XXX. SPECIAL HERB AND LEAF CROPS 



No garden is complete without a few herbs of some kind. For 

 convenience they may be divided into two classes: (1) aromatic 

 herbs, and (2) medicinal herbs. Nearly all varieties may grow 

 almost anywhere, but they thrive best on sandy soil. 



Aromatic Herbs are used chiefly for flavoring and seasoning. 

 Some of them also have medicinal properties. In the list of aro- 

 matic herbs may be mentioned the following: (1) sweet basil, a 

 plant with a clovelike odor, used for seasoning soups and sauces; 

 (2) caraway, used for seasoning soups and flavoring cakes; (3) cori- 

 ander, whose seed afford a very desirable flavor for some articles; 

 (4) dill, an annual whose seed is highly esteemed in flavoring 

 pickles; (5) sweet fennel, a hardy perennial whose leaves are used 

 in flavoring soups, sauces, garnishes, and salads; (6) sage, whose 

 leaves when dried are used for seasoning sausage, etc. ; (7) thyme, 

 used for seasoning soups, dressings, and sauces. 



Medicinal Herbs. These are herbs which have some special 

 medicinal quality for which they are chiefly valued. In the list of 

 medicinal plants maybe mentioned : (1) anise, an annual herb whose 

 seed has an agreeable smell and taste; (2) balm, a perennial herb 

 whose leaves have a fragrant odor, used in making balm teas 

 for use in fevers; (3) catnip or catmint, a hardy perennial, highly 

 esteemed as a nervine for infants; (4) horehound, a perennial 

 herb with strong aromatic smell and a bitter pungent taste and 

 highly esteemed as a tonic for coughs and colds; (5) hyssop, a 

 hardy perennial, valued as a stimulant and expectorant in treat- 

 ing asthma and chronic catarrh; (6) wormwood, used as a tonic 

 and vermifuge and as a dressing for bruises. 



Leaf Crops. Under the head of leaf crops, there are many 

 plants that we might discuss, but at this time we wish to call 

 attention only to tea and tobacco. 



The tea plant is a bush from three to five feet in height, and 

 its leaves resemble those of a rosebush or a willow tree. It is a 



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