660 



The Rampion. 



The Rampion (Campanula Rapunculus, L.) is a campanulaceous 

 fusiform-rooted biennial, a native of England, in gravelly soil, and 

 formerly much cultivated in gardens for its roots as well as its leaves. 

 The latter are excellent, eaten raw as a salad, or boiled as spinach ; 

 and the root, which has the flavour of walnuts, is also eaten raw like 

 a radish, or mixed with salads, either raw or boiled and cold. It is 

 always propagated by seed, which is so exceedingly small, that a six- 

 teenth part of an ounce is sufficient for any garden. It will come up 

 in a fortnight. As in the case of other biennials, if sown too soon, 

 the plants will run to flower the same season. The end of May, or 

 beginning of June, is considered the best time for a main crop ; but 

 a crop to come in early may be sown in March. The seeds may either be 

 sown broadcast or in drills six inches apart, and from a quarter to half 

 an inch in depth ; in either case covering the seed with not mere than an 

 eighth of an inch of soil. The plants may be thinned out to three or four 

 inches apart, and the soil among them should not be deeply stirred, 

 lest the roots should be encouraged to branch, which they are very 

 apt to do, and are then unfit to be sent to table. The principal point 

 in the culture of the rampion is to sow it in a deep sandy light rich soil, 

 which can be penetrated by the roots without difficulty, and to supply 

 water abundantly in very dry weather. The roots may be taken up 

 as wanted from November till April, when the plants will begin to 

 run ; but by burying the roots out of the reach of surface heat, in the 

 manner of potatoes, they may be kept through the summer. A few 

 plants allowed to stand the second year \vill produce abundance of 

 seeds, which will keep two years. 



Substitutes for Asparagaceous Esculents. 



Substitutes for asparagaceous esculents are to be found in the following 

 plants : The hop (Humulus Lupulus, L.), the young shoots of which, 

 when they have risen three or four inches from the root, are boiled in 

 the hop districts, and eaten like asparagus, to which they are con- 

 sidered little inferior. The bladder campion (Silene inflata, H. K.), is a 

 perennial common on sea-shores, the tender shoots of which, when not 

 above two inches long, have a flavour which, according to Bryant, is 

 surpassed by few garden vegetables ; arid it will continue producing 

 these shoots for two months. In our opinion, it well deserves cultiva- 

 tion. The Virginian poke (Phytolacca decandra, L.) is a perennial from 

 Virginia, where the points of the young shoots are used as asparagus. 

 The willow-herb (Epilobium angustifolium, L.) : the young and tender 

 shoots are eaten as asparagus, and the leaves as greens. Solomon's 

 seal (Polygonatum vulgare, Dec.): the young shoots are boiled and 

 eaten as asparagus, and the roots are said to be dried, ground, and 

 made into bread. The common comfrey (Symphytum officinale, L.) : 

 the blanched stalks form an agreeable asparagus. The black bryony 

 (Tamus communis, L.) : the blanched tops are eaten as asparagus. 

 The burdock (Arctium Lappa, L.) : the tender stalks are eaten as 



