A BUNDLE OF HERBS. 



101 



A BUNDLE OF HERBS. 



By Miss H. C. Philbrick, F.R.H.S. 



Time was when every well-regulated garden grew its quota of herbs ; 

 now they are rarely found save and except in the gardens of the old- 

 fashioned country mansion and here and there in the garden of the 

 cottager. Probably the ease with which dried herbs can be obtained in 

 packets has had most to answer for in the decline of the herb in popular 

 favour, but certain it is that our gardens are the poorer for the absence 

 of such sweet old-time favourites as rue and rosemary, mint and 

 marjoram, thyme and tarragon, sage and savoury, balm and basil, chervil 

 and chamomile. I purpose taking the most useful and familiar herbs as 

 the subject matter of my paper, and give an account as best I can of their 

 properties, their uses, their native homes, the mode of growing them, and 

 the part they have played in science, art, literature, history, poetry, and 

 the drama. 



I take the familiar garden parsley first. It is a hardy biennial, a 

 native of Sardinia, and was introduced into this country about the 

 middle of the sixteenth century. There are three varieties, two of 

 which are well known and commonly used as pot herbs and for 

 garnishing, namely, the common or plain-leaved, the curled, and the 

 Hamburg large- or carrot-rooted, which last is cultivated only for its 

 roots, which are used occasionally like young carrots. The curled variety 

 is by far the most useful, and from its beautiful foliage cannot be mis- 

 taken for the 1 fool's parsley,' a poisonous plant somewhat resembling 

 the plain-leaved variety. Their cultivation, as all gardeners know far 

 better than I can tell them, is that of sowing, usually in the spring, in 

 shallow drills about a foot apart, or in single rows along the borders of 

 the kitchen garden. ' Myatt's garnishing ' is a good sort to grow. The 

 Hamburg or carrot-rooted variety requires a light soil, such as would suit 

 the carrot, and you may safely give it the same treatment. Parsley was 

 formerly used for garlands, and is mentioned by both Virgil and Horace. 

 In winter, sometimes, the demand is great and the supply very small ; 

 it is therefore well. to cover some plants for winter use with hand glasses, 

 so as not to be without it. I may here mention that our friends and 

 neighbours of la belle France have a great penchant for field parsley 

 and in midwinter parsley often fetches a high price for this reason. 



Hares and rabbits find it a very choice and toothsome morsel, 

 and will travel a long way to get it ; if the garden be near a wood or at 

 all exposed they will come and rob you of it all, as gardeners know only 

 too well. On the other hand, should you ever by chance want to entice 

 rabbits into a meadow, all you need do is to plant some parsley. 



Chervil is another plant of the same nature as parsley : its leaves are 

 valuable to add to salads, or to flavour soups. The seed, however, does 

 not keep well and should be sown as soon as ripe. It likes a moist, 



