On the Cultivatioji of Herbs and Salads. 109 



Planting is performed in the following manner ; but, in the 

 first place, it must be understood that single plants are never 

 employed ; properly speaking, each bush is composed of a 

 small handful of slips — I counted four in one hole. The 

 ground being all lined out, plants are lifted out of the old 

 plantation that is being destroyed, and split into as many 

 pieces as possible. The further they are split down, so as to 

 have roots to them, so much the better ; for, if by careless- 

 ness a strong slip is broken off high up, that slip is almost 

 sure to die before summer. The plants are inserted at least 

 six inches deep, leaving only about three inches of the head 

 above ground, and they are placed two feet apart each way. 

 The first year they yield a few spikes of blossoms, but the 

 second is always considered the best, and they last four or 

 five years, depending, of course, upon the general health of 

 the plants. Nothing is done to them all the summer except 

 hoeing and keeping them free from weeds. During the 

 second year an acre will fetch 20/., the expenses of cultiva- 

 tion being about 3/. 10s. ; cutting, abeut 7s. ; distilling, near- 

 ly 1/. 10s. ; tithes, a trifle. 



The proper time for cutting is just when the lower blooms 

 are beginning to change color to a darkish brown, and after 

 cutting the sooner it is distilled the better, say two or three 

 days, as, if left too long, the flowers lose much of their fra- 

 grance. Flower-stems and blossoms are all distilled together, 

 and the first running is not allowed to occupy more than two 

 hours ; this, on account of the stalks, is to get all the clearest 

 and best ; the second run occupies four hours, but the last is 

 generally of a light sherry color, and is rather stronger and 

 rougher in its odor than the former. With the thousand-and- 

 one purposes to which lavender-water is applied every one is 

 acquainted ; but a proper chemical manure for this useful 

 herb is still a desideratum. 



LiQ,uoRiCE. — The cultivation of this plant is but little un- 

 derstood in this country ; it is grown in but few districts 

 round London. The first field of it I ever saw was at New- 

 cross, nearly where the station of the Brighton Railway now 

 stands. That was 23 years ago. The locality is called the 



