The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-09-24
THE AlTchlN LAVENDER FIELDS.


vasat - she sIcaanuus Meadows Where
Perfume Flower Grow.
The sun. shinessh,ightly and the sky Is o
M ola1dless blue M we.lcave the Hitchin sta,
hon and begin our walk 10 the lavender
6eeda Tor which this country town is IA.
Jnoua. .Iyong hctorc we rcaelrthem we scent
~ exQuisite neSfNmc Of theflowers, heavy
upon ho stillA air. And what a picture
wheaHAA fAat NO reach the fields and turn
llpG ~ Tho sandy roadsoom suddenly upon
ehern-a sight, once seen, never forgottenl
Under tho bright Sunlight they lie, field
After fctd, one blazing mass OF lavender
klDe6tn 3 deepest violet, now gray as the
INN hides for q moment behind the cloud,
Tho sccnt, delicious from afur, isSalmost
0verpowering, and for once In u lives we
think It almost disagrecable. While we
stan4 looking the color deepens. aud sof-
tened by tho sky and sun the trees look
their brightest green In contrast to the
mass OF purple. The sandy road stretching
awayin the distance Is perfect in its har-
mony with the treesand fields. Tho men
are busy cutting, packing and carting, and
soon we watchgthem and learn the why and
wherefore of their, work.
Lavender stalks arc, as we all know, very
stiff and hard to break. To cut them, there
fore, the men have small sickles. In the
right hand these arc held, while with tho
left the stalks ore bent for the cutting, and
with q strong stroke of tho sickle severed
from tho plant and thrown upon tho
ground. Meanwhile other men gather the
out lavender into huge bundles and put it
In sacks, which are carted away to the dis
tilleries and different places, from which it
issues as lavender water, lavendar soap and
many other delicacies. It is also sent into
our towns and sold there In tho streets at
threepence and siSpence for quite small
punches. At Hitchin as much as one can
carry may DO bought for half n crown.
We hear so much Of old lavender bushes
In country gardens priced for their anttqui-
ty by their owners that l learned with sur
prise that for market purposes plants are
considered useless after the third year. The
first year secs them small and bearing lit
tie il any flower, the second they are in
their prime and should be a mass of bios
SONS. and the third year they begin to so
of, and cuttings from them are taken for
replanting' and the old plants taken up as
useless. Ono lives and learns!
Lavender should BIO thoroughly dried be-
fore ID is put into bags such as our great.
grandmothcrs loved to stow among tho
linen. And II the scent is to be preserved
for any length Of timo it should after dry
Ing BIO put in a box and left until the flow
ers shake OF crisp and dry, leaving the
ks separate. Then, il put in bags or
made into the many delicate little fancy
articles, it will keep It's sweetness for many
n long day.
Lavender stalks, when properly dried, are
most agreeable. I always keep mine to
burn to scent tho rooms in winter time,
when there are no flowers. They burn
slowly, and ii laid upon - metal tray will
smolder on for u long time. A few stalks
make quite o sufficient scent for an ordi-
nary room. In slckrooms they are u boon,
for the smell is much cleaner and more
natural than the pastils and other things
which offend the patients nose and only
clear the atmosphere for a comparatively
short time. -London Queen.