  a 
little  lime-juice  and  Madeira  wine,  with  a  few 
pods  of  bird  or  bonnet  pepper  well  mashed 
and  mixed  with  the  liquor. 

For  the  purpose  of  pickling,  the  bell  and 
goat  kinds  are  considered  the  best :  they  are 
to  be  gathered  before  they  arrive  at  their  full 
size,  while  their  skin  is  tender  :  they  are  to 

*  Lunan. 


GUINEA    PEPPER.  123 

be  slit  down  on  one  side,  and  the  seeds  taken 
out,  after  which  they  should  be  soaked  in 
salt  and  water  for  twenty -four  hours,  and  the 
water  changed  at  the  end  of  the  first  twelve 
hours.  When  they  are  taken  out  of  this, 
they  should  be  drained,  put  into  bottles  or 
jars,  and  boiled  vinegar,  after  being  allowed 
to  cool,  poured  upon  them  in  sufficient 
quantity  to  cover  them.  The  vessels  should 
then  be  closely  stopped  for  a  few  weeks, 
They  are  esteemed  the  wholesomest  pickle 
in  the  world.  The  pepper  vinegar,  with 
barley  water  and  honey,  is  a  good  mouth  or 
throat  gargle. 

The  following  is  a  receipt  for  making  what 
is  called  Cayenne  pepper  pot :  "  Take  the 
ripe  bird  peppers,  dry  them  well  in  the  sun, 
then  put  them  into  an  earthen  or  stone  pot, 
mixing  flour  between  every  stratum  of  pods, 
and  put  them  into  an  oven  after  the  baking 
of  bread,  that  they  may  be  thoroughly  dried  : 
after  which  they  must  be  well  cleansed  from 
the  flour ;  and  if  any  stalks  remain  adhering 
to  the  pods,  they  should  be  taken  off,  and 
the  pods  reduced  to  a  fine  powder  :  to  every 
ounce  of  this  add  a  pound  of  wheat  flour, 
and  as  much  leaven  as  is  sufficient  for  the 
quantity  intended.     After  this  has  been  pro- 


124  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

perly  mixed  and  wrought,  it  should  be  made 
into  small  cakes,  and  baked  in  the  same 
manner  as  common  cakes  of  the  same  size  : 
then  cut  them  into  small  parts,  and  bake 
them  again,  that  they  may  be  as  dry  and  hard 
as  biscuit ;  which  being  powdered  and  sifted, 
is  to  be  kept  for  use."  This  is  prodigiously 
hot  and  acrimonious,  and  by  some  recom- 
mended as  a  medicine  for  flatulencies.  If  the 
ripe  pods  of  capsicum  are  thrown  into  the  fire, 
they  will  raise  strong  and  noisome  vapours, 
which  occasion  vehement  sneezing,  coughing, 
and  often  vomiting  in  those  near  the  place, 
or  in  the  room  where  they  are  burned.  Some 
persons  have  mixed  the  powder  of  the  pods 
with  snuff,  to  give  to  others  for  diversion : 
but  where  the  quantity  is  considerable,  there 
may  be  danger  in  using  it;  for  it  will  occa- 
sion such  violent  fits  of  sneezing  as  may 
break  the  blood-vessels  of  the  head. 

A  small  quantity  of  the  capsicum  powder 
has  sometimes  given  almost  immediate  relief 
in  the  tooth-ache,  when  arising  from  a  carious 
cause  :  it  is  to  be  applied  to  the  part  affected 
by  introducing  it  into  the  cavity  of  the  carious 
tooth. 

Capsicum  Peppers. — These  are  all  much 
of  the  same  nature.     The  large  hollow  sort, 


GUINEA    PEPPER.  125 

called  bell  pepper,  picked  while  green,  is 
an  excellent  relishing  pickle  or  sauce  for 
meat ;  the  other  small  red  peppers,  when  ripe, 
taken  and  dried  in  the  sun,  and  then  ground 
with  salt  and  pepper,  close  stopped  in  a  bottle, 
are  an  excellent  relisher  to  sauces  for  fish  or 
flesh,  and  commonly  called  Cayenne  butter. 
All  these  sorts  of  pepper  are  of  a  much  more 
burning  nature  than  white  or  black  pepper. 
Some  punish  their  slaves  by  putting  the  juice 
of  these  peppers  into  their  eyes,  which  is 
an  unspeakable  pain  for  a  little  while  ;  and 
yet  it  is  said  that  some  Indians  will  put  it 
into  their  eyes  before  they  go  to  strike  fish, 
to  make  them  see  clear.* 

Near  St.  Michael  de  Sopa,  in  the  vale  of 
Aricia,  they  cultivate  the  agi,  that  is,  Guinea 
pepper ;  where  there  are  several  farms  which 
have  no  other  product  but  this  pepper. 
The  Spaniards  of  Peru  are  so  generally  ad- 
dicted to  that  sort  of  spice,  that  they  can 
dress  no  meat  without  it,  though  it  is  so 
very  hot,  that  it  can  only  be  endured  by 
those  who  are  well  used  to  it.-f 

*  Lunan.  t  Barham,  p.  30. 


126  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 


CARAWAY.— C  ARUM. 

Natural   order,    Umbellatce.     A  genus  of  the 
Pentandria  Digynia  class. 


Modern  botanists  pronounce  this  plant  to 
be  a  native  of  Britain,  and  from  its  growing 
so  freely  in  our  island  we  might  have  claimed 
it  as  indigenous  to  our  soil,  but  the  origin  of 
its  name,  and  the  positive  manner  in  which 
Pliny  mentions  from  whence  it  sprang,  refute 
this  opinion. 

Pliny  says,  "  The  caraway  is  a  stranger, 
and  it  is  named  from  its  native  soil,  Caria:" 
the  same  author  states,  that  the  second  in 
quality  came  from  Phrygia, — both  countries 
in  Asia  Minor.*  He  says,  it  will  grow  in 
most  places,  and  that  its  seed  is  in  great  de- 
mand in  the  kitchen  for  culinary  purposes. 
Dioscorides,  who  wrote  on  medicinal  herbs 
in  the  time  of  Antony,  to  whom  he  was  phy- 
sician, states  likewise  that  it  is  called  Carum, 

*  Pliny,  book  xix.  chap.  8. 


CARAWAY.  127 

from  the  seed  having  been  first  brought  from 
Caria ;  and  from  the  Latin  the  other  Euro- 
pean names  seem  to  have  been  derived.  The 
Italians  call  it  Caro,  the  Spanish  Caravea, 
the  French  Carvi,  the  English  Caruwaie,  now 
corrupted  to  Caraway.  As  it  was  used  by 
the  Romans  as  a  domestic  spice,  they,  in  all 
probability,  were  the  first  who  sowed  it  in 
the  British  soil.  Gerard  takes  no  notice  of 
its  growing  wild  in  England,  but  says,  it 
grows  abundantly  in  Germany  and  Bohemia, 
in  fat  and  fruitful  fields.  The  people  of 
these  countries  are  naturally  fond  of  hot 
spicy  food,  and  therefore  make  great  use  of 
this  wholesome  seed  in  bread,  comfits,  con- 
fections, &c.  &c.  Ray  says,  this  plant  grows 
wild  in  several  places  of  Lincolnshire  and 
Yorkshire,  but  we  presume  that  it  is  the  re- 
mains of  former  cultivation. 

It  is  one  of  the  greater  hot  seeds,  and  is 
esteemed  stomachic,  carminative,  and  diu- 
retic ;  it  dispels  wind,  and  strengthens  diges- 
tion ;  is  good  for  the  dizziness  in  the  head, 
and  weakness  of  sight.  Our  distillers  use  it 
in  forming  a  cordial  spirit.  When  young,  it 
is  an  excellent  salad  herb. 

The  seed-cake  formed  one  of  the  rural 
entertainments  that  the  old  English  farmers 


128  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

made  to  reward  their  servants,  at  the  end  of 
wheat-sowing,  and  which  Tusser  mentions 
next  to  the  festival  of  harvest-home  : 

'*.  Wife,  sometime  this  week,  if  the  weather  hold  cleer, 
an  end  of  wheat-sowing  we  make  for  this  yeere  : 
Remember  thou,  therefore,  though  I  do  it  not, 
the  seed-cake,  the  pastries,  and  furmenty-pot." 

We  regret  to  find,  that  refinement  has  so 
far  crept  into  the  farm-houses,  as  to  banish 
this  feast,  and  in  many  instances,  even  the 
harvest-supper.  We  cannot  see  these  old 
customs  abolished,  which  time  has  almost 
made  sacred,  without  feelings  of  regret ;  and 
we  are  satisfied,  that  the  master  loses  none 
of  his  importance  by  joining  in  these  annual 
feasts  and  rustic  sports,  but,  on  the  contrary, 
attaches  his  servants  to  the  interests  of  his 
family,  and  keeps  them  from  the  habit  of  fre- 
quenting public  ale-houses  ;  therefore,  every 
good  subject,  who  is  solicitous  for  the  pros- 
perity of  the  farmer  and  happiness  of  the 
husbandman,  will  be  glad  to  see  Thomson's 
festive  descriptions  realized : 


<( 


Nor  wanting  is  the  brown  October,  drawn, 
Mature  and  perfect,  from  his  dark  retreat 
Of  thirty  years;" ■ 


CARAWAY.  129 

"  Nor  wanting;  is 

the  smoking  sirloin  stretch'd  immense 

From  side  to  side  ;  in  which,  with  desperate  knife, 
They  deep  incision  make,  and  talk  the  while 
Of  England's  glory,  ne'er  to  be  defaced." 

Autumn. 

The  Romans  held  their  rural  festivities 
with  religious  mirth,  and  which  had  great  ana- 
logy to  the  customs  of  old  English  farmers. 

"  But,  first  of  all,  Immortal  Powers  adore, 
With  annual  rites  great  Ceres'  aid  implore, 
With  joy  her  altars  on  the  grass  restore. 

•&  ^t-  ^fc  ^-  ~y-  ~v-  «v- 

*7t*  "71*  TT  VK*  "W*  "«*  "7^ 

Then  you  and  all  your  village  neighbours  join, 
And  offer  honey,  mix'd  with  milk  and  wine, 
To  Ceres'  name  ;  in  solemn  pomp  lead  thrice 
Around  the  fields  the  destined  sacrifice. 
With  all  your  rural  train  in  chorus  sing, 
And  to  your  homes  with  vows  the  goddess  bring : 
Nor  is  it  lawful  to  unload  the  ground, 
Till  you  perform  those  rites  with  joyful  sound, 
And  dancing,  sing  her  praise,  with  oaken  garlands  crown'd." 

Vihgil,  Georgics,  book  i. 

This  elegant  poet  tells  us,  at  the  end  of 
the  second  book  of  the  Georgics,  that  the 
ancient  farmers  entered  into  the  holyday 
sports  of  their  domestics. 

"  When  harmless  holydays  inspire, 

He  and  his  friends,  around  a  cheerful  fire, 

Upon  the  grass  their  careless  limbs  recline, 

To  Bacchus  quaff,  and  pour  out  sprightly  wine  ; 

VOL.   I.  K 


130  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

Then  with  a  prize  provokes  his  shepherds'  art, 

To  see  who  best  can  throw  the  winged  dart ; 

Or  else,  with  moist'ning  oil  their  joints  prepares, 

And  for  the  wrestling  prize  the  brawny  shoulders  bares. " 

The  root  of  the  cultivated  caraway  is  of  a 
pleasant  sweet  taste,  and  was  formerly  pre- 
ferred by  many  persons  to  parsnips,  having 
the  faculty  of  warming  and  comforting  a  cold 
weak  stomach.  We  cannot  account  for  the 
cause  of  its  having  fallen  so  entirely  into 
neglect,  but  from  the  great  variety  of  new 
favourites,  with  which  modern  gardens  are 
filled. 


131 


CARROT.— DAUCUS. 


A  genus  of  the  Tentandria  Digynia  class. 
It  is  a  biennial  plant,  belonging  to  the  nu- 
merous Umbellated  family . 


Actvxos,  Dioscor.  Daucus,  Plin.  from  dcctoa, 
as  some  think,  on  account  of  its  hot  taste. 

The  wild  carrot,  Daucus  Carota,  is  indi- 
genous to  our  soil,  the  seed  of  which,  it  is 
said,  when  sown  in  manured  ground,  will  pro- 
duce good  roots  the  second  or  third  year ; 
but  Miller  tells  us  that  he  could  not  suc- 
ceed in  obtaining  good  carrots  from  the  seed 
of  the  Daucus  Carota. 

The  best  kind  of  carrots  appear  to  have 
been  natives  of  Candia,  where,  according  to 
Pliny,  the  finest  and  most  esteemed  carrots 
were  to  be  found ;  and  the  next  to  them 
in  Achaia.*  This  author  observes,  that  in 
whatever  country  they  grow,  the  best  are 
produced  in  sound  dry  ground  ;  that  wild 
carrots  are  to  be  found  in  most  countries, 
but  never  in  a  poor  hungry  soil. 

#  Book  xxv.  c.  9. 
K  2 


132  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

Theophrastus  states,  in  the  ninth  book  of 
his  History  of  Plants,  that  carrots  grow  in 
Arcadia,  but  that  the  best  are  found  in 
Sparta. 

Petronius  Diodotus  reckoned  four  kinds  of 
this  root,  but  there  is  reason  to  think  he  in- 
cluded the  parsnip  with  them. 

The  ancients  used  the  seed  both  of  the 
wild  and  the  cultivated  carrot,  as  an  internal 
medicine  against  the  bite  of  serpents  ;  they 
also  gave  it  to  animals  that  had  been  stung 
by  them ;  a  dram  weight  in  wine  was 
thought  a  sufficient  dose. 

Gerard  calls  these  plants  Daucus  Cretensis 
verus,  or  Candie  carrots,  and  says,  "  that  the 
true  Daucus  of  Dioscorides  does  not  grow 
in  Candia  only,  but  is  found  vpon  the 
mountains  of  Germanie,  and  vpon  the  hils 
and  rocks  of  Iura,  about  Geneua,  from 
whence  it  hath  been  sent  and  conueied  by 
one  friendly  herbarist  unto  another,  into 
sundrie  regions."  This  author  describes 
the  Pastinaca  sativa  temdfolia,  yellow  or 
garden  carrot,  which,  he  says,  "  are  so  wen 
in  the  field  and  in  gardens,  where  other 
pot-herbs  are  :  they  require  a  loose  and  well- 
manured  soil."  He  adds,  "  that  in  his  time, 
the  yellow  carrot  was  most  commonly  boiled 


CARROT.  L33 

to  be  eaten  with  fat  meat,  but  that  he  did 
not  esteem  it  to  be  a  very  nourishing  food." 

By  later  authors,  carrots  are  said  to  have 
been  introduced  into  this  country  by  the 
Flemings,  in  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth, 
and  that  they  were  first  sown  about  Sand- 
wich in  Kent. 

We  now  cultivate  many  varieties,  so  as  to 
suit  various  soils,  and  to  supply  the  kitchen 
regularly  at  all  seasons  of  the  year. 

The  early  red  horn  carrot  is  the  forward  - 
est  sort  in  ripening,  and  best  adapted  for 
forcing.  The  white  carrot,  or  carotte 
blanche,  of  the  French,  is  but  little  known 
in  our  markets,  and  seldom  grown,  excepting 
by  those  families  who  are  fond  of  French 
dishes,  as  it  is  much  used  in  their  pottage, 
and  is  certainly  a  very  delicate  root,  but 
is  best  adapted  for  summer  and  autumnal 
use,  as  it  does  not  keep  so  well  through 
the  winter  as  the  common  carrot. 

The  French  consider  the  carotte  violette, 
purple  carrot,  to  be  the  sweetest  of  all  the 
kinds  ;  but  it  is  generally  found  to  run  to 
seed  the  year  it  is  sown. 

The  garden  carrot  delights  in  a  warm 
sandy  or  light  soil,  which  should  be  dug- 
deep,  that  the  roots  may   better  run  down  ; 


134  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

for  if  they  meet  with  any  obstruction,  they 
grow  forked.  Carrots  should  not  be  sown 
on  land  that  has  been  much  dunged  the  same 
year,  as  it  causes  them  to  be  worm-eaten, 
but  when  they  are  sown  on  fresh  ground 
well  prepared,  a  heavy  crop  may  be  ex- 
pected. 

The  seeds  should  be  sown  on  a  calm  day, 
as,  from  their  light  and  feathery  nature,  it  is 
impossible  to  sow  them  regularly  when  the 
air  is  agitated :  it  is  also  a  good  practice  to 
mix  the  seeds  with  sand,  in  order  that  they 
may  not  adhere  together  in  sowing. 

Mr.  Billing,  an  ingenious  farmer  in  Nor- 
folk, obtained  from  twenty  acres  and  a  half, 
510  loads  of  carrots,  which  he  found  equal 
in  use  and  effect  to  a  thousand  load  of  tur- 
nips, or  300  loads  of  hay.  Some  of  them 
measured  two  feet  in  length  and  from  twelve 
to  fourteen  inches  round.  Cows,  sheep,  hogs, 
and  horses,  become  fond  of  this  food;  and  as 
they  are  greatly  nourished  by  them,  its  cul- 
ture may  be  worthy  the  attention  of  those 
farmers  whose  lands  are  suitable  to  its 
growth. 

Four  pounds  of  carrot-seed  is  considered 
enough  to  sow  an  acre  of  land. 


CARROT.  L35 

Martyn  says,  "  It  is  greatly  to  be  wished, 
that  the  culture  of  this  root  was  extended  to 
every  part  of  England,  where  the  soil  is  pro- 
per for  the  purpose ;  for  there  is  scarce  any 
root  yet  known  which  more  deserves  it,  be- 
ing a  very  hearty  good  food  for  most  sorts  of 
animals.  One  acre  of  carrots,  if  well  planted, 
will  fatten  a  greater  number  of  sheep  or  bul- 
locks, than  three  acres  of  turnips,  and  the 
flesh  of  these  animals  will  be  firmer  and 
better  tasted.  I  have  known  these  roots 
cultivated  for  feeding  deer  in  parks,  which 
has  proved  of  excellent  use  in  hard  winters, 
when  there  has  been  a  scarcity  of  other  food ; 
at  which  times  great  numbers  of  deer  have 
perished  for  want,  and  those  which  have 
escaped,  have  been  so  much  reduced,  as  not 
to  recover  their  flesh  the  following  summer  ; 
whereas,  those  fed  with  carrots  have  been 
kept  in  good  condition  all  the  winter,  and, 
upon  the  growth  of  the  grass  in  the  spring, 
have  been  fat  early  in  the  season,  which  is 
an  advantage,  where  the  grass  is  generally 
backward  in  its  growth. 

"  There  is  also  an  advantage  in  the  culti- 
vation of  this  root  over  that  of  the  turnip, 
because  the  crop  is  not  so  liable  to  fail ;  for 


136  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

as  the  carrots  are  sown  in  the  spring,  the 
plants  generally  come  up  well:  whereas  tur- 
nips are  frequently  destroyed  by  the  flies  at 
their  first  coming  up,  and  in  dry  autumns 
they  are  attacked  by  caterpillars,  which  in 
a  short  time  devour  whole  fields." 

Carrots  are  generally  served  to  table  with 
boiled  meats  :  they  make  an  excellent  soup, 
and  form  an  agreeable  pudding.  In  some 
parts  of  the  country  they  are  sent  to  table 
with  fish  of  every  description. 

Dr.  James  says,  carrots  are  one  of  the 
most  considerable  culinary  roots  ;  that  they 
strengthen  and  fatten  the  body,  and  are  a 
very  proper  food  for  consumptive  persons. 
They  are  somewhat  flatulent,  but  are 
thought  to  render  the  body  soluble,  and  to 
contribute  to  the  cure  of  a  cough. 

In  the  Historia  Plant arum,  ascribed  to 
Boerhaave,  we  read  that  this  root  is  much 
celebrated  for  its  virtues  against  the  stone, 
and  nephritic  disorders. 

The  seeds  of  wild  carrots  are  esteemed 
one  of  the  most  powerful  diuretics  we  are 
acquainted  with,  of  our  own  growth.  They 
are  given  in  disorders  of  the  breast  and 
lungs,  in   pleurisies,  in   stranguries,  and  in 


CARROT.  137 

the  stone  and  gravel.  Helmont  informs  us, 
that  he  knew  a  gentleman  who  was  seized 
with  a  fit  of  the  stone  every  fifteen  days, 
freed  from  the  attacks  of  his  disorder  for 
several  years,  by  means  of  an  infusion  of  car- 
rot-seed in  clear  malt  liquor.  An  infusion  of 
them  in  white  wine  is  excellent  in  hysteri- 
cal complaints. 

The  roots  of  the  garden  carrots  are  now 
much  used  as  a  poultice  for  running  can- 
cers, &c. 

Sugar  is  found  in  this  root,  but  in  less 
quantities  than  in  the  parsnip,  or  the  beet. 
A  very  good  spirit  may  be  distilled  from 
carrots.  An  acre  of  these  roots,  allowing 
the  produce  to  be  twenty  tons,  will  produce 
240  gallons  of  spirits,  which  is  considerably 
more  than  can  be  obtained  from  five  quarters 
of  barley.* 

Parkinson  tells  us  that  the  gentlewomen 
of  former  days,  decorated  their  hats  or  heads 
with  the  leaves  of  the  wild  carrot,  which  in 
autumn  are  exceedingly  beautiful.  This 
would  rather  shew  the  simplicity  of  our  an- 
cestors than  their  want  of  taste  ;  as  we  have 

*  Hornby  in  Young's  Annals. 


138  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

seen  ladies'  dresses  trimmed  with  the  curled 
leaves  of  the  garden  parsley,  and  which  were 
not  more  admired  for  their  novelty  than  for 
the  elegance  they  displayed. 

Flowers  may  be  cut  out  of  large  carrots 
that  closely  resemble  ranunculuses,  without 
the  least  aid  of  colouring. 


139 


CHAMOMILE.— ANTHEMIS. 

Natural  order,  Compositce  discoides.     A  genus 
of  the  Si/ngenesia  Poiygamia  superflua  class. 


This  herb  is  the  Avftepis  of  Dioscorides, 
and  the  Av^e/mov  of  Theophrastus.  It  was 
called  Leucanthemis,  and  Leucanthemus,  from 
the  whiteness  of  the  double  blossom  :  others 
named  it  Eranthemon,  because  it  flourished 
so  early  in  the  spring ;  and  on  account  of  its 
savour  resembling  an  apple,  it  was  called 
Chamxmelon,  from  which  the  English  name 
is  derived. 

Ancient  story  informs  us,  that  this  plant 
took  its  generic  name  from  Athemis,  a  virgin 
shepherdess,  who  kept  her  flock  near  Cuma, 
and  not  far  from  the  cave  where  one  of  the 
Sibyls  delivered  her  oracles.  Athemis  fre- 
quently assisted  at  these  ceremonies,  and 
being  present  when  the  fate  of  lovers  was 
to  be  decided,  was  so  frightened  by  Arphor- 
les  bursting  abruptly  into  the  cave  to  know 
his  doom,  that  she  died  on  the  spot,  and  was 


140  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

instantly  changed  into  a  plant  bearing  flow- 
ers, which  received  her  name.* 

It  is  a  curious  circumstance,  that  the  first 
person  who  appears  to  have  praised  and  re- 
commended this  herb  in  medicine,  lived  to  a 
very  advanced  age  without  ever  knowing  a 
day's  illness.  Asclepiades  pledged  himself 
to  cease  to  act  as  a  physician  if  he  should 
ever  be  known  to  be  sick.  Mithridates,  king 
of  Pontus,  entertained  so  high  an  opinion  of 
his  skill,  that  he  sent  ambassadors  to  him  with 
great  offers  of  reward  to  tempt  him  to  reside 
at  his  court,  but  which  proposal  was  rejected 
by  the  Bithynian,  who  gave  the  preference 
to  Rome ;  where  he  became  the  founder  of 
a  sect  in  physic  which  bore  his  name.-f* 

The  ancient  physicians  considered  the 
flowers  and  leaves  of  the  chamomile  as  a 
diuretic  which  was  salutary  in  cases  of  stone 
and  gravel.  They  made  them  into  trochischs 
or  lozenges,  which  were  for  spasmodic  dis- 
orders, as  well  as  for  the  jaundice  and  com- 
plaints of  the  liver,  and  they  pounded  the 
leaves  with  the  roots  and  flowers  as  a  remedy 
against  the  sting  of  serpents  and  other  rep- 
tiles.      The  Romans    preserved    the   dried 

#  Liger.  f  Plin.  b.  vii.  c.  37,  and  b.  xxii.  c  21. 


CHAMOMILE.  141 

flowers,  as  well  as  the  leaves,  both  for  medi- 
cine and  for  winter  garlands. 

The  common  single  chamomiles  are  es- 
teemed in  medicine  as  being  more  effective 
than  the  double  flowers,  having  a  greater 
quantity  of  the  yellow  thrum,  in  which  lies 
the  strength  of  the  flower,  although  the  lat- 
ter blossoms  are  generally  brought  to  market 
in  preference.  The  leaves  of  the  plant  are 
commended  before  the  blossoms,  as  a  diges- 
tive, laxative,  emollient,  and  diuretic  medi- 
cine. The  flowers  are  given  in  infusion  as  a 
gentle  emetic;  they  are  also  used  in  emol- 
lient decoctions,  to  assuage  pain. 

Dr.  R.  James  says,  "  Chamomile  is  a  plant 
of  many  virtues,  being  stomachic,  hepa- 
tic, nervine,  emollient,  and  carminative;  it 
strengthens  the  stomach  and  bowels,  helps 
the  cholic,  jaundice,  and  stone,  &c.  It  is 
good  against  quartan  and  other  agues.  Out- 
wardly, it  is  used  in  fomentations  for  inflam- 
mations and  tumours ;  applied  hot  to  the 
sides,  it  helps  the  pains  thereof." 

The  powder  of  dried  chamomile-flowers 
was  used  in  the  time  of  Dioscorides  to  cure 
intermitting  fevers  :  Riverius  prescribed  it 
on  the  same  occasion.  Morton,  and  Dr.  Eli- 
sha  Coysh,  both  affirm,  that  they  have  cured 


142  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

fevers  with  chamomile  flowers  reduced  to 
fine  powder  ;  and  it  is  still  a  common  febri- 
fuge with  the  Scotch  and  Irish. 

It  is  said  that  no  simple  in  the  Materia 
Medico,  is  possessed  of  a  quality  more  friend- 
ly and  beneficial  to  the  intestines  than  cha- 
momile flowers. 

Boerhaave  says,    "  The   essential    oil    of 
chamomile,  made  into  pills   with  a  bit  of 
bread,   and  given  two  hours  before  meals, 
after  fasting  a  considerable  time,  is  a  certain 
cure  for  worms." 

Gerard  informs  us  that  chamomile  flowers 
were  formerly  used  in  the  bath  to  rarify  the 
skin,  open  the  pores,  and  produce  perspira- 
tion; "  and  were,"  says  he,  "  planted  in  gar- 
dens both  for  pleasure  and  profit."  The 
double-blossomed  variety  makes  a  pretty 
edging  for  the  borders  of  cottage  gardens. 
•  The  Hortus  Kewensis  notices  twenty  va- 
rieties as  known  to  the  English  gardeners, 
one-fourth  of  which  are  native  plants ;  and 
the  kind  most  esteemed  for  medical  purposes 
is  found  abundantly  on  many  of  our  com- 
mons. 

It  is  said,  that  a  stone  taken  out  of  the  hu- 
man body,  on  being  wrapped  in  chamomile, 
will  in  a  short  time  dissolve.     Hence,    says 


CHAMOMILE.  143 

Coles,  it  is  evidently  an  excellent  remedy  for 
that  complaint,  if  the  syrup  or  decoction  of 
the  flowers  be  taken  in  a  morning,  fasting. 

This  plant  is  remarkable  for  beginning  to 
flower  at  the  top  of  the  branches,  whereas 
others  that  do  not  open  all  at  one  time,  begin 
at  the  bottom ;  and  the  flowers,  which  are 
composed  of  white  petals  set  in  a  yellow 
disk,  yield  by  distillation  a  fine  sky-blue  oil. 


144  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 


CHERVIL.— SCANDIX. 

Natural  order,   Umbettatce.     A  genus  of  the 
Pentandria  Digynia  class. 


The  Greeks  called  this  herb  Xa^'puAAo*/, 
Cheer ephyllum,  either  from  its  numerous 
leaves,  or,  as  most  old  herbalists  suppose, 
from  the  cheerfulness,  or  joy  and  gladness, 
which,  they  affirm,  the  leaves  of  this  plant 
produced  in  those  who  ate  them.  The 
Latins  followed  the  same  word,  with  little 
variation,  as  Columella  calls  it  ChcErophyllum. 
Most  of  the  European  languages  seem  to 
have  derived  the  name  of  this  vegetable 
from  the  same  source ;  the  Dutch  calling  it 
Kervell,  the  Germans  Korffol,  the  Italians 
Cerefoglio,  the  French  du  Cerfeuil,  and  by 
our  oldest  botanists  it  is  written  Cheruill. 

The  garden  chervil,  Scandix  cerefolium,  is 
said  to  be  a  native  of  the  Austrian  Nether- 
lands. Aiton  ranks  it  among:  the  indigenous 
plants  of  England ;  Gerard  takes  no  notice 
of  its  country,  but  says,  "  The  common  cher- 


CHERVIL.  145 

uill  groweth  in  gardens  with  other  pot- 
herbs :  it  prospereth  in  a  ground  that  is 
dunged  and  something  moist."  He  adds, 
"  The  great  sweet  cheruill  groweth  in  my 
garden,  and  in  the  gardens  of  other  men 
who  haue  been  diligent  in  these  matters." 

Parkinson  says,  "  It  is  sown  in  gardens  to 
serve  as  a  sallet  herbe  :  the  other  (Cerefolium 
sylvestre)  groweth  wilde  in  their  vineyards 
and  orchards  beyond  sea,  and  in  many  of 
the  meadowes  of  our  owne  land,  and  by  the 
hedge-sides,  as  also  on  heathes." 

The  ancients  held  this  herb  in  the  highest 
esteem.  Pliny  tells  us,  that  the  Syrians, 
who  were  great  gardeners,  cultivated  it  as  a 
food,  that  they  ate  it  both  boiled  and  raw, 
and  that  they  considered  it  capable  of  eradi- 
cating most  chronical  distempers. 

This  was  evidently  the  species  called 
Venus's  comb,  Scandix  pecten,  or  what  was 
formerly  called  Shepherd's  needle,  as  Pliny 
observes,  that  it  was  often  called  Gingidium, 
viz.  tooth-pick  chervil. 

The  garden  chervil  is  a  small  annual 
plant,  with  winged  leaves  ;  when  young, 
somewhat  resembling  parsley,  but  as  it  runs 
to  seed  it  bears  more  the  appearance  of  hem- 
lock.    This  herb  is  grateful  to  the  palate, 


VOL.    I. 


146  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

and  is  much  cultivated  by  the  French  and 
Dutch,  who  are  so  fond  of  it,  that  they  have 
hardly  a  soup  or  salad  but  the  leaves  of 
chervil  make  part  of  the  composition ;  and  it 
certainly  is  often  found  a  more  agreeable 
and  mild  addition  to  seasonings,  than  the 
parsley  which  is  so  universally  used  by  the 
English  cooks.  We  have  found  a  small 
quantity  of  this  herb  an  improvement  to  a 
lettuce  salad,  as  its  moderately  warm  qua- 
lity in  some  degree  qualifies  the  coolness  of 
the  latter  plant.  It  is  said  to  be  aperient 
and  diuretic. 

The  herbalists  of  ancient  days  are  lavish 
in  the  praise  of  this  vegetable  ;  both  Dio- 
scorides  and  Galen  thought  it  good  for  the 
stomach,  and  serviceable  in  complaints  of 
the  liver,  &c. 

Chervil  should  be  sown  early  in  the 
spring,  and  it  will  be  found  to  scatter  its 
seed  for  the  autumnal  crop,  without  further 
trouble  than  keeping  it  from  weeds. 

The  roots  of  this  plant  were  formerly 
eaten.  Gerard  says,  "  I  do  vse  to  eate  them 
with  oile  and  vinegar,  being  first  boiled, 
which  is  very  good  for  old  people  that  are 
dull  and  without  courage:  it  reioiceth  and 
comforteth  the  heart,  and  increaseth  their; 
strength." 


14? 


CINNAMON,  CINNAMOMUM,   AND 
CASSIA.— CASSIA. 

Natural  order,   Holoracea.     A    genus   of  the 
Enneandria  Monogynia  class. 


Cinnamomum  or  Cinnamum,  among  the 
Latins,  is  the  same  with  the  KiwocfJLov  and 
KivctfjLov,  or  KivvdfJLoofjLov,  of  the  Greeks.  This 
last  name  is  derived  from  KiwafjLov  and  a/z^oy, 
or  from  the  Hebrew  word  D*p  or  j— Dp  which 
signifies  a  cane  or  reed,  and  the  a^^ov  of 
the  Greeks. 

This  tree,  the  spicy  bark  of  which  was 
so  much  esteemed  by  the  ancients,  on  ac- 
count of  the  sweet  odour  it  afforded  in  their 
solemn  sacrifices,  and  is  now  so  justly  re- 
garded for  its  astringent  quality  in  medicine, 
is  a  species  of  the  laurel,  Laurus,  and  a  na- 
tive of  the  East  Indies  ;  the  cinnamon  being 
principally  confined  to  the  Island  of  Ceylon, 
whence  it  might  justly  be  styled  the  Ceylon 
laurel. 

It  seems  natural  to  man  to  covet  things 

difficult   to    obtain,    and  to    estimate   their 

l2 


148  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

value  more  by  their  rarity  than  their  qua- 
lity ;  this  desire  appears  to  form  a  necessary 
part  of  our  constitution,  wisely  ordained  to 
stimulate  industry  and  promote  communi- 
cation. 

The  spices  of  the  torrid  zone  had  found 
their  way  into  the  land  of  Canaan  at  a  very 
early  period,  at  least  1728  years  before  the 
birth  of  Christ,  as  we  read  in  the  time  of 
Jacob,  that  they  were  become  an  article 
of  commerce.  The  Ishmaelitish  merchants 
were  going  into  Egypt  with  their  camels 
laden  with  spicery,  when  Joseph  was  sold  by 
his  brethren.* 

Moses  made  the  holy  anointing  oil  of  pure 
myrrh,  sweet  cinnamon,  cassia,  and  sweet 
calamus.  *j- 

Spice  appears  to  have  been  highly  es- 
teemed by  the  Hebrews  in  the  time  of 
Solomon.  The  Queen  of  Sheba,  in  her  visit 
to  that  monarch,  carried  a  present  of  spices, 
gold,  and  precious  stones ;  "  besides  that 
he  had  of  the  merchantmen,  and  of  the 
traffic  of  the  spice  merchants,  and  of  all  the 
kings  of  Arabia,  and  of  the  governors  of 
the  country." %   Solomon  notices  this  spice  as 

*  Gen.  c.xxxvii.  v.  25.       t  Exodus,    c.  xxxvi.  v.  23. 
J  1  Kings,  c.  x.  v.  15. 


CINNAMON.  149 

a  luxurious    perfume ;    "I    have  perfumed 
my  bed  with  myrrh,  aloes,  and  cinnamon."* 

From  the  great  distance  the  Eastern  mer- 
chants had  to  travel  over  desert  sands,  and 
the  dangers  they  had  to  surmount,  together 
with  the  duties  they  were  obliged  to  pay 
at  certain  cities,  the  price  of  cinnamon  was 
much  enhanced ;  and  the  fabulous  stories 
told  of  this  aromatic  drug  appear  to  have 
been  invented  for  the  purpose  of  exciting 
wonder,  and  adding  to  its  rarity.  The  coun- 
try from  whence  cinnamon  came,  also,  ap- 
pears to  have  been  concealed  in  great  mys- 
tery, as  well  as  the  spice  itself,  even  in  the 
time  of  Herodotus,  who  relates  that  it  fell 
from  the  nests  of  the  phoenix,  and  other 
fowls  which  fed  on  venison,  and  built  on 
trees  situated  on  the  highest  rocks,  in  the 
country  where  Bacchus  was  nourished.  It  is 
farther  related,  that  the  cinnamon  was  ob- 
tained from  these  nests,  by  beating  them 
down  with  arrows  headed  with  lead. 

The  cassia  was  said  to  be  brought  from 
a  country  surrounded  with  marshes,  and 
guarded  by  terrible  bats,  armed  with  dread- 
ful talons,  and  accompanied  by  flying  dragons. 

#  Prov.  c.  vii. 


150  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

Pliny  tells  us,  that  the  cinnamon  grew  in 
that  part  of  /Ethiopia  now  called  Abyssinia, 
and  that  the  sale  of  it  was  confined  to  the 
King  of  the  Gebanites,  by  whom  it  was 
taxed  and  then  sold  in  open  market  to  the 
merchants  at  a  price  fixed  by  that  sovereign. 
"  In  old  times,"  says  Pliny,  "  it  sold  for  one 
thousand  denarii  per  pound,  but  it  afterwards 
rose  to  one  thousand  five  hundred  denarii, 
owing  to  the  forest  of  cinnamon  being  burnt 
down  by  the  wrath  of  the  Troglodites,  their 
barbarous  neighbours."  This  proves  that  the 
cinnamon  tree  was  not  anciently  confined  to 
Asia,  much  less  to  the  Island  of  Ceylon. 
The  same  author  informs  us  that  the  /Ethio- 
pians bought  up  all  the  cinnamon  of  their 
neighbours,  and  transported  it  to  other  coun- 
tries, in  small  punts  or  boats,  without  either 
helm,  rudder,  or  sail,  and  only  one  man  to  a 
boat.  They  chose  the  dead  of  the  winter  for 
the  voyage,  when  the  south-east  winds  blew, 
and  on  which  alone  their  safe  arrival  must 
have  depended,  as  these  winds  drove  them 
through  the  Gulfs.  They  doubled  the  point 
of  Argest,  and  coasted  along  to  the  port  of 
Ocila,  the  principal  town  of  the  Gebanites. 
It  took  them  five  years  to  make  one  voyage 
and  to  return.     This  will  naturally  account 


CINNAMON.  1.51 

for  the  high  price  of  cinnamon  in  Syria,  as 
well  as  in  Europe.  Added  to  this,  one  third 
of  the  cinnamon  was  annually  burnt,  as  an 
offering  to  the  sun,  by  these  idolatrous  peo- 
ple, who,  before  they  commenced  barking 
the  branches  of  the  cinnamon-trees,  made 
great  offerings  of  oxen,  goats,  and  rams,  to 
their  god  Assabinus,  (the  Jupiter  of  the 
Arabians,)  who  was  considered  the  patron  of 
these  trees.  It  was  contrary  to  their  reli- 
gion to  commence  stripping  the  cinnamon 
either  before  sun-rising,  or  to  continue  it 
after  his  setting.  When  this  harvest  finished, 
the  bark  was  divided  by  their  priest  into 
three  lots,  one  of  which  remained  on  the 
spot  until  it  became  so  dry  as  to  be  set  in 
flames  by  the  sun,  and  so  consumed. 

The  Emperor  Vespasian,  in  all  probability, 
first  observed  the  high  regard  paid  to  cinna- 
mon by  the  inhabitants  of  Palestine,  in  their 
places  of  worship,  and  which  he  seems  to 
have  imitated  at  Rome ;  for  on  his  return 
from  the  former  country,  he  dedicated  to  the 
Goddess  of  Peace,  in  one  of  the  temples  of 
the  Capitol,  garlands  and  chaplets  of  cinna- 
mon, inclosed  in  polished  gold. 

In  the  temple  built  on  Mount  Palatine, 
by  the  Empress  Augusta,  in  honour  of  Au- 


152  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

gustus  Caesar,  her  husband,  was  placed  a 
root  of  the  cinnamon-tree,  of  great  weight, 
set  in  a  cup  of  gold,  which  yielded,  yearly, 
several  drops  of  sap,  that  congealed  into  a 
gum.  This  I  have  seen,  says  Pliny,  and  it 
remained  in  the  same  situation  until  the 
temple  was  consumed  by  fire. 

The  Ceylonese  draw  from  the  roots  of  these 
trees,  a  liquor,  which,  as  it  hardens,  becomes 
a  true  camphor.  This  anecdote,  therefore, 
confirms  the  opinion,  that  the  cinnamon  now 
in  use  is  the  same  as  that  of  the  ancients, 
although  some  authors  state,  that  the  cinna- 
mon so  highly  extolled  by  the  Israelites,  is 
now  unknown.  We  agree,  that  the  tree 
which  anciently  grew  in  Ethiopia,  might 
have  been  of  a  more  fragrant  quality  than 
that  produced  in  Ceylon. 

The  species  of  camphor  obtained  from  the 
root  of  the  cinnamon-tree  is  called  Baros  by 
the  Indians,  and  is  considered  by  far  the  best 
for  medical  purposes  ;  and  in  some  parts  it 
is  gathered  and  kept  only  for  the  use  of  the 
kings,  who  use  it  as  a  cordial  medicine,  it 
being  esteemed  of  a  singular  and  uncommon 
efficacy. 

Nievhoff,  who  accompanied  the  embassy 
which  the  Dutch  made  to  China  in  the  year 


CINNAMON.  153 

16*55-6,  tells  us,  that  there  are  great  quanti- 
ties of  cinnamon-trees  in  the  province  of 
Quangsi,  particularly  near  the  city  of  Cin- 
chew.  He  says,  these  trees  differ  in  no  re- 
spect from  those  of  Ceylon,  excepting  that 
the  scent  is  stronger,  and  the  flavour  hotter. 
He  adds,  that  these  cinnamon-trees  are 
about  the  size  of  orange-trees,  and  have 
many  long  straight  branches,  whose  leaves 
have  some  analogy  to  those  of  the  laurel. 
This  tree  bears  a  white  well-scented  flower, 
followed  by  a  fruit  of  the  size  of  an  acorn, 
but  which  is  not  much  regarded  except  by 
the  birds.  A  kind  of  pigeon  that  feeds  on 
this  fruit,  is  the  chief  agent  in  propagating 
these  trees  in  Ceylon;  for,  in  carrying  the 
fruit  to  a  distance  to  its  young,  it  often  drops 
it  in  various  places,  where  it  takes  root. 

NievhofF  says,  it  is  the  nature  of  these 
trees  to  renew  their  bark  in  about  three  years, 
when  they  may  be  peeled  a  second  time;  but 
it  appears  to  be  the  present  practice  in  Cey- 
lon to  cut  the  trees  down  to  the  root  as 
soon  as  they  are  barked,  and  from  the  trunk 
new  shoots  spring  up,  which  in  five  or  six 
years  become  trees  fit  for  barking.  When  the 
cinnamon  is  freshly  taken  from  the  tree,  it  is 
flat,  and  has  little  taste,  smell,  or  colour ;  but 


154  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

it  twists  or  convolves,  as  it  dries,  into  the 
form  of  a  hollow  stick  or  cane,  and  by  thus 
exhaling  its  superfluous  humidity,  it  ac- 
quires a  sweet  brisk  smell,  and  a  sharp  pun- 
gent taste.  Some  of  the  trees  produce  a 
blossom  as  red  as  scarlet;  and  Seba  tells  us, 
that  he  has  found  them  with  a  blue  flower. 

The  blossoms  of  the  cinnamon  are  small, 
and  generally  white;  they  grow  in  large 
bunches  at  the  extremity  of  the  branches  ; 
their  perfume  is  something  like  that  of  the 
lily  of  the  valley.  The  leaf  is  longer  and  nar- 
rower than  that  of  the  common  bay-tree;  the 
body  grows  to  twenty  or  thirty  feet  in  height. 

The  fruit  or  berries  are  said  to  be  an 
excellent  carminative.  When  boiled  in  water, 
they  yield  an  oil,  which,  as  it  cools,  hardens, 
and  becomes  as  white  and  firm  as  tallow,  and 
is  called  cinnamon  wax,  of  which  they  made 
candles,  that  were  only  allowed  to  be  burnt 
in  the  king's  palace. 

When  the  Dutch  possessed  Ceylon,  they 
were  so  jealous  of  these  trees,  which  afforded 
them  such  a  valuable  article  of  commerce, 
that  the  fruit  and  young  plants  were  forbid- 
den, by  an  order  of  the  States,  to  be  sent 
from  thence,  lest  other  powers  should  avail 


CINNAMON.  153 

themselves  of  the  advantages  derived  from 
them.  They  destroyed  all  the  cinnamon 
trees  about  the  kingdom  of  Cochin,  and 
thus  for  a  long  time  kept  the  whole  of  this 
aromatic  spice  in  their  own  hands,  and  ex- 
clusively supplied  all  Europe,  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  eastern  nations  were  anciently 
served  by  the  Gebanites. 

Cinnamon  is  now  understood  to  be  that 
which  comes  only  from  Ceylon;  that  brought 
from  Java,  Sumatra,  and  Malabar,  being 
considered  cassia.  NievhofF  says,  these  trees 
grow  in  such  abundance  in  Ceylon,  that  it 
would  more  than  supply  all  the  world,  if 
the  inhabitants  of  that  island  were  not  some- 
times to  burn  whole  woods. 

We  presume,  likewise,  that  cinnamon  is 
much  less  in  demand  now  than  in  ancient 
times,  when  it  was  so  much  used  at  the  altars 
and  the  funeral  piles,  as  well  as  by  those 
nations  which  embalmed  their  dead. 

