682 



ACETARIACEOUS ESCULENTS. 



hardiest and most useful variety, supplying a beautiful garnish to dishes 

 throughout the winter. The seed, which comes up in three days, may be 

 sown in September and October for winter and spring supply ; and in March, 

 April, and IMay, for summer use. These five sowings will afford a constant 

 supply throughout the year of leaves to be gathered singly, whether for 

 garnishings or salads; but as the cress is also used as a small salad (1107), 

 and for that purpose gathered in the seed-leaf, where it is in demand in that 

 state, it should be sown three or four times every month — during winter and 

 spring under glass, and in summer and autumn in a shaded situation, the soil 

 being kept moist by watermg, or by covering with hand-glasses or mats. The 

 soil should always be rich, the great object being rapid growth, so as to ensure 

 succulence and delicacy. A few plants allowed to run to flower will produce 

 abundance of seed, which will keep two years. Half a pound of seed at least 

 will be required where the cress is in constant demand as small salading. 



1528. The winter cress, Barbarea vulgaris H. K., and the American cress, 

 B. praecox Dec,, are cruciferous perennials, natives of Britain in watery 

 places, and by careful culture in gardens they can be made to produce their 

 leaves throughout the year. Sow in August, or the beginning of September, 

 in rows a foot apart, for a crop to stand through the winter, and thin the 

 plants out to six inches in the row. If the leaves are gathered singly, and 

 the plants protected from frost by glass, or nightly coverings, they will afford 

 a regular supply till next June. The plants will then run to flower, and 

 produce seed in abundance. 



1529. The water cress, Nasturtium officinale ff. K. (Cresson de Fontaine, 

 jPr.), is a cruciferous amphibious creeping perennial, held in general estima- 

 tion in this and in other countries as an antiscorbutic plant, and brought to 

 market in immense quantities from its natural habitation in running water, 

 or artificial plantations made there. The most favourable description of 

 water is a clear stream, not more than an inch and a half deep, running over 

 sand or gravel ; the least favourable, deep still water on a muddy bottom. 

 It is evident, therefore, that there are few private gardens in which the water 

 cress can be cultivated in running water ; but fortunately it will grow luxu- 

 riantly in rich sandy soil, if watered overhead every evening and morning 

 during the growing season ; and the cresses thus produced are undoubtedly 

 of a richer taste than those grown in clear running water. The plants may 

 be raised from seed, or obtained by division of old plants ; and they may be 

 planted early in spring, a foot apart every way. In gathering, only the points 

 of the shoots should be taken, as the lower leaves are not only coarser, but 

 apt to be infested by the larva of insects if growing in water, and by snails 

 and slugs if on land. 



For a small garden, the Normandy cress and the water cress are the only 

 plants of the cress kind worth cultivating. 



SuBSECT. VI Small Salads. 



1530. Small salads are understood to be very young plants of the salad 

 kind, sown thick, and gathered, some, as the cress, mustard, rape, radish, 

 and some other cruciferous plants, in the seed-leaf ; and others, as the lettuce, 

 endive, succory. Lamb's lettuce, and various others, when in the third or 

 fourth leaf. In general, all rapid- growing salad plants are fit for being used 

 as small salads, and are so used on the continent ; but the principal small 

 salads in England are the cress, mustard, rape, and radish, which are sown 



