216 BASIL BORAGE. 



used in soups and salads. A soup is seldom served by the French and 

 Dutch without chervil as a part. It is thought to be a more mild sea- 

 soning than parsley, so common with our cooks. A writer said 200 

 years ago, "chervil should be eaten with oil and vinegar, being first 

 boiled, which is very good for old people that are dull and without 

 courage : it rejoiceth and comforteth the heart and increaseth the 

 strength." There are two varieties, the plain and the curled, differ- 

 ing little in quality ; the latter is principally cultivated; the former 

 has poisonous roots, and the stems and leaves dye a beautiful green, 

 and the umbels a yellow. It is found wild only, on fertile soils. A 

 successive supply of the latter is obtained by sowing in Feb. and Aug. 

 in shallow drills, 8 inches apart, and covered lightly; it is also sown 

 broad-cast, raked in and thinned. Sown in Aug., in beds, it is used 

 throughout the winter, if protected. The leaves, 3 or 4 inches long, 

 are cut close, when they are followed by others. The rest of the spe- 

 cies are weeds. Umbels sessile ; flowers white j leaves triply pin- 

 nate ; herb pale, sweet scented. 



BASIL, bassilicum ocymum, C. 14, O. 1, Labiatee, sp. 20-50, A. 1-3 

 ft. It derives its name from the strong scent, or from quickly, owing 

 to its rapid growth. It is of E. India origin. Two varieties are cul- 

 tivated here. The sweet, or large leaf, is principally raised for the 

 table. Though introduced in 1573, it has not been long used. It en- 

 ters into all the soups and sauces of the French. The leaves, the part 

 used, have a strong flavor, like cloves, and are excellent for seasoning 

 dishes, rnock turtle soup, or as a salad. They are tender ; and tied in 

 bunches and hung in a dry room, they keep well. They have been 

 used in medicine. Both sorts (common sweet and bush) are raised from 

 seed sown on a prepared bed in April, transplanted into warm light 

 soil, in rows 6 or 8 inches apart each way, and watered occasionally. 

 They are tender plants, and should be pulled, tied and hung up before 

 frosts Leaves ovate smooth, calyx fringed, stem hairy, 3 ft. high ; 

 flowers white and violet, small, in bunches, terminal. 



BORAGE, borago officinalis, C. 5, O. 1, Boraginese, sp, 4-7, A. 3 ft. 

 It is brought from Aleppo, and formerly supposed to have cordial vir- 

 tues. The tender leaves are used as a pot-herb in Italy, and the flow- 

 ers in France as an ornament. In a beverage of wine, with water, 

 sugar and lemon juice, it gives an additional coolness. The young 

 leaves are used as a pot-herb or salad. The plants of this tribe are 

 harmless and inert ; their prevailing constituent is mucilage ; nitre is 

 also found in some species. Its coloring principle is employed to color 

 unguents and oils, as lip salve and hair oil. Two species only are 

 much known. B. O. is now mostly used as an ingredient in summer 

 drinks, called " cool tankard." 



OKRA, Gombo, hibiscus esculentus, is much used in soups and stews, 

 imparting a rich flavor and considered nutritious. The green cap- 



