104 



JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



for religious purposes. Rosemary possesses valuable stimulant and 

 carminative properties, but it is chiefly employed as a perfume, entering 

 into the composition of " The Queen of Hungary Water," eau-de- 

 Cologne, and aromatic vinegar. It is also said to promote the growth 

 of the hair, and is frequently used in hair-washes, and is supposed to 

 prevent baldness. 



Balm, a contraction of 1 Balsam.' — There are several plants known 

 under this name. The ordinary balm (Melissa officinalis) is one of the 

 most fragrant of aromatic herbs : it is a perennial, a native of France 

 and Switzerland, and grows in any good garden soil, and should be divided 

 every spring to keep up a good stock of young plants. It is used in 

 cooling "cups " and dainty drinks. Another variety — Balm of Gilead — 

 belongs to the genus Balsamodendron. Its leaves when bruised yield a 

 strong aromatic scent, and from this plant it is that the balm of Gilead of 

 the shops, or balsam of Mecca, or of Syria, is obtained. It has a yellowish 

 greenish colour, a warm, bitterish, aromatic taste, and an acidulous, fragrant 

 smell. It is valued as a cosmetic by the Turks, who possess the country 

 of its growth, and who adulterate it for the market. It is also used for 

 the high purposes of anointing, and recalls the glorious and undying 

 words of the immortal bard : 



" Not all the water in the rough, rude sea 

 Can wash the balm from an anointed king." 



King Richard II., act iii. sc. 2. 



Basil. — There are two useful varieties, bush, and sweet basil : the bush 

 form is a native of the East Indies, and is raised from seed sown in a 

 pot towards the end of March. It is an annual and rather tender. The 

 sweet basil, of kitchen fame, requires similar treatment. It also is a 

 native of the East Indies, and is quite as tender as the preceding, but is 

 somewhat larger. Both plants flower about July, when they should be 

 taken up and dried in an airy shed for winter use. It is the proper herb 

 for flavouring turtle soup and for " cups." 



Chamomile. — Either the double- or single-flowered form may be used ; 

 both like a sandy soil, and may be propagated by stripping off the side- 

 shoots, with a few roots attached, in April or May. Formerly growers 

 always used to tread over chamomile when growing to strengthen the 

 plants. The flowers used for chamomile- tea are gathered in July and 

 dried in slight sunshine. The single- is better flavoured than the double- 

 flowered form. 



Mint is such an indispensable adjunct of new potatoes and green peas 

 (though very many cooks spoil the peas by putting too much mint with 

 them) that room should be found for a few roots in every garden. It 

 likes a moist situation and rather a " holding " soil ; cuttings strike easily 

 when the stock is short, or the old roots may be divided. It is never 

 advisable to allow a mint bed to remain more than three years without 

 breaking it up, or the mint-rust may attack it and destroy the plants. 

 Mentha viridis (the spearmint) is the best species for garden cultivation. 

 It is a native of Great Britain, and its poetic meaning is the warmth 

 of sentiment. Pennyroyal is another species of mint, and is used for the 

 same purpose as peppermint. 



