Herb Growing for Women

Horowhenua Chronicle, 15 November 1916, Page 2

Herb Growing for Women

« A wave of enthusiasm liae recently swept over the British Isles, chiefly affecting ladies who are amateur garc'ieneis, and who imagine that tin the cultivation of medical plants there is a new field of activity whereby one of the trades that has been filched from tile British by the wonderful organisation and indefatigable industry of the German people may, by continued effort, be restored to Great Britain. Some of these ladies, says "Country Life," are even ready to sink capital in order to effect so desirable an end.; others whose lot in life is more humble that they might at one and the same lime help to lestore the trade to this country and perhaps make some small addition to their incomers. A Woman's Herb-Growing Association has been formed, which has for its object the cultivation and marketing of the herbs on cc-operative lines. The intent on is to work a central drug farm, where some of the herbs most urgemtly required can be grown in large quantities, by erecting machinery for the systematic collection and marketing of small quantities ,will make possible the remunerative growiimg of herbs in small gardens or plots of large ones. Roughly speaking 10!b of leaves, flowers, etc., are reduced to lib after drying, and as the dealers buy in hundredweights at least, it will be seen that the small growers who has only a few pounds for the market would have difficulty ill disposing of her crops but for the cooperative system provided by the association.

The following are some of the plants most urgently required by the dispensers :— Monkshood (Aconitum napellus) roots lifted in-autumn. Chamomile (Anthemis nobilis); flowers when ripe dried on canvas trays in 'hot air. Deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna) ; leaves for extract, roots lifted every fourth year, sliced .and dried. Thorn apple (Datura stramonium); leaves and in lesser degree seeds. Henbane (Hyoscyamus niger); terminal leaves surrounding flowering top. | Purple foxglove. (Digitalis purpurea); | leaves, from one or two tons of which may be gathered from an acre. Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) seeds. Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum); heads peeked in September. Valerian (Valerian officinalis;) roots sliced lengthways. Other plants which need to be col- , lected to meet the present need are Balm, feverfew, dandelion, yarrow, the bark of the common barberry, the autumn-cut branches of the common nightshade, broom branches cut in winter and cn June, henbane, sweet flag rliifsomes and red; poppy petals.