T n Y 



THY 



Wild Thyme ; 2. T. vulgaris, Garden Thvme ; 

 ;;. T. Mnstichina, Mastic Tiiyme ; 4. T. Virgi- 

 7iiciiS, \'irginian or Savory Thyme. 



The first has a woody, fibrous, brown, peren- 

 nial root : the stems numerous, woody, branch- 

 ed, leafy, pubescent, commonly tinged with 

 red : branches alternate : the leaves pctioled, 

 elliptic or ovate, obtuse, quite entire, hollow- 

 dotted with little pellucid glands, ciliateat thebase 

 and on the petiole with a few tine white hairs ; 

 otherwise it is commonly smooth, though some- 

 times hairy all over : the heads of flowers ter- 

 fliinatinsc, roundish, with little leaves among 

 ■them : the flowers pedicellcd, and of a purplish 

 red colour. It is a native of Europe, flowering in 

 .Tuly and August. 



There are several varieties ; as the Broad- 

 leaved, Narrow-leaved, Variegated-leaved, Sil- 

 ver-striped-leaved, Citron-scented or Lemon 

 Thyme, Great Purple-flowered. 



The second species is more hoary, higher, 

 harder, and more woody than the first : the 

 leaves are whiter, narrower, and the flowers 

 smaller. It is a native of the South of Europe 

 and Siberia, flowering from May to August. 



There are different varieties ; as the Broad- 

 leaved, the Narrow-leaved, and the Variegated- 

 or Striped-leaved Thyme. 



The third is a shrub, a foot in height, or a little 

 inore : the leaves heaped on the stem, linear or 

 even ovate, the lower hoary beneath, the upper 

 ones smooth : whorls hirsute : the teeth of the 

 calyx hairv, and as it were feathered. It is a 

 native of Spain. 



The fourth species has a perennial root ; but 

 the stalk is annual, rising about a foot and half 

 high, stiff, angular, branching out towards the 

 top : the leaves stiff, pointed, about an inch and 

 half long, and a quarter of an inch broad in the 

 middle, pointed at both ends, and having a 

 strong scent of pennyroyal : the flowers are 

 white, collected into globular heads, appearing in 

 July; but the seeds seldom ripen in this climate. 

 It is a native of North America. 



Culture. — ^Thesc plants may be easily raised 

 from seed, by slipping the roots and branches, 

 and by cuttings; but the seed method is seldom 

 practised except with the second sort, or Garden 

 Thyme : the seed should be sown in the early 

 spring" on light, rich, dry ground, which should 

 be properly dug over, and the surface be made 

 moderately smooth with the spade : as the seed 

 is small, it should not be sown too thick, or be 

 covered too deep : the seed is best sown while 

 the grpurid is fresh stirred, either broad-cast on 

 the surface, raking it in lightly, or in flat shal- 

 Jow drills, cvthed over thinly : the plantsappear 



intwoorthrec weeks. Itisneccssary tohc careful 

 to keep them well weeded, giving occasional light 

 waterings in dry weather; and by June they will 

 require thinning, especially if the plants are to 

 grow stocky, and with bushy full heads; in 

 which case they should be set out to six or eight 

 inches distance; when thote thinned out may 

 be planted in another place, in rows, six or eight 

 inches asunder, giving water till fresh rooted, 

 keeping the whole clean from weeds by occa- 

 sional hoeing between them in dry days, which 

 will also stir the surlace of the earth, and much 

 improve the growth of the plants: they will be in 

 perfection for use in summer or early in autumn. 



Sometimes the market kitchen-gardeners raise 

 large quantities in beds, for daily supply, leaving 

 the whole thick : when of proper growth they 

 pull them clean up root and top together, from 

 time to lime, as wanted, and tie them in bunches 

 for sale. 



But it is always proper to thin out, or trans- 

 plant a quantity in single bunches, to grow 

 stocky and bushy for occasional supplies. 



when intended to increase any particular 

 varieties, and continue them the same with cer- 

 tainty, it can only be effected by slips and cut- 

 tings. 



In respect to the offsets and slips, all the 

 sorts nmltiply by offsets of the root and slips of 

 the branches : the rooted slips are the most ex- 

 peditious method, as the old plants increase into 

 many ofiset-stems rising from the root, each 

 furnished with fibres ; and by taking up the old 

 plants in the spring, &c. and slipping or dividing 

 them into separate parts, not too small, with 

 roots to each, and planting them in beds of 

 good earth, in rows half a foot asunder, giving 

 water directly, and repeating it occasionally in 

 dry weather till they have taken root, and begin 

 to shoot at top ; they soon grow freely, and form 

 good bushy plants in two or three months. 



The strong slips of the branches without 

 roots, succeed when planted any time in the 

 early spring season in a shady border, in rows 

 four or five inches distant, giving due water- 

 ings; and become good plants by autumn, when 

 they may be planted out where they are to re- 

 main. 



The cuttings of the young branches grow 

 readily, the same a: the slips, when planted at the 

 same season in a shady place, and well watered. 



The Common Thvme is in universal use as a 

 pot-herb for various culinary purposes; it may 

 also be employed in assemblage with other small 

 plants, to embellish the fronts of flower- 

 borders, shrubbery clumps, small and sloping 

 banks, &c. placing the plants detached or singly. 



