350

KITCHEN VEGETABLES.

but all procuring their seeds from, Teltow . Adding, if wewish to cultivate them in our gardens, we must mix muchsand with the soil, or procure fresh seeds annually.

The third species of cabbage, which the judicious Linnaeus has enumerated, is the brassica rupa, the roots of which aremore or less conical, differ in figure, colour, and taste. Ourauthor here refers to Kerner’s Mayriibe, tab. 553; of theGuckelrube, tab. 516; and Mehler’s Tab. vii. (or 37.) Thatthese roots are the same the Romans called rapa, and theGreeks yoyyu%r\ or yoyyu\ ij, appears subject to no doubt;although, at present, we may have greater varieties.

It appears to be a question, whether the Greeks and Ro-mans were acquainted with our carrots; more difficultiesappear to arise on this subject than could be expected.The necessary inquiries to elucidate this subject wouldoccupy more room than we can spare; because the variousopinions of the ancients, and the definitions of the botanistsof the middle ages, would be found necessary.

It appears, that Theophrastus, as well as Dioscorides ,among the Greeks, possessed the greatest share of botanicalknowledge; these certainly were well acquainted with ourcarrot, to which they gave the name of <na<puMvo$. Diosco-rides says, in lib. iii. cap. 59, p. 198, that this plant, likedill, bears umbella, consisting of white flowers, which, in themiddle, are of a purple red, or almost saffron red colour.That our carrots have these characteristics is well known.The plant meant by Dioscorides grew wild, but was rearedin gardens, on account of its esculent root; our carrots alsogrew wild, previous to cultivation, although our Millar,the author of the Gardener's Dictionary, could not succeedin rendering the small pungent roots eatable by culture.

Columella and Pliny assert, that in Rome the staphylitiosof the Greeks were known as pastinaca; although theseauthors afford little room for us to conclude that their pasit-naca was our carrot. The former describes it as a plantuseful to bees, while we know carrots, in either a wild orcultivated state, the little industrious insect is very fond of:he afterwards adds, that it was like siser. The Greeks hada synonym for this same root, terming it i avuvs, proved byGalen 8 and Pliny. 9 Dioscorides appears to make a dis-tinction between those plants, he treating of them in diffe-rent sections. 10 He, however, acknowledges that both are

8 De Aliment, facult. lib. ii. cap. 67. clas. 4. p. 335, edit, of Basle, anno1538, fol.

* Plin. Hist. Nat p. 168, and p. 377. ,0 Dioscor. lib. iii. cap. 83, p. * *07.