The record-union., 1894-05-26
WITH a PEDIGRRE
A Vegetable Cultivated Before the
Christian Era.

A Vegetable Cultivated Before the
Christian Era.
Of all the plants used for food. there is
none which has been so long known, or
has had, so to say, so distinguished a
lineage as asparagus. Its record, in fact
reaches back to almost the commence
ment of authentic history, as it is men
toned by the comic poet Cratinus, who
died about 425 B. c., and was contempo-
rary OF. though slightly older than, -Aris-
tophanes. Among the Romans, also, the
tasty vegetable was held in high esteem.
Cato the elder-not the gentleman who
was of opinion that Plato reasoned we'll,
but his great-grandfather, who insisted
upon the destruction of Carthage, and
who was born 234 B. C.-Wrote a work,
which is still exIant, "De lie Rustica,"
and in it he treats at length of the virtues
and proper cultivation of asparagus.
Plny, also, in his Natural History"
about 80 A. d. has much to say on the
subject. "Of all the productions OF your
garden" he teelingly observes, your
chief care will be your asparagus" and
he devotes several chapters and parts of
chapters to its many beneficent qualities
and the best modes of raising it. He as
serts that, even in his day, the soil about
Ravenna was SO favorable to its produce
ton that three heads grown in that dis
trict had been known to weigh Roman
pound. AS, however, this pound seems
to have been equal to only about eleven
of our ounces, it would have required
four of the stalks to reach pound OF our
weight; but this result, considering the
state OF horticulture in those days, may
be looked upon as wonderful enough,
and has in point of fact only been
equaled in our own times.
1t is possible, however, that, asparagus
being essentially a southern plant, the
original stock found in Italy was of a
more vigorous growth than that of more
northern climes. 1t occurs all round the
shores ofthe Mediterranean, ,and branches
off into four or five distinct species beside
the one ordinarily used for edible pur-
poses. In Britain we have in wild state
only the latter, and even that is confined
to few favored districts. With us it is
never found away from the sea coast, and
although, according to old botanical
books, it extended in former times all
along the Channel, and even up to the
latitude of London, Corn wall and Devon
shire seem to be now the only counties
where it can be met with. Whitening de-
clares that in his day QSl2) it grew not
only at Harwich, but also at Gravesend,
and even at Greenwich. 1t is needless to
say that at present it would scarcely re-
pay botanist to look for wild asparagus
at Green wich, nor could Harwich or
NTdN6S6uO W LuuCIl IllOIO lihSly
Probably the only remaining spots
where it could now be discovered with
any certainty would be about the Lizard
and one or two other places in Cornwall.
Opposite Kynan's Cove, in the latter
county, the so-called Asparagus Island is
yet covered with 1t, and offers a pretty
spectacle as the tall, feathery stalks wave
to and fro in the breeze.
In France and Germany, however, the
plant is much more commons: nor is it
confined entirely to the coasts. Gillet
says that it grows also in woods and
sandy meadows; and with regard to Ger
many, Wagner gives as its habitat
''hedges, bushy places and fertile mount
ain meadows" In some parts of the
Russian steppes it is said to grow so
abundantly that the cattle eat it like
grass; but it must be remembered that
IN all these countries more than one kind
of asparagus is found-sometimes three
or four different kinds and it is quite
| possible that some Of them may be occa-
sionally mistaken for the veritable or
edible article.-Chamb bers' Journal.