187fi.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



83 



By a little ni:iiiaj;eiui'nt like this llu- eauli- 

 tlower season can be nuioli extondi^d ; and a 

 rcsnlt so (U'siral)lc is well worth the gardener's 

 sinious attt'ntion. 



In case tlic readtu' cannot raise plants in 

 autunni or winter, and is niialile to olitain 

 them from some mori' fortunate neinhlwir, or 

 a nurseryman, lit^ must l)i^ content witli-a 

 late crop. The seeil is to be sown from aliout 

 the middle of April to the tietjinuiii',; of May, 

 and the plants, when four or live iu(-lies hi^ii. 

 are to be set out like cal)l)ai;es, in rows two 

 feet apart e^ich way. From unfavorable 

 weather tlie crop is somewhat uncertain. 



The hills for the caulillower ou^ht to be 

 hollowed upon tlie top like a sliallow cup or 

 basin, tliat they may be Ijetter alile to collect 

 moisture. The thorouflh and frecpient use of 

 the hoe is very essential. " Wlien the season is 

 dry the iilants need artilicial watering at least ' 

 every other day. They onj;ht not to sutler 

 from the drouy;ht — a circumstance that will 

 be indicated by a droopin}^ of the leaves, re- 

 niindiu!; the f;ardener of his nefjlij^ence. The 

 head, whicli it will be remembered, is the edi- 

 ble part, and esteemed for its tenderness and 

 delicacy, can be tinely blanched by hendiiiR 

 over the leaves or tyinj; them loosely tofjether 

 with a strinf;. Where the whole crop threat- 

 ens to come to maturity at the same time, a 

 l)ortion may be retarded by the same method. 

 In every season the cultivator nmst carefully 

 guard against the extremes of heat and cold 

 as well as of droui^htand moisture. 



Late plants, which at the approach of cold 

 weather have no appearance of blossoming, 

 are sometimes removed to a warm cellar, 

 where they will jierfeet themselves as if in the 

 open ground, and continue in season through- 

 out the greater i)art of winter. The operation 

 is best performed on a damp, cloudy day, and 

 the roots should be taken up with large lum])s 

 of dirt attached. The heads will gradually 

 aciiuire a good size and l)e equally good witli 

 those taken from the hot- bed. 



For Seed. — Set out, in spring, some of the 

 11 nest- looking heads — the (lower buds of which 

 are tirni and close. Support the stems and 

 gather the best seed as it ripens. As with all 

 tlie members of the Bnisskn family, particular 

 care must be taken to prevent intermixture. 

 We would refer the reader to our article on 

 " Saving Seeo,"* to be found in the Hist part 

 of the book, for some valuable hints on this 

 subject. 



Use. — We have already quoted the remark 

 of Dr. Johnson alM)ut the caulitlower. As far 

 as our own opinion may be wortli anything, 

 we do not hesitate to i)lace this in the very 

 front rank of culinary vegetables. Nothing is 

 more inviting to our i>alate than a good hea<l 

 which is brought to the table well cooked and 

 l)roi>erly seasoned. It is vvliolesoine and nour- 

 isliing, especially for invalids, and makes a 

 very ornamental dish. 



To HoiL. — The head should be cut with 

 most of the surrounding leaves attached, 

 which are to be trinnned off when the time 

 comes for cooking. Let it lie half an liour in 

 salt and water and then boil it in fresh water 

 for fifteen or twenty minutes, until a fork will 

 easily enter the stem. Milk and water arc 

 better than water alone. Serve with sauce, 

 gravy, or melted butter. 



To Pickle. — Place the heads in a keg and 

 .sprinkle them liberally with salt. Let them re- 

 main thus for about a week, when you may 

 turn over them scalding hot vinegar, prepared 

 with one ounce of mace, one ounce of pepper- 

 corns and one ounce of cloves to every gallon. 

 Draw otV the vinegar and return it scalding 

 hot several times until the heads become ten- 

 der. — Si'hen-k's O irdener\'i Text-Book. 



The use of this vegetable is only another 

 instance of that cultivation of Uisle, to whii^h 

 we have frequently alluded elsewhere in the 

 columns of this journal, and its introduction 

 and culinary preparation will always be in 

 proportion to llie cultivation of the pnpular 

 taste. We say this, by no means in dispar- 

 agement to that tiiste to which the caulitlower 



•We will publiBl) tlio chapter on " Secil«" rpferred lo, iu * 

 timely subtii'queut uumber ol'TuL Farmbk. 



may be repugnant, because we do not alhi<le 

 .SO much to the /(//iiciie h( of taste as we do lo 

 a i-hmiiji in the ta.-*le of a comiinmity, whether 

 it be regarded as j);-i)gi-e.ssion or retrogression. 

