DILL. 403 



of May, in drills fourteen inches apart and half an inch deep. 

 When the plants are well up, they should be thinned to three 

 or four inches apart in the lines. The treatment of the 

 growing crop, and the usual method of harvesting, are the 

 same as directed for Anise or Coriander. 



The seed is sometimes sown broadcast, the soil being first 

 finely pulverized, and raked smooth and even. This may be 

 successfully practised upon land naturally light and warm, 

 if free from weeds. 



Though a native of a warm climate, Cumin may be suc- 

 cessfully grown throughout the Middle States, and in the 

 warmer portions of the Northern and Eastern. 



Use. The plant is cultivated for its seeds, which are car- 

 minative, and used as those of Caraway and Coriander. 

 They are sometimes employed for flavoring spirits. 



The plant is rarely grown, and the seeds are but little used, 

 in the United States. There are no varieties. 



DILL. Loud. 

 Anethum graveolens. 



Dill is a hardy, biennial plant. There is but one species 

 cultivated, and there are no varieties. The stem is erect and 

 slender, and the leaves are finely divided ; the flowers are 

 produced in June and July of the second year, and the seeds 

 ripen in August. The plant resembles Fennel in its general 

 character, though smaller and less vigorous. 



Propagation and Cultivation. Dill flourishes best in light 

 soil, and is propagated from seeds sown annually. As these 

 retain their vitality but a single year, and, even when kept 

 through the winter, vegetate slowly, they are frequently 

 sown late in summer, or early in autumn, immediately after 

 ripening. The drills are made a foot apart, and the seeds 