Bauhine  writes,  in  the  sixteenth  century, 
"  that  the  powder  called  the  Pulvis  Ducis 
is  used  by  many,  which  consists  of  cinnamon 
and  sugar;  and  is  of  so  grateful  a  taste, 
that,  with  an  addition  of  wine,  it  is  used  as  a 
sauce   in    the   entertainments    of   grandees, 


156  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

whose  luxury  is  (says  he)  grown  to  such  an 
exorbitant  height,  that  they  use  the  most 
delicious  medicines  as  common  aliments." 

The  best  cinnamon  is  of  a  bright  brown 
colour,  of  a  brisk  agreeable  taste.  Its  quali- 
ties are  to  heat  and  to  dry,  to  fortify  the  spi- 
rits, and  to  help  digestion  ;  but  its  principal 
use  in  medicine  is  as  an  astringent,  with  which 
intention  it  is  prescribed  in  diarrhoeas,  and 
weaknesses  of  the  stomach.  It  is  much  used 
for  adding  a  grateful  and  agreeable  taste  to 
various  kinds  of  aliments,  principally  by  boil- 
ing it  among  them.  Bauhine  expressly  af- 
firms, that  whatever  virtues  the  ancients  as- 
cribed to  their  Cinnamomum  and  Cassia,  justly 
belong  to  our  cinnamon,  since  it  is  of  an 
aromatic,  stimulating,  and  corroborating  qua- 
lity. Hence  it  is  classed  among  the  stoma- 
chics and  uterine  medicines,  and  affords  sin- 
gular relief  to  women  afflicted  with  a  loss  of 
strength,  or  a  lax  state  of  the  fibres.  In  a 
word,  whatever  can  be  said  of  the  use  or  abuse 
of  aromatics,  may  be  justly  applied  to  cinna- 
mon ;  for,  according  to  Boerhaave,  in  his 
Chim.  vol.  i.  cinnamon,  the  most  excellent  of 
all  other  aromatics,  is  possessed  of  the  same 
common  virtues  with  them,  though  in  a 
higher  degree. 


CINNAMON.  157 

Its  taste  is  exquisitely  grateful,  and  its 
smell  so  highly  fragrant,  that  it  diffuses  itself 
not  only  over  all  the  island  of  Ceylon,  but 
also,  when  the  winds  blow  from  the  land,  over 
a  large  tract  of  the  ocean ;  so  that,  according 
to  Jurgen  Anderstn,  quoted  by  Dexbachius, 
"  the  sailors  are  sensible  of  the  smell  of  cin- 
namon at  six  or  eight  miles  distance  from  the 
shore." 

Cinnamon  mixed  with  honey,  and  used  as 
an  ointment,  is  said  to  remove  freckles  and 
other  cutaneous  blemishes  of  the  face. 

An  oil  is  extracted  from  this  bark,  called 
the  essence  of  cinnamon,  which  is  an  excel- 
lent cardiac.  The  Chinese,  as  well  as  the 
islanders  of  Ceylon,  distil  from  the  green 
bark  and  flowers  of  this  tree,  a  liquor  similar 
to  our  cinnamon  water,  which  is  applied  to 
several  useful  purposes. 

The  cinnamon-tree  was  first  cultivated  in 
this  country  in  the  year  1768. 


158  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 


COTTON.— GOSSYPIUM. 

Natural  order,  Malvacece,  or  Columniferce. 
A  genus  of  the  Monadelphia  Polyandria 
class. 


We  are  not  able  to  discover  on  what  ac- 
count the  Greeks  named  this  plant  Hvhov  and 
Too-aiTiov,  Xylum  and  Gossipium.  Serapio  calls 
it  Coto,  from  whence  we  seem  to  have  derived 
the  English  word  Cotton. 

There  are  six  distinct  species  of  this  plant 
now  discovered;  the  most  common  and  im- 
portant of  which  is  the  Xylon  herbaceum,  or 
herby  cotton.  The  vegetable  floss  is  formed 
in  the  interior  of  the  blossom  of  the  plant, 
and  surrounds  and  intermixes  with  the  seeds, 
when  the  petals  decay. 

The  cotton  down,  which  is  of  a  nature  be- 
tween wool,  silk,  and  flax,  now  forms  a 
principal  branch  of  a  tree  that  is  happily 
cultivated  in  this  country;  and  lest  it  should 
be  forgotten,  that  Commerce  is  not  an  indi- 
genous plant  of  England,  we  will  venture  to 


COTTON.  159 

remind  the  reader,  that  it  is  an  exotic  of  the 
most  tender  nature,  that  requires  the  con- 
tinual care  and  attention  of  man  to  ensure 
its  growth. 

There  has  seldom  been  more  than  one 
large  plant  known  to  exist  in  an  age:  this, 
when  destroyed,  gives  rise  to  its  cultivation 
in  some  distant  part  of  the  globe,  where  its 
blossoms  beautify,  and  its  fruit  enriches  the 
country  that  nourishes  it.  Commerce  is  a 
native  of  no  particular  country,  and  only 
thrives  in  a  soil  that  is  manured  by  honour, 
equity,  and  justice.  The  wisest  monarchs 
have  nourished  it,  and  the  best  servants  of 
thrones  have  protected  it.  The  Kings  of 
Tyre  planted  it  by  the  water,  and  it  made 
their  city  a  great  nation,  and  their  merchant- 
men, princes.  "  By  thy  great  wisdom  and 
thy  traffic,  hast  thou  increased  thy  riches."* 

Solomon  obtained  a  branch  of  this  plant 
from  Tyre,  through  which  he  made  himself 
the  richest  monarch  of  the  universe,  and  his 
little  kingdom  the  admiration  of  the  world. 
Alexander  sowed  its  seed  in  the  city  to 
which  he  gave  his  own  name,  and  Constan- 
tine  transplanted  it  into  Constantinople.  Ed- 
ward the  First  planted  it  on  the  banks  of  the 

#  Ezekiel. 


160  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

Thames  about  the  year  1296.  It  was  then  a 
small  plant  cultivated  only  by  the  Hamburgh 
Company.  Elizabeth  lived  to  see  it  blos- 
som through  the  nourishment  which  her  en- 
lightened mind  procured,  not  only  from  the 
original  soil  of  the  Levant,  but  from  the  east- 
ern and  the  newly  discovered  western  world, 
as  well  as  from  the  north.  The  succeeding 
reigns  have  enjoyed  the  fruit,  except  when 
it  has  been  blighted  by  intestine  troubles,  or 
cankered  by  monopoly ;  a  disease  that  stints 
the  growth,  and  nourishes  caterpillars. 

But,  to  leave  allegory  and  ideal  plants,  we 
travel  into  the  land  of  Ham,  from  whence 
the  Gossipium  plant  originated.  It  is  sup- 
posed that  anciently  it  grew  only  in  Upper 
Egypt ;  but  on  this  we  cannot  decide  so  po- 
sitively as  we  can  affirm  that  the  Egyptians 
were  the  people  who  first  made  cloth  from 
cotton  wool. 

The  Israelites,  who  must  have  learnt  the 
art  while  in  bondage,  in  all  probability  were 
the  first  who  cultivated  this  plant  in  the  land 
of  Canaan. 

From  Arabia  it  would  naturally  travel 
towards  China,  through  all  the  countries  that 
lie  below  the  40th  degree  of  north  latitude; 
but,    as  a  species  of  the  cotton  plant   has 


COTTON.  101 

been  found  in  the  same  latitude  in  America, 
it  confirms  the  opinion  that  most  plants 
spring  spontaneously  within  a  given  distance 
of  the  Poles,  and  that  their  varieties  originate 
from  the  nature  of  the  soil,  or  accidental  im- 
pregnation from  plants  of  a  similar  species. 

The  Phoenicians,  who  were  the  fathers  of 
trade,  and  the  Greeks,  who  were  the  sons  of 
art,  would,  from  their  intercourse  with  Egypt, 
transplant  the  Gossypiurn  to  their  own  isles. 

Pliny  says,  in  his  Natural  History*,  that  in 
the  higher  parts  of  Egypt,  towards  Arabia, 
there  grows  a  shrub  or  bush  that  produces 
cotton,  which  is  called  by  some  Gossypiurn, 
and  by  others  Xylon.  He  says,  the  plant  is 
small,  and  bears  a  fruit  resembling  the  bearded 
nut  or  filbert,  out  of  the  inner  shell  or  husk 
of  which  the  downy  cotton  breaks  forth, 
which  is  easily  spun,  and  is  superior,  for 
whiteness  and  softness,  to  any  flax  in  the 
world.  Of  this  cotton,  he  adds,  the  Egyptian 
priests  of  old  times  delighted  to  have  their 
sacred  robes  made.  This  cloth  was  called 
Xylina.  The  same  author  informs  usf,  that 
in  an  island  in  the  Persian  gulf,  there  were 
cotton-trees    that  produced    fruit    as    large 

#  Book  xix.  c.  1.         f  Book  xii.  c.  10  8c  11. 

VOL.    I.  M 


162  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

as  quinces,  which  opened  when  ripe,  and 
were  full  of  down,  from  which  was  made  fine 
and  costly  cloth  like  linen ;  and  that  in  an 
island  in  the  same  gulf,  called  Tylos,  there 
was  another  kind  of  cotton  tree,  called  Gossam- 
pines,  that  was  very  productive.  Theophras- 
tus  also  mentions  these  trees #,  which  we 
presume  to  be  the  Arbor turn,  or  tree  cotton, 
and  which  seem  also  the  same  that  Virgil 
notices : 

"  Or  Ethiopian  forests,  bearing  wool, 

Or  leaves  from  whence  the  Seres  fleeces  pull." 

This  species  is  a  perennial  plant  or  shrub, 
and  was  cultivated  as  a  curiosity  in  this 
country  as  long  back  as  1694. 

Nievhoff,  who  was  in  China  in  the  year 
1655,  says,  cotton  grows  in  great  abundance 
in  that  country,  and  was  then  one  of  the 
principal  articles  of  its  trade.  The  seeds 
had  been  introduced  into  that  empire  about 
500  years  previously.  Siam  produces  the 
most  beautiful  cotton ;  hose  and  other  arti- 
cles, manufactured  from  this  down,  exceeding 
even  silk  for  lustre  and  beauty.  The  seed 
of  this  silky  cotton  has  been  sown  in  the 
Antilles,  where  the  plants  flourish,  and  yield 
this  delicate  floss  in  abundance. 

*  Book  iv.  c.  9. 


COTTON.  1()3 

The  Turks  have  long  had  possession  of 
that  part  of  the  Eastern  world  from  whence 
the  common  cotton  springs.  They  cultivate 
this  annual  plant  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Damascus  and  Jerusalem,  as  also  in  the  Isle 
of  Cyprus.  It  is  likewise  cultivated  in  Can- 
dia,  Lemnos,  Malta,  Sicily,  and  Naples.  This 
variety  of  the  cotton  plant  is  sown  in  the 
spring,  on  land  that  has  been  ploughed 
and  prepared  for  the  purpose;  and  is  cut 
down  when  ripe,  in  the  same  manner  as 
our  harvest.  The  seed  of  the  cotton  is 
about  the  size  of  that  of  tares,  and  of  rather 
a  clammy  nature,  which  causes  it  to  adhere 
to  the  downy  substance  with  which  it  is 
mixed,  and  from  which  it  is  separated  by 
the  little  machines,  which  discharge  the  seed 
on  one  side,  and  the  cotton  on  the  other. 
Smyrna  alone  has  furnished  us  with  10,000 
bales  of  cotton  wool  per  annum.  This  coun- 
try formerly  took  great  quantities  of  cotton- 
yarn  from  the  Turks  ;  but  our  manufactories 
are  now  so  complete,  that  even  the  spinning 
is  done  by  machinery,  which  enables  us  to 
get  it  turned  into  thread,  both  more  regu- 
larly and  cheaper  than  the  indolence  of 
the  Turks  can  furnish  it ;  but  we  still  import 
some    cotton-yarn    from   the     Mahometans, 

M   2 


164  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

which,  being  drawn  from  the  distaff,  has  great 
advantage  over  the  yarn  which  is  spun  by 
machinery  for  making  candle-wicks,  par- 
ticularly those  of  sperm  and  wax,  as  the 
fine  threads  being  drawn  straighter,  are  not 
so  liable  to  spring  out  in  burning,  which 
causes  the  candles  made  of  other  cotton  to 
gutter  and  burn  irregularly. 

It  appears  that  we  had  made  some  pro- 
gress in  the  manufactory  of  cotton  in  Queen 
Elizabeth's  reign,  as  Gerard  observes  in  his 
History  of  Plants,  "  To  speake  of  the  com- 
modities of  the  wool  of  this  plant,  it  were 
superfluous ;  common  experience,  and  the 
daily  vse  and  benefit  we  receive  by  it,  doth 
shew ;  so  that  it  were  impertinent  to  our 
history,  to  speake  of  the  making  of  fustian, 
bombasies,  and  many  other  things  that  are 
made  of  the  wooll  thereof." 

This  author  appears  to  have  been  the  first 
who  attempted  to  cultivate  the  Gossipium 
plant  in  England,  for  he  says  that,  "  it  grow- 
eth  about  Tripolis  and  Alepo  in  Syria,  from 
whence  the  factor  of  a  worshipful  merchant 
in  London,  Master  Nicholas  Lete,  did  send  j 
vnto  his  said  master  diuers  pounds  weight  ' 
of  the  seede,  whereof  some  were  committed  ! 


COTTON.  165 

to  the  earth  at  the  impression  hereof:  the 
success  we  leave  to  the  Lord.  Notwith- 
standing, my  selfe,  three  yeares  past,  did 
sowe  of  the  seedes,  which  did  grow  very 
frankly,  but  perished  before  it  came  to  per- 
fection, by  reason  of  the  colde  frostes  that 
overtooke  it  in  the  time  of  flo wring." 

The  cotton  manufactory  alone  has  raised 
Manchester  from  an  humble  town  to  a  place 
of  the  first  importance.  It  has  for  near 
two  centuries  been  increasing  in  size  and 
in  trade;  and  the  perfection  to  which  ovir 
machinery  and  the  industry  of  the  people 
have  arrived,  within  these  last  fifty  years, 
has  multiplied  the  inhabitants,  and  increased 
the  trade  from  the  supply  of  its  neighbour- 
hood with  a  few  domestic  articles,  to  fur- 
nishing the  most  distant  countries,  as  well  as 
the  most  sumptuous  courts,  with  its  useful 
and  elegant  productions. 

Calico,  or  cotton  cloth,  is  now  generally 
become  a  substitute  for  linen  cloth  through- 
out the  kingdom,  not  only  for  the  finer  parts 
of  female  dress,  but  even  for  domestic  pur- 
poses, where  strength  and  durability  are  re- 
quired. Calico  is  so  called  from  Callicut, 
a  city    on  the  coast   of  Malabar,  being   the 


166  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

first  place  at  which  the  Portuguese  landed 
when  they  discovered  the  Indian  trade.  The 
Spaniards  still  call  it  C allien. 

The  demand  for  printed  calicoes  becoming 
common,  induced  some  persons  to  attempt 
the  art  in  London,  about  the  year  1676;  and 
in  1722,  an  act  was  passed  to  promote  the 
consumption  of  our  own  manufactures,  which 
prohibited  the  use  of  foreign  calicoes,  that 
were  either  dyed  or  printed,  to  be  used  as 
apparel  or  furniture,  under  a  penalty  of  five 
pounds  to  the  informer  for  every  offence ; 
and  drapers  selling  such  calico,  forfeited 
twenty  pounds.*  The  effect  of  this  act  was 
this  :  it  drove  the  calico  printers  to  imitate 
the  India  chintzes,  by  printing  Irish  and 
Scotch  linens ;  which  was  continued  until 
the  making  of  cloth  from  cotton  was  estab- 
lished in  England. 

The  manufacture  of  calicoes  and  muslins 
of  every  description,  with  that  of  velvets,  fus- 
tians, counterpanes,  &c.  is  now  carried  on  to 
such  an  extent,  and  brought  to  such  perfec- 
tion, that  it  is  supposed  that  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Manchester  could  supply  the  whole 


# 


7  Geo.  I.  Stat.  i.  cap.  7. 


COTTON.  167 

world  with  these  goods ;  which,  instead  of 
being  imported  from  the  East,  are  at  present 
shipped  for  the  Indies  in  great  quantities.  By 
the  aid  of  our  machinery  we  also  produce 
from  cotton,  lace  of  so  even  a  fabric,  and  at 
prices  so  infinitely  below  what  it  can  be  made 
for  in  linen  thread,  that  it  has  in  a  great 
measure  superseded  the  use  of  real  lace. 

Manchester,  being  the  centre  and  heart  of 
the  cotton-trade,  has  either  given  birth  to,  or 
attracted  genius  from  all  quarters  of  the  nation, 
to  assist  in  the  necessary  operations  for  form- 
ing fabrics  as  numerous  as  their  embellishing 
colours  are  various,  in  which  the  arts  of  the 
engineer,  the  mechanic,  and  the  artist,  as  well 
as  the  spinner,  the  weaver,  the  bleacher,  the 
dyer,  the  stainer,  and  the  chemist,  are  all 
called  into  action. 

This  vegetable  wool,  that  employs  so  great 
a  portion  of  our  population,  is  imported  in  a 
raw  useless  state,  and  is  advantageously  ex- 
ported, after  being  stamped  with  British  art 
and  industry. 

The  following  account  of  a  pound  weight 
of  unmanufactured  cotton  strikingly  evinces 
the  importance  of  the  trade  and  employ  af- 
forded by  this  vegetable  :  "  The  cotton-wool 


168  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

eame  from  the  East  Indies  to  London  ;  from 
London  it  went  to  Manchester,  where  it  was 
manufactured  into  yarn ;  from  Manchester  it 
was  sent  to  Paisley,  where  it  was  woven  ;  it 
was  then  sent  to  Ayrshire,  where  it  was  tam- 
boured ;  it  came  back  to  Paisley,  and  was 
there  veined;  afterwards  it  was  sent  to  Dum- 
barton, where  it  was  hand-sewed,  and  again 
brought  to  Paisley ;  whence  it  was  sent  to 
Renfrew  to  be  bleached,  and  was  returned  to 
Paisley  ;  whence  it  went  to  Glasgow  and  was 
finished;  and  from  Glasgow  was  sent  per 
coach  to  London.  The  time  occupied  in 
bringing  this  article  to  market  was  three 
years,  from  its  being  packed  in  India  till  it  ar- 
rived in  cloth  at  the  merchant's  warehouse  in 
London :  it  must  have  been  conveyed  5000 
miles  by  sea,  and  about  920  by  land;  and  con- 
tributed to  support  not  less  than  150  people, 
by  which  the  value  had  been  increased  2000 
per  cent."* 

So  wide  and  so  beneficially  is  the  influence 
of  the  cotton-trade  spread,  that,  to  the  know- 
ledge of  the  author  of  this  work,  one  indivi- 
dual in  the  metropolis  pays  annually  from 
ten  to  twelve  thousand  pounds  for  the  article 

*  Monthly  Magazine. 


COTTON.  169 

of  silver-gilt  wire,  which  he  prepares  lor  the 
manufacturers  of  Paisley,  to  be  woven  in  the 
corner  of  each  demy  of  muslin,  in  imitation 
of  the  Indian  custom. 

The  cotton-wool  is  not  only  used  for  ge- 
nuine articles,  but  is  employed  to  adulterate, 
or  as  a  substitute  for  silk;  and  even  many  of 
our  linen  cloths  have  a  considerable  portion 
of  cotton  in  their  composition. 

Cotton  cloth,  like  that  of  linen,  when  de- 
cayed, is  transformed  into  paper  for  printing. 

The  seed  of  the  cotton-plant  intoxicates 
parrots.  Old  medical  authors  mention  the 
seeds  as  being  a  good  remedy  against  coughs, 
and  of  a  singularly  stimulating  quality. 

Leewenhoek  accounts  for  cotton  producing 
inflammation,  when  applied  to  wounds  in  lieu 
of  linen,  by  a  discovery  which  he  made  in 
examining  the  cotton  with  a  microscope. 
The  fibres  were  found  to  have  two  flat  sides, 
whence  he  concludes  that  each  of  its  minute 
parts  must  have  two  acute  angles  or  edges  ; 
which  acute  edges  being  not  only  thinner 
and  more  subtle  than  the  globules,  whereof 
the  fleshy  filaments  consist,  but  also  more 
firm  and  stiff  than  any  of  the  globulous  flesh, 
it  follows  that,  upon  the  application  of  cot- 
ton to  a  wound,  its   edges  must   not  only 


170  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

hurt  and  wound  the  globules  of  the  flesh,  but 
also  cut  incessantly  the  new  matter  brought 
to  them  to  produce  new  flesh ;  and  that  with 
more  ease,  as  this  matter,  not  having  attained 
the  firmness  and  consistence  of  flesh,  is  the 
less  able  to  resist  its  attacks ;  whereas  the 
linen  ordinarily  used  in  wounds,  being  com- 
posed of  little  round  parts,  very  close  to  each 
other,  forms  large  masses,  and  is  thus  inca- 
pable of  hurting  the  globular  parts  of  the 
flesh. 


171 


EARTH  or  GROUND  NUT.—  BUNIUM. 

Natural  order,  Umbellatce.  Bulbocastanum.  A 
genus  of  the  Pentandria  Digynia  class. 


There  are  two  species  of  this  plant  indi- 
genous to  our  soil,  although  they  are  now  as 
little  known  to  the  English,  as  the  Arachis 
of  South  America. 

The  general  inclosures,  and  the  high  state 
of  the  cultivation  of  our  country,  have  made 
many  of  our  wild  plants  as  rare  as  exotics. 

They  have  changed  their  English  name 
almost  with  every  British  herbist,  and  have 
been  nearly  as  often  latinized ;  but  we  do  not 
find  that  any  attempt  has  been  made  in  this 
country  to  change  their  nature  by  cultivation. 

In  addition  to  the  names  above,  they  are 
called  Kipper  nuts,  Earth  Chesnuts,  and  Pig 
nuts. 

"  I  with  my  long  nails  will  dig  thee  pig-nuts.v* 

Turner  mentions   them  in  his  "  Compleat 

*  Caliban,  in  the  Tempest. 


172  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

Herbal'  as  growing  in  Richmond  heath,  and 
in  Coome  parke.  They  are  soon  after  noticed 
by  Gerard,  who  says,  "These  herbes  do  growe 
in  pastures  and  corne  fleldes  almost  euery 
where  :  there  is  a  field  adjoining  to  Highgate, 
on  the  right  side  of  the  middle  of  the  village, 
couered  ouer  with  the  same  ;  and  likewise  in 
the  next  flelde  vnto  the  conduit  heads  by 
Maribone,  neer  the  way  that  leadeth  to 
Paddington  by  London,  and  in  diuers  other 
places."  He  adds,  "  these  roots  be  eaten 
rawe,  or  rosted  in  the  embers." 

Dodoens,  who  was  physician  to  Charles 
the  Fifth,  of  celebrated  memory,  mentions  in 
his  Herbal,  that  there  is  great  store  of  these 
earth-nuts  in  some  places  in  England ;  he 
says  also,  that  they  grow  in  Holland  and  in 
Zealand,  particularly  by  the  river  Zoom  near 
Barrow,  in  Brabant.  This  author  informs  us 
that  they  were  cultivated  at  Brabant,  in  the 
gardens  of  the  herbalist ;  and  that  they  were 
boiled  in  many  parts  of  Holland  and  Zealand, 
and  eaten  with  meat  as  turnips  or  parsnips  : 
they  are,  says  this  physician,  as  nutritious  as 
the  latter  roots,  but  harder  of  digestion  than 
the  turnip.  Both  this  author  and  Gerard 
mention  earth-nuts  as  an  excellent  diuretic, 
and  good  for  the  bladder  and  kidneys.     The 


EARTH    OR    GROUND    NUT.  173 

seeds  of  the  plant  are  more  powerful  as  a 
medicine  than  the  roots. 

They  are  to  be  found  in  considerable 
quantities  at  Henfleld  in  Sussex,  growing  in 
a  poor  sandy  soil,  which  produced  broom 
spontaneously  ;  particularly  in  July  and  Au- 
gust when  they  are  in  blossom :  the  flowers 
are  like  those  of  parsley  or  fennel,  but  smaller, 
and  seldom  exceeding  a  foot  in  height ;  the 
leaves  are  something  between  those  two 
plants ;  being  less  thready  than  the  fennel, 
and  not  so  connected  as  the  parsley.  The 
root  is  about  the  size  of  a  Barcelona  nut,  and 
in  appearance  like  the  Jerusalem  artichoke  ; 
the  taste  very  similar  to  the  chesnut,  but 
more  oily. 

The  American  ground-nut,  or  Pindars, 
Arachis,  is  of  the  order  of  Papilionacece,  and 
of  the  Diadelphia  Decandria  class. 

The  manner  in  which  this  nut  is  propa- 
gated is  very  singular  :  as  the  flowers  fall  off, 
the  young  pods  are  forced  into  the  ground 
by  a  natural  motion  of  the  stalk,  where  they 
are  entirely  buried,  and  the  pods  are  not  to 
be  discovered  without  digging  for  them. 
They  are,  says  Lunan,  very  agreeable  nuts, 
and  deserve  to  be  more  generally  cultivated 


174  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

than  they  are ;  when  roasted,  ground,  and 
boiled,  they  make  a  good  substitute  for  cho- 
colate. This  author  says,  in  his  Hortus 
Jamaicensis,  that  he  first  saw  them  growing 
in  a  negro's  plantation,  who  affirmed,  that 
they  grew  in  great  plenty  in  his  country ; 
these  nuts  have  been  cultivated  in  Jamaica, 
where  they  prosper,  and  are  called  Gub-a-gubs 
by  the  slaves. 

They  are  of  the  size,  colour,  and  shape 
of  a  filbert,    are  covered  over  in  the  ground 
with  a  thin  cistus  or  skin,  which  contains  two 
or  three  of  them,  and  many  of  the  cistuses, 
with  their  nuts   or  kernels,  are  to  be  found 
growing  to  the  roots   of  one  plant.     When 
they  are  ripe  and  fit  to  dig  up,  the  cistus 
that  contains  them   is  dry,  like  a  withered 
leaf,  which  is  taken  off,  and  leaves  a  kernel 
reddish  without  side,  and  very  white  within, 
tasting  like  an  almond,    and  accounted  by 
some  as  good  as  a  pistachio ;  they  are  very 
nourishing,  and  accounted  provocatives.     It 
is  said,  that  if  eaten  in  quantities,  these  nuts 
cause  the  head-ache.    Lunan  contradicts  this 
assertion,  and  says  he  never  knew  any  such  ef- 
fect produced,  even  in  those  who  chiefly  lived 
upon  them ;  for  masters  of  ships  often  feed 
negroes  with  them  all  their  voyage  ;  and  that 


EARTH    OR    GROUND    NUT.  175 

he  had  often  eaten  of  them  plentifully,  and 
with  pleasure,  and  never  found  that  effect. 
They  may  be  eaten  raw,  roasted,  or  boiled. 
The  oil  drawn  from  them  by  expression  is  as 
good  as  oil  of  almonds  ;  and  the  nut  beaten 
and  applied  as  a  poultice,  takes  away  the 
sting  of  scorpions,  wasps,  or  bees. 

These  plants  were  first  brought  from 
Africa  to  the  West  India  islands.  In  south- 
ern climates  vast  crops  of  these  nuts  are 
said  to  be  produced  from  light,  sandy,  and 
indifferent  soils. 

Dr.  Brownrigg,  of  North  Carolina,  trans- 
mitted some  account  of  the  value  of  these 
nuts  to  the  Royal  Society.  From  a  quantity 
of  them,  first  bruised,  and  put  into  canvass 
bags,  he  expressed  a  pure,  clear,  well-tasted 
oil,  useful  for  the  same  purposes  as  the  oil  of 
olive  or  almonds. 

From  specimens,  both  of  the  seeds  and  oil, 
produced  before  the  Society,  it  appeared, 
that  neither  of  them  were  subject  to  turn 
rancid  by  keeping.  The  oil,  in  particular, 
which  had  been  sent  from  Carolina  eight 
months  before,  without  any  extraordinary 
care,  and  had  undergone  the  heat  of  the 
summer,  remained  perfectly  sweet  and  good. 

A  bushel  of  them  yielded  (in   Carolina), 


176  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

without  heat,  one  gallon  of  oil ;  and  with 
heat,  a  much  larger  quantity,  but  of  inferior 
quality.  It  has  been  justly  supposed,  that? 
from  a  successful  prosecution  of  this  manu- 
facture, the  Colonies  may  not  only  be  able 
to  supply  their  own  consumption,  in  lieu  of 
the  olive  oil  annually  imported  from  Europe, 
but  even  make  it  a  considerable  article  of 
export. 


177 


EGG  PLANT,  on  VEGETABLE  EGG. 
— MELONGENA. 

Natural   order,    Luridce.     A    genus  of  the 
Pentandria  Monogynia  class. 


This  plant  is  a  species  of  Solatium,  or 
night-shade,  of  which  there  are  at  least 
sixty-six  species.  It  is  a  native  of  the  East 
Indies,  and  has  acquired  its  present  English 
name  from  the  shape  and  appearance  of  its 
fruit,  which  is  attached  to  the  stem,  and  set 
in  a  cornered  cup  similar  to  the  berry  of 
the  potatoe  ;  those  that  are  white,  perfectly 
resemble  an  egg,  from  the  size  of  that  of  a 
pigeon  to  a  swan's.  Some  of  the  varieties 
bear  fruit  of  a  purple  or  violet  colour,  others 
variegated.  These  vegetable  eggs  have  one 
cell  filled  with  compressed  roundish  seeds. 

They  were  formerly  called  Mala  insana, 
viz.  mad  or  raging  apples,  from  the  resem- 
blance they  were  supposed  to  bear  to  the 
male  mandrake  of  Theophrastus,  which  is 
stated  to  have  caused  madness;  whereas,  in 
reality,  they  cause  no  ill,  nor  excite  any  syr.ip- 

VOL.  I.  N 


178  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

toms  of  madness,  but  are  used  by  the  Italians, 
Spaniards,  and  French,  in  their  sauces  and 
sweetmeats.  In  these  countries,  as  well  as 
in  Barbary,  they  are  planted  in  the  kitchen- 
garden,  and  are  often  boiled  with  fat  flesh, 
to  which  they  add  scraped  cheese  ;  and  they 
are  preserved  through  the  winter,  either  in 
honey,  vinegar,  or  salt  pickle.  When  the 
fruit  is  just  ripe,  they  eat  it  dressed  with 
spices,  &c.  It  is  thought  to  be  the  Bdingel 
of  the  Portuguese,  the  Tongu  of  Angola,  and 
the  Macumba  of  Congo.  This  plant  has 
been  supposed  to  induce  a  sopor  and  mad- 
ness, whence  it  takes  its  name.* 

There  are  several  varieties  of  them  culti- 
vated in  the  gardens  of  the  West  Indies,  and 
one  kind,  called  Badinjan  or  Banjham,  often 
produces  fruit  in  that  climate  weighing 
from  seven  to  ten  pounds  each.  Lunan  says, 
in  his  Hortus  Jamaicensis,  "  I  planted,  about 
twenty  years  ago,  half  an  acre  of  ground  with 
them,  on  which  my  slaves  fed,  and  were  well 
pleased  with  the  food ;  they  eat  something 
like  a  squash,  but  better  than  any  of  the 
pumpkin  kind."  He  adds,  "  they  are  boiled 
or  fried  ;  but  the  best  way  is  to  parboil  them, 
taking  off  their  outer  skin,  which  is  somewhat 

#  Hist.  Plant,  adscript.  Boerhaave. 


EGG    PLANT.  179 

bitter,  and  then  fry  them  in  oil  or  butter; 
they  are  also  sliced  and  pickled  for  a  few 
hours,  and  then  boiled  green,  or  served  in  the 
same  manner  as  mashed  turnips  ;  either  way," 
says  Lunan,  "  they  are  an  agreeable  food,  and 
accounted  to  be  aphrodisiac,  and  to  cure 
sterility :  when  boiled  with  wine  and  pepper, 
they  taste  like  artichokes."  A  lady  who  has 
many  years  resided  in  Jamaica,  favoured  the 
author  with  the  following  receipt  for  dress- 
ing vegetable  eggs  : — The  inside,  after  being 
scooped  out,  to  be  fried  either  in  oil  or  but- 
ter, and  the  outside  to  be  boiled  whole,  and 
when  drained,  to  be  filled  with  the  fried 
parts,  and  sent  to  table  apparently  whole, 
as  a  dish  of  eggs.  She  informed  him,  that 
when  dressed  in  the  common  way,  they 
should  be  cut  into  slices,  and  soaked  in  salt 
and  water  for  a  few  hours,  to  extract  the 
bitter  taste. 

The  French  make  great  use  of  the  purple 
variety  of  this  egg-shaped  fruit,  which  they 
call  Aubergine,  and  which  is  as  common  as 
the  love-apple  in  the  vegetable  markets  of 
Paris.  Their  favourite  method  of  dressing 
them,  is  by  taking  out  the  seeds  with  a  scoop, 
filling  the  cavity  with  sweet  herbs,  and  then 
frying  them  whole. 


180  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

In  England,  the  egg  plant  is  principally 
cultivated  for  its  singular  and  curious  appear- 
ance, few  families  even  knowing  that  they 
are  proper  for  aliment,  excepting  those  who 
have  resided  on  the  Continent,  or  who  have 
studied  the  natural  history  of  plants.  They 
are  rarely  brought  into  the  London  markets, 
and  then  so  eagerly  secured  by  foreign  cooks, 
that  they  are  seldom  seen  exposed  for  sale. 

The  manner  of  propagating  them,  in  this 
country,  is  to  sow  the  seeds  in  March,  upon 
a  moderately  hot  bed  ;  and  when  the  plants 
are  come  up,  they  are  to  be  thinned  by 
planting  them  in  another  hot-bed,  at  four 
inches  asunder,  watering,  and  shading  them 
till  they  have  taken  root.  They  must  after- 
wards have  as  much  air  as  the  season  will 
allow,  and  in  May  they  should  be  trans- 
planted into  a  warm  border,  at  about  two 
feet  from  each  other.  About  the  middle  of 
July  the  fruit  will  appear,  when  they  require 
watering  to  enlarge  the  eggs,  which  ripen 
about  the  end  of  August.* 

It  is  not  exactly  known  at  what  period 
this  plant  was  first  cultivated  in  England, 
but  certainly  it  was  previous   to    1596,    as 

*  Miller. 


EGG    PLANT.  1  8  1 

Gerard  says,  in  the  first  edition  of  his  Herbal, 
"  This  plant  groweth  in  Egypt  almost  euery- 
where,  in  sandie  fieldes,  euen  of  itselfe, 
bringing  foorth  fruite  of  the  bigness  of  a 
great  cucumber.  We  haue  had  the  same  in 
our  London  gardens,  where  it  hath  borne 
flowers,  but  the  winter  approaching  before 
the  time  of  ripening,  it  perished ;  notwith- 
standing it  came  to  beare  fruite  of  the  bigness 
of  a  goose  egge,  one  extraordinarie  tempe- 
rate yeere,  as  I  did  see  in  the  garden  of  a 
worshipfull  merchant,  Master  Haruie,  in 
Lime-street,  but  neuer  to  full  ripeness." 
"  It  is  better,"  continues  this  author,  "  to 
haue  this  plante  in  the  garden,  for  your 
pleasure,  and  the  rarenesse  thereof,  than  for 
any  virtue  or  good  qualities  yet  known.  I 
rather  wish  Englishmen  to  content  them- 
selues  with  the  meate  and  sauce  of  our  own 
countrey,  than  with  fruite  and  sauce  eaten 
with  such  perill :  for,  doubtless,  these  apples 
have  a  mischeeuous  quality  ;  the  use  thereof 
is  vtterly  to  be  forsaken." 

With  this  caution,  we  cannot  be  surprised 
that  the  Melongena  should  have  been  in  our 
gardens  for  two  hundred  and  twenty  years 
without  reaching  our  tables. 


182 


FENNEL.— FCENICULUM. 

Natural  order,  Umbellatce.  A  genus  of  the 
Pentandria  Digynia  class.  Linnaus  has 
joined  this  genus  to  Anethum  or  DHL 


"  Sylvanus  comes  with  rustic  honours  crown'd, 
Fennel  and  lilies  do  his  brows  surround." 

Virgil. 

Foeniculum,  Metpa&fpv,  seems  to  be  derived 
from  f allium,  hay ;  because,  when  withered 
and  dried  like  hay,  it  was  formerly  preserved 
in  like  manner  against  winter.  Others  think 
it  was  so  called  because  when  sown  it  returns 
the  seed  magno  cum  fanore,  with  vast  in- 
terest. Marathrum,  Ma'paS^or,  is  by  some 
derived  from  ^.aja/Vo^a/,  to  wither,  because, 
when  dry  and  withered,  it  was  much  used  in 
seasoning  a  great  variety  of  things. 

The  French  writers  on  herbs  state,  that  this 
plant  was  originally  brought  from  Syria  ;  but 
the  English  botanists  consider  it  a  native  of 
this  country. 


FENNEL.  183 

It  seems  fond  of  the  sea  side,  and  is  found 
growing  in  a  natural  state  at  Feversham  in 
Kent.  It  may  also  be  seen  growing  wild  in 
great  abundance  on  the  banks  of  the  river 
Adur,  near  the  Sussex  Pad,  between  Brigh- 
ton and  Worthing :  this  wild  fennel  is  pre- 
cisely the  same  as  that  of  the  garden.  The 
sweet  fennel,  Faniculum  dulce,  probably  is  the 
kind  alluded  to  by  the  naturalists  of  France 
as  coming  from  Syria  and  the  Azores  :  this 
variety  soon  degenerates  in  our  soil  into  the 
common  fennel,  which  justifies  the  supposi- 
tion, that  the  common  fennel  may  not  be  an 
aboriginal  of  England,  but  that  it  is  more 
probably  changed  from  the  seed  anciently 
sown  in  this  country. 

The  Italians  consider  the  sweet  kind  of 
fennel  to  be  a  native  of  the  Azores  islands. 
It  has  long  been  cultivated  in  Italy  as  a  salad 
herb,  under  the  title  of  Finochia;  but  the 
English  in  general  have  not  yet  acquired  a 
relish  for  it ;  although  it  eats  very  tender 
and  crisp,  when  earthed  up  as  celery,  which 
should  be  done  at  least  fourteen  days  before 
it  is  used. 

We  procure  the  seed  from  Italy,  which 
should  be   done  annually.     The  first  crop 


184  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

may  be  sown  in  March,  in  a  light  rich  earth, 
the  second  in  April,  and  continued  until 
July,  with  the  same  management  as  celery. 

The  common  fennel  is  now  but  little  used 
for  culinary  purposes,  except  as  a  sauce  for 
mackarel.  The  French  epicures  keep  their 
fish  in  the  leaves  of  fennel,  to  make  them 
firm.  It  is  also  used  in  France  in  water- 
suche,  and  all  fish  soups. 

The  whole  of  the  plant  is  good  in  soup  or 
broth.  It  was  formerly  the  practice  to  boil 
fennel  with  all  fish,  and  it  never  would  have 
been  discontinued,  had  its  virtues  been  more 
generally  known;  for  it  consumes  the  phleg- 
matic humour,  in  which  most  fish  abound, 
and  which  greatly  annoys  many  persons  who 
are  fond  of  boiled  fish.  Our  fishmongers 
should  at  all  times  have  a  plentiful  supply  of 
this  hardy  and  wholesome  herb,  every  part 
of  which  agrees  with  the  stomach. 

It  is  one  of  the  five  opening  roots  :  it  is 
recommended  in  broth  to  cleanse  the  blood, 
and  remove  obstructions  of  the  liver,  and  to 
clear  and  improve  the  complexion  after  the 
jaundice,  and  other  sickness. 

The  seed  is  one  of  the  greater  carmina- 
tive seeds;  and,  boiled  in  barley- water, is  good 


FENNEL.  185 

for  nurses,  as  it  is  said  to  increase  milk  and 
make  it  more  wholesome  for  the  child— a  virtue 
attributed  also  to  the  leaves.  The  seeds  are 
also  recommended  for  those  who  are  troubled 
with  shortness  of  breath,  and  wheezzing,  oc- 
casioned by  stoppage  of  the  lungs.  Its 
leaves  in  decoction  strengthen  the  sight ;  its 
juice,  taken  fasting,  is  said  to  cure  intermit- 
tent fevers.  It  is  a  sudorific  and  carmina- 
tive, facilitates  digestion  when  chewed ;  and 
is  a  specific  in  malignant  putrid  fevers. 

There  is  a  simple  water  made  from  the 
leaves,  and  an  essential  oil  from  the  seed  and 
leaves.  Neumann  says,  "  The  oil  obtained 
from  the  leaves  on  the  upper  part  of  the 
plant  is  much  finer,  lighter,  and  more  subtle, 
than  the  oil  obtained  from  the  lower  leaves. 
The  former  oil  swims  on  water,  and  the  latter 
sinks.  There  is  also  a  strong  water,  or  kind 
of  brandy,  made  of  the  seeds  of  fennel,  called 
fennel  water. 

Snakes  and  serpents  delight  in  fennel,  and 
seem  to  eat  it  medicinally  before  they  cast  off 
their  old  skins.  Pliny  says,  the  ancient  phy- 
sicians observed  that  the  serpents,  having 
wounded  the  fennel  stalk,  cleared  their  eyes 
with  the  juice,  and  whereby  they  learnt  that 


186  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

this  herb  hath  the  singular  property  of  cleans- 
ing our  sight,  and  taking  away  the  film  or 
web  from  our  eyes  :  he  adds,  that  the  only 
time  to  obtain  the  juice  is  when  the  stalk  is 
nearly  full  grown  :  it  was  administered  with 
honey. 

Induced  by  these  observations,  the  author 
planted  fennel  on  a  bank  in  his  shrubbery, 
where  he  had  frequently  seen  snakes ;  but  for 
want  of  that  time  and  caution,  which  it  re- 
quires to  watch  these  reptiles,  he  has  never 
seen  them  bite  this  herb,  but  has  often  found 
the  stalks  not  only  wounded,  but  eaten  near- 
ly half  through,  either  by  these,  or  some 
other  animals. 

The  Romans  drank  the  seeds  of  fennel  in 
wine,  as  a  remedy  for  the  sting  of  scorpions 
or  serpents.  They  considered  this  vegetable 
as  a  sovereign  remedy  for  the  liver.  The 
root  boiled  in  wine  was  esteemed  for  the  drop- 
sy, as  were  the  seeds  for  the  stone  and  gravel. 

Petridtus,  in  his  work  entitled  Ophiaca, 
Mycton,  in  his  treatise  named  Rhizotomu- 
mena,  and  Nicander,  maintain,  that  there  is 
not  a  better  counterpoison  against  the  venom 
of  serpents  than  wild  fennel. 

In  putrid  fevers,  attended  with  a   malig- 


FENNEL.  187 

nity,  we  shall  hardly  find  a  plant  more  aperi- 
tive and  discussive,  by  means  of  sweat,  than 
fennel ;  whence  nothing  can  be  more  proper 
in  the  small-pox  and  measles,  than  a  decoc- 
tion of  the  herb,  or  its  seeds  or  roots*.  Ray 
says,  fennel  is  excellent  for  preventing  abor- 
tions. 

Joannes  Crats,  physician  to  the  Emperor 
of  Germany,  says,  he  saw  a  monk,  who  was 
cured  by  his  tutor,  in  nine  days,  of  a  cata- 
ract, by  only  applying  the  roots  of  fennel, 
boiled  in  wine,  with  the  decoction,  to  the 
eyes. 

It  is  also  said,  that  the  steam  of  the  de- 
coction of  fennel  is  an  excellent  cleanser 
for  the  eyes,  and  that  it  strengthens  the 
sight. 

Boerhaave  says,  that  this  root  agrees  in 
taste,  smell,  and  medicinal  quality,  with  the 
celebrated  ginseng  of  the  Chinese;  from 
which,  however,  it  appears  to  differ  very 
considerably. 

Pliny  states,  that  fennel  was  cultivated  as 
a  garden  herb  by  the  Romans,  and  that  it 
was  so  much  used  in  the  kitchen,  that  there 
were  few  meats  seasoned,  or  vinegar  sauces 

*  Sim.  PauW. 


188  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

served-up,  without  it.  That  the  bakers 
used  it  to  give  a  pleasant  taste  to  their 
bread,  by  placing  it  under  their  loaves,  when 
they  were  put  into  the  oven.  A  good  house- 
wife, says  this  excellent  author,  will  go  into 
her  herb  garden,  instead  of  a  spice-shop,  for 
her  seasonings,  and  thus  preserve  the  health 
of  her  family,  by  saving  her  purse. 


189 


FLAX,  or  LINE.— LINUM. 

Natural  order,   Grecinales.      A  genus  of  the 
Pentandria  Pentagynia  class. 


The  Greeks  called  this  vegetable  Alvov, 
and  the  Latins  had  no  other  name  for  it  than 
Linum,  both  in  its  growing  state  and  when 
prepared  for  the  spinner ;  hence  the  Italians 
and  Spaniards  have  derived  the  word  Lino ; 
and  the  French,  Lin.  The  ancient  Britons 
called  it  Lyne  from  the  same  source.  The 
word  Flax  is  derived  from  the  Saxon  Fleax\  or 
Flex;  but  we  still  term  it  Linseed  and  Linen 
cloth,  although  when  speaking  of  the  plant 
we  call  it  Flax. 

We  know  twenty-two  species  of  linum, 
four  of  which  are  said  to  be  indigenous  to 
our  soil. 

The  flax  is  scarcely  superior  in  appearance 
to  the  common  grass  ;  yet  on  no  other  vege- 
table has  the  ingenuity  of  man  been  so  ex- 
tensively employed,  or  exerted  with  such 
success. 


