2OO 



Commercial Gardening 



Fig. 517. Tarragon (Artemisia Dracunculus) 



each of which is also deeply cut into still narrower portions. The flower- 

 heads are deep yellow. The plants grow in any soil, and flourish for years 

 in the same place. The young leaves are used for flavouring, colouring 



puddings, &c. 



Tarragon (Artemisia Dracunculus). This relative of the Southern- 

 wood and Wormwood is a native 

 of Siberia. It is a perennial 

 about 2 ft. high, with lance- 

 shaped aromatic leaves and small 

 whitish flowers in summer. It 

 flourishes in any garden soil in 

 warm sheltered spots. It is in- 

 creased by division in spring, and 

 by cuttings in summer, inserted 

 in sandy soil in frames or shel- 

 tered and shady borders. Estab- 

 lished plants will last for years 

 with a little protection over the 

 crowns in severe winters. The 

 leaves and tops are used in soups 



and salads, pickled with gherkins, &c. They are also infused in vinegar 

 to make Tarragon vinegar. 



Thyme (Thymus vulgaris). The common Thyme is a dwarf compact 

 shrubby plant with wiry stems and small deep-green triangular leaves, 

 greyish beneath. There are narrow-leaved and broad-leaved forms, the 

 latter being a taller and bigger plant in every way. The Lemon Thyme 

 (T. Citriodorus) and the Wild Thyme, or Mother-of-Thyme, are also grown 

 (T. Serpyllum), as well as a golden-leaved form of the Lemon Thyme. 



All kinds are largely used for flavouring soups, stuffing, &c., the leaves 

 and young shoots being picked for such purposes, tied in bunches and dried 

 slowly. Thyme is often grown as an edging plant, and is divided every 

 third or fourth year. It is also raised from seed sown in drills or broadcast, 

 the young plants being afterwards thinned out 3 or 4 in. apart. A light, 

 rich, and deeply- worked soil and warm situations are best. The oil of Red 

 Thyme is largely used in perfumery. 



Watercress. The cultivation of Watercress (Nasturtium officinale) 

 is carried on in various parts of Herts, Bucks, Essex, Berks, Surrey, 

 Hants, and Dorset, in areas varying from | ac. up to as much as 15 ac. 

 in extent; and although the greater consumption of such early salads 

 as lettuces, radishes, cucumbers, and tomatoes has entered into competition 

 with it, the trade in Watercress is perhaps more extended now than ever 

 before. There are two kinds of Watercress grown for market, viz. the 

 "brown" and the "green". The brown is distinguished from the green 

 by the purple brown on the leaf stalks and main veins, the green variety 

 lacking this colour. From a cultural point of view the "brown" also 

 differs considerably from the "green" in that it must be grown in pure 



