WATER-CRESS 



261 



half-filled with good soil and kept in a moist, shaded position, under 

 which circumstances occasional waterings will suffice for the growth 

 of the plants. This mode of culture, however, has its drawbacks, 

 and all who attempt it are not equally successful. 



Water-cress is said to have grown 

 in a wild state on the banks of 

 the Thames and other places near 

 London for many years before its 

 culture for market was attempted 

 on anything like an extensive scale, 

 and there being then little demand 

 for it, the supplies from these quar- 

 ters were sufficient ; but as it gained 

 popularity in France, Prussia, and 

 elsewhere, so the demand for it in 

 London also increased, and beds for 

 its .culture were formed at Spring- 

 head and Northfleet, near Gravesend, 

 as far back as the beginning of 

 the nineteenth century. Springhead 

 Cress is still noted for its superior 

 quality. Large supplies are now 

 obtained from Waltham, Cheshunt, 

 and other low-lying places near the 

 Great Eastern Railway, and the 

 annual amount icalised by 

 growers for London alone 

 is very great. The space 

 at Springhead allotted to 

 Water - cress culture is 

 about three acres in ex- 

 tent, and consists of a 

 winding ditch varying in 

 width from 6 to 20 ft. 

 The supply of water is 

 furnished by numberless 

 springs of fresh clear 

 water, which bubble out 

 near the banks of the 

 stream in various places. 

 The water contains a 

 good deal of iron, and 

 on the sides of the Cress- 

 beds, where it is some- 

 what stagnant, the Cress 

 assumes a less healthy 

 colour than that in the 

 middle of the stream. 

 The Cress-beds at 



Springhead lie in a warm sheltered 

 valley ; the sloping banks on both 

 sides of the stream, which appear 

 to be exceedingly fertile, are 

 covered with fruit-trees, such as 

 Apples, Plums, etc. The Water- 

 cress is replanted yearly, generally 

 in August and September, and some- 

 times in spring. Tufts of the roots 

 are taken up and pulled apart, and 

 planted in rows about i ft. apart, 

 after which they are trodden or 

 rolled down, with a view to induce 

 the roots to take quickly. The 

 water is just deep enough to cover 

 the roots, and when fully grown the 

 young shoots in summer form a 

 miniature meadow of Watercress. 

 Cutting is done three times a week, 

 as much being cut at a time as the 

 markets require. 



Improved Broad-leaved Water-cress. 



