THYME SAVORY. 



and wholesome, and occasionally some mushrooms and the truffle, are 

 used for seasoning. Some of these, it will be seen, we have arranged 

 under other heads to which their chief characteristics entitle them, 

 it being an important object with us in this work, to arrange all plants 

 in the natural order which their chief qualities indicate. 



THYME, Thymus vulgaris, C. 14. O. 1. Labiatese, sp. 20-32, E. 1 

 ft. A name signifying courage or thought, from its supposed qualities 

 in reviving the spirits, &c. It was anciently used in sacrifices on ac- 

 count of its fragrance. It grows wild in stony places in the S. of Eu- 

 rope, where, in some places, it is 6 feet high. In Greece it was well 

 known for the excellence of the honey it afforded ; and it is said that 

 sheep eating of it afford the finest mutton, and deer the finest venison. 

 Others say they do not eat it. It has an agreeable aromatic smell and 

 a warm pungent taste. An infusion of it is used as a tonic for the 

 stomach, for reviving the spirits and relieving the headache. Its prin- 

 cipal use is for broths, soups and ragouts, and in stuffings to savour 

 meats, &c. The lemon thyme is less pungent than the common gar- 

 den kind, but is more grateful, and is used for seasoning veal, &c. 

 Two varieties only are cultivated, and both from seeds. Thyme should 

 be cut when in blossom, well dried in the shade, and hung up in paper 

 bags. An essential oil from it, especially the calyx, is very acrid und 

 pungent, and is sometimes used for culinary purposes. Thymus ser- 

 pyllum, a variety, naturalized here, is of a milder flavor and more 

 grateful than the common thyme. T. vulgaris has the aroma com- 

 mon to lavender, sage and rosemary. It yields a species of camphor 

 by distillation with water. It is put in with pickled olives, but it would 

 not answer well with pickled cucumbers. It is known here as a low 

 shrubby evergreen. The broad,narrow and variegated leaved are com- 

 monly cultivated. The lemon thyme is a smaller trailing evergreen 

 thriving in dry soil. All sorts are propagated by seeds. It was em- 

 ployed by the Romans to give flavor to cheese. The young leaves and 

 tops are the parts used. It is sown early in spring on a bed or in 

 drills, 6 inches apart, and cultivated like sage, &c. It will not thrive 

 on stiff moist soil. The cuttings and slips of the young branches, 

 planted in the spring in a shady place, grow readily. Seven species 

 are common, one being the Virginia thyme. 



SAVORY, Satureia, C. 14. O. 1. sp. 10-17. A. Ij ft to cram or 

 satisfy. It is in much use for seasoning soups, broths and stewed 

 meats. There are two varieties cultivated, both from the S. of Europe. 

 The Winter (S. montana) is a perennial, hardy and shrubby, and the 

 Summer (S. hortensis) is a hardy annual. They have a hot aromatic 

 and penetrating taste, and are an excellent seasoning for farinacious 

 food, as peas, beans, &c., preventing wind in the stomach. It was 

 formerly used in cakes. The winter or everlasting savory is propa- 

 gated from seeds or slips, and summer savory from seeds only. The 



