VEGETABLES 59 



MINT 



The best to grow for all ordinary purposes is 

 the true spear mint. This herb is increased by 

 division of the roots in spring and covering them 

 with two inches of soil. It requires rich and moist 

 ground. Cuttings of the young shoots root freely 

 in the early summer if kept moist and shaded. It 

 is very necessary to keep the mint bed clear from 

 weeds, and to allow plenty of space for growing. 

 To have mint ready for Easter, some roots should 

 be put into frames or some planted in a box and 

 kept in a greenhouse. 



Peppermint is grown in the same way. 



MUSHROOMS 



The mushroom was one of the table delicacies 

 in the early days of English history. From some 

 of the Roman records we read that the Em- 

 peror Claudius met his death at the hands of 

 his wife Agrippina (who was also his niece), who 

 had prepared him a dishful of the poisonous species. 

 In France mushrooms form a very large article 

 of consumption, and beds of them are cultivated 

 frequently miles in extent. A cave at Mery 

 contained in 1867 twenty-one miles of beds, pro- 

 ducing not less than 3,000 lb. daily. The catacombs 

 and quarries, Moulin de la Roche, Sous Bicetre, and 

 Bagneuse produce immense quantities of them. 

 These are all under Government supervision, and 

 are periodically inspected. 



