DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE. 



61 



yellow, fine grained and sweet ; color of skin yellow, 

 with green top. Hardy, keeps well, a good cropper, 

 and grows to a very large size, Ver>- popular in the 

 Southern States. 



SWEDES, or RXJTA BAGAS. 



Yellow Swede, or Ruta Baga.— This and the fol- 

 lowing form a distinct class, and should be sown at least 

 a month earlier. Shape oblong ; dull reddish color 



D. M. Ferry &. Go's Improved Purpie Top 

 Yellow Ruta Baga. 



above ground, and yellow underneath ; is hardier than 

 the common turnip, and will keep solid till spring. 



Carter's Imperial, Hardy, Purple Top, Yellow 

 Ruta Baga. — A most excellent sort for either table use 

 or feeding stock. Flesh yellow, solid, firm, sweet and 

 rich. It is a hardy sort, yields heavily, with no ten- 

 dency to long necks. 



D. M. Ferry & Go's Improved Purple Top Yel- 

 low Ruta Baga. — The best variety of Swedish turnip 

 in cultivation ; hardy and productiv^e ; flesh yellow, of 

 solid texture, sweet and well flavored ; shape slightly 

 oblong, terminating abruptly with no side or bottom 

 roots ; color deep purple above, and bright yellow under 

 the ground ; leaves small, light green, with little or oo 

 neck ; the most perfect in form, the richest in flavor, 

 and the best in ever>- respect. 



Bangholm Ruta Baga.— A very superior variety, 

 both in form and quality, and held in high estimation in 

 many parts of England. Of large size, small neck, few 

 or no side roots, and yields well. Flesh yellow, sweet, 

 and solid ; skin yellow, with purple top. 



Sweet Russian, or White Ruta Baga. — This va- 

 riety is a most e.xcelient kind, either for the table or 

 stock. It grows to a verj' large size ; flesh white, solid, 

 firm texture, sweet and rich ; keeps better than any of 

 the preceding, and is becoming very popular where 

 known. 



Aromatic, Medicinal and Pot Herbs, 



General Cultural Directions.— Most of the vari- 

 eties thrive best on rich, sandy soil, \rtiich should be 

 carefully prepared and well' cultivated, as the young 

 plants are for the most part dehcate and easily choked 

 out by weeds. Sow as early as the ground can be made 

 ready, in drills sixteen to eighteen inches apart ; or they 

 may be planted as a second crop — the seed sown in beds 

 in April, and the plants set out in June. Most of them 

 should be cut when in bloom, wilted in the sun, and then 

 thoroughly dried in the shade. 



Anise, {Pimpinella anisum). Fr. A nis. — Ger. A nis. 

 — An annual herb, cultivated principally for its seeds, 

 although its leaves are sometimes used for garnishing 

 and flavoring. The seeds have a fragrant, agreeable 

 smell, a sweetish, pleasant taste, and have the property 

 of increasing the secretion of milk. They are also used 

 for dyspepsia and colic, and as a corrective of griping 

 and unpleasant medicines. Sow early in the spring, and 

 thin the plants to three inches in the row. 



Balm, {^Melissa 

 Ojffic in a lis). F r . 

 Melisse, — Ger. Me- 

 lisse. — A perennia> 

 herb. The leaves 

 have a fragrant 

 odor,similar to lem- 

 ons, and are used 

 for making balm 

 tea for use in fe- 

 vers and a pleasant 

 beverage called 

 Balm Wine. Plant 

 early, and thin to 

 ten inches apart. 



Bene, {Sesa- 

 ni u m Iftdicum). 

 Fr. Bene . — Ger. 

 Bern. — A native of 

 Itkdia, naturalized 

 at the south, but 

 failing to perfect its seeds at the north. The seeds are 



dalm. 



used for food, and furnish a large quantity of oil similar 

 to olive oil, but which wiU keep a long time without be- 

 coming rancid, and has a marked effect in softening and 

 whitening the skin. The leaves abound in a gummy 

 matter, and one or two of them immersed in a tumbler 

 of water will convert it into a rich bland mucilaginous 

 drink, much used at the south for cholera infantum, di- 

 arrhoea, 8ic. Do not plant until settled warm weather, 

 and allow the plants to stand two feet apart. 



Borage, {Borago officinalis). Fr. Boiirrach. — Ger. 

 Boretsch. — A hardy annual, used as a pot herb, and its 

 beautiful blue flowers as a garnish. The leaves im- 

 mersed in water give it an agreeable taste and flavor. It 

 is also sown for pasturage, its abundant bloom furnish- 

 ing a large amount of honey. Sow in Apiil, and thin 

 to eight inches apart. In some places this becomes a 

 troublesome weed. 



Caraway, (Carum carui). Fr. Carvi. — Ger. Kum- 

 jf'.el. — Cultivated for its seeds v>hich are used in con- 

 fectioner)', cakes, &c., and the leaves are sometimes used 

 in soups. Sow early, and thin to ten inches apart, or sow 

 in August. The plant never seeds until the second year, 

 but the August sown plants will give a fair crop the 

 next season. 



Catnip, (Xepeta cataria). Fr. Nepeta. — Ger. 

 Katzenkra-ut. — A hardy perennial, well known as a 

 valuable mild nervine for infants. The plant should be 

 dug up by the roots when in full flower, and dried in 

 the shade. The seed may be sown in drills twenty 

 inches apart, either in fall or spring. 



Chamomile, {Atithetnis nobilis). Fr. Catnomzle, — 

 Ger. Kamille. — A hardy perennial, the flowers of which 

 are valuable for their medicinal properties, being in 

 small doses a mild tonic ; and used as a ©old infusioa, 

 they are valuable in cases of enfeebled digestion' and 

 general debihty The flowers should be gathered on a 

 dry day and dried in an airy situation as quickly as pos- 

 sible. It succeeds best on light, poor soil, and may be 

 sown in drills sixteen inches apart. 



QoridiX\d.^x,(^Coriandaum sativuTtt). Fr. Coriandre. 

 — Ger. Koriander.—h. hardy annual, cultivated for its 



