GHENT. 87 



sures : the hectolitre, which is nearly equal to three English 

 bushels, costs at present from 15 to 18 florins (from 25s. 

 to 30s. English). This is considered as very dear at 

 Ghent. 



In the neighbourhood of this city, Succory is cultivated 

 in still greater quantity than near Bruges. Our intelli- 

 gent acquaintances here, confirm the account which we for- 

 merly received of the various uses to which the crop is ap- 

 plied. The large roots are cleaned, and cut into small 

 pieces of nearly equal sizes. These are carefully dried in 

 an oven, so as to retain their plumpness, or avoid shrivel- 

 ling. As needed, they are reduced to a powder by grind- 

 ing. The infusion of this powder is used by the lower or- 

 ders as a breakfast beverage ; but all the better sort of the 

 common people employ it mixed with a certain proportion 

 of West India coffee. Many profess to give to the mix- 

 ture the preference over pure coffee ; it being thought that 

 the succory communicates to the infusion the power of act- 

 ing as a gentle diuretic. The leaves, and such roots as are 

 too small for being prepared as coffee, are given to cattle, 

 especially to milch cows, which are here kept in the house 

 in great numbers. Succory is likewise employed as a win- 

 ter salad. For this purpose, a number of plants being 

 raised with balls of earth at the approach of winter, are 

 heaped around with sand, in some cellar or close out-house, 

 from which frost and light are equally excluded. Here the 

 plants continue to vegetate ; and the leaves produced be- 

 ing tender and blanched, are much relished as a salad from 

 December to February. From the whiteness produced by 

 blanching, this salad has got the name of Barbe de Capucin. 



M. Verbecq spoke of the " new sort of Colza introduced 

 at Ghent by Sir John Sinclair." This, we found, was the 

 Ruta baga or Swedish turnip, till then (1815) unknown in 

 Flanders. It was found more hardy than the cole, and 



