40 



IRISH GARDENING. 



The Herb Industry.* 



It is less than a year since this Association was 

 started, with only a few members, there are now 

 nearly 400 members. Sub-centres, each with its 

 own president and. secretary, have been formed 

 in eleven counties as soon as there were over 

 eight members in each. These counties are : — 

 Co. Antrim, Co. Cork, Co. Dublin, Co. Galway, 

 Co. Kei'ry. Co. Louth, Co. Meath, Queen's Co., 

 Co. Waterford, Co. Wexford, and Co. Wicklow. 



Co. Cork stands at the head with IIS members, 

 and Co. Dublin second with 56. 



We have found that this has worked very well, 

 and the membership increases directly a sub- 

 centre is formed. 



We have the valuable help of Professor Johnson 

 in identifying the plants sent up by members, 

 and this should solve .some problenis, for though 

 one niay know the names, characteristics and 

 habits of many cultivated and wild plants, these 

 lesser known herbs ratlier defeat one at times. 



The Irish Agi'icultural Wholesale Society have 

 for a time stored and done their best to sell the 

 dried herbs sent up to them ; but, as they only 

 took this up in October, they received chiefly 

 almost unsaleable small quantities of summer 

 harvested herbs, with no opportunity of their 

 being added thus late in the season, and they had, 

 therefore, a very poor chance of selling them. 



A good many members were disappointed at 

 not being paid at once, but this was unavoidable, 

 and I think you will see how heavily the Irish 

 Agricultural Wholesale Society were handicapped. 

 Perhaps some of you dont know that herb 

 merchants buy in tons and hundredweights, and 

 that therefore it takes some time to assemble a 

 marketable quantity from small lots sent up 

 Now that we hope to have our own drying depot. 

 I expect that this trouble will be overcome. 



Very soon after this Association was started, 

 we affiliated with the National Herb-growing 

 Association, and quite lately with the National 

 Herb Federation, which last organisation will, I 

 feel convinced, give us a great deal of real help 

 and information. We have agreed to admit Is. 

 associates of not more than £25 Poor Law 

 Valuation, to enable women and school children 

 in the country to sell herbs which they may grow 

 or collect. 



The local organisation of this is in the hands 

 of the presidents and secretaries of the sub- 

 centres, and should, I think, receive a great deal 

 of attention between now and April. 



If properly worked, it should be the means of 

 bringing a large quantity of wild herbs into the 

 drying depots, and also benefiting poor associates 

 to sonre extent. 



Now, as to the herbs which should be cultivated 

 in Co. Dublin, that — as everywhere — dejiends ov 

 the soil. 



We are lucky in Ireland in having, I think, a 

 large proportion of limestone and calcareous land, 

 which enables us to jsroduce, besides racehorses 

 and grain, the more valuable of these medicinal 

 herbs. This soil construction appertains, I 

 believe, to a great extent in Co. Dublin, and there 

 is the added advantage of the proximity of the 

 sea, which is an imiDortant faictor in the well-being 



From a paper read in Dublin. 



of that captious treasure — Henbane. It grows 

 wild, I think, on one of the islands off Howth. 



We are told by the National Herb Federation 

 that Henbane. Belladonna, Datura, Digitalis and 

 Double Camomile are the herbs which will be 

 most wanted next season, and we are asked to 

 grow them in quantity co-oijeratively, rather than 

 a diversity of lierbs according to individual fancy. 



My experience of Belladonna, Camomile and 

 Datui^a is that the cultivation is perfectly easy, 

 and the labour required is no more than for 

 herbaceous borders and useless bedding out. 



Digitalis gro^vs wild in so many jjlaces, and 

 where it is found in quantity would be an addition 

 for collection to the herb cultivated. 



Henbane, I must own, I have not had the 

 courage to try, but I intend to grapple with its 

 many likes and dislikes and fretful ways this 

 season. 



I should like to warn any intending growers of 

 Double Camomile against raising it from seed, as 

 a large proportion of it comes single-flowered, 

 which is not now so valuable. I sowed sonie seed 

 last year as well as putting down guaranteed 

 double plants, and there was not one double 

 flower On the ones from seed. 



The double variety also has an underhand way 

 of reverting to single flowers if you try to grow it 

 on a soil it does not approve of. It is as well to 

 manure the land lightly before planting it. 



Belladonna and Datura are easy crops in suit- 

 able ground and give very little trouble. 



My practical advice to you for your county is 

 to select an herb or two herbs by vote at a 

 meeting, and try and grow those co-operatively in 

 large quantities, so that you will have the bulk 

 which I have already spoken of to harvest and 

 send away. 



I have said an herb or two herbs, because I 

 dont really know your individual soils, but 

 leaflets which have been compiled on the culture 

 of different herbs are on sale ai Greene's Library, 

 Clare Street, at Id. post free, and, with other 

 literature, here you will easily be able, with a 

 little study, to select those which .suit your 

 locality best. 



I want here to say a woi'd to nurserymen, if 

 there are any present. I know you are all going 

 through a very difficult time ; you have your 

 stock, and must therefore retain a good many of 

 your staff, but though wages have to be paid 

 orders do not conie in as they did before the war. 



Herbaceous and bedding out things are not 

 wanted now — they are pleasure plants — and I 

 suppose that you will, some of you. convert spare 

 land into grain or potato ground, but this is not 

 feasible in all cases. 



Can you not lay out sonie of your ground in 

 medicinal herbs ? 



Grow one as a crop, or grow a variety to sell 

 the seeds and plants to our growers. At present 

 we have to get our seeds in England and France, 

 but we would much rather put our money into 

 Ii^eland if we can get guaranteed reliable stuff 

 here. 



And. remember, very few of these herbs ask 

 for your best land, while many of them prefer 

 shade, n^oisture. or waste places. 



Now. as to the prospect of herb-growing as an 

 industry in Ireland. Well, the prospect of any- 

 thing seems a little uncertain just now. and it is 

 not a time to prophecy as to the future, but one 

 may presume that driigs and medicine will always 



