 Section 51 of the Book of Household Management This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. The Book of Household Management by Isabella Beaton. Recipes, Chapter 23, Part 2 Roseline Rail or Corn Crack, 1033 Ingredients 3 or 4 birds, butter, fried breadcrumbs Mode Pluck and draw the birds, wipe them inside and out with damp cloths and truss them in the following manner. Bring the head round under the wing and the thighs close to the sides. Pass the skewer through them and the body and keep the legs straight. Roast them before a clear fire. Keep them well-basted and serve on fried breadcrumbs with a terrine of brown gravy. When light, bread sauce may also be sent to the table with them. Time, 12 to 20 minutes. Average cost, seldom bought. Sufficient, allow one for a dish. Seasonable, from August 12 to the middle of September. The Land Rail or Corn Crack. The bird is migratory in its habits, yet from its formation it seems ill-adapted for long aerial passages, its wings being short and placed so forward out of the centre of gravity that it flies in an extremely heavy and embarrassed manner and with its legs hanging down. When it alights, it can hardly be sprung a second time as it runs very fast and seems to depend for its safety more on the swiftness of its feet than the celerity of its wings. It makes its appearance in England about the same time as the quail, that is, in the months of April and May, and frequents the same places. Its singular cry is first heard when the grass becomes long enough to shelter it and it continues to be heard until the grass is cut. The bird, however, is seldom seen, for it constantly sculpts among the thickest portions of the herbage and runs so nimbly through it, doubling and winding in every direction and it is difficult to get near it. It leaves this island before the winter and repairs to other countries in search for its food, which principally consists of slugs, large numbers of which it destroys. It is very common in Ireland, and whilst migrating to this country, is seen in great numbers in the island of Anglesey. On its first arrival in England, it is so lean as gasly to weigh about five or six ounces. Before its departure, however, it has been known to exceed eight ounces and is then most delicious eating. To dress a leverette. 1034. Ingredients. Two leverettes. Butter. Flour. Mode. Leverettes should be trust in the same manner as a hare, but they do not require stuffing. Roast them before a clear fire and keep them well-basted all the time they are cooking. A few minutes before serving, dredge them lightly with flour and froth them nicely. Serve with plain gravy in the dish and send to table red currant jelly with them. Time. A half to three-quarter of an hour. Average cost. In full season, four shillings each. Sufficient for five or six persons. Seasonable. From May to August. The cheapest in July and August. Broil Partridge. A luncheon, breakfast or supper dish. 1035. Ingredients. Three partridges, salt and cayenne to taste. A small piece of butter, brown gravy or mushroom sauce. Mode. Pluck, draw and cut the partridges in half and wipe the inside thoroughly with a damp cloth. Season them with salt and cayenne. Broil them over a very clear fire and dish them on a hot dish. Rub a small piece of butter over each half and send them to table with brown gravy or mushroom sauce. Time. About quarter hour. Average cost. One shillings six persons. Two shillings a brace. Sufficient for three or four persons. Seasonable. From the 1st of September to the beginning of February. Partridge pie. 1036. Ingredients. Three partridges, pepper and salt to taste. One teaspoon full of minced parsley. When obtainable a few mushrooms. Three quarter pound of veal cutlet. A slice of ham. Half a pint of stock. Puff paste. Mode. Line a pie dish with a veal cutlet. Over that place a slice of ham and a seasoning of pepper and salt. Pluck, draw and wipe the partridges. Cut off the legs at the first joint and season them inside with pepper, salt, minced parsley and a small piece of butter. Place them in the dish and pour over the stock. Line the edges of the dish with puff paste. Cover with the same. Brush it over with the yolk of an egg and bake for three quarter to one hour. Time. Three quarter to one hour. Average cost. One shillings six persons. Two shillings a brace. Sufficient for four or five persons. Seasonable. From the first of September to the beginning of February. Note. Should the partridges be very large split them in half. They will then lie in the dish more compactly. When at hand a few mushrooms should always be added. Potted partridge. One thousand and thirty seven. Ingredients. Partridges. Seasoning to taste of mace. All spice. White pepper and salt. Butter. Course paste. Mode. Pluck and draw the birds and wipe them inside with a damp cloth. Pound well some mace. All spice. White pepper and salt. Mix together and rub every part of the partridges with this. Pack the birds as closely as possible in a baking pan with plenty of butter over them and cover with a coarse flour and water crust. Tie a paper over this and bake for rather more than one and a half hour. Let the birds get cold then cut them into pieces for keeping. Pack them closely into a large pot in pot and cover with clarified butter. This should be kept in a cool dry place. The butter used for potted things will answer for basting or for paste for meat pies. See colored plate D1. Time one and a half hour. Seasonable from the first of September to the beginning of February. Selma or hashed partridges 1038 Ingredients three young partridges three shallots a slice of lean ham one carrot three or four mushrooms a bunch of savory herbs two cloves six whole peppers three quarter pint of stock one glass of sherry or Madeira a small lump of sugar mode after the partridges are plucked and drawn roast them rather under done and cover them with paper as they should not be browned. Cut them into joints take off the skin from the wings legs and breasts put these into a stew pan cover them up and set by until the gravy is ready. Cut a slice of ham into small pieces and put them with the carrot sliced the shallots mushrooms herbs cloves and pepper into a stew pan fry them lightly in a little butter pour in the stock add the bones and trimming from the partridges and simmer for a quarter of an hour strain the gravy let it cool and skim off every particle of fat put it to the legs wings and breasts add a glass of sherry or Madeira and a small lump of sugar let all gradually warm through by the side of the fire and when on the point of boiling serve and garnish the dish with croutons the remains of roast partridge are very well dressed in this way although not so good as when the birds are in the first instance only half roasted this recipe is equally suitable for peasants more game etc but care must be taken always to skin the joints time all together one hour sufficient two or three partridges for a long train seasonable from the first of September to the beginning of February roast partridge 1039 ingredients partridge butter choosing and trossing choose young birds with dark coloured bills and yellowish legs and let them hang a few days or they will be no flavour to the flesh nor will it be tender the time they should be kept entirely depends on the taste of those for whom they are intended as what some persons would consider delicious would be to others disgusting and offensive they may be trust with or without the head the latter mode being now considered the most fashionable draw and wipe the partridge carefully inside and out cut off the head leaving sufficient skin on the neck to skewer back bring the legs close to the breast between it and the side bones and pass the skewer through the pinions and the thick part of the thighs when the head is left on it should be brought round and fixed on to the point of the skewer mode when the bird is firmly and plumply trust roast it before a nice bright fire keep it well roasted and a few minutes before serving flour and froth at well dish it and serve with gravy and bread sauce and sent to table hot and quickly a little of the gravy should be poured over the bird plate D1 time 25 to 35 minutes average cost is one shelling six pence to two shelling a brace sufficient two for a dish seasonable from the first of September to the beginning of February the partridge this bird is to be found in nearly all temperate countries of Europe but is most abundant in the Ukraine although it is unable to bear the extremes of climate whether hot or cold it was formerly very common in France and is considered a table luxury in England the instinct of this bird is frequently