The Field and Garden Vegetables of America Part 74

WORMS.

Astragalus hamosus.

A hardy, annual plant, indigenous to the south of Europe. Stem ten or twelve inches long, rec.u.mbent; leaves pinnate, with ten or twelve pairs of quite small leaflets; flowers yellow, produced five or six together at the extremity of quite a long stem, or peduncle; the seed-pods are about two inches long, nearly a fourth of an inch thick, peculiarly bent or curved, and contain ten or twelve brown seeds.

There is but one species or variety cultivated.

_Sowing and Culture._--The plants may be started by sowing the seeds in a hot-bed in March, or the seeds may be sown in the open ground in May.

They are cultivated in rows fourteen inches apart, and ten or twelve inches apart in the rows; and are also grown in groups, or hills, three or four together. The plants blossom in July, and the pods attain their growth in August and September.

_Use._--The pods, in their green state, much resemble some descriptions of worms; and, like Caterpillars (_Scorpiurus_) and Snails (_Medicago_), are sometimes placed on dishes of salad to excite curiosity, or for pleasantly surprising the guests at table. Though inoffensive, they are seldom eaten.

CHAPTER VIII.

OLERACEOUS PLANTS.

Angelica. Anise. Balm. Basil. Borage. Caraway. Clary. Coriander.

Costmary. c.u.min. Dill. Fennel. Lavender. Lovage. Marigold. Marjoram.

Nigella. Parsley. Peppermint. Rosemary. Sage. Savory. Spearmint. Tansy.

Thyme.

ANGELICA.

Angelica archangelica.

Angelica is a native of Hungary and Germany, and is also indigenous to Great Britain. It is a hardy, biennial plant, with a cylindrical, hollow, herbaceous stem four or five feet high. The radical leaves are from two to three feet long, compound, or divided in threes, purplish-red at the base; flowers small, pale-yellow, in large, terminal, spherical umbels; the seeds are of a yellowish color, oblong, flattened on one side, convex on the opposite, ribbed, thin, and membraneous on the borders, and retain their germinative power but a single season,--nearly six thousand are contained in an ounce.

_Soil and Culture._--The plants thrive best in damp, and even wet, localities; but may be grown in any good, well-enriched soil. As the seeds soon lose their vitality, they should be sown in August, immediately after ripening. Make a small bed, sow the seeds in drills ten inches apart, and cover three-fourths of an inch deep. In this seed-bed allow the young plants to remain until the following spring, when they should be set out two feet asunder in each direction. The stalks will be fit for use in May and June of the following year. If the flower-stem is removed as it makes its appearance, the plants will put forth fresh sprouts from the sides of the root, and survive three years; but when allowed to blossom, and to perfect their seeds, the plants soon after perish.

_Use._--Angelica was formerly used, after being blanched, as a salad, like Celery. In the vicinity of London, it is raised to a considerable extent for confectioners,--the tender leaf-stalks and flowering-shoots serving as a basis for sweetmeat. The seeds are sometimes employed for flavoring liquors.

ANISE.

Pimpinella anisum.

This is an annual plant, originally from Egypt. Though but little cultivated in this country, neither our soil nor climate is unsuitable; and it might be successfully, if not profitably, grown in the Middle and warmer parts of the Northern States. Large quant.i.ties of the seeds are raised on the Island of Malta and in some parts of Spain, and thence exported to England and America for the purpose of distillation or expression.

The stem is from a foot and a half to two feet high, and separates into numerous slender branches; the leaves are twice pinnate,--those of the upper part of the stalk divided into three or four narrow segments; the flowers are small, yellowish-white, produced in large, loose umbels, at the extremities of the branches; the seeds are of a grayish-green color, oblong, slightly bent or curved, convex and ribbed on one side, concave on the opposite, and terminate in a small bunch, or k.n.o.b,--nearly nine thousand are contained in an ounce, and they retain their vitality three years.

_Culture._--Anise is raised from seeds sown annually, and thrives best in light, rich, comparatively dry soil, and in a warm, sunny situation.

