IMPROVEMENT OF CULINARY VEGETABLES. 
215 
amusement, and, no doubt, many fortunate results would be the 
consequence. 
Culinary vegetables are regarded more or less, according to their 
flavour, tenderness, colour, when dressed, or for their shape or size, 
and to which may be added, hardiness and capability of being 
forced. 
The flavour of a vegetable is a material qualification. What a dif¬ 
ference exists between the early dwarf and the coarse drum-head 
cabbage, or between the early Dutch turnip and the Swede ! Tender¬ 
ness or crispness is much valued in all salad, or other plants partaken 
of in an undressed state; for instance, the salmon radish is preferred 
to the black Spanish ; the coss lettuce to the brown Dutch cabbage 
variety. Endive would be a pleasanter salad plant, did it pos¬ 
sess the crispness of the coss lettuce. The colour of vegetables are 
variously regarded at table : such as are called greens, cannot be too 
green when dressed; such are, asparagus, spinach, young cabbage, 
and broccoli, together with all sorts of pods or pulse. On the other 
hand, many cannot be too delicately white: such are, cauliflowers, 
young potatoes, and all plants which require blanching. White carrots 
would not be fancied, nor brown parsneps relished; neither are yellow 
turnips admired at table, though equally palatable, and much more 
nutritious than the white varieties. 
The size of culinary vegetables is variously estimated, according to 
the purposes for which they are wanted; for genteel tables they are 
required of a moderate, or even of a small size, provided they are of the 
right colour and flavour; in other cases they can hardly be too large, 
if they be intended to be cut up before dressing, or if required for 
stews. Monstrous vegetables, especially if made so by art, are, how¬ 
ever, seldom esteemed, being generally inferior to those of moderate 
growth. 
Hardiness to withstand the severity of our winters is a valuable pro¬ 
perty of culinary vegetables ; those of them which are liable to be killed 
by frost, occasion much care and labour to the gardener; and he 
must, of course, wish that the doctrine of acclimatation were more prac¬ 
ticably possible than it has as yet been found to be. It is true that 
some hybrid exotics are hardier than one of the parent plants; and this 
circumstance affords room for hope, when the subject is better under¬ 
stood, that some advantages may arise from the endeavour to naturalise 
useful exotics. 
The last property of kitchen vegetables which may be noticed, is 
their capability of being forced, for the purpose of having them at other 
than their natural seasons. Almost all the more delicate, and several 
