Lavender

an aromatic shrub of the mint family. Lavender grows from one to three feet tall. The name is related to lave or wash, having reference to the use of lavender in the bath. The flowers have a blue tint and appear in cylindrical terminal spikes. A pale lilac color, known as lavender, takes its name from them. Lavender is an old garden favorite. The English housewife lays away clothing with sprigs of lavender between its folds to give an agreeable odor which repels moths. Lavender is a native of Persia, the Canaries, and the Mediterranean region. It covers vast tracts of land in Spain, Italy, and southern France. It is cultivated for commercial purposes chiefly in France and in the counties of Surrey and Hertford, England. California and the black belt of Alabama are said to be well adapted to the needs of the plant. Oil of lavender is a lemon-yellow, bitter, aromatic fluid with a burning taste. It is used in the manufacture of perfumery and lavender water. The best oil is distilled from the flowers, though leaves and stems are used for the same purpose. An acre of lavender yields from ten to twenty-five pounds of oil. The stills of Grasse, France, the great center of lavender oil production, yield as high as 200,000 pounds a year. In planting, stems are cut into short sections and dropped in a furrow. The seed is not trustworthy. The plants are cut in early blossom to get full strength. They are taken to the still at once lest they wilt and turn black. See Perfume