182 CELERY SPINAGE. 



trenches, 18 inches wide, 6 inches deep, and 4 or 5 feet from each 

 other; strip off the loose leaves, trim the roots, and water in the 

 trenches. Earth them when dry, every 10 days, until covered 1 or 2 

 feet, to blanch ; they may then be used in winter. Preserve the roots 

 in winter in sand, and those in beds with litter upon side boards to 

 form a shelter. 



There are 3 or 4 varieties cultivated, the white solid, rose-colored, 

 Italian and celeria, or turnip -rooted. Half an oz. of seed is sufficient 

 for a bed 4 by 10 feet ; they are sowed and raked in from 20th of 

 March to May, but the principal sowing is early in April. The plants 

 are watered in dry weather and thinned when 2 or 3 inches high, then 

 transplanted and watered and afterwards planted in trenches, as above. 

 When dug, begin with a row and draw up entire. For seed, leave 

 some good plants in spring, or set them out alone, 2 feet apart. The 

 celariac are not put into trenches but are frequently watered when trans- 

 planted and occasionally hoed up. The roots are used in Sept. and 

 Oct. Thty are excellent in soups, in slices, readily imparting their 

 flavor. This is a common salad with the Germans, in which the roots 

 are boiled tender and then eaten cold, with oil and vinegar ; they are 

 sometimes served up with rich sauces. The coat and fibres of the 

 roots are cut away before boiling and then put in the cold water when 

 first put on the fire. 



The botanical species are A. petroselium, common parsley, (var. 1, 

 sativum, common parsley ; 2, crispum curled parsley, 3, radic.e escu- 

 lenta, Hamburg parsley.) A. gravcolens, smallage or wild celery, 

 (var. 1, dulce, or common celery ; 2, rapaceum, turnip-rooted celery. 

 A. dulce ; stem-leaves wedge-shaped ; stem smooth, shining; radical- 

 leaves pinnate, ternate; leaflets 3-cleft; umbels axillary; flowers 

 small white. 



SPINACH. Spinacea oleracea. C. 22. O. 5. Chenopodese. sp. 1. 

 A. li ft. from spina, its seeds being prickly. This is a hardy annu- 

 al, a native of Persia, and now much cultivated as a grateful and whole- 

 some salad. Though not very nutritive, it is laxative and cooling, and 

 is eaten when other vegetables are not allowed. The large succulent 

 leaves are used as salads, but mostly boiled without water, except that 

 upon them after rinsing. The flowering stems are hollow and branch- 

 ed, and the male flowers grow on different plants from those of the 

 female, bearing the seed ; the plant is therefore diozcious. 3 or 4 

 varieties are cultivated ; one of the two most common has arrow- 

 shaped and rough leaves, and those of the other are round and smooth. 

 They are sown at different seasons ; the latter grows faster, is larger 

 and more succulent, and is sown in spring and summer; the first, for 

 a winter supply, is sown in Aug. Frequent sowings are made from 

 Feb. to Aug. The prickly seeded, sown in Sept., is best for winter or 

 Spring, and the round seeded for summer. Another variety lately 



