A P I 
fnops, there is generally a mixture of both : there- 
fore the only method to have it good, is to feparate 
all thofe plants which have plain leaves from the 
curled, as foon as they are diftinguifliable, leaving 
only fuch as are of the right kind ; if this is duly ob- 
ferved, the feeds will conftantly produce the fame. 
The third fort is chiefly cultivated for their roots, 
which are now pretty commonly fold in the London 
markets •, the leaves of this fort have much longer 
foot-ftalks, and their fubdivifions are not fo nume- 
rous as in the common Parfley *, the lobes of the 
leaves are much * larger, and of a darker green, fo 
that it is eafily diftinguilhed from the common fort by 
its leaves, but the roots are fix times as large as the 
common Parfley can be brought to with the utmoft 
culture. I have fown the feeds of both forts for fe- 
veral years on the fome fpot of ground, and have 
thinned the plants when young, to an equal diftance, 
and given the fame culture to both ; but when their 
roots were taken up, thofe of the common fort were 
not larger than a man’s little linger, but the other 
were as large as full grown Carrots, which were very 
tender and fweet, whereas the other were ftringy and 
ftrong •, and this difference cqnftantly holds, fo it may 
be allowed to be fpecifically different. This fort was 
many years cultivated in Holland, before the. Eng-, 
lilh gardeners could be prevailed on to fow it. I 
brought the feeds of it from thence in i 727, and would 
then have perfuaded fome of the kitchen-gardeners to 
make trial of it, but they refufed to accept of it, fo 
that I cultivated it feveral years before it was known 
in the markets. 
The fourth fort is commonly known by the title of 
Smallage. This is what the phyficians intend when 
they prelcribe Apium. Dr. Linnaeus has joined to 
this the Celery, fuppofmg them to be the fame, and 
the only difference to arile from culture, but herein 
he is greatly rriiftaken •, for I have cultivated the 
Smallage in gardens forty years, to try if by art it 
could poffibly be brought to the fame goodnefs as 
Celery, but have not been able to alter it from its 
original •, all that can be done by culture, is to bring 
it to a larger lize than it naturally grows wild, and by 
earthing it, to give it a whitenefs ; but it will not 
grow tall as Celery, nor will it rife with a ftrait Item, 
but fends out many fuckers near the root, and when 
it is blanched, retains its ftrong rank take, which no 
culture can alter, therefore I make no doubt of its 
being a diftindt fpecies. 
The fifth fort is the Celery before-mentioned, and 
the fixth fort was fuppofed to be a degenerate fpecies 
from it, but I cannot agree to this opinion ; for from 
many years trial I have never found it vary. The 
leaves of this fort are fhort, when compared with 
thofe of the other, and fpread open horizontally ; 
the roots grow as large as the common Turneps. 
The difference which I have obferved to arife from 
the culture, has been only in the ffze of the roots ; 
thole on rich ground, which were properly cultivated 
were much larger than thofe on poorer land, but the 
leaves and outward appearance of the plants were 
never altered, fo that I make no doubt of its being a 
different fpecies. 
The feeds of the feventh fort I received from the 
royal garden at Paris, many years fince, where it had 
been long preferved, and maintained its difference •, 
and from more than twenty years cultivating it in 
the garden at Chelfea, I have found the fame, fo that 
I cannot doubt of its being different from all the other 
fpecies. 
The broad-leaved Garden Parfley, mentioned by Caf- 
per Bauhin, and the round-leaved Portugal Parfley, 
mentioned by Tournefort, I believe are only varieties 
of the common Parfley •, for if they are diftinft fpe- 
cies, all the feeds which I have received from diffe- 
rent parts of Europe, under thofe titles, have been 
wrong ; for the plants which have rifen from thofe 
feeds, have always proved to be the common fort. 
