BASIL. 395 



form of tea, constitutes a cooling and grateful diluent in 

 fevers. A mixture of balm and honey, or sugar, is some- 

 times applied to the interior of beehives, just previous to 

 receiving the swarm, for the purpose of " attaching the 

 colony to its new settlement." 



BASIL. 

 Ocymum. 



There are two species of Basil cultivated in gardens ; viz., 

 the Common Sweet Basil (0. basilicum) and the Small Bush 

 Basil (0 minimum). Of the Common Sweet Basil, there 

 are three varieties, and of the Bush Basil, two varieties. 

 They are all annuals, and are grown from seeds, which 

 are black, small, oblong, and retain their vitality from six 

 to ten years. 



Stem from a foot to a foot and a half in Common 



. Sweet Basil, 



height ; leaves comparatively large, green, ovate, LARGE SWKET 



BASIL. OOYMUM 



sharply pointed ; flowers white, in whorls at BASILICUM. 

 the extremities of the stems and branches. The whole 

 plant, when bruised, is highly aromatic, having the odor and 

 flavor of cloves. 



The seeds of the Common Sweet Basil, and also those of 

 the two following varieties, may be sown in a hot-bed in 

 March, and the plants set out in May in rows a foot apart, 

 and five or six inches apart in the rows ; or the seeds may be 

 sown in the open ground the last of April or early in May, 

 and the plants thinned while young, as directed for trans- 

 planting. In removing the plants from the hot-bed, retain 

 as much of the earth about the roots as possible ; water 

 freely as soon as transplanted, and also in dry weather ; 



