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PBAGTIGAL GUIDE TO GARDEN PLANTS musheoom 



handKght during the summer months. 

 The branches also, if bent down and 

 covered here and there with a Httle soil, 

 will root from the joints. The plants thus 

 formed may be severed in spring and 

 transplanted about 6 in. apart. 



Besides the Common Thyme, the 

 Lemon Thyme (T. Serpyllmm, see 

 p. 745) may also be used for flavouring 

 purposes. 



WATER- CRESS (Nastuetium 

 officinale). — This well-known British 

 plant is found wild near the banks of 

 rivers and streams, and is very common 

 on the banks of the Thames. It belongs 

 to the Crucifer order (see p. 201), and has 

 long rooting hollow stems, and pinnate 

 leaves with rather heart-shaped sinuate- 

 toothed leaflets. The small white cross- 

 shaped flowers are borne in short racemes 

 from May to October. 



It is held in high estimation by all 

 classes as a salad, and in some parts of 

 the country, as ui Hertfordshire, for 

 example, it is cultivated on a very large 

 scale for the London and provincial 

 markets. 



Culture and Propagation. — 

 Water-Cress is best grown in shallow 

 streams or pools of clean and gently 

 ruiming water. It is easily increased by 

 planting portions of the rooted stems in 

 the muddy banks on the edge of the 

 water, and leaving them to take care of 

 themselves. Constant picking vnll im- 

 prove the plants, and by preventing the 

 formation of the flowers, the leaves and 

 young stems will not lose their flavour. 



Water-Cress may also be grown on 

 land, which, however, must always be 

 kept in a moist condition. Seeds may be 

 sown in March and April in the open 

 ground, or better still, rooted pieces of 

 stem may be stuck into the soil, and well 

 watered, during the season, so that they 

 do not lose their freshness. 



OTHER HERBS. — Many other 

 plants are sometimes used as herbs, but 

 are frequently to be found rather as orna- 

 mental plants in the flower garden. 

 Many of these have been already described 

 in the body of this work, and include the 

 following, particulars of which will be 

 found at the pages mentioned : — 



Balm (Melissa officinalis), p. 746. 

 BoBAGB {Borago officinaKs), p. 674. 

 Chamomile (Anthemis), p. 530. 



Clary (Salvia Sclarea), p. 749. 



Fennel (Pceniculwm vulgare), p. 468. 



Rampion (Oa/m/pa/nula Rapioncuhks), 

 p. 567. 



Rosemary (Sosm,arinus officinalis), 

 p. 750. 



Rue (Buta gra/oeolens), p. 295. 



MUSHROOM (Agaeicus campes- 

 TEis).— Although the Mushroom occupies 

 the last place in this work, it is by no 

 means the least important of our garden 

 crops. Indeed it may be regarded as one 

 of the most important, considering the 

 great favour in which it is held by every- 

 one, and he is certainly a ra/ra avis who 

 can sincerely say that he does not like 

 Mushrooms. On the Continent, however, 

 and especially in Italy, the Mushroom is 

 not regarded with the same favour as in 

 the British Islands. 



The other plants described in the pre- 

 ceding pages — whether flowers, fruits, or 

 vegetables — are more or less intimately 

 related, and possess a general resemblance 

 as far as roots, steins, leaves, flowers &c. 

 are concerned — the only important excep- 

 tion being the Ferns (see p. 1008). 



The Mushroom, however, has neither 

 roots, stems, leaves, nor flowers in the 

 ordinary sense of such terms. It repre- 

 sents a very low order of plant Ufe, and 

 it has thousands of relatives — all grouped 

 under the heading of 'Fungi.' Nearly all 

 Fungi are whitish, pale brown, orange, 

 and sometimes red, with various inter- 

 mediate shades, and a vast number of 

 them are extremely poisonous. As a rule 

 the highly coloured or those with a verdi- 

 gris tint should be avoided, unless the 

 reader is well acquainted with Fungi. 



The Common Mushroom is found 

 growing wild in pastures and meadows, 

 usually in great abundance about Septem- 

 ber, especially where horses, cows, and 

 sheep have been grazing. When picked 

 in a young and fresh state they are very 

 palatable — even raw — but when the ' gills' 

 on the under surface of the cap begin to 

 turn black they are best left alone. The 

 true Mushroom when in a fit state for 

 eating has pinkish or salmon-coloured 

 gills, and it is rather important to remem- 

 ber this point, as other species very 

 similar in appearance are poisonous, but 

 have not pinkish gills. 



Structure. — The Mushroom springs 

 up from a whitish or cottony network of 

 delicate threads, which constitute what 



