CHAPTER V. 



SPINACEOUS PLANTS. 



The principal of this class of plants 

 are the varieties of the common spinach, 

 and those of the sorrel. There are, how- 

 ever, several others of considerable im- 

 portance in domestic economy, and to be 

 found in gardens of the highest order, 

 although rarely cultivated in those of 

 minor note. They are less flatulent 

 than many other vegetables, and there- 

 fore may, like the common spinach, be 

 indulged in by those who are deterred 

 from using brassicaceous plants, which 

 are exceedingly so. As the chief merits 

 of the tribe consist in the tenderness and 

 succulency of the leaves, the richer the 

 ground is, and the quicker the growth is 

 promoted, the more likely are we to attain 

 this in perfection. 



§ 1. — SPINACH. 



Natural history. — The spinach (Spinacea olera- 

 cea L.) belongs to the natural order Chenopodese, 

 and ranks in the class Dicecia, and order Hexand- 

 ria, in the Linnsean arrangement. The generic 

 name is derived from spina, a prickle, from the 

 prickly integument of the fruit, or seed, in some 

 varieties. Spinach does not appear to have been 

 known to the ancients, nor is its cultivation 

 traced in Britain beyond 1568, when it is men- 

 tioned for the first time by Turner, in his 

 " Herbal," who says, " Spinage, or spinech, is 

 an herb lately found, and not long in use." Its 

 native country is not known ; many, however, 

 consider it a native of northern Asia. In spinach 

 we have almost the only instance, among culti- 

 vated esculents, in which the male flowers are 

 produced on one plant, and the female flowers 

 on a distinct one. 



Uses. — The leaves, which are the only part of 

 the plant employed as food, are either boiled by 

 themselves and served alone, or garnished with 

 hard-boiled eggs : in either case it is mashed 

 quite small. It is often used in soups. It is 

 eaten with all sorts of meat ; and is, when 

 mashed with butter or rich gravy, much im- 



proved by the addition of a few sorrel leaves 

 mashed with it. The expressed juice is often 

 employed by cooks and confectioners for giving 

 a green colour to some of their made dishes. 

 When eaten freely it is mildly laxative, diuretic, 

 and cooling. It of itself affords little nourish- 

 ment. It should be boiled without the addition 

 of water beyond what hangs to the leaves in 

 rinsing them ; and when cooked, the moisture 

 which naturally comes from the leaves should 

 be squeezed out before being sent to the table. 

 The young leaves were used as a salad not only 

 in the time of Queen Elizabeth, but even so late 

 as the days of Charles I. 



Propagation. — The varieties of spinach, 

 being annuals, must be grown from seed. 



Sowing. — The leaves are required dur- 

 ing the whole year, therefore successional 

 sowings become necessary. In England, 

 a small sowing may be made in January 

 if the weather is mild, a larger sowing in 

 February, and a still larger one about 

 the middle of March. In Scotland it is 

 seldom necessary to sow sooner than the 

 latter date, as the winter crop lasts longer 

 with us before running to seed in spring 

 than it does in the south. March may 

 therefore be considered the best time for 

 our earliest crop. Sow afterwards once 

 in three weeks, till the beginning of May, 

 then every week till the end of July. 

 Three sowings should be made in August 

 for winter and spring use, say during the 

 first, second, and third week, each of which 

 should cover a large space, as few winter 

 vegetables are more useful. We always 

 sow two crops during September, as at 

 that period there is ground to spare ; and 

 if the crops be not required for other use, 

 they will constitute an excellent green 

 vegetable manure, if dug into the ground 

 in spring. It will be found useful for 

 pigs. The London market-gardeners sow 



