The gardener's dictionary ... wherein all the articles contained in the former editions ... in two volumes, are disposed in one alphabet / [Philip Miller].

  • Miller, Philip, 1691-1771
Date:
1759 [i.e. 1756-1759]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The gardener's dictionary ... wherein all the articles contained in the former editions ... in two volumes, are disposed in one alphabet / [Philip Miller]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    114/1420
    This Genus of Plants is ranged in the fecond Divifion of Linnaeus's fifth Clafs, entitled Pentandria Digynia, • the Flowers having five Stamina and two Styles. It is by Ray, Tournefort, and others, ranged in the Llafs of umbelliferous Plants, the Flowers of this Clafs being formed in Rays, upon long Foot Stalks, arifingfrom a Center, and fpread open like the Sticks of an Ijmbrello. The Species are, 1. Apium foliolis caulinis linearibus. Hort. Cliff. 10S. Parfiey with very narrow Leaves on the Flower Stems. This is the Apium hcrtenfe vel petrofelinum vulgo. C. B. P. Common Parfiey. 2. Apium foliis radicalibus amplioribus crifpis caulinis ovato-multifidis, Parfiey with the lower Leaves very broad and curled, the upper oval, and cut into many Segments. This is th t Apium vel petrofelinum crifpum. C. B. P. 1.53. Curled Parfiey. 3. Apium foliis radicalibus trifidis, ferratis petiolis longiffimis. Parfiey with under Leaves divided into three Parts, which are fawed, and have very long Foot Stalks. This is the Apium kortenfe latifolium maxima craffijjima fuavi & eduli radics. Boerh. Ind. alt. The large rooted Parfiey. 4. Apium foliolis caulinis cuneiformibus. Hort. Cliff. 107. Parfiey with the lower Leaves fafhioned like a Wedge. This is the Apium paluftrefive apium officinarum. C. B. P. 154. Smallage or Water Parfiey. 5. Apium foliis erebtis, petiolis longiffimis foliolis quin- que lobatis ferratis. Parfiey with upright Leaves having very long Foot Stalks, and the finaller Leaves com- pofecl of five Lobes which are fawed. This is the Apium dulce celeri Italorurn. Inft. R. H. 305. Upright Celery. 6. Apium foliis patulis, petiolis brevibus, foliolis qui- nis ferratis, radice rotundo. Parfiey with fpreading Leaves, having fhort Foot Stalks, the fmaller Leaves of five Parts, and a round Root. This is the Apium dulce de- gener, radice rapacea. fuff. Celeriack or Turnep-rooted Celery. 7. Apium foliis radicalibus trilobatis, caulinis quinque- lobatis crenatis. Parfiey with under Leaves having three Lobes, and thofe on the Stalks five Lobes, which are indented. This is the Apium Luftanicum maximum, fo¬ lio trilobato fore luteolo, Boerh. Ind. alt. Created: Portu¬ gal Parfiey, with a Leaf having three Lobes and a yel- lowifh Flower. The firft Sort is the common Parfiey, which is ge¬ nerally cultivated for culinary Ufe; and is what the Col¬ lege of Phyficians have directed to be ufed in Medicine, under the Title of Petrofelinum •, for when Apium is pre- fcribed, the Smallage is always intended. The fecond Sort has “generally been fuppofed to be only a Variety of the firft, but from many Years Trial I have always found, that if the Seeds are carefully faved from Plants of the curled leaved Parfiey, it will con- ftantly produce the fame •, but there are few Perfons who will be at the Trouble to fave the Seeds fo care¬ fully, as not to have fome of the common Sort mixed with it; for when Seeds are bought at the Shops, there is generally a Mixture of both: Therefore 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 be duly obferved, the Seeds will con- ftantly produce the fame. The third Sort is chiefly cultivated for their Roots, which are now pretty commonly fold in the London Markets the Leaves of this Sort have much lonner Foot Stalks, and the Subdivisions of thefe are not°fo numerous as in the common Parfiey; the Lobes of the Leaves are much larger, and of a darker Green, fo that it is eafily diftinguiflied from the common Sort by its Leaves, but the Roots are fix Times as large as the common Parfiey can be brought to with the utmoft Culture. I have fown the Seeds of both Sorts for Several Years on the fame Spot