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.

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    your Bed is in, which you may find by drawing up the Sticks, and feeling the lower Part; and if, after the Bed has been made a Week, you find it doth not heat, you may lay a little Straw or Litter round the Sides, or upon the Top, which will greatly help it; and if you jfind it very hot, fo as to endanger fcorching of the Roots, it will be advifable to let it remain wholly un¬ covered, and to thruft a large Stick into the Dung, on each Side of the Bed, in two or three Places, to make Holes for the great Steam of the Bed to pafs off, which in a fhort Time will reduce the Bed to a moderate Heat. After your Bed has been made a Fortnight, you mult cover the Crowns of the Roots with fine Earth, about two Inches thick ; and when the Buds appear above Ground through that Earth, you muft again lay on a frefh Parcel, about three Inches thick; fo that in the whole, it may be five Inches above the Crowns of the Roots, which will be fufficient. Then you muft make a Band of Straw (or long Lit¬ ter), about four Inches thick, which you muft fallen round the Sides of the Bed, that the upper Part may be level with the Surface of the Ground : This muft be fattened with ftrait Sticks about two Feet long, fharpen- ed at the Points, to run into the Bed ; and upon this Band you muft fet your Frames, and put your Glafl'es thereon ; but if, after your Bed hath been made three' Weeks, you find the Heat decline, you muft lay a good Lining of frefh hot Dung round the Sides of the Bed, which will add a frefh Heat thereto ; and in bad Wea¬ ther, as alfo every Night, keep the Glaffes covered with Mats and Straw; but in the Day Time, let it be all taken off, efpecially whenever the Sun appears; which, fhining through the Glaffes, will give a good Colour to the Afparagus. A Bed thus made, if it works kindly, will begin to produce Buds, for curing, in about five Weeks, and will hold about three Weeks in curing ; which, if right¬ ly planted with good Roots, will produce, in that Time, about three hundred Buds in each Light; fo that, if you would continue your Afparagus until theSeafon of the Natural being produced, you muft make a frefh Bed every three Weeks, until the Begining of March, from the Seafon of your firft Bed being made ; for if your laft Bed is made about a Week in March, it will laft till the Seafon of natural Afparagus ; and the lafl; Beds will come a Fortnight fooner to cut than thofe made about Chriftmas ; and the Buds will be larger, and better coloured, as they will then enjoy a greater Share of the Sipr, If you intend to follow this Method of forcing early Afparagus, you muft keep planting every Year a Quan¬ tity, which you fhall judge neceffary (unlefs you intend to buy the Roots from fome other Garden) ; the Quan¬ tity of Roots neceffary to plant one Light, is common¬ ly known by the Meafure of the Ground where they grow; for in a good Crop, where few Roots are mif¬ fing, one Rod of Ground will furnifh enough for a Light; but this Calculation is made from the Ground planted with Roots, which are defigned to be taken up after two or three Years Growth for forcing, in which there are fix Rows in a Bed, at but ten Inches Di- ftance, and the Plants eight or nine Inches afunder in the Rows, but where there is a greater Space between the Rows, and fewer Rows in a Bed, then there muft be a greater Quantity of Ground allot- ed for each Light. Moft of the Kitchen Gardeners about London, take up their Afparagus Roots after two Years Growth from planting ; but where the Land is not very good, it will be better to let it have three Years Growth, for if the Roots are weak, the Buds of Afparagus will be veryfmall, fo not worth the Trouble of forcing. The belt Ground for planting Afparagus, to have large Roots for hot Beds, is a low moift rich Soil ; but for thofe that are to remain for a natural Produce, a middling Soil, neither too wet nor too dry ; but a frefh fandy Loam, when well dunged, is prefer¬ able to any other. The fecond Sort is mentioned to grow naturally in Wales, and alfo near Brifiol, but this I have