HERBS, Culinary, fragrant or aromatic plants used to add flavor to food. especially stews, soups, dressings and salads. They usually owe these qualities to essential oils, which, be ing readily soluble or easily volatilized by heat, quickly permeate the mass of food in which they are mixed. The seed of some, as caraway, anise and dill, is employed; the foliage of others, as parsley, sage, thyme, is more fre quently used. The former plants are cut and placed loosely upon sheets as soon as the seed reaches maturity; allowed to dry a few days; lightly thrashed and the seed cleaned; still fur ther dried and stored in air-tight packages. The latter are gatheredjust before the first blossoms open, because they are then richest in flavor. With parsley the leaves are gathered as soon as mature, several cuttings being made in a season. They are then dried upon trays at a temperature below 120 degrees and in freely circulating air until crisp, when they are rubbed to powder and stored as above. Paper or pasteboard packages are bad, because they allow the flavors to escape. Both seeds and leaves may be used in decoction, being covered vinegar or alcohol in stoppered Fresh herbs, which are alwayspreferable to dried or decocted, are especially useful in salads; dried and decocted in dressings, stews. etc., and at seasons when fresh ones cannot be obtained. In the United States the species most in demand are parsley, .sage, thyme, savory, marjoram, spearmint, dill, fennel, tarragon, balm and basil in nearly the order named.
Parsley is beyond question the most popular because of its double use as a garnish and flavoring plant but sage is perhaps more frequently used in the latter capacity. It is most esteemed with pork, goose, duck and similar rich meats. Spearmint is used mainly with roast lamb; tarragon with boiled fish; dill with pickles; and the other kinds mentioned with mild meats such as turkey, chicken, veal, venison, etc. The kind, quantity and mixture used with each sort of food depends upon per sonal preference.
In general, herbs are of simplest cultivation. They usually prefer rather light, moderately rich, well drained soil and sunny exposures. Since the seeds of many are small or slow to germinate they are frequently started in a greenhouse, hotbed or window, and trans planted to the garden when they are large enough and when conditions are favorable. Clean cultivation and the removal of weeds is essential. The perennial kinds, such as sage, are often propagated by stem cuttings, di visions or layers; tarragon always thus because it does not produce seed; spearmint usually by cuttings of the rootstock The great majority are grown as annuals, being replaced each spring with fresh plants. Commercially they follow such crops as early cabbage, peas, etc., thus permitting a double use of the same soil annually. They are easily grown for winter use in the borders of benches in the greenhouse or in boxes placed in sunny windows.