I08 CULINARY HERBS 



plantation the rootstocks should be secured when 

 the stems have grown 2 or 3 inches tall.. 



For forcing, the clumps are lifted in solid masses, 

 with the soil attached, and placed in hotbeds or forc- 

 ing house benches. Three or four inches of moist 

 soil is worked in among and over them and watered 

 freely as soon as growth starts. Cuttings may be 

 made in two or three weeks. Often mint is so grown 

 in lettuce and violet houses both upon and -under 

 the benches. During winter and spring there is 

 enough of a demand for the young tender stems 

 and leaves to make the plants pay. It is said that 

 the returns from an ordinary 3 x 6-foot hotbed sash 

 should be $10 to $15 for the winter. For drying, the 

 stems should be cut on a dry day when the plants 

 are approaching full bloom and after the dew has 

 disappeared in the morning. They should be spread 

 out very thinly in the shade or in an airy shed. 

 (See page 25.) If cut during damp weather, there 

 is danger of the leaves turning black. 



Uses. — In both the green and the dried state mint 

 is widely used in Europe for flavoring soups, stews 

 and sauces for meats of unpronounced character. 

 Among the Germans pulverized mint is commonly 

 upon the table in cruets for dusting upon gravies 

 and soups, especially pea and bean purees 



In England and America the most universal use 

 of mint is for making mint sauce, the sauce par ex- 

 cellence with roast spring lamb. Nothing can be 

 simpler than to mince the tender tops and leaves 

 very, very finely, add to vinegar and sweeten to taste. 

 Many people fancy they don't like roast lamb. The 