190  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

Without  the  aid  of  flax,  this  island  might 
have  remained  unknown  and  unpeopled.  Its 
assistance  enabled  the  European  sailor  to 
discover  a  new  world,  and  people  to  whom 
we  must  have  remained  strangers  but  for  the 
fibres  of  this  herb,  and  from  whose  territories 
we  have  since  enriched  our  isle  with  the 
most  useful  roots,  the  most  luxurious  fruits, 
and  ornamental  plants.  It  was  with  flax  that 
we  first  made  wings  to  our  vessels,  with 
which  we  travelled  with  the  swiftness  of  the 
eagle,  and  extended  our  commerce  to  the 
most  distant  parts  of  the  globe. 

Daedalus  is  said  to  have  been  the  inventor 
of  sails  for  ships,  by  which  he  fled  from  Crete, 
to  escape  from  the  revenge  of  the  incensed 
Minos,  who  had  condemned  him  to  be  con- 
fined in  the  labyrinth  which  he  had  con- 
structed. Daedalus  arrived  safe  in  Sicily, 
where  he  was  hospitably  received  by  Cocalus, 
king  of  that  island.  From  this  circumstance 
the  ancient  allegory  states,  that  he  made 
himself  wings.  This  was  at  least  1350  years 
before  Christ ;  and  we  find  that  sails  were 
certainly  used  before  Homers  time,  who  says 


the  winds  aloud 


one  wmus  aiuuu 


Howl  o'er  the  niasts,  and  sing  through  every  shroud.' 


FLAX,    OR   LINE.  191 

At  that  period  the  use  of  hemp  was  not  dis- 
covered. 

Flax  is  a  slender  plant,  that  seldom  exceeds 
two  feet  and  a  half  in  height.  From  its 
fibrous  bark  we  procure  the  comfort  of  linen, 
and  the  beauty  of  lace ;  its  very  rags  are 
manufactured  into  the  most  exquisite  of  all 
our  luxuries,  viz.  the  paper  that  enables 
distant  friends  to  hold  converse,  and  commu- 
nicates the  wisdom  of  the  learned  of  every 
age  and  language. 

How  the  fibrous  qualities  of  this  plant 
were  first  discovered,  it  is  beyond  the  powers 
of  research  to  ascertain ;  probably  the  ear- 
liest use  of  this  pliable  plant  was  to  twist 
into  bands  for  the  purpose  of  attaching  pro- 
ductive vines  to  unfruitful  trees.  Thus 
Milton  describes  the  employment  of  our  first 
parents  : 

"  or  they  led  the  vine 

To  wed  her  elm  ;  she  'spoused,  about  him  twines 

Her  marriageable  arms,  and  with  her  brings 

Her  dower,  adopted  clusters,  to  adorn 

His  barren  leaves." 

Book  5. 

As  man  multiplied,  the  necessity  of  en- 
snaring wild  animals  and  securing  domes- 
tic ones,  would  naturally  call  his  attention 
to  the  formation  of  a  cord  ;  and  when  once  a 


192  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

band  was  formed  of  the  whole  plant,  it  would 
easily  be  discovered  that  the  fibres  were  the 
part  that  afforded  the  strength. 

When  New  Holland  was  first  discovered, 
it  was  observed  that  the  natives,  who  sub- 
sisted principally  on  fish,  had  invented  a 
kind  of  net  made  of  the  fibres  of  flax,  by  in- 
serting the  loops  into  each  other  without  a 
knot ;  yet  these  people  had  not  the  least  idea 
of  forming  a  covering,  even  to  protect  them- 
selves from  the  inclemency  of  the  weather, 
and  were  so  barbarously  ignorant  as  not  to 
have  the  least  knowledge  of  the  art  of  culti- 
vating plants  or  fruits  of  any  description. 

The  making  and  use  of  linen  cloth  ap- 
pears to  have  been  invented  previously  to 
the  Deluge,  as  we  read  that  Noah  slept  in 
a  tent.* 

Egypt,  which  appears  to  be  the  country 
that  Ham,  the  second  son  of  Noah,  resorted 
to,  from  its  being  called  in  Scripture,  the 
Land  of  Ham,  soon  became  the  garden  of 
the  East,  and  the  seat  of  arts. 

"  Israel  also  came  into  Egypt,  and  Jacob 
sojourned  in  the  Land  of  Ham."-f* 

Ham  is  supposed  to  have  led  a  pastoral 
life,  but  his  son  Misraim,  who  is  mentioned 

#  Gen.  c.  ix.  v.  21  f  Psalm  cv.  v.  23. 


FLAX,    OR    LINE.  1}).) 

in  profane  history  by  the  appellation  of 
Men£s,  assumed  the  style  of  king,  and  built 
the  town  of  Memphis.  His  wife  Lsis,  whom 
some  suppose  to  be  the  same  as  Io,  is  said  to 
have  taught  the  art  of  agriculture,  and  em- 
ployed herself  diligently  in  cultivating  the 
earth,  for  which  she  was  deified,  and  the 
worship  of  lsis  became  universal  in  Egypt. 
The  priests  of  this  goddess  were  clothed 
in  linen  garments. 

About  300  years  after  the  flood,  Abram 
and  his  family  went  into  Egypt  to  avoid  the 
famine ;  and  on  their  return  the  following 
year,  the  book  of  Genesis  notices,  that  Lot, 
the  nephew  of  Abram,  had  flocks  and  herds, 
and  tents. 

Pharaoh  arrayed  Joseph  in  vestures  of  fine 
linen ;  and  when  Moses  called  down  the 
plague  of  hail  upon  Egypt,  it  destroyed  the 
flax. 

"  And  the  flax  and  the  barley  was  smitten ; 
for  the  barley  was  in  the  ear,  and  the  flax 
was  boiled."* 

That  the  art  of  weaving  had  attained  a 
wonderful  perfection  in  Egypt  in  those  days, 
we  learn  both  from  profane  and  sacred 
history. 

*  Exodus,  c.  ix.  31 . 
vol.  i.  o 


194-  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

The  Israelites  appear  to  have  carried  the 
art  with  them  when  they  were  delivered 
from  bondage ;  for  they  were  commanded 
in  the  wilderness  to  make  offerings  for  the 
tabernacle,  of  "  blue,  and  purple,  and  scarlet, 
and  fine  linen,  and  goats'  hair." 

"  Thou  shalt  make  the  tabernacle  with 
ten  curtains  of  fine  twined  linen,  and  blue, 
and  purple,  and  scarlet ;  with  cherubims  of 
cunning  work  shalt  thou  make  them."* 

In  the  28th  chapter  of  the  same  book,  we 
have  a  description  of  the  holy  garments  for 
Aaron,  which  were  of  fine  linen.  "  And  thou 
shalt  embroider  the  coat  of  fine  linen,  and 
thou  shalt  make  the  mitre  of  fine  linen,  and 
thou  shalt  make  the  girdle  of  needle-work." 

"  And  all  the  women  that  were  wise- 
hearted  did  spin  with  their  hands,  and 
brought  that  which  they  had  spun,  both  of 
blue,  and  of  purple,  and  of  scarlet,  and  of 
fine  linen.  And  all  the  women,  whose 
heart  stirred  them  up  in  wisdom,  spun  goats' 
hair."-j' 

Egypt  continued  to  be  celebrated  as  the 
country  of  flax  and  linen  in  the  days  of 
Solomon,  whose   merchants  traded     thither 

*  Exod.  chap.  xxvi.  1.         f  Exod.  chap.  xxxv.  25,  26. 


FLAX,    OR    LINE.  195 

nearly  a  thousand  years  after  the  time  that 
Abram  visited  that  land. 

"  And  Solomon  had  horses  brought  out 
of  Egypt,  and  linen  yarn:  the  king's  mer- 
chants received  linen  yarn  at  a  price."  * 

"  I  have  decked  my  bed  with  coverings  of 
tapestry,  with  carved  works,  with  fine  linen 
of  Egypt."*f* 

The  prophet  Isaiah  notices  this  manufac- 
ture of  the  Egyptians,  about  250  years 
later  than  Solomon.  This  prophet  menaces 
Egypt  with  a  drought  of  so  terrible  a  kind, 
that  it  should  interrupt  every  kind  of  labour. 

"  Moreover,  they  that  work  in  fine  flax, 
they  that  weave  net-works,  shall  be  con- 
founded, j" 

Ezekiel  the  prophet,  in  his  description  of 
the  riches  and  the  merchandize  of  Tyre, 
speaks  of  the  productions  of  Egypt,  about 
150  years  after  Isaiah. 

"  Fine  linen  with  broidered  work  from 
Egypt,  was  that  which  thou  spreadedst 
forth  to  be  thy  sail.§" 

From  the  Egyptian  linen,  the  principal 
garments  of  the  priests  of  the  heathens, 
as  well  as  those  of  the  Israelites,  were  formed. 

*  1  Kings,  chap.  x.  28.  f  Proverbs,  chap.  vii.  16. 

X  Isaiah,  chap.  xix.  9.  §  Ezekiel,  chap,  xxvii.  7. 

o  2 


196  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

The  Eastern   kings    and   princes  were  also 
habited  in  linen,  therefore  flax  formed  a  con- 
siderable branch  of  the  trade  of  Egypt ;  and 
their   method   of   making    fine    linen,    was 
carried  to  such  a  wonderful  perfection,  that 
the  threads  which  were  drawn  out  of  them 
were  almost  imperceptible  to    the    keenest 
eye.     Pliny  states,  that  some  of  the  thread 
made   from  flax   was  finer  and  more  even, 
if  possible,  than  the  web  of  a  spider,    and 
yet  so   strong,  that  it  would  give  a  sound 
nearly  as  loud  as  a  lute-string.     This  author 
states  in  the  first  chapter  of  his  nineteenth 
book,   that  he  had   seen  an   Egyptian  net 
made  of  so  fine  a  thread,  that,  notwithstand- 
ing every   cord  in   the   mesh  was   made  of 
150  threads  twisted,  yet  it  could  be  drawn 
through  the  ring  of  a  finger.  "I  have  known," 
says  this  writer,  "  one  man  who  could  carry 
about  as  many  of  these  nets,  as  would  encom- 
pass a  whole  forest."     He  adds,  that  Julius 
Lupus,  who  was   governor  of  Egypt,  pos- 
sessed  one  of  these  nets  ;  but  that  the  most  J 
extraordinary  net-work  was   that  which  was  ; 
shewn  in  the  temple  of  Minerva,  in  the  Isle 
of  Rhodes  ;  every  thread  of  which  was  twisted  '' 
365  times  double,  agreeably  to  the  number 
of  days  in  the  year.     This  singularly  curious ; 


FLAX,    OR    LINE.  If)/ 

piece  of  workmanship  had  formerly  belonged 
to  Amasis,  who  from  a  common  soldier  be- 
came King  of  Egypt,  about  526  years  before 
the  Christian  aera. 

The  author  has  now  in  his  possession  a 
piece  of  linen  cloth,  which  was  woven  in 
Egypt  as  long  back  as  the  Trojan  war.  It 
will  naturally  be  surmised,  that  it  is  a  part 
of  the  envelope  of  a  mummy.  In  comparing 
this  cloth  to  that  of  our  linen  of  the  same 
fineness,  and  examining  them  through  a 
microscope,  it  is  observed,  that  the  warp  of 
the  ancient  linen  is  not  so  close  as  that  of 
the  present  make,  but  that  the  woof  is 
pressed  much  closer  :  it  would  consequently 
be  more  durable,  wear  softer,  and  be  less 
susceptible  of  soil,  than  modern  linen 
cloth. 

The  Athenians,  who  were  an  Egyptian 
colony  from  Sais,  followed  the  custom  of 
their  ancestors,  by  applying  themselves  to 
raising  flax  for  linen  cloth  :  they  therefore 
worshiped  Minerva,  who  was  also  styled 
Ergatis,  or  the  workwoman,  for  her  excel- 
lency in  spinning  and  weaving ;  and  who 
is  supposed  to  be  no  other  than  the  Egyp- 
tian Isis  ;  for  the  Egyptians,  to  remind  the 
people  of    the    importance   of   their    linen 


198  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

manufactory,  exposed  in  their  festivals  an 
image,  bearing  in  its  right  hand  the  beam 
or  instrument  round  which  the  weavers  rolled 
the  warp  of  their  cloth.  This  image  was 
called  Minerva,  from  Manevra,  a  weaver's 
loom.  The  name  of  Athene,  that  is  also 
given  to  this  goddess,  is  the  very  word  de- 
noting in  Egypt  the  flaxen  thread  used  in 
their  looms.  Near  this  figure,  which  was 
intended  to  warn  the  inhabitants  of  the  ap- 
proach of  the  weaving  or  winter  season,  they 
placed  another  of  an  insect,  whose  industry 
is  supposed  to  have  given  rise  to  this  art, 
and  to  which  they  gave  the  name  of  Arachne, 
(from  arach,  to  make  linen  cloth)  to  denote 
its  application.  All  these  emblems,  trans- 
planted to  Greece,  were  by  the  genius  of  a 
people  fond  of  the  marvellous,  converted 
into  real  objects,  and  indeed  afforded  ample 
room  for  the  imagination  of  their  poets  to 
invent  the  fable  of  the  transformation  of 
Arachne  into  a  spider.  Ovid,  who  has  set  this 
story  in  a  beautiful  light,  says,  Arachne  was 

"  One  at  the  loom  so  exquisitely  skill'd, 
That  to  the  goddess  she  refused  to  yield. 
Low  was  her  birth,  and  small  her  native  town, 
She  from  her  art  alone  obtained  renown. 

t£  $F  ^p  ^  9r  ^  ^ 


FLAX,    OR    LINE.  l.()J) 

"  Oft  to  admire  the  niceness  of  her  skill, 

The  nymphs  would  quit  their  fountain,  shade,  or  hill." 

After  Minerva  had  accepted  the  challenge 
of  Arachne,  the  poet  thus  elegantly  describes 
their  work  : 

"  Straight  to  their  posts  appointed  both  repair, 
And  fix  their  threaded  looms  with  equal  care  : 
Around  the  solid  beam  the  web  is  tied, 
While  hollow  canes  the  parting  warp  divide  ; 
Through  which  with  nimble  flight  the  shuttles  play, 
And  for  the  woof  prepare  a  ready  way  ; 
The  woof  and  warp  unite,  press'd  by  the  toothy  slay. 

Thus  both,  their  mantles  button'd  to  their  breast, 
Their  skilful  fingers  ply  with  willing  haste, 
And  work'd  with  pleasure  :  while  they  cheer  the  eye 
With  glowing  purple  of  the  Tyrian  dye  : 
Or,  justly  intermixing  shades  with  light, 
Their  colouring  insensibly  unite. 
As  when  a  shower  transpierced  with  sunny  rays 
Its  mighty  arch  along  the  heaven  displays  ; 
From  whence  a  thousand  different  colours  rise, 
Whose  fine  transition  cheats  the  clearest  eyes  : 
So  like  the  intermingled  shading  seems, 
And  only  differs  in  the  last  extremes. 
Then  threads  of  gold  both  artfully  dispose, 
And,  as  each  part  in  just  proportion  rose, 
Some  antique  fable  in  their  work  disclose." 

The  Greeks  made  a  linen  of  so  fine  a 
fabric,  from  the  flax  which  they  cultivated 
near  Elis,  (now  Belvedere,)  that  it  sold  by 
weight,   at  the  price  of  gold.     This  is   the 


200  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

flax  which  Pliny  calls  Byssus,  and  from  which 
a  kind  of  lawn  or  tiffany  was  made.  The 
same  author  says,  a  flax  is  now  found  out 
which  will  not  consume  in  the  fire ;  this  he 
calls  living  flax,  and  says,  he  saw  at  a  great 
feast,  all  the  table-cloths,  napkins,  and 
towels,  thrown  into  the  fire,  which  received 
a  cleanness  and  lustre  from  the  flames,  which 
no  water  could  have  given  it.  This  kind  of 
cloth  was  used  at  the  royal  obsequies  and 
funerals,  to  wrap  round  the  corpse  as  a 
shroud  or  sheet,  in  order  to  preserve  the 
ashes  of  the  body  from  mixing  with  those  of 
the  wood  of  the  funeral  pile.  Pliny  adds, 
that  this  flax  grew  in  the  deserts  of  India, 
where  the  country  is  parched  and  burnt  with 
the  sun  :  he  says,  it  is  difficult  to  be  found, 
and  as  hard  to  be  woven,  being  in  short  fibres. 
In  its  natural  state,  the  colour  was  reddish, 
but  by  burning  it  became  bright :  it  was 
esteemed  as  precious  as  oriental  pearls.  It 
does  not  appear  by  this  account,  that  the 
Romans  were  acquainted  with  its  being  a 
mineral  substance. 

The  art  of  making  this  fossil  linen  is  nearly 
lost,  although  John  Baptist  Porta,  the  inven- 
tor of  the  camera-obscura,  assures  us,  that  in 
his  time  (from  1445  to  1515)  the  spinning  of 


FLAX,    OR    LINE.  201 

asbestos  was  a  thing  known  to  every  body 
at  Venice ;  and  it  is  said  to  be  still  in  use  by 
the  Princes  of  Tartary,  in  burning  their  dead. 

A  handkerchief  made  of  this  substance, 
which  Dr.  Plot  judges  to  be  of  a  nature  be- 
tween stone  and  earth,  was  long  since  pre- 
sented to  the  Royal  Society  of  London. 
This  has  given  several  proofs  of  its  resisting 
fire ;  and  when  taken  out  red  hot,  it  did 
not  burn  a  piece  of  white  paper,  on  which  it 
was  laid. 

The  asbestos  is  found  in  the  island  of  An- 
glesey in  Wales,  and  in  Aberdeenshire  in 
Scotland,  in  some  parts  of  France,  in  Tar- 
tary, Siberia,  and  several  other  places  ;  and 
were  there  a  demand  for  this  incombustible 
cloth,  or  a  price  given  equal  to  the  trouble  of 
manufacturing  it,  we  should  soon  recover  the 
art,  and  have  it  on  sale  in  the  shops  of  our 
metropolis. 

But  to  return  to  flaxen  linen  :  by  looking 
back  into  history  we  shall  find,  that  it  was 
used  for  other  purposes  than  garments  at  a 
very  early  period ;  for  the  stupendous  tem- 
ples of  the  heathens,  and  the  courts  of  their 
palaces  in  ancient  times,  were  open  buildings 
surrounded  with  massive  columns,  and  orna- 
mented  with  gigantic  statues  of  their  gods, 


202  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

and  colossal  figures  of  their  inferior  deities. 
In  these  immense  courts  not  only  the  inha- 
bitants of  a  whole  city,  but  often  an  entire 
kingdom   assembled,  to  celebrate  a  festival, 
or  to  obey  the  mandate    of  their  sovereign. 
As  the  art  of  weaving  became  more  known, 
these   gorgeous    edifices   were    occasionally 
hung  with   rich  curtains   of  linen  cloth,   to 
shade  and  protect  the  guest  from  the  sun  or 
weather.     The  first  chapter  of  the  book  of 
Esther  describes  the  feast  which  King  Aha- 
suerus  gave  in  the  third  year  of  his  reign 
to  all  the  princes  and  servants   of  the  127 
provinces  over  which  he  reigned,  from  Ethi- 
opia to  India.     This  feast  lasted    180  days, 
at  the   expiration   of  which  he   feasted  all 
the   people   that   were   in  Shusham,   "both 
great  and  small,"    for  seven  days,    "  in  the 
court  of  the  garden  of  the   king's  palace," 
where  were  white,  green,  and  blue  hangings, 
fastened  with  cords  of  fine  linen  and  purple, 
to  silver  rings  and  pillars  of  marble. 

The  Romans  appear  to  have  derived  this 
idea  from  the  Egyptians,  as  Lentulus  Spin- 
ther  was  the  first  who  caused  the  great  am- 
phitheatre at  Rome  to  be  covered  with  fine 
curtains.  This  was  about  the  period  when 
Antony  was  in  Egypt ;  and  Pliny  observes, 


FLAX,  OR  LINE.  203 

that  the  sails  of  the  ship  in  which  Antony 
and  Cleopatra  came  to  Actium,  were  dyed 
purple. 

Julius  Caesar  caused  the  Forum  at  Rome 
to  be  covered  with  fine  curtains  ;  as  also 
the  whole  of  the  principal  street  called 
Sacra,  from  his  own  dwelling  to  the  cliff1  of 
the  Capitol.  This  sumptuous  sight,  says 
Pliny,  was  beheld  with  great  wonder  and 
admiration. 

Marcellus,  during  his  iEdileship,  upon  the 
calends  (or  first)  of  August,  caused  the  Ro- 
man Forum  to  be  hung  and  canopied  with 
curtains,  that  those  who  came  to  plead  at 
the  bar  might  stand  under  shade.  "  What  a 
change,"  says  Pliny,  "  since  the  days  of  Cato 
the  Censor,  who  advised  that  the  said  Forum 
should  be  paved  over  with  caltrops,  to  keep 
away  the  lawyers  and  busy  pleaders." 

Nero  caused  the  amphitheatre  to  be  co- 
vered with  curtains  of  a  sky-blue,  spangled 
with  stars. 

We  now  see  the  rustics  of  our  own  country 
enjoying  their  pipe  and  their  ale  beneath  the 
linen  canopy  in  a  rural  fair,  as  proud  of  their 
liberty  as  the  Eastern  monarchs  were  of  their 
temples,  or  the  Romans  of  their  dictatorship. 


204  CULTIVATED  VEGETABLES. 

"  'Tis  liberty  that  crowns  Britannia's  isle, 
And  makes  her  barren  rocks  and  her  bleak  mountains 
smile,"  Addison. 

Spain  was  celebrated  for  her  manufactory 
of  linen  as  early  as  the  birth  of  Christ.  The 
Spaniards  were  the  inventors  of  fine  Cyprus 
or  clear  lawn,  which  was  made  from  the  flax 
of  Arragon  and  Catalonia.  France  then  pro- 
duced a  flax  from  which  sails  were  made : 
Holland  and  Flanders  produced  linen  cloth 
at  the  same  period.  The  Germans  of  those 
days  carried  on  the  spinning  and  weaving  of 
linen  in  vaults  and  caves  under  ground,  which 
was  also  the  practice  of  the  people  of  Lom- 
bardy  in  the  time  of  Pliny.* 

The  fine  muslins  of  the  East  Indies  were 
also  made  by  persons  kept  under  ground, 
who  were  never  allowed  to  see  the  light. 
Children  were  entombed  from  their  infancy 
in  these  dark  abodes,  in  order  to  gratify  the 
vanity  of  the  wealthy  with  a  finer  thread 
than  could  be  drawn  by  the  eye  that  was 
blessed  with  the  sight  of  day.  Our  East 
India  Company  has  suppressed  this  subterra- 
neous weaving.  The  art  is  now  happily  lost, 
and  no  Christian  can  wish  its  revival. 

Linen   was    not    worn   by   the  Hebrews, 

*  Book  xix.  c.  1. 


FLAX,  OR   LINE.  205 

Greeks,  or  Romans,  as  any  part  of  their  or- 
dinary dress :  their  under-tunics  were  made 
of  fine  wool  or  hair ;  and  hence  arose  the 
occasion  for  frequent  bathing.  It  has  been 
observed  that  the  introduction  of  linen  shirts 
has  been  found  to  lessen  the  prevalence  of 
leprosy. 

The  Emperor  Alexander  Severus,  who  was 
murdered  in  the  year  235  a.  d.  was  the  first 
person  who  wore  a  linen  shirt :  but  the  gene- 
ral use  of  so  necessary  a  garment  did  not 
become  common  till  long  after  him. 

The  making  of  linen  cloth  in  England  was 
probably  introduced  by  the  Romans,  who 
certainly  cultivated  flax  in  this  country. 

Before  Britain  had  become  so  great  a  com- 
mercial nation,  each  town  or  village  had  its 
weaver,  and  every  good  housewife  was  ex- 
pected to  furnish  her  family  with  linen 
of  her  own  spinning.  The  farmers'  daughters 
were  early  instructed  in  this  art,  and  their 
female  domestics  filled  up  all  their  vacant 
hours  at  the  distaff  or  wheel.  Tusser,  in  his 
advice  to  the  farmer,  for.  May,  says, 

"  Good  flax  and  good  hemp,  for  to  haue  of  liir  owne, 
In  May  a  good  huswife  wil  see  it  be  sown  : 
And  afterward  trim  it,  to  serue  at  a  need, 
The  fimble  to  spin,  and  the  carle  for  his  seed." 


206  CULTIVATED  VEGETABLES. 

In  the  same  author's  directions  for  July,  he 

says, 

"  Now  pluck  up  thy  flax,  for  thy  maidens  to  spin, 
First  see  it  dried,  and  timely  got  in." 

Flax  has  for  many  ages  employed  and  en- 
riched the  French  nation.  Their  city  of 
Cambray  first  manufactured  that  beautiful 
linen  called  from  thence  Cambric,  for  pur- 
chase of  which,  England  for  many  years  con- 
tributed not  less  than  200,000/.  per  annum. 

In  the  reign  of  George  the  Second  several 
salutary  laws  were  enacted  to  prevent  this 
great  loss  of  our  wealth;  and  an  Act  passed 
in  the  4th  of  George  the  Third,  c.  26,  to  regu- 
late the  cambric  manufactory,  not  long  be- 
fore introduced  into  Winchelsea  in  Sussex, 
but  which  soon  failed,  and  was  abolished. 
Laws  have  been  made  to  prevent  the  selling 
and  wearing  of  French  cambrics  and  lawns 
in  England,  but  which  have  only  established 
their  fame  as  being  superior  to  our  own. 

The  fine  fibres  of  this  plant  have  also  af- 
forded the  French,  as  well  as  the  Flemings, 
a  valuable  article  for  commerce  in  their  lace 
of  Brussels,  Valenciennes,  Lisle,  Mechlin, 
Normandy,  &c.  Our  legislators  have  laid 
heavy  fines  and  duties  to  prevent  the  impor- 
tation   of  this    article    of  luxury,    but    with 


FLAX,  OR  LINE.  207 

little  success,  for  while  it  is  admitted  at 
court,  it  will  naturally  be  seen  in  private 
society.     Flax  is  not  known  in  China. 

From  the  seeds  of  this  vegetable  is  drawn 
linseed  oil,  so  useful  to  our  house  painters 
and  other  artists. 

"Whether  their  hand  strike  out  some  free  design, 
Where  life  awakes,  and  dawns  at  every  line, 
Or  blend  in  beauteous  tints  the  colour'd  mass, 
And  from  the  canvass  call  the  mimic  face."       Pope. 

The  seeds  are  esteemed  an  excellent 
emollient  and  anodyne:  they  are  used  exter- 
nally in  cataplasms,  to  assuage  the  pain  of  in- 
flamed humours :  internally,  a  slight  infusion 
of  linseed,  by  way  of  tea,  is  recommended  in 
coughs  as  an  excellent  pectoral,  and  of  great 
service  in  pleurisies,  nephritic  complaints, 
and  suppressions  of  urine.  Cold-drawn  lin- 
seed oil  is  of  great  service  in  all  diseases  of 
the  breast  and  lungs,  as  pleurisies,  peripneu- 
monies,  coughs,  asthmas,  and  consumptions. 
It  likewise  helps  in  the  colic  and  stone.* 

In  pleuritic  pains,  says  Raygerusf,  I  have 
often  experienced  linseed  oil  to  be  the  most 
successful  medicine  I  could  prescribe  ;  for  it 
immediately  facilitated  respiration,  and  pro- 
moted spitting.     In  haemoptoe,  also,   I   ex- 

*  James.  t  Germ.  An.  6  &  7. 


208  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

hibited  the  same  oil  with  the  desired  suc- 
cess ;  for,  by  its  balsamatic  and  emplastic 
virtue,  it  consolidates  the  affected  parts. 

The  oil,  boiled  with  honey,  clears  the  face 
and  skin  of  spots,  and  all  cutaneous  ble- 
mishes.* 

Linseed  oil  consists  of  parts  so  subtile, 
that  it  cannot  be  kept  in  earthen  vessels, 
without  transudation. 

The  lint  made  from  linen  rags  has  ever 
been  in  great  use  in  surgical  cases,  from  its 
softness,  smoothness,  and  flexibility  ;  where- 
as that  made  from  cotton  can  never  be  used 
about  wounds,  on  account  of  its  denticulated 
parts,  which  dispose  to  inflammation.-f 

Formerly  the  seed  of  the  flax  was  occasion- 
ally used  with  corn  to  make  bread,  but  it 
was  considered  hard  of  digestion,  and  hurt- 
ful to  the  stomach.  In  a  scarcity  of  corn 
which  happened  in  Zeland  in  the  sixteenth 
century,  the  inhabitants  of  Middleburgh 
had  recourse  to  linseed,  which  they  made 
into  cakes,  and  which  caused  the  death  of 
many  of  the  citizens  who  ate  of  it ;  causing 
dreadful   swellings    of  the   body   and   face. 

*  Hist.  Plant,  ascript.  Boerhaave. 

t  Seethe  cause  of  this  under  the  article  Cotton,  p.  169. 


FLAX,    OR    LINE.  209 

Pliny  informs  us,  that  the  peasants  in  Lom- 
bardy  and  Piedmont  had  formerly  used  as 
food,  a  sweet  kind  of  bread  or  cakes  made 
from  this  seed,  but  which  in  his  time  was 
only  used  in  their  sacrifices  to  the  gods. 

The  quantity  of  linseed  annually  im- 
ported into  these  kingdoms,  was,  in  the  year 
1780,  estimated  to  be  not  less  than  240,000 
bushels. 

There  is  an  act  of  parliament  now  in  force, 
which  forbids  the  steeping  of  flax  in  rivers 
or  any  waters  where  cattle  are  accustomed 
to  drink,  as  it  is  found  to  communicate  a 
poison  destructive  to  the  cattle  which  drink 
of  it,  and  to  the  fish  in  such  waters. 


VOL.    I. 


210  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 


GINGER.— AMOUM  ZINGIBER. 

Natural  order,   Scitamitiece,  and  of  the  Mon- 
andria  Monogynia  class. 


Zingiber,  by  the  Greeks  called  X"SyiQeo, 
took  its  name  from  the  Indian  word  Zengebil. 

This  acrid  spicy-rooted  plant  is  a  native 
of  the  East  Indies.  It  grows  naturally  on  the 
coast  of  Malabar,  in  Bengal,  and  at  Ceylon; 
the  Indians  call  it  ZingibeL 

It  appears  also  to  be  indigenous  to  China, 
where  it  grows  wild,  and  is  cultivated  to  a 
great  extent,  particularly  in  the  environs  of 
Gingi,  from  whence,  in  all  probability,  it 
derived  its  name  of  Ginger. 

This  plant  was  introduced  into  New  Spain 
by  a  person  named  Francisco  de  Mendoza  ; 
from  whence,  most  probably,  it  was  carried  to 
the  West  India  Islands,  where  it  now  grows 
(particularly  in  Jamaica)  so  plentifully,  even 
in  a  wild  state,  as  to  induce  a  belief  that  it 
was  indigenous  to  the  soil.     Since  its  intro- 


GINGER.  211 

duction  to  Jamaica,  says  Lunan,  it  has  be- 
come an  article  of  considerable  export ;  for 
which  purpose  it  has  been  generally  culti- 
vated. 

It  is  calculated  that  the  quantity  of  this 
root  consumed  in  Europe,  is  about  one  mil- 
lion of  pounds  annually. 

Ginger  was  known  in  England  in  Queen 
Elizabeth's  reign,  as  Gerard  says;  "  Our 
men  which  sacked  Domingo  in  the  Indies, 
digged  vp  ginger  there  in  sundry  places 
wilde."  This  author  adds,  ■?  Ginger  groweth 
in  Spaine,  in  the  Canarie  Hands,  and  the 
Azores.  Ginger,"  he  continues,  "  is  most 
impatient  of  these  our  northern  regions,  as 
myselfe  haue  found  by  proofe;  for  that  there 
haue  been  brought  vnto  me  at  seuerall  times, 
sundry  plants  thereof,  fresh,  greene,  and 
full  of  iuice,  as  well  from  the  West  Indies, 
as  from  Barbarie  and  other  places,  which 
haue  sprouted  and  budded  foorth  greene 
leaues  in  my  garden  in  the  heate  of  somer ; 
but  as  soone  as  it  hath  bin  but  touched  with 
the  first  sharp  blast  of  winter,  it  hath  pre- 
sently perished  both  blade  and  roote." 

It  appears  to  have  been  known  in  London 
about  the  year  1566  or  7,  and  was  evidently 
introduced  by  the  Dutch  ;  as  Gerard  states, 


9 


212  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

that  about  30  years  or  more  before  he  pub- 
lished his  account  (1597),  "  an  honest  and 
expert  apothecarie  William  Dries,  to  satisfie 
my  desire,  sent  me  from  Antwerpe  to  Lon- 
don, the  picture  of  ginger,  bicause  I  was 
not  ignorant,  that  there  had  been  oft  ginger 
rootes  brought,  green,  new,  and  full  of  iuice, 
from  the  Indies  to  Antwerpe:  and  further, 
that  the  same  had  budded  and  growne  in  the 
said  Dries'  garden." 

The  following  manner  of  preparing  it  in 
Jamaica  is  extracted  from  Longs  History: 

"  It  is  propagated  by  the  smaller  pieces, 
prongs,  or  protuberances  of  the  root*  each  of 
which  throws  up  two  different  stems  :  the 
first  bears  the  leaves,  and  rises  to  the  height 
sometimes  of  three  feet  or  upwards  ;  but  its 
usual  growth  seldom  exceeds  eighteen  inches. 
It  thrives  best  in  a  rich  cool  soil ;  and  there- 
fore what  has  been  recently  cleared  from 
wood,  is  well  adapted  to  the  culture  of  it, 
more  especially  as  it  is  supposed  to  be  a 
great  impoverisher  of  land.  In  such  a  soil 
it  grows  so  luxuriantly,  that  a  hand,  or  a 
large-spreading  root,  will  weigh  near  a 
pound.  It  is  however  remarked,  that  what 
is  produced  from  a  clayey  tenacious  soil, 
shrinks  less  in  scalding;  while  such  as  is  raised 


GINGER.  213 

in  richer  black  moulds,  loses  considerably  in 
that  operation.     The  land  intended  for  the 
cultivation  of  it,  is  first  well  cleansed  with  the 
hoe,    then    slightly   trenched,    and   planted 
about  the  month  of  March  or  April.     It  ob- 
tains its  full  height,  and  flowers  about  August 
or  September,  and  fades  about  the  close  of 
the  year.      When  the   stalk  is  entirely  wi- 
thered, the  roots  are  in  the  proper  state  for 
digging.      This   is   generally   performed   in 
the  month  of  January  and  February.     After 
being  dug,  they  are  picked,  cleansed,   and 
gradually  seethed  or  scalded  in  boiling  water ; 
they  are  then  spread  out,  and  exposed  every 
day  to   the   sun   till   sufficiently  dried  ;  and 
after  being  divided  into  parcels  of  about  one 
hundred  each,  they  are  packed  up  in  bags 
for  the  market :  this  is  called  the  black  gin- 
ger.    The  manner  of  scalding  the  roots  is  as 
follows  :  a  large  pot  or  copper  is  fixed  in  the 
field,  or  some  convenient  place,  which  is  kept 
full  of  boiling  water ;  the  picked  ginger,  being 
divided  into  small  parcels,  is  laid  in  baskets, 
and  plunged  alternately  in  the  water,  where 
it  is  suffered  to  stay  for  the  space  of  ten  or 
fifteen  minutes  ;  it  is  then  spread  on  a  plat- 
form for  drying;  but  care  is  taken,  during  the 
process,   to    change  the  water  as  soon  as  it 


214  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

becomes  much  impregnated  with  the  juice  of 
the  root. 

"  The  white  sort  differs  but  little  from  the 
black  roots.  The  difference  arises  wholly 
from  the  methods  of  curing  them.  The  white 
is  never  scalded ;  but  instead  of  this  easy 
process,  they  are  picked,  scraped,  and  wash- 
ed, one  at  a  time,  and  then  dried  ;  all  which 
requires  too  much  pains  and  time  for  any 
real  advantage  to  be  gained  in  the  properties ; 
though,  being  made  more  agreeable  to  the 
eye,  the  price  of  the  white  is  much  higher  at 
market. 

"  When  roots  are  intended  for  sugar-pre- 
serve, they  are  dug  while  tender  and  full  of 
juice  ;  the  stems  at  this  time  rarely  exceed 
five  or  six  inches  in  height ;  the  root  is  care- 
fully picked,  washed,  and  afterwards  scalded 
till  it  is  sufficiently  tender ;  it  is  then  put 
in  cold  water,  and  peeled  and  scraped  gra- 
dually. This  operation  may  last  three  or 
four  days,  during  which  it  is  commonly  kept 
in  water,  and  the  water  frequently  shifted,  as 
well  for  cleanliness  as  to  extract  more  of  the 
native  acrimony.  After  this  preparation  it  is 
laid  in  unglazed  jars,  and  covered  with  a  thin 
syrup,  which  in  two  or  three  days  is  shifted, 
and  a  richer  put  in  :  this  is  sorftetimes  again 


GINGER.  215 

removed  for  a  third,  or  fourth;  but  more  than 
three  are  seldom  requisite.  The  shifted  sy- 
rups are  not  lost ;  for,  in  Jamaica,  they  are  di- 
luted with  water,  and  fermented  into  a  plea- 
sant liquor,  called  cool  drink,  with  some  mix- 
ture of  the  chaw-stick,  lignum  vitce,  and  sugar. 

"  This  root,  however,  either  in  its  natural 
state  or  candied,  is  esteemed  a  good  remedy 
against  the  cholic,  loosenesses  of  the  belly,  and 
windy  disorders.  It  strengthens  the  stomach, 
Kelps  digestion,  and  is  often  added  as  a  cor- 
rector to  purges  ;  its  use  in  culinary  prepara- 
tions is  well  known."  * 

The  roots  of  ginger  appear  to  be  much  less 
liable  to  heat  the  constitution  than  might  be 
expected  from  its  penetrating  warmth  and 
pungency  of  taste.  It  gives  out  the  whole  of 
its  virtue  to  rectified  spirit,  and  great  part  of 
it  to  water.  The  spiritous  tincture,  inspis- 
sated, yields  a  fiery  extract,  smelling  mode- 
rately of  the  ginger.  A  syrup  made  from  an 
infusion  of  three  or  four  ounces  of  the  root, 
in  three  pints  of  boiling  water,  is  kept  in  the 
shops.  The  cases  in  which  ginger  is  more 
immediately  serviceable,  are  flatulent  cholics, 
debility  and  laxity  of  the  system,  and  in  tor- 

#  Long,  p.  700. 


216 


CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 


pid  and  phlegmatic  constitutions,  to  excite  a 
brisker  action  of  the  vessels. 

A  limpid  red  transparent  oil,  swimming 
on  water,  is  by  simple  distillation,  got  out  of 
these  roots,  agreeing  in  smell  and  taste  with 
ginger,  only  more  mild.  Dr.  Wright  says, 
that  ginger  is  good  in  baths  and  fomenta- 
tions ;  in  complaints  of  the  viscera,  pleurisies, 
and  obstinate  continued  fevers.  Infused  in 
rum  or  wine,  with  filings  of  steel,  it  is  also 
said  to  be  useful  in  obstructions. 

Ginger    tea    has    been    recommended    in 
gouty  cases.     The  mode  of  making  it  is  by 
pounding  the  dried  roots  in  a  mortar.    Begin 
with  a  heaped  tea-spoonful,  taken  in  boiled 
milk,    either   for   supper   or   breakfast ;  the 
quantity  may  be  increased  to  two,  or  even 
three  drachms.     These  directions  were  given 
by  Dr.  Wright,  to  whom  Sir  Joseph  Banks 
gave    the   following   account   of  its    effects 
upon  himself,  in  1784  :  "I  have  taken  two 
tea-spoonfuls  heaped  up  of  ginger  powdered, 
in  a  pint  of  milk,    boiled  with  bread  and 
sweetened  with  sugar,  for  breakfast,  for  more 
than  a  year  past.     The  weight  of  the  ginger 
is  between  two  and  three  drachms.     At  first, 
this  quantity  is  difficult  to  swallow,  if  the 
ginger  is  good.     I  was  guided  in  the  quantity 


GINGER.  217 

by  the  effect  it  had  on  my  stomach  ;  if  it 
made  me  hiccup,  the  dose  was  too  large.  I 
found  occasionally,  that  it  produced  ardor 
urince  ;  but  this  went  off  without  any  ill  con- 
sequences whatever.  I  have  not  yet  found 
it  necessary  to  increase  the  dose ;  but  I  use 
rather  a  coarser  powder  than  I  did  at  first 
which  mixes  more  easily  with  the  milk,  and 
probably  produces  rather  more  effect  than 
the  fine." 

"  The  late  Lord  Rivers  took  ginger  in 
large  doses,  for  more  than  thirty  years,  and 
at  eighty  was  an  upright  and  healthy  old  man. 

"  I  have,  since  I  used  the  ginger,  had  one 
fit  of  the  gout ;  but  it  was  confined  entirely 
to  my  extremities,  and  never  assailed  either 
my  head,  my  loins,  or  my  stomach,  and  lasted 
only  seventeen  or  eighteen  days  ;  but  the 
last  fit  I  had  before  I  took  the  ginger, 
affected  my  head,  my  stomach,  and  my  loins, 
and  lasted,  with  intervals,  from  the  end  of 
October  to  January."* 

The  roots  preserved  or  candied  are  an  ex- 
cellent stomachic,  and  comforting  ;  boiled  in 
wine,  with  a  little  cummin  seed,  ginger  eases 
the  pain  of  the  stomach,  and  causes  sweat ; 

*  Sinclair's  Code  of  Health,  vol.  i.  page  233. 


218  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

outwardly  applied,  mixed  with  cocoa-nut  oil, 
draws  out  poisons  in  wounds ;  and  rubbed 
upon  the  stomach,  comforts  it,  and  eases 
pains  arising  from  a  cold  cause.* 

The  Indians,  as  well  as  the  Chinese,  eat 
the  root  when  green  by  way  of  salad,  chop- 
ping it  small,  and  mixing  it  with  herbs.  Well 
made  ginger-bread  is  both  agreeable  and 
wholesome,  and  many  excellent  receipts  may 
be  found  for  making  it,  in  the  Domestic 
Cookery,  and  other  receipt-books,  as  well  as 
for  making  ginger-beer  and  ginger-wine — 
drinks  which  have  lately  been  very  properly 
introduced  for  the  warm  season  of  the  year. 

Green  ginger,  preserved  with  sugar,  is 
proper  for  old  persons,  and  those  of  cold 
and  phlegmatic  constitutions,  especially  when 
it  is  new ;  it  is  also  good  for  viscid  phlegm  in 
the  lungs.-f* 

Ginger  is  good  for  the  stomach,  thorax, 
and  the  other  viscera;  restores  lost  appetite, 
and  resists  the  putrefaction  and  malignity  of 
the  humours,  j 

Ginger  absterges  and  dissipates  infrac- 
tions of  the  stomach  and  lungs,  by  consum- 
ing the  superfluous  humours,  and  comforts 

#  Barham,  p.  63.  f  James.  %  Dale; 


GINGER.  219 

and  strengthens  the  brain  and  memory  :  it  is 
also  of  service  in  dulness  of  sight,  proceed- 
ing from  humidity. 

"  This  root,"  says  Dr.  11.  James,  "  as  well  as 
pepper,  is  more  used  in  culinary  than  medi- 
cinal preparations  ;  because,  among  all  spices, 
these  two  have  very  much  of  an  acrimonious, 
and  but  little  of  an  aromatic  quality."  Galen 
infers,  that  ginger  is  not  of  so  fine  parts  as 
pepper,  because  its  heat,  though  equally 
strong,  is  not  so  soon  felt,  but  lasts  longer  ; 
hence,  he  concludes  ginger  to  be  of  a  grosser 
and  more  humid  or  aqueous  substance. 


CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 


HEMP.— CANNABIS. 

Natural  order,    Scabridce.      A    genus   of  the 
Diozcia  Peniandria  class. 


The  Latin  name  of  this  plant  is  the  same 
as  the  Greek  KavvacCis,  from  KclvclGqi,  because 
it  prospers  best  near  watery  places. 

That  this  fibrous  plant  is  indigenous  to 
most  of  the  European  countries,  as  well  as 
to  Asia  Minor,  we  have  the  authority  of  an- 
cient authors,  in  opposition  to  the  statements 
of  some  of  our  modern  botanists,  that  it  is  a 
native  plant  of  India  only.  Some  of  our 
Encyclopaedias  state,  that  the  ancients  used 
hemp  only  medicinally.  Pliny  is  cited  as 
their  authority.  In  his  19th  book,  chap- 
ter 9-  however,  he  informs  us  that  hemp  is 
equally  good  for  making  cordage ;  that  the 
best  for  the  purpose  of  making  nets,  and 
snares  for  wild  beasts,  was  grown  in  Alabanda; 
and  that  the  second  in  quality  grew  near 
Mylasium,  both  towns  of  Caria. 


HEMP.  c2'2  1 

As  a  Phoenician  colony  settled  there,  it  is 
probable  that  these  people,  so  celebrated  for 
their  achievements  in  navigation,  were  the 
first  who  discovered  the  use  of  hemp  in  form- 
ing cables  and  tackle  for  their  ships.  They 
were  in  ancient  times  what  the  Britons  are  at 
present.  Isaiah  calls  their  country  "  the 
merchant  city,  the  mart  of  nations,  whose 
merchants  are  princes,  whose  traffickers  are 
the  honourables  of  the  earth." 