 The caulillower has been cultivated for many 

 years in .Vmeriea, and yet there is coin|)ara- 

 tively little of it seen in the gardens or on the 

 tables in r.ancaster county. Its cliief con- 

 smuption here is in the form of a pickle, whicli 

 constitutes an important item iu the list of 

 Fanc^l Qi-oarics almost everywiua'e. 



SOMETHING ABOUT "FIR-TREES." 



[Fruiii l*hili|) Mtller'8 G'lrdenfrH' Uictutnary, publiubMl lii 

 Luuiluii ill the yeir A. U. 17:11,1 



.\s many things during this, our "Centen- 

 nial year," will be "toldasa tal(! long past." we 

 willoceasioually linil something on agriculture, 

 horticulture, or other subjects kiudreil thereto, 

 to pla<-e in contrast with ISTii, just lo ilhi"- 

 tiale how much more is known about these 

 things uou! than there was iln n. 



Mr. Miller's Jjictidnari/ commences with 



"AniKs: The Fir Tree. The name is de- 

 rived from .I'xo, because it advances mueh in 

 height; and for the same reason it is by the 

 (ireekscalled /)r<»ii •<('(« ,t. e., to extend in height; 

 or, as others sa.v, of Afira, to go away, becausi^ 

 the bark goes away, or is broken off. Il U eivr- 

 ijrcen; the leicvcs are sinrjh' -aiiil jirodwed on 

 cnri/ .side of the bram-hes; the mile jUnvcrs {or 

 vdlkiim) are placed at remote di.ilancis from the 

 fruit on the same tree; the seed.s are jiroilwed in 

 cone.i. which are Kqudmose; that is, covered 

 with scales." 



The aijecies of this tree, which are at present 

 to be founil in Kiiglish gardens, are : 



L "The Silver, or Vew-leaved Fir-tree — 

 Abie.s luxifoUo; frw-tu sitrsum .fpcctante ;" that 

 is, the fruit growing upward, and an object 

 worthy to behold. 



2. "Tile common Fir, or Pitch-tree ; some- 

 times also called the Norway or Spruce Fir — 

 Abies teimiori folio; frurtu diorsnni ui_//pav>; " 

 fruit bowing or bending downward ; or up and 

 down. 



3. "The "Virginia Fir-tree, with small, 

 roundish cones — Abies minor : pectinalisfolus ; 

 I'irijiniana; conis parvi-i subrotiindis;'''' leaves 

 pectinated, like tlie teeth in a comb, cones 

 small and somewhat rounilish. 



4. " The Yew-leaved Fir-tree, with long 

 hanging cones, commonly called the long- 

 coned Cornish Fir — Abies taxifoUo, variety ; 

 fructu hinijissimo deorsum /;i/It.C') ,"" as already 

 indicated, the fruit or cones long, and bending 

 or bowing downward. 



5. The Pitch-leaved Fir-tree, with small 

 cone — Abies picen folus hreribus; conis mini- 

 mis;'''' leaves small and pitchy, and the cones 

 of the smallest size. 



6. "The shortest Pitch-leaved Fir-tree, with 

 loose cones — Abi( s pici'(V foliis bcceioribus; conis 

 parris biunrialibiis !a,c/.s,-" leaves pitcliy and 

 very short, cones loose and of about an inch in 

 length ; or an ounce in weight. 



7. "The 15alm ofGilea<l Vir—Vuhjo; abies, 

 taxifolus, variety ; o(Jora Buhami (lileadensis;^'' 

 having the odor of the IJ.ilm of (iilead. 



8. "The Yew-leaved Fir-tree, with round 

 cones, by some; also called the IJalin of Gilead 

 Fir — Abies laxifnlio. variety :frit lu rotundiore 

 o6tMsa,'" ctmes.Or fruit, rounded and obtuse. 



"The first and second sorts of these lirs are 

 very common in most gardens, and plantations 

 of evergreen trees ; and the second sort is very 

 common in the woods of N'irwaii, and is the 

 tree that affords the red deals. Tlu^se trees 

 were (not many years since) much esteemed 

 for ornaments in evergreen gardens ; hut the 

 leaves and lower branches decaying, and soon 

 falling off, so as to render the under part of 

 the tree luld and unsightly, together with 

 their destroying everything that grows under 

 them, they are not at present in so nuich re- 

 quest. " 



" The third sort Dr. Plukenet mentions to 

 have been formerly growing in the IJishop of 

 London's garden, "at Fiilham. but hath been 

 sin<;edestidye<l, and hath been retrieviMl again 

 fmni seeds sent from New Kiegland by .Mr. 

 Moore, which were sown by Mr. Fairchild, of 

 Iloxton, wiui raised several plants from them, 



and (iiids it hardy enough to resist our severest 

 cold in the opi-ii ground." 



