510 
The  Lavender  Country. 
J  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\     Nov.  1, 1872. 
juice,  and  judging  from  the  frequent  remarks  of  our  friends  in  the 
medical  profession  and  others  who  have  taken  it,  I  have  reason  to  be- 
lieve that,  if  not  the  best,  it  is  certainly  one  of  the  best,  most  uni- 
form and  readily  obtainable  preparations  of  taraxacum,  and  one  that 
can  be  kept  for  almost  an  indefinite  period  without  changing. 
I  will  only  now  remark  that  if  required  in  quantity,  there  would 
be  little  difficulty  in  meeting  the  demand  ;  we  once  gave  carte  hlanche 
to  our  collectors,  the  children  of  a  parish  some  miles  hence,  and  they 
sent  in  in  three  days  1258  lb.  How  much  they  would  have  sent  it  is 
difficult  to  say,  as  we  were  compelled  from  an  accident  to  our  press 
to  countermand  the  order.  At  first  we  were  at  a  loss  as  to  the  best 
means  of  effectively  breaking  up  the  stalk,  the  pestle  and  mortar  pro- 
cess being  ineffectual  and  tedious,  but  upon  trial  found  a  Kent's 
mincer,  set  in  the  direction  for  cutting  coarse,  answer  admirably, 
feeding  our  press  as  readily  and  rapidly  as  could  be  desired  ;  indeed, 
so  well  does  it  bruise  and  divide  succulent  roots,  leaves,  stems,  etc.,. 
that  I  can  recommend  our  friends  to  give  it  a  trial  under  similar  cir- 
cumstances.— Pharm.  Journ.  and  Trans.,  Sept.  14,  1872. 
THE  LAVENDER  COUNTRY  * 
The  district  of  Beddington,  associated  with  the  palatial  residence 
of  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  of  which  Wallington  is  a  hamlet, 
contains  about  two  hundred  acres  devoted  to  the  growth  of  lavender. 
According  to  our  informant,  throughout  the  whole  locality,  including 
Sutton  on  the  extreme  verge,  Carshalton  and  Mitcham,  there  may  be 
counted  about  three  hundred  acres  of  lavender  fields.  Mitcham  is 
the  parent  source  of  the  herbal  or  "physic  gardening,"  in  the  native 
parlance,  and  from  that  place,  about  twelve  or  fifteen  years  ago,  some 
transplants  were  made  to  Beddington.  From  thence  the  growth  has 
extended  to  the  neighboring  parishes,  until,  as  at  present,  the  eye  is 
attracted  on  all  sides  by  the  broad  sheets  of  color,  and  the  air  is 
scented  with  the  perfumes.  In  no  other  part  of  England  has  the 
same  success  attended  this  kind  of  gardening,  except  in  Cambridge- 
shire, where  the  production  is  said  to  be  inferior,  although  this  opin- 
ion might  even  be  reversed  by  inquiries  in  that  quarter.  However  r 
it  is  evident,  in  the  case  of  the  hop  gardens  in  Kent  and  Sussex, 
something  peculiar  existing  in  the  soil  or  climate,  or  both,  makes 
*  Abridged  from  the  "  Journal  of  Applied  Science,"  1872,  p.  339. 
