ASPARAGINOUS PLANTS.— THE CARDOON. 



129 



growth is greatly to be preferred. Under fa- 

 vourable circumstances, the seeds vegetate in ten 

 or fourteen days. 



Its European names are — Asperge in French; 

 Aspergie in Dutch ; Sparagio in Italian ; Spargel 

 in German ; Esparrago in Spanish. 



§ 2. — THE ALISANDEK. 



Natural history. — Alisander, or Alexanders 

 (Smymium olusatrum L.), belongs to the natural 

 order UmbeUiferse, and ranks in the class Pent- 

 andria, and order Digynia, in the Linnsean ar- 

 rangement. The name of the genus is derived 

 from Smyrna — myrrh ; being of similar qualities 

 to that plant. It is a native of Britain, growing 

 near the sea; and from its being often found 

 near the sites of old buildings, it has been sup- 

 posed that it was more generally cultivated 

 formerly than at present. Smymium perfolia- 

 tum, a native of Spain and Italy, is thought by 

 many superior to this sort. 



Uses. — The leaf-stalks, when blanched, like 

 celery or cardoons, are the parts used, and were, 

 before the cultivation of the former, used for 

 similar purposes. It is now rarely met with 

 in British gardens, and has been introduced 

 to those of the Continent only to a limited 

 extent. 



Propagation. — Annually from seed, and 

 its wliole treatment is so similar to that 

 of the cardoon as not to demand any- 

 general notice. 



General renuwJcs. — Its European names are — 

 Macerpn in French ; Macerone in Italian ; Smyr- 

 ner-kraut in German ; and Cardo do coalho in 

 Portuguese. 



§ 3. — THE CAEDOON. 



Natural history. — The cardoon, or chardoon 

 {Cynara cardimculus L.), belongs to the natural 

 order Compositse, sub-order Carduacese, and to 

 the class Syngenesia, and order ^qualis, in the 

 Linnsean arrangement. The generic name is 

 derived from Jcyon, dog ; the spines of the involu- 

 crum resembling dogs' teeth. It is a native of 

 Candia and the south of Europe, and was intro- 

 duced into England in 1656. It does not ap- 

 pear to have been early or extensively culti- 

 vated, many of our older authors taking no 

 notice of it. It is even still only in our best 

 gardens that it is found to have a place. On the 

 Continent it is different ; and there not only 

 are the midribs of the foliage used in culinary 

 matters, but the corollas of several parts of the 

 same natural order are employed in various de- 

 partments of domestic economy. 



Uses. — The foot-stalks as well as the midribs 

 of the leaves are used for stewing, soups, and 

 even salads in autumn and winter ; but to pre- 

 pare them for these purposes they require to be 

 blanched, and the longer these parts are, and 

 the more rapidly they are grown, the more are 

 they esteemed on account of their greater crisp- 



ness, tenderness, and colour. The process of 

 dressing them is thus given in " The Gardeners' 

 Chronicle," vol. i. p. 143: — "When a cardoon 

 is to be cooked, the solid " not piped or 

 hollow " stalks of the leaves are to be cut in 

 pieces, about 6 inches long, and boUed like 

 any other vegetable in pure water (not salt and 

 water) till they are tender. They are then to 

 be carefully deprived of the slime and strings 

 which will be found to cover them ; and having 

 been thus thoroughly cleansed, are to be plunged 

 in cold water, where they must remain until 

 they are wanted for the table : they are then 

 taken out and heated with white sauce, marrow, 

 or any other of the adjuncts recommended in 

 cookery-books. The process just described is 

 for the pui'pose of rendering them white, and 

 depriving them of a bitterness which is peculiar 

 to them : if neglected, the cardoons will be 

 black, not white, as well as disagreeable." They 

 form, in the hands of a skilful cook, an excellent 

 and wholesome dish, deserving far more general 

 notice. One good plant will be sufficient for 

 two or three dishes. 



Sowing and planting. — Although a pe- 

 rennial in its native country, it is little 

 better than an annual in Britain, and is 

 therefore raised from seed annually, the 

 first sowing being made about the begin- 

 ning of March, on a very slight hotbed. 

 The principal crop is sown about the 

 middle of April. This is for an English 

 climate ; for a Scotch one they should be 

 for both crops reared on a slight hotbed; 

 and, to render their transplantation more 

 certain and convenient, the seeds should 

 be sown in 48-sized pots, one seed in each, 

 and when 6 inches high transplanted at 

 once to where they are to arrive at ma- 

 turity. This rule is always necessary in 

 Scotland, so as to get them ready for 

 transplanting as soon as the danger of 

 spring frost is over. The seed is pretty 

 large, much after the form of that of sun- 

 flower or artichokes. In England it is 

 expedient to sow again towards the end 

 of June, for a late crop to come in during 

 the following spring. Two ounces of seed 

 will sow a seed-bed of 32 square feet. In 

 Scotland it is best to sow always on a 

 slight hotbed; in England, except for 

 the first crop, they may be sown in the 

 trenches where they are to come to per- 

 fection, making the ridges 5 feet apart, a 

 foot deep, and the plants 14 inches apart 

 in the line. 



Method of sowing.— 'Yrenc^iea are dug as 

 for celery ; a moderate manuring only is 

 necessary, and that manure should be in a 

 decomposed state, as during the heat of 

 summer copious supplies of water should 



