VEGETABLES DESCRIPTION AND CULTURE 



445 



able smell, and a sweetish, pleasant taste. They are use- 

 ful wherever an aromatic stimulant is required. 



The plant grows 

 about eighteen inches 

 high. Sow the seed 

 where it is to stand in 

 spring, in a dry, light 

 soil, and thin out the 

 plants, if too thick, to 

 three or four inches 

 apart. 



Balm (Melissa offici- 

 nalis) is a hardy, La- 

 biate - flowered peren- 

 nial, native of Switzer- 

 land and the south of 

 France, but has long 

 been cultivated in gar- 

 dens. It has an aro- 

 matic taste, and a 

 grateful, fragrant 

 smell, a little like 

 lemons. 



It is a square-stem- 

 med plant, rising about 

 two feet high. It is 

 used in making balm 

 tea, a grateful drink in 

 fevers, and for forming 

 a pleasant beverage 

 called balm wine. It is 

 a great favorite with 

 the bees. 



Any garden soil will do for balm. It is readily pro- 

 pagated either by slips, or by parting the roots in 



Fig. 153- Bene. 



