Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Nov.  1,  1872. 
The  Lavender  Country. 
511 
these  plants  to  thrive.  Those  who  have  crossed  the  plains  of  Span- 
ish Estremadura  could  have  seen  miles  of  waste  land  covered  with 
the  Lavendula  species,  and  florists  conclude  that  the  same  skill  brought 
to  the  assistance  of  nature  might  equally  result  in  the  successful  crop 
that  finds  its  way  first  to  the  distillery,  and  then  by  many  transmuta- 
tions to  the  scent-bottle  or  the  medicine-chest.  The  only  peculiarity 
observable  is  a  loamy  upper  surface  for  several  feet  upon  a  substra- 
tum of  chalk,  rather  of  a  "  holding  nature,"  although  dry.  The 
ploughing  at  present  is  not  so  deep  as  in  former  years,  and  to  this 
circumstance  is  assigned  the  reason  why  in  place  of  bearing  for  eight 
or  nine  years  as  formerly,  the  plants  are  now  exhausted  in  three  or 
at  the  utmost  in  four  years.  Upon  an  open  space  at  Wallington  of 
thirty  acres,  the  largest  lavender-field  in  the  locality,  we  were  able  to 
observe  the  different  growths  of  the  one,  two  or  three  years.  Nearly 
adjoining  was  another  four-acre  enclosure,  spread  out  as  level  as  a 
billiard-board,  which  we  can  readily  believe  to  be  the  finest  example 
of  the  one  year's  crop  that  could  be  seen  anywhere.  Only  a  mode- 
rate application  of  manure  is  necessary  at  the  outset  in  the  autumn, 
when  the  planting  takes  place;  and  after  the  first  year's  harvesting, 
the  plants  have  grown  to  such  dimensions  that  every  other  row  has 
to  be  taken  out,  and  every  other  plant  in  the  row  that  remains.  The 
three  years'  growths  are  the  first  to  come  to  maturity,  and  then  the 
second,  and  then  the  third.  The  harvest  takes  place  in  August. 
The  cutting,  which  is  done  by  the  sickle,  appears  an  art  of  itself, 
which  affects  the  crop  in  the  future  year.  The  laborers  are  followed 
by  women  and  girls,  who  immediately  pack  and  tie  the  lavender  up 
in  mats,  to  protect  it  from  the  rays  of  the  sun,  or  otherwise  the  quan- 
tity of  oil  to  be  extracted  would  be  reduced  before  it  could  be  taken 
in  hand  at  the  distillery.  Small  quantities  have  been  previously  cut 
before  they  are  fully  ripe,  for  Covent  Garden  Market,  or  for  sale 
about  the  towns  and  villages  in  the  neighborhood.  The  distillery  pro- 
cess is  carried  on  upon  the  spot ;  as  the  volumes  of  smoke  from  several 
chimneys  and  the  strong  odor  of  herbs  around  the  buildings  suffi- 
ciently testify  to  some  very  odoriferous  process  within ;  for  it  must 
be  remembered  that  peppermint,  rosemary,  dill,  chamomile,  as  well  as 
lavender,  have  to  find  their  way  to  the  same  crucial  test.  Beneath  a 
brick-built  shed  stands  a  row  of  stills,  with  what  are  called  worm-tubs 
attached  to  eich  still.  Upon  the  ground-floor  the  furnaces  are  being 
attended,  and  the  percolator  watphed_,  as  a  trickling  noise  indicates 
