Aug. 14.—We were admiring a clump of catmint yesterday, it was growing next to a mass of sedum and the two appeared to be fighting for what little space there was left on the rockery. The pale blue flowers of the catmint were attractive in mass, but tue p.ant forms such a fine "carpet" that itis worth growing for that reason. Botanically, it is known as Nepeta mussini and it is a close relative of the ground ivy. Writing of this plant reminds us of other mints we cultivate in our gardens. There is the horse mint or Monarda, sometimes called bee balm fromthe fact that bees from all over the neighbourhood visit the flowers in the evenings. This mint is a border plant seldom grown nowadays. Then we have the various species of Mentha. Mentha sptcata is. known to all of us as common or garden mint. We believe it is grown quite close to the bar at a local club especially for those who prefer "mint julep" to other beverages. We used to like mint with mutton until we found that it was used to camouflage goat flesh. We have seen some wonderful magicians at various times but we never saw one so adept at. turning a goat into a sheep as some local people are: Of course good mint sauce helps the illusion considerably, especially after one has enjoyed a few "mint juleps." Another well-known species is M. piperite or peppermint; this is one of the most important oil-producing plants and it is native to Great Britain. It is generally grown on marshy land and successive crops -are obtained by ploughing in the roots after "harvest. The tops are cut in Summer when flowers have developed and treated similarly io hay. Oil is extracted by distillation with steam, There is another species of mint cul-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.