POT AND SWEET HERBS. 289 



milk to prevent coagulation in the stomach ; ani it 

 is still one of the stomachics. Peppermint is chief- 

 ly cultivated for distillation. The mint is cultivated 

 by division of the roots or by shoots, and requires 

 a rich but rather moist soil. 



Rosemary. Rosmarinus Officinalis. — This plant is 

 much esteemed on account of its fragrance. Like 

 other perennials, it may be cultivated from seed sown 

 in the spring, and a bed of it will last for years if 

 occasionally dug over and covered with fine mould. 



Sage. Salvia Officinalis. — The is one of the most 

 valuable of garden herbs, being used extensively for 

 various culinary purposes, particularly in the prep- 

 aration of meats, making of sausages, &c. It may 

 be sown in beds of fine rich earth in the spring, and 

 successive crops will be produced from the roots for 

 several years. 



SuMMER-S.woRY. Saturcju Horiensis. — This plant, 

 like sage, is used in many culinary preparations, im- 

 parting a pleasant flavour and odour. It is cultiva- 

 ted in beds from seeds, and should be sown annually. 



There are still other plants used by the cook and 

 the confectioner, but the above are all that are usu- 

 ally required either as pot or aromatic herbs. Much 

 of the goodness of all herbs depends on their being 

 dried for use at the most suitable time, or when the 

 properties for which they are esteemed are in the 

 most perfect state. Herbs are usually the most vig- 

 orous and full of flavour about the time they begin 

 to blossom ; and the first or last cuttings are never 

 as valuable as those taken in the height of the sea- 

 son. All herbs should be gathered on a dry day ; 

 the roots and dirt carefully cut away; the plants 

 spread, or tied up in small bunches, and dried by a 

 stove, or in a Dutch oven before a common fire, as 

 quick as it can be done. The best way of preserving 

 herbs is to pick or rub off the leaves as soon as they 

 are dry, reduce them to a fine powder, sift them, and 

 pack them in close bottles. The Shakers, who are 



jr.— Z 