"The fourth sort was biought, many years 

 since, from .Vmorica, and was planted in 

 Devonshire, where are now large trees of this 

 kind, whicli annually produce ripe seeds, 

 fiom wheiK'e the gardens near London have 

 been suiiplii'd. The tree grows to In- very 

 large, and makes a b<'autiful figure, the under 

 ])art of the leaves being of a whiteish, and the 

 upper part of a glaucous, or sea-green color, 

 ami the leaves are closely set upon the 

 branches. This tree is also very hardy." 



"The lifth and sixth Sorts wi'ie also linmghl 

 from .Vmeriea, and planted in Devonshire and 

 Cornwall, antl are, by the inhabitants of those 

 counties, used to make spruee-be<'r, and are by 

 them called tlie 'spruce-firs ; but .since any of 

 these sorts may Im' used for the .s;ime purpose, 

 the appellation doth no more IM-Iong to the.se 

 than any other of the kinds. These trees grow 

 nuich (doser and thicker than the common fir; 

 nor ail' their br.inclies and leaves so apt Uulo- 

 cay and fall off, which renders them more vul- 

 uable. '■ 



" The seventli and eighth sorts are promis- 

 cuously called the Halm of (Hlead firs, but they 

 are very distinct, according to the branches 

 whicli I had sent me from Di^vonshire and 

 Cornwall. The seventh soit Mr. Kay mentions 

 in the supplement to his Ilislori/ tf Pluntji, aa 

 growing in the Dukeof Ueauforfs (Jardens at 

 Hailmington. It was also in the liishop of 

 London's (iardeii at Fulham, some years since. 

 This sort produced long cones, which ai'e sharp 

 pointed, and stand eicct upon the branches, 

 emitting a large cpiantity of resinous matter ; 

 the branches grow flat, imd the leaves are very 

 short." 



" The othi'r sort produces cones .somewhat 

 like those of the cellar of Li'Viniw; the leaves 

 are of a darker green, and are proiliiced thicker 

 on every side of their branches, so that it is one 

 of the Ijeantifulle.st trees of all the fir kind." 



"The leaves of the.se two ti'ees being bruisetl 

 betweenthetingers, emit a very strong balsamic 

 smell, which hath ifiven occa.sioii lo some to 

 believt; that the Halm of Gilead Wius an exuda- 

 tion from one of these trees, from whence they 

 received their naiin's ; but this is known to l>o 

 a mistake, that curious balsam beiu!» the pro- 

 duction of a tree very different from thiselitHS. 



The various uses of these trees, either in 

 medicine or m.chanieal uses, are too many to 

 be here enumerated, but whoever hath a mind 

 to see these things at large, may turn to John 

 ISauhin's Ilisliirij if P'linis, \ii\. 1. pai;e 2:11, 

 or to Hull's JVsiory <f Pbints. where they will 

 mi'et with an ample account of llieni." 



Then follows a list of the y/i(i<.» under culti- 

 vation in Riiiilish gardens at the same iHTiml, 

 and a long disserlatiou upon the cultivation of 

 firs and pines. It will beoliserved that at lexst 

 three of the species of lirs cultivated iu Eng- 

 land liriorto 17:U, (one year before Wiushington 

 was born,) were obtained in Amerii-a^ and <mf* 

 of them, then already long ago, or " many 

 yeai"s since," from Vlniinin. 



In .losiah Iloopes' excellent "Rook of Kver- 

 greens,'' ;;rowing in, or capable of being culti- 

 vated in. the territory of thel'iiifed States, lie 

 enumerates and describes eightyH>iie ilistinet 

 species of tirs, and forty-seven varieties ; these 

 lattiT differing almost as much from each oilier 

 ius the species do. These evergreens are Ix'lter 

 known in our counlry oral lea.stin many parts 

 of it, under the common names of " spruce," 

 or " sprneepine, '' and the aliove numlxTS do 

 not include any belonging to the genera Pintai 

 Cedrns. .fiiniiifrn.i. &c. This n»ay siitlicieiitly 

 illiistnite the jirogrcss that has Iven m;wle since 

 Phili]) Miller's time, in lM)tanic discovery, 

 nomenclature, classification, and systems of 

 cultivation anil reproduction, and fairly con- 

 trasts now and oint hundred years ago. 



The sticklers for loie.'. explatiatory, Enf)Ji.ih. 

 common names in natural history, instead of 

 short, expressive l./itin oiu'S. would llnd their 

 desires gratified in this old Dirtimuini o( over 

 a hundred years ago ; but even then, as now, 

 il api)ears that the misnomers in these com- 

 mon names alrciady caused " mistakes," and 

 crciited confusion ; still, when we rertect upon 



