THE FIELD AND GARDEN VEGETABLES OF AMERICA TEXT

considerable extent by druggists, confectioners, and distillers. In the garden, it is sometimes sown for its leaves, which are used as Chervil in soups and salads; but, when so required, a sowing should be made at intervals of three or four weeks. There are no varieties. * * * * * COSTMARY, OR ALECOST. Balsamita vulgaris. Costmary is a hardy, perennial plant, with a hard, creeping root, and an erect, branching stem two or three feet high. The radical leaves, which are produced on long footstalks, are oval, serrated, and of a grayish color,--those of the stalk are sessile, smaller than the radical ones, but similar in form; the flowers are deep-yellow, in erect, terminal, spreading corymbs; the seeds are small, slightly curved, and of a grayish-white color. HOARY-LEAVED COSTMARY. _Loud._ A variety with deeply divided and hoary leaves, less fragrant than the preceding. _Propagation and Cultivation._--Costmary may be cultivated in almost any description of soil or situation. It is sometimes grown from seeds, but is generally propagated by dividing the roots, which increase rapidly, and soon entirely occupy the ground. They are taken up for planting out either in spring or autumn, and should be set two feet apart in each direction. By occasionally thinning out the plants as they become too thick, a bed may be continued many years. _Use._--The plant has a soft, agreeable odor, and is sometimes used as a pot-herb for flavoring soups. The leaves are used in salads, and also for flavoring ale or beer: hence the name "Alecost." * * * * * CUMIN. Cuminum cyminum. Cumin is a native of Egypt. It is a tender, annual plant, from nine to twelve inches high. The leaves are deep-green, and divided into long, linear segments, not unlike those of Fennel; the flowers are white or pale-blue, and produced in small umbels at the extremities of the branches; the seeds are long, furrowed, of a pale-brownish color, and somewhat resemble those of Anise,--about seven thousand are contained in an ounce, and they retain their power of germination three years. _Soil and Cultivation._--Cumin requires a light, warm-loamy soil. The seed should be sown about the beginning of May, in drills fourteen inches apart and half an inch deep. When the plants are well up, they should be thinned to three or four inches apart in the lines. The treatment of the growing crop, and the usual method of harvesting, are the same as directed for Anise or Coriander. The seed is sometimes sown broadcast; the soil being first finely pulverized, and raked smooth and even. This may be successfully practised upon land naturally light and warm, if free from weeds. Though a native of a warm climate, Cumin may be successfully grown throughout the Middle States, and in the warmer portions of the Northern and Eastern. _Use._--The plant is cultivated for its seeds, which are carminative, and used as those of Caraway and Coriander. They are sometimes employed for flavoring spirits. The plant is rarely grown, and the seeds are but little used, in the United States. There are no varieties. * * * * * DILL. _Loud._ Anethum graveolens. Dill is a hardy, biennial plant. There is but one species cultivated, and there are no varieties. The stem is erect and slender, and the leaves are finely divided; the flowers are produced in June and July of the second year, and the seeds ripen in August. The plant resembles Fennel in its general character, though smaller and less vigorous. _Propagation and Cultivation._--Dill flourishes best in light soil, and is propagated from seeds sown annually. As these retain their vitality but a single year, and, even when kept through the winter, vegetate slowly, they are frequently sown late in summer, or early in autumn, immediately after ripening. The drills are made a foot apart, and the seeds covered half an inch deep. The young plants should be thinned to six inches apart in the rows; and the leaves may be gathered for use from July till winter, and in the following spring till the plants have run to flower. _Use._--"The whole plant is strongly aromatic. Its leaves are used to give flavor to pickles, particularly cucumbers; and occasionally are added to soups and sauces: the seeds are also employed for flavoring pickles. All parts of the plant are used in medical preparations." * * * * * FENNEL. Foeniculum. Three species of Fennel are cultivated, differing not only in habit, but, to some extent, in their properties. The stems vary in height from two to four feet, and are smooth and branching; the flowers are yellow, in terminal umbels; the seeds are oval, ribbed, or furrowed, generally of a light, yellowish-brown color, and retain their vitality from three to five years. _Soil, Sowing, and Culture._--A light, dry soil is best adapted to the growth of Fennel; though it will thrive well in any good garden loam. It is