72 CULINARY HERBS 



beth's time. It has been listed in American seeds- 

 men's catalogues since 1806, but the demand has 

 always been small and the extent to which it is cul- 

 tivated very limited. 



Description. — Borage is of somewhat spreading 

 habit, branchy, about 20 inches tall. Its oval or ob- 

 long-lanceolate leaves and other green parts are 

 covered with whitish, rather sharp, spreading hairs. 

 The flowers, generally blue, sometimes pink, violet- 

 red, or white, are loosely racemed at the extremities 

 of the branches and main stems 



"The flaming rose glooms swarthy red ; 

 The borage gleams more blue ; 

 And low white flowers, with starry head, 

 Glimmer the rich dusk through." 



— George MacDo7iald 



'^ Songs of the Summer Night," Part III 



The seeds are rather large, oblong, slightly 

 curved, and a ridged and streaked grayish-brown. 

 They retain their vitality for about eight years. 



Cultivation. — No plant is more easily grown. The 

 seed need only be dropped and covered in any soil, 

 from poor to rich, and the plants will grow like 

 weeds, and even become such if allowed to have 

 sway. Borage seems, however, to prefer rather 

 light, dry soils, waste places and steep banks. Upon 

 such the flavor of the flowers is declared to be supe- 

 rior to that produced upon richer ground, which de- 

 velops a ranker growth of foliage. 



In the garden the seeds are sown about ^ inch 

 asunder and in rows 15 inches apart. Shortly after 



