ROSEMARY. 421 



vest and distil the mint. The stem is coarser than before, 

 and the leaves still less abundant. The weeds this year 

 abound, and are not removed or destroyed, half or more of 

 the product of the field often being weeds. 



" The fourth year, the field is ploughed up early in the 

 spring ; and this ' renewing ' is sometimes done every third 

 year. 



" The fifth year, without any further attention, produces a 

 crop equal to the second ; after which the field is pastured 

 and reclaimed for other crops. 



" The first year produces the best quality of oil, the 

 highest yield per acre, and the greatest amount to the 

 quantity of herbage." F. Stearns. 



ROSEMARY. 



Rosmarinus officinalis. 



Rosemary is a half-hardy, shrubby plant, from three to six 

 feet in height. The leaves vary in form and color in the 

 different varieties ; the flowers are small, generally blue, and 

 produced in axillary clusters ; the seeds are brown, or black- 

 ish-brown, and retain their vitality four years. 



Propagation and Cultivation. Like most aromatic plants, 

 Rosemary requires a light, dry soil ; and, as it is not per- 

 fectly hardy, should have a sheltered situation. The Com- 

 mon Green-leaved and the Narrow-leaved are best propa- 

 gated by seeds ; but the variegated sorts are propagated only 

 by cuttings or by dividing the roots. The seeds are sown in 

 April, in a small nursery-bed, and the seedlings, when two 

 or three inches high, transplanted in rows two feet apart, and 

 eighteen inches apart in the rows. 



When propagated by cuttings, they should be taken off in 

 May or June, six inches long, and set two thirds of the 

 36 



