A 



A 



Hiops there is generally a mixture of botli : there- 1 m the gardens, and did not diflin-uiili which of t!iem 

 tore the on y method to have it good, is to le^v.rate were ipeciiically different ; fo Dr. Linn^rjus lias cron'- 



mLOtaeodier extreme, and fuppof^d many plants 

 v/iiich are permanently different, to be only acciden- 

 taWarietie.s arifmgfrom culture. But as he Is now 

 cultivating as many plants as the inclemency of the 

 chmate v/hereheis lituated, will permit, there is no 

 doubt of his reforming his eiror, in this particu- 

 lar,^ when he finds v/hat plants retain their fpecific 

 difference. 



all thofe plants which have phiin^ leaves from t!)e 

 curled, as foon as they are diftinguilliable, icavinc^ 

 only fuch as are of the right kind i if this is duly ob- 

 ferved, the feeds will conllantly produce the fame. 

 The third fort is chiefly cultivated for their roots, 

 which are now pretty commonly fold in the London 

 markets ■, the leaves of this fort liave much longer 

 foot-ftalks, and their fubdivifions are riot fo nume- 

 rous as In the common Parfley ^ the lobes of the 

 leaves are much larger, and of a darker green, fo 

 that it is eafily diftinguilhed from the common fort by 

 its leaves, but the roots are fix times as large as tJie 

 common Parfiey can be brouglit to with the utmoft 

 culture. I have fown the feeds of both forts for fe~ 

 veral years on the fome fpot of ground^ and have 

 thinned the plants wlien young, to an equal diilance, 

 and given the fame culture to both ; but when their 

 roots wt^re taken up, thofe of the common fort were 

 not larger than a man's little finger, but the oth.tr 

 were as large as full grown Carrots, which were verv 

 tender and fweet, whereas the other were ilringy and 

 ftrong i and this difference conffantly holds, fo it may 

 be allowed to be fpecifically different. This fort was 

 many years cultivated In Holland, before the Encr. 

 lilli gardeners could be prevailed on to fow it. I 

 brought tlie feeds of It from thence in 1727, anid would 

 then have perfuaded fome of the kitchen-gardeners to 

 make trial of it, but they refufed to accept of it, fo 

 that I cultivated it feveral years before It was known 

 in the markets. 



fort Is commonly knowii by the title of 

 This is what the phyficlans intend when 

 they prefcrlbe Apium. Dr. Linnasus has joined to 

 this the Celery, fuppofing them to be the fame, and 

 the only difference to arife from culture^ biit herein 

 he is greatly miftaken j for I have ciiltlvated the 

 Smallage in gardens forty years, to try if by ' art it 

 could poffibly be brought to the fame goodnefs as 

 Celery, but liave not been able to alter ' it from Its 



all that can be done by culture, is to brlno- 

 It to a larger fize than it naturally grows wild, and by 

 earthing it, to give it a whitenefs ; but It will not 



Smallage. 



original 



that 



grow tall as Celery, nor will It rife with a flralt flem, 

 but fends out many fuckers near the root, and when 

 it is blanched, retains its ftrong rank tafte, which no 

 culture can alter, therefore I make no doubt of Its 

 being a diftinct fpecies. 



The fifth fort is the Celery before-mentioned, and 

 the fixth fort was fuppofed to be a degenerate fpecies 

 from It, but I cannot agree to this opinion ; for from 

 many years trial I have never found it vary.. The 

 leaves of this fort are fliorr, when compared with 

 thofe of the other, and fpread open horizontally ; 

 the roots grow as large as the common Turneps. 

 The difference which I have obferved to arife from 

 the culture, has been only in the fize of tlie roots ; 

 thofe on rich ground, which were properly cultivated 

 were much larger than diofe on poorer land, but the 

 leaves and outward appearance of the plants were 

 never altered, fc ' ' 



different fpecies. 

