The Forrest City times., 1893-09-29
WHERE LAVENDER BLOOMS
Description of the Famous Fields Near the
 English Town of Hitchin

the
 English Town of Hitchin.
 The sun shines brightly and the sky IS cloudless blue as we leave the Hltchin station and begin our walk to the lavender fields, for which this country town is famous. Long before we reach them, writes a tourist we scent the exquisite perfume of the flowers, heavy upon the still hot air. And what a picture when at last we reach the fields, and, turning off the sandy road, come suddenly upon them sight once seen, never forgotten.
 Under the bright sunlight they lie. field after field, one blazing mass of lavender, kissed into deepest violet: now gray, as the sun hides for mo- ment behind the cloud. The scent. de- liclous from afar, is almost overpower- ing, and. for once in our lives, we think 1t almost disagreeable. While we stand looking the color deepens, and, soft ened by the sky and sun, the trees look their brightest green in contrast to the mass of purple, the sandy road stretch ing away in the distance is perfect in its harmony with the trees and fields The men are busy cutting, packing, and carting, and soon we watch them, and learn the why and wherefore of their work.
 Lavendar stalks are, as we all know. very stiff, and hard to break; to cut them, therefore, the men have small siclSles; in the right hand these are hn1 To ha l,f+ 1n e+a1 11re bent for the cutting. and with a strong stroke of the sickle severed from the plant, and thrown upon the ground. Meanwhile, other men gather the cut lavender into huge bundles, and put it in sacks, which are carted away to the distilleries and different places. from which it issues as lavendar water, law endar soap, and many other delicacies. It is also sent to our towns and sold there in the streets at three pence and six pence for quite small punches. At Hitchin as much as one can carry may be bought for half a crown.
 We hear so much of old lavender bushes in country gardens, prized for their antiquity by the owners, that l learnt with surprise that, for market purposes, plants are considered useless after the third year. The first year sees them small, and bearing little, if any, flower; the second they are in their prime, and should be mass of blossom: and the third year they begin to go off. and cuttings from them are taken for replanting, and the old plants taken up as useless.
 Lavender should be thoroughly dried before it is put into bags, such as our great grandmothers loved to stow among the linen. And if the scent is to be preserved for any length of time it should, after drying, be put in box and left until the flowers shake off crisp and dry, leaving the stalks separate Then if put in bags or made into the many delicate little fancy articles, it will keep its sweetness for many long day Fans, sacks and diminutive torpedoes are among the prettiest ways of making up lavender; for the former either white or laven- der-colored muslin. or, better still, chiffon is used for the fan, and the SUCKS WlJH ttlG threaded among them for the fan handle: for this. lavender on the stalks, not separate, is better, the heads form inc the fan inside the chiffon. Sacks are more simple, being merely bag tied at the neck with ribbon. For what for lack of a better name, call tornedoes. the flower heads are placed inside n case made of stalks with ribbon threaded in and out of them, and the nerfume passes through it. Lavender, whether in bags or fancy articles, re- ouires to be shaken pretty frequently or the scent will probably be faint; oood shake brings it back sweet as ever.
 Lavender stalks, when properly drled, are most agreeable. l always keep mine to burn to scent the rooms Ill winter time. when there are no flowers They burn slowly. and if laid upon a metal tray will shoulder on for long time. n few stalks make quite suifl- cient scent for an ordinary room. In sicl<-rooms they are boon, for the smell is so much cleaner anC more natural than the pastilles and other tb;prs which only offend the patients nose and only clear the atmosphere for n comparatively short time.-Lon- don News.