As Tournefort, and many other botanifts, have enu- 
merated all the varieties of plants which were found 
A P I 
in the gardens, and did not diftinguifh which of them 
were fpecifically different ; fo Dr, Linnaeus has gone 
into the other extreme, and fuppofed many, plants, 
which are permanently different, to be only acciden- 
tal varieties, ariftn? from culture. But as he is now 
cultivating as many plants as the inclemency of the 
climate where he is fituated, will permit, there is no 
doubt of his reforming his error, in this particu- 
lar, when he finds what plants retain their fpecific 
difference. 
The common Parfley muff be fown early in the fpring, 
for the feeds remain a long time in the earth, the 
plants feldom appearing in lefs than fix Weeks after 
the feeds are fown. This fort is generally fown in 
drills by the edges of borders' in the kitchen-gardens 
near London, becaufe it is much eafier to keep it clear 
from weeds, than if the feeds are fown promifcuoufly 
on a border, and the Parfley is much fponer cut for 
ufe : but when the roots are defired for medicinal life, 
then the feeds muff be fown thin ; and when the 
plants are come up, they fhould be hoed out Angle, 
as is prafitifed for Carrots, Onions, &c. obferving al- 
fo to cut up the weeds : if this be obferved, the roots 
will become fit for ufe by July or Augu.lt, and con- 
tinue fo till fpring. 
There are fome perfons who are afraid to ufe. Parfley 
in their kitchens, left they fhould fuffer by having the 
Idler Hemlock mixed with it, whole leaves are fo 
like Parfley, that perfons who are not fkilled in bo- 
tany, may be eafily deceived •, which being a noxious 
plant, feveral perfons have been injured by eating it : 
but to prevent this, I have for many years cultivated 
the fort with curled leaves, which is fo unlike the 
Hemlock, that no perl’on, however ignorant, can 
miftake one for the other, and have conftantly advifed 
thofe of my acquaintance to do the fame •, for the 
curled fort is equally good as the common Parfley, 
and I have conftantly found the feeds, faved from the 
curled fort, to produce the fame. 
The common Parfley is, by fome fkilful perfons, 
cultivated in fields for the ufe of fheep, it being a 
fovereign remedy to prefer ve them from the rot, pro- 
vided they are fed twice a week for two or three hours 
each time with this herb •, but hares and rabbets are 
fo fond of it, that they will come from a great diftance 
to feed upon it •, and in countries where thefe ani- 
mals abound, they will defcroy it, if it is not very fe- 
curely fenced againft them ; fo that whoever has a 
mind to have plenty of hares in their fields, by cul- 
tivating Parfley, will draw all the hares of the coun- 
try to them, and this will preferve them found. 
The beft time for fowing it in the fields is about the 
middle or latter end of February ■, the ground fhould 
be made fine, and the feeds fown pretty thick, in 
drills drawn at about a foot afunder, that the ground 
may be kept hoed between the drills, to deftroy the 
weeds, which, if permitted to grow, will foon over- 
run the Parfley. One bufhel of feed will fow an acre 
of land. 
The great Garden Parfley is now more known to us 
in England than it was fome years paft. In Holland 
it has been long common in all their markets : they 
bring thefe roots in bunches, as we do young Carrots 
to market in fu miner •, and the roots are much of the 
fame fize: it is called Petrofelirie Wortle by theDutch, 
who are very fond of it for water fouche. 
It may be cultivated by fowing the feeds in good 
ground early in the fpring and in April, when the 
plants are up, cut them out with a hoe (as is p rack fed 
for young Carrots) to about five or fix inches fquare, 
and keep them conftantly clean from weeds *, and in 
July the roots will be fit to draw for ufe, and may 
be boiled and eaten as young Carrots • and are very 
palatable and wholfome, efpecially for thofe who are 
troubled with the gravel. 
But if thefe plants are cut out, to allow them more 
room, if the foil is good, the roots will grow to the 
fize of a middling Parfnep, by September. 
Smallage is a common weed by the fide of ditches 
and brooks of water, in many parts of England, fo 
S that 