generally raised from seeds, which may be sown in August, just after they ripen, or in April and May. They are generally sown in drills fifteen or eighteen inches apart, and about three-fourths of an inch deep,--the young plants being afterwards thinned to twelve or fifteen inches apart in the drills; or a few seeds may be scattered broadcast on a small seed-bed, raked in, and the seedlings, when two or three inches high, transplanted to rows, as before directed. Fennel is sometimes propagated by a division of the roots and by offsets. This may be performed either in spring, summer, or autumn. Set the roots, or shoots, fifteen inches apart in each direction; and they will soon become stocky plants, and afford an abundance of leaves for use. When cultivated for its foliage, the flowering-shoots should be cut off as they may make their appearance, to encourage the production of fresh shoots, and to give size and succulency to the leaves. The species and their peculiar uses are as follow:-- COMMON OR BITTER FENNEL. Foeniculum vulgare. A perennial species, with deep, strong, fleshy roots; stem three or four feet high, with finely divided leaves. The flowers are put forth in July, and the seeds ripen in August: the latter are about one-sixth of an inch long, of a greenish-brown color, and, in common with the leaves, of a decidedly bitter taste. _Soil, Sowing, and Culture._--This species may be grown in almost any soil or situation. Sow the seeds soon after ripening, or early in spring. The plants require no other care than to be kept free from weeds. _Use._--The young leaves are used for flavoring soups and sauces, and are sometimes mixed in salads. The seeds are carminative, and the roots and leaves have reputed medicinal properties. DARK-GREEN LEAVED. _Loud._ A variety with deep-green foliage. Its uses, and modes of culture, are the same as those of the foregoing species. FLORENCE OR ITALIAN FENNEL. _Mill._ Finochio. Sweet Azorian Fennel. Foeniculum dulce. Quite distinct from the Common Fennel, and generally cultivated as an annual. The stem, which is about eighteen inches high, expands near the surface of the ground; and, when divided horizontally, presents an oval form, measuring four or five inches in one direction, and two inches in the opposite. The flowers are produced in umbels, as in the other species. The seeds are slender, yellow, somewhat curved, sweet and pleasant to the taste, and of an agreeable, anise-like odor. _Sowing and Culture._--The plant should be grown in well-enriched, mellow soil. Sow the seeds in April or May, thinly, in shallow drills from eighteen inches to two feet apart. Half an ounce of seeds will be sufficient for fifty feet of drill; or, by transplanting when they spring up too thickly, will furnish seedlings for a hundred feet. The plants should be eight or ten inches apart; and, when the stems have attained a sufficient size, they should be earthed up for blanching, in the manner of Celery. Two or three weeks will be required to perfect this; and, if properly treated, the stems will be found white, crisp, tender, and excellent. Plants from the first sowing will be ready for use in July and August. For a succession, a few seeds may be sown in June, or early in July. _Use._--The blanched portion of the stem is mixed in soups, and also used as a salad. It is served like Celery, with various condiments; and possesses a sweet, pleasant, aromatic taste. It is a popular vegetable in some parts of Europe, but is rarely cultivated in this country. SWEET FENNEL. _Mill._ Malta Fennel. Foeniculum officinale. By some writers, this has been described as a variety of the Common Fennel; but its distinctive character appears to be permanent under all conditions of soil and culture. The leaves are long and narrow, and, compared with those of the last named, less abundant, and not so pointed. The stem is also shorter, and the seeds are longer, more slender, and lighter colored. _Sowing and Cultivation._--It is propagated and cultivated as the Common Fennel. _Use._--It is used in all the forms of the last named. The seeds have a sweet, pleasant, anise-like taste and odor, are strongly carminative, and yield an essential oil by distillation. LAVENDER. Lavendula spica. Lavender is a hardy, low-growing, shrubby plant, originally from the south of Europe. There are three varieties; and they may be propagated from seeds by dividing the roots, or by slips, or cuttings. The seeds are sown in April or May. Make the surface of the soil light and friable, and sow the seeds in very shallow drills six inches apart. When the seedlings are two or three inches high, transplant them in rows two feet apart, and a foot apart in the rows. The slips, or cuttings, are set in April, two-thirds of the length in the soil, and in rows as directed for transplanting seedlings. Shade them for a few days, until they have taken root; after which, little care will be required beyond the ordinary form of cultivation. The roots may be divided either in spring or autumn. Though Lavender grows most luxuriantly in rich soil, the plants are more highly aromatic, and less liable to injury from severe weather, when grown in light, warm, and gravelly situations. _Use._--Lavender is sometimes used as a pot-herb, "but is more esteemed for the distilled water which bears its name, and which, together with the oil, is obtained in the greatest proportion from the flower-spikes which have been gathered in dry weather, and just before the flowers are fully expanded. The oil of lavender is obtained in the ratio of an ounce to sixty ounces of dried flowers."