398 OLERACEOUS PLANTS. 



CARAWAY. 



Carum carui. 



The Common Caraway is a hardy, biennial plant ; a 

 native of various parts of Europe, and to a considerable 

 extent naturalized in this country. The root is long and 

 tapering, of a yellowish-white color, and about three 

 fourths of an inch in diameter near the crown, or at its 

 broadest part ; the flesh o the root is white, fine-grained, 

 with a flavor not unlike that of the carrot ; the flower-stalks 

 are put forth the second season, and are about two feet and 

 a half in height, with numerous spreading branches ; the 

 leaves are finely cut, or divided, and of a deep green color ; 

 the flowers are small, white, and produced in umbels at the 

 ends of the branches ; the seeds, which ripen quite early in 

 the season, are of an oblong form, somewhat curved, fur- 

 rowed, slightly tapering towards the extremities, of a clear 

 olive-brown color, and pleasant, aromatic flavor and odor. 

 Nearly eight thousand five hundred seeds are contained in 

 an ounce, and they retain their vitality three years. 



Soil and Cultivation. Caraway is one of the hardiest 

 of plants, and succeeds well in almost any soil or situation. 

 In the coldest parts of the United States, and even in the 

 Canadas, it is naturalized to such an extent about fields and 

 mowing lands, as to be obtained in great abundance for the 

 mere labor of cutting up the plants as the ripening of the 

 seeds takes place. 



When cultivated, the sowing may be made in April or 

 May ; but, if sown just after ripening, the seeds not only 

 vegetate with greater certainty, but the plants often flower 

 the ensuing season, thus saving a summer's growth. Sow in 

 drills twelve or fifteen inches apart, and cover half an inch 

 deep. When the plants are well up, thin to six or eight 

 inches apart, and keep the ground loose, and free from 



