The Field and Garden Vegetables of America Part 77

_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 st.u.r.dy, 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.

Ligustic.u.m levistic.u.m.

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.