1752 



SWEET HERB> 



duly awakened to the uses of herlis, improvements in 

 growing, handling, and in the idants themselves will 

 naturally follow, to the pleasure and profit of all. 



In this country the herbs best known and appreciated 

 are parsley, sage, thyme, savory, marjoram, spearmint, 

 dill, feline'], tarragon, balm and liasil, arranged approxi- 

 mately in their order of importaiu-e. Since parsley is 

 more 'extensively used as a garnish than any other 

 garden plant, it is grown u]Hin a larger scale than all 

 other herbs condjined. Hence some seedsmen do not rank 

 parsley with Sweet Herb>. SaL'e is the universal flavoring 

 for sa'usage and the scasoniiii;- /"(/■ ,:rvelleiice for rich 

 meats such as pork, gons.- and duck. It is more widely 

 cultivated than thyme, savory and marjoram, wdiich have 

 more delicate flavors and ar.- nmn' popular for seasoning 

 mild meats, such as turkey, cliicken and veal. With the 

 exci-i.riou of spearmint, willioiit which spring hunb is 

 deemed in^..ipid, and llie famous mint julep, a thing of 

 little worth, the remaining lierbs mentioned above are 

 scarcely seen outside our large city markets, and even 

 there they have oulv a very limited sale, being re- 

 stricted n'lainlv to tb'e foreign po].ulation and to sn(dl 

 restanrants and hotels as have an epicurean patronage. 



In many market-gardens botli near to, and renn.te 

 from, the large cities, swi-et herbs form no small 

 source of profl^t, since most of them, wdien proiiiaiy 

 packed, .'an be shipped in the green state even a con- 

 siderable distance, and when the market is over-sup- 

 plied they can be dried by the grower and sold during 

 the winter. Probably nion. than one-half the quantities 

 used tlirou^diout the ciauitry are disposed of in the 

 latter nninuer. 



As a rule, the herbs are grown as annuals and are 

 propagated from seed sown in early spring, though 

 outtage, layerage and division of the perennials are in 

 favor for home practice and to a certain extent also in 

 the market-garden. Commercially they are most com- 

 monly grown as secondary cr-ijis to follow early cab- 

 bage,' peas, beets, etc. In tlie home garden they are 

 frequently confined to a corner easily accessible to the 

 kittdien, where they remain from year to year. In gen- 

 eral, herbs should 'be planted on good light garden soil 

 of flne texture, kept clean by frequent cultivation, 

 gathered on a dry day after the dew is off, dried in a 

 current of warm, not hot air, rubbed fine and stored in 

 air-tight vessels. 



For specific information see articles on the following: 



Anise. AiKielica. Buhii . Basil. < 'arfni-ay . Ciiliiii'. 

 Coriuiiih-r. Itill. Fi'tnii'l, /Ii.reh'ii, h<I . Hifssup, ililri- 

 grilrl. Min-jnrrnn. Mini. Piirslrji. Ptppenniiit. Siii/i- 



I II, J 



hirr. iSiii'onj. T'lmi'j'iii 

 SWEET LIME. See Lime. 



Th,,ii 



M. G. K.yiNS 



SWEET MAEJOKAM. S( 



O 



rnpnium. 



SWEET PEA (Luth/irus cHiamtus. See Lrjthi/rus for 

 botanical account. For structure of the flower, see 

 Lei/itine). Figs. 24-11-44. For its beauty and fragrance, 

 the Sweet Pea is the qneen of the large genus to whi(di 

 it belongs. Long a common garden annual, within re- 

 cent years it has been brought to a high degree of 

 development, until it ranks with the most popular gar- 

 den favorites. It is also grown for high-class exhibitions 

 and rioricultural competition. 



Its early botanical history has been traced back to 

 1G50. The w'hole history of the Sweet Pea is elaborately 

 treated by S. P. Dicks, of London, in American (-Jar- 

 dening, for .July 24, 1807. The origin of the Sweet Pea 

 is divided principally between Sicily and Ceylon, the 

 original purple variety being indigenous to the former 

 island and Sardinia. Sicily was also the native habitat 

 of the white variety, but all obtainable testimony credits 

 Ceylon with the original piidi and white variety known 

 as the Painted Lady. Theni'o also came the original 

 red out of which the criiii^on-searlet sorts have come. 

 Father Franciscus Cupani, .a devout Italian monk and 

 enthusiastic botanist, is cn-diteil with being the first cul- 

 tivator of this flower, at Panormus, in Sicily, in lll'.l'.). 

 and tlie seed of the purple viiriety was sent by him lo 

 England and elsewhere. The si-i-d'of this flower bec'une 

 an ai-ticle of commerce as earh- as 17,;;) In 17l):i a Lon- 

 dtni si'imI cidalogue listed .' varieties, the Ijlack, pur^ile, 



SWEET PEA 



scarlet, white and Painted Lady. About 40 j'ears later 

 the striped and yellow are found named on the list. 

 Not until 1800 do we find any further advance, when a 

 blue-edged variety was ottered, since known as Butterfly. 

 In 180.5 Invincible Scarlet won a certificate. In ISGS 

 Crown Princess of Prussia appeared in Germany, and 

 gave us the first light flesh-pink. Adonis in 1882 gave 

 a new^ color in rose-pink, which was soon followed by a 

 better shade in what was afterwards named Princess 

 Beatrice. Several others of less value helped to prepare 



2441. Flowers of Sweet Pea, to sho^^' structure. 



the way for the modern Sweet Pea as it has come from 

 the ski'lled hands of Henry Ecktord, the prince of spe- 

 cialists in this flower. 



About 1876 Henry Eckford, of Shropshire, England, 

 after long experience and signal success as a specialist 

 in other florists' flowers, took up the Sweet Pea. He 

 began with the 6 or 7 common sorts, working patiently 

 by means of cross-fertilization and selection for seven 

 years before he had anything of merit to offer. By that 

 time he began to get new colors and a somewhat im- 

 proved size and form. Orange Prince, the dark maroon 

 Boreatton, and the deep bronze-blue of Indigo King, 

 ■were among the cheering signs of his success in origi- 

 nating colors. But his novelties did not meet with pop- 

 ular appreciation till about 1890, wdien their merit of 

 size and grand iHora form and originality of color began 

 to excite a new interest in this flower, especially in 

 America. Vp to 1898 Eckford put out about 7.') varieties, 

 the product of 22 years of patient labor. A large per- 

 centage of his introductions has received certificates and 

 awards of merit from the Royal Horticultural Society 

 and at other English shows. "Laxton, of England, and 

 J. C. Schmidt, of Gernnuiy, are among those who have 

 done special work in originating varieties. 



At the time wdien this new interest in Sweet Peas 

 awoke in America the increased demand for the seed 

 led to the successful experiment of growing it in Cah- 

 fornia. The demand soon increased till 12.i tons of tins 

 seed were produced by the California seed-growers, 

 ami now practically tlie world's supply conies from 

 that source. This also lod to the production of Ameri- 

 can novelties in this flower, the extensive seed-growers 

 having unecpialed opportunity for finding new sorts and 

 also of making them by cross-fertilization. The Ameri- 

 can novelties have the advantage of being introduced 

 with stronger seed than the Eckfords. The complete 

 list of varieties in 1898 numbered about l.'iO named sorts. 

 The colors now represented are white, light primrose, 



