60 



CASSELL'S POPULAR GAEDENING. 



Spinach. {Spinacia oleracea). Frencli, Epinard ; 

 Qermacii, Spinat ; Spanish., Espinaca ; Italian, Spinaci. 

 — There exist several distract types of Spinach or 

 " Spinage,^^ as written by old authors, a name de- 

 rived from the peculiar prickly seeds. The present 

 form, surnamed oleracea, or pot-herb, is, however, 

 that most generally grown and, consequently, most 

 popular. It is a hardy annual, sufficiently hardy, in 

 fact, by a proper system of seed-sowing and culture 

 to withstand the inclemency of British winters. Its 

 original home is not known. It has, however, been 

 cultivated in this countrj^ more than three centuries. 

 The species under consideration consists of two dis- 

 tinct varieties, distinguishable by having a dissimi- 

 larity both in the form of their leaves and seeds. 

 One, possessing round or heart-shaped leaves, has 

 also round seeds; the other, oblong triangular- 

 leaved, having prickly seeds. In other words, the 

 remarkable fact exists that the leaves and seeds of the 

 plant possess identical characteristics. The harsh or 

 severer development of the leaves in the prickly- 

 seeded variety goes even further than this. It has 

 proved itself less profitable as a summer variety, is 

 the more hardy of the two, and has, therefore, been 

 termed the " winter variety," being that invariably 

 sown in the autumn for the winter and earliest spring 

 crop. 



In the matter of culture, as the only real merit 

 these peculiar comestibles can possess consists of ex- 

 treme freedom of growth and its attendant succulency 

 of leaf, it is impossible to accord them too generous 

 treatment. Yet to insure this a really deeply-prepared 

 soil is not always essential, beyond the consideration 

 that the richer the soil is deep down below, so 

 mach greater is its capacity to retain latent mois- 

 ture in uniform abundance, by which the whole is 

 favourably influenced, to say nothing of the fact that 

 the roots vsdll work down in search of food during 

 arid - weather periods, where it exists, though this 

 plant is but of shallow root-formation. A free 

 highly-enriched soil is essential. As the crop is of 

 very quick growth and of short duration, during 

 summer-time, it is well to exceptionally enrich the 

 ground for it, even upon consideration that a suc- 

 ceeding crop may occupy the ground and benefit 

 thereby. 



The practice which gains precedence consists in 

 growing the crop in drill-rows. This is not the best 

 plan to follow, as it invariably leads to the plants 

 being too thickly grown together ; an error, this, 

 which cannot be too severely condemned, and owing 

 to which good produce is rarely obtainable. It 

 should be quite needless to remark here the simple 

 fact that to grow a plant well, to insure fine large 

 leaves, it should grow sragly ; yet aU but invariably 

 is Spinach grown so thickly as to entirely controvert 



such a fact. It is thereby hastened off . to seed, 

 wretchedly indifferent seed-stalk produce beiag the 

 result. AVherever drill-rows are sown, therefore, 

 seed should be sown very thinly, thinning the young 

 plants out so soon as they have each two pairs of 

 leaves, to four or five inches apart. Better is it, 

 however, to sow broadcast upon rich soil, and to sub- 

 sequently hoe out the plants to distances of about 

 six inches apart, treating them in a similar way to 

 what broadcast-sown turnips are treated. For the 

 summer crops the first sowing should be made during 

 such mild weather as may prevail about the first 

 week in February ; for this first sowing, a sheltered 

 sunny situation. So soon as this sowing is up and 

 thinned out, make another so^dng, continuing after 

 the month of ]\Iarch has arrived to make small 

 sowings once a fortnight, according to the demand, 

 until July, at which time it is not desirable to make 

 any more until the winter crops are sown, as the 

 plant succeeds indifi'erently only during the dry 

 months of August and September. 



About August 1st prepare a liberal space for the 

 winter crop, choosing particularly for it a dry quarter 

 of the garden, exposed and open to such winter sun- 

 shine as is experienced. Though even this is not all ; 

 the nominal or cloud-screened light of the sun even 

 at such a season exei'ts its influence beneficially. To 

 save the young plants from excessive ground-moisture 

 during the winter months, a moderate quantity only 

 of manure should be employed. A few wheelbarrow- 

 loads of old mortar, rubbish, &c., could also be bene- 

 ficially dug into the ground upon which it is to be 

 sown. For convenience of hoeiag, gathering the 

 crop, &c., drill-row sowing will at this season be pre- 

 ferable. Draw shallow drills across the space to be 

 sown, ten inches asunder, and make sowings as near 

 to August 5th and August 11th as possible. Make 

 the larger sowing at the latter date. AVhen the young 

 plants are large enough, thin them out to five inches 

 apart in the rows. Hoe amongst the crop periodically 

 at fine weather intervals ; such a process is of im- 

 mense aid. Should any make a good gi'owth, con- 

 tinue to pick for use in accordance. This prac- 

 tice, whilst it furnishes supplies, also checks too 

 robust growth, and assui-es in advance the hardiness 

 of the crop for severe weather, should it follow. 



For the summer crop the most common practice 

 is to sow rows of Spinach between the rows of 

 Peas. Such space can only be occupied by a quick- 

 growing and yielding crop, and as Spinach is such, 

 the practice is good from an economical point of 

 view. It is as important in this case as in all others 

 to well thin out the young plants, or the produce 

 will be of a very low order. 



Under somewhat the same name we have the 

 following : — 



