202 
XXXVIII.—MINOR AGRICULTURAL 
INDUSTRIES: IV. 
CuLinaRy HeErss. 
W. DaLimore. 
A good deal of attention has been paid during the last few - 
months to the cultivation of medicinal herbs, but little notice 
has been taken of the cultivation of flavouring or culinary herbs 
although it is an industry of some importance amongst cottagers 
and small farmers in the neighbourhood of certain large towns. 
In south-west Lancashire such herbs are very popular under the 
name of pot-herbs and they find a ready sale in Liverpool, 
Bolton, Manchester, Bury and many other places. 
During the autumn of 1915 an opportunity occurred of visiting 
a number of farms and cottage gardens in the Lancashire villages 
of Maghull, Lydiate, Aughton, Scarisbrick and Narrow Moss, 
where pot-herbs are well grown, and the following notes are 
based largely upon information gleaned during that visit. 
| e work appears to be confined to small farms and cottage 
gardens, farmers with large holdings rarely troubling about the 
business. In some instances cottagers specialise on the work, 
whilst in other cases a few beds of herbs are included amongst 
other market crops. Very often the work of cultivation and 
The herbs most in demand are thyme, sage, marjoram, mitt, 
and parsley. The soil in that neighbourhood is generally light 
and it is usually heavily manured for potatoes or some other 
crop before being planted with herbs. As a rule the herbs are 
planted in beds about 4 ft. wide, for convenience of handling, 
although wide breadths are sometimes seen. 
annual duration, the other perennial, and they are known 
h a 
be conveniently grasped in one hand. The stock thyme 1s 
increased each spring by division. Small plants are put out 10 
up, the necessary number of plants for division for the following 
year's crop being retained. Both thymes were identified at 
ew as forms of Thymus vulgaris, L. 
. e ’ 
a of two kinds is also grown under the names of “ annual ° 
and *“‘stock”’ sage. Th : ds sown 
age. e first-named is grown from seeds 80 