Pliny  states,  that  the  hemp  which  grew  in 
some  parts  of  Italy,  and  near  Rosea  in  the 
Sabines'  country,  grew  as  high  as  shrubs  ; 
that  it  originally  grew  there  in  the  very 
woods,  without  even  sowing.  It  appears  by 
the  account  of  this  author,  that  the  Romans 
gathered  the  seed  before  the  stalks,  as  lie 
says  the  seed  should  be  sown  in  February, 
and  that  the  thicker  it  is  sown,  the  finer  the 
hemp  grows.  When  the  seed  ripened  in  the 
autumn,  it  was  rubbed  out  and  dried  in  the 
sun,  the  wind,  or  in  smoke,  and  the  stalks 
were  not  plucked  out  of  the  earth,  until  after 
the  vintage.  "  It  is  then,"  continues  he, 
"  the  work  of  the  husbandman  to  peel  and 
cleanse  it,  which  these  people  do  in  the 
evening  by  candle-light."  It  appears  to  have 
been  diligently  sorted  ;  as  this  great  observer 


222  CULTIVATED     VEGETABLES. 

of  natural  productions  says,  the  worst  part 
of  hemp  is  next  to  the  bark  or  rind ;  the 
principal  part,  and  that  of  the  best  quality, 
was  called  Mesa. 

Although  we  do  not  produce  lawn  or  lace 
from  the  fibres  of  hemp,  yet  it  is  a  plant  of 
great  importance  to  Britons,  as  it  forms  the 
sails  and  tackle  of  our  vessels,  from  the  huge 
cable  of  a  ship  of  war,  to  the  more  humble, 
but  not  less  profitable  net  of  the  herring- 
boat. 

The  sails  and  cordage  of  a  first-rate  man- 
of-war,  require  180,000  pounds  of  rough 
hemp  for  their  construction  ;  and  it  is  said  to 
average  five  acres  of  land  to  produce  a  ton 
of  hemp  :  thus  one  of  those  monstrous  towers 
of  human  ingenuity,  that 

'*  Stems  the  vast  main,  and  bears  tremendous  war 
To  distant  nations,  or  with  sovereign  sway 
Awes  the  divided  world  to  peace  and  love/' 

consumes  a  year's  produce  of  424  acres  of 
land  to  furnish  its  necessary  tackle. 

From  this  calculation  it  will  be  seen  that 
Great  Britain  could  not  furnish  itself  with 
a  sufficient  quantity  of  hemp  of  her  own 
growth  to  supply  the  immense  demands  of 
our  shipping. 


HEMP.  223 

In  the  year  1763,  we  imported  11,000  tons 
from  Russia ;  and  Sir  John  Sinclair  informs 
us,  that  in  the  year  1785,  the  quantity  ex- 
ported from  St.  Petersburg,  in  British  ships, 
amounted  to  17,695  tons,  which  would  be 
the  produce  of  88,475  acres  of  land.  In  the 
year  1788,  we  imported  from  Russia  58,464 
tons,  the  produce  of  nearly  300,000  acres, 
which  at  20/.  per  ton,  would  net  the  Rus- 
sians 1,269,280/.  In  the  year  1783,  France 
consumed  200,000  tons  of  hemp,  of  which 
more  than  one  third  was  imported. 

An  act  strongly  demonstrating  the  folly 
of  laying  prohibitions  on  articles  of  com- 
merce, (which  often  strengthens  those  whom 
it  intends  to  disable,)  was  committed  by  the 
Russians,  in  the  year  1718,  when  they  en- 
tered into  a  combination  with  the  Swedes 
to  deprive  England  of  naval  stores ;  and 
would  suffer  none  to  be  exported  out  of 
their  own  dominions,  but  in  their  own  ships, 
and  at  their  own  exorbitant  prices ;  which 
instead  of  ruining  our  trade  and  navigation, 
turned  our  attention  to  our  colonies,  and 
induced  us  to  procure  from  North  America 
not  only  a  sufficient  supply  for  the  use  of 
Great  Britain,  but  a  large  surplus  for  ex- 
portation. 


224  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

Our  government,  fully  aware  of  the  im- 
portant uses  of  hemp,  has  made  several 
salutary  laws,  to  render  its  culture  an  object 
of  attention.  In  the  year  1787,  a  bounty  of 
three  pence  per  stone,  was  allowed  on  all 
hemp  raised  in  England,  and  duties  have 
been  laid  on  all  that  is  imported. 

China  is  celebrated  for  its  abundance  of 
hemp,  particularly  in  the  province  of  Xensi ; 
but  flax  is  not  known  to  grow  in  that  empire. 
The  excellence  of  the  Chinese  hemp  was 
noticed  by  Nievhoff,  who  attended  the  em- 
bassy which  the  Dutch  East  India  Company, 
sent  to  Pekin  in  1655  and  6.  From  this  em- 
bassy more  information  is  obtained  on  the 
policy  and  natural  history  of  China,  than 
from  any  accounts  since  published  of  our 
own  embassies  :  whether  this  is  owing  to  the 
limited  observation  of  our  naturalists,  or 
to  the  jealous  restrictions  of  the  Chinese, 
we  cannot  decide. 

The  late  Mr.  Elliot  sent  some  seeds  of 
the  Chinese  hemp  to  Mr.  Fitzgerald,  vice- 
president  of  the  Society  for  Encouragement 
of  Arts  :  which  being  sown,  produced  plants 
fourteen  feet  high,  and  nearly  seven  inches 
in  circumference.  This  induced  Mr.  Fitz- 
gerald to  apply  to  the  Directors  of  the  India 


HEMP.  225 

Company,  to  obtain  some  of  the  seeds 
from  China,  which  were  procured  in  1785; 
but  few  of  the  plants  ripened  their  seed 
in  this  country.  Dr.  Hinton  made  a  more 
successful  trial  of  raising  the  Chinese  hemp 
in  1787,  which  produced  one-third  more 
of  marketable  hemp  than  the  best  English 
hemp  was  ever  known  to  yield  on  the  same 
quantity  of  ground.  Few  of  the  hemp-seeds 
will  vegetate  if  two  years  old;  to  this  cir- 
cumstance may  be  attributed  the  failure 
of  many  attempts  to  raise  this  new  variety 
of  hemp. 

The  English  hemp  is  much  superior  in 
strength  to  that  which  grows  in  any  other 
country.  Suffolk  is  the  principal  county 
where  hemp  is  grown  and  manufactured  ; 
this  is  seldom  or  ever  used  for  cordage.  The 
cloth  made  from  this  hemp  is  more  durable 
than  the  flaxen  linen,  as  well  as  warmer  ; 
and  has  the  advantage  of  becoming  whiter 
by  age  and  use  than  that  made  from  flax, 
which  will  not  maintain  its  bleached  white- 
ness. 

We  import  a  considerable  quantity  of 
sheeting  from  Russia,  which  has  this  great 
advantage  over  our  own  hempen  cloth,  that, 
being  drawn  from  the  distaff*  the  fibres  are 

VOL.    1.  Q 


226  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES, 

longer  and  less  crossed  than  those  in   the 
thread  made  by  machinery. 

Tusser  gave  this  valuable  hint  to  the  far- 
mers in  Queen  Mary's  time  : 

"  Where  plots  full  of  nettels  be  noisom  to  eie, 

sow  thereupon  hemp-seed,  and  nettels  wil  die." 

We  cannot  but  observe,  that  with  all  the 
improvements  in  the  cultivation  of  this  coun- 
try since  the  days  of  that  author,  there  are 
still  to  be  seen  many  wide  hedgerows  that 
are  the  nursery  of  thistles  and  other  impo- 
verishing weeds,  which  might  turn  to  good 
account  if  sown  with  hemp,  particularly  if 
they  were  allowed  to  be  planted  by  the  poor 
cottagers,  either  with  this  valuable  vegetable 
or  the  more  necessary  root  of  the  potatoe. 
These  poor  parishioners  would  then  have  an 
interest  in  keeping  off  depredators,  and  in 
protecting  the  fences  instead  of  destroying 
them  ;  their  leisure  would  be  spent  in  their 
own  little  territory  instead  of  the  ale-house, 
and  their  children  would  acquire  early  habits 
of  industry  in  tilling  a  plot  for  themselves. 

It  is  observed  by  the  Rev.  Thomas  Rad- 
cliff,  in  his  Report  on  the  Agriculture  of 
Eastern  and  Western  Flanders,  "  that  each 
day-labourer  has,  in  most  cases,  a  small  quan- 


HEMP.  227 

tity  of  land,  from  a  rood  to  half  an  acre,  for 
his  own  cultivation."  He  adds,  "  Their  com- 
fortable supply  of  linen  is  remarkable  ;  there 
are  few  of  the  labouring  classes  without  many 
changes.  In  riding  with  a  landed  proprietor 
through  a  part  of  the  country  in  which  his 
property  was  situated,  a  neat  cottage  pre- 
sented itself :  the  clipped  hedge  which  sur- 
rounded the  garden,  covered  with  linen,  very 
white,  suggested  an  inquiry,  '  whether  it  did 
not  belong  to  a  washerwoman  ?'  The  answer 
was,  that  it  was  occupied  by  a  labourer  and 
his  family,  and  that  the  linen  was  all  their 
own.  In  common  times  a  beggar  is  scarcely 
to  be  seen,  except  in  the  towns,  and  but  few 
there." 

Every  circumstance  that  is  connected  with 
the  comforts  of  the  lower  classes,  and  every 
device  that  can  be  invented  to  keep  them 
from  receiving  parochial  relief,  should  be 
adopted ;  for  when  once  they  have  become 
familiar  to  this  aid,  their  natural  pride  for- 
sakes them,  and  few  are  the  instances  of  their 
ever  endeavouring  to  become  independent  of* 
the  agriculturist,  on  whom  they  now  weigh  so 
heavily  as  to  endanger  the  prosperity  of  their 
support. 

Frugality  disappears  the  moment   the  la- 

y  2 


228  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

bourer  cannot  obtain  a  living  on  his  own  per- 
sonal exertions;  and  to  economize,  when  they 
once  use  the  public  purse,  seems  against  the 
nature  of  their  mortified  spirit. 

Hemp  is  said  to  possess  a  property  which 
renders  it  almost  invaluable  to  the  farmer  as 
well  as  the  gardener :  viz.  that  of  driving 
away  all  insects  that  feed  upon  other  vege- 
tables. It  is  a  common  practice  in  many 
parts  of  the  Continent  to  sow  a  belt  of  hemp 
round  their  gardens,  or  any  particular  spot 
where  they  wish  to  preserve  their  crops  from 
the  mischievous  attacks  of  flies  or  caterpil- 
lars. We  would  wish  this  experiment  to  be 
frequently  made  in  turnip  fields ;  for,  should 
it  succeed  in  protecting  those  crops  from  the 
ravages  of  flies,  as  well  as  the  cabbages  from 
the  caterpillar,  it  would  accomplish  a  most 
desirable  end. 

It  is  presumed  that  Tusser  made  his  ob- 
servation, that,  where  nettles  will  grow,  hemp 
will  thrive  and  destroy  the  nettle,  from  the 
opinion  of  the  ancients  as  to  assimilated 
juices,  an  opinion  really  not  deserving  the 
contempt  it  is  generally  treated  with  by  plan- 
ters. Plants  requiring  the  same  nourish- 
ment never  thrive  in  neighbourhood,  and  the 
hemp  is  nearly  allied  to  the  nettle  ;  from  the 


HEMP.  !!{) 

latter  plant  a  tolerably  good  linen  may  be 
made. 

It  will  generally  be  observed,  that  nettles 
occupy  a  good  soil,  which  might  be  advan- 
tageously metamorphosed  into  plots  and 
banks  of  hemp. 

A  Sussex  manufacturer,  who  wrote  on  this 
article  in  the  Annals  of  Agriculture,  informs 
us,  that  hemp  may  be  raised  for  many  years 
successively  on  the  same  ground,  provided  it 
be  well  manured.  The  quantity  of  seed  re- 
quired to  sow  an  acre  of  ground,  varies  from 
nine  to  twelve  pecks,  according  to  the  nature 
of  the  soil ;  the  quality  of  the  hemp  also 
differs  with  the  soil.  The  common  height 
of  the  plant  is  from  five  to  six  feet.  Mr. 
Arthur  Young  informs  us,  that  in  his  tour 
through  Catalonia  in  Spain,  he  saw  extraor- 
dinary crops  of  hemp,  where  the  land  was 
well  watered,  and  that  these  plants  were 
seven  feet  high.  The  hemp  that  is  culti- 
vated near  Bischwiller,  in  Alsace,  is  often 
more  than  twelve  feet  high,  and  upwards  of 
three  inches  in  circumference. 

From  the  class  in  which  this  plant  is  ar- 
ranged in  botany,  it  will  be  observed,  that 
the  same  seeds  produce  both  male  and  fe- 
male plants  promiscuously  :   this  is   one   of 


230  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

i 

the  secrets,  in  the  work  of  Nature,  which 
cannot  be  accounted  for.  The  Date  has  the 
same  peculiar  quality ;  for,  when  we  plant 
the  kernel  of  this  fruit,  it  is  uncertain  whe- 
ther the  offspring  will  be  a  male  or  female 
palm-tree. 

The  flowers  of  the  fruitful  hemp  are  her- 
maphrodital,  and,  like  the  lofty  palm  tree,  or 
some  of  the  lowly  strawberry  plants,  produce 
abortive  seed,  without  the  aid  of  the  farina 
of  the  barren  plant.  It  is  a  curious  misap- 
pellation  of  the  cultivators  of  hemp,  who  call 
the  fruitful  plants  male,  and  those  that  are 
barren  female;  we  are  more  surprised  that 
botanical  writers  should  fall  into  the  error, 
or,  rather,  copy  this  blunder  from  one  work 
into  another  for  so  many  ages,  without  cor- 
recting a  mistake  that  inverts  the  order  of 
Nature. 

The  unfruitful  plants  are  forwarder  than 
the  fruitful  ones  by  a  month  :  this  is  ascer- 
tained by  the  fading  of  the  blossoms,  the 
falling  of  the  farina  fecundans,  and  the  stalks 
becoming  of  a  yellowish  cast.  These  plants 
should  be  drawn  out  and  worked,  if  possible, 
while  green,  the  hemp  being  then  finer  than 
that  which  is  previously  dried.  The  Abb6 
Bralle,  in  a  Treatise  upon  the  Culture  and 


HEMP.  231 

Management  of  Hemp,  directs,  that  little 
paths  should  be  made  lengthways  through 
the  fields,  at  about  seven  feet  distance  from 
each  other,  to  allow  a  passage  for  the  person 
who  pulls  up  the  unfruitful  hemp  from 
among  the  other,  which  requires  to  stand 
more  than  a  month  after  the  barren  plants 
to  ripen  its  seed.  The  fibres  of  the  hemp 
are  prepared  for  spinning,  by  a  similar  pro- 
cess to  that  of  preparing  flax.  The  beating 
of  hemp,  which  was  formerly  performed  by 
hand,  is  now  done  by  a  water-mill,  which 
raises  heavy  beaters,  and  only  requires  the 
assistance  of  a  boy  to  keep  it  turned.  This 
laborious  work  was  formerly  imposed  as  a 
punishment  for  vice,  in  the  houses  of  correc- 
tion. Hogarth  has  noticed  this  circumstance 
in  one  of  his  celebrated  pictures. 

It  is  a  duty  incumbent  on  society,  not  to 
allow  hempen  rags,  or  even  old  ropes,  to  be 
destroyed.  They  are  carefully  sorted  by  the 
paper-maker,  the  finest  being  reserved  for 
the  purposes  of  literature  and  correspon- 
dence, while  inferior  sorts  are  selected  for 
the  various  purposes  of  packages  and  paper- 
hangings. 

The  seed  of  hemp,  being  boiled  in  milk 
till   it   cracks,    is   accounted   good   for   old 


232  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 


coughs,  and  a  specific  for  the  jaundice.* 
Dodoens  says,  that,  in  his  day,  the  hemp- 
seed,  stamped  and  taken  in  white  wine,  was 
highly  commended  as  a  remedy  for  the  jaun- 
dice and  complaints  of  the  liver. 

The  juice  of  the  green  plant,  instilled  into 
the  ears,  mitigates  the  pains  therein. -f* 

Coles,  in  his  excellent  History  of  Plants, 
notices  the  virtues  of  hemp  thus  laconically  : 
"  By  this  cordage  ships  are  guided,  bells  are 
rung,  beds  are  corded,  and  rogues  are  kept 
in  awe." 

*  Miller's  Bot.  Off.         f  Dioscorides,  lib.  iii.  cap.  165. 


233 


HOP.— HUMULUS. 

Natural  order,    Scabridce.     A   genus   of   the 
Dicecia  Pentandria  class. 


"  Lo,  on  auxiliary  poles,  the  hops 
Ascending  spiral,  ranged  in  meet  array." 

Phillips's   Cider. 

The  generic  name  of  this  plant  is  derived 
from  humus,  moist  earth  or  ground,  because 
the  plant  thrives  best  in  such  soil,  but  this 
word  is  of  modern  origin,  as  is  the  Greek 
word  (ipuov,  and  fipvwvioc,  Bryonia,  Bryony, 
from  the  form  of  the  leaves  and  running  of 
the  branches,  which  somewhat  resemble  this 
latter  plant.  It  seems  to  have  been  un- 
known to  the  ancient  Greeks,  as  it  is  unno- 
ticed by  their  authors  ;  and  Pliny  is  the  first 
of  the  Romans  who  makes  mention  of  this 
plant.  He  calls  it  Lupulus  Salictarius,  as  is 
supposed,  from  its  climbing  upon  sallows  and 
other  trees.  This  author  informs  us,  that  the 
ancients  made  no  use  of  the  flowers,  except- 
ing to  ornament  their  gardens;  but  that  the 


234  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

Romans  in  his  time  ate  the  young  tops  as 
a  vegetable,  which  are,  says  he,  more  palata- 
ble than  nutritious. 

Lobel  called  this  plant  Vitis  Septentriona- 
lium,  the  Vine  of  the  northern  regions,  be- 
cause we  put  hops  in  our  malt  drink. 

The  hop,  of  which  there  is  but  one  species 
discovered,  is  an  indigenous  plant  of  this 
country,  although  it  is  generally  stated  to 
have  been  first  brought  to  this  kingdom 
from  the  Netherlands,  in  the  year  1524.  It 
is  probable  that  the  Dutch  gardeners,  who 
came  to  England  in  the  reign  of  Henry  the 
Eighth,  might  have  brought  over  some  hop- 
plants,  with  other  roots  and  seeds,  and  that 
we  availed  ourselves  of  their  manner  of  cul- 
tivating this  bitter  herb.  From  them,  it  ap- 
pears, we  also  derived  the  name,  which,  in 
High  Dutch,  is  Hopffen ;  and  Hoppe,  Hop, 
and  Hopcruyt  in  Dutch. 

The  first  English  treatise  written  express- 
ly on  the  culture  of  hops,  was  by  Reynolde 
Scot,  printed  in  1574,  in  63  pages,  black 
letter,  entitled,  "  A  perfite  platforme  of  a 
Hoppe  Garden."  He  complains  that  *  the 
Flemmings  envie  our  practice  herin,  who 
altogither  tende  their  owne  profite,  seeking 
to  impownde  us  in  the  ignorance  of  our  com- 


hop.  235 

nodities,  to  cramme  us  with  the  wares  and 
ruites  of  their  countrie,  and  to  doe  anye 
hing  that  myght  put  impediment  to  this 
mrpose,  dazeling  us  with  the  discommenda- 
ion  of  our  soyle,  obscuring  and  falsifying 
he  order  of  this  mysterie,  sending  us  into 
^launders  as  farre  as  Poppering,  for  that 
diich  we  may  flnde  at  home  in  our  own 
mnksides." 

Tusser,  who  resided  in  Essex  during  the 
eigns  of  Henry  the  Eighth  and  his  three 
:hildren,  has  left  us  a  faithful  account  of  the 
nanner  of  treating  the  hop  in  his  day  ;  his 
rerse  for  the  month  of  June,  says 

f  Whom  fansie  perswadeth,  among  other  crops, 
to  have  for  his  spending,  sufficient  of  hops : 
Must  willingly  follow,  of  choises  to  choose, 
such  lessons  approued,  or  skilful  do  vse. 

Ground  grauellie,  sandie,  and  mixed  with  claie, 
is  naughty  for  hops,  any  manner  of  waie  : 

Or  if  it  be  mingled  with  rubbish  and  stone, 
for  driness  and  barrenness,  let  it  alone. 

Choose  soile  for  the  hop,  of  the  rottenest  mould, 
well  doonged  and  wrought,  as  a  garden  plot  should  : 

Not  far  from  the  water,  (but  not  ouerflowne) 
this  lesson  well  noted,  is  meet  to  be  knowne. 

The  sun  in  the  south,  or  else  southlie  and  west, 
is  joy  to  the  hop,  as  welcommed  ghest : 

But  wind  in  the  north,  or  else  northerly  east, 
to  hop  is  as  ill,  as  a  fray  in  a  feast. 


236  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

Meet  plot  for  a  hopyard,  once  found  as  is  told, 
make  thereof  account,  as  of  jewel  of  gold  : 

Now  dig  it  and  leave  it,  the  sun  for  to  burne, 
and  afterwards  fense  it,  to  serue  for  that  turne. 

The  hop  for  his  profit,  I  thus  do  exalt, 

it  strengthened  drinke,  and  fauoureth  malt : 

And  being  wel  breued,  long  kep  it  will  last, 
and  drawing  abide,  if  ye  draw  not  too  fast. 

For  January. 

If  hopyard  or  orchard,  ye  mind  for  to  haue, 
for  hop  poles  and  crotches,  in  lopping  go  saue  : 

Which  husbandly  saued,  may  serve  at  a  push, 
and  stop  by  so  hauing,  two  gapes  with  a  bush. 

Remember  thy  hopyard,  if  season  be  drie, 
Now  dig  it  and  weed  it,  and  so  let  it  lie  : 

More  fennie  the  laier,  the  better  his  lust, 

more  apt  to  bear  hops,  when  it  crumbles  like  dust. 

For  March. 

In  March  at  the  furthest,  drie  season  or  wet, 
hop  roots  so  wel  chosen,  let  skilful  go  set : 

The  goeler  and  yonger,  the  better  I  loue, 

wel  gutted  and  pared,  the  better  they  proue. 

Some  laieth  them  crossewise,  along  in  the  ground, 
as  high  as  the  knee,  they  do  couer  up  round  : 

Some  pricke  vp  a  sticke,  in  the  midst  of  the  same, 
that  little  round  hillocke,the  better  to  frame. 

Some  maketh  a  hollowness  halfe  a  foot  deepe, 
with  fower  sets  in  it,  set  slantwise  asleepe  : 

One  foote  from  another,  in  order  to  lie, 
and  thereon  a  hillocke,  as  round  as  a  pie. 


hop.  237 

Fiue  foot  from  another,  ech  hillocke  would  stand 
as  straight  as  a  leuelled  line  with  the  hand  : 

Let  euery  hillocke  be  fower  foot  wide, 
the  better  to  come  to  on  euery  side. 

By  willowes  that  groweth,  thy  hopyard  without, 
and  also  by  hedges,  thy  meadowes  about  ; 

Good  hop  hath  a  pleasure  to  climb  and  to  spread, 
if  sunne  may  haue  passage,  to  comfort  hirhead. 

For  the  month  of  April  the   same   author 
continues, 

Get  into  thy  hopyard,  with  plentie  of  poles, 

amongst  the  same  hillocks,  diuide  them  by  doles  : 

Three  poles  to  a  hillocke  (I  pass  not  how  long) 
shall  yield  thee  more  profit,  set  deeply  and  strong. 

For  May. 

Get  into  thy  hopyard,  for  now  it  is  time 

to  teach  Robin  hop  on  his  pole  how  to  clime  : 

To  follow  the  sunne,  as  his  property  is, 

and  weed  him  and  trim  him,  if  aught  go  amis. 

For  August. 

If  hops  do  look  brownish,  then  are  ye  too  slow, 
if  longer  ye  suffer  those  hops  for  to  grow  : 

Now  sooner  ye  gather,  more  profit  is  found, 
if  weather  be  fair,  and  dew  off  the  ground. 

Not  breake  off,  but  cut  off,  from  hop  the  hop  string, 
leaue  growing  a  little,  again  for  the  spring: 

Whose  hil  about  pared,  and  therewith  new  clad, 
shal  nourish  more  sets,  against  March  to  be  had. 


238  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

Hop  hillock  discharged  of  euery  let, 

see  then  without  breaking  each  pole  ye  out  get : 

Which  being  intangled  aboue  in  the  tops, 
go  carrie  to  such  as  are  plucking  of  hops. 

Take  soutage  or  hair  (that  covers  the  kel) 

set  like  to  a  manger,  and  fastened  wel : 
With  poles  vpon  crotches,  as  hie  as  the  brest, 

for  sauing  and  riddance,  is  husbandry  best. 

Some  skilfullie  drieth  their  hops  on  a  kel, 
and  some  on  a  soller,  of  turning  them  wel ; 

Kel  dried  wil  abide  foul  weather  and  faire, 
where  drying  and  lying  in  loft  doo  despaire. 

Some  close  them  vp  drie,  in  a  hogshead  or  fat, 
yet  canuas  or  soutage,  is  better  than  that: 

By  drying  and  laying,  they  quickly  be  spilt, 

thus  much  haue  I  shewed,  do  now  as  thow  wilt. 

Gerard,  who  wrote  on  this  plant  in  1596, 
says,  "  It  ioyeth  in  a  fat  and  fruitful  ground  : 
it  prospereth  the  better  by  manuring.  The 
flowers  of  hops  are  gathered  in  August  and 
September,  and  reserued  to  be  vsed  in  beere. 
The  manifold  virtues  in  hops  do  manifestly 
argue  the  holsomnesse  of  beere  above  ale ; 
for  the  hops  rather  make  it  phisicall  drinke 
to  keepe  the  body  in  health,  than  an  ordina- 
rie  drinke  for  the  quenching  of  our  thirst." 
He  adds,  "  The  flowers  are  vsed  to  season 
beere  or  ale  with,  and  overmany  do  cause 
bitterness  thereof,  and  are  ill  for  the  head. 


hop.  239 

The  flowers  make  bread  light,  and  the  lunipe 
to  be  sooner  and  easilier  leuened,  if  the  meal 
be  tempored  with  liquor,  wherein  they 
haue  beene  boiled.  The  buds  or  first  sprouts 
which  come  foorth  in  the  spring,  are  vsed  to 
be  eaten  in  sallads,  yet  are  they  more  tooth- 
some than  nourishing." 

The  earliest  writer  who  speaks  fully  on 
this  plant,  is  D.  Rembert  Dodoens,  professor 
at  Leyden,  and  physician  to  Charles  the 
Fifth,  who,  when  he  had  resigned  his  Impe- 
rial honours,  endeavoured  to  quiet  his  mind 
by  cultivating  his  garden,  in  the  monastery 
of  St.  Juste,  on  the  borders  of  Castile. 
Dodoens's  Herbal  mentions  the  two  varieties 
of  hops;  "  the  wild  hedge  hop,  and  the 
manured,  the  bells  or  bunches  (flowers)  of 
which,  when  ripe,  have  a  very  strong  smell, 
and  are  collected  by  the  brewers  of  ale  and 
beer,  who  keep  them  together,  to  give  a  good 
relish  and  pleasant  taste  to  their  drink.  The 
cultivated  hop,  he  says,  is  planted  in  gar- 
dens and  places  fit  for  the  purpose,  where 
it  windeth  itself  about  poles  ;  the  wild  hop 
groweth  in  fields,  and  in  herb  gardens,  as 
its  tender  shoots,  before  they  produce  leaves, 
are  eaten  in  salads,  and  are  a  good  and  whole- 
some meat."     This  physician  says,  "the tie- 


240  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

coction  of  hops,  when  drunk,  opens  the 
stoppings  of  the  Ever,  the  spleen  or  milt, 
and  purgeth  the  blood  from  all  corrupt 
humours,  principally  by  urine  ;  it  is  therefore 
good  for  those  of  gross  scorbutic  habits." 
He  adds,  "  that  the  young  shoots,  eaten  as 
salad  in  the  month  of  March,  have  the  same 
virtues,  and  that  the  juice  of  hops  is  a  great 
purifier  of  the  blood." 

Haller,  from  Isidorus,  says,  that  the  first 
experiment  of  putting  hops  into  beer,  was 
made  in  Italy.  It  does  not  appear  that  they 
were  used  by  the  English,  in  the  composition 
of  malt  liquor,  until  after  Henry  the  Eighth's 
expedition  against  Tournay,  about  the  year 
1524.  We  therefore  conclude,  that  the  art 
was  learnt  during  that  enterprise.  In  the 
following  reign,  hops  are  first  mentioned  in 
our  statute  book,  viz.  in  the  year  1552  (5 
and  6  Edward  the  Sixth,  cap.  5.),  and  by  an 
Act  of  Parliament  of  1603,  the  first  year  of 
James  the  First  (cap.  18),  it  appears,  that 
hops  were  then  produced  in  considerable 
quantity  in  England.  But  this  vegetable- 
bitter  has  been  subject  to  caprice,  as  well  as 
other  plants  ;  for,  an  opinion  prevailing  that 
hops  possessed  deleterious  qualities,  the  City 
of  London  petitioned  Parliament,  to  prevent 


hop.  c241 

their  being  put  into  beer.*  The  use  of  them 
was,  therefore,  forbidden  bv  an  Act  of  Parlia- 
ment,  in  the  reign  of  James  the  First.  This 
act  was  little  attended  to,  and,  never  having 
been  repealed,  is  strongly  contrasted  by  the 
Act  9  Anne,  cap.  12,  which  inflicts  a  penalty 
of  twenty  pounds  on  all  brewers  who  shall 
use  any  other  bitter  than  that  of  hops  in 
their  malt  liquors  ;  and  to  prevent  their  being 
adulterated  by  giving  them  scent  or  colour 
by  drugs,  an  Act  was  passed  in  the  6th  of 
George  the  Third,  which  makes  it  a  forfeiture 
of  five  pounds  per  hundred  weight  to  use 
this  deception ;  and  by  the  same  act,  the  ma- 
liciously cutting  hop-bines  growing  on  poles 
in  any  plantation  is  made  felony,  without 
benefit  of  clergy. 

The  hop  is  the  only  native  plant  that  is 
under  the  control  of  the  Excise.  By  9  Anne, 
cap.  12,  a  duty  of  one  penny  per  pound  was 
laid  on  all  hops  growing  in  Great  Britain  and 

*  Walter  Blith  says,  in  his  third  edition  of  "  English 
Improver  Improved"  (1653),  "  It  is  not  many  years  since 
the  famous  city  of  London  petitioned  the  Parliament  of 
England  against  two  anusancies,  and  these  were  Newcastle 
coals,  in  regard  of  their  stench,  &c.  and  hops,  in  regard 
they  would  spoil  the  taste  of  drink,  and  endanger  the 
people." 

VOL.    I.  R 


242  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

made  fit  for  use  ;  and  all  hop-grounds  were 
required  to  be  entered,  on  pain  of  forty  shil- 
lings per  acre.  In  the  same  act  an  additional 
duty  of  three-pence  per  pound  was  laid  on 
all  hops  imported,  over  and  above  other 
duties  ;  and  hops  landed  before  entry  and 
payment  of  duty,  or  without  warrant  for 
landing,  are,  by  that  act,  to  be  forfeited  and 
burnt ;  the  ship  also  to  be  confiscated,  and 
the  person  concerned  in  importing  or  landing, 
to  forfeit  five  pounds  a  hundred  weight. 

Hartlib,  in  his  Complete  Husbandman, 
(1659,)  says,  "  that  in  Queen  Elizabeth's 
time  we  had  hopps  from  the  Low  Countries, 
and  that  the  Frenchman,  who  writes  the 
Treasure  Politick,  saith,  that  it's  one  of  the 
great  deficiencies  of  England,  that  hopps  will 
not  grow,  whereas  now  it  is  known  that  they 
are  the  best  in  the  world."  However,  we 
find  that  they  were  imported,  occasionally, 
as  late  as  the  year  1695 ;  for  510  cwt.  were 
then  brought  from  Flanders  and  Holland.* 

Coles  notices,  in  his  Paradise  of  Plants, 
(1657,)  "  That  hops  grow  in  great  plenty  in 
Kent  and  Essex,  where  there  be  men  of  good 
worth,  whose  estates  consist  in  hop-grounds." 

*  Hought.  2.  458. 


hop.  t}4;3 

Lord  Bacon  says,  "  The  planting  of  hop- 
yards  is  profitable  for  the  planters,  and  con- 
sequently for  the  kingdom."  Mortimer  ob- 
serves, that  in  Kent  they  plant  their  hop- 
gardens with  apple-trees  and  cherry-trees 
between. 

The  grower  of  hops  is  obliged  to  keep 
scales  and  weights  for  the  use  of  the  Excise ; 
and  to  remove  them  before  being  weighed, 
subjects  him  to  severe  penalties  :  they  must 
also  be  packed  in  bags  called  pockets,  and 
the  weight,  with  the  planter's  name  and 
abode,  marked  on  them,  with  the  date  of  the 
year  in  which  the  hops  were  grown  :  to  alter 
or  obliterate  this  mark,  subjects  the  offender 
to  a  fine  of  ten  pounds  :  by  application  to 
the  Excise,  they  are  allowed  to  be  packed  in 
casks  under  the  same  regulation. 

The  cultivation  of  hops  in  this  country  is 
nearly  confined  to  the  southern  counties,  of 
which  Kent  is  the  principal ;  although  the 
hops  of  Farnham  in  Surrey,  bring  the  highest 
price  in  the  market,  and  next  to  them  the 
Sussex  hops  are  generally  esteemed  ;  the 
former  owe  their  superiority  solely  to  the  ex- 
cellent mode  of  picking,  and  not  to  any  phy- 
sical advantages.  The  Worcester  hops  are 
the   mildest,  and  possess   the  peculiar  pro- 


R    2 


244  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

perty  of  bringing   beer   to   maturity  before 
any  other. 

Hops  seem  the  most  uncertain  and  preca- 
rious crop  on  which  the  husbandman  bestows 
his  labour.  The  expense  of  planting  and 
manuring,  added  to  that  of  the  poles,  the 
gathering,  and  drying,  is  so  considerable, 
that  the  planter  is  only  repaid  by  those  oc- 
casionally abundant  crops  which  favourable 
seasons  produce.  An  extraordinarily  good 
crop  returns  to  the  planter  about  100/.  per 
acre,  of  which  must  be  deducted  on  the 
average  50/.  per  acre  for  expense  ;  but  when 
the  uncertainty  of  a  crop,  and  the  many 
combinations  that  are  required  to  produce  so 
good  a  one,  are  considered,  it  seldom  happens 
that  the  hop-planter  is  richer  than  his  neigh- 
bour, notwithstanding  these  brilliant  returns, 
that  too  often  delude  the  unwary  and  un- 
thinking speculator. 

The  plants  are  often  injured  by  the 
frost  in  the  spring,  and  they  are  also  sub- 
ject to  various  other  casualties.  A  kind  of 
mildew  or  blight,  producing  flies,  frequently 
destroys  the  fairest  promise  of  this  plant, 
and  from  the  height  of  the  poles  and  the 
sail  they  carry,  a  high  wind  occasions  great 
havock  in  the   hop-gardens.     We  are    not 


hop.  245 

aware  of  the  experiment  having  been  made 
of  keeping  them  closer  to  the  ground  in  the 
manner  of  a  vineyard,  or  by  espaliers;  but 
by  some  observations  which  the  author  has 
made  on  a  few  plants  which  he  cultivated 
for  ornament,  the  flowers  were  found  larger 
and  more  abundant  on  the  vines  that  were 
trained  horizontally,  than  on  those  which 
climbed  to  a  greater  height ;  and  we  notice, 
that  in  all  other  fruits  those  nearest  the 
earth  ripen  the  first,  and  the  hop  can  obtain 
no  more  sun  at  twenty  feet  from  the  ground 
than  it  would  at  six  feet.  If  the  poles  were 
placed  sloping,  with  horizontal  and  perpendi- 
cular props,  the  vine  could  still  extend  itself 
without  being  so  subject  to  tempest.  The 
position  of  these  ranges  of  trellis  poles  could 
be  so  fixed  as  to  admit  the  sun  and  air  more 
freely  ;  the  tying  and  gathering  would  be 
more  easily  accomplished;  and  it  is  a  cu- 
rious circumstance  in  the  natural  history  of 
this  plant,  that  the  vine  always  takes  one 
direction  in  winding  itself  round  its  pole,  re- 
gularly ascending  from  the  right  hand  to  the 
left :  this,  in  trellis  work,  would  avoid  confu- 
sion or  crossing  of  vines,  which  is  injurious  to 
all  plants. 

To  describe  the  present  manner  of  culti- 


246  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

vating,  gathering,  drying  and  bagging  of  hops, 
would  be  repeating  what  may  be  found  in  every 
Encyclopedia,  and  work  on  agriculture,  with- 
out adding  entertainment  or  information. 

The  hop  plantations  in  Sussex  have  in- 
creased from  about  5400  to  9500  acres 
within  these  last  fourteen  years,  as  appears 
by  a  statement  from  the  Board  of  Excise, 
which  was  ordered  by  the  House  of  Com- 
mons to  be  printed  in  May,  1821. 

In  a  country  where  malt-liquor  forms  the 
general  beverage  of  the  greater  portion  of  its 
inhabitants,  it  becomes  a  matter  of  no  small 
importance  to  know,  that  the  hop  contains 
an  aperient,  and  diuretic  bitter,  which  makes 
our  beer  more  salubrious,  whilst  its  balsamic 
flavour  makes  it  more  agreeable,  and  com- 
bines with  these  advantages,  that  of  pre- 
serving the  liquor  by  its  agreeably  odorifer- 
ous principle,  which  prevents  the  necessary 
fermentation  from  going  beyond  due  bounds. 

"  The  ale,"  (says  Parkinson  in  his  Thea- 
trical Botanicum,  published  in  1640,)  "  which 
our  forefathers  were  accustomed  only  to 
drink,  being  a  kind  of  thicker  drink  than 
beere,  is  now  almost  quite  left  off  to  be 
made,  the  use  of  hoppes,  to  be  put  therein 
altering  the  quality  thereof,  to  be  much  more 


hop.  247 

healthful,  or  rather  physicall,  to  preserve  the 
body  from  the  repletion  of  grosse  humors, 
which  the  ale  engendered." 

Ground  Ivy,  called  Alehoof  or  Tun-hoof, 
Glechoma  hederacea,  was  generally  used  for 
preserving  beer,  before  the  use  of  hops  was 
known. 

Horehound  and  wormwood,  &c.  &c.  have 
been  used  as  a  succedaneum,  when  hops 
have  been  dear. 

Some  authors  recommend  hops  against 
the  stone ;  others  doubt  their  utility  in  that 
complaint ;  but  it  has  been  remarked,  that 
since  hops  have  been  more  generally  used, 
fewer  persons  labour  under  that  malady. 

It  is  said  that  the  perfume  of  hops  is  so 
salutary,  that  when  put  between  the  outer 
cover  and  the  pillow,  they  will  procure  sleep 
to  those  who  are  in  delirious  fevers. 

The  decoction  of  the  flowers  and  syrups 
thereof,  are  thought  good  against  pestilential 
fevers ;  juleps  and  apozems  are  also  pre- 
pared with  hops  for  hypochondriacal  and  hys- 
terical affections. 

"  The  hop,"  says  Dr.  James,  "  is  bitter, 
detersive,  and  gives  no  tincture  of  red  to  blue 
paper.  By  the  chemical  analysis,  a  little 
acid,  a  great  deal   of  volatile   concrete   salt. 


248  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

and  oil,  are  obtained  from  it ;  which  shews 
it  to  contain  some  sal-ammoniac,  mixed  with 
some  sulphur  and  earth. 

In  Sweden,  they  make  a  strong  cloth 
from  the  fibres  of  the  hop-vine,  after  it  has 
been  dressed  like  flax.  The  Society  for  en- 
couraging Arts,  Manufactures,  and  Commerce 
in  London,  offered  premiums,  in  1760,  for 
cloth  made  from  hop-stalks.  In  the  year 
following  Mr.  Cooksey  produced  specimens. 
In  1791,  Mr.  John  Locket,  of  Donnington, 
near  Newbury,  in  Berkshire,  had  the  premium 
adjudged  to  him  for  cloth  made  from  these 
stalks. 

In  the  months  of  March  and  April,  while 
the  buds  are  tender,  the  country  people  dress 
them  as  asparagus ;  they  are  an  agreeable  ve- 
getable, and  esteemed  good  to  purify  the 
blood  in  the  scurvy,  and  most  cutaneous 
diseases. 


249 


HOREHOUND.— MARRUBIUM. 

Natural  order,  Verticillatce.      A  genus  of  the 
Didynamia  Gymnospermia  class. 


"  If  the  prophet  had  bid  thee  do  some  great 
thing,  wouldest  thou  not  have  done  it  ?  how 
much  rather  then,  when  he  saith  to  thee, 
Wash,  and  be  clean  ?  " 

Naaman  felt  the  justice  of  his  servant's 
rebuke,  bathed,  and  recovered  his  flesh. 

Horehound  has  been  recommended  to  us 
by  medical  writers  of  all  ages  and  countries, 
as  a  safe  and  simple  remedy  for  complaints  as 
dangerous  to  our  existence  as  the  leprosy 
was  to  the  Syrian  captain' s.  Like  him  we 
answer,  that  we  have  skilful  physicians,  and 
drugs  collected  from  the  most  distant  quarters 
of  the  globe  ;  shall  we  not  apply  to  them  for 
cure,  rather  than  to  an  herb  that  bears  affinity 
to  the  nettle  ? 

This  medicinal  plant  is  indigenous  to  most 
parts  of  Europe,  as  well  as  to  Britain  ;  and, 
like  many  other  herbs,  the  nearer  it  grows 


250  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

towards  the  south,  the  more  powerful  is  its 
scent.  The  English  name  having  no  resem- 
blance to  that  of  any  other  language,  induces 
us  to  conclude  that  it  was  called  hore,  or 
hoar,  from  the  white  frosty-like  appearance 
of  the  leaves,  and  hound,  from  its  likeness  to 
the  herb  now  called  hound' s-tongue,  the 
smell  of  which  approaches  so  near  to  that  of 
a  kennel  of  hounds. 

Miller  mentions  fifteen  species  of  the  white 
horehound.  Aiton  notices  eleven  in  the 
Hortus  Kewensis,  that  are  cultivated  in  this 
country,  all  of  which  are  European  plants. 
The  leaves  of  the  common  white  horehound 
are  considered  to  be  attenuant  and  resolvent, 
and  are  celebrated  for  the  relief  they  give  in 
moist  asthmas,  and  in  most  disorders  of  the 
breast  and  lungs,  of  which  a  thick  and  vis- 
cous matter  is  the  cause.  They  are  also  of 
great  service  in  cachexies,  and  chronical  dis- 
orders, proceeding  from  a  viscidity  of  the 
fluids,  and  obstructions  of  the  viscera.  When 
taken  in  infusion,  a  handful  of  fresh  leaves, 
or  half  a  handful  of  dried  ones,  is  considered 
a  dose.  A  dram  of  the  dried  leaves  pow- 
dered, and  two  or  three  ounces  of  the  ex- 
pressed juice,  have  each  the  like  effect. 
Lozenges  made  of  the  juice  of  this  herb  and 


HOREHOUND.  251 

sugar,    are    esteemed   good   for   colds    that 
affect  the  chest. 

Among  the  ancient  physicians  who  recom- 
mended this  herb,  Castor  directs  an  equal 
portion  of  the  juice  of  the  white  horehound 
and  honey,  to  be  warmed  in  an  egg-shell, 
and  used  as  an  injection,  not  only  to  break 
imposthumes,  but  to  cleanse  and  heal  them. 
The  same  author  prescribed  a  liniment  made 
of  lard  and  horehound  stamped,  as  a  cure  for 
the  bite  of  a  mad  dog,  and  for  scrophulous 
swellings. 

Pliny  informs  us,  in  the  twenty-second 
chapter  of  his  twentieth  book,  that  the 
Roman  physicians  thought  horehound  one  of 
the  most  valuable  herbs  used  in  medicine. 
The  leaves  and  seeds  were  pounded  together 
as  a  cure  for  the  sting  of  serpents,  pains  of 
the  breast  or  sides,  for  old  coughs,  and  com- 
plaints of  the  lungs.  No  medicine  was  con- 
sidered more  efficacious  in  these  complaints, 
than  the  juice  of  horehound  and  fennel  boiled 
into  a  syrup  with  honey,  to  be  taken  fasting. 
Stamped  with  vinegar,  it  was  esteemed  a  cure 
for  the  ring-worm.  The  juice  was  thought 
to  clear  the  eyesight,  and  mitigate  the 
jaundice  ;  and  for  all  kinds  of  poison,  says  this 
Roman  author,  few  herbs  are  so  effectual  as 


252  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

horehound ;  for  without  any  addition,  it 
cleanses  the  stomach  and  breast,  and  brings 
off  all  impurities.  Dodoens  recommends  it 
for  most  of  these  complaints,  and  says,  that 
the  juice  mixed  with  honey  and  wine  is  good 
to  clear  the  sight,  if  the  eyes  be  washed  with 
it ;  and  that  the  juice  drawn  up  the  nostrils 
clears  the  eyes  of  the  yellow  hue  occasioned 
by  the  jaundice.  This  physician  particularly 
commends  it  for  ulcerated  lungs,  and  spitting 
of  blood ;  but  cautions  those  not  to  use  it 
whose  bladder  or  kidneys  are  affected.  In 
addition  to  these  remarks,  Gerard  adds,  that 
the  syrup  made  of  the  green  leaves  and  sugar 
is  an  excellent  remedy  against  the  wheezings 
of  the  lungs,  and  for  old  coughs  ;  and  that  it 
was  particularly  recommended  by  the  London 
College  of  Physicians  in  his  time. 

