MEN 



MEN 



There is a variety with the scent of Basil ; 

 Orange scented Mint; Gold striped orange Mint ; 

 Yellow orange Mint; and Reddish oransre 

 Mint. 



The sixth species has a fibrous perennial root : 

 the stems smooth, and putting out roots at every 

 joint: the leaves lor the most part entire: the 

 flowers towards the upper part of the branches, 

 just above the leaves at each joint, in whorls : 

 the corolla small, pale purple; upper lip entire : 

 the stamens of the same length with the corolla, 

 but the style somewhat longer. It is a native of 

 many parts of Europe, flowering in August and 

 September. 



It varies with a white flower, and with the 

 stems erect, nearly a foot high: the leaves longer 

 and narrower : the whorls of flowers much 

 larger : the stamens longer than the corolla : 

 this is Spanish Pennyroyal, which has almost 

 superseded the other sort ; the stems being 

 more erect, it is easier to tie in bunches, and it 

 conies earlier to flower, and has a brighter ap- 

 pearance. 



The seventh has also erect stems, nearly two 

 feet high, sending out side branches all their 

 length : the leaves are very narrow, and of a 

 thicker substance than those of common 

 Pennyroyal : the whorls of flowers are rather 

 larger, and the stalks are frequently terminated 

 by them : the scent is not quite so strong as that 

 of the sixth sort. It flowers about the same 

 time, and is a native of the South of France 

 and Italy. 



There is a variety with white flowers, grow- 

 ing taller than the common one with purple 

 flowers, which is by some preferred to the sixth 

 sort for medicinal use, and called Hart's 

 •Pennyroyal. 



Culture in the mint kind. — These plants may 

 all be increased with facility by young offset plants 

 or shoots, or by parting their roots, and planting 

 them out in the spring, or by planting cuttings 

 during any of the summer months in a moist 

 soil. After the cuttings are planted, when the 

 season is dry, they should be often watered un- 

 til they have taken root ; when they require no 

 further care, but to be kept clean from weeds. 

 The best method is to plant them in beds about 

 four feet wide, allowing a path about two feet 

 broad between them, to water, weed, and cut 

 ihc plants; being set four or five inches or more 

 distant in the rows, as the plants spread much 

 at their roots ; on which account the beds 

 should not stand longer than three years before 

 planting them again," as by that time the roots 

 become so closely matted, as to rot and decay 

 <rach other when they stand longer. 



The general culture is that of clearinT them 



from weeds in spring and summer, cutting down 

 all the remaining stalks annually in autumn ; 

 clearing them of all weeds ; digging the alleys, 

 and spreading a little of the earth over the 

 beds. 



Plantations thus formed will afford several 

 cuttings every summer, when only wanted 

 young for use, for culinary purposes ; but when 

 for drying to keep in winter, or green for dis- 

 tilling or medicinal use, the plants should gene- 

 rally be suffered to stand until nearly full grown, 

 and they are just coming into flower; which 

 being then cut down close, the roots send up 

 another crop fit for cutting again in the begin- 

 ing of autumn, or towards Michaelmas ; each 

 general cutting being always made as close to 

 the ground as possible. 



Forcing Mint on hot-beds. — When it is much 

 wanted for salads in the winter and early spring- 

 seasons, a hot-bed should be made for this purpose, 

 any time after November till the spring, about 

 two feet thick of dung, covering it with garden- 

 frames and glasses, or with mats, on arched 

 sticks, which should then be earthed over with 

 rich mould, six inches thick ; when a quantity 

 of the roots should be taken up from a bed and 

 planted pretty close together upon the surface 

 of the bed, moulding them over an inch deep 

 with fine earth, putting on the lights, or other 

 coverings, keeping them close in the nights and 

 in bad weather, but admitting fresh air in mild 

 weather. The plants soon come up, when con- 

 tinue to admit fresh air in fine weather, and 

 give moderate waterings, and they will soon 

 be ready to have their young green tops gather- 

 ed for use. 



When the plants are two or three inches 

 high, they are ready for being cropped, after 

 which they readily break out again, and fresh 

 shoots rise from the bottom ; so that the same 

 bed furnishes fresh supplies a long time; two 

 beds, made at different times, being generally 

 sufficient for the whole winter use. 



In this way Mint may be obtained young 

 and green from the time that in the natural 

 ground goes oft" in autumn until it comes in 

 again in the spring season. 



It may also be procured by planting some 

 roots thick in large pots, and placing them in a 

 hot-house, as they quickly shoot and furnish 

 plants of young green Mint. 



Where this practice is much attended to, 

 small fresh plantations should be made annu- 

 ally in the open ground for the purpose of 

 furnishing a sufficiency of roots, proper for 

 taking up at forcing time, without disturbin"' 

 those of the principal crop-;. 



Culture in the Pennyroyal kinds. — These may 



