Crescentia
(named after Pietro Crescenzi, an Italian writer on agriculture, in the thirteenth century, author of "Opus ruralium commodorum"). ORD. Bignoniaceae. Large stove evergreen, spreading trees. Flowers solitary, rising from the trunk or branches; corolla large, sub-campanulate; tube short; throat large, ventricose; limb spreading, five-cleft, unequal; lobes toothed or curled. Leaves alternate, solitary, or in fascicles, simple, entire. They grow well in a mixture of loam, peat, and sand. Ripened cuttings will strike root in sand, under a hand glass, in heat. These trees require to be so large before they reach a flowering state, that it is not likely they will ever be much cultivated in this country. All are natives of tropical America. Some of the species described are: acuminata, cucurbitina, Cujete (Calabash-tree), macrophylla, and obovata.
CRESS, GARDEN (Lepidium sativum). Very popular salading plants, generally grown (and eaten) with Mustard, both requiring very similar treatment. For small salading the common Cress is largely used, and the seed is cheaper than the other kinds. Boxes, from about 1ft. square, and 3in. deep, are most useful for growing it in winter. They should be filled to within 1/2in. of the top with friable soil, and the seed sown rather thickly, without covering them with soil. The boxes should be covered with panes of glass, and placed, after watering, in a warm house; in from ten to fourteen days, the salad will be fit for use. A succession may be kept up by frequent sowings. Cress can be grown out of doors in summer, either in boxes or sown in a cool place. It should be kept free from soil on the top, or it is difficult to have it without being gritty.
Sorts. Plain or common, the sort used when only the seed leaves are formed; Curled, this is a hardy sort, and, if allowed to grow, the leaves may be used for garnishing as well as salad; Golden or Australian, a dwarf yellowish form, grown the same way as the preceding, but not fit for use so early as common Cress.
CRESS, WATER (Nasturtium officinale). Water Cress is in great demand at all times, excepting in two or three of the summer months, when the plants are flowering and producing their seed. It is a hardy perennial and a native of Britain, where it grows in ditches and small streams. The best quality is obtained from shallow streams of running water, free from mud if possible, as the latter spoils the flavour. Propagation is effected by seed, or by division of the plants. Water Cress may be cultivated in soil if a suitable place cannot be obtained to grow it in water, but the produce is inferior. If required to be grown in the ground, a shady, cool position should be chosen, and the seed sown in spring, in shallow drills, thinning the plants to 6in. when large enough. The soil must be kept constantly moist by watering. In autumn, some plants may be placed in pans, and transferred to a warm house to keep up a supply during winter. The advantages are many if a shallow stream can be obtained. Well-rooted young specimens should be selected; and, when established, the more the tops are gathered, the better,as the plants are thereby induced to produce more. The motion of the water prevents its freezing in winter, consequently the Cress may be gathered at any time. Special shallow ponds, with appliances for drawing all the water off when required, are the best means of cultivation; but such a system cannot, in the majority of cases, be followed. There are two or three forms of Water Cress; but there is not much difference in flavour when grown under the same conditions. The large Brown-leaved is the one most preferred in the market, but the Green-leaved is said to be of the easiest culture.