182 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ December, 
a good bearer. A sraall pyramidal tree growing 
here has borne a good crop of fruit this season. 
The fruits, which are delicious in flavour, are 
now (November 11th) fit for use.—M. Saul, 
Stourton. 
SALAD HERBS. 
Lettuce, the Endive, and the Chicory 
are all well known,—the Lettuce par- 
ticularly so, while the others are only 
to be seen in gardens of note. If we were to 
ask the artisan how he liked Chicory leaves 
blanched in his salad, he would smile at the 
idea of eating Chicoiy tops, however much he 
might have had to do with the Chicory root 
in his coffee. This trade in Chicoiy is now, I 
believe, regulated by law, and a fair proportion 
of Chicory only is allowed, although the de¬ 
coction still bears the name of the more 
expensive Coffee berrjL As a salad herb, the 
Chicory is truly a bitter herb, of the easiest 
culture, and the leaves have only to be blanched 
in a warm dark place to be fit for immediate 
use. Our Southern neighbours prize salad 
herbs, and look upon even a Dandelion by 
the road-side as a waif that may yet some day 
return to the salad-bowl, and do it credit, and 
various means are resorted to in order to 
get this tiny morsel of salad duly blanched, 
such as laying a bit of tile or slate, or even a 
bit of green sod, over it, when, in moderate 
weather, in two or three rveeks the green leaves 
will be yellow and crisp. [The Giant Dandelion, 
as improved by Madame Vilmorin, is very pro¬ 
ductive, mild, and good.] The Chicory is more 
troublesome to blanch than the Dandelion, on 
account of the leaves being long and narrow, 
and thickly set upon the plant; the root must 
be got up in winter and placed indoors, 
although it will blanch nicely under pots, with 
loose litter to keep frost out. There is little 
need for much trouble in blanching it, however, 
where a dark spot under a shelf in a glass¬ 
house can be got; but where the roots have 
been disturbed, they must be kept moist, other¬ 
wise the salad will be limp and tough, instead 
of crisp and yellow. 
The gardener to the Prince Doria, in Italy, 
was surprised at our English notions of salad 
herbs. Pai'sle}', he said, was always present 
with Italian salad, but never with the Enolish 
salad ; and the salad-bowl in that country was 
made gaudy with flowers as well as herbs, Eose 
petals, and even Dahlia petals, \vere acceptable, 
but the bright-coloured flowers of the Nastur¬ 
tium did double duty,—first, as garnishing to 
please the eye, and then being nicely flavoured 
to refresh the palate. 
The chief burden of filling the salad-bowl is, 
however, borne by the Lettuce in summer 
time, and few plants will endure ill-usage 
better than this, for it will get to its full size 
by Midsummer from seed when sown in any 
spare spot; and if sown too thickly, it will bear 
transplantation like a cabbage plant, and yet 
thrive and do well. By far the most elegant 
of all the salad herbs is the Endive, with its 
foliage finely cut, and its heart of gold at 
Christmas, and set off in the salad-bowd by the 
dark slices of the Beet-root and the white 
rings of hard-boiled egg. I must not name the 
Onion along with other herbs of note, and it is 
only about one half of the year that I could 
name the Cucumber as a member of the salad 
fraternity. The Chili Capsicum, small in size, 
but rich in fire, can only be used in the form 
of Chili vinegar, but in that quiet form it is 
seldom idle. 
When all the other good things are passed 
and gone, we fall back upon our Mustard 
and Cress for a never-failing supply; and 
Water-cress is often left to do all the work 
by itself, as if there existed no other salad 
herb. In Aberdeenshire, dulse is the only 
salad herb used by the artisan class, where a 
gallon of it can be had for a penny. This, 
on the other hand, is seldom, if ever, eaten 
in England, so far as I have seen. 
There are a number of little matters of 
this kind that want ventilating, for in the 
case of the delicious Mushroom, whose flavour, 
when cooked, is equal to the best roast beef, 
the North countryman looks upon it with 
suspicion ; and in Ireland, when the fields were 
covered with them, because the cows did not 
eat them, neither would the Christians, thereb}” 
reckoning the cow to be the wisest party. 
Lettuce, when boiled like cabbage and cauli¬ 
flower, is an excellent tender dish. Our people 
want to be reminded of the importance of this 
raw material, bj'^ means of which a Frenchman 
would be in clover, and get half a meal of 
wholesome provisions. 
Salad is likely enough to hold its own as a 
