iGS 



THE GARDEN AKD ITS FRUITS. 



[CnAP. T. 



first time vre hear of this vegetable is in the time of Cato the Elder, two 

 huiiilreil years.bofore Christ. The Emperor Augustus was very partial to it; 

 and at llavenna it grew to such a size that three heads weighed a pound. 

 Mr. Grayson, of Mortlake, uear London, has produced one hundred heads 

 that weigl^d forty-two pounds, perhaps the largest ever known in Great 

 Britain ; and hundreds of acres around the metropolis are devoted to its 

 cultivation. The small heads are sometimes cut into jiieces and boiled, as a 

 substitute for green peas. Medicinally, it is considered diuretic, and is said 

 to promote the appetite. It is considered antiscorbutic, and very good in 

 dropsical cases, but is avoided by those having the gout. The most extra- 

 ordinary virtue is that ascribed to it by Antoine Mizold, who says: "If the 

 root is put upon a tooth that aches violently, it causes it to come out without 

 pain."' Our modern dentists will, we are sure, thank us for this information, 

 if it is true. 



Asparagus and cabbage are both benefited by the use of salt for manure. 

 For asparagus, there is no danger of using too much salt. It may be used 

 in a crude state, or dissolved, or in compost. 



Carrots, we are told, originated, or at least, were first cultivated for food, 

 in Holland. Tiiey are not only nutritious, but the pectic acid which they 

 contain has the effect to gelatinize other food, hence they are used in soups, 

 making them richer. There is no root grown by farmers of quite as much 

 value for stock as carrots. They are very nutritious food for our tables, 

 simply boiled, and onl}^ require a little practice to be much liked. Tiie 

 white carrot is sometimes boiled, and maslied, and used in bread. The 

 foliage of carrots is truly beautiful, and we read that, in the time of Queen 

 Elizabeth, it was 'common for ladies to use the fresh, green leaves as orna- 

 ments of their head-dresses. 



Potatoes have a history so M'rapped in obscurity, that no one can tell for 

 a certainty where they originated. Their adoption, as a general article of 

 food, dates back only to a comparatively recent period ; that is, since the 

 settlement of America, yet they are now considered an indispensable article 

 upon almost all the tables of rich and poor in all countries where the 

 ])Otato flourishes, as it does in the northern United States and England and 

 Ireland. 



The potato-plant {Solanum tuhcrosum) is said' to belong to a family 

 of poisonous plants, and an extract, powerfully narcotic, may be made 

 from the leaves and stalks, and a weak spirit is often distilled from 

 the roots; and a pretty good starch is made, both in a domestic way 

 and in large manufactories, from potatoes, with which sago is often 

 adulterated. 



Potatoes make good yeast, and they are often used for making sizing; 

 and the water in which potatoes are boiled is good to wash any fabrics in 

 that are liable to fade. 



Excellent as potatoes are for food, sad experience has proved that it will 

 not do for any nation to rely upon them. This reliance brought famine, 



