The Kanzas news., 1857-10-31
The Poetry of the Asparagus.

The delicate asparagus derives its nams
from the Greek dsparGgos, a young shoot
not yet opened into leaf Is there not much
beauty in bed of asparagus run to seed !?
The tall, slender, feathery green sprays,
with their shining, bead-like berries, have
an air of great elegance, especially when
begemmed by the morning dew. Asparagus
was first cultivated in England about 1862
Some species of the wild asparagus are still
found in Wales, in the Isle of Portland, and
near Bristol. Tavernier mentions having
found some enormous asparagus on the
banks of the Euphrates and Pliny men
tons asparagus cultivated at Revena, three
of which would weigh pound.
Asparagus is an especial favorite with
losopher, Fontenelle, an anecdote is related,
which shows how completely his gourmon-
di=e could conquer all natural emotions Of
the mind.
One day brother literat, with whom he
had lived in habits of friendship for many
years, came to dine with him. The princi-
pal part of the meal was to consist of aspar-
agus, of whom both host and guest were
extremely fond, but they differed in their
tastes as to the mode of dressing it the
latter preferred it with butter, the former
with oil. After some discussion, they came
to compromise the cook was ordered to
make two equal divisions, and to dress one
share with oil, and the other with butter.
This knotty point being settled, the friends
entered into some literary conversation. In
the height of their discourse, the guest fell
from his chair, suddenly struck with apo
plexy. Fontenelle hastily summoned all the
necessary assistance, but in vain for, de-
spite of every exertion to restore him thu
invalid expired. What were the reflections
of our French philosopher on this abrupt
and melancholy termination of long stand
ing friendship? Awe? Sorrow Reli
gious aspirations No! but happy re-
collection that now his own taste could be
fully gratifed, without the necessity of any
Difference to another. He left the corpse,
and running to the head of the stairs, called
out to his cook-"Dress it all with oil-all
with oiI!'' "Iout a Z kuiie-toat a Z huiLe!"'
Il is not surprising that man so exempt
from the wear and tear of human emotions
as Fontenelle, lived to be upwards of ninety
nine years of age. He was for forty years
Secretary of the Academy of Sciences. and
died in 1856.
Wild asparagus was held in reverence by
the Ioxides, a colony in Caria, in remem-
brance of their ancestress, Perigone. She
was the daughter of Sinnis, robber of gi-
gantie stature, dwelling in the Peloponnesus,
who was surnamed the Pine bender, from
the species of cruelty he practised on all
whom he defeated He used to bend down
two pines till they met; then he tied a leg
and an arm of the captive to each tree, and
suddenly let the pines fly back to their nat
ural position, the unfortunate victim was
torn asunder. This monster was con-
quered bT Theseus, and put TO death in his
own manner. On his defeat, his young
daughter. Perigone, fed and hid herself
amid a brake of wild asparagus, praying the
plants, in childish simplicity, to conceal her,
and promising never to root them up, or
burn them. She lay among them SO well
sheltered, that she escaped discovery by
Theseus, till she was induced, by the con-
ciliatory tones in which he called upon her
in his researches, to come forward to him.
He subsequently, married her, and their
grandson, Ioxus, founded in Caria colony
who kept in memory pledge of Perigone
to the plants chat had given her refuge.
The wild asparagus being full of prickles,
vet agreeable and wholesome TO eat It's
sprays were used by the Betians as we'd
ding garlands, to signify TO the bride that.
as she has given her lover trouble wooing
her. so she ought to recompense him by the
pleasantDess of her manners In welded life.
-Du5Iin University Magazine.