Page:The family kitchen gardener - containing plain and accurate descriptions of all the different species and varieties of culinary vegetables (IA familykitchengar56buis).pdf/79

 soil; and give the ground a good top-dressing every year with manure, or rich earth. A bed will keep in bearing five or six years. When new plantations must be made, it is cut when the shoots are a few inches high. If the plants are wanted for drying, they must be allowed to grow till they are in full bloom, when they are to be cut, and the stalks laid out thinly to dry, in a shed or airy out-building. When they are perfectly dry, and have a brittle feeling, tie them up in a paper to keep till wanted. When green Mint is very desirable, it can be taken up and planted in boxes, and forced in a hot-bed with very little trouble. In two weeks the plants will be fit to cut. Two years ago, I was forcibly struck with the abuse of this very healthful herb. My physician prevailed upon me to pay a visit to one of the Springs, in the interior of this State, to try the effect of its waters upon my system, then greatly reduced by an accident. To me, every table appears meagre, unless it has a very liberal supply of good wholesome vegetables. On this occasion, the table of “mine host” appeared to have very homœopathic dishes of my favorites. When my strength began to recruit, I sallied forth to the garden to observe the cause, when behold it contained almost exclusively Green Mint! I could not conceive what extensive use they made of it, till on being more familiar with the establishment, I observed that it was carried in armsful (as if for feeding cattle) to the barroom, where it was liberally saturated with brandy, ice, and sugar, to foster an appetite for the sons of Bacchus. May that Boniface live to learn that Cabbage, Beans, and Peas, are better for health and happiness than mint-juleps!

vegetable is a native of this country, and closely related to the Mushroom, from which it is distinguished by the