As early in spring as the appearance of settled warm weather, lay out a bed four feet and a half wide, and as long as may be desired; spread on a thin dressing of well-digested compost, and spade it thoroughly in with the soil; then rake the surface fine and even, and sow the seed thinly in drills twelve inches apart and an inch deep, allowing an ounce of seed for a hundred and fifty linear feet. When the plants are an inch high, thin them to five or six inches apart; and, as they increase in size, keep the ground between the rows loose, and the s.p.a.ces between the plants free from weeds. Towards the close of the season, the seed will be ripened sufficiently for harvesting; when the plants should be pulled up, and spread in a sunny place until dry. The seed should then be threshed from the heads, riddled and winnowed, and again exposed to the sun, or spread in a dry, airy room, to evaporate any remaining moisture; when they will be ready for use or the market.

In field culture, the grower should follow substantially the same method, with the exception of laying out the ground; omitting, in this particular, its division into beds. After the land has been well prepared, the seed can be sown with great facility by a common sowing-machine, adjusted as when employed for sowing carrots. At the time of harvesting, the plants may be cut near the surface of the ground, or even mowed; thereby avoiding much of the inconvenience arising from the soil that adheres to the roots when the plants are pulled up.

There are no varieties.

_Use._--The seeds and leaves are used both in medicine and cookery. The green leaves are employed in salads, and for seasoning and garnis.h.i.+ng, like Fennel. The seeds have a fragrant odor, a pleasant, warm taste, and are highly carminative. Large quant.i.ties are used for distillation and in flavoring liquors, and also for expressing for their essential oil.

BALM.

Melissa officinalis.

A hardy, perennial plant, from the south of Europe. The stalk is four-sided, branching, and from two to three feet high; leaves opposite, in pairs, ovate, toothed on the borders; the flowers are small, nearly white, produced in spikes, or cl.u.s.ters, at or near the top of the plant.

_Soil, Propagation, and Culture._--Any warm, mellow, garden soil is suited to its growth. It is generally propagated by dividing the roots, which may be done either in spring or in autumn. After thoroughly stirring the soil, set the roots in rows fifteen inches apart, and a foot apart in the rows. Under good management, the plants will soon completely cover the surface of the ground, and the bed will not need renewal for many years.

_Gathering._--If required for drying, the plants should be cut as they come into flower, separating the stems at the surface of the ground.

They should not be exposed to the sun in drying, but placed in an airy, shady place, and allowed to dry gradually. The leaves, in their green state, may be taken directly from the plants as they are required for use.

_Use._--The plant has a pleasant, lemon-like odor; an agreeable, aromatic taste; and, in flavoring certain dishes, is used as a subst.i.tute for lemon-thyme. It is beneficial in hemorrhage, and other diseases of the lungs; and, in the form of tea, const.i.tutes a cooling and grateful diluent in fevers. A mixture of balm and honey, or sugar, is sometimes applied to the interior of beehives, just previous to receiving the swarm, for the purpose of "attaching the colony to its new settlement."

BASIL.

Ocymum.

There are two species of Basil cultivated in gardens; viz., the Common Sweet Basil (_O. basilic.u.m_) and the Small Bush Basil (_O. minimum_). Of the Common Sweet Basil, there are three varieties; and of the Bush Basil, two varieties. They are all annuals, and are grown from seeds, which are black, small, oblong, and retain their vitality from six to ten years.

COMMON SWEET BASIL.

Large Sweet Basil. Ocymum basilic.u.m.

Stem from a foot to a foot and a half in height; leaves comparatively large, green, ovate, sharply pointed; flowers white, in whorls at the extremities of the stems and branches. The whole plant, when bruised, is highly aromatic; having the odor and flavor of cloves.

The seeds of the Common Sweet Basil, and also those of the two following varieties, may be sown in a hot-bed in March, and the plants set out in May in rows a foot apart, and five or six inches apart in the rows; or the seeds may be sown in the open ground the last of April or early in May, and the plants thinned while young, as directed for transplanting.

In removing the plants from the hot-bed, retain as much of the earth about the roots as possible; water freely as soon as transplanted, and also in dry weather; and they will soon yield an abundance of tender stems and leaves.

_Varieties._--

PURPLE BASIL.

Basilic grand violet. _Vil._

Leaves and flowers purple. When grown in sunny situations, the leaf-stems and young branches are also purple. In other respects, the variety is similar to the Common Sweet Basil. Its properties and uses are the same.