Dr.  James  observes,  that  this  plant  is  hot 
and  dry,  pectoral,  and  good  to  free  the  lungs 
from  hot  viscid  phlegm,  and  thereby  to  help 
old  coughs,  especially  in  cold  moist  constitu- 
tions ;  the  juice  being  made  into  a  syrup,  with 
sugar  or  honey,  it  opens  obstructions  of  the 
liver  and  spleen,  and  is  very  serviceable 
against  the  dropsy,  jaundice,  &c.  ;  and  few 
herbs  go  beyond  it  in  relieving  the  diseases 
incidental  to  the  female  sex. 


HOltEIIOUND.  253 

The  leaves  of  the  white  horehound  uive 
no  tincture  of  red  to  blue  paper  :  they  are 
very  bitter,  and  have  a  penetrating  smell. 
The  bitter  natural  salt  of  the  earth,  composed 
of  marine  salt,  sal-ammoniac,  and  nitre,  seems 
to  be  united  in  this  plant,  with  a  considerable 
quantity  of  sulphur,  phlegm,  and  terrestrial 
parts.  This  plant,  by  the  chemical  analysis, 
yields  a  great  deal  of  acid  phlegm,  oil,  and 
earth  ;  a  little  urinous  spirit;  some  concreted, 
volatile,  and  fixed  salt,  and  a  little  lixivium. 

Thus  it  is  no  wonder  that  the  white  hore- 
hound is  a  great  dissolvent,  and  a  good  ape- 
ritive ;  and  excellent  for  those  who  have  the 
asthma  or  jaundice. 


254  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 


HORSE-RADISH.— COCHLEARIA. 

Natural    order,  Siliquosce.       A  genus  of  the 
Tetr adynamia  Siliculosa  class. 


This  plant  was  called  Raphanus  rusticanus 
by  the  old  herbalists  ;  but  it  will  be  observed 
that  it  is  of  a  distinct  family  from  the  Radish, 
and  has  therefore  been  placed  in  the  order 
of  plants  to  which  it  belongs.  It  is  a  native 
of  this  country,  and  has  long  been  cultivated 
in  our  gardens,  as  we  learn  from  Gerard,  who 
says,  "  Horse-radish  for  the  most  part  grow- 
eth,  and  is  planted  in  gardens,  yet  haue  I 
found  it  wilde  in  sundrie  places,  as  at 
Namptwich  in  Cheshire,  in  a  place  called  the 
Milne  eye,  and  also  at  a  small  village  neere 
London,  called  Hogsdon,  in  the  field  next 
vnto  a  farm-house  leading  to  Kingsland, 
where  my  verie  good  friend  Master  Bredwell, 
practitioner  in  phisick,  a  learned  and  diligent 
sercher  of  symples,  and  Master  William 
Martin,  one  of  the  fellowship  of  Barbers  and 
Chirurgians,  my  deere  and  louing  friende,  in 


HORSE-RADISH.  255 

company  with  him,  found  it,  and  gaue  me 
knowledge  of  the  place  where  it  flourishes  to 
this  day."  It  was  then  called  Mountain- 
Radish  and  Great  Raifort,  as  well  as  Horse- 
radish. In  the  North  of  England  it  was 
called  Red  Cole. 

Gerard  adds,  "  Horse  radish  stamped,  with 
a  little  vinegar  put  thereto,  is  commonly 
vsed  among  the  Germanes  for  sauce  to  eat 
fish  with,  and  such  like  meates,  as  we  do 
mustard ;  but  this  kinde  of  sauce  doth  heate 
the  stomacke  better,  and  causeth  better 
digestion  than  mustard."  From  this  account 
it  appears,  that  horse-radish  had  not  found 
its  way  to  the  English  table  in  1597,  but  was 
planted  for  its  efficacy  in  medicine,  of  which 
Gerard  and  other  old  writers  give  ample 
commendation. 

In  1657,  Coles  observes,  "  The  root  is 
commonly  used  among  the  Germans,  and 
sometimes  by  gentlemen  with  us  also,  for 
sauce  to  eat  fish  with,  and  other  meats,  as 
mustard  is,  and  so  it  heateth  the  stomach 
more,  and  causes  better  digestion  than  mus- 
tard." This  author  adds,  "  Of  all  things 
that  are  given  to  children  for  the  worms, 
horse  reddish  is  not  the  least  effectual!,  for  it 
killeth  and  expelleth  them." 


256  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

When  this  plant  is  calcined,  very  little  or 
no  salts  can  be  extracted  from  the  ashes, 
these  being  naturally  volatile.*  "  The  ex- 
pressed juice,  being  suffered  to  putrefy, 
affords  an  alcaline  volatile  salt,  which  is 
the  reason  why  it  is  so  beneficial  in  the  arid 
scurvy.  In  the  other  kind  of  scurvy,  it  is 
very  pernicious  ;  in  which  case  I  have  known 
it  to  procure  a  rupture  in  the  liver.  But 
where  there  is  a  defect  of  heat,  and  a  cold- 
ness and  viscidity  of  the  juices,  it  is  very 
proper.  In  a  scurvy  attended  with  a  hot 
fever  and  a  putridness,  it  would  destroy  the 
patient.^- " 

Fernel,  who  was  physician  to  Henry  the 
Second  of  France,  discovered  in  the  juice  of 
this  root,  a  vomit  of  the  safest  kind,  and  a 
friend  to  the  stomach.  We  learn  from  more 
modern  physicians,  that  if  it  be  infused  in 
wTater,  and  a  portion  of  the  infusion  be  taken 
with  a  large  draught  of  warm  water,  it  rea- 
dily proves  emetic,  and  may  either  be  em- 
ployed to  excite  vomiting,  or  to  assist  the 
operation  of  emetics. 

Horse  radish  root  has  a  quick  pungent 
smell,    and   a    penetrating    acrid     taste ;  it 

#  James.  f  Boerh.  Hist.  Plant,  p.  419. 


HORSE-RADISH.  25? 

nevertheless  contains  in  certain  vessels  a 
sweet  juice,  which  sometimes  exudes  on  the 
surface.  By  drying,  it  loses  all  its  acrimony, 
becoming  first  sweetish,  and  then  almost 
insipid:  if  kept  in  a  cool  place  in  sand,  it 
retains  its  qualities  for  a  considerable  time. 
Its  medicinal  effects  are,  to  stimulate  the 
solids,  attenuate  the  juices,  and  promote  the 
fluid  secretions.  It  seems  to  extend  its 
action  through  the  whole  habit,  and  to  affect 
the  minutest  glands.  It  scours  the  cutaneous 
glands,  and  breaks  through  such  little  stop- 
pages there,  as  occasion  deformities,  and  all 
the  symptoms  of  the  scurvy.  This  root  is 
also  powerfully  diuretic,  but  most  so  when 
joined  with  acids.  Its  great  activity  and 
warmth  also  make  it  good  in  all  such  nervous 
cases  as  arise  from  cold  and  viscid  juices ;  and 
induce  heaviness  of  the  senses,  or  inaptitude 
to  motion ;  in  the  same  manner  as  mustard 
and  all  such  stimuli. 

Sydenham,  who  has  been  called  the  father 
of  physic  among  the  moderns,  recommends 
it  likewise  in  dropsies,  particularly  those 
which  follow  intermitting  fevers.  It  is  also 
extolled  in  cases  of  the  stone.  Thomas 
Bartholin  affirms,  that  the  juice  of  horse- 
radish dissolved  a   calculus,    or  stony  con- 

VOL.    I.  S 


258  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

cretion,    that    was   taken    out   of  a    human 

body. 

Both  water  and  rectified  spirits  extract  the 
virtues  of  this  root,  by  infusion,  and  imbibe 
the  whole  taste  and  pungency  of  the  plant. 

Boerhaave,  who  was  so  justly  celebrated 
through  Europe  as  professor  of  physic  and 
botany,  says  it  is  one  of  those  plants  whose 
virtues  are  the  least  equivocal:  its  aperient, 
antiscorbutic,  and  resolvent  qualities  purify 
the  blood,  agree  with  colds,  and  above  all, 
cure  dry  hard  coughs,  and  the  extinction 
of  the  voice. 

Dr.  Cullen  says,  "  The  root  externally  ap- 
plied readily  inflames  the  skin,  and  proves  a 
rubifacient  that  may  be  employed  with  ad- 
vantage in  palsy  and  rheumatism ;  and  if  its 
application  be  long  continued,  it  produces 
blisters." 

The  German  authors  give  many  examples 
of  its  being  an  excellent  remedy,  as  well  in- 
ternally as  for  the  exterior,  in  cases  of  the 
dropsy  and  rheumatism. 

One  drachm  of  the  root,  fresh  scraped 
down,  is  enough  for  four  ounces  of  water, 
to  be  infused  in  a  close  vessel  for  two 
hours,  and  made  into  a  syrup,  with  double 


HORSE-RADISH.  259 

its  weight  of  sugar  ;  a  tea-spoonful  of  which 
swallowed  leisurely,  or  at  least  repeated 
two  or  three  times,  has  often  been  found 
very  suddenly  effectual  in  relieving  hoarse- 
ness. 

This  volatile  root,  when  received  into  the 
stomach,  both  creates  appetite,  and  assists 
digestion ;  and  is  therefore  properly  em- 
ployed as  a  condiment  with  animal  food. 

M.  Haller,  a  Swiss  physician,  informs  us, 
that  in  Sweden  they  cultivate  the  Chinese 
horse-radish,  from  which  they  draw  abundance 
of  oil.  Horse-radish  scraped  and  infused  in 
cold  milk,  makes  one  of  the  best  and  safest 
cosmetics. 

Horse-radish  possesses  the  same  peculiar 
property  of  propagating  itself  as  the  ginger ; 
for  a  small  piece  of  the  root,  if  buried  in  the 
earth,  will  form  a  new  root  and  a  perfect  plant, 
which  produces  seed.  In  vain  do  we  look 
into  the  pores  of  this  root,  to  discover  by 
what  wonderful  means  Nature  has  endowed 
it  with  this  gift ;  and  we  may  justly  exclaim 
with  David,  "Such  knowledge  is  too  won- 
derful for  me ;  it  is  high,  I  cannot  attain 
unto  it/' 

It  loves  a  moist  deep  soil;  and   we   see 

s  2 


260 


CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 


many  acres  of  ground  on  the  borders  of 
the  Thames,  east  of  London,  covered  with 
this  plant,  which  brings  a  price  in  the  me- 
tropolitan market  that  rewards  the  culti- 
vator for  the  time  it  requires  to  mature  the 
root. 


iii 


261 


HOUSELEEK.-  SEMPERVIVUM. 

Natural  arder,  Succulent  ce.     A  genus  of  the 
Dodecandria  Dodecagynia  class. 


It  is  often  called  Sengreen,  from  the  old 
herbalists  having  mistaken  this  plant  and  the 
stone-crop,  for  a  species  of  the  sengreen  or 
Saxifraga  grandulata;  or  because  the  Greeks 
comprised  all  these  plants  under  the  name  of 
'Ai'£w«y,  on  account  of  their  being  always  fresh 
and  green. 

Nature,  whose  slightest  works  cannot  be 
viewed  without  instruction,  has  given  a  lesson 
in  this  plant,  worthy  of  the  deepest  reflection. 
It  teaches  us,  by  selecting  the  bare  rock  and 
the  sloping  roofs  of  houses,  as  situations  fa- 
vourable to  the  growth  of  this  vegetable,  not 
to  repine  at  our  lot,  or  complain  of  the 
soil  in  which  we  are  thrown  ;  for  the  house- 
leek  gathers  its  nourishment  where  other 
plants  would  find  none,  and  maintains  the 
cooling  qualities  of  its  pulpy  leaves  on  the 
burning  tiles  of  our  buildings.     The  lesson 


262  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

is  as  applicable  to  the  agriculturist  as  to  the 
moralist.  It  tells  him  to  seek  vegetation 
suitable  to  his  soil,  rather  than  complain  of 
the  earth  he  cannot  change.  The  heavy 
clay  that  produces  such  excellent  wheat, 
would  yield  a  watery  potatoe,  a  root  more 
delicious  when  grown  in  sandy  ground,  where 
bread  corn  would  fail  of  coming  to  perfection 
for  want  of  nourishment. 

"  Find  out  the  nature  of  the  mould  with  care, 
And  what  is  proper  for  each  soil  to  bear." 

Virgil's  Georgics. 

From  the  prevailing  indifference  with  re- 
spect to  the  virtues  of  those  plants  that  do 
not  immediately  contribute  to  the  gratifica- 
tion of  our  appetite,  it  might  be  supposed, 
that  our  infirmities  and  diseases  had  left  us ; 
or,  that  having  let  out  our  bodies  to  surgeons 
on  repairing  leases,  we  were  no  longer  at 
liberty  to  extract  a  thorn,  or  assuage  pains 
given  by  the  sting  of  a  wasp,  without  com- 
mitting a  trespass. 

Liberal  minds  will  remunerate  the  stu- 
dents in  physic  for  their  skill,  and  not  for 
their  medicines ;  for  the  least  costly  of  the 
latter,  with  good  advice,  will  often  remove 
serious  maladies. 

The  houseleek  forms  a  domestic  external 


IIOUSELEEK.  263 

remedy  for  many  troublesome  complaints,  be- 
neath the  attention  of  physicians,  whose  time 
is  required  in  dangerous  disorders ;  and,  as 
every  cottager  who  has  a  cover  for  his  head, 
has  a  bed  for  this  plant,  he  ought  to  know,  that 
after  it  is  once  planted  in  mud,  strong  earth, 
or  cow  dung,  and  placed  on  a  wall,  or  the 
shelving  of  his  dwelling,  it  will  thrive  without 
farther  trouble.  It  will  increase  rapidly  by 
offsets,  each  of  which  forms  a  kind  of  green 
rose,  and  throws  out,  at  maturity,  a  stem  re- 
sembling a  palm-tree  in  miniature,  from  the 
summit  of  which  spring  star-shaped  flowers, 
worthy  the  inspection  of  either  the  florist  or 
the  botanist. 

The  houseleek  is  cooling  and  restringent, 
and,  though  not  often  given  inwardly,  is  com- 
mended by  some  as  good  to  quench  thirst 
in  fevers,  when  mixed  with  posset  drink,  as 
also  for  heat  and  sharpness  of  urine.  Exter- 
nally, it  is  useful  against  burns  and  scalds, 
St.  Anthony's  fire,  and  the  shingles.* 

It  is  an  excellent  remedy  for  chapped 
hands,  or  scrofulous  eruptions,  and  is  the 
safest  cosmetic,  for  removing  sun-burns,  that 
our  fair  countrywomen  can  use. 

*  Miller's  Bot.  Off. 


26*4  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

Dodoens  recommends  the  expressed  juice 
to  be  dropped  into  the  eye,  as  good  against 
inflammation ;  or  the  leaf  to  be  peeled  and 
laid  on  that  organ.  He  says  also  that  it  re- 
lieves the  pains  of  the  gout  when  brought 
on  by  hot  humours.  Gerard  says,  "  The 
iuice  of  housleeke  taketh  away  cornes  from 
the  toes  and  feete,  if  they  be  washed  and 
bathed  therewith  euery  day  and  night,  as  it 
were  implaistered  with  the  skin  of  the  same 
housleeke,  which  certainly  taketh  them  away 
without  incision  or  such  like,  as  hath  beene 
experimented  by  my  very  good  friend  M. 
Nicholas  Belson,  a  man  painfull  and  curious 
in  searching  forth  the  secrets  of  Nature." 

It  is  customary,  with  us,  among  the  com- 
mon sort,  says  Schroder,  to  give  the  ex- 
pressed juice  of  houseleek  and  sugar,  in 
fevers,  and  hot  diseases. 

Dr.  Tancred  Robinson  says,  he  has  known 
it  exhibited  with  good  success  in  fevers,  and 
especially  in  those  of  the  erysipetalous  and 
hectic  kinds  ;  for  this  plant  abounds  with  a 
medicinal  alcaline  salt. 

Tragus  states,  that  linen  cloths  moistened 
with  the  juice  or  distilled  water,  and  applied 
to  inflammations  in  any  part  of  the  body, 


HOUSKLEEK.  265 

and  especially  in  phrensies,  are  of  extra- 
ordinary service;  as  they  are,  also,  in  inflam- 
mations and  redness  of  the  eyes. 

The  leaves  of  the  houseleek,  stripped  of 
their  outer  membrane,  and  put  into  pure 
water,  or  rose-water,  and  every  now  and  then 
applied  to  the  tongue,  when  dry  or  chapped, 
in  fevers,  and  renewed  frequently,  are  re- 
markably lenient  and  serviceable  in  such  a 


case.* 


This  plant  being  analysed,  yields  a  good 
deal  of  acid  and  earth,  and  a  very  little  con- 
crete volatile  salt.  It  probably  contains  a 
salt  resembling  alum,  mixed  with  a  little 
sal-ammoniac;  for  the  juice  of  this  plant 
evaporated  to  one  half  emits  an  urinous 
smell.  For  foundered  horses,  nothing  is 
better  than  to  make  them  drink  a  pint  of 
the  juice  of  this  plant. *f* 

Lewis  gives  the  following  chemical  de- 
scription of  this  species  of  sempervivum  : 
"  The  leaves  of  houseleek,  of  no  remarkable 
smell,  discover  to  the  taste  a  mild,  subacid 
austerity ;  their  expressed  juice,  of  a  pale 
yellowish  hue  when  filtered,  yields  on  inspis- 

*  Raii.  Hist.  Plant. 
t  Martyn's  Tournefort. 


266  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

sation  a  deep  yellow,  tenacious,  mucilaginous 
mass,  considerably  acidulous  and  acerb :  from 
whence  it  may  be  presumed,  that  this  herb 
has  some  claim  to  the  refrigerant  and  restrin- 
gent  virtues  that  have  been  ascribed  to  it. 

It  is  observable  that  the  filtered  juice,  on 
the  addition  of  an  equal  quantity  of  rectified 
spirit  of  wine,  forms  a  light  white  coagulum, 
like  cream  of  fine  pomatum,  of  a  weak  but 
penetrating  taste.  This,  freed  from  the  fluid 
part,  and  exposed  to  the  air,  almost  totally 
exhales.  From  this  experiment  it  is  con- 
cluded by  some,  that  houseleek  contains  a 
volatile  alkaline  salt;  but  the  juice  coagu- 
lates also  with  fixed  alkalis.  Acids  produce 
no  coagulation." 

The  Romans  took  great  pleasure  in  the 
houseleek,  and  planted  it  in  vases  which  were 
set  before  the  windows  of  their  houses.  It 
was  called  Buphthalmon,  Zoophthalmon,  and 
Stergethron,  being  considered  one  of  the  love 
medicines.  It  was  also  named  Hypogesan, 
from  its  growing  under  the  eaves  of  dwell- 
ings ;  and  it  was  often  called  Ambrosia,  Ame- 
rimnos,  and  Sedum. 

The  juice  of  the  leaves  was  used  by  the 
ancients  for  all  humours  and  inflammations  of 
the  eyes,  as  also  to  bathe  the  temples  for  the 


HOUSELEEK.  f2()'( 

0 

head-ache,  and  to  draw  off  inflammation  oc- 
casioned by  the  bite  of  venomous  spiders. 
It  was  likewise  said  to  be  an  effectual  antidote 
against  the  deadly  poison  of  wolfs-bane  or 
aconitum* 

Its  use  is  also  recommended  by  Pliny  for 
the  red  gout,  erysipelas,  and  scrofulous  swell- 
ings ;  and  it  was  thought  to  procure  sleep 
to  those  who  were  in  restless  fevers,  being 
placed  in  black  cloth  and  put  under  the 
pillow  of  the  patient.  It  was  also  thought 
that  those  who  carried  houseleek  on  their 
persons,  were  never  molested  by  the  terrible 
sting  of  the  poisonous  scorpions. 

Dioscorides  and  Galen  direct  the  applica- 
tion of  the  juice  with  vinegar,  instead  of  an 
epithem,  to  an  erysipelas,  which  no  physi- 
cian, says  Caspar  Hoffman,  in  our  times, 
would  venture  to  prescribe. 

This  hardy  plant  is  erroneously  stated  to 
be  a  native  of  Britain  only.  It  is  doubtful 
whether  it  is  even  an  aboriginal  of  our  soil ; 
and  from  the  early  mention  of  it  by  the  Greek 
and  Roman  herbalists,  we  consider  it,  as  well 
as  the  tree  houseleek,  to  be  indigenous  to  the 
Greek  islands. 

#  Plin.  book  xxv.  chap.  13. 


268  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

Aiton  mentions  twelve  species  of  the  Sem- 
pervivum  as  being  cultivated  by  the  curious 
in  this  country. 

The  Dutch  cultivate  the  yellow  stone-crop 
Seclum  reflemm,  which  they  mix  amongst  their 
salads.     It  has  a  subastringent  taste. 


269 


HYSSOP.— HYSSOPUS. 

Natural  order,  Verticillatce.     A  genus  of  the 
Didynamia  Gymnospermia  class. 


Hyssop  bears  nearly  the  same  name  in 
most  of  the  European  languages,  and  is  de- 
rived from  the  Hebrew  ItfK  Ezeb,  signify- 
ing a  holy  herb,  or  herb  for  purifying  holy 
places. 

When  the  Passover  was  instituted,  Moses 
commanded  the  Israelites  to  take  a  bunch  of 
hyssop,  and  dip  it  in  the  blood  of  a  lamb, 
and  to  sprinkle  the  lintel  and  the  door-posts, 
after  which  none  were  to  pass  out  until  the 
morning.* 

It  was  also  used  by  the  priest  at  the  cleans- 
ing of  persons  afflicted  with  leprosy,  as  well 
as  for  purifying  the  house  of  the  Icpcivj- 

David    also    mentions    this     herb    in    the 

*  Exodus,  chap.  xii.  verse  22. 
t  Leviticus,  c.  xiv.   4,  49  and  52. 


270  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

beautiful  prayer  he  made  after  being  rebuked 
by  Nathan's  parable  :  "  Purge  me  with  hys- 
sop, and  I  shall  be  clean."* 

St.  John  informs  us,  that  at  the  crucifix- 
ion of  our  Saviour,  "  there  was  set  a  vessel 
full  of  vinegar :  and  they  filled  a  spunge 
with  vinegar,  and  put  it  upon  hyssop,  and 
put  it  to  his  mouth/'-t' 

From  these  customs  of  the  Hebrews  we 
may  conclude,  that  hyssop  grew  naturally 
both  in  Egypt  and  in  Syria. 

Some  authors  have  surmised,  that  the  hys- 
sop of  scripture  is  the  shrub  we  call  Winter 
Savory  ;  but  Pliny  has  not  only  described  the 
savory  distinctly,  but  he  says  also,  that  the 
best  hyssop  grows  on  Mount  Taurus  in 
Cilicia,  and  next  to  that  is  the  hyssop  of 
Pamphylia,  both  in  Asia  Minor.  It  grew  also 
in  Smyrna. 

This  author  says,  it  is  an  herb  not 
friendly  to  the  stomach.  The  Romans  used 
it  with  figs  as  a  purgative,  and  with  honey  as 
an  emetic ;  and  a  plaster  was  formed  of  it 
for  the  sting  of  serpents. 

Pliny  gives  the  following  simple  receipt, 
as  an  excellent  drink  to  discharge  the  chest 

*  Psalm  li.  7.     f      Chap.  xix.  29. 


HYSSOP.  271 

of  phlegm:  five  sprigs  of  hyssop,  two  Bprigs 
of  rue,  boiled  with  three  figs.* 

Aiton  notices  three  species  of  hyssop,  and 
four  varieties  of  the  common  sort,  the  earli- 
est of  which  was  cultivated  in  this  country  in 
1548.  The  same  author  mentions  four  spe- 
cies of  hedge  hyssop,  Gratiola,  all  of  which 
are  exotics ;  but  Gerard  informs  us,  that  he 
found  the  broad-leafed  hedge  hyssop  grow- 
ing wild  as  early  as  the  year  1590  ;  and  as  it 
was  upon  an  interesting  occasion  to  the  citi- 
zens of  London,  I  shall  give  his  own  words. 

"  It  groweth  in  moist  places.  I  found  it 
growing  vpon  the  bog  or  marrish  ground,  at 
the  further  end  of  Hampsteed  Heath,  and  vpon 
the  same  heath  towards  London,  neere  vnto 
the  head  of  the  springs  that  were  digged  for 
water  to  be  conueied  to  London,  1590,  at- 
tempted by  that  careful  citizen,  Sir  John  Hart, 
Knight,  Lord  Maior  of  the  Citie  of  London: 
at  which  time  myselfe  was  in  his  lordship' s 
company,  and  viewing  for  my  pleasure  the 
same  goodly  springs.  I  found  the  said  plant 
not  heretofore  remembered."  The  same  au- 
thor says,  he  "  experimented  this  herb,"  and 
found  it  a  powerful  purgative." 

#  Book  xxvi.  c.  (5. 


272  CULTIVATED   VEGETABLES. 

Dodoens  wrote  much  on  the  medicinal 
virtues  of  hyssop,  and  says,  "  the  decoction 
of  this  plant  with  figs,  rue,  and  honey,  boiled 
together,  is  good  for  the  complaints  of  the 
chest,  shortness  of  breath,  and  hard  dry 
coughs.  He  recommends  it  to  be  given 
to  children  with  figs  to  destroy  worms,  as 
also  to  be  used  as  a  gargle  to  break  tumours 
in  the  mouth  and  throat.  He  states  also, 
that  hyssop  boiled  in  vinegar,  and  held  in 
the  mouth,  eases  the  tooth-ache ;  and  that 
the  decoction  removes  congealed  blood  oc- 
casioned by  bruises,  and  takes  off  the  black 
or  blue  marks. 

Later  authors  have  greatly  commended 
it  in  cases  of  bruises  from  falls,  blows,  &c, 
either  by  way  of  cataplasm,  or  only  a  little 
bundle  of  the  plant  put  into  a  linen  rag,  and 
applied  to  the  part.  Ray  gives  an  account 
from  Mr.  Boyle,  of  a  violent  contusion  of 
the  thigh,  from  a  kick  of  a  horse,  which  was 
happily  cured  by  this  herb,  boiled  and  ap- 
plied as  a  cataplasm.  He  tells  us,  the  vio- 
lent pain  was  almost  instantly  removed,  and 
the  very  mark  and  blackness  taken  off  in  a 
few  hours. 

The  leaves  and  flowers  are  of  a  warm 
pungent  taste,  and  of  an  agreeable  aromatic 


HYSSOP.  275 

smell :  therefore,  the  tops  and  blossoms  are 
sometimes  reduced  to  powder,  and  used  with 
cold  salad  herbs,  having  a  comforting  and 
strengthening  virtue;  they  are  salutary  against 
melancholy  and  phlegm.  Besides  the  gene- 
ral virtues  of  aromatics,  hyssop  is  greatly 
recommended  in  humoral  asthmas,  coughs, 
and  other  disorders  of  the  breast  and  lungs; 
and  is  said  to  promote  expectoration.  The 
leaves  infused  in  the  manner  of  tea  and 
sweetened  with  sugar  or  honey,  have  been 
found  good  in  diseases  of  the  breast  and 
lungs,  being  of  a  detergent,  attenuant,  ex- 
pectorant, and  corroborant  quality. 

This  exotic  may  be  raised  either  by  seed 
or  cuttings.  It  thrives  best  in  a  poor  dry 
soil,  and  will  also  bear  the  severities  of  win- 
ter much  better  in  such  soil,  than  where  its 
pores  are  filled  with  moisture  in  a  richer 
soil. 

The  hedge  hyssop  is  said  to  be  good  in 
dropsical  cases,  but  it  is  so  powerful  a  medi- 
cine, and  its  operations  are  so  violent,  that  it 
can  only  be  given  to  persons  of  robust  consti- 
tutions, although  it  is  rendered  more  mild  by 
being  boiled  in  milk. 

M.  Geoffroy,  a  French  physician,  who 
studied  in  England  about  the  end  of  the  17Ui 

VOL.    I.  T 


274  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

century,  says,  a  purgative  of  powerful  virtues 
may  be  extracted  from  the  Gratiola  in  a  dry 
state,  which  operates  in  a  small  dose,  and 
without  any  disagreeable  taste. 

Dr.  James  says,  hyssop  is  healing,  opening, 
and  attenuating ;  good  to  cleanse  the  lungs 
of  tartarous  humours,  and  helpful  against 
coughs,  asthmas,  difficulty  of  breathing,  and 
cold  distempers  of  the  lungs  ;  it  is  also  reck- 
oned a  cephalic,  and  good  for  diseases  of 
the  head  and  nerves. 

Of  the  efficacy  of  hyssop,  in  sugillations 
of  the  eyes,  we  learn  an  instance  from  Rio- 
lanus  the  elder :  I  found  by  experience," 
says  that  physician,  "  the  truth  of  what  Ar- 
chigenes  affirms,  in  Galen,  which  is,  that  if 
the  tops  of  hyssop  be  tied  up  in  a  cloth,  and 
boiled  in  water,  and  the  cloth  afterwards  ap- 
plied warm  to  the  livid  eye,  the  blood  will 
be  attracted  by  the  hyssop  to  such  a  degree, 
as  to  stain  the  linen.  Upon  this  authority 
I  have,  several  times,  prescribed  a  decoction 
of  hyssop  against  sugillations,  even  of  the 
eyes  ;  only,  instead  of  water,  I  sometimes 
ordered  the  bag  to  be  boiled  in  wine ;  and, 
directing  the  application  of  it,  somewhat 
warm,  to  the  eye-lids,  when  the  patient  went 


HYSSOP.  275 

to   bed,  his  eyes  being   shut,  the  lividness 
was  removed  as  well  as  I  could  wish.* 

Hyssop,  in  surgery,  has  its  use  in  heating 
and  ripening,  &c.  The  vapour  removes 
ringing  in  the  ears,  when  introduced  into 
them. 

*  Simon  Paulli. 


T  2 


276  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES, 


INDIGO.— INDIGOFERA. 

Natural  order,  Papilionacece.      A     genus  of 
the  Diadelphia  Decandria  class. 


Before  we  describe  this  plant,  which  the 
ingenuity  of  man  has  made  important,  rather 
by  adding  to  our  luxury,  than  from  any  real 
use  or  addition  to  our  comfort,  it  may  not 
be  irrelevant  to  the  subject  to  notice  what 
gave  rise  to  this  artificial  want. 

Instinct,  which  directs  the  ox  to  the  pas-  , 
ture,  the  bee  to  the  flower,  and  the  bird  to 
the  seed,  would  first  instruct  man  to  satisfy 
and  provide  for  the  necessary  nourishment  of 
his  frame  :  when  wants  were  supplied,  com- 
forts  would  next  be  sought.  The  protection 
of  the  body  from  the  sun,  or  the  inclemency 
of  the  weather,  would  form  the  second  con- 
sideration ;  and  as  the  human  species  in- 
creased, some  mark  of  distinction  would  be 
called  for,  to  bestow  on  objects  of  reverence, 
love,  or  power. 


indigo.  277 

This  love  of  distinction  and  ornament 
seems  inherent  in  our  nature,  since  we  find 
that  barbarians  who  had  neither  learnt  to  cul- 
tivate the  fruits  of  the  earth,  nor  to  raise 
themselves  a  shelter  from  the  weather,  would 
adorn  their  naked  bodies  by  staining  them  of 
various  colours,  and  often  render  themselves 
conspicuous  by  painful  operations. 

Pliny  says,  the  women  of  Britain,  both 
wives  and  virgins,  went  without  clothing  to 
the  feasts  and  sacrifices,  except  that  they 
coloured  their  bodies  with  an  herb  which 
they  got  from  Gaul.  This  ancient  custom 
had  nearly  been  revived  in  the  present  cen- 
tury ;  but  the  modesty  and  good  taste  of  the 
British  fair  soon  discarded  a  fashion  so  re- 
pugnant to  the  character  of  the  English 
nation. 

The  eastern  part  of  the  world,  where  man 
was  first  created,  gave  birth  also  to  the  arts. 
The  Scriptures  as  well  as  the  writings  of  the 
Heathens,  inform  us,  that  the  art  of  dyeing 
was  invented  on  the  coast  of  Syria. 

The  city  of  Sidon  is  supposed  to  have  been 
so  called  after  the  eldest  son  of  Canaan. 
The  patriarch  Jacob  mentions  this  city  as 
being  on  the  coast ;  "  Zebulun  shall  dwell 
at  the  haven  of  the  sea ;  and  he  shall  be  for 


278  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

an  haven  of  ships :  and  his  border  shall  be 
unto  Zidon."  # 

Tyre,  which  was  called  the  daughter  of 
Sidon,  was  built  on  an  island  near  the  coast. 
These  cities  were  inhabited  by  the  Phoeni- 
cians, whose  kingdom  was  small,  and  soil 
sterile ;  Nature  had,  however,  favoured  them 
with  commodious  harbours;  and  the  forest  of 
Lebanon  being  within  their  territories,  fur- 
nished them  with  timber  for  constructing 
vessels.  "  They  have  made  all  thy  shipboards 
of  fir  trees  of  Senir :  they  have  taken  cedars 
from  Lebanon  to  make  masts  for  thee."-j~ 
With  these  natural  advantages,  and  the  want 
of  those  necessaries  of  subsistence  which 
their  own  barren  soil  would  not  supply,  they 
turned  their  attention  to  commerce,  for 
which  their  situation  was  peculiarly  favour- 
able. Intercourse  with  mankind  naturally 
opens  and  extends  the  mind.  From  trading 
in  articles  of  necessity,  those  of  luxury  would 
follow.  From  these  art  would  spring,  and 
manufactories  arise. 

Idmon,  the  father  of  Arachne,  is  said  to 
have  been  the  inventor  of  dyeing,  and  it 
is  related,   that  the  discovery  of  the  purple 

#  Gen.  chap.  xlix.  3.  f  Ezek.  chap,  xxvii.  5. 


INDIGO.  '27^ 

dye  was  owing  to  a  dog,  which,  having 
caught  one  of  the  purple  fishes  among  the 
rocks,  in  eating  it,  stained  his  mouth  and 
beard  with  the  precious  liquor;  the  hue  thus 
acquired,  struck  the  fancy  of  a  Tyrian  nymph 
so  strongly,  that  she  refused  her  lover  Her- 
cule  sany  favours  till  he  had  brought  her  a 
mantle  of  the  same  colour. 

The  dye  of  Tyre  became  celebrated  in  all 
nations  ;  and  this  city  appears  to  have  kept 
the  art  within  its  own  walls  for  many  ages. 
It  was  esteemed  as  precious  as  pure  gold, 
and  seldom  used  but  by  kings  and  princes, 
or  in  the  vestures  of  the  priests.  Private 
persons  were  forbidden  by  the  laws  of  most 
countries  to  wear  the  least  scrap  of  it. 

The  hangings  of  the  Tabernacle  were  made 
of  blue,  and  purple,  and  scarlet ;  the  holy 
garments  of  Aaron  were  also  ornamented 
with  these  colours. 

"  King  Solomon  made  himself  a  chariot  of 
the  wood  of  Lebanon,  he  made  the   pillars 
thereof  of  silver,  the  bottom  thereof  of  gold, 
the  covering  of  purple." 

Ezekiel  mentions  the  purple  dye  among 
the  rich  merchandize  of  Tyre.  "  Syria  was 
thy  merchant  by  reason  of  the  multitude  of 
the  wares  of  thy  making  :    they  occupied  in 


280  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES, 

thy  fairs  with  emeralds,  purple,  and  broidered 
work,  and  fine  linen,  and  coral,  and  agate."  * 

That  purple  and  scarlet  were  only  used  by 
sovereigns  and  rulers,  we  learn  by  the  words 
of  Belshazzar  king  of  Babylon,  when  he  ad- 
dressed the  prophet  Daniel.  "  If  thou  canst 
read  the  writing,  and  make  known  to  me  the 
interpretation  thereof,  thou  shalt  be  clothed 
with  scarlet  (or  purple),  and  have  a  chain  of 
gold  about  thy  neck,  and  shalt  be  the  third 
ruler  in  the  kingdom-f."  Again  we  read  in 
the  tenth  chapter  of  the  1st  book  of  Macca- 
bees, that  when  Jonathan's  accusers  saw  that 
he  was  honoured  and  clothed  in  purple,  they 
fled  all  away." 

The  soldiers,  when  they  mocked  Christ, 
put  on  him  a  purple  robe. 

"  I  find  in  the  ancient  chronicles,"  says 
Pliny  X,  "  that  purple  has  been  worn  in  Rome 
from  its  first  foundation.  However,"  says  this 
author,  "  king  Romulus  only  wore  it  in  his 
royal  garment,  or  mantle  of  majesty.  Tullus 
Hostilius  was  the  first  Roman  king  who  put 
on  the  long  purple  robe,  and  the  cassock 
bordered   with   scarlet."     Cornelius   Nepos 

*  Chap,  xxvii.  16.  t  f  Chap.  v.  v.  16. 

J  Book  ix.  39. 


INDIGO.  281 

says,  a  pound  of  the  Tyrian  purple  could 
not  be  bought  for  less  than  1000  denarii, 
(31/.  os.)  He  says,  "  that  when  P.  Lentulus 
Spinther  was  vEdile,  he  wore  in  the  chair  a 
long  embroidered  robe,  for  which  he  was 
both  blamed  and  checked,  but  now-a-days  it 
is  thought  nothing  to  hang  our  dining-cham- 
bers  with  this  purple  dye,  as  well  as  to  carpet 
our  floors,  our  cushions,  and  our  cupboards, 
with  this  double-dyed  purple  of  Tyre." 

The  Tyrians  obtained  this  fine  colour  from 
shell-fishes  called  Purpura,  and  those  taken 
from  the  deepest  water  produced  the  finest 
purple.  These  were  therefore  called  Pela- 
gice  (fish  of  the  deep  sea).  These  fish  have 
a  tongue  of  about  a  finger  in  length,  of  so 
hard  and  sharp  a  nature,  that  they  pierce 
through  the  shell  of  other  fish,  and  thus 
draw  their  nourishment  from  their  victim. 
From  this  observation  the  Phoenicians  in- 
vented a  method  of  catching  them,  both 
simple  and  curious.  They  procured  cockles, 
which  were  kept  dry  until  they  were 
nearly  exhausted,  and  then  put  into  small 
nets  and  let  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  water. 
Here  they  naturally  would  open,  to  revive, 
and  receive  the  benefit  of  their  element, 
which  being  perceived  by  the  purples,  they 


282  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

darted  their  tongues  into  the  cockles,  who, 
feeling  the  intrusion,  instantly  closed  their 
shells,  and  by  this  means  their  enemies  were 
drawn  up  by  their  tongues.* 

The  beautiful  dye  of  the  ancients  was  a 
liquid  contained  in  a  small  white  vein  in  the 
mouth  and  throat  of  the  purpura. 

This  fish  was  principally  taken  in  the 
spring  of  the  year,  as  at  that  time  it  was 
found  to  possses  this  precious  liquid  in  the 
greatest  perfection.  The  veins  were  laid  in 
salt,  and  then  boiled  with  much  nicety  for 
ten  days  before  the  colour  was  perfect.  It 
gave  a  scarlet  or  a  purple  dye,  according  to 
the  state  of  boiling,  or  in  all  probability  by 
some  slight  addition.  These  colours  were 
both  called  the  Tyrian  dye,  which  accounts 
for  the  different  term  used  by  the  Evan- 
gelists; St.  Matthew  writes,  that  the  soldiers, 
when  they  stripped  Christ,  put  on  a  scarlet 
robe,  whereas  St.  Mark  and  St.  John  men- 
tion a  purple  robe. 

Till  the  time  of  Alexander  the  Great,  we 
find  no  other  sort  of  dye  than  purple,  blue, 
and  scarlet.     It  was  under  the  successors  of 

*  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  a  similar  trap  has  not  been 
invented  for  the  reptile  slanderer,  whose  cutting  tongue 
often  injures  the  fairest  reputation. 


indigo.  283 

that  monarch,  that  the  Greeks  applied  them- 
selves to  the  forming  of  other  colours,  and 
which  in  all  probability  they  learned  in  their 
excursions  into  India,  where  yellow  is  consi- 
dered the  oldest  colour  known  in  dyeing. 

It  required  three  hundred  of  the  purple 
fishes  to  dye  one  pound  of  wool,  and  as  they 
cast  up  this  valuable  stain  if  suffered  to  die, 
we  cannot  be  surprised  at  the  high  price  the 
Tyrian  colour  bore.  Thus  was  derived  that 
glorious  purple,  so  full  of  state  and  majesty, 
that  the  Roman  lictors,  with  their  rods,  hal- 
berds, and  axes,  made  way  for.  These  little 
fish  were  drawn  from  the  bottom  of  the  sea 
by  their  tongues,  to  make  distinction  between 
a  knight  and  a  counsellor  of  state,  to  give 
splendour  to  the  victorious  generals  in  their 
triumphs,  and  to  add  reverence  to  the  priest 
when  offering  sacrifice. 

"  The  Gauls,"  says  Pliny,  "  were  the  first 
who  invented  the  means  of  counterfeiting 
the  purple  and  scarlet  of  Tyre,  and  all  other 
colours,  by  the  means  of  vegetable  juice." 
The  modern  French,  are  celebrated  for  many 
colours  in  dyeing,  in  which  they  excel  all 
Europe. 

The  English  being  now,  like  the  Phoeni- 
cians of  old,  a  commercial  people,  with  few 


284  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

natural  productions  in  their  country  that  are 
not  to  be  found  in  other  parts  of  the  world, 
have  followed  the  course  of  the  sons  of 
Canaan : 

"  For  stormy  seas  they  quit  the  pleasing  plain, 
Plant  woods  in  waves,  and  dwell  amidst  the  main." 

Arist^us. 

The  Phoenicians,  by  planting  colonies  in 
various  parts  of  the  Mediterranean,  were 
able  to  collect  all  the  rarities  of  the  then 
known  world  to  their  city,  and  thus  rendered 
Tyre  "  the  mart  of  nations ;"  and  as  long  as 
the  justice  and  good  policy  of  our  nation 
cherish  its  colonial  children  with  the  care 
of  a  fond  parent,  so  long  will  Britons  be 
the  envy  of  nations,  and  their  indigo  be  as 
profitable  as  the  purple  of  Tyre. 

The  art  of  extracting  this  blue  dye  from 
the  indigo  plant  was  discovered  by  the  na- 
tives of  the  East  Indies;  and  its  first  intro- 
duction to  Europe  was  at  a  time  when  in- 
genuity had  carried  luxury  to  the  highest 
pitch  at  Rome.  Pliny,  who  died  in  the 
year  79  a.d.  says*,  "  It  is  not  long  since  they 
began  to  bring  from  India  a  blue  colour,  from 
thence  called  Indico,  which  sells  from  seven- 

#  Book  xxxiii.  chap.  13. 


INDIGO.  285 

teen  to  twenty  denarii  the  pound,  and  an- 
swers well  for  painters  to  form  shadows  from 
lights  in  their  works."  In  the  sixth  chapter 
of  his  35th  book,  he  says,  Indico  is  one  of 
the  colours  which  the  masters  deliver  to  the 
painter  by  weight  and  measure,  on  account 
of  its  costliness  ;  and  although  it  is  so  much 
esteemed,  it  is  only  a  slimy  mud,  cleaving  to 
the  foam  that  is  gathered  about  canes  and 
reeds  :  it  looks  black  while  pounding,  but, 
when  dissolved,  it  produces  a  lovely  colour, 
between  purple  and  azure. 

It  appears  from  this  account,  that  the  In- 
dians had  not  then  manufactured  indigo,  but 
that  it  was  formed  by  the  plants  falling  into 
water,  where  the  colour,  being  discharged  by 
fermentation,  clung  to  the  canes  and  reeds  as 
described. 

We  should  find  that  there  are  but  few 
arts  which  do  not  owe  their  discovery  to 
simple  causes,  could  we  trace  their  origin. 

"  Thy  art  of  building  from  the  bee  receive  ; 

Learn  of  the  mole  to  plough,  the  worm  to  weave. 

Learn  of  the  little  nautilus  to  sail, 

Spread  the  thin  oar,  and  catch  the  driving  gale." 

The  finest  indigo  is  brought   from  Java  ; 
it  is  likewise  made  on  the  coast  of  Coroman- 


286  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

del,  Pondicherry,  Agra,  &c.  &c.  Pompet 
says,  the  Indians  of  the  village  of  Sarquesse, 
near  Amadabar,  use  only  the  leaves  of  the 
indigo,  and  throw  away  the  plant  and 
branches ;  this  may  be  one  of  the  causes 
why  their  indigo  is  so  superior  to  that  of  the 
western  world. 

