^ ^ 144 [Assembly 



beautiful tree for a shrubbery. The wild service tree is our moun- 

 tain ash, the seeds of which make good food for poultry ; the wood 

 is much used for picture frames, toys, etc. 



The Gooseberry and Currant are arranged by Linnaeus, in the first 

 order of his fifth class, Pentandria Monogynia ; and are supposed to 

 be indigenous to England. From a small berry in the wild state, the 

 gooseberry like the apple has been multiplied in variety, and brought 

 to its present size and flavor by art, industry and good cultivation. 

 It is now considered in England one of their most valuable fruit. 



ORIGIN OF VEGETABLES. 



BY R. L. PELL. 



The Carrot (Daucas Carota) grows wild in England, where it is 

 generally white, stringy and of strong flavor. The Garden Carrot 

 now used in garden and field culture, was introduced by the Flemish 

 refugees, during the reign of Queen Elizabeths into Great Britain, 

 where the leaves were used by the ladies, as ornaments in their head 

 dresses at evening parties. 



The carrot contains in 1000 parts 95 parts of sugar or saccharine 

 matter, 98 parts of soluble nutritive matter, and three parts of mu- 

 cilage or starch ; ten pounds of the root grated or crushed, will yield 

 half a pint of spirit, which is used in Ireland occasionally instead of 

 small beer. Two good varieties have recently been introduced into 

 France from Spain, which grew to a large size and are remarkably 

 sweet ; attempts have been made by French chemists to obtain sugar 

 from them in a crystalized state, but without success. Good carrots 

 are easily recognized by cutting them across, when it will be found 

 that they consist of two parts, the outer one reddish, and the inner 

 oi\e yellow, the first is pulpy and sweet, the second is stringy. The 

 greater the proportion of the external part, the more valuable is the 

 variety, 1000 bushels may be raised to the acre. 



Parsnips (Pastinaca Sativae) this valuable plant also originated in 

 England, it may be seen growing along all their fences in a wild state. 

 You meet with it frequently in this country, the seed probably hag 



