MEDICINAL HERBS : CULTIVATION AND PREPARATION. 137 
which landowners could help, together with the local authorities, 
would be by inducing the farmers to let their labourers' children learn, 
from the local teacher of botany, to recognize all the herbs that grow 
in their neighbourhood, and to induce the local authorities to arrange 
for the economic use of the waste heat of refuse furnaces, lime-kilns, 
and brick-kilns to heat drying-rooms that might be built near by. 
Means for doing this could be easily devised, without danger from the 
carbonic acid or carbonic oxide formed by the fires, on the principle 
adopted in the old Roman villas. 
So far as I can learn, German children are taught to recognize and 
collect all medicinal herbs that grow near their homes, and these are 
dried in small quantities in sheds or attics, and probably finished off 
in farmhouse bread ovens after the removal of the bread. A collector 
or middleman calls round and buys up the small parcels, and forms 
them into bales to be forwarded to the wholesale herbalist ; and with 
three profits to be taken, i.e. by the gatherers, middlemen, and whole- 
sale herbalists, the herbs can still be sent to this country cheaper 
than a working man can collect them here. Yet I saw last year on 
one waste hilly field near Sevenoaks enough Centaury, Purging Flax, 
St. John's Wort, and other herbs to yield several hundredweight, and 
in another field close by enough Wild Carrot to supply a wholesale 
herbalist for a twelvemonth. There was even an oasthouse for 
drying hops close by, which is only used in September, and could be 
available during other months. It seems absurd to import Coltsfoot 
by the ton, when every clayey railway bank, or heavy waste ground, 
is covered with the plant. The means of drying these, if provided 
by local authorities or wealthy landowners at small cost, would help 
the industry to overcome competition. If children of farm labourers 
were taught to collect them, it would encourage industrious habits 
in them, give them a healthy occupation on holidays, keep them out 
of mischief, and add a little to the scanty wages of their parents. 
Another way in which the medicinal herb industry could be very 
considerably improved could be adopted in the herb gardens of large 
country houses. Many ladies take a great interest in the history and 
uses of medicinal plants, but have probably paid no attention to 
improving the strains by cultivation. This is a subject well worthy 
of attention, and could easily be studied by the aid of an intelligent 
gardener. Thus, Aconitum Napellus exists in twenty-four or more 
wild varieties, yet it is not known how far these vary in the strength 
of the active principle, nor which are the strongest growers. Careful 
observation would also show the best and quickest methods of repro- 
duction. Thus, young Aconite plants can be produced at the lower 
joints of the stem by earthing them up, and in other conditions young 
plants can be developed on the roots. The seeds of Aconite, like 
many other Ranunculaceous seeds, will not, as a rule, germinate 
unless planted as soon as ripe. 
Belladonna herb and root are sold by analysis, the value depending 
upon the percentage of alkaloid present ; and although some experiments 