The  seed  of  indigo,  which  is  small,  and  in 
appearance  like  coarse  gunpowder,  is  sown 
in  drills  at  a  distance  of  about  a  foot  from 
each  other.  It  soon  makes  its  appearance, 
and  is,  when  young,  hardly  to  be  distin- 
guished from  lucern  grass  ;  but  when  come 
to  maturity,  it  has  more  the  appearance  of 
fern.  It  generally  grows  to  the  height  of 
two  feet  in  about  eight  weeks,  when  it  be- 
gins to  blossom.  The  flowers  are  like  those 
of  the  pea,  and  of  a  reddish  colour,  but  des- 
titute of  smell.  The  pistil  changes  into 
a  long  crooked  pod,  resembling  a  sickle, 
wherein  the  seed  is  contained.  The  leaves 
are  ranged  in  pairs  around  the  stalk,  ending 
in  a  single  lobe,  and  are  of  an  oval  form,  of  a 
dark  brownish  green  on  the  upper  side,  and 
of  silver-grey  beneath.  These  leaves  are 
covered  with  a  fine  farina  or  meal  when  the 
plant  is  in  blossom,  at  which  time  it  is  cut 
with  pruning  knives,  and  carried  with  care, 


INDIGO.  287 

lest  the  powder  should  be  shaken  off,  on 
which  the  beauty  and  value  of  the  indigo  de- 
pend. The  cutting  is  repeated  in  about  six 
weeks,  and  is  performed  a  third  time  if  the 
weather  is  favourable.  The  plant  is  suffered 
to  remain  two  years  in  the  ground,  when  it  is 
found  to  have  exhausted  the  juices  necessary 
for  its  nourishment.  It  is  a  plant  that  re- 
quires to  be  kept  quite  free  from  weeds  and 
worms,  on  which  account  it  employs  about 
twenty-five  negroes  to  manage  a  plantation 
of  fifty  acres,  allowing  them  time  to  provide 
their  own  necessary  subsistence.  Good  land 
will  yield  from  sixty  to  seventy  pounds  weight 
of  indigo  per  acre;  at  a  medium  the  produce 
is  about  fifty  pounds. 

The  indigo  plantation  is  as  subject  to  ca- 
sualties as  that  of  rice  or  other  crops.  Some- 
times the  plant  becomes  dry,  and  is  destroyed 
by  an  insect  that  frequents  this  herb.  At 
other  times,  the  whole  of  the  leaves,  which 
are  the  valuable  part  of  the  plant,  are  de- 
voured in  the  space  of  twenty-four  hours  by 
caterpillars.  This  has  given  rise  to  the  say- 
ing, "  that  the  indigo  planter  goes  to  bed 
rich,  and  rises  in  the  morning  totally  ruined. 

In  Carolina  the  wild  native  indigo  is  found 
to  answer  the  best,  on  account  of  its  hardi- 


288  CULTIVATED  VEGETABLES. 

ness,  the  ease  with  which  it  may  be  cul- 
tivated, and  the  quantity  of  its  produce, 
although  it  is  not  esteemed  of  the  finest 
quality. 

As  this  vegetable  dye  is  in  demand,  from 
the  imperial  robe  to  the  peasant's  stocking, 
and  forms  alike  the  delicate  white  of  the 
muslin  dress,  and  the  dark  blue  of  the  gar- 
dener's apron,  we  shall  enter  into  the  process 
of  making  this  colour,  so  much  in  request  in 
our  manufactures,  from  the  carpet  to  the 
crape  in  wool,  and  in  like  proportion  in  silk, 
flax,  and  hemp,  following  the  two  latter  even 
into  paper. 

The  apparatus  for  indigo  works,  though 
large,  are  not  very  expensive ;  the  whole  con- 
sisting of  a  pump,  vats,  and  tubs.  As  soon 
as  the  plant  is  cut,  it  is  put  into  a  steeping 
vat  of  about  twelve  feet  long  and  four  deep, 
to  the  height  of  about  fourteen  inches.  The 
vessel  is  then  filled  with  water,  and  the  plants 
left  to  macerate  about  twelve  or  fourteen 
hours,  when  they  undergo  a  fermentation, 
and  begin  to  rise  and  grow  sensibly  warm. 
Spars  of  wood  are  then  laid  across,  to  prevent 
the  indigo  from  rising  too  much,  and  a  mark 
is  set  to  denote  the  highest  pitch  of  its  ascent. 
In  about  twenty-four  hours,  the  fermentation 


INDIGO.  289 

having  attained  its  due  pitch,  and  beginning 
to  abate,  the  operator  lets  off  the  liquor  by 
a  cock  into  another  vat,  called  the  beater,  the 
mortar,  or  the  pounding-tub.  The  gross 
matter  is  taken  for  manure,  and  the  steeping- 
vat  cleansed  for  the  reception  of  fresh  plants, 
as  long  as  the  harvest  continues. 

The  liquor  that  has  run  into  the  beating- 
tub  is  found  strongly  impregnated  with  a 
very  subtile  earth,  which  alone  constitutes 
the  blue  substance  required.  To  separate 
this  from  the  useless  salt  of  the  plant,  which 
makes  it  float  on  the  surface,  the  liquor  is 
agitated  by  incessant  beating  with  bottomless 
buckets  full  of  holes  and  fixed  to  long  han- 
dles, until  it  heats,  froths,  and  rises  above  the 
rim  of  the  vessel  which  contains  it.  To  allay 
this  violent  fermentation,  oil  is  thrown  in, 
which  instantly  causes  it  to  subside.  This 
part  of  the  process  requires  the  greatest  pre- 
caution, for  if  the  agitation  be  discontinued 
too  soon,  the  part  that  is  used  in  dyeing,  not 
being  sufficiently  separated  from  the  salt, 
would  be  lost.  If,  on  the  contrary,  the  dye 
were  to  be  agitated  too  long  after  the  com- 
plete separation,  the  parts  would  be  brought 
together  again  and  form  a  new  combination; 
and  the  salt  re-acting  on  the  dregs  would  ex- 

VOL.   I.  U 


2£K)  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

cite  a  second  fermentation,  that  would  alter 
the  dye,  spoil  its  colour,  and  make  what  is 
called  burnt  indigo. 

To  prevent  these  accidents,  a  close  atten- 
tion is  paid  to  the  least  alteration  the  dye 
undergoes,  by  taking  up  some  of  the  liquor 
in  a  glass  from  time  to  time.  When  it  is 
perceived  that  the  blue  particles  collect  by 
separating  from  the  rest  of  the  liquor,  they 
leave  off  shaking  the  buckets,  and  pour  lime- 
water  into  it,  and  gently  stir  the  whole.  The 
blue  dregs  precipitate  to  the  bottom  of  the 
tub,  where  they  are  left  to  settle  till  the  wa- 
ter is  quite  clear,  when  it  is  let  off  by  taps 
or  holes  one  below  the  other,  until  nothing 
remains  at  the  bottom  but  the  blue  dregs, 
which  are  then  put  into  coarse  linen  bags  : 
these  are  hung  up  until  the  moisture  is  en- 
tirely drained  off.  To  complete  the  drying, 
this  muddy  substance  is  worked  upon  boards 
of  some  porous  wood,  with  a  wooden  spatula, 
and  it  is  frequently  exposed  to  the  morning 
and  evening  sun,  though  but  for  a  short  time 
only,  and  then  being  put  into  boxes  or  frames, 
is  again  exposed  to  the  sun,  in  the  same  cau- 
tious manner,  until  it  is  made  fit  for  market. 

It  is  much  to  be  regretted,  that  no  sooner 
has  one  man  learnt  to  manufacture  a  useful 


INDIGO.  291 

article,  than  others  employ  their  ingenuity 
to  adulterate  it,  or  substitute  for  it  some 
base  imitation.  Indigo  had  no  sooner  found 
its  way  into  Rome,  than  spurious  drugs  were 
coloured  and  substituted ;  and,  although 
they  were  ingenious,  we  deem  it  better  to 
avoid  the  mention,  and  make  known  the 
most  simple  means  of  detecting  frauds  when 
practised  in  indigo.  The  best  is  of  a  dark 
blue  inclining  to  violet,  bright  and  sparkling 
when  broken,  and  will  float  on  water.  It 
may  be  tried  by  dissolving  a  little  in  a  glass 
of  water,  when,  if  pure,  it  will  mix  equally 
with  the  liquor  ;  but  if  otherwise,  will  sepa- 
rate, and  fall  to  the  bottom.  Indigo  may 
also  be  tried  in  fire,  where  it  will  burn  en- 
tirely away  if  good,  but  the  adulterations 
remain  unconsumed.  Mr.  Wynne  says  in 
his  History  of  the  British  Empire  in  Ame- 
rica, "  Perhaps  in  no  branch  of  manufacture 
can  so  large  a  profit  be  made  upon  so  mode- 
rate a  capital,  as  in  that  of  indigo  ;  nor  can 
the  manufacture  be  carried  on  in  any  country 
with  greater  advantages  than  in  Carolina, 
where  the  climate  is  healthy,  provisions  plen- 
tiful and  cheap,  and  every  thing  necessary 
for  the  purpose  procured  with  the  greatest 
facility. 

u2 


292  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 


The  indigo  plant  has  been  cultivated  in 
our  green-houses  since  1731,  and  many  va- 
rieties have  been  introduced  since  that  pe- 
riod, by  the  curious  in  exotic  plants. 

Hellot  suspects  that  such  a  blue  faecula 
as  is  procured  from  indigo  and  woad,  is 
procurable  from  many  other  vegetables.  He 
supposes  the  natural  greens  of  vegetables 
to  be  compounded  of  blue  and  yellow,  and 
that  blue  is  oftentimes  the  most  perma- 
nent, so  as  to  remain  entire  after  the  pu- 
trefaction or  destruction  of  the  yellow.  The 
theory  is  specious,  and  perhaps,  on  trial,  [ 
may  be  found  just;  at  all  events  it  is  well 
to  give  this  idea  to  the  world. 

Probably,  blue  has  been  selected  as  the 
most  appropriate  colour  for  the  dress  of  our 
brave  sailors,  from  its  having  been  anciently 
used  as  the  symbol  of  the  sea,  for  which 
reason  the  combatants  who  performed  in  the 
NaumachicB,  at  the  Circensian  games  at  Rome, 
were  clad  in  blue  ;  and  those  who  had  dis- 
tinguished themselves  by  any  notable  exploit  :  u 
at  sea,  were  rewarded  with  a  blue  ensign.         |tk 

Notwithstanding   the  Dyers'   Company  of  ,  r 
London  was  incorporated  so  long  back  as  the   i  v 
reign  of  Henry  the  Sixth,  yet  the  dyeing  and 
dressing  of  woollen  cloths  was  very  imper- 


ii 
i 


indigo.  293 

fectly  understood  in  England,  in  the  year 
1608  ;  before  which  period,  they  were  sent 
white  into  Holland,  where  they  were  dyed  and 
dressed,  and  from  thence  brought  back  for 
sale.  In  that  year,  Sir  William  Cockrayne, 
an  alderman  of  London,  obtained  a  patent 
for  dyeing  and  dressing  cloths  at  home ;  but 
great  confusion  arising  from  this  grant,  it  was 
revoked  in  1615.  But  in  1667,  workmen  came 
over  from  the  Netherlands,  under  whose 
direction  the  art  was  brought  to  a  consider- 
able degree  of  perfection  ;  but  there  is  even 
at  the  present  time  great  room  for  improve- 
ment in  our  dyeing,  many  of  our  colours 
being  inferior  to  those  of  our  Continental 
neighbours. 

The  Romans  used  indigo  to  assuage  swell- 
ings and  inflammations,  and  to  dry  tumours. 

In  the  Hortus  Indus  Malabaricus,  it  is 
stated,  that  a  decoction  of  the  indigo  root 
is  an  excellent  remedy  in  nephritic  colics. 

Some  physicians  recommend  indigo  in  the 
quantity  of  *a  dram,  while  others  condemn 
the  practice,  and  look  on  it  as  a  poison.  The 
internal  use  of  indigo  is  prohibited  by  law  in 
Saxony. 


294  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES 


JERUSALEM  ARTICHOKE. 

A  genus  of  the   Syngenesia    Folygamia  fras- 

tranea  class. 


The  Jerusalem  Artichoke,  is  a  tuberous 
rooted  species  of  the  Helianthus,  Sunflower, 
or  Turnsol ;  the  Italians  called  it  Girasol, 
which  we  have  ignorantly  corrupted  into 
Jerusalem. 

Pelleterius  calls  it  Heliotr opium  Indicum 
tuberosum.  Parkinson,  in  whose  time  these 
plants  were  first  introduced,  mentions  them 
under  the  title  Bat  tat  as  de  Canada,  the  French 
Battatas,  or  Hierusalem  Artichokes.  Coles 
also,  whose  work  was  printed  only  40  years 
after  they  were  known  in  this  country,  calls 
them  the  Potatoes  of  Canada;  but  we  are  in- 
formed in  Martyn's  edition  of  Miller,  "  that 
they  were  so  called  because  the  French 
brought  them  first  out  of  Canada  into  these 
parts ;    not   that   Canada    is   their   original 


JERUSALEM    ARTICHOKE.  JO.) 

country,  for  they  are  unquestionably  the  pro- 
duce of  a  hot  climate,  being  natives  of  Brazil." 

This  root,  which  is  more  agreeable  than 
profitable,  was  first  planted  in  England 
during  the  reign  of  James  the  First,  as  we 
are  informed  that  in  the  year  1617,  Mr.  John 
Goody er  received  two  small  roots  from  Mr. 
Franquevill  of  London,  no  bigger  than  hen's 
eggs  ;  the  one  he  planted,  and  the  other  he 
gave  to  a  friend.  His  own  brought  him  a 
peck  of  roots,  wherewith  he  stored  Hamp- 
shire. This  note  is  dated  the  17th  of  Octo- 
ber, 1621 ;  and  it  is  added  that  he  had  them 
upon  their  first  arrival  into  England.* 

If  this  were  the  era  of  the  first  introduc- 
tion of  the  Jerusalem  artichoke,  it  seems 
surprising,  even  allowing  for  the  facility  with 
which  it  is  increased,  that  so  soon  as  the  year 
1629,  or  even  earlier,  it  should  have  become 
so  common  in  London,  that  even  the  most 
vulgar  began  to  despise  it :  whereas  when 
first  received  among  us,  it  was,  as  Parkinson 
says,  a  dainty  for  a  queen.  They  were  for- 
merly baked  in  pies,  with  marrow,  dates, 
ginger,  raisins,  sack,  &c. ;  but  the  too  fre- 
quent use,  especially  being  so  plentiful  and 

*  Miller. 


296  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

cheap,  hath,  says  Parkinson  (in  1629),  rather 
bred  a  loathing  than  a  liking  of  them. 

Coles  observes  in  his  History  of  Plants, 
that  "  The  potatoes  of  Canada,  called  by 
ignorant  people  Jerusalem  artichokes,  were 
of  great  account  when  they  were  first  received 
amongst  us;  but  by  reason  of  their  great 
increase  they  are  become  common,  and  con- 
sequently despicable,  especially  by  those 
which  think  nothing  good  unless  it  be  dear; 
but  if  any  one  please  to  put  them  into  boil- 
ing water,  they  will  quickly  become  tender, 
so  that,  being  peeled,  sliced,  and  stewed  with 
butter,  and  a  little  wine,  they  will  be  as 
pleasant  as  the  bottom  of  an  artichoke." 

These  roots  seem  to  have  been  disesteemed 
from  their  ventosity,  and  watery  qualities ; 
but  when  properly  cooked,  and  eaten  with 
moderation,  they  may  be  considered  as  safe 
as  most  other  vegetables.  The  root  near- 
ly resembles  the  flavour  of  the  artichoke 
bottom,  on  which  account  they  are  as  im- 
properly called  Artichokes,  as  they  are  ab- 
surdly named  Jerusalem. 

This  vegetable  is  propagated  by  planting 
out  the  smaller  roots,  or  pieces  of  the  larger 
which  have  buds  to  them,  in  the  manner  of 
potatoes.     The  stem  grows  to  a  considerable 


JERUSALEM  ARTICHOKE.       297 

height,  having  all  the  appearance  of  the  sun- 
flower, excepting  that  they  do  not  blossom 
in  this  temperate  climate.  The  root  spreads 
immoderately,  multiplies  very  quickly,  and  is 
with  difficulty  cleared  out  of  land  where  it 
is  once  planted.  The  Jerusalem  artichoke  is 
thought  greatly  to  impoverish  the  earth. 


298  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 


LAVENDER.—LAVENDULA, 

OR    THE    ANCIENT    SPIKENARD,    FROM    SPICA 

NARDI.* 

Natural  order,   Verticillatce.     A  genus  of  the 
Didynamia  Gymnospermia  class. 


Lavender  is  called  "Ndofos,  Nardus,  in 
Greek,  from  Naarda,  a  city  of  Syria,  near 
the  Euphrates,  and  Nctp£oL<?<£%vs,  quasi  Nardi 
Spica,  which  was  the  general  name  of  the 
Indian  sort :  also  Nardus  Indica,  to  put  a 
distinction  between  that  and  the  Celtic  and 
mountain  spikenard,  -f 

The  plant  takes  its  name  a  lavando,  from 
washing  or  bathing,  because  it  was  used  in 
baths,  on  account  of  its  fragrancy;  or  because 
all  the  species  were  ingredients  in  lyes,  for  the 
purpose  of  giving  a  sweet  smell  to  linen  ;  or 
entered  the  composition  of  the  best  Lavacra, 
or  washes  for  the  face,  in  order  to  render  it 
shining  and  fragrant.  It  is  also  called  Spica, 

*  Todd's  Edit,  of  Johnson's  Diet.      Hill,  Mat.  Med. 
t  Lobel.  Cole. 


LAVENDER.  299 

spike;  because,  among  all  the  verticillated 
plants,  this  alone  bears  a  spike.  Many  call 
it  Nard ;  and,  perhaps,  this  is  the  true  nard 
of  the  ancients.* 

This  shrub,  which  is  the  pride  both  of  our 
aromatic  gardens  and  of  our  perfumers' 
shops,  is  a  native  of  Languedoc,  some  parts 
of  Spain,  Hungary,  and  Austria ;  but  the 
most  odoriferous  lavender  grew  anciently 
about  the  city  Eporrhedia,  and  was  so  much 
esteemed  at  the  time  when  our  Saviour  was 
upon  earth,  that  it  was  sought  after  with  the 
greatest  avidity  and  brought  a  revenue  to 
that  city  equal  to  a  mine  of  the  most  precious 
metal,  f* 

St.  Mark  mentions  it  as  a  thing  of  great 
value ;  for  when  Christ  was  in  Bethany, 
"  in  the  house  of  Simon  the  leper,  as  he  sat 
at  meat,  there  came  a  woman,  having  an  ala- 
baster box  of  ointment  of  spikenard,  very 
precious :  and  she  brake  the  box,  and  poured 
it  on  his  head."  They  who  were  present 
observed  that  "  it  might  have  been  sold  for 
more  than  three  hundred  pence."  J 

Pliny,    who  flourished  a  little  after  this 

*  Historia  Plantarum,  ascribed  to  Boerhaave. 
t  Plin.  book  xxi.  chap.  7. 
J  Chap.  xiv.  ver.  3  to  5. 


300  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

period,  has  described  the  lavender  plant  un- 
der the  name  of  Nardus.  The  blossom  he 
notices  as  forming  a  spike,  and  says  there  is 
a  spurious  kind  of  nard,  which  is  often  sold 
for  the  true  spikenard.  In  the  same  chapter 
he  states  that  the  most  costly  and  precious 
ointment  was  made  from  the  aromatic  leaves 
of  the  nardus,  and  that  the  spikes  (blossoms) 
sold  for  100  Roman  denarii,  (3/.  2s.  6d.) 
a  pound. 

This  exact  naturalist  has  described  the 
varieties  so  minutely,  that  it  cannot  be  mis- 
taken for  any  other  plant.  "  The  Romans/' 
says  he,  "  esteem  the  leaves  of  the  nardus 
that  is  brought  from  Syria  as  the  best;  next 
to  that  the  Gallic  lavender  or  nardus  is  in 
estimation/'  He  also  notices  the  spikenard 
of  Candia,  and  of  India ;  but  he  does  not 
even  hint  that  the  latter  plant  was  used  as 
a  perfume.  What  especially  confirms  this 
opinion  is,  that  Pliny,  after  having  described 
the  same  ointment  mentioned  by  the  Evan- 
gelists, which  he  directs  to  be  kept  in  pots 
or  vessels  of  alabaster,  observes  that  the 
flowers  or  spikes  of  the  plant  being  laid  in 
wardrobes  give  a  most  agreeable  perfume  to 
the  garments. 

Lavender,  or  Nardus,  was  likewise  called 


LAVENDER.  301 

Asarum  by  the  Romans,  on  account  of  its 
not  being  used  in  garlands  or  chaplets  :  the 
leaves,  says  Pliny,  were  too  small  and  brittle 
to  be  woven  into  coronets. 

It  has  often  been  asserted,  that  the  spike- 
nard ointment  of  the  ancients  was  made  from 
the  root  of  the  Valeriana  Jatamansi,  which  is 
found  growing  only  in  India  ;  but  this  seems 
highly  improbable,  as  the  scent  of  this  root 
differs  very  widely  from  our  idea  of  agreeable 
perfumes  ;  and  we  may  presume,  that  the 
opinions  of  the  Romans  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  Christian  era,  with  respect  to 
odours,  were  similar  to  our  own  ;  as  we  find, 
besides  the  spikenard,  they  extracted  their 
favourite  odours  from  roses,  myrtle,  violets, 
marjoram,  lilies,  orris-root,  and  jonquils,  &c, 
to  which  they  often  added  sweet  spices  and 
aromatic  gums. 

The  late  Sir  William  Jones  was  of  opinion, 
that  this  celebrated  ointment  was  procured 
from  the  root  of  the  Valerian  of  Nepal ;  and 
on  this  authority,  Mr.  Lambert  tells  us  in  his 
illustration  of  the  genus  Cinchona,  that  the 
Valeriana  Jatamansi  "  is  identical  with  the 
spikenard  of  the  ancients  :"  notwithstanding 
the  doubts  expressed  by  Dr.  Francis  Hamil- 
ton, in  his  account  of  Nepal,  where  he  says. 


302  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

"  As  there  can  be  no  disputing  about  taste, 
I  cannot  take  upon  myself  to  say  how  far  the 
encomiums  bestowed  on  the  spikenard  are 
applicable  to  the  Valerian ;  all  I  can  say  is, 
that  if  this  root  was  the  spikenard  of  the 
Roman  ladies,  their  lovers  must  have  had  a 
very  different  taste  from  the  youth  of  modern 
Europe. 

The  wild  lavender,  which  grows  so  abun- 
dantly in  the  south  of  France,  is  known  to 
be  the  bastard  nard  of  the  ancients.  P.  Po- 
met,  who  was  superintendant  of  the  Mate- 
ria Medica  in  the  King  s  Gardens  at  Paris,  in 
1694,  says,  "  Nous  faisons  venir,  de  plus,  de 
Languedoc  et  de  la  Provence,  l'huile  d'as- 
pic,  qui  est  tir6  des  fleurs  et  des  petites 
feiiilles  d'une  plante  que  les  Botanistes  ap- 
pellent  Spica,  she  Lavendulamus,  vel  Nardus 
Italica,  a ut  Tseudo-nardus,  qui  signifie  Aspic, 
ou  Lavande  male,  ou  Nard  dTtalie,  ou 
Nard  batard." 

The  antiquity  of  the  use  of  odoriferous  gums 
and  perfumes,  in  the  eastern  nations,  defies 
our  researches  into  its  origin ;  but  it  was  the 
opinion  of  ancient  writers,  that  they  were 
first  brought  out  of  Elam,  the  country  now 
called  Persia,  and  formed  one  of  the  earliest 
articles  of  commerce    with    the    Egyptians. 


LAVENDER.  308 

These  people  appear  to  have  set  great  value 
on  aromatic  drugs,  which,  on  account  of  the 
damp  fogs  arising  from  the  Nile,  they  could 
not  obtain  in  so  high  a  degree  of  perfection 
from  their  native  plants.  The  Ishmaelitish 
merchants  to  whom  Joseph  was  sold,  were 
going  into  Egypt  with  their  camels  laden 
with  "  spices,  and  balm,  and  myrrh."  *  The 
Israelites  would,  of  course,  become  acquaint- 
ed with  the  use  of  these  luxuries  during  their 
bondage  in  Egypt ;  and  particularly  Moses, 
from  his  having  been  bred  up  in  Pharaohs 
court.  Among  the  offerings  which  the  children 
of  Israel  made  for  the  Tabernacle,  were  spices 
for  anointing  oil,  and  for  sweet  incense,  •f  In 
the  30th  chapter  of  Exodus,  we  learn  that 
Moses  was  commanded  to  make  the  holy 
anointing  oil,  and  a  perfume  of  various  aroma- 
tic gums  and  vegetables,  after  the  manner  of 
the  apothecaries." 

"  Why  need  I  name  the  sweet  balsamic  oil, 

Which  weeps  from  shrubs  in  Juda's  fertile  soil  T 

Virgil. 

This  precious  balm,  so  often  mentioned  in 
Scripture,  was  drawn  from  shrubs  which 
grew  only  in  two  places  in  Judea.     These 

#  Gen.  c.  xliii.  v.  11.  t  Exodus,  c.  xxv.  v.  G. 


304  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

were  afterwards  inclosed  as  parks  or  gar- 
dens, and  most  religiously  kept  for  the  Kings 
of  Israel.  The  largest  of  these  enclosures 
contained  about  twenty  acres  :  and  both  of 
them  were  said  to  produce  but  seven  gallons 
of  this  valuable  aromatic  sap,  in  the  most 
favourable  year.  When  fresh,  it  was  of  a 
pale  colour,  and  of  the  consistency  of  oil, 
but,  by  keeping,  it  was  converted  into  a  red- 
dish gum,  clear  and  transparent.  It  was  ob- 
tained by  making  incisions  in  the  shrubs;  but 
the  most  valuable  was  that  which  oozed 
from  the  natural  cracks  in  the  bark.  From 
the  pruning  of  the  shrubs  and  leaves  was 
procured  an  inferior  kind  of  balm. 

When  Alexander  was  in  Judea,  (332  years 
b.  c.)  he  limited  the  quantity  of  balm  that 
was  to  be  taken  from  both  these  gardens,  to 
one  spoonful  per  day. 

Pompey  boasted  of  having  borne  one  of 
these  shrubs  in  his  triumph ;  and  the  Empe- 
rors Vespasian,  both  father  and  son,  brought 
one  of  these  balm-trees  to  Rome,  where  it 
was  publicly  exhibited. 

At  the  sacking  and  destruction  of  Jerusa- 
lem, the  Jews  endeavoured  to  destroy  these 
sacred  shrubs,  in  order  to  prevent  their  fall- 
ing into  the  hands  of  the  heathens  ;  but  the 


LAVENDER.  305 

Romans   wishing  to  preserve  them,  a  most 
bloody  battle  ensued.     The  trees  were  pre- 
served, indeed,  but  for  the  worshippers  of 
idols,  though  the  Temple  fell  without  being 
polluted  by  heathen  sacrifices. 

These  celebrated  shrubs,  and  their  bal- 
samic liquor,  were  then  placed  under  the 
protection  of  the  Roman  empire.  They  are 
now  doomed  to  shed  their  tears  for  the  gra- 
tification of  the  Grand  Signior's  seraglio 
only ;  for  even  the  balsam  that  so  rarely 
leaves  Constantinople,  in  the  shape  of  pre- 
sents from  the  great  men  of  the  Porte,  is 
merely  an  extract  from  the  prunings  of  the 
plants. 

The  cultivation  of  these  shrubs  is  now  ex- 
clusively in  the  hands  of  the  Turkish  Sove- 
reign ;  and  is  esteemed  so  precious  as  to  form 
a  special  part  of  his  revenue. 

Le  Sieur  Pierre  Pomet,  in  his  Histoire 
G Sner ale  des  Drogues,  16'94,  tells  us,  that  the 
Grand  Signior  had  some  of  these  shrubs 
transplanted  into  his  garden  at  Grand  Cairo, 
where  they  were  so  strictly  guarded  by  the 
Janizaries,  that  his  friend  could  not  by  any 
stratagem  obtain  a  sight  of  the  trees,  except- 
ing from  the  height  of  the  wall.  From  the 
drawing  and  description  which  this  author 


VOL.  I. 


306  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

has  furnished  us  with,  the  leaves  of  this  shrub 
are  made  to  resemble  those  of  rue,  and  the 
white  blossoms  are  of  a  star-like  form,  from 
the  centre  of  which  grows  a  berry,  pointed 
at  the  extremity,  containing  a  kernel  or  seed. 
This  author  tells  us,  that  Madame  de  Ville- 
favin,had  possessed  herself  of  fourteen  ounces 
of  this  precious  balm,  which  he  saw,  and  that 
it  was  of  a  bright  gold  colour,  had  the  per- 
fume of  the  citron,  and  was  of  a  firm  con- 
sistency.* 

"  Indus  alone  can  swarthy  ebon  boast, 
As  fragrant  incense  the  Sabsean  coast." 

Virgil. 

The  sweet  incense,  or  frankincense,  which 
was  also  used  both  in  the  worship  of  the  true 
God,  and  on  the  altars  of  the  profane  tem- 
ples, was  a  produce  of  Arabia  Felix,  and  was 
drawn  from  trees  in  a  manner  similar  to  the 
balm. 

Pliny  informs  us,  that,  when  Alexander 
was  but  a  child,  he  threw  incense  on  the  altar 
so  unsparingly  at  a  sacrifice,  that  Leonidas, 
his  tutor,  slightly  checked  him  with  this  re- 
proof, "  Sire  !  you  should  throw  incense  in 
that  manner,  when  you  have  conquered  the 

#  Livre  vii.  chap.  44. 


LAVENDER.  301 

country  where  it  grows."  The  rebuke  seem- 
ed to  have  made  deep  impression  on  the 
mind  of  the  young  prince,  for  when  he  had 
conquered  Arabia,  he  sent  a  ship  laden  witli 
incense  to  Leonidas,  with  a  charge  to  his 
tutor  to  bestow  it  largely  on  the  gods  when 
he  sacrificed. 

The  incense  trees  grew  only  in  that  part 
of  Arabia  that  was  inhabited  by  the  Sabaeans, 
and  so  strict  were  their  laws  respecting  them, 
that  no  persons  were  permitted  even  to  see 
the  trees,  excepting  those  who  had  the  charge 
of  them.  The  valley  where  they  grew  was 
surrounded  by  mountains,  and  was  situated 
about  eight  days  journey  from  Sabota  (now 
Sanaa)  the  capital,  whither  the  incense  was 
conveyed  on  camels ;  and  it  was  forbidden, 
on  pain  of  death,  to  enter  the  city  with  this 
drug,  except  at  one  particular  gate,  where 
the  priests  took  a  tenth  part  for  their  god 
Sabis,  and  no  person  could  either  buy  or  sell 
it  until  this  duty  was  discharged.  The  Ge- 
banites  were  the  only  people  allowed  to 
carry  it  out  of  the  country.  They  also  paid 
a  toll  to  their  sovereign.  It  was  taxed  again 
at  Gaza,  and  by  the  time  that  the  kings,  the 
priests,  the  secretaries,  the  wardens  of  the 
temples,  and  the  various  officers,  had  levied 

x2 


308  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

contributions  on  this  drug,  but  little  was  left 
to  pay  the  great  charge  of  bringing  it  to  the 
coast ;  "and  here,"  says  Pliny,  "the  publicans 
and  officers  of  the  customs  belonging  to  the 
empire  must  have  a  fleece,  which  raises  it  to 
so  high  a  price  in  Rome."* 

At  the  time  when  this  frankincense  was 
taken  to  Alexandria,  to  be  tried,  refined,  and 
made  up  for  sale,  the  workmen  were  naked, 
excepting  short  trowsers,  which  were  sowed 
up  and  sealed,  to  prevent  the  possibility  of 
their  concealing  any  portion  of  this  valuable 
drug.  Their  heads  were  fixed  in  a  mask  or 
caul,  lest  they  should  secrete  the  smallest 
portion  either  in  their  mouths  or  ears.  They 
were  not  even  suffered  to  depart  after  all 
these  precautions,  till  they  were  examined 
when  quite  uncovered. 

Perfumes  were  evidently  known  to  the 
Greeks  in  the  time  of  Homer,  who  seems 
quite  at  home  at  the  toilet,  for,  in  decorating 
Juno  for  her  Imperial  husband,  he  says 


a 


Swift  to  her  bright  apartment  she  repairs, 
Sacred  to  dress,  and  Beauty's  pleasing  cares  : 

$fc  $F  TT  $fc  *W*  W  -Tf* 

Here  first  she  bathes  ;  and  round  her  body  pours 
Soft  oils  of  fragrance,  and  ambrosial  showers  : 

*  Book  xiv.  c.  12. 


LAVENDER.  30f) 

The  winds  perfumed,  the  balmy  gale  convey 

Through  heaven,  through  earth,  and  all  th'  aerial  way  ; 

Spirit  divine  !  whose  exhalation  greets 

The  sense  of  gods  with  more  than  mortal  sweets." 

lli<ul,  14///  book. 

The  Greeks  appear  to  have  learnt  the 
more  common  use  of  perfumes  from  the  Per- 
sians ;  for  when  Alexander  took  the  camp  of 
Darius,  he  found  among  the  royal  treasures 
a  great  quantity  of  rich  perfumes  and  costly 
ointments.  From  Greece  this  effeminate 
practice  was  carried  to  Rome,  where  its  abuse 
became  so  excessive,  that  Nero,  that  com- 
pound of  folly  and  vice,  had  his  feet  anointed 
with  the  most  expensive  odours  ;  and  he  is 
said  to  have  burnt  more  incense  at  the 
funeral  pile  of  his  wife  Poppa?a  than  the 
whole  of  Arabia  produced  in  a  year. 

"  I  cannot  ascertain,"  says  Pliny,  "  when 
this  enormity  first  entered  Rome ;  but  it  ap- 
pears upon  record,  that  after  the  subduing 
Antiochus,  and  the  conquest  of  Asia,  P.  Liei- 
nius  Crassus,  and  L.  Julius  Caesar,  the  Cen- 
sors, published  an  edict,  prohibiting  the  sale 
of  foreign  ointments  in  Rome.  But  in  these 
days,  it  has  entered  into  our  very  camps,  and 
the  old  standards  and  ensigns  and  eagles  are 
anointed  and  perfumed,  as  if  it  were  to  re- 
ward them  for  conquering  the  world.     Men 


310  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

are  now  so  wanton  and  delicate,  that  not- 
withstanding they  are  besmeared  in  every 
part  of  their  bodies  with  odorous  ointments, 
yet  they  cannot  take  their  wine  unless  it  be 
spiced  and  aromatized  with  balms  :  so  as 
they  get  sweet  smells,  they  care  not  for  the 
bitter  taste,  or  the  treasure  they  expend." 

When  L.  Plotius  was  banished,  and  pro- 
claimed an  outlaw,  by  a  decree  of  the  trium- 
viri, (Antony,  Lepidus,  and  Octavius,)  he 
would  have  escaped,  being  closely  hid  in  a 
cave  at  Salernum,  but  was  discovered  by  the 
smell  of  the  precious  ointment  on  his  person. 

As  we  digress  to  please,  we  hope  for  par- 
don, and  return  to  lavender,  under  the  name 
which  it  appears  to  have  borne  with  the 
prince  of  the  Latin  poets,  who,  in  describing 
a  situation  for  the  hive,  says, 

"  Hsec  circum  Casia  virides,  et  olentia  late 
Serpilla,  et  graviter  spirantis  copia  thymbrae." 

Virgil's  Georgics,  4.th  book. 

"  The  verdant  lavender  must  there  abound, 
There  savory  shed  its  pleasant  sweets  around ; 
There  buds  of  purple  violets  should  bloom, 
And  fragrant  thyme  the  ambient  air  perfume. 

Lauderdale. 

Theophrastus,  in  earlier  days,  seems  to 
have  mentioned  this  plant  under  the  title  of 
Cneorus  Albus. 


LAVENDER.  .)  1  I 

D.  Rembert  Dodoens,  who  wrote  his  Her- 
bal in  the  time  of  Henry  the  Eighth,  says, 
"the  English  call  it  Spike,  and  Lavender ;" 

which  is  also  a  proof  that  it  was  then  culti- 
vated in  this  country. 

Gerard  notices  six  varieties  that  were  cul- 
tivated in  our  gardens  as  early  as  the  reign 
of  Elizabeth :  one  of  these  species,  the  cut- 
leaved,  (multifield, )  he  says  is  called  in  Eng- 
lish, Cassidonia,  which  seems  to  be  derived 
from  the  Casiae  of  Virgil. 

It  does  not  appear  that  the  English  were 
addicted  to  the  use  of  perfumes  in  the  time  of 
Henry  the  Eighth,  or  in  the  reign  of  Elizabeth ; 
but  both  Dodoens  and  Gerard  recommend 
those  who  have  the  palsy  or  apoplexy  to  wash 
themselves  with  lavender-water,  or  anoint 
their  limbs  with  the  oil  made  from  its  flowers ; 
though  the  latter  author  condemns  the  prac- 
tice of  "  unskilful  apothecaries  and  foolish 
women,"  who  give  this  and  other  hot  com- 
positions inwardly  to  all  constitutions  and  for 
all  diseases.  Conserves  of  lavender  were 
much  used  in  the  time  of  Gerard  for  various 
complaints. 

It  is  far  from  our  intention  to  condemn 
the  moderate  use  of  perfumes,  as  it  would 
be  extremely  hard  to  debar  those  who  reside 


312  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

in  crowded  cities  from  partaking  of  the 
sweets  of  nature;  but  we  would  recommend 
the  old  practice  of  laying  clean  linen  in  la- 
vender, in  preference  to  throwing  the  extract 
of  it  on  dirty  clothes. 

Lavender  is  in  a  very  eminent  degree  ce- 
phalic and  nervine,  and  may  be  safely  em- 
ployed to  sweeten  the  air  of  sick  rooms, 
when  the  state  of  the  patient,  or  the  atmo- 
sphere, will  not  admit  of  purer  circulation. 
It  is  the  chief  of  all  the  cephalic  plants,  be- 
ing very  comfortable  and  reviving,  under 
faintings  and  languishments  of  the  brain  and 
heart;  whence  it  is  very  proper  in  lethargies, 
apoplexy,  palsy,  and  epilepsy.  Lavender, 
given  in  a  phrensy  proceeding  from  an  in- 
flammation, infallibly  destroys  the  patient ; 
but  it  is  good  for  vertiginous  old  persons, 
and  distempers  owing  to  dulness,  and  want 
of  spirits.* 

The  spirit  of  lavender  is  still  esteemed  in 
palsies,  vertigoes,  lethargies,  tremours,  &c. 
The  oil  is  particularly  celebrated  for  destroy- 
ing the  pediculi  mguinales,  and  other  cuta- 
neous insects.  Geoffroy  says,  if  soft  spungy 
paper,  dipped  in  the  oil,  be  applied  at  night 

#  Dr.  R.  James. 


LAVENDER.  S18 

to  the  parts  affected,  the  insects  will  certainly 
be  found  dead  in  the  morning. 

Lord  Bacon  says,  sweet  odours  contribute 
to  health  by  refreshing  the  spirits,  and  caus- 
ing cheerfulness.     This  should  induce  us  to 
plant  lavender  more  abundantly  in  our  gar- 
dens and  shrubberies,  where  its  bluish  leaves 
form  a  pleasing   variety,    and   its    aromatic 
spikes  give  an  agreeable  odour.      We  would 
wish  to   see  this  fragrant  shrub  occupying 
many  banks  in  parks  and  plantations,  where 
the  common  passenger  might  imbibe  good 
humour  from  this  reviving  plant.     It  is  easily 
propagated  either  by  seeds,  cuttings, or  slips; 
and  as  the  shrub  gets  older,  the  flowers  be- 
come more  fragrant,  on  the  same  principle 
that  the  fruit  of  an  old  tree  is  the  most  deli- 
cious, or  the  wine  made  from  old  vines,  the 
richest  and  most  agreeable. 

The  lavender  blossom  has  given  name  to 
a  colour,  that  is  the  gayest  worn  by  our  fair 
young  quakers,  who  are  as  attractive  in  their 
neatness,  as  the  Egyptian  Queen  in  her  robes 
of  Tyrian  dye. 

It  is  as  luxurious  as  it  is  ingenious  to 
have  our  desserts  brought  to  table  on  a  ser- 
vice of  lavender  spikes,  and  it  is  equally 
pleasing  to  see  young  females  thus  embellish- 


314  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

ing  those  rooms  of  which  they  are  the  greatest 
ornament. 

There  are  lavender  gardens  of  consider- 
able extent  in  the  neighbourhood  of  London, 
and  the  lavender-water  of  British  distillation 
is  now  generally  preferred  to  that  of  France. 

The  oil  made  of  this  plant  is  called  oil 
of  spike;  but  the  shops  generally  make  it  with 
turpentine,  impregnated  with  the  flowers  ; 
and  the  turpentine  has  indeed  the  smell,  but 
not  all  the  virtues  of  the  flowers  commu- 
nicated to  it.  The  true  oil  of  spike  should 
be  made  only  of  the  flowers  with  water.* 

*  James. 


315 


LETTUCE.-LACTUCA. 

Natural  order,    Compositce.     A  genus  of  the 
Syngenesia  Polygamia  /Equalis  class. 


The  Latins  gave  this  plant  the  name  of 
Lactuca  from  Lac,  on  account  of  the  milky 
juice  with  which  it  abounds.  The  French, 
for  the  same  reason,  call  it  Laitue ;  the  Eng- 
lish name  Lettuce  is  a  corruption  of  either 
the  Latin  or  French  word,  and  in  all  proba- 
bility originated  from  the  former,  as  several 
of  our  old  authors  spell  it  Lectuce. 

That  this  vegetable  was  in  early  times  es- 
teemed of  the  first  rank  among  pot-herbs  and 
salads,  we  learn  from  an  anecdote  related 
by  Herodotus,  and  which  also  proves  that 
lettuces  were  served  in  their  natural  state  at 
the  royal  tables  of  the  Persian  kings  at  least 
550  years  before  the  Christian  era.  Cam- 
byses,  son  of  Cyrus  the  Great,  had  his  brother 
Smerdis  killed  from  mere  suspicion,  and,  con- 
trary to  the  laws,  married  his  sister  :  this 
princess  being  at  table  with  Cambyses,  she 


316  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

stripped  a  headed  lettuce  of  its  leaves ;  when, 
the  king  observing  that  the  plant  was  not  so 
beautiful  as  when  it  had  all  its  leaves,  "  It  is 
the  same  with  our  family,"  replied  the  prin- 
cess, "  since  you  have  cut  off  a  precious  shoot." 
This  indiscreet  allusion  cost  her  her  own  life. 
Pliny  tells  us,  that  the  ancient  Romans 
knew  but  one  kind  of  lettuce,  which  was  a 
black  variety,  that  yielded  a  great  quantity 
of  milky  juice  which  caused  sleep,  therefore 
it  was  called  Lactuca. 

It  is  reported,  adds  this  author,  that  An- 
tonius  Musa,  a  physician,  cured  the  emperor 
Augustus  Caesar  of  a  dangerous  disease  by 
means  of  the  lettuce.  Other  authors  notice 
that  Augustus  was  eased  of  the  violence  of 
his  disease  by  the  use  of  this  plant ;  which 
circumstance  seems  to  have  brought  the  let- 
tuce into  esteem  at  Rome  ;  as  Pliny  says, 
after  that  time  there  was  no  doubt  about 
eating  them,  and  men  began  to  devise  means 
of  growing  them  at  all  seasons  of  the  year, 
and  even  preserving  them,  for  they  were  used 
in  pottage  as  well  as  in  salads. 
Columella  notices  the  qualities  of  this  plant, 

"  And  now  let  lettuce,  with  its  healthful  sleep, 
Make  haste,  which  of  a  tedious  long  disease 
The  painful  loathings  cures." 


LETTUCE.  .il/ 

Athenaeus  and  Constantino  Caesar  sav, 
that  the  Pythagoreans  called  this  plant  the 
Eunuch  ;  and  the  ancients  fabled,  that  after 
the  death  of  Adonis,  Venus  lay  upon  a  bed 
of  lettuce  ;  which  evidently  shews  that  they 
were  acquainted  with  the  cooling  and  opiate 
nature  of  this  vegetable,  which  is  still  thought 
more  salutary  for  those  whose  religious  pro- 
fession enjoins  them  a  life  of  celibacy,  than 
for  settlers  in  new  colonies. 

We  learn  also  from  Pliny,  that  the  Greek 
lettuce  was  a  variety  that  grew  both  high  and 
large,  and  that  the  Romans,  in  his  day,  culti- 
vated the  purple  lettuce  with  a  large  root 
that  was  called  Cceciliana.  They  had  likewise 
the  Egyptian,  Cilician,  and  Cappadocian 
lettuce,  besides  the  A  sty  Us,  or  the  chaste 
lettuce,  which,  he  says,  was  often  called 
Eunuchion,  because  it  was  thought  less  favour- 
able to  Venus  than  other  plants.  This  natu- 
ralist adds,  they  were  all  considered  cooling, 
therefore  eaten  principally  in  the  summer. 
Great  pains  were  used  to  make  them  cab- 
bage: they  were  earthed  up  with  sea-sand, 
to  blanch  them  and  give  them  heart.  The 
white  lettuce  was  noticed,  in  that  mild  cli- 
mate, to  be  the  least  able  to  endure  cold. 

The  Romans  esteemed  this  vegetable  as  a 


318  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

clearer  of  the  senses.  They  were  anciently 
eaten  at  the  conclusion  of  their  supper;  but 
in  the  time  of  Domitian,  they  changed  this 
order,  and  served  them  with  the  first  entries 
at  their  feasts. 

Martial  notices  this  change  in  his  verse. 

"  Claudere  quae  coenas  Lactuca  solebat  avorum, 
Die  mihi,  cur  nostras  inchoat  ilia  dapes  V 

The  wild  lettuce  as  well  as  the  cultivated, 
was  used  medicinally  by  the  Romans ;  and 
Palladius,  a  Greek  physician,  notices  their 
culture  in  his  treatise  on  fevers. 

