CULINARY HERBS I9 



one plant upon the pistils in the flowers of another 

 and then covering the plant with fine gauze to keep 

 insects out. With the herbs, however, this method 

 seems hardly worth while, because the flowers are 

 as a rule very small and the work necessarily finicky, 

 and because there are already so few varieties of 

 most species that the operation may be left to the 

 activities of insects. It is for this reason, however, 

 that none but the choicest plants should be allowed 

 to bloom, so none but desirable pollen may reach 

 and fertilize the flowers of the plants to be used as 

 seed producers. 



STATUS AND USES 



Some readers of a statistical turn of mind may be 

 disappointed to learn that figures as to the value of 

 the annual crops of individual herbs, the acreage de- 

 voted to each, the average cost, yield and profit an 

 acre, etc., are not obtainable and that the only way 

 of determining the approximate standing of the vari- 

 ous species is the apparent demand for each in the 

 large markets and stores. 



Unquestionably the greatest call is for parsley, 

 which is used in restaurants and hotels more exten- 

 sively as a garnish than any other herb. In this 

 capacity it ranks about equal with watercress and 

 lettuce, which both find their chief uses as salads. 

 As a flavoring agent it is probably less used than 

 sage, but more than any of the other herbs. It is 

 chiefly employed in dressings with mild meats such 

 as chicken, turkey, venison, veal, with baked fish ; 

 and for soups, stews, and sauces, especially those 



