Lovage (_Levisticum officinale_) is a perennial plant of the parsley
family, introduced into this country from Europe as a garden plant and
now grown as a crop in certain localities in New England and the West.
The root has long been supposed to have medicinal properties and is
in some demand in the drug trade. The flowering tops yield a volatile
oil, for which, however, there is little demand. The seeds are used for
flavoring confectionery and the leaf stems are sometimes blanched, like
celery, and eaten as a salad.
Lovage is propagated by division or from seeds. The seeds may be
planted in the fall in drills 18 inches apart or sown in early spring
in a hotbed, greenhouse, or well-prepared seed bed in a sheltered
portion of the garden. They should be covered very lightly with sand
or fine sifted soil, and in order to prevent the soil from drying out
before the seeds germinate it is advisable to spread old burlap or
sacking over the bed. The sacking may be sprinkled occasionally if the
weather is dry and should be removed when the first seedlings break
the soil. The plants should reach a size suitable for transplanting
by the end of May, when they may be set at intervals of 8 inches in
rows far enough apart for convenient cultivation. Lovage grows well in
almost any deep, well-drained soil, such as will produce a fair crop of
corn or potatoes, and is benefited by the liberal use of fertilizer,
although heavy applications of manure tend to produce excessive top
growth.
The roots may be dug in October of the second or third year after
setting the plants. Numerous offsets will generally be found, and if
these have good roots they may be used to renew the plantation without
recourse to seed. Such shoots should at once be reset at the usual
distances apart. The freshly dug roots should be well washed, cut into
slices about one-half inch thick, and carefully dried. If necessary,
artificial heat, not to exceed 125° F., may be used to hasten drying.
Returns from experimental areas indicate that a yield of about 1,000
pounds of dried root to the acre may be expected under good conditions
every third year. The prices quoted for American lovage root in the
wholesale drug markets range from 45 cents to $1 a pound, according to
demand and quality. Producers, however, usually receive much less than
the wholesale price.