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KITCHEN VEGETABLES.

often found difficult to free the Ipnd from them ; which is thecase with hops, potatoes, horse-radish, parsnips, and the like.Some plants, however, both indigenous and foreign, for-merly raised by art, and esteemed at the table, are nolonger cultivated, since others more agreeable have in ameasure superseded their use. Many served our ancestorsin the room of foreign spices, the use of which our tradingcompanies have abolished, much to their advantage, but toour hurt. It is no less true that omnipotent fashion hasbanished many others, whose tyranny will be obeyed inmatters of mere sensitive taste, as well as in that habitwhich has assumed its name without pretension to similargratification.

Anciently men were so much attached to sweet things,that the flavour of milk and honey were universally used asa common-place metaphor for all saccharine substances.This ancient mode of judging is still retained in most countrieswhere humanity is not so subject to be vitiated as in Europeanclimes, insomuch, that the mode of speech, which this relevantantique practice introduced, is still adhered unto. The lowerorders of society in our country appear to retain the same modeof judging ; so that they often apply the term sweetness towhat they believe to be wholesome. The same practice isalso still observed in northern countries : thus the Swedesspoil, by the addition of sugar, costly Rhenish wine, sourkraut, and other articles, the agreeable tartness of which isgratifying to other nations. In proportion to their populationand luxury, the Swedes appear to use more sugar than theGermans, whilst these employ more than the English or French ;so much attached are they to sweets, that their gout appearsto have equalled, or kept an inverse ratio of culture. Atall limes, by keeping this reason in view, we may explainwhy many of the vegetable productions formerly cultivatednow become disused. Some centuries ago, these nowforgotten vegetables were reckoned among the most agree-able dishes, which to a correct taste now appear nauseouslysweet; thus we are told the Emperor Tiberius was particu-larly partial to skirret, which he caused to be brought tohis table from the Rhine . This is at present little relished,and the same dislike which now prevails against it, alsoexists with many against parsnips, some species of apples,and other things. Fashion also, sometimes, recals into use,things which it had formerly suffered to experience neglect,as well in spices, as in herbs and roots themselves. When-ever any thing is thus again requested, it is inquired forunder a new name. This was the case with monks’-rhubarb;