672 A DORNA CEOUS ESCULENTS. 



gardens in which the water-cress can be cultivated in running water ; 

 but fortunately it will grow luxuriantly in rich sandy soil, if watered 

 overhead every morning and evening during the growing season ; and 

 the cresses thus produced are almost equal to those grown in clear 

 running water. The plants may be raised from seed or obtained by 

 division of old plants ; and they may be planted early in spring, a foot 

 apart every way. In gathering, only the points of the shoots should 

 be taken, as the lower leaves are not only coarser, but apt to be in- 

 fested by the larvae of insects if growing in water, and by snails and 

 slugs if on land. 



For a small garden, the common Normandy and the water-cress are 

 the only plants of the cress kind worth cultivating. 



Small Salads. 



Small salads are understood to be very young plants of the salad 

 kind, sown thick, and gathered, some, as the cress, mustard, rape, 

 radish, and some other cruciferous plants, in the seed-leaf; and others, 

 as the lettuce, endive, succory, lamb's lettuce, and various others, 

 when in the third or fourth leaf. In general, all rapidly-growing salad 

 plants are fit for being used as small salads, and are so used on the 

 Continent ; but the principal small salads in England are the cress, 

 mustard, rape, and radish, which are sown weekly all the year round 

 on fine rich soil, kept warm, moist, and shaded, and cut in the seed-- 

 leaf, generally in about a week after they are sown. Of the small 

 salads which are allowed to advance beyond the seed-leaf before they 

 are cut, by far the best is the common Cos lettuce. There are two 

 kinds of mustard which may be grown as small salading (Sinapis alba, 

 L. and S. nigra, L.) ; but the former alone is grown as salading, the 

 latter being the kind grown in fields for its seeds to be ground into 

 the flour-of-mustard ol the shops. It is, therefore, seldom seen in 

 gardens. The Rape (Brassica Napus, var. oleifera, Dec.) is only grown 

 in gardens as a small salad, and as in the case of other small salads, 

 when much in demand, one pound of seed of each kind at least will 

 be required. 



Adornaceous Esculents. 



Adornaceous esculents under which term we include chiefly the 

 plants used as garnishes, such as the parsley, chervil, fennel, horse- 

 radish, &c. include a great variety of plants belonging to different 

 natural orders, and some of which, such as the Indian cress, might even 

 have been included under acetariaceous esculents. The culture of all 

 the plants of this class is very simple, and with the exception of the 

 horseradish and parsley, a dry calcareous soil, poor rather than rich, is 

 to be preferred ; because such a soil is found to be most favourable 

 for the preservation of their aromatic properties. 



The Parsley. 



The Parsley (Apium Petroselinum, L.) is an umbelliferous biennial, 

 a native of Sardinia, long in cultivation as a seasoning, and also as a. 



