Sowing and Culture.—The plant is easily propagated by seeds, which may be sown either in autumn or spring. Sow in drills ten inches apart, half or three-fourths of an inch deep; and thin, while the plants are young, to six or eight inches in the row. If the seeds are allowed to scatter from the plants in autumn, young seedlings will come up plentifully in the following spring, and may be transplanted to the distances before directed. In dry soil, the plants will continue for many years; requiring no further care than to be occasionally hoed, and kept free from weeds. It may also be propagated by dividing the roots; but, as it is easily grown from seeds, this method is not generally practised.
Use.—The leaves have a warm, piquant taste, and, when bruised, resemble cucumbers in odor. They are sometimes used as salad, and occasionally form an ingredient in soups. The roots, after being dried and pulverized, are employed in cases of internal hemorrhage.
It is very little used in this country, and rarely seen in gardens.
Varieties.—There are three varieties; the distinctions, however, being neither permanent nor important.
Hairy-Leaved Burnet.
Leaves and stems comparatively rough or hairy; in other respects, similar to the Smooth-leaved. Either of the varieties may be propagated by dividing the roots.
Large-Seeded Burnet.
This, like the others, is a sub-variety, and probably but a seminal variation.
Smooth-Leaved Burnet.
Leaves and stems of the plant comparatively smooth, but differing in no other particular from the Hairy-leaved. Seeds from this variety would probably produce plants answering to both descriptions.