BRUGES. 29 



indispensably necessary for giving flavour to the peaches : 

 the young grapes had thus suffered a sudden check, from 

 which they are not likely to recover. Some of the vines are 

 trained on horizontal trellises in the front part of the inte- 

 rior of the houses, and some on the rafters. There appeared 

 nothing worthy of imitation in the construction of the houses ; 

 and they seemed to be but indifferently managed. In the 

 space of ground before the houses are ranges of pine-pits and 

 melon frames ; neither of them deserving of commendation. 

 The kind of pine-apple chiefly cultivated is the queen; but the 

 plants are very inferior to those which we lately saw at Lon- 

 don, or which we commonly see in Scotland. One frame is 

 dedicated to a collection of cockscombs (Celosia cristata), 

 and these certainly form the boast of M. Bertrand's garden : 

 they are of the dwarfish variety, but large or strong of 

 their kind ; and in brilliancy and variety of colours, they 

 can scarcely be excelled. 



Succory. 

 About Bruges, succory (Cichorrum Intybus*) is ex- 

 tensively cultivated, beds of it appearing in every kitchen- 

 garden, and acres of it occasionally in the fields. This 

 was a novelty to us ; and we received various accounts of 

 the objects for which it is cultivated. One person said it 

 was for the sake of the herbage, or leaves, which are given 

 to milch cows : another told us, that the leaves are twice 

 cut over in the course of the season, in order to make the 

 roots swell ; adding, that though, when raw, the roots taste 

 almost like dandelion, they are very palatable when boiled 



* It may be noticed, that the French give the name of chiccoree to en- 

 dive, and distinguish succory as ckiccorte aauvage. The Flemings, however, 

 use the terms endj/ve and cicorti as we do, and give the name of wilde cicorei 

 to dandelion. 



