SECTION XXXIII 

 Sweet Herbs and Small Salads 



From a commercial point of view the cultivation of herbs has sunk 

 to a low ebb amongst market gardeners. Some thirty or forty years 

 ago, however, man}^ kinds were grown in large quantities between the 

 rows of fruit trees and bushes, and in odd parts of the gardens where 

 other crops could not very well be grown. The decline in the industry 

 is largely due, no doubt, to the large supplies that are now imported from 

 more favourable climes than our own, and at very much lower prices. 

 And there are a few places in which medicinal herbs are grown for the 

 purposes of the big wholesale chemists, but these are scarcely market 

 gardeners in the usual sense of the term. Thirty years ago there were 

 upwards of 1000 ac. within 30 miles of London devoted to the cultivation 

 of herbs, chiefly in the neighbourhood of Mitcham, but now there are 

 very few. There are, however, still some kinds to be met with in large 

 or small patches in various places, private gardens having a greater variety 

 than what is to be found in commercial establishments. 



Angelica (Angelica Archangelica). This umbelliferous biennial or 

 perennial grows upwards of 4 ft. high, and has large deeply-divided leaves 

 and umbels of yellow flowers in roundish heads. It flourishes in rich, 

 moist soil, and is raised from seeds sown in spring or when ripe in August. 

 The seedlings are transplanted about 2 ft. apart each way, and the leaves 

 are eaten raw or cooked for use with fish or flesh. The seeds are used 

 for flavouring, and the spindle-shaped roots are employed medicinally. 



Balm (Melissa officinalis). A perennial Labiate about H ft. high, 

 native of South Europe. The young shoots are used for seasoning and 

 salads, and also in the manufacture of liqueurs and scents, as well as for 

 making decoctions for invalids. It grows in any garden soil in warm 

 sunny spots. 



Basil, Sweet (Ocymum Basilicum). This East Indian annual grows 

 about 1 ft. high. It is raised from seeds sown in gentle heat in March 

 and April, the seedlings being transferred to the open ground at the end 

 of May or early in June, 6 to 8 in. apart every way, in light rich soil. 

 The highly aromatic ovate lance-shaped leaves are used for flavouring. 



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