exemplified in a remarkable manner for the preservation of its young I have seen it often says a very celebrated writer and an accurate observer of nature and once in particular I saw an extraordinary instance of an old bird solicitude to save its brood as I was hunting with a young pointer the dog ran on a brood of very small partridges the old bird cried and ran tumbling along just before the dog's nose till she had drawn him to a considerable distance when she took wing and flew still further off but not out of the field on this the dog returned to me near the place where the young ones lay concealed in the grass which the old bird no sooner perceived than she flew back to us settled just before the dog's nose again and by rolling and tumbling about drew off his attention from her young and thus preserved her brood a second time I have also seen when a kite has been hovering over a convey of young partridges the old birds fly up at the bird of prey screaming and fighting with all their might to preserve their brood partridges should be chosen young or old they are valueless the young ones are generally known by their yellow legs and dark coloured bills pheasant cutlets one thousand and forty ingredients two or three pheasants egg and breadcrumbs cayenne and salt to taste brown gravy mode procure with three young pheasants a few days pluck, draw and wipe them inside cut them into joints remove the bones from the best of these and the back bones, trimmings etc put into a stew pan with a little stock herbs, vegetables seasoning etc to make the gravy flatten and trim the cutlets of a good shape egg and bread crumb them fry them over a clear fire pile them high in the dish and pour under them the gravy made from the bones which should be strained flavoured and thickened one of the small bones should be stuck on the point of each cutlet time ten minutes average cost two shillings sixpence two three shillings each for two entrees seasonable from the first of October to the beginning of February roast pheasant one thousand and forty one ingredients pheasant flour butter choosing and trusting old pheasants may be known by the length and sharpness of their spurs in young ones they are short and blunt the cock bird is generally reckoned the best except when the hen is with egg they should hang some time before they are dressed as if they are cooked fresh the flesh will be exceedingly dry and tasteless after the bird is plucked and drawn wipe the inside with a damp cloth and truss it in the same manner as partridge number one thousand and thirty nine if the head is left on as shown in the engraving bring it round under the wing and fix it on to the point of the skewer mode roast it before a brisk fire keep it well basted and flour and froth it nicely serve with brown gravy a little of which should be poured on the bird and a torine of bread sauce two or three of the pheasants best tail feathers are sometimes stuck in the tail as an ornament but the fashion is not much to be commended see coloured plate f1 time half to one hour according to the size average cost two shilling sixpence two three shillings each sufficient one for a dish seasonable from the first of October to the beginning of February the pheasant this beautiful bird is said to have been discovered by the Argonauts on the banks of the pheasants near Mount Ararat in their expedition to Colchee it is common however in almost all the southern parts of the European continent and has been long naturalised in the warmest and most woody counties of England it is very common in France indeed so common as to be esteemed and nuisance by the farmers although it has been domesticated this is not easily accomplished nor is its flesh so palatable then as it is in the wild state Mr Eud says it is not often that pheasants are met with possessing that exquisite taste which is acquired only by long keeping as the damp of this climate prevents their being kept as long as they are in other countries their hens in general are the most delicate the cocks show their age by their spurs they are only fit to be eaten and the flesh begins to run from the bill which is commonly six days or a week after they have been killed the flesh is white tender and has a good flavour if you keep it long enough if not it is not much different from that of common fowl or hen Brillette Savorin's recipe for roast pheasant Allah Saint Alliance 1,042 when the pheasant is in good condition to be cooked see number 1,041 it should be plucked and not before the bird should then be stuffed in the following manner take two snipes and draw them putting the bodies on one plate and the livers etc on another take off the flesh with a little beef lard a few truffles pepper and salt to taste and stuff the pheasant carefully with this cut a slice of bread larger considerably than the bird and cover it with the liver etc and a few truffles and anchovy and a little fresh butter added to these will do no harm put the bread etc into the dripping pan and when the bird is roasted place it on the preparation and surround it with Florida oranges do not be uneasy Sabaran adds about your dinner for a pheasant served in this way is fit for beings better than men the pheasant also is a very good bird and imbibing the dressing and the flavour of the truffle and snipe it becomes thrice better broil pheasant a breakfast or luncheon dish 1043 ingredients one pheasant a little lard egg and bread crumbs salt and cayenne to taste mode cut the legs off at the first joint and the remainder of the bird into neat pieces put them into a frying pan with a little lard and when browned on both sides and about half done take them out and drain them brush the pieces over with egg and sprinkle with bread crumbs with which has been mixed a good seasoning of cayenne and salt broil them over a moderate fire for about 10 minutes or rather longer and serve with mushroom sauce sauce piquant or brown gravy in which a few game bones and trimmings have been stewed time all together half hour sufficient for 4 or 5 persons seasonable from the 1st of October to the beginning of February the height of excellence in a pheasant things edible have their degrees of excellence under various circumstances asparagus, capers peas and cartridges are best when young perfection in others is only reached when they attain maturity let us say for example melons and nearly all fruits we must accept perhaps the medlar with the majority of those animals whose flesh we eat but others again are not good until the composition is about to set in and here we may mention particularly the snipe and the pheasant if the latter bird be eaten so soon as 3 days after it has been killed it then has no peculiarity of flavour a pullet would be more relished and a quail would surpass it in aroma kept however a proper length of time threatened by a slight smell and change of colour then it becomes a highly flavoured dish occupying so to speak the middle distance between chicken and venison it is difficult to define any exact time to hang a pheasant but anyone possessed of the instincts of gastronomical science cannot once detect the right moment to be taken down in the same way as a good cook knows whether a bird should be removed from the spit or have a turn or two more to dress plovers 1044 ingredients 3 plovers butter, flour, toasted bread choosing and trussing choose those that feel hard to understand as that shows their fatness there are three sorts the grey, green and bastard plover or blackwing they will keep good for some time but if very stale the feet will be very dry plovers are scarcely fit for anything but roasting they are however sometimes stewed or made into a ragout is not to be recommended mode pluck off the feathers wipe the outside of the birds with a damp cloth and do not draw them truss with the head under the wing put them down to a clear fire and lay slices of moistened toast in the dripping pan to catch the trail keep them well basted dredge them lightly with flour for a few minutes before they are done and let them be nicely frothed dish them on toasts over which the trail should be equally spread pour round the toast a little good gravy and send some to table in a terrain time 10 minutes to quarter hour average cost one shilling sixpence sufficient for two persons seasonable imperfection from the beginning of September to the end of January the plover there are two species of this bird the grey and the green the former being larger than the other and somewhat less than the woodcock it has generally been cast with those birds which chiefly live in the water but it would seem only to seek its food there for many of the species breed upon the