16 
All the mints grow easily from root runners, which can be taken 
at any time; 
yr 
a stem usually roots in water. They are perennial, 
liking moisture and some shade to be at their best, when they will 
overrun the place. M. requicii, the tiny Corsican mint, J/. citrata, 
and AM. rotundifolia are most like peppermint in their various 
fragrances. 
34. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis). When prisoners were 
brought into court from Newgate Prison, at the time of the Great 
Plague in London, bunches of aromatic herbs with antiseptic and 
_ 
preventive qualities against infection were carried in and hung or 
held by court attendants between the prisoners and the judge, rose- 
mary and rue being prominent in the collection. There is a sau- 
sage called “the Happy Sausage” made in Poland, in which the 
predominant seasoning is rosemary. It has been called the “Herb 
of Remembrance” and of loyalty, and played a part in funeral cere- 
monies in several countries. “The very smell will keep thee 
youngly,”’ ran an ancient line. It was an ingredient of the famous 
Hungary Water, said to have cured Queen Elizabeth, of Hungary, 
of paralysis. It 1s most effective used sparingly in soups, meat pies, 
stews, and with eggs. Its pungence, if freshly dried, is too power- 
ful to suit some tastes, so as with all use of herbs, your taste, rather 
than your conscience, must be your guide! 
Rosemary is a tender shrubby plant which must be kept in a cool 
greenhouse over the winter in this climate (above New York). It 
can be propagated by cuttings taken in spring. The green shoots 
pols 
are the part used and dried, and care must be taken to cut before 
they turn woody as then the pungence is too reminiscent of tur- 
pentine. 
35. Rue (Ruta graveolens) was another infection-resistant in- 
cluded in the “Flowers for the Judge” of the 17th century, still 
carried in the Courts of Assizes in England. Flies are said to be 
repelled by it, no serpent goes near it; and, curiously, sweet basil 
which, tradition has it, is sacred to serpents, does not flourish near 
rue. This is a rule of the old herbalists which has been found to 
have at least a grain of truth! Rue was an ingredient of the 
famous “Vinegar of the Four Thieves,” and under its protection 
men entered safely and robbed houses of those lying sick of the 
plague in Marseilles. Next to wormwood, it is the bitterest herb 
