1883. j 
AMERICAS' AGRICULTURIST. 
335 
Lavender.—Its Cultivation. 
In this country, the nearest approach to 
the “Physic Gardens” of Europe is to he 
found in the limited areas devoted to medic¬ 
inal plants by the Shaker communities. 
There is nothing in our climate or soils to 
THE LAVENDER PLANT. 
prevent the growth of the medicinal plants 
so largely produced in Europe. But aside 
from their cultivation, the gathering of the 
products, and their preparation for market, 
demand an amount of manual labor that 
prevents their profitable culture in this coun¬ 
try. We have had, of late, numerous in¬ 
quiries as to the cultivation of Lavender, 
which we can best answer in a general arti¬ 
cle. Lavender ( Lavandula vera ) is a low 
shrub, about three feet high, a native of 
Southern Europe. The engraving gives the 
general aspect of the plant; the narrow 
leaves are of a hoary-green color, and the 
flowers, borne upon long and slender spikes 
(one of which is shown separate), are blue. 
This shade of blue is so peculiar, that “ lav¬ 
ender-blue,” or “lavender color,” is in com¬ 
mon use to describe this tint. The flowers 
are delightfully fragrant, owing to a volatile 
oil, which, in various forms, is universally 
popular as a perfume, and on account of its 
stimulant, aromatic qualities, is used in 
medicine. The common name of the plant, 
and the botanical name ( Lavandula ), come 
from the Latin, lavare, to wash, the perfume 
having long been in use in bathing, and the 
use of the flowers for perfuming newly- 
washed linen, has given origin to the expres¬ 
sion, “ laid up in lavender.” Lavender may 
be raised from seeds, sown in a seed-bed in 
spring, and the plants set when two inches 
high, in rows two feet apart, and a foot dis¬ 
tant in the rows. When the plants crowd 
one another, every alternate one is taken up 
and transplanted to new rows, placing them 
two feet apart. After a plantation is estab¬ 
lished, the plants may be increased by means 
of cuttings, which take root very readily. A 
light, warm soil is better than a heavy one. 
The crop is gathered by cutting the flower 
spikes, just as the bloom commences, by 
means of a sickle, and tying them in bunches 
of convenient size. In England, as a gen¬ 
eral thing, the producers of the flowers sell 
them to those who distil the oil from them. 
It is said that from twelve to twenty-four 
pounds of oil are produced to the acre. 
Though a native of a warm climate, Laven¬ 
der is not especially tender ; we have known 
it to endure the somewhat severe winters of 
Newburgh, N. Y., and it will no doubt suc¬ 
ceed in any of the Middle States. Lavender 
has long been cultivated to a moderate ex¬ 
tent near Philadelphia, and in their season 
the flowers are offered for sale in the mar¬ 
kets of that city. The flowers are purchased 
by those who wish to make sachets for per¬ 
fuming clothing, and by the druggists, who 
use them for distilling Lavender water. It 
is estimated that within twenty miles of 
London, there are about 600 acres devoted to 
the cultivation of Lavender. The Oil of 
Lavender produced in England brings a 
much higher price than that from the conti¬ 
nent, which is said to be produced by distill¬ 
ing the leaves as well as the flowers. While 
the climate presents no obstacle to the cul¬ 
ture of Lavender in this country, we would 
ask our friends, who have inquired as to this 
point, what they expect to do with their 
crop after it is grown? They must either 
sell the flowers to those who wish to use 
them for the distillation of the oil, or they 
must distil them themselves. To do this re¬ 
quires a technical knowledge and skill not 
possessed by the ordinary cultivator, but 
which he may acquire by proper study and 
experiment. With Lavender, as with all 
other special products, one of the most im¬ 
portant questions is, “ What will he do with 
it ?” Unless this is clearly foreseen, it is not 
wise to undertake its cultivation. 
The Yuccas, or Adam’s Needle. 
If is gratifying to notice that the taste for 
plants with beautiful foliage or of striking 
form is increasing. It shows that people are 
slowly learning to see beauty in something 
besides flowers. Among plants that afford 
both striking foliage and abundant flowers 
are the yuccas. The most common species, 
Yucca filamentosa, frequently called “Bear’s 
Grass,” is a native, and found from Mary¬ 
land southward. Its long leaves have loose 
fibres hanging from their edges, and are 
terminated by a hard, 
sharp point. It throws 
up a stalk, six feet or 
more high, bearing an 
ample pyramid of large, 
pendent flowers, of a 
creamy whiteness. All 
do not admire this yuc¬ 
ca merely for its orna¬ 
mental character. Sev¬ 
eral years ago we pub¬ 
lished an article from a 
correspondent in Ohio, 
who advised farmers to 
grow a patch of it for 
the purpose of furnish¬ 
ing handy strings and ty¬ 
ing material. The leaves 
are filled with strong 
fibres running the whole length, and, -when 
split, afford a very tough material for tying. 
The plant is readily raised from seed, and a 
patch of seedlings presents a great variety in 
the length of the leaves and in the whiteness 
of the flowers. More showy than any form of 
the common yucca, is that cultivated under 
the name of “Pendulous Yucca” (Y. pen- 
dula). It is a favorite form in Europe, and 
European works give it as a native of North 
America. As shown in the engraving, this is 
distinguished by its long and pendent leaves. 
It produces its flowers in a stately panicle. 
This is not known in the wild state, and is 
probably a garden seedling of one of the 
Southern species, F. gloriosa. At all events, 
it is kept in the nurseries as F. pendula, and 
is the most ornamental of the hardy yuccas. 
It endures the winter in the rather severe cli¬ 
mate of Rochester, N. Y. Yuccas readily form 
clumps by throwing up suckers; they produce 
a much better effect when these are removed. 
Water Lilies. 
There is hardly a more beautiful sight in 
the countiy, than a pond or lake fringed with 
water lilies ( Nympha odorata) in full bloom. 
These grow abundantly in sluggish streams 
and ponds with muddy bottoms, and in the 
greatest profusion in mill ponds, where large 
tracts of land have been flowed, and mud has 
accumulated in shallow waters for many 
years. The shores of the stream that lias 
been dammed, is sometimes fringed for miles 
with these beautiful flowers. The pond lily 
has a large fleshy root, as big as a man’s 
arm, and can be transplanted with ease to 
any suitable locality near the home. The 
necessary conditions are water, from two to 
six feet deep, and a muddy bottom. They 
sometimes grow in stagnant ponds, where 
the water is very low, or dries up in summer, 
but they thrive best in ponds, through which 
the water always flows. Almost any stream 
fed by springs, if dammed, will furnish 
water enough to make a garden of lilies. It 
will be a cheap pleasure, lasting all through 
the summer months—and a life-time as well. 
the pendulous LUCCA ( Y. pendula). 
