or litter to
prevent undue thawing and freezing and consequent heaving of the soil.
In the spring the plants should be dug, divided and reset in a new
situation.

When seed is desired, the ripening tops must be cut frequently, because
the plants mature very unevenly. But this method is often more wasteful
than spreading cloths or sheets of paper beneath the plants and allowing
the seed to drop in them as it ripens. Twice a day, preferably about
noon, and in the late afternoon the plants should be gently jarred to
make the ripe seeds fall into the sheets. What falls should then be
collected and spread in a warm, airy room to dry thoroughly. When this
method is practiced the stems are cut finally; that is, when the bulk of
the seed has been gathered. They are dried, threshed or rubbed and the
trash removed, by sifting. During damp weather the seed will not
separate readily from the plants.

Of the common thyme there are two varieties: narrow-leaved and
broad-leaved. The former, which has small grayish-green leaves, is more
aromatic and pleasing than the latter, which, however, is much more
popular, mainly because of its size, and not because of its superiority
to the narrow-leaved kind. It is also known as winter or German thyme.
The plant is taller and larger and has bigger leaves, flowers and seeds
than the narrow-leaved variety and is decidedly more bitter.

_Uses._--The green parts, either fresh, dried or in decoction, are used
very extensively for flavoring soups, gravies, stews, sauces,
forcemeats, sausages, dressings, etc. For drying, the tender stems are
gathered after the dew is off and exposed to warm air in the shade. When
crisp they are rubbed, the trash removed and the powder placed in
stoppered bottles or tins. All parts of the plant are fragrant because
of the volatile oil, which is commercially distilled mainly in France.
About one per cent of the green parts is oil, which after distillation
is at first a reddish-brown fluid. It loses its color on redistillation
and becomes slightly less fragrant. Both grades of oil are used
commercially in perfumery. In the oil are also crystals (thymol), which
resemble camphor and because of their pleasant odor are used as a
disinfectant where the strong-smelling carbolic acid would be
objectionable.

Besides common thyme two other related species are cultivated to some
extent for culinary purposes. Lemon thyme (_T. citriodorus_, Pers.),
like its common relative, is