loftiest mountains immense flights of these birds are to be seen in the Hebrids and other parts of Scotland and in the winter large numbers are sent to the London market which is sometimes so much glutted with them that they are sold very cheap previous to dressing kept till they have a game flavour and although their flesh is a favourite with many it is not universally relished the green is preferred to the grey but both are inferior to the woodcock their eggs are esteemed as a great delicacy birds of this kind are migratory they arrive in England in April live with us all the spring and summer beginning of autumn prepare to take leave by getting together in flocks it is supposed that they then retire to Spain and frequent the sheep walks with which that country abounds to dress the Parmigian 1045 ingredients two or three birds butter flour fried breadcrumbs the Parmigian or white grouse when young and tender are exceedingly fine eating and should be kept as long as possible to be good pluck draw and trust them in the same manner as grouse number 1025 and roast them before a brisk fire flour and froth them nicely and serve on buttered toast with a brown gravy bread sauce when light may be sent to table with them and fried breadcrumbs substituted for the toasted bread time about half hour sufficient to for a dish seasonable from the beginning of February to the end of April the Parmigian or white grouse this bird is nearly the same as red grouse and is fond of lofty situations where it braves the severest weather and is found in most parts of Europe as well as in Greenland at Hudson's Bay they appear in such multitudes that so many as 60 or 70 are frequently taken at once in a net as they are as tame as chickens this is done without difficulty Buffon says the Parmigian avoids the solar heat and prefers the frosts at the summits of the mountains for as the snow melts on the sides of the mountains it ascends till it gains the top where it makes the hole and burrows in the snow in winter it flies in flocks and feeds on wild vegetation which imparts to its flesh a bitter but not altogether an unpullable taste it is dark colored and has something of the flavour of the hair and is greatly relished and much sought after by some sportsmen to dress quails 1046 ingredients quails, butter, toast mode these birds keep good several days and should be roasted without drawing trust them in the same manner as wood cocks number 1062 roast them before a clear fire keep them well basted and serve on toast time about 20 minutes average cost sufficient to for a dish seasonable from October to December the quail quails are almost universally diffused over Europe Asia and Africa being birds of passage they are seen in immense flocks traversing the Mediterranean sea from Europe to Africa in the autumn and returning again in the spring frequently alighting in their passage on many of the islands of the archipelago which with the vast numbers they almost completely cover on the western coasts of the kingdom of Naples they have appeared in such prodigious numbers that within the compass of four or five miles as many as 100,000 have been taken in a day from these circumstances says a writer on natural history it appears highly probable that the quails which supplied the Israelites with food during their journey through the wilderness were sent thither on their passage to the north by a wind from the south west sweeping over Egypt and Ethiopia towards the shores of the Red Sea in England they are not very numerous although they breed in it and many of them are said to remain throughout the year changing their quarters from the interior parts of the country for the sea coast to dress snipes 1047 ingredients snipes, butter, flour, toast mode these like wood cocks without being drawn pluck and wipe them outside and trust them with the head under the wing having previously skinned that and the neck twist the legs at the first joint press the feet upon the thighs and pass the skewer through these and the body place four on a skewer tie them on to the jack or spit and roast before a clear fire for about a quarter hour put some pieces of buttered toast into the dripping pan to catch the trails flour and froth the birds nicely dish the pieces of toast with the snipes on them and pour round but not over them a little good brown gravy they should be sent to table very hot and expeditiously or they will not be worth eating sea coloured plate M1 time about quarter hour average cost one shilling sixpence to two shillings the brace sufficient for for a dish seasonable from November to February note or tolons are trust and dressed in the same manner next night this is a migratory bird and is generally distributed over Europe it is found in most parts of England in the high as well as the low lands depending much on the weather in very wet seasons it resorts to the hills but at other times frequent marshes where it can penetrate the earth with its field hunting for worms and principle food in the hebrids and the orpneys snipes are plentiful and they are fattest in frosty weather in the breeding season the snipe changes its note entirely from that which it has in the winter the male will keep on wing for an hour together mounting like a lark and uttering a shrill piping noise then with a bleeding sound not unlike that made by an old goat it will descend with great velocity especially if the female be sitting in her nest from which it will not wander far rose teal 1048 ingredients teal, butter a little flower mode choose fat plump birds as they are generally better flavoured trust them in the same manner as wild duck number 1022 roast them before a brisk fire and keep them well basted serve with brown or orange gravy watercress and a cut lemon the remains of teal make excellent hash time from 9 to 15 minutes average cost 1 shilling each but seldom bought sufficient 2 for a dish seasonable from October to February end of section 51 section 52 of the book of household management this is a LibraVox recording all LibraVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibraVox.org the book of household management by Isabella Beaton recipes chapter 23 part 3 roast haunch of venison 1049 ingredients venison coarse flour and water paste a little flour mode choose a haunch with clear, bright and thick fat and the cleft of the hoof smooth and close the greater quantity of fat there is the better quality will the meat be as many people object to venison when it has too much a certain how long it has been kept by running a sharp skewer into the meat close to the bone when this is withdrawn it's sweetness can be judged off with care and attention it will keep good at fortnight unless the weather is very mild keep it perfectly dry by wiping it with clean cloths till not the least damp remains and sprinkle over powdered ginger pepper as a preventative against the fly when required for use wash it in warm water and dry as well with a cloth butter a sheet of white paper put it over the fat layer coarse paste about half inch in thickness over this and then a sheet or two of strong paper tie the hole firmly onto the haunch with twine and put the joint down to a strong close fire base the venison immediately to prevent the paper and spring from burning and continue this operation without intermission the hole of the time it is cooking about 20 minutes before it is done carefully remove the paste and paper dredge the joint with flour and base well with butter until it is nicely frothed and of a nice pale brown colour garnish the knuckle bone with a frill of white paper and serve with a good strong but unflavored gravy in a tureen and currant jelly or melt the jelly with a little portmine and serve that also in a tureen as the principal object in roasting venison is to preserve the fat the above is the best mode of doing so where expense is not objective too but in ordinary cases the paste may be dispensed with and a double paper placed over the roast instead it will not require so long cooking without the paste do not admit to send very hot plates to table as the venison fat so soon freezes to be thoroughly enjoyed by a procures it should be eaten on hot water plates the neck and shoulder may be roasted in the same manner time a large haunch of buck venison with the paste four to five hours haunch of dough venison three and a quarter to three and three quarter hours allow less time without the paste average cost one shelling four pence to one shelling six pence per pound sufficient for 18 persons seasonable buck venison in greatest perfection from June to Mickle mass dough venison from November to the end of January the deer this active tribe of animals