192 THE MANSE GARDEN. 



Tansy Used for puddings, &c., is propagated by 

 parting the roots. Care must be taken not to place 

 it near to any box edging or gravel walk. 



Thistle Needlessly brought into gardens, as it is 

 ready enough to come of its own accord. Several 

 varieties have been cultivated, and of course have not 

 been spared the labours of the pen as they have en- 

 gaged those of the spade. It is said of the milk 

 thistle, which is a native variety, that its stalks, in 

 the second year of its cultivation, being peeled and 

 steeped in water, lose a portion of their bitterness; 

 and of the cotton thistle, another pest of the fields, 

 that with due attention to thinning, hoeing, blanch- 

 ing, peeling, and boiling, it may also be eaten. As 

 there are more members of the same family, which 

 still flourish in memorial of the curse, those who 

 delight in them may be regaled with greater variety; 

 but to such persons one of the tribe is particularly 

 recommended, namely, the sow thistle, which has 

 this additional aptness, that it may be eaten either 

 boiled or raw. 



Thyme. This sweet plant, were it not cultivated 

 for kitchen use, ought rather to be ranked among 

 the flowers. The broad- and narrow-leaved and the 

 lemon-scented are the chief varieties which are culti- 

 vated. Used for making a border, if it be regularly 

 cut over, it will last for many years. Seedlings, 

 where the plants have not been cropped, grow up of 

 their own accord, and may be transplanted, or the 

 seed, which is gathered ripe in autumn, may be sown 

 in spring; but the plant is more easily propagated 

 by slips or by parting the roots. A dry and rather 

 poor soil is the most favourable to its growth and the 

 strength of its fragrance. 



