New-York tribune., 1896-03-29
HERBS AND SALAD PLANTS.
THEIR PROPERTIES AND HOW THEY ARE
GROWN.

THEIR PROPERTIES AND HOW THEY ARE
GROWN.
An immense advance has been made IN New-York
City In tho culture and taste for flowers but we are
far behind the French in the growing of herbs and
salad plants New-York backyards are notoriousiy
barren and ill-kep., where they might be blooming
and beautiful not only with flowers but with sood'
green herbs for the refreshment and delight or man.
kind. There is dainty sentiment In the hero oeo
that raises II above the merely uitarian level OF
the other vegetable beds Of the kitchen-garden
An herb-bed. well started requires little care after
the first year except tho sowing OF ANIMALS In the
spring and the cutting and drying of the fragrant
branches In the autumn. There are about nine
avoring herbs that essential to fine cookery to-
day. Some OF these Ike tarragon are always ex-
pensive In the market, but started in the herb
bed will thrive indefinitely with little care. There
are seven eight other herbs that cultivated
for mere sentiment. though their is now largely
superseded in cookery by finer French herbs
In the limited area of city backyard a bed three
feet by twenty twenty-five will be sufficient for
the essential herbs Of the garden. Let the ground
be we'll spaded and pulverized as soon as the
frost is gone. II the soil is clayey. as so
much New-York soil is, mixture OF
sifted ashes and sand will remedy the matter.
1t will pay to employ an expert gardener TO
prepare this bed ct first exactly the flower beds
prepared. After the first year II will require no
further than the application OF little garden
fertilizer each spring and the digging OF it with
q trowel The nine herbs which must be considered
necessary to cookery to-day parsley sweet mar
goram, summer savory, thyme. sage, tarragon,
cherv. chives and burne;, p.mpernelle The last
named herb is lttle used. but it is necessary TO
properly made salad ravgote. it must be included in
the list.
Lay out a space about four feet by three for the
parsley. which will be called for than any
OF the other plants In the bed. Purchase an ounce
OF the best double cured" variety OF trustworthy
seedsman The seed sold by the ounce is more likely
TO be fresh. and Il is quite likely that a second
sowing Of parsley VIII be required. /, is slow
starting after It has been sown. II Is an old
gardeners saying that 1T goes nine times to the
devil and comes back before It sprouts" The seed
should be soaked for three hours in ukewarm
water before 1t is sown, and then should
allow full month for the seed 10 stay under the
ground. II Is a good plan to start IL as early as
March in a box set in sunny kitchen window. 1t
can be transferred to the bed outdoors in the
latter part OF May, when the ground is thor
oughly settled.
CherTl is useful herb in salad. fair pot herb
and exceedingly pretty garnsh With It's pale
green curled and fringed leaves II resembles q
delicate parsley. The flavor Is much like tarragon.
Cured cheryil sold by the best seedsmen sprouts
readily and Is easily grown. II costs cents
package. 1t Is annual and must be sown each
all French herbs, is highly esteemed by French
cooks that they refuse to believe II can be prop
erly grown away from their native land In spite
of the large quantities of tarragon sed In
this country a French huckster in Washington
Market yearly imports considerable quantities
Of French grown tarmgon for those who insist
that 1t possesses special virtues. A good sized
root of genuine tarragon will cost about 80 cents.
A small root can be purchased at from % 10 %
cents but 1t will take one or two years 10 bring 1t
to proper size that Il can be freely cut. When
started the root Will thrive for years with
little 1t grows out of doors without protection
far north Springfield. Mass and probably fur
ther north. Those gardeners who make specially
OF raising /, In New-Jersey for the New-York mar
ket say il Is easily killed by too much at
tention. and thrives best when treated with
jud!cious neglect; In spite of It's Spanish name
It is said to be Siberian herb 1t has PROBABLY been
improved by Tarragona, French gardeners by
fertilization with some other plant, for II does
not come up true from the seed and must always be
purchased by the root Lamb chops with tarragon
sauce is delicious dish. No one who has known
the supreme touch which tarragon vinegar gives TO
a well-miXed salad will need to have the praises
OF this herb rehearsed. a mnce Of equal parts OF
tarragon. chervil, burnet and chiyes Is added to a
great many Par sian salads.
Chives. the little Dutch onions. which the set
tiers OF New-Amsterdam brought for their
herb gardens. are valuable as pot herbs and are
used as a garnlsh and flavor for various dishes
They make an ornamental border for the herb bed.
and The pretty rose-purpe blossoms often used
in spring salad. Once started. chlves are per-
manent, the bulbs sending up a fresh cluster OF
leaves each spring. whenever they are cut. A
large cump OF chive roots Is sufficient for a border
around bed 3x25 feet and will cost % cents of a
dealer In garden roots and plants. Small clumps
may be bought at city grocers' for 10 cents each.
Nothing is more easily grown fourishes with
~ha hp, tnI at1
along the Hudson. where 1t IL a runaway from old
Dutch gardens.
Burnet, or the French plmpernelle. must not be
confounded for moment with the pretty Wild
p.mpernel or poor mans weather-glass, which
closes Us blue-eyed blossoms at the approach OF
rain. The seasoning herb Is different plant and
somewhat rare one. Its pretty fernke leaves have
the flavor OF cucumbers, and when bruised exhale
q delicate fragrance. The seed Is sold by few
seedsmen, but because OF the lack OF demand Is
quite likely to be old, that one Is fortunate in
raising q few plants from the small packages of
seed which sell at 10 cents each. A few plants,
however are sufficient, for only few sprays will
be needed to give occasional zest TO dinner
salads
liberal space In the herb bed should be devoted
to broad-leaved thyme. summer savory, sweet mar
inram and These four herbs may all be easily