544 KITCHEN GARDEN. 



The Common and Curled Cress, Lepidium sativum, 

 are annual plants, and, like Mustard, used only as small 

 salading : the former is sown in narrow drills during 

 the spring, summer, and autumn, and in pots, or upon 

 the bottom of a drill (not covered) in the back bed of 

 the stove in winter. 



The Curled Cress should be sown broad-cast, at in- 

 tervals of three or four weeks, during the spring and 

 summer ; the radical leaves are those used, and are 

 frequently employed as a garnish, as well as for salads. 



The Curled Cress, if neglected in its cultivation, is 

 liable to degenerate to the Common sort ; but if pro- 

 perly treated it is capable of being improved in a very 

 high degree : for this purpose I have for many years 

 supplied one of the first houses in London with a stock 

 which has never been surpassed by that of any other. 

 This is effected by selecting every spring a number of 

 the most perfectly curled plants as soon as they can be 

 discovered, and pricking them out at five or six inches 

 apart from each other, and at a distance from the Com- 

 mon sort : the seed from these plants may be considered 

 as stock seed ; and from the plants of this seed should 

 all the succeeding plants be annually selected, taking 

 care, if possible, to make choice of those only which 

 are more thickly curled than the stock from which they 

 have been obtained. 



The Golden Cress is rather slenderer in growth than 

 the Common Cress. It is very dwarf, and is conse- 

 quently short when cut as a salad herb for use. It has 

 a mild and delicate flavour, and affords a pleasant addi- 

 tion to our stock of small salads. It should be sown 

 and managed in the same manner as the Curled Cress. 



26. CUCUMBERS. 



The varieties of Cucumber, Cucumis sativa, are 

 numerous : the following are those most generally 

 cultivated : 