 The leeds of the feventh fort I received from the 

 royal garden at Paris, many years fince, where It had 

 been long preferved, and maintained its difference ; 

 and from more than twenty years cultivating it in 

 the garden at Chelfea, I have found the fame, fo that 

 I cannot doubt of its being different from all the other 

 fpecies. 



l^lie broad-leaved Garden Parfiey, mentioned by Caf- 

 per Bauhin, and the round-leaved Portugal Parfiey, 

 mentioned by Tournefort, I believe are only varieties 

 of the common Parfiey ; for if they are diilina: fpe- 

 cies, all the feeds which I have received from diffe- 

 rent parts of Europe, under thofe titles, have been 

 wrong ; for the plants which have rifen from thofe 

 feeds, Iiave always proved to be the common fort. 

 As Tournefort, and many other botanifts, have enu- 

 merated all die varieties of plants which were found 



TJie conimon ParPiCy muft be fown early in the fprincr, 

 for the feeds remain a long time in the earth, the 

 plants feldom appearing in lefs than fix weeks 'after 

 the feeds are fown. l^his fort is generally fown in 

 drills by the edges of borders in the kitchen-gardens 

 near London, becaufe it is much eafier to keep it clear 

 from weeds, than if the feeds are fown promifcuouny 

 ori a border, and the Pardey is much fooner cut for 

 ule : but when the roots are defired for medicinal ufe, 

 then the feeds muft be fown thin ; and v/hen the 

 plants are come up, they fhould be hoed out fin<yle, 

 as is praftifed for Carrots, Onions, &c. obferving al- 

 fo to cut up the weeds : if this be obferved, the roots 



tlnuefo till fprinp-. 



July 



can 



There are fome perfons who are afraid to ufe Parfiev 

 in their kitchens, left they fiiould fuffer by having the 

 leffer Hemlock mixed with it, whofe leaves are fo 

 like Parfiey, that perfons who are not fldlled in bo- 

 tany, maybe eafily deceived; which being a noxious 

 plant, feveral perfons have been injured by eating it : 

 but to prevent this, I have for many years cultivated 

 the fort with curled leaves, which Is fo unlike the 

 Hemlock^ that no perlbn, however Ignorant, 

 miftake one for the other, and have conftantly advifed 

 thofe of my acquaintance to do the fame ; for the 

 curled fort is equally good as the common Parfley, 

 and I have conftantly found the feeds, faved from the 

 curled fort, to produce the fame. 

 The common Parfley is, by fome flcilful perfons, 

 cultivated In fields for the ufe of ftieep, it being a 

 fovereign remedy to preferve them from the rot, pro- 

 vided they are fed twice a week for two- or three hours 

 each time with this herb ; but hares and rabbets are 

 fo fond of it, that they will come from a great diftance 

 to feed uppn it ; and in countries where thefe ani- 

 mals abound, they will deftroy It, If it is hot very fc- 

 curely fenced againft them ; fo that whoever has a 

 rnind to liave plenty of hares in their fields, by cul- 

 tivating Parfley, will draw all the hares of the coun- 

 try to them, and this will preferve them found. 

 The beft time for fov/Ing it in ;he fields Is about the 

 middle or latter end of February j the ground fliouid 

 be made fine, and the feeds fown pretty thick, in 

 drills drawn at about a foot afunder, that the oround 

 may be kept hoed betv/een the drills, to dellroy the 

 weeds, which, if permitted to grow, v/ill foon over- 

 run the Parfiey. One bufiiel of feed will fow an ; 



of land. 



ere 



P 



in England than It was fome years paft. In Holland 

 it has been long common In all their markets : they 

 bring thefe mots In bunches, as w^e do young Carrots 

 to market In fummer; and the roots are much of the 

 fame fize: it is called Petrofelinc Wortle by theDutlh, 

 who are very fond of it for water fouchc. 

 It may be cultivated by fowing the feeds in good 

 ground early in the fpring •, and in April, when the 

 plants are up, cut them out with a hoe (as is praclifed 

 for young Carrots) to about five or fix inches fquare, 

 and keep them conftantly clean from weeds ; and in 

 July the roots will be fit to draw for u{(^, and iriay 

 be boiled and eaten as young Carrots ^ and are very 

 palatable and whoifome, elpecially for thofe who are 



troubled with the gravel. 



But If thefe plants are cut out, to allow them more 

 room, if the foil is good, the roots will grow^ to tlie 

 fize of a middling Parfnep, by September. 

 Smallage is a common weed by the fide of ditches 

 and brooks of water, in many parts of England, fo 



S that 



