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.

    115/1420
    There are fome Perfons who are afraid to ufe Parfley in their Kitchens, left they fhould fuffer by, having the lefter Hemlock mixed with it, whofe Leaves are fo like Parfley, that Perfons who are not lkihed in Botany, may be eafily deceived ; and that being a noxious Plant, fe- veral Perfons have been injured by eating it: But to prevent this, I have for many Years cultivated the Sort with curled Leaves, which is fo unlike the Hemlock, that no Perfon, however ignorant, can miftake one for the other, and have conftantly advifed thofe of my Ac¬ quaintance to do the fame ; for the curled Sort is equal¬ ly good with the common Parfley, and I have conftant¬ ly found the Seeds, faved from the curled Sort, to pro¬ duce the fame. The common Parfley is, by fome fkilful Perfons, cultivated in Fields for the Life of Sheep, it being a fo- vereign Remedy to preferve them from the Rot, pro¬ vided they are fed twice a Week for two or three Flours 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 Animals abound, they will deftroy it, if it is not very fecurely fenced againft them ; fo that whoever has a mind to h?.ve Plenty of Hares in their Fields, by cultivating Parfley, will draw all the Hares of the Country to them. 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 Seeds 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 permited to grow, will foon over-run the Parfley. Two Bufhels of Seed will fow one Acre of .Land. The great Garden Parfley is now more known to us in England than it was fome years ago : In Holland it has been long very common in all their Markets: They bring thefe Roots in Bunches, as we do young Carrots, to Market, in Summer -, and the Roots are much of the fame Size : It is called Peirofeline Wor tie by the Hutch, who are very fond of it for Water Seuche. It may be cultivated by fowing the Seeds in good Ground early in the Spring ; and in April, when the Plants are up, cut them out with a Hoe fas is pradtifed 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 pala¬ table 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 Soil is good, the Roots will grow to the Size of a middling Parfnep, by September: The Roots are much ufed to make a Hutch Difh, called Water Souche. . Smaflage is a common Weed, by the Side of Ditches, and Brooks of Water, in moft Parts of England, fo that it is feldom cultivated in Gardens -, but if any Perfon is willing to propagate it, the Seeds fhould be fown foon after they are ripe, on a moift Spot of Ground; and when the Plants are come up, they may be either tranfplanted into a moift Soil, or hoed out, and left fix or eight Inches afunder, where they may remain for good. The Seed of this Plant is one of the lefter warm Seeds, and both that and the Herb are ufed in Medicine. The Seeds of the two Sorts of Celery fhould be fown at two or three different Times, the better to continue it for Ufe through the whole Seafon without runing up to Seed. The ftrft Sowing fhould be in the Begining of March, upon a gentle hot Bed; the fecond may be a Fortnight after, which ought to be in an open Spot of light Earth, where it may enjoy the Benefit of the Sun ; the third Time of Sowing fhould be the Middle of April, which ought to be in a moift Soil ; and if expofed to the Morning Sun only, it will be fo much the better; but it fhould not be under the Drip of Trees. There fhould alfo be another Sowing about the Be¬ gining of May, becaufe thofe Plants which come from the former Sowings will be apt to pipe foon after Chrift- mas i whereas thefe will remain good as long as the Weather continues cool in the Spring ; 'and if the Ground is rich where it is planted, the Plants will rife to a great Height, and be very tender and good. The Seeds which are fown on the hot Bed will come up in about three Weeks time after Sowing, when you muft carefully clear it from Weeds and if the Seafon prove dry, you muft frequently water it; and in about a Month or five weeks after it is up, the Plants will be fit to tranfplant: You muft therefore prepare fome Beds of moift rich Earth, in a warm Situation, in which you fhould prick thefe young Plants, at about three Inches fquare, that they may grow ftrong ; and if the Seafon fhould prove cold, the Beds muft be covered with Mats, to fereen the Plants from Morning Frofts, which would retard their Growth : You muft alfo obferve, in drawing thefe Plants out of the Seed Beds, to thin them where they grow too thick, leaving the fmall Plants to get more Strength before they are tranfplanted, by which Means one and the fame Seed Bed will afford three different Plantings, which will accordingly fueceed each other for Ufe. You muft obferve, if the Seafon proves dry, to keep it diligently watered after it is tranfplanted,as alfo to clear the Seed Beds from Weeds ; and after every Drawing, keep them duly watered, to encourage the fmall Plants left therein. The Middle of May fome of the Plants of the firft Sowing will be fit to tranfplant for Blanching ; which fhould be planted in a moift rich light Soil, upon which this firft planted Celery will often grow to be twenty Inches long in the clean blanched Parts, which upon a poor or dry Soil feldom riles to be ten Inches. The Manner of tranfplanting it is as follows: After having cleared the Ground of Weeds, you muft dig a Trench by a Line about ten Inches wide, and eight or nine Inches deep, loofening the Earth in the Bottom, and laying it level; and the Earth that comes out of the Trench fhould be equally laid on each Side the Trench, to be ready to draw in again to earth the Cele¬ ry as it advances in Height. Thefe Trenches fhould be made at three Feet Diftance from each other; then plant your Plants in the Middle of the Trench, at about five or fix Inches Diftance, in one ftrait Row, having before trimed the Plants, and cut off the Tops of the long Leaves, and as they are planted you muft obferve to clofe the Earth well to their Roots, and to water them plentifully until they have taken frefh Root; alter which Time it will be needlefs, except in dry Soils, or very dry Seafons: As thefe Plants advance in Fleight, you muft obferve to draw the Earth on each Side clofe to them, being careful not to bury their Hearts, nor ever to do it but in dry Weather, otherwife the Plants will rot. When your Plants have advanced a confiderable Fleight above the Trenches, and all the Earth, which was laid on the Sides thereof, hath been employed in earthing them up ; you muft then make ufe of a Spade to dig up the Earth between the Trenches, which muft alfo be made ufe of for the fame Purpofe, continuing from time to time to earth it up, until it is fit for Ufe. The firft of your planting out will, perhaps, be fit for Ufe by the Begining of July, and will be fucceeded by the after Plantations, and if the latter Sowings are right¬ ly managed, there will be a Succeflion of it till April; but you fhould obferve, after the fecond or third Plant- ting out. to plant the laft Crop in a drier Soil, to pre¬ vent its being roted with too much Wet in Winter; and alfo, if the Weather fhould prove extreme fharp, you will do well to cover your Ridges of Celery with fome Peafe-haulm, or fomefuch light Covering, which will admit the Air to the Plants; for if they are covered too clofe, they will be very fubjedt to rot; by this means you may preferve your Celery in Seafon a long time; but you muft remember to take off the Covering whenever the Weather will permit, otherwife it will be apt to caufe the Celery to pipe, and run to Seed. By this Method of covering the Celery, the Froft will be kept out of the Ground, fo it may be always taken up for Ufe when it is wanted, which, if negledted, it can¬ not be taken up in hard Froft. The Celery, when ful- Y ly