Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-09-15

! 1 v,.,e - sAe Yansas 1eaaews
PerNsns Hss~ssO 0rsU.
| rna .un shines brightly and the sky ha
J .,a,.s,,~, nine a we leave the Hftch1n star
49,, s,,a brs,in our walk - the lavender
AIS f,,r which this country town y IA
..s,s,. Tong before we reach them We scent
~, .xnuis;re perfume Of the flowers, heavy
,,,,.,,, ,he sril, hot air. And what picture
/ .,,sr AZ Last We reach the fields and turn
;ry ~ the sandy road come suddenly upon
- ne siyb,- once seen, never forgotten!
4 finder the brigh, sunlight they lie. nsiu
.s,.r field. one blazing mass OF lavender
t;ssss, into deepest violet, now gray as TUG
-, h;,,ss for a moment behind the cloud.
TIE scent. delicious from afar, Is aimose
.,'r,,,,xarinv and for once in our lives we
,h;nk !, almost aisayreeAhle. While W
s,au5 lookin. the color deepens. and SOL
,.,.,1 hv the sky and sun the tre~s look
chair hrirht.s, green in contrast 70 tne
- ~ nurnle The sandy road stretching
away in the distance is perfect IN It's mar
,,,onv with the trees and fields The meu
AZ. busy cutting, packing and carting, ana
~, we watch them and learn the why ana
wherefore of their work.
| Lavender stalks are, rs we all Know, very
s,;,f and hard 10 break To cut them. thereN
for. the men have small sickles, In the
rob, hand these are held, while with the
. lat the stalks are bent for the cutting, anu
with a strong stroke Of the sickle severed
from the plant and thrown upon the
ground. Meanwhile other men gather the
cnt lavender into huge bundles and put IL
In sacks. which are carted away TO the us
tilleries and different places, from which ~
issues AS lavender water, lavendar soap ana
many other ,ielicacies IL is also sent INTO
our towns and sold there in the streets at
threepencc aud sixpencc for quite small
punches. AT IIitchin rs much rs one can
carry may be bought for half crown.
| We hear so much of old lavender bushes
in country gardens priced for their anti'iei
~ by their owners that learned with sur
prise that for market purposes plants afe
considered useless after the third year Inc
first wear sees them small and bearing NJ
tic II any flower. the second they arr III
their prime and should Ike n mass "t bios
SONS, and the third year they begin I" 20
off. aud cuttings from them are taken Tor
replanting and the old plants taken up as
useless. One lives and learns'
| Lavender should be thoroughly dried be-
| fore il is put into bugs such as our Srea'-
grandmothers loved 10 stow among the
linen. And if the scent is to be preserved
for any length of time It should after ury-
ing be put in a box and left until the now
ers shake OF crisp and dry, leaving the
stalks separate, Then, If put III bags or
made into the many delicate little fancy
articles, it will keep its sweetness for many
Il long day.
| Lavender stalks, when properly dried, are
most agreeable. | always keep mine To
burn to scent the rooms in winter time,
when there are no flowers They burn
slowly, and il laid upon metal tray Will
smolder on for II long time. a few stalks
make quite sufficient scent for an ordi'
nary room In sickrooms they are boon,
for the smell is much cleaner and more
natural than the pastiis and other things
which offend the patients nose and only
clear the atmosphere for comparatively
short time.-London Queen.