Part 5

BLUE FLAG.

Blue flag (Iris versicolor) is a native perennial plant of common occurrence in swamps and marshy situations throughout the eastern half of the United States. The underground stem (rhizome) and roots are the parts of the plant used medicinally.

Blue flag responds readily to cultivation when placed in a rich, moist, and rather heavy soil. It is readily propagated from divisions of old plants, which may be set 1 foot apart in rows spaced conveniently for cultivation. If the plants are set in August or September, the crop may be harvested about, the last of October in the following year. The roots may be turned out with a deep-running plow, and after being thoroughly washed and the larger clusters broken up they should be thoroughly dried. Artificial drying at low heat is usually desirable.

Yields at the rate of 3 or 4 tons of dried root per acre have been obtained from small plats. The prewar price paid to collectors varied from year to year and usually ranged from 5 to 10 cents a pound. The price in June, 1920, was 35 cents a pound. This crop does not appear to be very promising, owing to the relatively small demand for the root

BONESET.

Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum) is a hardy, rather long-lived perennial plant commonly found growing in low grounds throughout the eastern half of the United States. The dried leaves and flowering tops form the official drug.

Divisions of clumps of wild plants collected early in the fall will serve for propagation. These may be set about a foot apart in rows in well-prepared soil. During the first winter the newly set divisions should be protected with a light mulch of straw or manure. Plants may also be grown from seeds, which should be collected as soon as ripe and sown in shallow drills about 8 inches apart in a rich, moist seed bed, preferably in partial shade. When of sufficient size they may be set in the field at about the same distance as the divided clumps.

The plants are cut late in the summer when in full bloom and the leaves and flowering tops stripped from the stem by hand and carefully dried without exposure to the sun. Yields of well-cultivated boneset are quite large and 2,000 pounds or more per acre of dry herb may be obtained under favorable conditions. The prewar price for boneset rarely exceeded 2 to 3 cents a pound. The price in June, 1920, was 12 to 13 cents a pound. Since the demand is limited and the wild supply fairly available, the cultivation of boneset does not offer much prospect of profit.

BURDOCK.

Burdock (Arctium lappa) is a large biennial plant well known as a common and troublesome weed in the Eastern and Central States and in some western localities. The dried root from plants of the first year's growth forms the official drug, but the seeds and leaves are also used medicinally.

Burdock will grow in almost any soil, but the best root development is favored by a light well-drained soil rich in humus. The seeds germinate readily and may be sown directly in the field, either late in the fall or early in the spring. The seed may be sown in drills 18 inches or 3 feet apart, as desired, and should be sown 1 inch deep if in the fall, but less deeply if sown in the spring. When the seedlings are well up they should be thinned to stand about 6 inches apart in the row. Cultivation should continue as long as the size of the plants will permit.

The roots are harvested at the end of the first year's growth in order to secure the most acceptable drug and also to prevent the plants from bearing seed and spreading as a weed. The tops of the plants may be cut with a mower and raked off, after which the roots can usually be turned out with a deep-running plow or with a beet lifter. In a dry and very sandy soil the roots frequently extend to a depth of 2 or 3 feet, making it necessary to dig them by hand. After digging, any remaining tops are removed and the roots are washed and dried, the drying being preferably by the use of low artificial heat. The roots are usually split lengthwise into two or more pieces in order to facilitate drying, although whole roots are marketable.

Yields at the rate of 1,500 to 2,000 pounds of dry roots per acre have been obtained. The prewar prices offered by dealers ranged from 4 to 6 cents a pound. The prices for the root and seed in June, 1920, were 12 cents a pound each.

CALAMUS.

Calamus, or sweet flag (Acorus calamus), is a native perennial plant, occurring frequently along streams and in the edges of swamps throughout the eastern half of the United States. The dried root (rhizome or rootstock) is the part used as a drug.

Although calamus in a wild state is usually found growing in water, it may be cultivated in almost any good soil which is fairly moist. It usually does well on moderately dry upland soils which will produce fair crops of corn or potatoes. The plants are readily propagated from divisions of old roots, which should be set early in the fall 1 foot apart in rows and well covered. During the following growing season the plants should receive frequent and thorough cultivation.

The roots are harvested in the fall and may be readily dug with a spade or turned out with a plow. The tops, together with about an inch of the rootstock, are next cut off and used to make new plantings. The roots are washed and dried artificially at a moderately low degree of heat. The marketable product consists of the thick rootstocks deprived of their small rootlets often called "fibers." These may be removed before drying, but more easily afterwards, since when dry and brittle they break off readily with a little handling. Roots thus treated are often called "stripped" and are more aromatic than those which have been peeled.

Yields at the rate of 2,000 pounds of dry roots per acre have been obtained. The prewar price for the unpeeled root usually ranged from 3 to 5 cents a pound. The prices in June, 1920, were 10 to 12 cents a pound. The annual importation of calamus root ranges from 5 to 10 tons.

CALENDULA.

Calendula, or pot marigold (Calendula officinalis), is a hardy annual plant native to southern Europe, but frequently grown in flower gardens in this country. The dried flower heads are sometimes used in soups and stews, and the so-called petals (ligulate florets) are employed in medicine.

Calendula grows well on a variety of soils, but a moderately rich garden loam will give the best results. The seed may be sown in open ground early in the spring in drills 18 inches apart. As soon as the seedlings are well established they should be thinned to stand about a foot apart in the row. In the North it is desirable to sow the seed about the first of April in coldframes or spent hotbeds and transplant the young seedlings as soon as the danger of frost is past.

The plants blossom early and continue to bloom throughout the summer. The flowers are gathered at intervals of a few days and carefully dried. The petals (florets) which form the drug may be removed either before or after the flower heads are dried. The petals are removed by hand, but this process requires so much time that when the cost of the necessary labor is taken into account it is doubtful whether the price received for the drug would cover the cost of production.

The dried whole flowers produced in this country were quoted in the wholesale markets in June, 1920, at 25 cents to $1 a pound, according to quality; the petals, at $1.95 to $2.10 a pound.

CAMOMILE, GERMAN.

German camomile (Matricaria chamomilla) is a European annual herb of the aster family, cultivated in this country in gardens, from which it has escaped in some localities. The dried flower heads are used in medicine.

This species of camomile does well on moderately heavy soil which is rich in humus and rather moist. Since the plants bloom about eight weeks after sowing the seed, a crop of camomile may be grown from seed sown either early in the spring or late in the summer, following early vegetable crops. The seed may be sown in drills and barely covered or may be broadcast, since the plants will soon occupy the ground and exclude the weeds. When the plants are In full bloom the flower heads are gathered and may be spread thinly on canvas sheets and dried in the sun. All leaves and stems should be removed, and when the flowers are thoroughly dry they should be packed for market in boxes or bales rather than in bags, since in the latter the flowers are likely to be badly broken in handling.

Returns from experimental areas indicate that a yield of about 400 pounds of dry flowers per acre may be expected under favorable conditions. Prewar wholesale prices usually ranged from about 15 to 40 cents a pound. The prices in June, 1920, were 41 to 43 cents a pound.

CAMOMILE, ROMAN.