In order to have fresh parsley leaves through the win ter, it is worth while to lay some larch or beech branches, or long broom, over the parsley border, and above these, in hard weather, a little dry bean haulm, brakes fronds, bents or reeds, preferring the two latter articles on account of their durability. Mr Nicol remarks, that in this way fine young parsley may be had all winter, and may be gathered even from under the snow.
If a few strong plants be allowed to run to flower in May or June, plenty of seed will be produced in August.
It may be right to notice, that the poisonous plant called fool's parsley, (YEthusa Cynaleium,) a common weed in rich garden soils, has sometimes been mistaken for common parsley. They are very easily distinguished: the leaves of lool's-parsley are of a darker green, of a different shape, instead of the peculiar parsley smell, have, when bruised, a disagreeable odour. When the flower-stem of the fool's-parsley appears, the plant is at once distinguished by what is vulgarly called its beard, three long pendent leaflets of the involucruin. The timid may shun all risk of mistake, by cultivating only the curled variety. This last, it may be remarked, makes the prettiest garnish.
Hamburgh Parsley.
376. Hamburgh Parsley, although considered only as a large-rooted variety of the common kind, is somewhat different in its whole appearance. The leaves have longer foot-stalks, and their subdivisions are not so numerous ; the leaflets at the same time, are much broader, and of a darker green. The roots are at least six times larger than those of common parsley. For the sake of these it is cul tivated ; and this variety might therefore without impro priety be ranked among the esculent roots.
It was introduced by Philip Miller, from Holland, in 1727. He could not for some years persuade the market gardeners of London to cultivate it : Now, however, it is regularly brought to Covent Garden ; but in many parts of the country it still remains nearly unknown. The roots, which are the size of ordinary carrots or parsnips, are of a white colour, sweet and tender : they are frequently boiled and eaten like carrots, and are excellent in soups and stews.
The culture of this variety of parsley necessarily dif fers from that of the other two, the object being here to produce large roots. In March or April it is sown in beds, the soil of which has been deeply delved, or perhaps trenched, and at the saute time made fine. The plants ate afterwards thinned out with the hoe to six or eight inches asunder ; and this is all the culture they require. They are ready for drawing in the end of August. In October the roots are commonly raised, and placed in sand till want ed. They have more flavour, however, when newly taken
from the ground ; and if a bed be sown about midsummer, the roots continue young and good through the winter, be ing raised when the weather permits.
Celery.
377. Celery (var. of ripium grayeolens, L. or smallage) is a biennial plant. Smallage grows in many places in England and Scotland, frequently by the sides of ditches near the sea. It is figured in English Botany, t. 1210. The effects of cultivation in producing upright, mild, and sweetish stems of celery from an original stock, of a rank coarse taste and abounding with suckers, are very remark able. The blanched leaf-stalks are used raw as a salad, from August till March; and also in soups or for stewing.
378. Two very distinct kinds of celery arc cultivated ; the Upright or Italian, and the Celeriac or turnip•rooted celery. Of the former there are two subvarieties, w ith hollow and with solid stalks. The hollow is much culti vated for eating as salad ; the solid is considered as pre ferable for soups and stews, and indeed is by many ac counted the best for all purposes ; but it is less able to en dure the severity of winter, and is very brittle, and there fore troublesome to the market-gardener. There is a large upright variety with red stalks, much used for kitchen purposes. Celeriac differs chiefly in the roots swelling out like,turnips : these are cut into slices, and either eaten raw in salads, or used as an ingredient in stewed dishes and soups. The leaves, at the same time, are shorter than in the other varieties, and spread open horizontally. Ce leriac is not often brought to mai ket.
Celery is sown at several different times, in order to en sure a succession of plants fit for transplanting at various seasons. The first sowing is commonly about the begin ning of March, on a gentle hot-bed ; the second, pet haps three weeks afterwards on a sheltered border ; the third, about the beginning of May, on a moist shady border. The strongest plants of the first sowing are generally ready, from the middle to the end of April, for pricking into nur sery beds of rich earth, in which they may stand separate three or four inches every way, in order to gather strength. Water is given, and the plants are shaded from the sun for a few days. A quantity of every successive sowing should thus be pricked out. Sonic gardeners, however, content themselves with sowing very thin, and take the plants di rectly from the seed-bed to be placed in the trenches; but it is not a good plan. If any plants be inclined to run to flower, it is better they should shew this tendency in the nut sery-bcd.