Drug Plants Under CultivationStockberger, W. W. (Warner Webster)
Science
Drug Plants Under Cultivation
Stockberger, W. W. (Warner Webster)
Botany, Medical; Medicinal plants -- Culture -- United States
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.
Roman camomile (also called English camomile, _Anthemis nobilis_) is a
European perennial herb of the aster family, frequently cultivated in
gardens in this country and sometimes found growing wild. In America,
camomile is grown chiefly as an ornamental plant, especially for use in
borders, since the plants blossom from midsummer until killed by frost.
The dried flower heads from cultivated plants are used in medicine.
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