of Ground, and have thinecl the Plants when young, to an equal Diftance, and given the lame Culture to both; but when their Roots were taken up, thofe of the common Sort were not larger than a Man’s Ueger, but the other were as large as full grown Car- rots, and were very tender and fweet, whereas the other were ftringy and ftrong ; and this Difference conftantly holds, fo it may be allowed to be Specifically different. This Sort was many Years cultivated in Holland, before the Englifh Gardeners could be prevailed on to Sow it. I brought the Seeds of it from thence in 1727, and would then have perfuaded fome of the Kitchen Gardeners to make Trial of it, but they refufed to accept of it, fothat I cultivated it Several Years before it was known in the Markets. The fourth Sort is commonly known by the Title of Smallage. This is what the Phyficians intend when they prefcribe Apium. Dr. Linnaus has joined to this the Ce¬ lery, fuppofing them to be the fame, and the only Dif¬ ference to arife from Culture, but herein he is greatly miftaken ; for I have cultivated the Smallage in Gar¬ dens forty Years, to try if by Art it- could pofiibly 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 Size than it naturally grows wild,- and by earthing it, to give it a Whit ends j but it will not grow tall as Celery, nor will it rife with a ftrait Stem, but fends out many Suckers near the Root, and when it is blanched, retains its ftrong rant Tafte, which no Culture can alter, there¬ fore 1 make no Doubt of its being a diftinft Species. The fifth Sort is the Celery before mentioned, and the fixth Sort was fuppofed to be a degenerate Species from it, but I cannot agree to this Opinion ; for from many Years trial, I have never found it vary. The Leaves of this Sort are fhort, when compared with thofe of the other, and fpread open horizontally, and the Roots grow as large as common Turneps. All the Difference which I have obferved to arife from the Culture, has been only in the Size of the Roots, thofe 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 Species. The Seeds of the feventh Sort I received from the Royal Garden at Paris, many Years fince, where it had been long preferved, and maintained its Difference ; and from near twenty Years cultivating it in the Gar¬ den at Chelfea, I have found the fame, fo that I cannot doubt of its being different from all the other Species. The broad-leaved Garden Parfiey, mentioned by Caff par Bauhin, and the round-leaved Portugal Parfiey, mentioned by Tournefort, I believe are only Varieties of the common Parfiey ; for if they are diftintt Species, all the Seeds which I have received from different Parts of Europe, under thofe Titles, have been wrong, for the Plants which have rifen from thofe Seeds, have always proved to be the common Sort. . As I ournefort, and many other Botanifts, have enu¬ merated all the Varieties, of Plants which were found in the Gardens, and did not diftinguifh which of them were fpecifiqally different; fo Dr. Linnaeus has gone into the other Extreme, and fuppofed many Plants, which are permanently different to be only accidental Varieties, arifing from Culture. But as he is now cultivating as many Plants as the Inclemency of the Climate where he is fituated, will permit; fo there is no Doubt of his reforming his Error, in this Particular, when he finds what Plants retain their fpecific Difference. For in' his Species Plant arum, he has greatly reformed what he' had done in the Catalogue of Mr. Clifford's Garden. The common Parfiey muff be fown early in the Spring; for the Seeds remain a long time in the Earth, the Plants l'eldom appearing in lels than fix Weeks after the Seeds are fown.* This Sort 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 Seeds are fown promifcuoufly on a Border, and the Parfiey is much fooner cut for Ufe : But when the Roots are defired for medicinal Ufe, then the Seeds muff be iown thin; and when the Plants are come up, they fhould be hoed out fingle, as is pradtifed for Car- lots, Onions, (Pc. obferving alio to cut up the Weeds : If this be obferved, the Roots will become fit for Ufe by July or Auguft.