As many of the herbs are perennial it is best that the bed should be a permanent one, not subject to annual disturbance. It should be long, rather than wide, so that the herbs may be gathered without walking on the bed; three feet is a good width as that can be reached across fairly well. As the amount of any one herb used in the average family will be small it is not necessary that they be set in regular rows; they may rather be started in rows, for convenience in planting and identifying when up and then the fine, vigorous plants set in clumps in the border, or in colonies of sorts. The leaves of the various plants are the part used and they should be cut or gathered on a bright, clear day just as the plants are coming into bloom, tied in bunches and hung up in a dry place, an attic with open windows, or a shed, or spread out on racks or a floor, anywhere where they will dry quickly so as to retain all their flavor. When thoroughly dry the leaves should be stripped from the stems and packed in bags or boxes for use.
The annual varieties are cultivated the same as the perennials but if one prefers these may occupy a row through the garden where they can have the cultivation accorded the other vegetables. The following list is quite complete and will indicate the various uses for which each is suitable.
PERENNIAL HERBS
Balm. Lemon-scented and used for making balm tea.
Catnip. Beloved of cats and useful in colic of infants.
Fennel, Sweet. Used in salads and soups.
Horehound. Very useful in coughs and bronchial colds, made into syrup or candy, with sugar.
Lavender. For perfuming linen. Not hardy and should be protected in winter.
Mint. For mint sauces.
Pennyroyal. Used medicinally, and for seasoning puddings and various dishes.
Peppermint. For flavoring and in candy.
Rosemary. For flavoring. ("Here's Rosemary, that's for remembrance.")
Rue. For roup in fowls and for medicinal purposes.
Sage. Seasoning for sausage, poultry dressing and the like.
Savory, summer. Used in place of sage and as flavoring with string beans.
Savory, winter. Used the same as summer savory.
Sweet Marjoram. Used green in summer and dried in winter.
Tansy. For medicinal purposes.
Thyme, broad-leaved English. For seasoning and poultry stuffing; also a tea for nervous headache.
ANNUAL HERBS
Anise. For garnishing and flavoring and in making cordials.
Basil, sweet. The stems and seeds are used in soups and sauces.
Bene. Used medicinally—the leaves in water, beneficial in cases of dysentery.
Borage. Excellent for bees. Leaves used in salads, the flowers in cooling drinks. Caraway. The seed used in bread, cakes, cookies and salads.
Chamomile. Medicinal. Prescribed by physicians as an emetic and vermifuge.
Coriander. Seeds aromatic. Used as a stomachic.
Cumin. As food for pigeons.
Dill. In making dill pickles.
Pimpinella. The young leaves, used as salad, have the flavor of cucumbers.
Saffron. Used for flavoring and coloring.
Tarragon. For flavoring and in salads. Does not come from seed but plants must be purchased.
Tagetes. This possesses in its green parts almost the true tarragon flavor.
Thyme. French Summer. Used for seasoning.
Waldmeister. Used in May wine and also for scenting clothes.
CHAPTER XIV
PLANT ENEMIES AND INSECTICIDES
The well-tended garden does not suffer materially from inroads of insect pests especially in favorable seasons; cool, damp weather, and hot, muggy weather are conducive to fungoid diseases which sap the strength of the plants and make them less resistant to any kind of assaults, whether of insects or disease, but with normal weather and bright dry air a part of each day at least, little trouble should be experienced from insect pests; especially should this be the case if precautionary work has been done the previous fall in the way of gathering up and burning all rubbish that can harbor insects or disease and especially if the precaution is taken to fall plough the garden, leaving the soil in the rough furrow over winter. This is especially good practice when there has been trouble with insect pests, especially cutworms, root lice, tomato worms—the pupae of which winter in the ground and if turned up by the plough will be destroyed, radish and cabbage maggot and the like.