principally inhabit wild and woody regions in their contensions both with each other and the rest of the brute creation these animals not only use their horns but strike very furiously with their four feet some of the species are employed as beasts of draught whilst the flesh of the whole is wholesome and kind under the name of venison is considered very delicious persons fond of hunting have invented peculiar terms by which the objects of their pursuit are characterised thus the stag is called the first year a calf or hind calf the second a noba the third a brock the fifth a stag and the sixth a heart the female is the first year called a carp the second a hearse and the third a hind in Britain the stag has become scarcer than it formerly was but in the highlands of Scotland herds of four or five hundred may still be seen ranging over the vast mountains north and some of the stags of a great size in former times the great feudal chieftains used to hunt with all the pomp of eastern sovereigns assembling some thousands of their clans who drove the deer into the toils or to such stations as were occupied by their chiefs as this sport however was occasionally used as a means for collecting their vassals together for the purpose of concocting rebellion and act with past prohibitory of such assemblages in the waverly of Sir Walter Scott a deer hunting scene of this kind is admirably described venison this is the name given to the flesh of some kinds of deer and is esteemed as very delicious different species of deer are found in warm as well as cold climates and are in several instances invaluable to man this is especially the case with the lap lander whose reindeer constitutes a large proportion of his wealth there the reindeer unharnessed in freedom can play and safely or owed and steep precipice stray false the wolf to the forest recesses may fly and how to the moon as she glides through the sky in that country it is the substitute for the horse the cow the goat and the sheep from its milk is produced cheese from its skin clothing from its tendons bow strings and thread from its horns glue from its bones spoons and its flesh furnishes food in England we have the stag an animal of great beauty and much admired he is a native of many parts of Europe and is supposed to have been originally introduced into this country from France about a century back he was to be found wild in some of the rough and mountainous parts of Wales as well as in the forests of Exmoor in Devonshire and the woods on the banks of the Tamar in the middle ages the deer formed food for the not over Abster Myers monks as represented by Friar Tuck's Larder in the admirable fiction of Ivanhoe and at a later period it was a deer stealing adventure that drove the ingenious William Shakespeare to London to become a common player and the greatest dramatist that ever lived hashed venison one thousand and fifty ingredients the remains of roast venison its own or mutton gravy thickening of butter and flour mode cut the meat from the bones in neat slices and if there is sufficient of its own gravy left put the meat into this as it is preferable to any other should there not be enough put the bones and trimmings into a stew pan and about a pint of mutton gravy let them stew gently for an hour and strain the gravy put a little flour and butter into the stew pan keep stirring until brown add the strained gravy and give it a boil up skim and strain again and when a little cool put in the slices of venison place the stew pan by the side of the fire and when on the point of simmering serve do not allow it to boil or the meat will be hard send red currant jelly to table with it time, all together one and a half hour seasonable buck venison from June to Mechel Mass do venison from November to the end of January note a small quantity of harby sauce ketchup or port wine may be added to enrich the gravy these ingredients must however be used very sparingly or they will overpower the flavour of the venison the fellow deer this is domestic or park deer and no two animals can make a nearer approach to each other than the stag and it and yet no two animals keep more distinct or avoid each other with a more inveterate animosity they never heard or intermixed together and consequently rise to an intermediate race it is even rare unless they have been transported thither to find fellow deer in a country where stags are numerous he is very easily tamed and feeds upon many things which the stag refuses he also browses closer than the stag and preserves his venison better reduces one fawn sometimes two but rarely three in short they resemble the stag in all his natural habits and the greatest difference between them is the duration of their lives the stag it is said lives to the age of 35 or 40 years and the fellow deer does not live more than 20 as they are smaller than the stag it is probable that their growth is sooner completed stewed venison 1051 ingredients a shoulder of venison a few slices of mutton fat two glasses of port wine pepper and all spice to taste one and a half pint of weak stock or gravy half teaspoon full of whole pepper half teaspoon full of whole all spice mode hang the venison till tender take out the bone flatten the meat with a rolling pin and place over a few slices of mutton fat which had been previously soaked for two or three hours in port wine sprinkle these with a little fine whole spice and pepper roll the meat up and bind it and tie it securely put it into a stew pan with the bone and the above proportion of weak stock or gravy whole all spice black pepper and port wine cover the lid down closely and simmer very gently from three and a half to four hours when quite tender remove the tape and dish the meat strain the gravy over it and send it to table with red currant jelly unless the joint is very fat the above is the best mode of cooking it time three and a half to four hours average cost one shelling four pints to one shelling six pints per pound sufficient for ten or twelve persons seasonable buck venison from june to michael may doe venison from november to the end of january the roe buck this is the certicrapolis or common roe and is of a reddish brown colour it is an inhabitant of asia as well as europe it has great grace in its movements and stands about two feet inches high and has a length of about three feet nine the extent of its horns is from six to eight inches the stag the stag or heart is the male of the red deer and the hind is the female he is much larger than the fellow deer and his age is indicated by his horns which are round instead of being pelmated like those of the fellow deer during the first year he has no horns but a horny excrescence which is short and rough and covered with a thin hairy skin the next year the horns are single and straight and in the third they have two antlers three the fourth four the fifth and five the sixth year although this number is not always common for sometimes they are more and often less after the sixth year the antlers do not always increase and although in number they may amount to six or seven on each side yet the animal's age is then estimated rather by the size of the antlers and the thickness of the branch which sustains them in a variety large as these horns seem however they are shed every year and they are placed supplied by new ones this usually takes place in the spring when the old horns have fallen off the new ones do not make their appearance immediately but the bones of the skull are seen covered with a transparent puristium or skin the bones of all animals after a short time however the skin begins to swell and form a sort of tumour from this by and by rising from the head shoot forth the antlers from each side and in a short time in proportion as the animal is in condition the entire horns are completed the solidity at the extremities however is not perfect until the horns have arrived at their full growth old stags usually shed their horns first which generally happens towards the latter end of February or the beginning of March such as are between 5 and 6 years old shed them about the middle or the latter end of March those still younger in the month of April and the youngest of all not till the middle or the latter end of May these rules though generally true are subject to variations for a severe winter will retard the shedding of the horns the hind has no horns and is less fitted for being hunted than the male she takes the greatest care of her young and secretes them into the most secrets lest they become a prey to their numerous enemies all the rapacious family at the cat kind with the wolf, the dog the eagle and the falcon are continually