"The plants should be trimmed every year in autumn, and the ground between the rows occasionally stirred; but, in doing this, care must be taken not to injure the roots. Fresh plantations should be made before the plants grow old and cease to produce a sufficient supply of leaves."
Use.—It is used for the same purposes as Summer Savory. The leaves and tender parts of the young branches are mixed in salads: they are also boiled with pease and beans; and, when dried and powdered, are used in stuffings for meats and fowl.
SPEARMINT.
Green Mint. Mentha viridis.
A hardy, perennial plant, introduced from Europe, and generally cultivated in gardens, but growing naturally in considerable abundance about springs of water, and in rich, wet localities. The stem is erect, four-sided, smooth, and two feet or more in height; the leaves are opposite, in pairs, stemless, toothed on the margin, and sharply pointed; the flowers are purple, and are produced in August, in long, slender, terminal spikes; the seeds are small, oblong, of a brown color, and retain their vitality five years,—they are generally few in number, most of the flowers being abortive.
Soil, Propagation, and Culture.—It may be grown from seed, but is best propagated by a division of the roots, which are long and creeping, and readily establish themselves wherever they are planted. Spearmint thrives best in rich, moist soil; but may be grown in any good garden loam. The roots may be set either in the autumn or spring.
Where large quantities are required for marketing in the green state, or when grown for distillation, lay out the land in beds three or four feet in width, and make the drills two or three inches deep and a foot apart. Having divided the roots into convenient pieces, spread them thinly along the drills, and earth them over to a level with the surface of the bed. Thus treated, the plants will soon make their appearance; and may be gathered for use in August and September. Just before severe weather, give the beds a slight dressing of rich soil; and, the ensuing season, the plants will entirely occupy the surface of the ground.
Use.—Mint is sometimes mixed in salads, and is used for flavoring soups of all descriptions. It is often boiled with green pease; and, with the addition of sugar and vinegar, forms a much-esteemed relish for roasted lamb. It has also much reputed efficacy as a medicinal plant.
Curled-Leaved Spearmint.