SWEET HERBS 



59 



early in the spring. Fully half the list are members of the 

 mint family, whose odd two-lipped blossoms are familiar. 

 They are grown for their leaves and the tender tips of the 

 branches, which are used for flavoring stews and like foods. 

 Sage, spearmint, and catnip are relatively common. Balm, 

 thyme, pennyroyal, rosemary, pepper- 

 mint, and summer or winter savory are 

 at least familiar names. Hoarhound, 

 hyssop, pot and sweet marjoram, clary 

 and sweet basil belong to this same mint 

 family. 



Most other herbs belong to the parsley 

 family having their flowers in umbels. 

 Caraway is a type of those whose seeds 

 are used in flavoring breads and other 

 foods, the others of this class being cori- 

 ander, anise, and cumin. Parsley and 

 chervil are species grown for their leaves, 

 which have become finely cut and crisply 

 curled in cultivation so that they are 

 used for garnishing dishes as well as for 

 flavoring. Dill is grown both for its 

 tender foliage and for its seeds. 



Of the few remaining herbs which belong to other families 

 of plants, tansy, rue, and lavender are hardy perennials, 

 while borage is a hardy annual which reseeds itself. These 

 hardly deserve cultivation for use in flavoring, although per- 

 haps worth while for their flowers and to complete the herb 

 list in the school garden. 



Mint, that is, spearmint, is a good herb to grow first. Its 

 seeds are not catalogued for sale, but it multiplies very 



Parsley Seedling. 



