t while in
flower, dried, powdered, and preserved, like other pot-herbs.

* * * * *

BORAGE.

Borago officinalis.

Borage is generally classed as a hardy annual, though it is sometimes
biennial. Stem two feet high; the leaves are oval, alternate, and, in
common with the stalk and branches, thickly set with stiff, bristly
hairs; the flowers are large and showy,--they are red, white, or blue,
and often measure more than an inch in diameter; the seeds are large,
oblong, slightly curved, and retain their germinative property three
years.

_Soil and Cultivation._--Borage thrives best in light, dry soil. The
seeds are sown in April or May, in drills ten or twelve inches apart,
and half an inch deep. They should be sown quite thinly, or so as to
secure a plant for every six or eight inches; to which distance they
should be thinned. When a continued supply is required, a second sowing
should be made in July. The plants seed abundantly; and, when once
introduced into the garden, spring up spontaneously.

_Use._--The plant is rarely cultivated and little used in this country.
It is sometimes employed as a pot-herb, and the young shoots are
occasionally mixed in salads. They are also sometimes boiled and used as
Spinach. The flowers make a beautiful garnish, and it is well worthy
cultivation as an ornamental plant. "The stalks and foliage contain a
large proportion of nitre; and, when dried, burn like match-paper."

_Varieties._--There are several varieties, differing slightly, except in
the color of the flowers; the Red-flowering, White-flowering, and
Blue-flowering being the principal. A variety, with variegated foliage,
is described by some authors. Miller states that "they generally retain
their distinctions from seeds."

* * * * *

CARAWAY.

Carum carui.

The Common Caraway is a hardy, biennial plant; a native of various parts
of Europe; and, to a considerable extent, naturalized in this country.
The root is long and tapering, of a yellowish-white color, and about
three-fourths of an inch in diameter near the crown or at its broadest
part; the flesh of the root is white, fine-grained, with a flavor not
unlike that of the carrot; the flower-stalks are put forth the second
season, and are about two feet and a half in height, with numerous
spreading branches; the leaves are finely cut, or divided, and of a
deep-green color; the flowers are small, white,