SWEET HERBS THYME SAGE, ETC. 309 



bages, for instance, every alternate line is planted, 

 thus leaving them two feet apart, their proper dis- 

 tance. (See Implements.) In eight or ten days after 

 the herb crop has been planted, the ground is "hoed" 

 lightly over by a steel rake, which disturbs the sur- 

 face sufficiently to destroy the crop of weeds that are 

 just beginning to germinate ; it is done in one-third of 

 the time that it could be done by a hoe, and answers the 

 purpose quite as well, as deep hoeing at this early stage 

 of planting is perfectly useless. In ten or twelve days 

 more, the same operation is repeated with the steel rake, 

 which usually effectually destroys all weeds, the seeds "of 

 which are near enough to the surface to germinate. We 

 use the steel rake in lieu of a hoe on all our crops, im- 

 mediately after planting, for, as before said, deep hoeing 

 on plants of any kind when newly planted, is quite un- 

 necessary ,and by the steady application of the rake 

 weeds are easily kept down, and it is great economy of 

 labor never to allow them to start. By the middle of 

 September the herb crop usually covers the ground com- 

 pletely, looking like a field of clover. Allow this mass 

 to grow for another month as it is, and you would not 

 increase the weight of leaves ; the plants would grow 

 taller, keeping the green and marketable leaves on the 

 top, but only yellow and withered ones and plenty of 

 woody stems below. But by cutting but every alternate 

 row (each plant making about two bunches), the remain- 

 ing rows are allowed light and air, and in three or four 

 weeks will have spread so as again to cover up the entire 

 surface, from which half the crop has already been 

 gathered. We treat Sage in all respects the same as 

 Thyme ; and I have seen both these herbs on rich soil not 

 only meet when left two feet apart, but when every other 

 row at two feet apart was cut out, almost meet again at 

 four feet apart. 



By this method of cutting out every other row, fully a 