endeavouring to find her retreat whilst the stag himself is the foe of his own offspring when she has young therefore it would seem that the courage to the female for she defends them with the most resolute bravery if pursued by the hunter she will fly before the hounds for half the day and then return to her young whose life she has thus preserved at the hazard of her own the new venison the dear population of our splendid English parks was until a few years limited to two species the fellow and the red but as the fellow deer itself was an acclimated animal of comparatively recent introduction it came to be a question why might not the proprietor of any deer park in England have the luxury of at least half a dozen species of deer and antelopes to adorn the hills dales, verny breaks and rich pastures of his domain the temperate regions of the whole world might be made to yield specimens of the noble remnant valuable either for their individual beauty or for their availability to gastronomic purposes during the last four or five years a few spirited English nobleman have made the experiment of breeding foreign deer parks and have obtained such a decided success that it may be hoped their example will induce others to follow in a course which will eventually give to England's rural scenery a new element of beauty until English tables a fresh find of the choices character a practical solution of this interesting question was made by Viacount Hill in Park Sullop in January 1809 on that occasion a magnificent land an acclimated sign of the species whose native home is the South African wilderness was killed for the table the noble beast was thus described he weighed 1176 pounds as he dropped huge as a short horn but with bone not half the size active as a deer stately in all his paces perfect in form bright in colour with a vast due lap and strong sculptured horn the land in his lifetime strode majestic on the hillside where he dwelt with his mates and their progeny all English born like himself the same species of deer were left to roam at large on the picturesque elopes throughout the day and to return to their home at pleasure here during winter they are assisted with roots and hay but in summer they have nothing but the pasture of the park so that in point of expense they cost no more than cattle of the best description Travellers and sportsmen say that the mailer land is unapproached in the quality of his flesh by any ruminant in South Africa that it grows to an enormous size and lays on fat with as great facility as a true short horn while in texture and flavour it is infinitely superior the lean is remarkably fine the fat firm and delicate dried in every fashion braised brisket roasted ribs broiled steaks filet sautee boiled H-bone etc and in all gave evidence of the fact that a new meat of surpassing value had been added to the products of the English park when we hear such a gratifying account of the land it is pleasing to record the land was a herd at the Canadian Whopperty a herd of Indian Nilhout and another of the small Indian Hogdeer that the Earl of Ducey has been successful in breeding the magnificent Persian deer the land was first acclimated in England by the late Earl of Derby between the years 1835 to 1851 and his death in 1851 he bequeathed to the zoological society his breed of the lands consisting of two males and three females here the animals have been treated with the greatest success and from the year 1853 to the present time the females have regularly reproduced without the loss of a single cart Rose Wigeon 1052 ingredients Wigeons a little flower butter Mode these are trust in the same manner as Wild Duck number 1022 but must not be kept so long before they are dressed put them down to a brisk fire flower and baste them continually with butter and when browned and nicely frothed send them to table hot and quickly serve with brown gravy or orange gravy number 488 and a cut lemon time quarter hour if light well done 20 minutes average cost sufficient two for a dish seasonable from October to February roast woodcock 1053 ingredients woodcocks, butter flower, toast mode woodcocks should not be drawn as the trails are biopicures considered a great delicacy pluck and wipe them well outside trust them with the legs close to the body and the feet pressing upon the thighs skin the neck and head and bring the beak round under the wing place some slices of toast in the dripping pan to catch the trails allowing a piece of toast for each bird roast before a clear fire from 15 to 25 minutes keep them well basted and flour and prop them nicely when done dish the pieces of toast with the birds upon them and pour round a very little gravy send some more to table in a terrain these are most delicious birds when well cooked but they should not be kept too long when the feathers drop or easily come out they are fit for table see coloured plate eye one time when light under done 15 to 20 minutes if light well done allow an extra 5 minutes average cost sold and bought sufficient too for a dish seasonable from November to February the woodcock this bird being migratory in its habits has consequently no settled habitation it cannot be considered as the property of any one and is therefore not game by law it breeds in high northern latitudes and the time of its appearance and disappearance in Sweden coincides exactly with that of its arrival in and return from Great Britain on the coast of Suffolk its vernal and autumnal visits have been accurately observed in the first week of October it makes its appearance in small numbers but in November and December it appears in larger numbers and always after sunset and most rigorously in the same manner as woodcocks take their leave of us they quit France, Germany and Italy making the northern and colder climates their summer rendezvous they visit Burgundy in the latter part of October but continue there only a few weeks the country being hard and unable to supply them with such sustenance as they require in the winter they are found as far south as Smyrna and Alapo in Barbary where the Africans name them the S of the Partridge it has been asserted that they have been seen as far south as Egypt which is the most remote region to which they can be traced on that side of the eastern world on the other side they are common in Japan those which resort to the countries of Levant are supposed to come from Armenia or the deserts of Tartary or Siberia the flesh of the woodcock is held in high estimation hence the bird is eagerly sought after by the sportsman game carving black cock 1054 skillful carving of game undoubtedly adds to the pleasure of the guests at a dinner table for game seems pre eminently to be composed of such delicate limbs and tender flesh that an inept practitioner appears to more disadvantage when mauling these pretty and favourite dishes than larger and more robust piece de resistance as described at recipe number 1019 this bird is variously served with or without the head on and although we do not personally object to the appearance of the head as shown in the woodcut yet it seems to be more invoked to serve it without the carving is not difficult but should be elegantly and deftly done slices from the breast cut in the direction of the dotted line from two to one should be taken off the thought displaced and the leg and wing removed by running the knife along from three to four and following the directions given under the head of Boil Fowl number 1000 reserving the thigh which is considered a great delicacy for the most honoured guests some of whom may also esteem the brains of this bird 1055 as game is almost universally served as a dainty and not as a dish to stand the assaults of an altogether fresh appetite these dishes are not usually cut up entirely but only those parts are served of each which are considered the best flavoured and the primest of Boil Fowl the breast alone is considered by epicures worth eating and slices are cut from this in the direction indicated by the lines from one to two if necessary the leg and the wing can be taken off by passing the knife from three to four and by generally following the directions described for carving Boil Fowl number 1000 roast hair 1056 the grain carver of olden times a functionary of no ordinary dignity was pleased when he had a hair to manipulate for his skill and grace had an opportunity of display diners a la ruse may possibly, a while save modern gentlemen the necessity of learning the art which was in old Lang Syne one of the necessary accomplishments of the youth fourth squire but until side tables become universal or till we see the office of grain carver once more