[CALENDULA.]
Calendula, or pot marigold (Calendula officinalis), is a hardy annual plant native to southern Europe, but frequently grown in flower gardens in this country. The dried flower heads are sometimes used in soups and stews, and the so-called petals (ligulate florets) are employed in medicine.
Calendula grows well on a variety of soils, but a moderately rich garden loam will give the best results. The seed may be sown in open ground early in the spring in drills 18 inches apart. As soon as the seedlings are well established they should be thinned to stand about a foot apart in the row. In the North it is desirable to sow the seed about the first of April in coldframes or spent hotbeds and transplant the young seedlings as soon as the danger of frost is past.
The plants blossom early and continue to bloom throughout the summer. The flowers are gathered at intervals of a few days and carefully dried. The petals (florets) which form the drug may be removed either before or after the flower heads are dried. The petals are removed by hand, but this process requires so much time that when the cost of the necessary labor is taken into account it is doubtful whether the price received for the drug would cover the cost of production.
The dried whole flowers produced in this country were quoted in the wholesale markets in June, 1920, at 25 cents to $1 a pound, according to quality; the petals, at $1.95 to $2.10 a pound.
[CAMOMILE, GERMAN.]
German camomile (Matricaria chamomilla) is a European annual herb of the aster family, cultivated in this country in gardens, from which it has escaped in some localities. The dried flower heads are used in medicine.
This species of camomile does well on moderately heavy soil which is rich in humus and rather moist. Since the plants bloom about eight weeks after sowing the seed, a crop of camomile may be grown from seed sown either early in the spring or late in the summer, following early vegetable crops. The seed may be sown in drills and barely covered or may be broadcast, since the plants will soon occupy the ground and exclude the weeds. When the plants are In full bloom the flower heads are gathered and may be spread thinly on canvas sheets and dried in the sun. All leaves and stems should be removed, and when the flowers are thoroughly dry they should be packed for market in boxes or bales rather than in bags, since in the latter the flowers are likely to be badly broken in handling.