--_Law._ "In the neighborhood of Mitcham, in Surrey, England, upwards of two hundred acres are occupied with Lavender alone."--_Thomp._ _Varieties._-- BROAD-LEAVED LAVENDER. _Mill._ Spike Lavender. Compared with the Common Lavender, the branches of this variety are shorter, more sturdy, and thicker set with leaves; the latter being short and broad. The Broad-leaved Lavender rarely blossoms; but, when this occurs, the leaves of the flower-stalk are differently formed from those of the lower part of the plant, and somewhat resemble those of the Common variety. The stalks are taller, the spikes lower and looser, and the flowers smaller, than those of the last named. COMMON OR BLUE-FLOWERING LAVENDER. Narrow-leaved Blue-flowering. A shrubby, thickly-branched plant, from a foot to upwards of three feet high, according to the depth and quality of the soil in which it is cultivated. The leaves are opposite, long, and narrow; flowers blue or purple, in spikes. The whole plant is remarkably aromatic; but the flowers have this property in a greater degree than the foliage or branches. The plants are in perfection in July and August, and are cut for drying or distillation, close to the stem, as the blossoms on the lower part of the spikes begin to change to a brown color. NARROW-LEAVED WHITE-FLOWERING. A sub-variety of the Common Lavender, with white flowers. It is of smaller growth and less hardy than the last named, though not so generally cultivated. Its properties and uses are the same. * * * * * LOVAGE. Ligusticum levisticum. Lovage is a hardy, perennial plant, with a hollow, channelled, branching stem six or seven feet high. The leaves are winged, smooth, deep, glossy-green, and somewhat resemble those of Celery; the flowers are yellow, and produced in large umbels at the extremities of the branches; the seeds are oblong, striated, of a pale, yellowish-brown color, and retain their germinative powers but one year. _Soil, Propagation, and Culture._--Lovage requires a deep, rich, moist soil; and is propagated either by seeds or dividing: the roots. The seeds should be sown in August, or immediately after ripening; as, when sown in spring, they seldom vegetate well. When the young plants have made a growth of two or three inches, they should be transplanted three feet apart in each direction; and, when well established, will require little care, and continue for many years. The roots may be divided in spring or autumn; and should be set three feet apart, as directed for seedling plants; covering the crowns three inches deep. _Use._--Lovage was formerly cultivated as an esculent; but its use as such has long been discontinued. It is now cultivated for its medicinal properties; both the seeds and roots being used. The latter are large, fleshy, dark-brown without, yellowish within, and of a peculiar, warm, aromatic taste. They are sliced and dried, and in this state are used to some extent by confectioners. The seeds are similar to the roots in taste and odor, but have greater pungency. In appearance and flavor, the plant is not unlike Celery. There are no varieties. * * * * * MARIGOLD. Pot Marigold. Calendula officinalis. This hardy annual is a native of France and the south of Europe. Aside from its value for culinary purposes, its large, deep, orange-yellow flowers are showy and attractive; and it is frequently cultivated as an ornamental plant. The stem is about a foot in height; the leaves are thick and fleshy, rounded at the ends, and taper to the stalk; the flowers are an inch and a half or two inches in diameter, yellow,--differing, however, in depth of color, and single or double according to the variety; the seeds are large, light-brown, much curved and contorted, and very irregular both in their size and form. _Sowing and Cultivation._--The plant is of easy culture. The seeds are sown in autumn, just after ripening; or in April, May, or June. Make the drills a foot apart; cover the seed three-fourths of an inch deep; and, when the plants are an inch or two inches high, thin them to eight or ten inches apart. Plants from the first sowing will blossom early in July, and continue in bloom until destroyed by frost. _Gathering._--The