122 OLERACEOUS PLANTS. 



attained their growth, and be suitable for use. Take them 

 up before the ground closes, cut off the tops within an inch 

 or two of the crowns, pack in earth or sand, and store in the 

 cellar for winter. 



Use. The roots are eaten boiled as carrots or parsnips. 

 In connection with the leaves, they are also mixed in soups 

 and stews, to which they impart a pleasant, aromatic taste 

 and odor. 



ROSEMARY. 



Rosmarinm officinalis. 



Rosemary is a half-hardy, shrubby plant, from three to six 

 feet in height. The leaves vary in form and color in the 

 different varieties ; the flowers are small, generally blue, and 

 produced in axillary clusters ; the seeds are brown, or black- 

 ish-brown, and retain their vitality four years. 



Propagation and Cultivation. Like most aromatic 

 plants, Rosemary requires a light, dry soil, and, as it is not 

 perfectly hardy, should have a sheltered situation. The 

 Common Green-leaved and the Narrow-leaved are best pro- 

 pagated by seeds ; but the variegated sorts are propagated 

 only by cuttings, or by dividing the roots. The seeds are 

 sown in April, in a small nursery-bed, and the seedlings, when 

 two or three inches high, transplanted in rows two feet 

 apart, and eighteen inches apart in the rows. 



When propagated by cuttings, they should be taken off in 

 May or June, six inches long, and set two-thirds of the 

 length in the earth, in a moist, shady situation ; when well 

 rooted, transplant as directed for seedlings. The roots may 

 be divided in spring or autumn. 



Use. It is sometimes employed, like other pot-herbs, for 

 flavoring meats and soups. It is used in the manufacture of 

 " eau de Cologne ; " and its flowers and calyxes form a prin- 



