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Cultivation of Sage and Thyme. 



[Nov., 



Sage {Salvia officinalis) has long been under cultivation in 

 market, private and cottage gardens. The plant is a native of 



wu^ ^ southern Europe. The leaves have been used 



Tne Cultivation » ^ • j l ra £ . • 

 of Sage and navourmgs and stuffings tor centuries, 



Thvm infusion was made from 



the leaves, known as sage tea, which was said 

 to have certain medicinal properties. There is always a certain 

 demand for the crop on large markets, but this demand fluctuates 

 greatly and can be easily overdone. It is therefore not by any 

 means a safe crop to cultivate on a large scale and the same 

 mav be said of Thyme. At one time very considerable quantities 

 of sage were grown in the Mitcham district of Surrey, and the 

 Evesham market gardeners made a special Hne of the crop, but 

 the time came when the supply very much exceeded the demand 

 and growers consequently gave up its culture. Leading market 

 gardeners in Middlesex still grow small quantities according to 

 the demand. 



The plant succeeds best on light, warm and dry soils and can 

 be raised from seed sown in frames or on a warm spot in 

 spring. The plants when well established and hardened off 

 can be lifted carefully with good balls of soil and placed in per- 

 manent position 1 foot apart and 18-24 inches between the rows. 



By far the most common method of propagation, however, is 

 by shps and cuttings or by pieces of the young growth well 

 ripened and broken off with a slight " heel.'* These slips are 

 inserted in a shady border or cold frame in April, May or June, 

 and occasionally watered until rooted, when they can be planted 

 in tlie open and at the distances already mentioned. There has 

 been a general tendency in recent years to plant wider, so as 

 to admit more easily of horse labour. Three feet between the 

 rows and 2 feet between the plants has been a common dis- 

 tance. The ground is kept in good tilth and clear of weeds, and 

 the extremities of the leading shoots are pinched to produce 

 bushy plants by the encouragement of lateral growth. 



For winter use it is bunched and dried. The side and main 

 growing shoots are cut and dried in a dark, cool, airy shed, and 

 then tied into bunches, or they may be tied in bunches immedi- 

 ately after cutting and suspended from the roof of a cool shed 

 to dry. 



Thyme. — There are two varieties of this herb, the large green- 

 leaved (Thymus vulgaris) and the shorter variety known as 

 Lemon Thyme (Thymus citriodorus). The former is most exten- 



