Coriander (_Coriandrum sativum_) is an Old World annual of the parsley
family. For years the plant has been cultivated in gardens in the
United States, and it is now reported as growing wild in many places.
The aromatic seeds and the oil distilled from them have long been used
medicinally. Both the seed and the oil are also used for flavoring
confectionery and cordials and as a condiment in bread and cake.
Coriander grows well on almost any good soil, but thrives best on
deep and fertile garden loam. The soil should be well prepared before
planting, which should be done moderately early in the spring. For
field cultivation the seed is sown in rows 3 feet apart, but if the
cultivation is done by hand the distance between the rows may be
reduced to 18 inches. The seed should be sown thickly in order to
insure a good stand. When well up, the plants are thinned to stand 4 or
5 inches apart in the row. Cultivation should continue until the plants
flower, which will be about two months from the time of planting.
When most of the seeds are ripe the plants are cut with a scythe or
mower, preferably early in the morning while moist with dew, in order
to avoid shattering the seed. The plants are partially cured in small
cocks in the field, the drying being finished in a barn loft or under
other suitable shelter, after which the seeds are thrashed out and
cleaned.
The yield of seed is quite variable, but returns from experimental
areas indicate that from 500 to 800 pounds per acre may be expected.
Five hundred pounds of seed will usually yield from 1 to 5 pounds of
oil, according to the localities where grown. The annual importation of
coriander seed is about 1,400,000 pounds. The prewar price of the seed
was about 3 cents a pound; in June, 1920, 3 to 4 cents. The wholesale
price of the oil of coriander, which was $5 to $7 a pound before the
war, in June, 1920, ranged from $42 to $45 a pound.