flowers are gathered when fully expanded, divested of their calyxes, and spread in a light, airy, shaded situation until they are thoroughly dried. They are gathered as they come to perfection; for, when the plants are allowed to ripen their seeds, they become much less productive. _To raise Seed._--Leave one or two of the finest plants, without cutting the flowers; and, when the heads of seed begin to change from a green to a brownish color, cut them off, spread them a short time as directed for drying the flowers, and pack away for use. _Use._--The flowers are used in various parts of Europe for flavoring soups and stews, and are much esteemed. Though often grown as an ornamental plant, the flowers are but little used in this country for culinary purposes. The varieties are as follow:-- COMMON ORANGE-FLOWERED. Flowers single, deep orange-yellow, high-flavored. It is considered the best variety for cultivation. LEMON-FLOWERED. This differs from the foregoing in the paler color of the flowers, which are also less aromatic. The plants are not distinguishable from those of the Common Orange-flowered. DOUBLE ORANGE-FLOWERING. Of the same color with the first named, but with fine, large, double ornamental flowers. The petals are flat, and rest in an imbricated manner, one on the other, as in some varieties of the Anemone. It is more productive, but less aromatic, than the Single-flowering. DOUBLE LEMON-FLOWERING. A variety of the second-named sort, with double flowers like those of the preceding. To raise good seeds of either of the double-flowering kinds, all plants producing single flowers must be removed as soon as their character is known. When the single and double-flowering plants are suffered to grow together, the latter rapidly deteriorate, and often ultimately become single-flowering. CHILDING, OR PROLIFEROUS MARIGOLD. _Loud._ This variety produces numerous small flowers from the margin of the calyx of the large central flowers. It is quite ornamental, but of little value as an esculent. * * * * * MARJORAM. Origanum. COMMON MARJORAM. Origanum vulgare. A perennial species, with a shrubby, four-sided stem, a foot and a half high; leaves oval, opposite,--at the union of the leaves with the stalk, there are produced several smaller leaves, which, in size and form, resemble those of the Common Sweet Marjoram; the flowers are pale-red, or flesh-colored, and produced in rounded, terminal spikes; the plants blossom in July and August, and the seeds ripen in September. _Propagation and Culture._--It may be grown from seeds, but is generally propagated by dividing the roots, either in spring or autumn. Set them in a dry and warm situation, in rows fifteen inches apart, and ten or twelve inches from plant to plant in the rows. The seeds may be sown in a seed-bed in April or May, and the seedlings transplanted to rows as directed for setting the roots; or they may be sown in drills fifteen inches apart, afterwards thinning out the young plants to ten inches apart in the drills. There is a variety with white flowers, and another with variegated foliage. _Use._--The young shoots, cut at the time of flowering and dried in the shade, are used as Sweet Marjoram for seasoning soups and meats. The whole plant is highly aromatic. SWEET MARJORAM. Knotted Marjoram. Origanum majorana. Sweet Marjoram is a native of Portugal. Though a biennial, it is always treated as an annual; not being sufficiently hardy to withstand the winters of the Middle or Northern States in the open ground. The plant is of low growth, with a branching stem, and oval or rounded leaves. The flowers, which appear in July and August, are of a purplish color, and produced in compact clusters, or heads, resembling knots: whence the term "Knotted Marjoram" of many localities. The seeds are brown, exceedingly small, and retain their germinative properties three years. _Sowing and Cultivation._--Sweet Marjoram is raised from seeds sown annually in April, May, or June. Its propagation, however, is generally attended with more or less difficulty, arising from the exceeding minuteness of the seeds, and the liability of the young seedlings to be destroyed by the sun before they become established. The seeds are sown in drills ten or twelve inches apart, and very thinly covered with finely pulverized loam. Coarse light matting is often placed over the bed immediately after sowing, to facilitate vegetation; and, if allowed to remain until the plants are well up, will often preserve a crop which would otherwise be destroyed. The seeds are sometimes sown in a hot-bed, and the plants set out in May or June, in rows twelve inches apart, and six inches apart in the rows. _Gathering._--The plants, when in flower or fully developed, are cut to the ground; and, for winter use, are dried and preserved as other pot-herbs. _Use._--Sweet Marjoram is highly aromatic, and is much used, both in the