We  find  no  attempt  made  to  cultivate  the 
lettuce  in  this  country,  until  the  fourth  year 
of  Queen  Elizabeth's  reign,  1562 ;  but  in 
1597,  Gerard  gives  us  an  account  of  eight 
kinds  of  lettuce,  that  were  then  cultivated 
in  England.  He  says,  *  Lettuce  maketh  a 
pleasant  sallade,  being  eaten  rawe  with 
vinegar,  oil,  and  a  little  salt :  but  if  it  be 
boiled,  it  is  sooner  digested,  and  nourisheth 
more."  He  adds,  "  It  is  served  in  these 
daies,  and  in  these  countries,  at  the  begin- 
ning of  supper,  and  eaten  first  before  any 
other  meat ;  but  notwithstanding,  it  may  now 
and  then  be  eaten  at  both  those  times  to  the 
health  of  the  bodie  :  for  being  taken  before 


LETTUCE.  31<) 

meate,  it  doth  many  times  stir  vp  appetite  : 
and  eaten  after  supper,  it  keepeth  away 
drunkenness  which  cometh  by  the  wine;  and 
that  is  by  reason  that  it  staieth  the  vapors 
from  rising  vp  into  the  head."  He  says, 
"  Lettuce  cooleth  a  hot  stomake,  called  the 
heart-burning,"  &c.  &c. 

We  now  cultivate,  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  London,  thirty  varieties  of  this  plant,  all 
of  which  are  esteemed  in  salads.  Some  of 
them  are  natives  of  Egypt ;  others  have 
been  procured  from  Aleppo,  Cos,  Holland, 
Marseilles,  Silesia,  Savoy,  South  America, 
Sweden,  Italy,  Hungary,  Germany,  and  the 
East  Indies  ;  the  latter  can  only  be  grown 
in  a  hot-house. 

It  should  be  remarked,  that  none  are  so 
good  to  boil  or  stew,  or  to  thicken  soup,  hodge- 
podge, &c,  as  the  Roman  or  cabbage  lettuce. 

The  young  leaves  of  garden  lettuce  are 
emollient,  cooling,  and  in  some  small  degree 
laxative  and  aperient,  easy  of  digestion  but  of 
little  nourishment ;  salubrious  in  hot  bilious 
indispositions,  but  less  proper  in  cold  phleg- 
matic temperaments.  In  some  cases  they 
tend  to  promote  sleep,  by  virtue  of  their  re- 
frigerating and  demulcient  quality.* 

*  Lewis. 


320  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

Galen  says,  "  In  the  decline  of  age,  which 
is  naturally  wakeful,  I  suffered  very  much 
by  want  of  sleep  ;  for  which  disorder,  I  used 
in  the  evening  to  eat  a  lettuce,  which  was 
my  sovereign  and  only  remedy.  Many  boil 
this  tender  herb  in  water,  before  it  produces 
stalks ;  as  I  myself  now  do,  since  my  teeth 
begin  to  fail  me." 

Dr.  Aston  tells  us,  that  the  milk  of  the 
common  garden  lettuce  is  hypnotic,  while 
the  root  of  the  plant  is  cooling,  diluent,  and 
nourishing. 

This  plant  is  cooling,  and  causes  an  incli- 
nation to  sleep,  upon  which  account  it  pro- 
cures ease  in  pains,  both  taken  inwardly,  and 
externally  applied. 

Schroder  was  of  opinion,  that  it  afforded 
considerable  nourishment,  and  much  in- 
creases milk  when  eaten  by  nurses. 

The  Historia  Plant  arum  states  that  no 
herb  more  powerfully  resolves,  and  brings 
away  the  black  bile. 

Lettuces  are  said  to  render  the  chyle  easily 
condited;  and  are  recommended  to  young 
people  on  account  of  their  cooling  nature. 

M.  Bourgeois  observes,  that  the  different 
kinds  of  lettuce,  although  very  good  for  per- 
sons of  strong  stomach  and  good  digestion, 


LETTUCE.  21 

are  very  injurious  to  cold  weak  stomachs,  as 
they  pass  undigested  ;  they  disagree  very 
much  with  hypochondriac  persons,  and  fe- 
males who  are  troubled  with  hysterics. 

Turned  lettuce,  when  dried  and  put  on 
the  fire  or  on  hot  coals,  sparkles  like  nitre. 

Young  lettuce  may  be  raised  in  forty-eight 
hours,  by  first  steeping  the  seed  in  brandy, 
and  then  sowing  it  in  a  hot-house. 

The  seeds  of  this  plant  are  of  an  emollient 
nature. 


ENDIVE.— CICHORIUM. 

This  plant  is  a  species  of  succory,  and  is 
arranged  under  the  same  class  and  order  as 
the  lettuce. 

Modern  botanical  writers  state,  that  the 
common  garden  endive  is  a  native  of  the 
East  Indies,  without  noticing  what  the  an- 
cient European  authors  have  said  of  it. 

Ovid  mentions  it  in  his  tale  of  Philemon 
and  Baucis  : 


A  garden  salad  was  the  third  supply, 
Of  endive,  radishes,  and  succory." 


Columella  thus  notices  this  vegetable, 

"  And  endives,  which  the  blunted  palate  please." 

VOL.   I.  Y 


322  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

This  plant  was  eaten  both  as  a  pot-herb 
and  a  salad  by  the  Romans.  Pliny  notices  it 
in  the  8th  chapter  of  his  20th  book,  and  in- 
forms us  that  the  endive,  or  garden  succory, 
furnishes  many  effectual  properties  in  medi- 
cine ;  that  the  juice  of  this  plant,  mingled 
with  rose-oil  and  vinegar,  was  used  to  allay 
pains  in  the  head;  and  that  when  mixed  with 
wine  it  was  thought  good  for  complaints  of 
the  liver. 

Some  of  our  writers  (says  this  author)  name 
the  wild  endive  A  mbubeia ;  and  in  Egypt 
they  call  wild  endive  dehor  him,  and  the  cul- 
tivated, Seris. 

Horace  notices  this  plant  under  the  name 
of  Cicorea. 

"  Me  pascunt  olivae, 


Me  Cicorea,  levesque  malvse."* 

It  is  one  of  the  plants  with  which  the  magi- 
cians, in  credulous  ages,  used  to  endeavour  to 
impose  on  their  too  easily  seduced  believers. 
They  affirmed,  that  if  persons  anointed  their 
bodies  all  over  with  the  juice  of  this  herb 
mixed  with  oil,  it  would  make  them  appear, 
not  only  so  amiable  that  they  would  win  the 
good  will  and  favour  of  all  men,    but  that 

*  Lib.  i.  Ode  31. 


LETTUCE.  323 

they  would  easily  obtain  whatever  they  set 
their  hearts  upon.  We  can  match  this  cre- 
dulity in  modern  times,  by  that  of  the  disci- 
ples of  Johanna  Southcot. 

The  garden-endive  appears  to  have  been 
first  cultivated  in  England  in  the  reign  of 
Edward  the  Sixth,  1548;  but  the  wild  endive 
or  succory,  Intubus,  being  indigenous  to  the 
soil,  was  sown  in  all  probability  at  a  much 
earlier  period,  both  as  a  pot-herb  and  as  a 
salad,  as  Old  Gerard  informs  us,  that  "  the 
leaves  of  these  wilde  herbes  are  boiled  in 
pottage  or  broths  for  sicke  and  feeble  persons 
that  haue  hot,  weake,  and  feeble  stomacks, 
to  strengthen  the  same."  This  early  and  ex- 
cellent English  herbalist  notices  that  the 
wild  endives  "  do  growe  wilde  in  sundry 
places  in  Englande,  vpon  wilde  and  vntilled 
barren  grounds,  especially  in  chalkie  and 
stonie  places."  He  also  gives  an  account  of 
the  manner  by  which  the  garden-endive  was 
preserved  for  winter  use  in  the  time  of  Queen 
Elizabeth. 

"  Endiue  being  sown  in  July,  it  remaineth 
till  winter,  at  which  time  it  is  taken  vp  by  the 
rootes,  and  laide  in  the  sunne  or  aire  for  the 
space  of  two  houres  ;  then  will  the  leaues  be 
tough,  and  easily  endure  to  be  wrapped  vpon 


Y  2 


324  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

an  heape,  and  buried  in  the  earth  with  the 
rootes  vpwards,  where  no  earth  can  get  within 
it,  which,  if  it  did,  would  cause  rottenness ; 
the  which,  so  couered,  may  be  taken  vp  at 
times  conuenient,  and  vsed  in  sallades  all  the 
winter,  as  in  London  and  other  places  is  to  be 
seene ;  and  then  it  is  called  white  endiue." 
He  adds,  "  these  herbes  eaten  in  sallades  or 
otherwise,  especially  the  white  endiue,  doth 
comfort  the  weake  and  feeble  stomacke,  and 
cooleth  and  refresheth  the  stomacke  ouer- 
much  heated." 

Galen,  who  wrote  in  the  second  century, 
mentions  this  plant  as  an  excellent  medicine 
for  a  heated  liver.  Many  of  the  Romans  at- 
tributed the  astonishing  cures  performed  by 
that  physician  to  magic,  and  thought  that 
he  had  obtained  all  his  knowledge  by  en- 
chantment. Galen,  however,  confessed  him- 
self indebted  for  his  medical  knowledge  to 
the  writings  of  Hippocrates,  which  had  then 
been  preserved  550  years :  this  should  be 
an  inducement  for  us  rather  to  learn  the 
opinions  of  the  ancients,  than  to  condemn 
them  unknown. 

Endive  is  now  cultivated  in  this  country 
more  as  a  winter  and  spring  salad  than  for 
any  other  purpose;  although  it  is  excellent 


LETTUCE.  325 

in  pottage  and   soups.     Modern  physicians 
begin  to  discountenance  the  use  of  raw  ve- 
getables, and  reason  tells  us,  that  too  free  a 
use  of  salads  in  the  winter  season  cannot  be 
beneficial  to  the  generality  of  constitutions 
in  this  country ;   yet  we  find  our  late  adven- 
turers to  the  North  found  it  desirable  to  grow 
green  salads  in  their  ships,  for  the  benefit  of 
the  sick,  when  they  were  within  a  few  de- 
grees of  the  North  Pole. 

We  now  cultivate  eight  varieties  of  endive. 


DANDELION.— LEONTODON. 

This  despised  vegetable,  although  an  ex- 
cellent salad  herb,  belongs  to  the  family  of 
the  succory  and  endive,  and  is  botanically 
arranged  under  the  same  order  and  class  as 
the  lettuce. 

We  find  the  Romans  named  most  plants 
from  their  similarity  to  some  well-known  ob- 
ject, or  in  allusion  to  some  virtue  which  they 
were  supposed  to  possess;  on  examining  the 
leaves  of  the  dandelion,  they  will  be  found 
cut  or  jagged,  like  the  teeth  of  a  lion,  and 
which  is  expressed  by  the  name  Leontodon. 
The  French  name  this  plant  Dent  de  Lyon, 
from  Dens  Leonis,  lion's  tooth,   from  which 


326 


CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 


the  English  name  of  Dandelion  is  a  corrup- 
tion. The  French  eat  the  stalks  and  tender 
leaves  of  this  plant  with  bread  and  butter. 

Children  that  eat  of  the  dandelion  in  the 
evening  experience  its  diuretic  effects  in  the 
night ;  from  which  cause,  other  European 
nations,  as  well  as  the  English,  have  bes- 
towed on  it  a  more  vulgar  name.  Notwith- 
standing this  uninviting  appellation,  we  have 
always  found  it  desirable  to  have  some  plants 
taken  from  the  pastures  or  road  sides,  and 
planted  in  our  garden  to  blanch  for  the 
spring,  as  it  is  then  an  agreeable  herb  to  mix 
with  other  salads,  and  may  be  procured  when 
lettuce  or  endive  are  not  easily  obtained. 

We  are  told  that  when  a  swarm  of  locusts 
had  destroyed  the  harvest  in  the  island  of 
Minorca,  many  of  the  inhabitants  subsisted 
upon  this  plant,  without  any  ill  effect. 

Goats  are  fond  of  the  dandelion,  and  swine 
devour  it  greedily  ;  sheep  and  cows  are  not 
fond  of  it,  and  horses  refuse  it.  Small  birds 
hunt  for  the  seed,  which  they  seem  to  relish. 

Boerhaave  greatly  recommended  the  use 
of  this  vegetable  in  most  chronical  dis- 
tempers, and  held  it  capable  of  resolving  all 
kinds  of  coagulations,  and  the  most  obstinate 


LETTUCE.  327 

obstructions  of  the  viscera,  if  it  were  duly 
continued. 

The  dandelion  is  cooling  and  aperitive, 
and  a  diuretic  that  is  good  to  cleanse  the 
kidneys  and  bladder.  It  is  boiled  in  posset 
drink,  and  frequently  used  in  all  kinds  of 
fevers.* 

Parkinson  recommends  a  decoction  of  the 
leaves  and  roots  in  wine  or  broth  for  a  con- 
sumption, or  any  ill  habit  of  body.  The 
leaves,  as  they  get  old,  are  very  bitter,  and 
give  a  faint  tincture  of  red  to  blue  paper ; 
the  roots  give  it  much  deeper :  they  are 
bitter,  styptic,  and  detersive.  Tragus  pre- 
scribed the  water  of  this  herb  in  internal 
inflammations;  and  Barbette  advised  the  juice 
to  be  taken  for  the  same  complaint. 

#  James. 


328  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES 


MARIGOLD.— CALDULENA. 

Natural   order,  Composite.     A  genus  of  the 
Syngenesia  Polygamic/,  Necessaria  class. 


The  generic  name  of  Calendula  is  thought 
to  have  originated  from  its  having  been  ob- 
served to  flower  most  about  the  calends  of 
every  month. 

"  Fair  is  the  Marygold,  for  pottage  meet."  Gay. 

The  common  Marigold,  or  Calendula  offi- 
cinalis, is  a  native  of  the  south  of  Europe,  and 
is  said  to  have  been  cultivated  in  this  country 
prior  to  1573.  Dodoens,  whose  Herbal  was 
written  previous  to  this  date,  says  the  Eng- 
lish call  them  Marigolds  and  Ruds  :  he  ob- 
serves, they  grow  in  every  garden  where  they 
have  once  been  sown,  as  they  yearly  spring 
up  from  the  fallen  seed. 

We  have  often  seen  this  plant  in  situations 
that  have  called  to  mind  those  lines  of 
Goldsmith, 

u  Where  once  the  garden  smiled, 


And  still  where  many  a  garden  flower  grows  wild.' 


MARIGOLD.  329 

Gerard  describes  several  species  and  va- 
rieties of  marigolds  that  were  grown  in  our 
gardens  previously  to  1597  ;  and  the  species 
now  alluded  to,  Calendula  sativa,  he  says, 
was  so  much  used  in  Holland,  that  "  the 
yellow  leaves  of  the  flowers  are  dried  and 
kept  throughout  Dutchland  against  winter,  to 
put  into  broths,  in  phisicall  potions,  and  for 
diuers  other  purposes,  in  such  quantities,  that 
in  some  grocers  or  sellers  of  spices  houses 
are  to  be  found  barrels  filled  with  them,  and 
retailed  by  the  pennie,  more  or  lesse,  in  so 
much  that  no  broths  are  well  made  without 
dried  marigolds." 

Most  of  the  old  physicians  recommend  the 
conserves  made  with  the  leaves  of  this  flower 
and  sugar,  to  be  taken  as  a  preventive  against 
the  plague  or  other  pestilential  diseases. 
They  also  state  that  these  preparations  cure 
the  palpitation  of  the  heart.  Marigold  tea 
was  one  of  the  domestic  medicines  given  in 
agues,  and  often  with  success.  We  cannot 
avoid  noticing  how  much  less  frequent  this 
disorder  has  become  within  these  last  twenty- 
five  years  ;  and  we  attribute  it  principally  to 
the  improved  state  of  the  cultivation  of  our 
lands.  The  rapid  advance  in  price  of  every 
agricultural  production  at  the  commencement 


330  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

of  the  war  occasioned  by  the  French  Revolu- 
tion, induced  the  farmers  to  drain  their  lands 
where  formerly  waters  were  suffered  to  con- 
gregate and  become  stagnated,  and  where 
vegetable  matter  would  naturally  putrefy  and 
corrupt  the  air.  In  justice  to  the  age  we 
live  in,  it  must  be  remarked  that  the  lower 
orders  of  the  country  people  were  never 
better ,  fed  or  clothed  than  during  the  late 
war,  notwithstanding  the  high  price  provi- 
sions bore,  which  circumstance  also  proved 
a  powerful  defence  against  this  autumnal 
complaint. 

The  ancient  authors  make  but  slight  men- 
tion of  the  marigold ;  Columella  notices  it  in 
his  10th  book,  under  the  name  of  Calthce. 

"  Candida  Leucoia  et  flaventia  lumina  Calthae." 

Stock  gilliflowers  exceeding  white, 

And  marygolds  most  yellow  bright.  Gerard. 

Virgil  notices  the  flower  in  the  second 
Eclogue  of  his  Bucolicks. 

"  Cassia  and  Dill  are  added  to  the  store, 
With  cowslips,  marigolds,  and  many  more 
In  order  wove,  a  garland  to  complete, 
Adorn'd  with  every  flower  and  every  sweet." 

Gay,  in  his  burlesque  Pastorals,  gives  this 
riddle : 


MARIGOLD.  )1 

"  What  flower  is  that  which  bears  the  Virgin's  mum  , 

The  richest  metal  joined  with  the  same?" 

The  flowers  of  the  common  marigold  are 
thought  to  be  aperient  and  attenuating,  as 
well  as  cardiac,  alexipharmac,  and  sudorific  ; 
they  are  greatly  esteemed  in  uterine  obstruc- 
tions, and  the  jaundice,  as  also  for  throwing 
out  the  small  pox  and  measles.  The  leaves  of 
the  plant  are  said  to  be  antiscorbutic,  and  are 
of  a  stimulating  and  aperient  nature.  The 
young  leaves  were  formerly  eaten  as  a  salad, 
and  they  are  said  to  be  a  proper  food  for 
those  that  have  any  scorbutic  taint  in  their 
constitution, 

The  leaves  of  the  plant  appear  to  be 
of  greater  virtue  than  the  flowers  :  their  ex- 
pressed juice  has  been  given,  in  doses  of  two 
or  three  ounces  or  more,  as  an  aperient;  and 
is  said  to  loosen  the  stomach,  and  promote 
the  natural  secretions  in  general.* 

The  petals  are  of  an  aromatic  smell,  and 
when  chewed,  exert  a  penetrating  and  almost 
burning  acrimony :  hence  they  derive  their 
sudorific  virtues;  in  which,  says  Dr.  James, 
they  are  scarce  inferior  to  saffron  itself.  For 
this  reason,  the  flowers  of  the  marigold  have 
merited  a  place  among  the  catalogue  of  alexi- 

*   Lewis. 


332  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

pharmacs ;  and,  according  to  Schulzius,  in 
his  Prcelectiones,  have  had  uncommon  ef- 
ficacy ascribed  to  them  by  some  very  cele- 
brated physicians,  in  the  cure  of  malignant 
and  pestilential  fevers.  Velschius  informs 
us,  that  upon  the  breaking  out  of  a  pestilen- 
tial fever,  Le  Fevre  prescribed  the  juice  of 
the  marigold,  to  be  taken  in  white  wine  as  a 
vehicle ;  by  which  most  of  the  patients  who 
used  it  recovered  ;  and  that  this  same  medi- 
cine was  the  celebrated  arcanum  of  Veslin- 
gius.*  Ray  says,  "  The  flowers  may  pro- 
perly be  prescribed  wherever  stimulating 
medicines  are  necessary ;  and  by  reason  of 
their  resolvent  and  aperient  qualities,  they 
are  used  in  decoctions  for  the  cure  of  the 
jaundice. 

This  plant  has  been  called  Verrucaria,  on 
account  of  its  efficacy  in  extirpating  warts. 
Some  have  called  it  Solsequia,  or  Solsequium, 
and  Sponsa  Soils  ;  because  its  flower  opens 
at  the  rising,  and  shuts  at  the  setting  of  the 
sun. 

It  was  an  old  practice  with  dairy-women, 
to  churn  the  petals  of  the  marigold  with 
their  cream,  to  give  their  butter  a  yellow 
colour. 

*  Eph.  N.  C.  D.  1.  a.  4. 


MILLET.— MILIUM. 

Natural   order,    Gramina.      A    genus  of  the 
Triandria  Digynia  class. 


It  is  supposed  to  have  derived  the  name 
of  Milium  from  mille,  a  thousand,  because  of 
its  numerous  seeds. 

"  To  every  land  great  Nature  hath  assign'd 
A  certain  lot,  which  laws  eternal  bind." 

Virgil,  Georg.  book  i. 

The  Ethiopians  inhabiting  that  part  of 
Africa  now  called  Abyssinia,  knew  no  other 
bread  or  gruel  than  that  which  was  made 
from  millet  or  barley ;  yet  they  were  com- 
plimented by  Homer,  who  styled  them  the 
favourite  of  the  gods,  and  the  justest  of  men  ; 
and  it  is  a  singular  fact,  that  their  country 
has  never  been  invaded  by  a  foreign  enemy. 

Millet  is  alss  a  native  grain  of  Tartary, 
and,  when  mixed  with  mares  milk  or  horses 
blood,  (which  was  obtained  by  opening  a  vein 
in  the  leg  of  this  useful  animal,)  it  formed  the 


334  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

principal  food  of  those  savage  Sarmatians 
whose  hordes  destroyed  the  Roman  empire, 
and  whose  barbarism  nearly  extinguished 
civilization  in  Europe. 

This  grain  was  cultivated  in  Italy  in  the 
time  of  Columella,  who  mentions  it  as  grow- 
ing abundantly  in  Campania.  Virgil  also 
notices  it  in  his  Georgics  : 

"  Sow  beans  and  cinquefoil  in  a  mellow  soil, 
And  millet,  springing  from  your  annual  toil." 

Pliny  notices,  that  the  inhabitants  of  Cam- 
pania very  much  esteemed  their  millet,  with 
which  they  made  a  white  pottage  or  gruel, 
and  also  bread  of  a  savoury  and  sweet  taste. 
This  author  says,  no  good  husbandman  will 
sow  millet  in  his  vineyard,  or  among  fruit- 
trees,  as  it  destroys  the  very  heart  of  the 
ground. 

The  variety  producing  a  black  seed  is  not 
a  native  of  France,  as  stated  in  the  Hortus 
Kewensis,  and  other  botanical  works ;  as 
Pliny  tells  us*,  that  it  was  first  brought  out 
of  India  into  Italy,  about  ten  years  before  he 
wrote  his  Natural  History.  He  observes, 
that  it  was  the  most  fruitful  of  all  grain,  as 

*  Book  xviii.  chap.  7. 


MILLET.  335 

one  seed  would  give  an  increase  of  three  sex- 
tans or  quarts,  if  sown  in  a  moist  soil. 

Millet  was  used  by  the  Romans  in  all  cases 
where  hot  fomentations  were  applied  ;  as  it 
retains  the  heat  longer  than  any  other  grain. 
The  meal  of  this  seed,  mixed  with  tar,  was 
esteemed  a  good  plaster  for  those  who  had 
been  stung  by  serpents,  or  pricked  by  the 
multipede. 

That  Italy  was  not  free  from  the  most  ab- 
surd superstition,  even  in  the  most  enlight- 
ened days  of  the  Roman  empire,  we  have  an 
instance  in  the  manner  of  their  cultivating 
millet.  Sparrows  and  other  small  birds  are 
apt  to  make  great  havock  in  fields  of  millet ; 
to  prevent  which  the  Roman  farmers  carried 
a  toad  round  the  field  after  it  was  sown  and 
before  it  was  harrowed.  The  reptile  was 
then  put  in  an  earthen  pot,  and  buried  in  the 
middle  of  the  field.  This,  they  were  as- 
sured, would  protect  the  roots  from  the 
worm,  and  the  seed  from  birds.  The  toad 
was  always  dug  up  before  the  millet  was  cut, 
the  neglect  of  which,  they  believed,  would 
cause  the  seed  to  be  bitter.* 

Botanists  name  five  species  of  this  grain. 

*  Pliny,  book  xviii.  chap.  17. 


336  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

Those  described  are  varieties  of  the  pani- 
cum,  or  common  millet.  We  are  principally 
supplied  from  India,  although  it  is  sometimes 
sown  in  this  country  for  feeding  of  poultry. 
Puddings  made  from  this  seed  are  much  ad- 
mired by  many  persons,  and  esteemed  a  pro- 
per diet  for  the  nursery.  The  seed  should 
be  sown  in  April,  on  a  warm  dry  soil. 

Millet  is  diuretic  and  astringent ;  the  seeds 
are  said  to  be  of  extraordinary  service  in  dis- 
eases of  the  lungs,  and  exulce rations  of  the 
kidneys  :  made  into  a  cataplasm,  they  are 
anodyne  and  resolvent/ 

According  to  Miller,  it  is  cooling,  drying, 
and  binding,  and  not  easily  digested  ;  a  strong 
decoction  of  it  with  figs  and  raisins,  mixed 
with  wine,  and  drunk  warm  in  bed,  is  a  very 
good  sudorific. 

Among  the  Italians,  says  C.Bauhine,  loaves 
are  made  of  millet,  which  are  yellow,  and 
eaten  hot  by  many,  not  out  of  necessity,  but 
for  their  sweetness  ;  but  when  this  bread  is 
grown  hard,  it  is  quite  black.  Of  the  fine 
flour  of  millet  the  Italians  make  cakes  also, 
which  must  be  eaten  as  soon  as  dressed,  or 
else  they  become  glutinous,  and  unpleasant 
to  the  taste. 

#  Hist.  Plant,  adscript.  Boerhaave. 


337 


MARJORAM.— ORIGANUM. 

Natural  order,    Verticillatce.     A  genus  of  the 
Didynamia  Gymno&permia  class. 


This  plant  is  a  native  of  Cyprus  and 
Candia,  and  is  found  also  in  Italy,  Spain, 
and  Portugal.  From  the  latter  country  the 
English  first  obtained  the  seed  of  the  sweet 
or  knotted  marjoram,  in  the  year  1573.  The 
Candia  marjoram,  Dictamnus,  had  been  in- 
troduced in  1551  :  this  species  of  origanum 
is  the  Dittany  of  Crete,  so  much  celebrated 
by  the  ancient  poets.  It  is  the  plant  which 
Venus  is  said  to  have  brought  for  the  cure  of 
her  son  iEneas. 

"  A  branch  of  healing  dittany  she  brought, 
Which  in  the  Cretan  fields  with  care  she  sought, 
(Rough  is  the  stem,  which  woolly  leaves  Burround; 
The  leaves  with  flowers,   the    flowers  with  purple 

crown'd,) 
Well  known  to  wounded  goats  ;  a  sure  relief 
To  draw  the  pointed  steel,  and  ease  the  <j;nef." 

Virgil,  Mn .  book  x  i  i . 

VOL.   1.  Z 


338  CULTIVATED     VEGETABLES. 

We  are  told  that  the  use  of  this  plant  was 
taught  to  man  by  the  harts  ;  for  that,  when 
these  animals  were  wounded  with  arrows, 
they  ate  plentifully  of  dittany,  which  had 
the  effect  of  discharging  the  darts  out  again. 
The  ancient  traditionary  tale  on  this  plant 
shews  how  far  the  sycophants  of  kings  would 
formerly  venture.  The  flatterers  of  Cinyras, 
King  of  Cyprus,  to  please  his  humour,  and 
console  him  for  the  death  of  his  son  Amara- 
cus,  assured  him  that  this  youth,  while  car- 
rying a  box  of  fragrant  ointment  through  the 
fields  of  herbs,  by  accident  spilt  it  on  this 
shrub,  which  from  thence  received  its  excel- 
lent savour.  The  prince  mourning  for  the 
loss  of  his  ointment,  the  Gods  in  conside- 
ration of  his  parentage  and  merit,  changed 
him  into  that  herb,  which  was  from  that  time 
called,  after  his  name,  Amaracus. 

Catullus,  in  the  epithalamium  of  Julia  and 
Manlius,  notices  this  plant : 

"  Cinge  tempora  floribus 
Suave  olentis  Amaraci." 

Bind  your  brows  with   the  flowers  of   sweet- 
smelling  marjoram. 

Majorana,  the  sweet  or  knotted  marjoram, 
the  leaves  or  tops  of  which  have  a  pleasant 


MARJORAM.  33f) 

smell,  and  a  moderately  warm  aromatic  bit- 
terish taste,  is  mixed  in  food,  not  onlv  to 
make  it  more  savoury,  but  to  assist  digestion 
and  correct  flatulencies. 

This  plant  is  accounted  cephalic,  and  use- 
ful in  nervous  complaints.  In  its  recent  state, 
we  are  told,  it  has  been  successfully  applied 
to  schirrous  tumours  of  the  breast.* 

M.  Bourgeois  says,  it  is  a  specific  for 
apoplexia  and  paralysis,  the  infusion  being 
taken  in  the  form  of  tea;  and  it  is  em- 
ployed in  wine  to  foment  paralysed  limbs, 
which  it  strengthens. 

Hartman  assures  us,  that  it  restores  the 
sense  of  smelling,  when  lost.  It  is  also  re- 
commended for  sneezing  disorders. 

There  is  no  plant  more  celebrated  by  Hip- 
pocrates, than  Origanum:  he  recommends  it 
in  diseases  which  require  heating,  dissolving, 
and  stimulating;  whence  it  is  beneficial  in 
exulcerations  of  the  lungs,  being  boiled  in 
wine,  and  then  sweetened  with  honey,  and 
drunk  hot.  Thus  prepared,  it  is  said  to  be  a 
good  medicine  for  expectorating  phlegm.  It 
was  also  esteemed  for  diseases  of  the  kidneys ; 
for  it  is  aperient,  dissolvent,  and  balsamic. 

*  Woodville. 

z2 


340  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

A  tea  of  the  leaves  is  effectual  in  the  asth- 
ma, violent  coughs,  and  indigestion  ;  and,  in 
baths,  the  leaves  are  used  for  the  hysteric 
passions,  chlorosis,  and  palsy.  Origanum 
provokes  sweat,  and  is  proper  in  soporous, 
hysteric,  and  catarrhous  disorders.* 

The  sweet  marjoram  yields  a  considerable 
quantity  of  essential  oil,  which,  when  long 
kept,  assumes  a  solid  form,  and  was  formerly 
much  esteemed  for  anointing  stiff  joints,  for 
the  palsy,  &c. 

In  the  time  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  the  leaves 
were  much  used  in  broths  and  meats,  as  well 
as  in  wafer  cakes,  ointments,  &c. 

Gerard  says,  the  leaves  boiled  in  water, 
and  the  decoction  drunk,  is  good  for  those 
who  are  breeding  dropsy. 

Miller  enumerates  thirteen  species,  and 
Linnaeus  eleven.  The  Hortus  Kewensis 
mentions  ten  kinds  of  marjoram,  one  variety 
of  which,  Vulgare,  is  a  native  of  this  country, 
and  is  often  found  growing  wild  on  our 
chalky  hills,  and  in  gravelly  soils. 

The  sweet  marjoram  seldom  ripens  its  seed 
in  England. 

The  pot-marjoram,  Onitcs,  is  a  native  of 

*  Hist.  Plant. 


MARJORAM.  341 

Sicily;  it  grows  plentifully  in  Syracuse1,  and 
also  in  some  parts  of  Greece;  it  was  first 
cultivated  in  Britain  in  1759.  It  lias  the 
same  qualities  as  the  common  varieties,  but 
is  more  woody. 


342  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES, 


MINT.-MENTHA. 


Natural  order,   Verticillatce.     A   genus  of  the 
Didynamia  Gymnospermia  class. 


The  Greeks  called  this  herb  Mivftv,  and 
the  ancient  poets  tell  us  it  was  so  named 
from  one  of  Plutus's  minions,  whom  he 
turned  into  this  plant. 

Miller  enumerates  eighteen  species  of  mint, 
two  thirds,  at  least,  of  which  are  natives  of 
this  country. 

The  use  of  this  refreshing  herb  did  not 
escape  the  notice  of  the  ancients.  Man 
would  naturally  be  induced  to  seek  reviving 
and  stimulating  plants  for  the  sick  and  feeble; 
and  we  are  told  that  balm  and  mint  were 
among  the  earliest  medicines  thus  selected. 
We  may  conclude  that  those  simples  were 
more  efficacious  when  the  body  was  less  ac- 
customed to  the  luxurious  and  complicated 
diet  which  art  has  introduced,  and  which 
has  made  it  necessary  for  the  students  of 
medicine  to  extend  their  research  for  more 


MINT.  343 

powerful  remedies.     We  are  informed,  thai 

a  boy  who  was  found  in  a  forest,  where  his 
diet  must  have  been  very  simple  and  his 
exercise  strong,  had  a  most  acute  sense  of 
smell,  by  which  he  could  distinguish  all  herbs 
and  plants  ;  but  this  delicacy  soon  wore  off 
when  he  lived  and  fed  like  other  men. 

It  appears  by  Ovid's  story  of  Baucis  and 
Philemon,  that  rustics  perfumed  or  scoured 
their  tables  with  this  herb  before  serving 
their  suppers. 

"  Then  rubb'd  it  o'er  with  newly  gather'd  mint, 
A  wholesome  herb,  that  breathed  a  grateful  scent." 

Pliny  says,  "  You  will  not  see  a  husband- 
man's board  in  the  country,  but  all  the  meats 
from  one  end  to  the  other,  are  seasoned  witli 
mint.  As  for  the  garden  mint,"  says  this 
author,  "  the  very  smell  of  it  alone  recovers 
and  refreshes  the  spirits,  as  the  taste  stirs  up 
the  appetite  for  meat,  which  is  the  cause4  that 
it  is  so  general  in  our  acid  sauces,  wherein 
we  are  accustomed  to  dip  our  meat." 

The  Romans  were  well  acquainted  witli 
its  medicinal  virtues,  as  the  same  writer  in- 
forms us,  that  mint  being  put  into  milk  would 
keep  it  from  turning  sour,  or  curdling;  and 
for  this  reason,  he  says,  "those  \n!h>  gene- 


344  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

rally  drink  milk,  take  mint  with  it,  for  fear  it 
should  coagulate  or  curdle  in  their  stomachs. 

The  most  useful  kind  of  garden-mint  is  the 
Viridis  (green),  commonly  called  spear-mint, 
on  account  of  its  leaf  being  narrower,  and 
more  like  a  spike  or  spear,  than  the  other 
varieties.  M.  Valmont  Bomare,  calls  it  Eng- 
lish mint,  and  says  it  originally  grew  in  this 
country  only. 

The  leaves  and  tops  of  spear-mint  are  used 
in  spring  salads,  as  also  in  acid  sauce  with 
roasted  lamb,  &c.  It  is  boiled  with  green 
peas,  and  generally  used  in  pea  soup  on  ac- 
count of  its  carminative  quality :  it  has  the 
virtue  also  of  being  a  warm  stomachic.  In 
loss  of  appetite,  nausea,  and  continual  retch- 
ing, there  are  few  simples  of  equal  efficacy 
to  this.  In  colic  pains,  to  which  children 
are  subject,  this  plant  is  found  of  great  ser- 
vice: it  likewise  proves  beneficial  in  many 
hysteric  cases.  For  some  purposes,  such  as 
languors,  &c.  an  infusion  of  the  dried  herb 
is  better  than  the  green,  or  extract  prepared 
with  rectified  spirits :  the  former  possesses 
the  whole  virtues  of  the  mint ;  the  essential 
oil  and  distilled  water  contain  only  the 
aromatic  part ;  the  expressed  juice,  only  the 


mint.  345 

astringency  and  bitterness,  together  with  the 
mucilaginous  substance  common  to  all  vege- 
tables. 

It  should  be  cut  for  drying,  just  when  it  is 
in  flower,  and  on  a  fine  day ;  for,  if  cut  in 
damp  weather,  the  leaves  will  turn  black. 
It  should  be  tied  in  small  bunches,  and 
dried  in  a  shady  place  out  of  the  wind;  but, 
to  retain  its  natural  virtues  more  effectually, 
it  has  been  found  better  to  place  the  mint 
in  a  screen,  and  to  dry  it  quickly  before  a 
fire,  so  that  it  may  be  powdered,  and  im- 
mediately put  into  glass  bottles  and  kept 
well  stopped.  Parsley,  thyme,  sage,  and 
other  herbs,  retain  their  full  fragrance  when 
thus  prepared,  and  are  by  this  mode  secured 
from  dust,  and  always  ready  to  the  hand  of 
the  cook. 

A  conserve  made  of  mint  is  grateful,  and 
the  distilled  waters,  both  simple  andspiritous, 
are  much  esteemed.  The  juice  of  spear-mint 
drunk  in  vinegar,  often  stops  the  hiccup. 
Lewis  observes,  what  has  before  been  noticed 
by  Pliny,  that  mint  prevents  the  coagulation 
of  milk,  and  hence  is  recommended  in  milk 
diets.  When  dry,  and  digested  in  rectified 
spirits  of  wine,  it  gives  out  a  tincture  which 


346  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

appears  by  day-light  of  a  fine  dark  green,  but 
by  candle-light  of  a  bright  red  colour;  a 
small  quantity  is  green  by  day-light  or  can- 
dle-light ;  a  large  quantity  seems  imper- 
vious to  day-light,  but  when  held  between 
the  eye  and  the  candle,  or  between  the  eye 
and  the  sun,  it  appears  red.  If  put  into  a 
flat  bottle,  it  appears  green  sideways  ;  but 
when  viewed  edgeways,  red. 

According  to  Turner,  the  smell  of  mint 
corroborates  the  brain,  and  not  only  pre- 
serves, but  also  increases  the  memory. 


PEPPERMINT.— PIPERITA. 

This  species  of  mint  is  also  indigenous  to 
Britain,  and  is  said  by  the  French  botanists 
to  have  been  found  only  in  this  country.  The 
peppermint  has  a  smooth  purple  stalk,  and 
cannot  be  mistaken,  from  its  penetrating 
smell,  and  more  pungent  glowing  taste ;  sink- 
ing, as  it  were,  on  the  tongue,  which  is  fol- 
lowed by  a  sensation  of  coldness  that  is  very 
agreeable.  It  is  still  much  cultivated,  for 
medicinal  purposes,  as  well  as  for  distillation. 
A  cordial  is  made  from  this  plant,  much  ad- 
mired by  country  people. 


MINT.  41 

This  mint  is  esteemed  by  some  to  be  an 
excellent  remedy  for  the  stone  and  gravel ; 
which  seems  to  be  very  probable,  for,  be- 
sides its  heat  and  biting,  it  has  also  a  very 
discernible  nitrous  taste.* 

Its  stomachic,  antispasmodic,  and  carmi- 
native qualities  render  it  useful  in  flatulent 
colics,  hysteric  affections,  retchings,  and  other 
dyspeptic  symptoms,  in  which  it  acts  as  a 
cordial,  often  affording  immediate  relief. 
The  essence  of  peppermint  was  formerly 
thought  an  elegant  medicine. 

Bergamot  mint,  Odorata,  is  only  cultivated 
for  pleasure. 

The  mint,  Mentha  aquatica,  growing  in 
watery  places, is  said  to  relieve  the  head-ache, 
if  the  leaves  are  applied  to  the  forehead ;  as 
also  the  sting  of  bees  and  wasps.  Mints  of 
all  kinds  are  thought  destructive  to  worms. 
It  is  a  common  practice  to  rub  the  inside  of 
bee-hives  with  mint  and  honey,  or  sugar,  be- 
fore the  swarm  is  covered  with  it,  as  it  is 
supposed  to  attach  them  to  the  new  hive. 

*  Miller,  Bot.  Off. 


348  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLE^ 


PENNYROYAL.— PULEGIUM. 

This  favourite  mint  of  the  ancients  was 
called  by  the  Greeks  rxv%pr9  and  BAw^wr, 
from  jSArf^w,  balatus,  either  because  the  heat 
of  the  plant  caused  sheep  and  goats  to  bleat 
when  they  ate  of  it,  or,  according  to  Pena, 
from  its  virtue  in  expelling  thick  phlegm 
from  the  lungs. 

This  plant  was  formerly  called  Pudding- 
grass,  from  the  old  custom  of  using  it  in 
hogs  puddings ;  it  was  also  named  Run  by  the 
ground,  and  Lurk  in  ditch,  from  its  creeping 
nature,  and  loving  a  damp  soil :  it  is  gene- 
rally found  in  the  neighbourhood  of  holes 
and  ponds,  on  damp  or  swampy  commons, 
where  the  soil  is  more  inclined  to  clay  than 
peat. 

Gerard  says,  it  grew  in  great  abundance  on 
a  common  near  London,  called  Miles-end, 
from  whence  it  was  brought  to  market  in 
great  abundance,  in  the  time  of  Queen  Eliza- 
beth. We  have  not  been  able  to  discover 
by  what  accident  this  native  mint  or  aquatic 
thyme  was  called  Pennyroyal ;  it  was  pre- 
viously called  Puliall  royall. 


MINT.  349 

•J 

Coles  notices  six  varieties  of*  the  penny- 
royal ;  but  Miller  enumerates  only  three. 

Its  qualities  are  nearly  the  same  as  those 
of  other  mints,  except  that,  being  milder,  it 
is  not  so  efficacious.  It  has  been  greatly 
recommended  in  dropsies,  jaundice,  and  other 
chronic  distempers. 

Pliny  tells  us,  that  several  physicians  met 
in  his  chamber  to  consult  on  the  virtues  of 
this  herb,  and  that  they  all  agreed,  that  a 
chaplet  of  pennyroyal  was,  without  compari- 
son, far  better  for  the  giddiness  and  swim- 
ming of  the  head  than  one  of  roses  ;  and 
that  they  were  of  opinion,  that  if  a  garland 
of  pennyroyal  were  worn,  it  would  not  only 
ease  the  head  from  pain,  but  that  it  would 
preserve  the  brain  from  disorders,  which  are 
brought  on  by  either  heat  or  cold. 

Xenocrates  relates,  that  pennyroyal  wrap- 
ped in  wool,  was  given  to  those  to  smell  who 
had  the  ague,  and  that  it  was  put  under  the 
coverings  of  the  beds  of  those  who  suffered 
under  that  disease. 

Dodona?us  informs  us,  that  this  herb,  when 
fresh  and  in  blossom,  will,  by  its  perfume, 
keep  flies  out  of  a  room.  The  same  author 
states,  that  when  necessity  obliges  us  to 
drink  corrupt,  stinking,  or  saltish  water,  wo 


350  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

may  improve  it,  by  throwing  into  the  water 
either  fresh  or  dried  pennyroyal. 

Coles  makes  the  same  remark;  and  Gerard 
says,  "  if  this  herb  be  dried,  and  taken  to  sea, 
it  will  purify  corrupt  water  without  hurting 
those  who  drink  of  it."  He  adds  that,  "  pen- 
nie  royall  taken  with  honie,  cleanseth  the 
lungs,  and  cleareth  the  breast  from  all  grosse 
and  thick  humours." 

This  plant,  which  is  very  bitter,  acrid,  and 
of  a  penetrating  smell,  gives  a  deep  tincture 
of  red  to  blue  paper  ;  so  that,  it  is  probable, 
it  contains  a  volatile,  aromatic,  and  oily  salt, 
loaded  with  acid  :  whereas,  in  the  artificial, 
volatile,  oily  salt,  this  acid  is  detained  by 
the  salt  of  tartar.  Thus  this  plant  is  aperient, 
hysteric,  and  good  for  the  diseases  of  the 
stomach  and  breast ;  since  it  expels  those 
glutinous  sordes  which  fill  part  of  the  bron- 
chia, and  vesicles  of  the  lungs,  especially  if  it 
is  boiled  with  honey  and  aloes  ;  for  then  it 
purges,  and  procures  expectoration.* 

#  Dioscorides,  James. 


351 


MOSS — MUSCUS, 
And  LIVERWORT,   LICHEN. 


Linn^us  arranged  these  species  of  vege- 
tables in  the  twenty-fourth  class  of  his  arti- 
ficial System,  under  the  name  of  Crijpto- 
gamia,  which  signifies  concealed  marriage  >s ; 
and  it  was  intended  to  comprehend  all  those 
plants  whose  fructification  is  concealed,  or 
at  least  too  minute  to  be  observed  by  the 
naked  eye. 

In  the  Linnsean  system  mosses  are  divided 
into  nine  genera:  viz.  Lijcopodium,  Porella, 
Sphagnum,  Phascinn,  Polytricum,  Mnium,  Hyp- 
?iu?n,  Fo?itinalis,  and  Buxbaumia.  As  we  now 
reckon  more  than  360  species  of  mosses  and 
liverworts,  the  greater  part  of  which  are  na- 
tives of  Britain,  their  particular  description 
must  be  reserved  for  a  separate  volume;  but, 
as  many  of  the  mosses  are  deserving  of  more 
general  notice  than  they  have  hitherto  ob- 
tained, we  trust  that  the  few  pages  we  shall 


352  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

offer  on  this  subject  will  not  be  thought  irre- 
levant in  a  history  of  cultivated  vegetables. 

Mosses,  in  general,  were  originally  thought 
imperfect  plants,  until  the  year  1719,  when 
the  seed  of  some  of  the  varieties  was  disco- 
vered; and  in  1741  this  circumstance  was 
made  more  extensively  known  amongst  bota- 
nists by  Dillen  Linnaeus. 

The  generic  name  Muscus  is  a  word  that 
signifies  an  herb  composed  of  hairs  or  threads 
instead  of  leaves. 

