84 CULINARY HERBS 



not injured when the annual coriander is cut. The 

 seed is often sown in the autumn, though spring 

 sowing is perhaps in more favor. The rows are 

 made about 15 inches apart, the seeds dropped i 

 inch asunder and J4 inch deep and the plantlets 

 thinned to 6 or 8 inches. Since the plants run to 

 seed quickly, they must be watched and cut early 

 to prevent loss and consequent seeding of the 

 ground. After curing in the shade the seed is 

 threshed as already described (see page 28). On 

 favorable land the yield may reach or even exceed 

 1,500 pounds to the acre. 



Uses. — Some writers say the young leaves of the 

 plant are used in salads and for seasoning soups, 

 dressings, etc. If this is so, I can only remark that 

 there is no accounting for tastes. I am inclined 

 to think, however, that these writers are drawing 

 upon their imagination or have been "stuffed" by 

 people who take pleasure in supplying misinforma- 

 tion. The odor is such as to suggest the flavor of 

 "buggy" raspberries we sometimes gather in the 

 fence rows. Any person who relishes buggy berries 

 may perhaps enjoy coriander salad or soup. 



Only the seed is of commercial importance. It is 

 used largely in making comfits and other kinds 

 of confectionery, for adding to bread, and, especially 

 in the East, as an ingredient in curry powder and 

 other condiments. In medicine its chief use now 

 is to disguise the taste of disagreeable drugs. Dis- 

 tillers use it for flavoring various kinds of liquors. 



Cumin (Cuminum Cyminum, Linn.), a low-grow- 