instituted it will be well for all to learn how to assist at the carving of this dish which if not the most elegant in appearance is a very general favourite the hair having its head to the left as shown in the woodcut should be first served by cutting slices from each side of the backbone in direction of the lines from three to four after these prime parts are disposed of the leg should next be disengaged by cutting round the line indicated by the figures five to six the shoulders will then be taken off by passing the knife round from seven to eight the back of the hair should now be divided by cutting quite through its spine as shown by the line one to two taking care to fill with the point of the knife for a joint where the back may be readily penetrated it is the usual plan not to serve any bone in helping hair and thus the flesh should be sliced and placed along on the plate in large establishments and where men cooks are kept it is often the case that the backbone of the hair especially in old animals is taken out and then the process of carving is, of course considerably facilitated a great point to be remembered in connection with carving hair is that plenty of gravy should accompany each helping otherwise this dish which is naturally dry will lose half its flavour and so become a failure stuffing is also served with it and the ears which should be nicely crisp and the brains of the hair are esteemed as delicacy by many connoisseurs partridges one thousand fifty seven there are several ways of carving this most familiar game bird the more usual and summary mode is to carry the knife sharply along the top of the breast bone of the bird and cut it quite through thus dividing it into precisely equal and similar parts in the same manner as carving a pigeon number one thousand and three another plan is to cut it into three pieces by severing a small wing and leave on either side from the body by following the line one to two in the upper woodcut thus making two helpings when the breast will remain for a third plate the most elegant manner is that of thrusting back the body from the legs and then cutting through the breast as shown by the line one to two this plan will give four or more small helpings a little bread source should be served to each guest grouse one thousand and fifty eight grouse may be carved in the way first described in carving partridge the backbone of the grouse is highly esteemed by many many game birds is considered the finest flavour pheasant one thousand and fifty nine fixing the fork in the breast let the carver cut slices from it in the direction of the lines from two to one these are the prime pieces if there be more guests to satisfy then these slices will serve then let the legs and wings be disengaged in the same manner as described in carving boiled fowl number one thousand the point where the wing joins the neck bone being carefully found the merry thought will come off in the same way as that of a fowl the most valued parts are the same as those which are most considered in a fowl snipe one thousand and sixty one of these small but delicious birds may be given whole to a gentleman but in helping a lady it will be better to cut them quite through the centre from one to two completely dividing them into equal and light portions and put only one half on the plate forge of venison one thousand one here is the grand dish for a knight of the carving knife to exercise his skill upon and what will be pleasant for many to know there is but little difficulty in the performance an incision being made completely down to the bone in the direction of the line one to two the gravy will then be able easily to flow not too thick should be cut along the forge as indicated by the line four to three that end of the joint mark three having been turned towards the carver so that he may have a more complete command over the joint although some epicures affect to believe that some parts of the forge are superior to others yet we doubt if there is any difference between the slices cut above and below the line it should be born in mind to serve each guest with a portion of fat and the most expedious carver will be the best carver as like mutton venison soon begins to chill when it loses much of its charm woodcock one thousand and sixty two this bird like a partridge may be carved by cutting it exactly into two like portions or made into three helpings as described in carving partridge number one thousand and fifty seven the backbone is considered the tip bit of a woodcock and by many the thigh is also thought a great delicacy this bird is served in the manner advised by Brilla Severin in connection with the pheasant fizz on toast which has received its strippings while roasting and a piece of this toast should invariably accompany each plate land rail one thousand and sixty three land rail being trust like snipe with the exception of its being drawn may be carved in the same manner sea number one thousand and sixty parmesan one thousand and sixty four parmesan being of much the same size and trust in the same manner as the red bird may be carved in the manner described in partridge and grouse carvings number one thousand and fifty seven and one thousand and fifty eight quails one thousand and sixty five quails being trust and served like woodcock may be similarly carved sea number one thousand and sixty two plovers one thousand and sixty six plovers may be carved like quails or woodcock being trust and served in the same way as those birds sea number one thousand and fifty five teal one thousand and sixty seven teal being of the same character as wiggen and wall duck may be treated in carving in the same style wiggen one thousand and sixty eight wiggen may be carved in the same way as described in regard to wall duck at number one thousand and fifty five end of section fifty two section fifty three of the book of household management this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to find out how to volunteer visit LibriVox.org the book of household management by Isabella Beaton chapter twenty four general observations on vegetables quote strange there should be found who, self imprisoned in their proud saloons renounce the odours of the open field for the unscented fictions of the loom who, satisfied with only penciled scenes prefer to the performance of a god the inferior wonders of an artist's hand lovely indeed the mimic works of art but nature's works far lovelier end of quote by Calper ten sixty nine quote the animal in vegetable kingdoms says hog in his natural history of the kingdom may be aptly compared to the primary colours of the prismatic spectrum which are so gradually and intimately blended that we fail to discover where one terminates and where the other begins if we had to deal with yellow and blue only the eye would easily distinguish the one from the other but when the two are blended we cannot tell where the blue ends and the yellow begins and so it is in the animal and vegetable kingdoms if our powers of observation were limited to the highest orders of animals and plants if there were only mammals birds, reptiles, fishes and insects in the one and trees, shrubs and herbs in the other we should then be able to define the bounds of the two kingdoms but as we descend the scale of each and arrive at the lowest forms of animals and plants we there meet with bodies of the simplest structure sometimes a mere cell whose organisation modes of development and reproduction are so anomalous and partake so much of the character both that we cannot distinguish whether they are plants or whether they are animals one thousand and seventy whilst it is difficult to determine where the animal begins and the vegetable ends it is as difficult to account for the many of the singularities by which numbers of plants are characterised however can hardly be regarded as a matter of surprise when we recollect that so far as it is at present known the vegetable kingdom is composed of upwards of ninety-two thousand species of plants of this amazing number the lichens and the mosses are the simplest and hardiest kinds these indeed may be considered as the very creators they thrive in the coldest and most sterile regions commencing the operations of nature in the growth of vegetables on the barest rocks and receiving no other nourishment than such as may be supplied to them by the simple elements of air and rain when they have exhausted their period in such situations as have been assigned them they pass into a state of decay and they become changed into a very fine mould which in the active spontaneity of nature immediately begins to produce other species which in their turn become