HORTICULTURE. 



Tti:. -. 



injured by the frost during winter ; but it made strong 

 shoots, and produced flower-buds every year. 



A species of spurge common in our gardens ( Euphor- 

 bia iMtkyrit, L.) is vulgarly called Caper-bush, from 

 the resemblance of its fruit" to capers ; but it is acrid, 

 like the other sparge*. The flower-buds of mirsh- 

 .old (CaUka pains', L ) form a safe substitute 

 ipers; and likewise the young seed-pods of the 

 common radish. 



Rhubarb. 



4O6. Of Rhubarb (Rh'wm, I.. ; En*ea*dria Trigy. 

 nia; Polygon**, Juss.) two species arc commonly cul- 

 tivated. 



Rheum rkopontiaim, L. with the leaves blunt and 

 Booth, veins somewhat hairy underneath, petioles 

 grooved above, and rounded at the edge. This i> the 

 species most commonly cultivated in the kitchen gar- 

 den for the footstalks of the leaves, which are peeled, 

 cat down, and formed into tarts, in the manner of ap- 

 ples. They are best when young and succulent, in 

 April and the early part of May. 



Rke*m paimatum, L. with leaves palmate, acuminate, 

 somewhat ragged, petioles obscurely grooved above, 

 and rounded at the edge. This has by many been con- 

 sidered as the officinal species, and its cultivation has 

 beta greatly promoted by the Society for the L'acesi 

 ragement of Arts. In the Transactions of that Socie- 

 ty may be feond accounts of the different modes which 

 have been followed in this country in cultivating the 

 plant and drying its root for use ; or a very distinct 

 abstract of these accounts nay be seen in the last edi- 

 tion of Miller's Dictionary, art. ASMS. Then it still, 

 however, a decree of uncertainty concerning the spe- 

 cies which yields the true Turkey or Russian Rhubarb ; 



and the Edinburgh Faculty, in their ITnTnaTiii ii. 



~ , 



Kitchen 

 Garden. 



used. In many places the leaf-stalks oC this species are 

 employed in nuking tarts, and when young they are 

 scarcely msetinr to the other. A few plants ire com- 

 monly kept in gmimt for cariosity. They are highly 

 ornamental, and partiruUrly remarkable tor Uie rapi- 

 dity id thi T k 'rr.Ui. ri'n.' '" t! !...;! sj )>.. ,j.^ 

 nine or ten feet in seven weeks, and sometimes grow, 

 iog five or six inches within twenty-lour hours. 



Siftft Ilerbt, and Medicinal Planlt. 

 Tkymt. 



407. Tkynt (Tkuanu^lan lynmmitGym- 



mtmrnwrnmt Lu6t*ht or VtriicUlat*) u a perennial 

 plant, indigenous to Spain. It has been cultivated in 

 trdens from the earliest tinea. It it a larger and 

 more woody plant than oar native species, /'. SermjUiu. 

 but the flowers are smaller. Sprigs of thyme are used 

 for giving flavour to soaps. There are several varie- 

 ties, particularly the broad-leaved or green thyme, and 

 the narrow.leaved thyme. The plant is prepagaud ei- 

 ther by parting the root* or planting slips in the spring, 

 or by sowing the seed at the sane seaMO. It grows 

 bast on light dry soil, which has not been rcirnlly ma- 

 nured. \ very si. .11 bed of the green thyme is enough 

 tor kitchen use. Sometimes it is planted as an edging 

 tu a bonier, in which case it must be cut close. It is 



often admitted to the flower-garden, and varieties with 

 variegated leaves are to be met with. If the plants be 

 allowed to ripen their seeds, numbers of seedlings will 

 appear the following year, when they may be trans- 

 planted. In autumn, some of the bushes of thyme are 

 cut over, and hung up surrounded with paper, to dry 

 for winter use. 



The Lemon-scented thyme is a variety of our na- 

 tive species above mentioned. It is sometimes also 

 c-iiltiv.tted, being in request for flavouring particular 

 dishes. 



Sage. 



408. Safe ( Sali-ia qfficinalis, L. : Diandria Mono- 

 gyua ; iJShiatec, Juss.) is a native of the south of 

 Europe, which has very lung been an inhabitant of our 

 gardens. It is a branched shrub, about two feet high ; 

 the leaves are wrinkled, green, cinereous, white, or 

 tinged with dusky purple ; flowers terminal, in long 

 spikes ; of a blue colour. Several varieties are cultiva- 

 ted : Red or purple sage, and Green sagv ; and each 

 of these with variegated leaves, forming ornamental 

 plants in the flower-border. There is a small-leaved 

 green variety called Sage of Virtue ; and there is 

 Broad-leaved balsamic sage. The red is the sort pre- 

 ferred for culinary purposes, but the green is also em- 

 ployed. The leaves are used in stuffings and sauces 

 for many kinds of luscious and strong meat?. Of sage 

 t>f \ irtue the decoction called Sage-tea is usually made; 

 but it is equally good from the broad-leaved or the com- 

 mon green. The plants do not endure in good condi- 

 tion for more than three or four years ; but they are 

 easily propagated by slips in the spring, or by cuttings 

 when the summer is advanced. 1 he cuttings, ahould be 

 five or six inches long, stripped of all the lower leaves, 

 and plunged nearly to the top in the earth, being at the 

 same tine well watered. The li^l.ur .u,d poorer the soil, 

 the better is the sage, and the more sun U do the plant* 

 stand the winter. In July or August some parcels of 

 sage twigs are commonly collected, and hung up in 

 papers tor winter use ; but the leave* on the plants re- 

 main green through the writer, and a few may occa- 

 sionally be gathered without doing injury. 



Chry. 



409. Cierj (Se/oia cJer*a, L.) being of the same g*- _. 

 nus with *age, may here be notui I. It is a biennial 

 plant, a native of Italy. The lower leaves are very 

 large, the stem is about two leet high, clammy to the 

 feel ; the flower* are in IOOM terminating .spikes, com- 

 posing whorls, and of a pale ! >luc colour. Clary was 

 very early cultivated in English garden*, having been 

 account. .1 medicinal. It is sometimes used in soups, 

 but its very strong scent is not agreeable to many. A 

 considerable bed uf clary is seldom to be teen in gar- 

 dens, excepting when it is intended to make clary wine. 

 For this purpose, in dry weather, the flowers are ga- 

 thered ; some employ the whole spikes, and . 

 carefully separate the blossom from the oilyx. Most 

 generally, clary flowers are used only for giving flavour 

 to home-mad* wines, being thought to impart some- 

 tini g of the frontignac rest. The plant is propagated 

 by seeds sown in the spring, and transplanted in the 

 summer month* at fifteen inches apart. Next year they 

 yield their flowers; and if a few plants be left, plenty 

 of seed may be procured. 



