SPINACEOUS PLANTS. — WILD SPINACH. 



137 



table-house the foot-stalks of the leaves 

 should be cut off and the leaves sorted, 

 removing all the flower-stalks should any 

 exist, and rinsing the whole in clean 

 water, placing them afterwards in a clean 

 basket to allow the water to drain from 

 them. 



Approved sorts and their qualities. — Not- 

 withstanding the length of time spinach has 

 been a very generally cultivated plant, but few 

 varieties have appeared. Indeed, for long only 

 two, the prickly and the round-seeded, were 

 known, and it is only lately that a third has 

 been added. Like the lettuce and endive, this 

 vegetable is divided into two natural divisions 

 — namely, the prickly and the round-seeded 

 sorts. 



Prickly spinach. — The leaves are much smaller, 

 more round, and less succulent than any of the 

 round-seeded varieties. It stands the winter 

 rather better than they do, and is less liable 

 to run to seed. Readily distinguished by the 

 seeds being prickly, known as winter spinach, 

 being chiefly sown in autumn to stand over 

 winter. Bordeaux, the Epinard commun, of the 

 French. 



Lettuce-leaved spinach. — Of this variety Mr 

 Thompson says : " This is an excellent new 

 variety ; the leaves are somewhat rounder than 

 those of the Flanders spinach, of thick sub- 

 stance, and dark green colour. It is, perhaps, 

 not quite so hardy as the Flanders, but it 

 usually stands the winter well, and, from its 

 superior quality, it deserves to occupy at least 

 half the ground allotted to the winter crop of 

 spinach. A variety called Epinard Gaudry, if 

 not identical, is very similar to it." It is the 

 Epinard d'Esquermes, ou & feuille de laitue, of 

 the French. Seeds round. 



Flanders spinach.—- This is an improved va- 

 riety of the next, with much larger and more 

 succulent leaves often 8 inches in breadth. It 

 is the Epinard de Flandre, Epinard de Flandre 

 a tres larges feuilles, of the French. It is also 

 the principal sort grown in the Netherlands. 

 Seeds round. 



Round spinach. — This and the prickly-seeded 

 were long the only two sorts grown. Leaves 

 large, roundish, and thick. It is known also as 

 summer spinach, thick-leaved round spinach, 

 spring spinach, round spinach. It is the Epinard 

 d'Hollande ou Epinard rond, of the French. 

 Seeds round. 



General remarks. — The European names are 

 Epinard in French; Espinaca in Spanish; Spi- 

 nagie in Dutch ; Spinaci in Italian ; Spinat in 

 German. In Arabia it is called Hispane. From 

 this latter name, and as it was formerly often 

 called Olus hispanicum, it has been thought to 

 be a native of Spain. Spinach contains a consider- 

 able amount of nitre — so much so that the water 

 which is drained from it, after being boiled, 

 makes as good match-paper as that made by a 

 solution of nitre. In saving seed, as soon as 

 the flowering is past, the male plants, which 

 will have then performed their office, should be 

 all removed to admit air and light to the female 



plants to enable them to perfect their seeds. 

 The seed ripens in August and September, 

 and, after being dried for a week or so in the 

 straw, should be thrashed out. Birds are ex- 

 tremely fond of spinach seed, so much so as to 

 render it expedient to cover the seed crop, if 

 upon a limited scale, with netting, from the 

 time the plants come into flower until the seed 

 is ripened. Upon a large scale, boys should be 

 stationed to scare them away. The seed retains 

 its vegetative properties about four years. 



§ 2. — WILD SPINACH. 



Natural history. — Wild or perennial spinach, 

 (Ckenop odium bonus Henricus L.) or, as it is 

 called by country people, good king Henry, 

 tota bona, and fat hen, names seemingly preva- 

 lent over a great part of Europe — the French 

 peasantry, who use it much, calling it bon 

 Henri, the Germans, guter Heinrich — belongs to 

 the natural order Chenopodeae, and to the 

 class Pentandria and order Digynia in the Lin- 

 nsean arrangement. It is indigenous to many 

 parts of Britain, particularly in loamy soils in 

 waste places. It was formerly grown in gardens 

 for its leaves, which make an excellent substi- 

 tute for spinach, and is so still in several parts 

 of Lincolnshire. It would make an excellent 

 spinaceous plant for cottagers, and is easily 

 cultivated. The generic name is derived from 

 Chen a goose, and Pons a foot, the leaves re- 

 sembling the foot of that animal. 



Uses. — The same as spinach. 



Propagation. — Being a hardy perennial, 

 it is increased by dividing the plant into 

 pieces, each having a portion of the root, 

 and a small bit of the crown which is 

 thickly set with buds, which spring freely 

 on being replanted. It may also be pro- 

 pagated by seed sown in March, and 

 transplanted, when the plants are fit to 

 handle, into a nursery-bed. In Septem- 

 ber following, they should be transplanted 

 into lines a foot apart, and 10 inches in 

 the line, in ground of a loamy nature, and 

 trenched to the depth of 18 inches, as 

 their roots penetrate to a considerable 

 depth. The following spring the leaves 

 are fit to gather for use, and should be 

 picked as they advance, taking the largest 

 first. In this way a bed will continue 

 productive for several years. Most of the 

 species of this genus, both indigenous and 

 exotic, may ? be safely used as articles of 

 food. It comes into use about the be- 

 ginning of May, and continues all the 

 summer. Its European names are, Gan- 

 zevoet in Dutch, Anserine in French, 

 Meldenatrige in German, Anserino in 

 Italian. 



