LAVENDERS 



347 



grow wild on calcareous soils ; the Common Lavender is found 

 on the plains and lower edges of the hills, whilst the True Lavender 

 is never met with at a lower elevation than 656 ft. above the 

 sea-level. The leaves are sometimes used for seasoning, but 

 the plant is chiefly grown for its flowers, which are used in the 

 manufacture of perfumery. 



In Surrey hundreds of acres of 

 land are devoted to its culture, and 

 almost as large a space may be 

 found under Lavender in Hertford- 

 shire. At Mitcham both cottagers 

 and market-gardeners grow Laven- 

 der for sale, and when the fields of 

 it are in bloom its fragrance per- 

 vades the air for miles. Lavender 

 is increased by means of rooted 

 slips, obtained by division of the 

 old roots. The young plants are 

 put out in March or April, 18 in. 

 apart, in rows half that distance 

 asunder, the space between the 

 rows being the first year planted 

 with Lettuce, Parsley, or some similar 

 crop. When the Lavender becomes 

 crowded, each alternate row and 

 plant are lifted and transplanted to 

 another field to form a new planta- 

 tion. The remaining plants then 

 stand 3 ft. apart each way, and in- 



tercropping is discontinued. During 

 the first two or three weeks in 

 August the flowers are harvested. 

 The stalks are cut off with a sickle, 

 bound up in sheaves similar to Wheat, 

 and carried to the homestead for 

 distillation or for other purposes. In 

 Hertfordshire a somewhat different 

 method is practised. The young 

 plants are put out in November, 3 ft. 

 apart each way, no other crop being 

 grown between them, and the ground 

 is well tilled and attended to. When 

 three years old, the plants are con- 

 sidered at their best, and after they 

 have been planted seven years they 

 are dug up and the ground is re- 

 planted. A new plantation is, how- 

 ever, made every year or so, and 

 thus there are always young, vigor- 

 ous plants upon which dependence 

 for a crop of flowers can be fully 

 placed. 



LEAF-BEET, or SWISS CHARD BEET 



Beta vulgaris^ L. CJienopodiacecs. 



French, Poiree. German, Beisskohl, Mangold, Beete. Flemish and Dutch, Snij beet, 

 Warmoes. Danish, Blad bede. Italian, Bieta. Spanish, Bleda. Portuguese, Acelga. 



Native of Southern Europe. — Biennial. — This appears to be 

 exactly the same plant as the Beet-root, except that in its case 

 cultivation has developed the leaves instead of the root. The 

 botanical characteristics, especially those of the flowers and the 

 fructification, are precisely alike in both plants. The root of the 

 Leaf-beet is branched and not very fleshy, while the leaves are 

 large and numerous, and, in some varieties, have the stalk and 

 midrib developed to a remarkable extent. The seed resembles 

 that of the Beet-root, but is usually somewhat smaller. Its 

 germinating power lasts for six years or more. 



Culture. — The Leaf-beet is grown in precisely the same way 

 as the Beet-root, except that the soil need not be so deeply dug. 



