SKIRRET.

CHERVIS, OU GYROLE. Sium sisarum.

THIS plant is first cultivated by seed, and afterward by offsets taken from the old roots, and planted very early in the spring, before they begin to shoot; but it is best to raise a small bed from seed every year, as the roots grow longer than those raised from slips, and are less liable to be sticky. The seed may be sown in drills the latter part of March, or early in April, and managed the same as Salsify, Parsnip, &c. In autumn, when the leaves begin to decay, the roots are fit to use, and continue so till they begin to shoot in the spring. Skirrets should be planted in a light, moist soil, for in dry land the roots are generally small, unless the season proves wet.

The root of the Skirret is composed of several fleshy tubers as large as a man's finger, and joined together at the top. They are eaten boiled, and stewed with butter, pepper, and salt, or rolled in flour and fried, or else cold, with oil and vinegar, being first boiled. They have much of the taste and flavour of a Parsnip, and are by some considered a great deal more palatable.

SHALLOT.

ECHALOTE. Allium ascalonicum.

THE true Shallot is a native of Palestine, and is considered to possess the most agreeable flavour of any of the Allium genus; it is consequently highly deserving of cultivation.

It is propagated by planting bulbs, or offsets, in the fall of the year, which may be set out with a dibble, in rows twelve inches apart, and from four to six inches distant in the rows; or they may be placed in drills, two or three inches deep, and covered up with a trowel or hoe.

The gardeners about New-York plant large quantities of the bulbs toward the end of August, and early in Septem

ber; by this means they are enabled to supply the market in April and May with a mild Allium, which while green meets a ready sale.

Those intended for seed may remain in the ground until June or July; after the tops have decayed, the bulbs must be taken up, and the offsets divided: these should be kept in a dry place to plant the ensuing autumn.

It will require at least four bushels of bulbs, if measured when first taken from the ground, to plant a quarter of an acre; because after they are trimmed and deprived of their seed stalks, the bulk will be reduced one half.

SPINACH, OR SPINAGE.

EPINARD. Spinacia.

Large Round-leaved.

VARIETIES.

Holland, or Lamb's Quarter
New Zealand.

Broad-leaved Savoy.

THE Spinacia oleracea, or common Spinach, is very hardy, and consequently a very important vegetable for cold climates. It merits attention from its being extremely wholesome and palatable, and from its keeping green even after having been cooked. It makes a delicious dish when served up with the gravy of roast meat, melted butter, &c.

As Spinach is the only vegetable that can be raised to advantage the latter end of the year, the gardener should, towards the end of August, prepare such ground as may have been occupied by summer crops, and by having it well manured for this crop, it will be in good condition for Beets, Carrots, Parsnips, Turnips, &c., the spring following.

If the ground be got ready, so as to have several beds sown in succession, from the first to the end of September, the most forward of these, if covered up with straw at the approach of cold weather, will furnish greens for the table when other vegetables are scarce, and the later crops will

recover the effects of a hard winter, and produce a wholesome vegetable early in the spring.

If Spinach seed be sown in rich ground in March and April, it will grow freely, but it must be cut before the approach of hot weather, or it will run to seed. To raise it in perfection at this season, it should be sown in drills about a foot apart, and be frequently hoed; this will keep it in a growing state, and, consequently, prevent its running up to seed as quick as it otherwise would.

It is altogether useless to sow Spinach seed in poor ground; let the ground be well manured with good strong dung, and it will well reward you for your trouble by its abundant produce. If Spinach be cultivated in drills a foot apart, it will require from seven to eight pounds of seed to plant an acre of ground. Some gardeners use more than double that quantity in sowing broad-cast.

Be careful to pick Spinach exceedingly clean, and wash it in five or six waters previous to cooking it. Some cook Spinach in a steamer over boiling water, others boil it in water; but the best way is to put it into a saucepan that will just hold it, without water, then strew a little salt upon it, and cover it close. Put your saucepan on a clear quick fire; and when you find the Spinach shrunk and fallen to the bottom, and the juice which comes from it boil up, it is done. In order that it may be rendered capable of absorbing a moderate quantity of gravy, melted butter, &c., which are indispensable with green vegetables, let it be well drained in a sieve, or colander, before it is dished.

The New Zealand Spinach, or Tetragona expansa, is not much cultivated in this country; its nature seems to be opposite to the common Spinach, as it will endure the heat better than the cold. It may be obtained in the summer, by planting the seed in April and May. Being of luxuriant growth, it should be planted in hills three feet apart, and about two seed in a hill. The leaves will be fit for use during the summer, and until late in the autumn.

THE several varieties of Squash are very useful in this and other warm climates, as they can be grown in perfection in the summer, and therefore prove a good substitute for Turnips, which cannot be raised in perfection in hot weather. They should be planted in May and June, in hills, prepared in the same manner as for Cucumbers and Melons, and their subsequent management is the same in every respect. The bush kinds should be planted three or four feet apart, and the running kinds from six to nine, according to their nature, as some will run more than others. It is always best to plant five or six seed in a hill, to guard against accidents; as when the plants are past danger, they can be thinned to two or three in a hill. One ounce of Squash seed will plant from fifty to a hundred hills, according to the sorts and size of the seed.

The fruit of the Early Summer Squash is generally gath ered for use before the skin gets hard, and while it is so ten der as to give way to a moderate pressure of the thumb nail. The Winter Squashes should be suffered to ripen, and collected together in October, in the manner recommended in the Calendar for that month.

All kinds of Squashes should, after having been boiled tender, be pressed as close as possible between two wooden trenchers, or by means of a slice or skimmer, made of the same material, until dry, and then prepared for the table in the same manner as Turnips.

THE Tomato, or Love Apple, is much cultivated for its fruit, which is used in soups and sauces, to which it imparts an agreeable acid flavour; it is also stewed and dressed in various ways, and is considered very wholesome.

The seed should be sown early in March, in a slight hotbed, and the plants set out in the open ground, if settled warm weather, in the early part of May In private gar dens it will be necessary to plant them near a fence, cr to provide trellises for them to be trained to, in the manner recommended for Nasturtiums; they will, however, do very well, if planted four feet distant from each other every way. Tomatoes may be brought to perfection late in the sum mer, by sowing the seed in the open ground the first week in May; these plants will be fit to transplant early in June, and the fruit may ripen in time for preserves, or for catsup.

One ounce of good Tomato seed will produce upward of four thousand plants; and a single plant has been known to yield upward of a bushel of fruit.

Tomatoes may be preserved in a stone or glazed earthen pot, for use in the winter, by covering them with water in which a sufficient quantity of salt has been dissolved to make it strong enough to bear an egg. Select perfectly ripe berries, and cover the pot with a plate in such a manner that it presses upon the fruit without bruising it. Previous to cooking these Tomatoes, they should be soaked in fresh water for several hours.

Besides the various modes of preparing this delicious vegetable for the table, it may be preserved in sugar, and used either as a dessert, or on the tea-table, as a substitute for Peaches or other sweetmeats. It also makes exqusite pies and tarts, and excellent catsup.