food for various mosses and also rot this process of growth and decay being from time to time continued by and by forms a soil of larger plants which also die and decay and so increase the soil until it becomes deep enough to sustain an oak or even the weight of a tropical forest to create soil amongst rocks however must not be considered as the only end of the lichen different kinds of it minister to the elegant arts in the form of beautiful dies thus the lichen rosella is used to communicate to silk and wool various shades of purple and crimson which greatly enhance the value of these materials this species is chiefly imported from the canary islands and when scarce as an article of commerce has brought as much as one thousand pounds one thousand seventy one in the vicinity of lichens the musky or mosses are generally to be found indeed wherever vegetation can be sustained there they are affording protection to the roots and seeds of more delicate vegetables and by their spongy texture retaining a moisture plants from the withering drought of summer but even in winter we find them enlivening by their verjure the cold bosom of nature we see them abounding on our pastures and our woods attaching themselves to the living and still more abundantly to the dead trunks and branches of trees in marshy places they also abound and become the medium of their conversion into fruitful fields this is exemplified by the manner in which peat mosses are formed on the surface of these we find them in a state of great life and vigor immediately below we discover them more or less in a state of decomposition and still deeper we find their stems and branches consolidated into a light brown peat thus our extensive tracts formed ultimately to be brought into a state of cultivation and rendered subservient to the wants of man 1072 when nature has found a soil her next care is to perfect the growth of her seeds and then to disperse them whilst the seed remains confined in its capsule it cannot answer its purpose hence when it is sufficiently ripe the pericardium opens and lets it out what must strike every observer with surprise is how nuts and shells which we can hardly crack with our teeth or even with a hammer will divide of themselves and make way for the tender sprout which proceeds from the kernel there are instances it is said such as in the touch-me-not impatience and the cuckoo flower cardamine in which the seed vessels by an elastic jerk at the moment of their explosion cast the seeds to a distance we are all aware however that many seeds those of the most composite flowers as of the thistle and dandelion are endowed with what have not inappropriately been called wings these consist of a beautiful silk looking down by which they are enabled to float in the air and to be transported sometimes to considerable distances from the parent plant that produce them the swelling of this downy tuft the seed vessel is the means by which the seed is enabled to overcome the resistance of its coats and to force for itself a passage by which it escapes from its little prison house illustration Beton's book of household management edited by Mrs. Isabella Beton illustration the free fair homes of England 1073 birds as well as quadrupeds are likewise the means of dispensing the seeds of plants and placing them in situations where they ultimately grow amongst the latter is the squirrel which is an extensive planter of oaks nay it may be regarded as having in some measure been one of the creators of the British Navy we have read of a gentleman who was walking one day in some woods belonging to the Duke of Beaufort near Troy House in Manmashere when his attention was arrested by a squirrel sitting very composedly upon the ground he stopped to observe its motions when in a short time the little animal suddenly quitted its position and darted to the top of a tree it had been sitting in an instant it returned with an acorn in its mouth and with its paws began to burrow in the earth after digging a small hole it therein deposited an acorn which it hastily covered and then darted up the tree again in a moment it was down with another which it buried in the same manner and so continued its labor gathering burrowing as long as the gentleman had patience to watch it this industry in the squirrel is an instinct which directs it to lay up a store provision for the winter and as it is probable that its memory is not sufficiently retentive to enable it to recollect all the spots in which it deposits its acorns it no doubt makes some slips in the course of the season and loses some of them these few spring up and are in time destined to supply the place of the parent tree thus many sons of Britain in some degree consider themselves to be indebted to the industry and defective memory of this little animal for the production of some of those wooden walls which have for centuries been the national pride in which have so long braved the battle and the breeze on the broad bosom of the great deep in every quarter of the civilized globe as with the squirrel so with jays and pies which plant among the grass and moss horse-beans and probably forget where they have secreted them Mr. White the naturalist says that both horse-beans and peas sprang up in his field walks in the autumn and he attributes the sowing of them to birds bees, he also observes are much the best setters of cucumbers if they do not happen to take kindly to the frames the best way is to tempt them by a little honey put on the male and female bloom they are once induced to haunt the frames they set all the fruit and will hover with impatience around the lights in the morning till the glasses are opened 1074 some of the acorns planted by the squirrel of Madmissure may be now in a fairway to become at the end of some centuries venerable trees the least remarkable quality of oaks is the strong principle of life with which they are endued in Major Rook's sketch of the forest of Sherwood we find it stated that on some timber cut down in Birkeland and Bilhau letters were found stamped in the bodies of the trees denoting the king's reign in which they were marked the bark appears to have been cut off and then the letters to have been cut in and the next years would to have grown over them without adhering to where the bark had been cut out the ciphers were found to be of James I William and Mary and one of King John one of the ciphers of James was about one foot within the tree and one foot from the center it was cut down in 1786 the tree must have been two feet in diameter or two yards in circumference when the mark was cut a tree of this size is generally estimated at 120 years growth which number being subtracted from the middle year of the reign of James would carry the year back to 1492 which would be about the period of its being planted the tree with the cipher of William and Mary displayed its mark about nine inches within the tree and three feet three inches from the center this tree was felled in 1786 the cipher of John was 18 inches within the tree and rather more than a foot from the center the middle year of the reign of that monarch was 1207 by subtracting from this 120 the number of years requisite for a tree's growth to arrive at the diameter of two feet the date of its being planted would seem to have been 1085 or about 20 years after the conquest illustration cellular development 1075 considering the great endurance of these trees we are necessarily led to inquire into the means by which they are enabled to arrive at such strength and maturity and whether it may be considered as a humiliation we will not determine but with all the ingenious mechanical contrivances of man we are still unable to define the limits of the animal and vegetable kingdoms quote plants have been described by naturalists who would determine the limits of the two kingdoms as organized living bodies without volition or locomotion destitute of a mouth or intestinal cavity which when detached from their place of growth die and in decay ferment but do not putrify and which on being subject to analysis furnish an excess of carbon and no nitrogen the powers of chemistry and of the microscope however instead of confirming these views 10 more and more to show that a still closer affinity exists between plants and animals for it is now ascertained that nitrogen which was believed to be present only in animals enters largely into the composition of plants also when the microscope is brought to aid our powers of observation we find that there are organized bodies belonging to the vegetable kingdom which possess very evident powers of locomotion and which change about in so very remarkable a manner that no