great Doubts about; for thofe who have mentioned it, fay it does not differ from the Garden Kind, which is only af-j, tered by Culture. But I have lately received Specimens of this, which were gathered near Montpelier, by which 1 am convinced that it is a different Species from that which growrs in Wales, for the Leaves of the wild ma¬ ritime Kind, are taper and thick, and are thinly placed on their Branches, nor do the Stalks branch otit fd much. Upon comparing thefe Specimens with One which I had dried fome Years ago, which grew in the Garden at Chelfea, from Seeds which were fent me front Gibraltar, I found them to be the fame ; but thofe Plants were too tender to live abroad in this Country; for they were killed by a fevere Froft the fecond Win¬ ter after they came up, though the Surface of the Ground was covered with Dung ; and Mr. Magnol, of Montpelier, was of the Opinion that it was a different Species, for he fays, the common wild Afparagus and this grew near each other in the Neighbourhood of Montpelier, and the young Shoots of the former wine fweet, whereas thofe of the latter were bitter. The fame has been confirmed to me by feveral Gentlemen, who have refided many Years at Gibraltar and Minorca, where the fecond Sort grows naturally in Plenty. This Sort is propagated by Seeds in the fame Man¬ ner as the Garden Kind, but muft have a warmer Si¬ tuation, and the Roots fhould be well covered in Win¬ ter, to prevent the Froft from penetrating of the Ground, which will deftroy it. The third Sort hath white crooked fhrubby Stalks, which rife four or five Feet high, but have no Spinel on them ; the Leaves come out in Clufters from the fame Point, like thofe of the Larch Tree ; thefe are very fhort, and end in fharp Prickles, fo that they are troublefome to handle. This Sort grows naturally in the South of France, Spain, and Portugal. It is pro¬ pagated by Seeds as the former Sorts, but is too tender to live abroad in England, fo the Roots fhould be plant¬ ed in Pots, and fheltered in Winter. The fourth Sort grows with fhrubby Stalks, three or four Feet high, with very white Bark, and are armed with Thorns which are Angle, coming out juft below each Tuft of Leaves. Thefe Stalks continue feveral Years, and put out many Branches, which are garnifh- ed with narrow fhort Leaves. Thefe continue green all the Winter, if the Plants are fcreened from fevere Froft. It is propagated by Seeds as the former, which may be procured from the Mediterranean, where it grows naturally ; fome of the Plants fhould be kept in Pots, that they may be fheltered in Winter, and the others' may be planted in the full Ground in a warm Situation, and in hard Frofts covered, otherwife it will not live abroad in this Country. The fifth Sort grows naturally at the Cope of Good Hope. This hath very crooked irregular Stalks, which rife eight or ten Feet high, and are fhrubby, puting out feveral Side Branches, which are weak. Thefe are' garnifhed with long narrow Leaves coming out in Clufters like thofe of the Larch Tree; under each of thefe Clufters is placed a Angle fharp Thorn. The Stalks continue feveral Years, and the Leaves keep green all the Year. This Sort is commonly propagated by parting of the Roots, becaufe the Plants rarely pro¬ duce Seeds in this Country, the beft Time for this is in April. The Roots muft be planted in Pots, and re¬ moved into the Green-houfe in the Autumn, for thefe Plants will not live abroad in England. The fixth Sort grows naturally in Spain, Portugal, and Sicily, generally in rocky Places. This fends up many weak irregular Shoots, which have no Leaves, but inftead thereof, are armed with fhort ftiff Thorns, which come out four or five together from the fame Point, and fpread from each other every Way. The Flowers are fmall, of an herbaceous Colour; the Ber¬ ries are larger than thofe of the common Sort, and are black when ripe. This is tender, fo muft be treated as the third Sort. The feventh Sort grows naturally at the Cape of Good Hope. I received this from Dr. Van Rcyen, Profeffor of Botany at Leyden. This fends up from the Root feve¬ ral flender Stalks, which put out weak Branches, which decline'