"  Each  moss, 


Each  shell,  each  crawling  insect,  holds  a  rank 
Important  in  the  plan  of  Him  who  formM 
This  scale  of  beings ;  holds  a  rank,  which  lost 
Would  break  the  chain,  and  leave  a  gap 
That  Nature's  self  would  rue  !" 

The  superficial  observer  of  the  works  of  Na- 
ture may  pass  this  species  of  plants  without 
even  knowing  that  they  are  as  perfectly 
formed  as  the  roses  of  the  garden,  or  the 
more  majestic  oaks  of  the  forest. 

The  mosses  have  roots,  flowers,  and  seeds, 
like  other  plants.  M.  Valmont  Bomare  says, 
some  think  mosses  are  to  vegetables,  what 
flies  are  to  animals,  and  that  the  word 
Mousse  in  French  was  derived  from  the  Latin 
word  Musca  for   fly,   which    in    French    is 


moss.  353 

Mouche.  The  English  name  Moss,  we  con- 
clude, is  a  corruption  of  the  French  word 
Mousse,  as  we  find  that  it  was  formerly 
spelt  Mosse. 

Mosses  seem  to  require  little  othei  nutri- 
ment than  a  moist  atmosphere,  and  are  so 
tenacious  of  life,  that  they  will  revive  and 
vegetate  on  receiving  moisture,  although  in 
appearance  quite  dead  through  being  dried 
by  heat.  They  generally  seek  situations  that 
are  shaded  from  the  sun ;  and  although  mi- 
nute, they  are  extremely  beautiful,  and  many 
of  them  of  so  hardy  a  nature,  that  they  both 
blossom  and  seed  during  the  winter  months, 
when  the  sap  of  most  other  plants  is  retired 
or  congealed,  in  which  state  their  vegetation 
rests,  awaiting  the  reviving  and  powerful 
influence  of  the  sun,  again  to  draw  it  bub- 
bling forth,  and  as  it  forces  through  the  pores 
of  branch  and  bud,  it  forms  its  leaves  and 
flowers,  which  human  art  cannot  imitate,  or 
the  mind  of  man  contemplate  without  ac- 
knowledging it  to  be  the  work  of  Him, 

"  Who  only  does  great  wonders. " 

Mosses,  although  diminutive,  grow  rapidly: 
for  nothing  in  nature  is  allowed  to  remain 
stationary,  idle,  or  useless;  nor  is  there  any 

VOL.    I.  2  A 


354  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

thing  wanting  to  complete  the  mighty  de- 
sign, for  however  inconsiderable  the  agents 
may  appear  to  us,  they  are  in  the  hands  of 
Divine  Providence  irresistible  ;  and  those 
things  which  we  may  think  superfluous,  are 
still  necessary  and  consistent  with  the  great 
and  harmonious  scheme. 

Philosophers  tell  us,  that  the  mighty  moun- 
tains, whose  adamantine  sides  have  bid  defi- 
ance to  ages,  have  at  last  been  rent  by  the  aid 
of  the  smallest  moss;  and  without  its  assistance 
the  ash,  the  cedar,  the  juniper,  the  palm,  or 
even  the  thistle,  could  have  found  no  crevice 
for  their  seeds.  Rocks  of  all  kinds,  when 
exposed  to  the  air,  are  soon  covered  with  a 
velvet  kind  of  moss,  which  imbibes  the  moist 
atmosphere,  and  collects  the  passing  dust, 
until  it  has  raised  its  little  feathers,  like  a 
miniature  forest  of  pines,  out  of  the  earth  of 
its  own  collecting :  this  receives  the  seeds  of 
a  larger  species  of  lichen,  that  usurps  the 
soil  of  the  first  occupier,  and  drives  it  farther 
upwards.  The  second  variety  collects  more 
rapidly  both  soil  and  moisture,  until  its  curl- 
ing leaves,  entangle  and  cherish  the  seeds  of 
other  plants,  which  by  their  more  vigorous 
growth  destroy  their  nurse  for  their  own 
nourishment :  these  in  their  turn  receive  the 


MOSS.  .;:>;> 


seed  of  other  plants  or  shrubs,  each  of  which 
strives  for  mastery.  Thus  the*  moss  creeps 
onwards,  the  lichen  follows,  the  thistle,  the 
bramble,  and  the  creepers  succeed,  until 
every  crevice  is  lost  in  vegetation  ;  and  their 
decay  alone  enables  more  powerful  plants  to 
succeed,  until  the  seed  of  the  ash,  and  even 
the  acorn,  find  a  receptacle  in  the  rock,  where 
the  germ  sends  forth  its  fibres,  running  be- 
neath decayed  and  living  plants,  and,  finding 
crevices,  forces  its  thready  roots  into  every 
vein.  There  it  sucks  and  swells,  until  it  be- 
comes so  powerful  that  it  exercises  dominion 
over  the  fossil  world ;  for  by  the  aid  of  the 
winds  it  dislodges  large  rocks,  and  manures 
the  hollows  with  their  crumbling  stones. 
Among  these,  fresh  seeds  are  lodged,  until 
the  whole  becomes  a  towering  forest.  Thus 
every  thing  shews  infinity  of  power,  conduct- 
ed by  infinite  wisdom  and  goodness  in  Him, 
"  who  maketh  the  grass  to  grow  upon  the 
mountains,  and  herbs  for  the  use  of  men. "* 

Of  the  early  use  of  moss,  Ovid  has  made 
mention  in  his  silver  age  : 


"  Houses  then  were  caves,  or  homely  sheds, 

With  twinino-  osier  fenced,  and  moss  their  beds." 

*  Psalm  cxlvii.  8. 
2  a  2 


356  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

The  northern  inhabitants  still  make  couches 
and  beds  of  one  kind  of  moss,  which  Dillen 
calls  Sphagnoji ;  and  the  variety  which  he 
names  FontinaUs  antipyretica,  they  use  in 
their  hearths  to  prevent  accidents,  as,  being 
antipyretic,  it  will  neither  burn  nor  commu- 
nicate fire. 

The  common  moss,  Muscus  terrestris  vul- 
garis, which  is  generally  found  in  shady  lawns, 
or  woods,  and  in  other  humid  soils,  is  said 
to  be  astringent,  and  excellent  for  stopping 
haemorrhages.  Gerard  says,  this  moss  made 
into  powder  is  good  to  stop  the  bleeding 
of  fresh  wounds,  and  also  conduces  to  the 
cure  of  cuts,  &c.  J.  Bauhin  states,  that  the 
empirics  learnt  this  art  from  the  bears,  who, 
when  wounded,  stop  the  blood  by  rolling 
themselves  in  this  moss. 

It  is  used  by  the  ship-builders  in  France,  to 
calk  their  vessels  ;  and  by  all  nurserymen, 
to  preserve  the  roots  of  trees  and  plants 
which  they  transport  from  one  place  to 
another,  as  it  keeps  them  moist.  It  is  also 
used  in  pleasure-grounds,  to  form  rustic  ar- 
bours, as  it  effectually  excludes  both  the 
heat  and  the  wind. 

The  moss  called  Wolf's  Foot,  Pes  Lupi, 
or  Lycopodion,  is  very  beautiful,  producing 


MOSS.  S&) 

flowers  like  the  catkins  of  the  hazel-tree. 
This  species,  according  to  Hieronymus  'Tra- 
gus, is  diuretic,  and  good  for  the  stone,  which 
it  dissolves  and  discharges. 

The  Arabian  physicians  rank  mosses  and 
lichens  among  their  cordial  medicines,  to 
strengthen  the  stomach,  and  to  allay  vomits. 

In  Lapland,  one  species  of  moss  or  lichen 
constitutes  the  sole  winter  subsistence  of  that 
useful  animal  the  rein-deer,  and  which  is 
thus  noticed  by  Mrs.  Rowden  : 

"  On  Lapland's  breast  by  stormy  tempests  toss'd, 
'Mid  night's  drear  winter  and  eternal  frost, 
Soon  as  the  llhen-deer  moss  erects  her  head, 
The  modest  emblem  of  her  snowy  bed  ! 
Fleet  as  the  wind,  the  hardy  Rhen-deer  bounds 
Across  the  dreary  waste  and  frozen  grounds  ; 
Crops  with  vermilion  lips  the  icy  flower, 
Or  sips,  from  crystal  cups,  the  fleecy  shower." 

In  Iceland  the  inhabitants  use  it  for  food : 
they  collect  a  quantity  of  lichen,  which  is 
then  chopped  small,  and  boiled  in  three  or 
four  successive  portions  of  water  to  take  off 
its  natural  bitterness.  It  is  then  boiled  lor 
an  hour  or  two  in  milk ;  when  cold  it  becomes 
a  jelly,  which,  being  eaten  with  cream  or 
milk,  makes  a  very  palatable  and  wholesome 
dish. 


358  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

The  English  name  of  this  species  of  vege- 
table, Liverwort,  evinces  the  good  opinion 
our  ancestors  entertained  of  the  lichens 
virtue  in  all  complaints  of  the  liver.  It 
however,  went  entirely  out  of  use  until  a  few 
years  back,  when  it  was  again  introduced 
from  Iceland,  and  was  so  generally  recom- 
mended by  the  faculty,  that,  during  the 
height  of  this  medicinal  fashion,  Iceland- 
moss  became  an  article  of  considerable  com- 
merce ;  and  we  are  told,  that  vast  quantities 
of  lichen  were  brought  from  the  mountains 
of  Wales  and  Scotland,  and  sold  in  the  me- 
tropolis for  the  more  northerly  production ; 
but  the  deception  appears  only  to  have  af- 
fected the  purchaser  in  regard  to  price,  as  its 
properties  are  nearly  the  same.  It  is  said  to 
strengthen  the  lungs  and  create  appetite,  and 
is  recommended  particularly  after  the  hoop- 
ing-cough. It  was  formerly  given  in  inflam- 
matory fevers,  &c.  The  ancients  recommend- 
ed it  as  a  remedy  against  lassitude,  and  used 
it  in  baths  and  ointments.  The  grey  ground 
lichen  was  thought  effectual  against  the  bite 
of  a  mad  dog.  It  makes  the  basis  of  the 
pulvis  antilyssus,  and  it  is  the  principal  in- 
gredient in  Dr.  Mead's  receipt  for  the  bite  of 
mad  dogs.     In  the  west  of  England  it  was 


moss.  359 

formerly  used  as  a  drink  lor  those  who  had 
cancers,  of  which  it  was  thought  to  assist 
the  cure.  This  species  of  moss  was  at  one 
time  called  Cheese-renning,  from  its  pro- 
perty of  coagulating  or  curdling  fresh  milk; 
and  by  a  dry  distillation  it  yields  a  manifest 
acid. 

As  mosses  have  in  some  degree  regained 
their  ancient  celebrity,  we  shall  briefly  state 
what  notices  of  their  virtues  appear  in  the 
old  writers. 

Muscus  arbor ens,  or  Lichen  arbor  urn,  is  the 
kind  which  is  found  growing  on  trees,  and 
which  Gerard  and  other  old  medical  writers 
call  Liverwoort  and  Lungwoort,  either  from 
its  figure,  or,  as  already  remarked,  from  the 
use  then  made  of  it  in  medicine.  Gerard 
says  this  "  lungwoort  is  much  commended  of 
the  learned  phisitions  of  our  time  against  the 
diseases  of  the  lungs,  especially  for  the  in- 
flammations and  ulcers  of  the  same,  being 
brought  into  powder,  and  drunk  with  water." 

M.  Bourgeois  informs  us,  that  this  kind  of 
moss  growing;  on  the  oak  is  a  good  remedy 
for  the  hooping-cough,  when  powdered;  from 
twenty  to  thirty  grains  to  be  given,  according 
to  age.  Dioscorides  affirms,  that  it  staunches 
bleeding,  removes  all  inflammation,  and  cures 


360  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

the  ringworm.  Taken  internally,  he  says,  it  is 
a  remedy  for  the  jaundice  ;  even  that  which 
is  occasioned  by  the  inflammation  of  the  liver. 

Lord  Bacon  mentions  a  sweet  moss  that 
grew  upon  apple-trees,  and  which,  he  says, 
bore  a  high  price  in  the  shops  of  the  per- 
fumers. As  we  do  not  meet  with  it  in  the 
herbals  of  his  day,  we  conclude  that  the 
learned  chancellor  copied  the  account  from 
Pliny,  with  whose  works  he  seems  to  have 
been  perfectly  acquainted,  and  to  have  made 
ample  use  of  them  in  his  Natural  History. 
Pliny  notices  the  sweet  moss  *,  and  says  the 
best  is  found  in  the  province  of  Cyrene,*  the 
next  in  Cyprus,  the  third  in  Phoenicia :  it 
grows  also,  says  this  author,  in  Egypt  and  in 
Gaul.  It  was  used  by  the  Roman  ladies  in 
their  baths.  When  stamped  with  juniper, 
and  drunk  in  wine,  it  was  esteemed  good  in 
dropsical  complaints. *f 

The  species  of  moss  called  by  Tournefort, 
Muscus  squamosas  abietiformis,  of  which  Dillen 
gives  the  figure  under  the  name  of  Selago, 
is  a  purgative  and  an  emetic  as  violent  as  the 
hellebore.  The  greatest  part  of  mosses  are 
relaxing,  destroy  worms,  and  promote  perspi- 
ration. 

*  Book  xii,  c.23.  t  Book  xxiv.  c.  6. 


MOSS.  361 

There  is  a  kind  of  lichen  which  L'Obeliua 
entitles  Muscus  pyxidatos,  and  to  which  Ge- 

rard  gave  the  English  name  of  Cup  or  Chalice 
moss,  on  account  of  the  little  cup-like  leaves 
which  it  produces.  It  is  found  in  dry,  gravelly, 
and  barren  banks,  of  a  yellowish  white  :  this 
was  formerly  given  to  children  for  the  chin- 
cough. 

There  is  a  great  number  of  aquatic  mosses, 
all  of  which,  as  well  as  the  marine  moss,  have 
their  various  uses  in  medicine.  The  spe- 
cies called  Sea  oak,  Quercus  marinus,  is  used 
with  success  to  assuage  scrofulous  swellings : 
it  is  found  on  most  parts  of  the  coast,  but 
particularly  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Wor- 
thing, where  immense  banks  of  it  are  washed 
on  shore  in  the  autumn.  It  may  be  known 
by  the  little  bladders  on  its  leaves,  which  are 
similar  to  the  blight  on  oak  leaves  ;  and  from 
thence,  we  surmise,  its  name  originated. 
Laver  bread  is  a  sort  of  food  made  of  the  sea 
liver-wort,  or  oister,  green  Ulvce ;  it  is  much 
used  in  Glamorgan  and  other  parts  of  Wales, 
from  whence  it  is  often  sent  to  London  in 
earthen  pots.  It  is  gently  opening,  and  an- 
tiscorbutic. 


362  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 


MUSHROOM.— FUNGUS. 

Natural   order,    Hepaticai.     Limwus  has  ar- 
ranged it  in  his  artificial  system,  Cryptogamia. 


The  generic  name  of  this  class  of  vegeta- 
bles, Fungus,  is  derived  from  ^iroyyoQ,  on  ac- 
count of  its  spungy  nature.  The  English 
word  Mushroom  is  in  all  probability  a  cor- 
ruption of  Mousseron,  the  French  name  of  a 
variety  of  the  Fungus,  called  Champignon. 

"  Tis  but  apart  we  see,  and  not  a  whole." 

Pope. 

The  Mushroom  tribe  has,  therefore,  afforded 
a  wide  field  for  speculation  to  the  na- 
turalists of  every  age,  who  have  disputed 
whether  it  consists  of  perfect  or  imperfect 
plants. 

Vegetable  nature  appears  in  such  a  diver- 
sity of  habits,  and  propagates  its  species  in 
such  a  variety  of  forms,  that  we  can  neither 
view  them,  nor  inquire  into  their  nature,  with- 
out being  impressed  with  the  most  sublime 


MUSHROOM.  363 

sentiments  of  the  wisdom  displayed  in  cre- 
ation. 

This  class  of  plants,  which  the  botanists 
rank  as  the  lowest  order  of  vegetables,  has 
been  supposed  to  assimilate  more  closely 
to  the  animal  creation  than  any  other  class 
of  the  vegetable  world. 

The  ingenious  authoress  of  Sketches  of  the 
Physiology  of  Vegetable  Life,  observes,  "The 
Fungi  resemble  animals  in  some  of  their 
species,  in  growing  vigorously  without  light ; 
as  is  shewn  by  those  found  in  dark  cellars, 
and  by  the  truffle,  which  lives  and  vegetates 
under  ground."  She  adds,  "  The  animal  fla- 
vour of  the  esculent  mushroom,  and  the 
odour  of  any  kind  of  Fungus,  when  burned, 
resembling  that  of  burning  feathers,  added 
to  the  putrefaction  to  which  the  whole  tribe 
are  subject,  and  the  scent  emitted  by  them 
in  that  state,  do  not  exclude  them  from  the 
vegetable  kind,  but  afford  additional  analo- 
gical evidence  of  the  affinity  between  the 
two  kingdoms." 

We  have  still  much  to  learn  on  the  subject 
of  these  singular  species  of  plants,  which, 
although  they  bear  so  close  an  analogy  to 
animal  life,  are  evidently  vegetables,  and  pro- 
duce seed,  by  which  they  have  been  propa- 


364  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

gated ;  but  this  does  not  disprove  their  being 
produced  likewise  by  putrefaction,  of  which 
we  have  continual  instances,  and  in  situations 
where  mushroom  seed  or  dust  could  not 
reach.  The  embryo  plants  are  discovered 
under  the  form  of  a  white  mouldy,  fibrous 
substance,  called  spawn,  and  which  is  caused 
by  certain  particles  in  particular  kinds  of 
dung  being  excluded  from  light  and  air. 
The  mouldiness  on  stale  wine  or  beer,  as  also 
on  bread  and  other  moist  substances,  as  well 
as  on  liquids  kept  in  an  open  vessel  that  is  ex- 
cluded from  free  air,  appears  like  mushrooms, 
when  viewed  through  a  microscope.  The 
dust  of  this  mould  will  communicate  itself 
rapidly  to  other  substances  within  its  reach  \ 
thus  appearing,  like  the  mushroom,  to  owe 
its  origin  both  to  seed  and  to  putrefaction. 

In  1729,  Micheli  first  announced  his  dis- 
covery, that  different  kinds  of  mushrooms 
had  flowers  and  seeds ;  and  this  having  been 
confirmed  in  1753  by  M.  Gleditsch,  and  in 
1755  by  M.  Battarra,  they  have  therefore 
divided  them  into  two  classes,  one  of  which 
they  suppose  to  have  only  seed,  the  other 
both  flowers  and  seed.  The  author  has  never 
been  able  to  discover  what  to  him  would 
satisfactorily  prove  the  flowers  of  this  curious 


MUSHROOMS.  -i()J 

plant ;  and  concludes  that  what  others  haw 
taken  for  the  blossoms,  are  only  the  organs 
of  fructification,    as    he    deems    the    whole 
mushroom  to  be  but  one  flower  :  for  though 
all  plants  vary  in  their  shape  and  number  of 
leaves  or  stalks,   &c,    yet  the  blossoms   of 
each  species  are  always  regularly  the  same, 
even  in  the  most  minute  parts,   unless  by 
some  accident  they  become  imperfect ;  flower 
buds  are  always  observed  to  come  out  of  the 
earth,  or  out  of  the  stalks  of  plants,   closed 
with  a  thin  film,  or  by  the  petals  folding  so 
closely  and  exactly  over  each  other  that  the 
moist  air   is  perfectly   excluded,    until    the 
stigma    and    stamina    have    acquired    their 
proper  size,  when  the  petals  or  blossoms  un- 
fold themselves,  that  the  pollen  may  be  ri- 
pened by  the  sun  or  air,  and  the  impregna- 
tion may  take  place ;  after  which  the  petals 
fall  off,  or  the  flower  gradually  decays. 

The  mushroom  always  comes  out  of  the 
earth  as  a  bud,  which  closely  protects  the 
interior  with  a  thin  skin  (the  veil),  until  it 
has  reached  its  size  and  the  state  proper  for 
fructification ;  when  it  expands  precisely  in 
the  same  manner  as  other  flowers,  the  interior 
of  which  uniformly  exhibits  the  same  regular 
arrangement  of  laminae,  or  gills,  which  seem 


366  CULTIVATED  VEGETABLES. 

to  be  intended  for  the  purpose  of  separating 
the  channels  of  seed :  for  we  find  nothing 
superfluous  in  nature,— each  part  necessarily 
combines  to  form  the  whole  ;  nor  is  there  any 
thing  wanting  to  complete  the  admirable 
formation  of  vegetables,  which  by  their  pecu- 
liar actions  produce  such  modifications  and 
substances  as  must  lead  us  to  say,  with 
Thomson, 

"  Tis  surely  God, 


Whose  unremitting  energy  pervades, 
Adjusts,  sustains,  and  agitates  the  whole; 
He  ceaseless  works  alone  ;  and  yet  alone 
Seems  not  to  work,  with  such  perfection  framed 
Is  this  complex,  stupendous  scheme  of  things." 

Having  given  our  opinion  of  the  mushroom, 
rather  to  induce  a  stricter  scrutiny  of  its 
formation,  than  to  shew  a  desire  of  deviating 
from  other  writers,  we  conclude  it  will  be 
somewhat  interesting  to  ascertain  the  opi- 
nions of  the  ancients  with  respect  to  this 
curious  vegetable  ;  for,  notwithstanding  their 
fondness  for  mushrooms,  they  had  not  dis- 
covered the  art  of  propagating  them. 

Pliny  says,  mushrooms  were  thought  one 
of  the  wonders  of  nature,  that  they  should 
live  and  grow  without  a  root,  or  even  small 
strings  to  fix  them  to  the  earth,  and  that 


mushroom.  ;]67 

they  should  escape  from  the  soil  without  the 
appearance  of  any  chink  or  crevice  from 
whence  they  spring.  He  deemed  them  an 
imperfection  of  the  earth,  and  that  they  came 
neither  by  setting  nor  sowing. 

In  superstitious    days,    the   Fungus  tribe 
was  imagined  to  be  the  work  of  fairies, 


"  You  demy  puppets,  that 


By  moonshine  do  the  green  sward  ringlets  make, 

Whereof  the  ewe  not  bites  ;  and  you,  whose  pastime 

Is  to  make  midnight  mushrooms." 

Tempest. 

Mrs.  Rowden  makes  the  same  allusion  : 

"  In-wrought  with  varied  hues  from  Fancy's  loom, 
The  fairies  rear  their  temporary  dome  ; 
Beneath  the  fretted  roof,  in  secret  state, 
The  mimic  tribe  on  Agarica  wait." 

In  the  eighth  chapter  of  the  sixteenth  book 
of  Pliny's  Natural  History,  he  says,  the  last 
device  of  our  epicures  to  sharpen  their  appe- 
tites and  tempt  them  to  eat  inordinately,  is 
the  cooking  of  mushrooms;  and  in  the  twenty- 
third  chapter  of  his  twenty-second  book  he 
adds,  there  are  some  dainty  wantons  of  such 
fine  taste,  and  who  study  their  appetite  to 
such  an  excess,  that  they  dress  mushrooms 
with  their  own  hands,  that  they  may  feed  on 


368  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

the  odour  during  the  time  they  are  handling 
and  preparing  this  food,  with  their  fine  amber 
knives,  and  silver  vessels  about  them.  He 
also  observes,  that  mushrooms  are  eaten  with 
some  danger,  although  they  have  so  delicate 
and  pleasant  a  taste.  This  food  was  brought 
into  discredit  by  Agrippina,  who  poisoned 
her  husband,  the  Emperor  Tiberius  Clau- 
dius, by  the  aid  of  this  vegetable. 

It  is  related  by  Pliny*,  that  a  whole  house- 
hold in  Rome  died  by  eating  mushrooms ; 
and,  in  another  instance,  all  the  company  at 
a  feast,  who  ate  at  the  same  table,  perished 
by  this  poisonous  vegetable  ;  also,  that  An- 
naeus  Serenus,  captain  of  Nero's  guard,  with 
several  other  officers,  died  from  eating  of  this 
dish  at  one  dinner. 

Horace  *f  notices  mushrooms  as  a  dange- 
rous food : 

"  Pratensibus  optima  fungis 


Natura  est :  aliis  male  creditur." 

and  which  is  thus  translated  by  an  old  herb- 
alist : 

"  The  meadow  mushrooms  are  in  kind  the  best : 
It  is  but  ill-trusting  to  any  of  the  rest." 

None  but  the  peasants  who  gather  them, 

*  Book  xxii.  chap.  23.  +  Lib.  ii.  Sat.  4. 


MUSHROOM.  3(jy 

says  Pliny,  can  tell  the  true  kind,  however 
curious  they  may  be.  The  Roman  naturalist 
then  proceeds  to  describe  the  safe  kind,  as 
distinguished  from  the  dangerous,  with  this 
preface  :  "  Although  I  dislike  the  indulgence 
of  such  hazardous  gluttony,  yet  will  I  endea- 
vour to  guard  them  against  the  poisonous 
kind,  which  may  be  known  by  their  mouldy 
hue,  their  leaden  and  wan  colour  within,  as 
also  by  their  edges  being  of  a  pale  yellow. 
The  true  mushrooms,"  he  adds,  "  when  they 
first  appear  have  a  kind  of  thin  skin,  which 
covers  them  as  the  yolk  of  an  egg  is  covered 
with  the  white,  and  these,"  he  says,  "  are  a 
good  food,  but  even  these  are  safest  when 
stewed  with  animal  food." 

The  ancients  used  various  antidotes  against 
the  venom  of  mushrooms  :  some  took  leeks 
to  counteract  the  poison  ;  others  recom- 
mended the  eating  of  pears  or  radishes,  or 
drinking  perry,  when  they  suspected  danger- 
ous mushrooms  to  have  been  eaten.  Apol- 
lodorus  prescribed  the  juice  or  seed  of  cab- 
bage to  be  taken.  Nicander  recommended 
the  seed  of  nettles ;  others  chewed  rue,  or 
took  mustard-seed.  Lily  roots,  or  myrtle 
leaves,  pounded  and  drunk  in  wine,  were  also 
esteemed  good  in  this  case. 

VOL  i.  2   b 


370  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

Our  own  herbalist  Gerard's  condemnation 
of  mushrooms  is  curious :  he  says,  "  Many 
wantons,  that  dwell  neere  the  sea,  and  have 
fish  at  will,  are  very  desirous,  for  change  of 
diet,  to  feede  vpon  the  birds  of  the  moun- 
taines  ;  and  such  as  dwell  vpon  the  hills  or 
champion  grounds,    do  long  after  sea-fish  ; 
many  that  haue  plenty  of  both,  doe  hunger 
after  the  earthie  excrescences,  called  mush- 
rooms :  fewe  of  them  are  good  to  be  eaten, 
and  most  of  them  do  suffocate  and  strangle 
the  eater.     Therefore  I  giue  my  simple  aud- 
uice  vnto  those  that  loue  such  strange  and 
newe   fangled  meates,  to  beware  of  licking 
honie  among  thornes,  least  the  sweetness  of 
the  one  do  not  counteruaile  the  sharpness 
and   pricking   of  the   other/'     This    author 
says,  the  best  mushrooms  grow  on  mountains 
and  hilly  places. 

According  to  Lord  Bacon,  mushrooms 
"  have  two  strange  properties  :  the  one,  that 
they  yield  so  delicious  a  meate ;  the  other, 
that  they  come  up  so  hastily,  as  in  a  night, 
and  yet  are  unsown ;  and,  therefore,  such  as 
are  upstarts  in  state  are  called  in  reproach 
mushrooms.  We  find,"  says  he,  "  that  mush- 
rooms cause  the  accident  which  we  call 
Incubus,  or  the  mare  in  the  stomach;   and 


MUSHROOM.  3?  1 

therefore,  the  surfeit  of  them  may  suffocate 
and  empoyson,  and  this  sheweth  that  they 
are  windy,  and  that  their  windiness  is  gross 
and  swelling,  not  sharp  and  griping." 

Mushrooms  are  now  cultivated  in  mo-t 
parts  of  Europe,  as  a  delicious  food  ;  but  in 
no  country  is  the  cultivation  so  general  as  in 
England,  where  they  are  now  to  be  procured 
at  all  seasons  of  the  year ;  and  little  or  no 
apprehension  is  now  entertained  Respecting 
their  dangerous  qualities,  since  they  have 
become  the  care  of  our  gardeners. 

Mr.  Bradley  states,  that  he  has  seen  a 
hundred  kinds  of  mushrooms  in  England, 
besides  those  small  ones  which  arise  from 
the  mouldiness  of  liquors,  &c.  It  is,  there- 
fore, as  absurd  to  condemn  all  mushrooms  as 
poisonous,  as  it  would  be  to  abstain  from  car- 
rots, parsnips,  and  celery,  because  the  roots 
of  some  other  umbellated  plants,  such  as 
the  water-hemlock,  the  drop  wort,  &c.  are 
known  to  be  venomous. 

We  have  never  heard  of  any  persons  hay- 
ing suffered  from  eating  cultivated  mush- 
rooms, although  they  are  in  such  general  use 
in  London  and  so  much  demanded  in  the 
markets ;  while  in  Paris,  where  they  have 
few  but  what  are  gathered  in  the  fields,  there 

2  b  2 


372  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

are  continually  accounts  of  deaths  caused  by 
these  vegetables. 

So  much  are  mushrooms  now  in  request, 
that  we  cannot  content  ourselves  with  mush- 
room beds  only,  but  we  have  mushroom 
houses  also.  The  author,  on  referring  to  his 
diary  of  November  the  fourteenth,  finds  a 
memorandum  that  would  have  puzzled  our 
forefathers. 

"While  gathering  a  mushroom,  the  ladder 
slipped  and  I  was  precipitated  to  the  ground, 
but  without  injury." 

The  mushrooms  in  the  house  alluded  to, 
were  growing  on  beds  supported  one  over  the 
other  by  broad  shelves  of  elm  planks,  with 
a  deep  ledge  to  keep  up  the  earth;  but  from 
the  necessary  fermentation  of  the  manure, 
the  planks  are  liable  to  rot,  therefore,  where 
durability  is  required,  large  flag-stones  should 
be  substituted,  and  supported  by  iron  props 
or  brackets.  Should  stone  be  found  too  cool 
for  the  spawn,  any  slight  boards  that  are  not 
painted  may  be  laid  on  it.  As  light  is  not 
necessary  for  the  growth  of  this  high-fla- 
voured vegetable,  almost  every  country-seat 
may  furnish  an  outhouse  for  the  purpose  of 
obtaining  mushrooms  at  all  seasons,  and  of  a 
safe  quality. 


mushroom.  ;37  3 

The  author  has  observed  that  the  upper 
shelves  in  his  Majesty's  mushroom-house  at 
Kensington  were  equally  or  more  productive 
than  those  below:  thus  by  good  arrangement 
a  small  shed,  or  even  a  closet,  may  be  made 
sufficient  for  the  supply  of  a  moderate  family. 
As  mice  will  destroy  the  spawn  or  young 
mushrooms,  either  traps  must  be  set,  or  in- 
gress allowed  to  their  purring  enemy. 

In  the  neighbourhood  of  London  expe- 
rienced mushroom-men  go  about  at  the  pro- 
per season,  collecting  vast  quantities  of  spawn 
for  the  supply  of  seedsmen,  who  sell  it  by 
the  bushel,  the  price  varying  according  to  the 
favourableness  of  the  weather  when  it  is 
collected.  Since  mushrooms  have  been  so 
much  grown  on  hot-beds,  and  more  minutely 
attended  to,  the  plant  has  been  found  so 
perfect  that  it  can  either  be  raised  by  seed 
or  propagated  by  roots,  the  several  fila- 
ments at  the  root  producing  tubercles  in 
the  manner  of  potatoes,  from  each  of  which 
will  arise  new  roots  and  a  new  plant  or 
flower. 

The  following  simple  and  easy  method  is 
recommended  for  trying  the  quality  of  field- 
mushrooms  :  take  an  onion,  and  strip  the 
outer  skin,  and  boil  it  with  them;  if  it   re- 


374  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

mains  white,  they  are  good,  but  if  it  becomes 
blue  or  black,  there  are  certainly  dangerous 
ones  among  them.  Where  the  symptoms  of 
poison  have  already  taken  place,  the  medical 
assistant  recommends  an  emetic,  drinking 
plentifully  of  warm  water,  and  when  the  con- 
tents of  the  stomach  are  brought  off,  to  have 
recourse  to  strong  cordials,  such  as  ginger- 
tea  and  brandy,  with  laudanum,  or  cayenne 
pepper  made  into  pills. 

Barham  describes  the  symptoms  to  be,  that 
soon  after  they  are  eaten,  a  hiccup  seizes  the 
patient,  then  a  cold  or  chilling  all  over  the 
body,  attended  with  tremblings,  and  at  last 
convulsions  and  death. 

The  most  venomous  sort  is  one  that  rises 
out  of  the  earth  about  six  inches  high,  round- 
ing and  hollow  like  a  bladder,  red  as  scarlet, 
full  of  holes  like  fine  wrought  net-work ; 
which  is  most  probably  the  Clathrus  cancella- 
tus.  There  is  one  kind  of  these  mushrooms, 
that  is  said  to  kill  the  very  flies  that  settle 
on  them.  According  to  Mr.  Haller,  says  M. 
Valmont  Bomare,  the  Russians  eat  even  the 
mushrooms  that  the  French  consider  the 
most  dangerous,  and  which  they  use  to  kill 
flies  ;  if  this  be  possible,  we  conclude  they 


MUSHROOM.  375 

have  some  method  of  extracting  the  venomous 
particles  of  the  plant,  unless,  like  Mithridates 
of  old,  they  have  become  so  accustomed  to 
poison,  that  it  loses  its  effect  on  their  consti- 
tutions, as  the  Turks  take  opium  with  in- 
difference. 

We  have  not  heard  that  the  morel,  a  kind 
of  mushroom,  has  yet  been  cultivated,  al- 
though it  is  said  to  be  good  for  creating 
an  appetite,  is  accounted  restorative,  and 
is  much  used  in  sauces  and  ragouts.  The 
following  accounts  of  extraordinary  mush- 
rooms, which  we  meet  with  in  the  works  of 
respectable  authors,  may  perhaps  subject 
them  to  the  imputation  of  credulity. 

Matthiolus  mentions  mushrooms  which 
weighed  thirty  pounds  each.  Fer.  Imperatus 
tells  us,  he  saw  some  which  weighed  above 
one  hundred  pounds  a-piece.  The  Journal 
des  Sf  avans  furnishes  us  with  an  account  of 
some  growing  on  the  frontiers  of  Hungary, 
which  made  a  full  cart  load. 

A  mushroom  of  the  very  best  quality  was 
lately  gathered  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Brigg, 
in  Lincolnshire,  which  measured  three  feet 
four  inches  in  circumference  ;  girth  of  the 
stalk,  five  inches  and  a  half;  it  was  two  in- 
ches in  thickness,   and  weighed  twenty-nine 


376  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

ounces.  Six  others  were  gathered  at  the 
same  time  near  the  above,  averaging  about 
two  feet  in  circumference. 

Chambers  relates,  that  some  years  ago,  an 
extraordinary  mushroom  grew  upon  an  old 
piece  of  timber  in  a  blacksmith's  cellar  in  the 
Haymarket,  and  attained  the  height  of  twelve 
inches  or  more,  and  when  cut  down,  appear- 
ed again  at  the  same  time  the  next  year,  and 
so  for  several  succeeding  years.     In  the  year 
1692,  M.  Tournefort   found   such    an    one 
growing  on  an  old  beam  in  the  abbey  at  St. 
Germain's  :  the  smell  was  like  that  of  others 
of  the  same  kind.    An  infusion  from  part  of  it 
turned  an  infusion  of  turnsol  to  a  bright  red; 
so  that  it  evidently  abounded  in  acids.    This 
seed  must  have  been  brought  by  some  acci- 
dent  to    these  situations,  unless  the   fungi 
originated   in   the    decaying    timber.     Lord 
Bacon  says,  "  It  is  reported,  that  the  bark 
of  white  or  red  poplar  (which  may  be  classed 
amongst  the  moist  est  trees),  cut  small  and 
cast  into  furrows  well  dunged,  will  cause  the 
ground  to  put  forth  mushrooms,  at  all  sea- 
sons of  the  year,  fit  to  be  eaten;  some  add  to 
the  mixture  leaven-bread,  resolved  in  water. 
It  is  also  reported,  that  if  a  hilly  field,  where 
the  stubble  is  standing,  be  set  on  fire,  in  the 


MUSHROOM.  377 

showery  season  it  will  put  forth  great  store  of 
mushrooms/' 

The  Laplanders  have  a  way  of  using  the 
common  toadstools,  as  the  Chinese  do  moxa, 
to  cure  pains  :  they  collect  the  large  fungi 
which  they  find  on  the  bark  of  beech  and 
other  large  trees,  and  dry  them  for  use. 
Whenever  they  have  pains  in  their  limbs,  they 
bruise  some  of  this  dried  matter,  and  pulling 
it  to  pieces,  they  lay  a  small  heap  near  the 
part  where  the  pain  is  situated,  and  set  it 
on  fire ;  in  burning  away  it  blisters  up  the 
part,  and  the  water  discharged  by  this  means 
generally  carries  off  the  pain.  It  is  a  rude 
practice,  but  said  to  be  very  effectual,  where 
the  patient  takes  it  in  time,  and  has  resolution 
to  stand  the  burning  to  a  necessary  degree. 


378  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES, 


MUSTARD.— SINAPI. 

Natural   order,  Siliquosce.      A  genus  of  the 
Tetr adynamia  Siliquosa  class. 


In  Greek  this  plant  was  called  Na7ru,  by 
Aristophanes  and  others  that  use  the  Attic 
dialect,  but  more  commonly  Xwnm,  Sinapi, 
on  vivei  vus  cotols,  because  it  injures  the  eyes. 

It  was  formerly  called  Senvie  in  English. 
Egypt,  that  claims  the  honour  of  giving  birth 
to  both  Ceres  and  iEsculapius,  was  the  bed 
from  whence  the  best  mustard  first  sprang, 
where,  according  to  the  opinion  of  the 
heathen  mythologist,  it  was  nursed  by  the 
goddess  of  seeds,  and  its  qualities  made 
known  to  man  by  the  god  of  medicine.  We 
will  not  enter  into  mythological  dispute  whe- 
ther iEsculapius  was  the  inventor  of  physic, 
or  whether  he  only  perfected  that  part  of  the 
art  which  relates  to  the  regimen  of  the  sick. 
The  brute  creation  are  taught  by  instinct  to 
physic  themselves  by  eating  certain  herbs. 
From  this  observation,  in  all  probability,  the 


MUSTARD.  379 

use  of  mustard-seed  became  known  to  man 
through  iEsculapius,  for  the  eating  of  so  bit- 
ing and  penetrating  a  seed  in  food  must  have 
required  long  habit  to  have  made  it  familiar 
and  agreeable. 

Mustard  seems  to  have  been  cultivated  in 
Syria  when  Christ  was  upon  earth,  as  he 
mentions  it  in  parable  as  being  the  least  seed 
which  was  sown  in  the  field,  "  but  when  it  is 
grown  it  is  the  greatest  among  herbs."* 

The  Romans  made  great  use  of  mustard- 
seed  in  medicine,  and  they  thought  it  one  of 
the  best  of  remedies  for  the  complaints  of  the 
stomach  and  the  lungs.  From  the  milky 
juice  of  the  plant  they  formed  a  gum  that  was 
used  for  the  tooth-ache,  and  the  oil  which 
they  drew  from  the  seed  was  used  with  olive 
oil  after  the  bath,  by  those  who  had  stiffness 
occasioned  by  cold. 

The  ancients  ate  the  young  plants  stewed, 
and  the  leaves  of  the  older  plants  were  used 
boiled  as  other  pot-herbs.  Pliny  informs  us 
that  it  grew  in  Italy  without  sowing,  but  that 
the  most  esteemed  mustard-seed  was  brought 
from  Egypt.  The  Romans  cultivated  three 
varieties  in  this  author's  time.-f 

*  Matt.  c.  xiii.  v.  31.  and  Mark  c.  iv.  v.  31. 
t  Bookxix.  c.  8.  and  book  xx.  c.22. 


380  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

Of  the  fifteen  species  of  this  plant  that 
have  been  discovered,  one  third  are  natives 
of  Britain. 

Tusser  notices  the  cultivation  of  mustard- 
seed  in  Queen  Mary's  time.  His  direction 
for  February  says, 

"  Where  banks  be  amended,  and  newly  vp  cast, 
Sowe  mustard-seed,  after  a  shower  be  past." 

The  same  author  says,  in  his  hints  for  August, 

"  Maids  mustard-seed  gather,  for  being  too  ripe  ; 
And  weather  it  wel,  yer  ye  give  it  a  stripe : 
Then  dress  it  and  lay  it  in  soller  vp  sweet, 
Least  foistiness  make  it  for  table  vnmeet." 

Gerard  informs  us,  that  the  garden-mus- 
tard, which  produces  the  whitest  seed,  was 
not  become  common  in  Elizabeth's  reign ; 
but  that  he  had  distributed  the  seed  into  dif- 
ferent parts  of  England  to  make  it  known. 
Mustard  was  not  manufactured  in  his  day, 
but  was  brought  to  table  whole,  or  bruised  in 
vinegar.  Gerard  says,  "  the  seede  of  mus- 
tard pounded  with  vinegar,  is  an  excellent 
sauce,  good  to  be  eaten  with  any  grosse 
meates,  either  fish  or  flesh,  because  it  doth 
helpe  digestion,  warmeth  the  stomacke,  and 
provoketh  appetite." 

Coles  observes,   in  1657,  "  In  Glocester- 
shire  about  Teuxbury,   they  grind   it,    and 


MUSTARD.  381 

make  it  up  into  balls,  which  are  brought  to 
London  and  other  remote  places,  as  being  the 
best  that  the  world  affords." 

Mustard-seed  is  one  of  the  strongest  pun- 
gent, stimulating,  diuretic  medicines,  that 
operate  without  exciting  much  heat.  By  its 
acrimony  and  pungency  it  stimulates  the 
solids  and  attenuates  viscid  juices  ;  and  hence 
stands  deservedly  recommended  for  exciting 
appetite,  assisting  digestion,  promoting  the 
fluid  secretions,  and  for  the  other  purposes 
of  the  acrid  plants  called  antiscorbutic. 

This  seed  has  often  been  given,  unbruised, 
with  good  success  to  those  afflicted  with  pa- 
ralytic, cachectic,  and  serous  disorders  ;  and 
its  powder  is  also  applied  externally  to  sti- 
mulate benumbed  and  paralytic  limbs  or 
parts  affected  with  rheumatic  pains :  it  is 
generally  used  with  a  few  bread  crumbs  and 
pounded  garlic,  made  into  a  cataplasm  with 
vinegar. 

The  flower  of  mustard  curdles  boiled  milk, 
and  gives  all  its  pungency  to  the  whey. 

Dale,  after  Schroder,  observes,  that  mus- 
tard heats  and  dries,  incides,  attenuates,  and 
attracts. 

We  agree  with  Boerhaave,  says  Dr.  James, 
that  mustard,    and   other  acrid   vegetables, 


382  CULTIVATED    VEGETABLES. 

prove  excellent  medicines,  when  prudently 
given,  in  distempers  attended  with  an  indo- 
lent, watery,  or  cold  phlegmatic  humour,  no 
way  saline,  where  acrid  humours  are  lodged 
in  the  f  st  passages ;  where  the  bile  is  slug- 
gish, and  where  no  alkaline,  foetid,  or  oily 
putrid  matter  is  lodged;  but  the  body  re- 
mains cold,  torpid,  and  swelled  all  over ;  as 
on  the  other  hand,  mustard  proves  hurtful 
where  the  body  is  hot  and  feverish,  the  bile 
sharp,  the  juices  putrid,  the  parts  inflamed, 
or  wasted ;  or  where  the  putrid  scurvy 
abounds. 

Mustard-seed,  by  chemical  analysis,  gives 
a  much  greater  indication  of  an  acrid  than 
of  an  acid  salt ;  but  it  affords  a  considerable 
quantity  of  oil,  very  little  fixed  salt  simply 
saline,  a  great  deal  of  earth,  a  little  urinous 
spirit,  and  no  volatile  concrete  salt. 

When  mustard  is  calcined,  it  leaves  very 
little  salt  in  the  ashes,  because  the  salt  is  vo- 
latile, and  flies  off  in  the  calcination.* 

On  the  whole,  mustard  may  be  considered 
a  wholesome  condiment,  when  taken  in  mo- 
deration and  with  due  consideration  of  the 
state  of  the  body  ;  but  we  are  too  apt,  gene- 
rally, to  accustom  ourselves  to  the  same  re- 

#  James. 


MUSTARD.  383 

gimen,  without  consulting  our  respective 
constitutions.  Buchan  remarks,  that  the  cure 
of  many  diseases  may  be  effected  by  diet 
alone,  and  although  its  effects  are  not  al- 
ways so  quick  as  those  of  medicine,  they  are 
generally  more  lasting. 

The  young  and  green  mustard  plants, 
which  are  so  readily  and  easily  reared  in  the 
spring,  are  perhaps  the  most  beneficial,  as 
well  as  the  most  agreeable  addition  to  our 
salads.  On  this  account  various  ways  have 
been  invented  to  grow  it  expeditiously,  all  of 
which  are  too  simple  and  well  known  to  re- 
quire explanation  here. 


END    OF    VOL.     I. 


LONDON  : 
PRINTED    BY    5.    AND    R.    BENTLEY,    DORSET-STREET,