other cause than that a volition can be assigned to it close quote thus it would seem that in this particular at least some vegetables bear a very close resemblance to animal life and when we consider the manner in which they are supplied with nourishment and perform the functions of their existence the resemblance would seem still closer if for example we take a thin transverse slice of the stem of any plant or a slice cut across its stem and immerse it in a little pure water under a microscope we will find that it consists principally of cells more or less regular and resembling those of a honeycomb or a network of cobweb the size of these varies in different plants as it does in different parts of the same plant and they are sometimes so minute as to require a million to cover a square inch of surface this singular structure besides containing water and air is the repository or storehouse of various secretions through it the sap when produced is diffused sideways through the plant and by it numerous changes are affected in the juices which fill its cells the forms of the cells are various they are also subject to various transformations sometimes a number of cylindrical cells are laid end to end and by the absorption of the transverse partitions form a continuous tube as in the sap vessels of plants or in muscular and nervous fiber and when cells are thus woven together they are called cellular tissue which in the human body forms a fine net-like membrane enveloping or connecting most of its structures in pulpy fruits the cells may be easily separated one from the other and within the cells are smaller cells commonly known as pulp among the cell contents of some plants are beautiful crystals called rafids the term is derived from Greek rafis a needle on account of the resemblance of the crystal to a needle they are composed of the phosphate and oxalate of lime but there is great difference of opinion as to their use in the economy of the plant and one of the French philosophers endeavored to prove that crystals are the possible transition of the inorganic matter the differences however between the highest form of crystal and the lowest form of organic life known viz a simple reproductive cell are so manifold and striking that the attempt to make crystals the bridge over which inorganic matter passes into organic is almost totally regarded as futile in a layer of an onion a section of garden rhubarb in some species of aloe in the bark of many trees and in portions of the cuticle of the medicinal squill bundles of these needle shaped crystals are to be found some of them are as large as 1 40th of an inch others are as small as the 1 1000 they are found in all parts of the plant in the stem, bark leaves, stipules petals, fruit roots and even in the pollen with some few exceptions and they are always situated in the interior of cells some plants as many of the cactus strive are made up almost entirely of these needle crystals in some instances every cell of the cuticle contains a stelaite mass of crystals in others the whole interior is full of them rendering the plant so exceedingly brittle that the least touch will occasion a fracture so much so that some species of cactus sentilus said to be 1000 years old which were sent a few years since to Q from South America were obliged to be packed in cotton with all the care of the most delicate jewelry to preserve them during transport illustration salicius cuticle from underside of leaf of Ducea Scabra illustration salicius cuticle of grass 1076 besides the cellular tissue there is what is called a vascular system which consists of another small vessels if for example we early in the spring cut a branch transversely we will perceive the sap oozing out from numerous points over the whole of the divided surface except on that part occupied by the pith and the bark and if a twig on which the leaves are already unfolded be cut from the tree and placed with its cut end in a temporary solution of Brazil wood the coloring matter will be found to ascend into the leaves and to the top of the twig in both these cases a close examination with a powerful microscope will discover the sap perspiring from the divided portion of the stem and the coloring matter rising through real tubes to the top of the twigs these are the sap vessels of the plant if however we examine a transverse section of the vine or of any other tree at a later period of the season we find that the wood is apparently dry whilst the bark particularly that bark next to the wood is swelled with fluid this is contained in vessels of a different kind from those they are found in the bark only in trees and may be called returning vessels from their carrying the sap downwards after its preparation in the leaf it is believed that the passage of the sap in plants is conducted in a manner precisely similar to that of the blood of man from the regular contraction and expansion of the vessels but on account of their extreme minuteness it is almost an impossibility to be certain upon this point numerous observations made with the microscope show that their diameter seldom exceeds a 290th part of an inch or a 3,000th part of an inch Luwenhoek reckoned 20,000 vessels evoke about 1,19th of an inch square 1077 in the vascular system of a plant we at once see the great analogy which it bears to the veins and arteries in the human system but neither it nor the cellular tissue combined is all that is required to perfect the production of a vegetable there is besides a tracheal system which is composed of very minute elastic spiral tubes designed for the purpose of conveying air both to and from the plant there are also fibers which consist of collections of these cells and vessels closely united together these form the root and the stem if we attempt to cut them transversely we meet with difficulty because we have to force our way across the tubes and break them but if we slit the wood lengthwise the vessels are separated without breaking the layers of wood which appear in the stem or branch of a tree cut transversely consist of different zones of fibers each the produce of one year's growth and separated by a coat of cellular tissue without which they could not be well distinguished besides all these there is the cuticle which extends over every part of the plant and covers the bark with three distinct coats the liber or inner bark is said to be formed of hollow tubes which convey the sap downwards to increase the solid diameter of the tree 1078 the root and the stem now demand a slight notice the former is designed not only to support the plant by fixing it in the soil but also to fulfill the functions of a channel for the conveyance of nourishment it is therefore furnished with pores or spongules as they are called from their resemblance to a sponge to suck up whatever comes within its reach it is found in a variety of forms and hence its adaptation to a great diversity of soils and circumstance we have heard of a willow tree being dug up and its head planted where its roots were and these suffered to spread out in the air like naked branches in course of time the roots became branches roots or rather roots rose from the branches beneath the ground and branches shot from the roots above some roots last one year others too and others like the shrubs and trees which they produce have an indefinite period of existence but they all consist of a collection of fibers composed of vascular and cellular tissue without trachea or breathing vessels the stem is the great distributor of the nourishment taken up by the roots to the several parts of the plant the seat of its vitality is said to be in the point or spot called the neck which separates the stem from the root if the root of a young plant be cut off it will shoot out afresh if even the stem be taken away it will be renewed but if this part be injured the plant will assuredly die 1079 in accordance with the plan of this work special notices of culinary vegetables will accompany the various recipes in which they are spoken of but here we cannot resist the opportunity of declaring it as our conviction that he or she who introduces a useful or an ornamental plant into our island ought justly to be considered to a large extent a benefactor to the country no one can calculate the benefits which may spring from this very vegetable after its qualities have become thoroughly known if viewed in no other light it is pleasing to consider it as bestowing upon us a share of the blessings of other climates and enabling us to participate in the luxury which a more genial sun has produced end of section 53 read by Dennis Sayers in Modesto California for LibriVox fall 2007