THE LETTUCE. 61 



asparagus. Stechys palustris, L., the underground steins of which, 

 when grown in rich moist soil, are white, crisp, and agreeable to the 

 taste. The milk-thistle (Carduus Marianus, L.) is a biennial, a native 

 of Britain ; the young stalks, peeled and soaked in water to extract 

 a part of their bitterness, and then boiled, are said to be an excellent 

 substitute for asparagus. When very young the leaves are used as a 

 spring salad ; and the large leaves, blanched in autumn like those of 

 the cardoon, form a good substitute for that vegetable, and they are also 

 used as greens. Early in the spring of the second year, the root is 

 prepared like skirret or salsify, and in the summer of the second year, 

 the receptacle of the heads of flowers gathered before they expand, is 

 pulpy, and eats like that of the artichoke. The cotton-thistle (Ono- 

 pordum Acanthium, L.), is an indigenous biennial, the leaves of which 

 were formerly blanched and used like those of the cardoon ; the tender 

 blanched stalks, peeled and boiled like asparagus, and the receptacle of 

 the flower treated like that of the artichoke. The carline-thistle 

 (Carlina acanthifolia, All.), a perennial, a native of Garni ola ; and the 

 common species (C. vulgaris, L.), a biennial, a native of Britain, pro- 

 duce large heads of flowers, the receptacle of which may be used like that 

 of the artichoke, and in all probability the flowers and leaves of most 

 carduaceous plants might be used like those of the artichoke and cardoon. 

 The pyramidal campanula (Campanula pyramidatus, L.), and various 

 other species of campanula, producing fleshy roots, might doubtless be 

 used as substitutes for the rampion, as are those of the campanulaceous 

 plants, Phyteuma spicatum, L., in Sussex, and Canarina Campanula, L., 

 in the Canary Islands. Ruscus aculeatus, L., for its tender young 

 shoots in spring ; Ornithogalum pyrenaicum, L. (the Bath asparagus), 

 the flower-stems of which are brought to market at Bath, where the 

 flowers are in a close head like an asparagus bud ; the maize (Zea 

 Mays, L.), the sweet or sugar variety of which, when the seed is imma- 

 ture, is much used in America, roasted, fried, or boiled. 



Salads. 



The salads in cultivation in gardens are numerous, but those of most 

 importance are the lettuce, endive, and celery. They are all articles 

 of luxury, unless we except the lettuce, which is a useful vegetable 

 in every cottage -garden. 



The Lettuce. 



The Lettuce (Lactuca sativa, L.) is a succulent composite plant, 

 annual or biennial, according to the time in which it is sown ; con- 

 sidered by some as the Lactuca virosa in a cultivated state, and by 

 others as a different species, of Eastern origin. It has been cultivated 

 in British gardens from the time of Elizabeth, and by suitable manage- 

 ment may be had all the year round. Lettuce is in universal esteem 

 in a raw state, as a cooling and agreeable salad, and it is also used in 

 soups and stews. 



Varieties. The varieties are very numerous, and are included under 

 two divisions 



