KITCHEN GARDEN. 



KNAPWEED. 



To raise from seed, sow late in autumn or early 

 in spring. Young seedling plants require to 

 be protected the first winter by soil. To force 

 very early, cover with boxes or barrels sur- 

 rounded and covered with horse manure. 

 Gather before the leaves are fully expanded. 



SALSIFY, or Vegetable Oyster (Tragopogon 

 porrifolius). Cultivate as directed for carrot. 



SEA-KALE. See KALE, SEA. 



SPINACH (Spinacia oleracea). Round Savoy- 

 leaved, and Prickly seeded. May be grown 

 either broadcast or in drills. For spring and 

 early summer use, sow as early as the ground 

 can be tilled, and afterwards at short intervals. 

 For the autumn supply, sow at close of sum- 

 mer. For winter and early spring use, sow 

 middle of autumn. The latter sowing will 

 need a sprinkling of straw or long manure on 

 the arrival of cold weather. Spinach is one 

 of those vegetables for which the ground can- 

 not be too rich ; the stronger it is the more 

 succulent will be the leaves, and of course the 

 more delicate and tender. 



SQ.UASH (Cucurbita melopepa). Early Bush, 

 Early Crook-neck, Early Orange, Valparaiso, 

 Winter and Canada Crook-necks. The three 

 first are early varieties. The bush occupies 

 but little room, and is best adapted for small 

 gardens. Cultivate as directed for cucumber. 

 The three last are winter varieties, and require 

 more room. 



TOMATO (Solatium ly coper sicum). Sow in hot- 

 bed in March or April, or in a warm border 

 early in spring, lihd transplant, after settled 

 warm weather, in rows 4 feet apart and about 

 3 feet distant in the row. They may be sup- 

 ported with brushwood, or trained to a trellis 

 qr fence. 



TURNIP (Brassica rapa}. Early White Dutch, 

 Early Stone, Early Red-topped, are best for 

 early garden culture. For winter use the 

 Rutabaga, Yellow Stone, Yellow Aberdeen, 

 and Dale's Hybrid, are excellent. 



There is also a variety of aromatic and me- 

 dicinal herbs cultivated in the kitchen garden, 

 which are useful for many purposes. Of these, 

 the Bene Plant, Sweet Basil, Carraway, Cori- 

 ander, Sweet Marjoram, and Summer Savory 

 are annuals, the seeds of which may be sown 

 in the middle of spring, and thioned out to 

 convenient distances. 



Balm, Chamomile, Horehound, Hyssop, Fen- 

 nel, Lavender, Mint, Pennyroyal, Rosemary, 

 Rue, Sage, and Thyme, are perennials, and may 

 be propagated by offsets or parting of the roots, 

 and from seed sown in drills, and afterwards 

 transplanted. 



These are the most useful productions of the 

 kitchen garden. The varieties named are be- 

 lieved to be the best, and such as are most cer- 

 tain, in the United States, to repay their culture. 

 Those who desire to go extensively into the 

 cultivation of vegetables, can consult the works 

 of M'Mahon, Bridgeman,' and Fessenden, for 

 more minute details of the modes of culture 

 and more extensive lists of varieties. 



Much success in cultivating vegetables will 

 depend on the rotation of crops. The same 

 kinds should not be grown on the ground suc- 

 cessively. The ground must also be kept 

 rich, by the application of manure, well work- 

 87 



ed, and above all kept clear of weeds. It 

 ought always to be remembered that what will 

 nourish a crop of weeds will produce a crop 

 of useful vegetables ; and no operation will 

 tend more to produce luxuriant vegetation, and 

 prevent the ill effects of drought, than the fre- 

 quent use of the hoe. 



For the compilation of the preceding article 

 we are indebted to Mr. William Sinton, gar- 

 dener to General Patterson, Philadelphia. 



KNAPPIA, EARLY (Knappia agrostidea). It 

 was named by Sir J. Smith in compliment to 

 Mr. M. Knapp, a writer on British grasses. 

 Of this, one of the least of the British grasses, 

 only one species is known ; although common 

 on the coasts of France, it is very rare in Eng- 

 land, but is found in maritime pastures, some- 

 times in Wales. It is an annual ; root of many 

 long, slender fibres ; stems 1 to 3 inches high, 

 erect, simple, slender, smooth, triangular, 

 naked, except at the very bottom, where they 

 are invested with the membranous sheaths of 

 a few short, obtuse, channelled leaves. Sti- 

 pules membranous, bluntish, cloven, but not 

 deeply divided. Spikes solitary, simple, erect, 

 of from 6 to 10 flowers, mostly sessile, alter- 

 nate, erect; two or three of the lowermost only 

 more or less stalked ; their common stalks 

 zigzag, slender, smooth, angular, but not exca- 

 vated, as in the truly spiked grasses. Flow- 

 ers, like the top of the stem, purplish. (Eng. 

 Flor. vol. i. p. 84.) 



KNAPWEED (Centaurea). This is a large 

 herbaceous genus of plants, which Jussieu, 

 after Tournefort, has divided into several, by 

 the structure or termination of the calyx scales. 

 Linnaeus has kept it entire, and Decandolle 

 has not disturbed it. Smith (Eng. Flora"), also, 

 makes one family of them. The following are 

 the indigenous species known under the com- 

 mon name of knapweed. I have treated of other 

 species under the heads BLUE BOTTLE and 

 STAB THISTLE. 



1. Brown radiant knapweed (C.Jacea). This 

 grows in meadows where the soil is tenacious 

 and moist. It is a perennial, flowering in Au- 

 gust and September. The root is rather woody, 

 with many long fibres. Stem solid,erect; a foot 

 high, branched, angular, furrowed and roughish, 

 leafy. Leaves, light green, rough, with short 

 hairs ; radical ones largest, stalked, toothed or 

 pinnatifid; the rest scattered, sessile, oblong, or 

 linear lanceolate, entire, or toothed nearthe base. 

 Flowers large, numerous, radiant, light crim- 

 son, solitary at the tumid end of each branch, 

 accompanied by a few leaves close to the calyx, 

 which is brown; the calyx scales are mem- 

 branous, torn. Linnceus says, the herb steeped 

 in water, with alum, before the flowers expand, 

 dyes silk of a fine yellow. 



2. Black knapweed (C. ra'gra). This grows 

 in pastures, and by road-sides, very common, 

 flowering from June to August. In habit it is 

 like the last, but the stem is taller, more bushy, 

 more deeply furrowed, and rather less rough. 

 The lower leaves are somewhat lyrate, with 

 angular lobes; upper ones ovate; their colour 

 always darker than that of C. Jacea. The 

 flowers are also of a deeper crimson, com- 

 monly without any radiant or abortive florets. 

 The flowers are occasionally white. 



3 M 2 689 



