The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1893-11-11
WHERE LAvENpER BLOOMS.


English Town OF HStchtn.
The sun shines brightly and the sky
IL a cloudless blue as we leave tho
Hitchin station and begin our walk to
the lavender fields, for which this
country town is famous. Long before
we reach then, 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
a 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-
licious from afar, is almost overpoyver-
ing. and. for once in our lives, we think
1T almost disagreed BILE. While we stand
looking the color deepens, and, soft
ened by the sky and sun, the trees look
their brightest green in contrast to tho
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.
Lavender stalks are, as we all know,
very stiff, and hard to break; to cut
them, therefore, the men have small
sick1cs: in the right hand these are
held, while with the left the stalks are
bent for the cutting, and with 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.
&c sA1S \
there in the streets at three pence and
six pence for quite small punches. AT
Altchln as much as one can carry may
be bought for half a crown.
We hear SO much of old lavender
bushes in country gardens, priced for
their antiquity by the owners, that
learnt with surprise that, for market
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 a mass of
blossom; and the third year they begin
to go off, and cuttings from them are
taken for replanting, and the ole
plants taken up as useless.
Lavender shou1> 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 a
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 a long day. Fans, sacks and
torpedoes are among the
Prettiest ways of mal<ing-up lavender;
for the former either white or laven-
muslin, or, better still,
RI G sod fl, f1n f,v,
sticks with the same-colored ribbon
threaded among them for the fan
for this, lavender on the stalks,
not separate, is better, the Leads form
ing the fan inside the chiffon. Sacks
are more simple, being merely a bag
tied at the neck with IL ribbon. For
what, for lack Of a better name, I call
the flower heads are placed
inside a case made of stalks with ribbon
threaded in and out of them, and the
perfume passes through it. Lavender,
in bags or fancy articles, re-
1uires to be shaken pretty frequently
or the scent will proba bly, be faint: n
good shake brings it back sweet as ever
Lavender stalks. when properly dried,
are most agreeable. 1 always keep
mine to burn to scent the rooms in
winter time, when there are no flowers
They burn slowly. and if laid upon a
me tai tray will shoulder on for a long
time: a few STALKS make quite a suf1i-
Gent scent for an ordinary room. In
they are boon, for the
smell is so much cleaner and more
natural than the pastilles and other
things which only offend the patients
nose. and only clear the atmosphere
for comparatively short time.-Lon-
don News.
A Bright Youth.
A Harlem parent has IL dreadfullv
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