Thyme (_Thymus vulgaris_) is a shrublike perennial plant of the mint
family, native to southwestern Europe. It is a common garden plant,
which lives for many years under good culture. The herb, often used
for seasoning and flavoring, yields the oil of thyme, which has
well-recognized medicinal properties.
Thyme grows well from seed, which may be sown early in the spring in
drills 3 feet apart, or the plants may be started in a greenhouse or in
seed beds outside and later set at intervals of about 18 inches in rows
2 to 3 feet apart. Thyme may also be propagated, like geraniums, from
cuttings rooted in sand under glass. The plants grow well in mellow
upland soil of good quality, and should be well cultivated and kept
free from weeds throughout the growing season.
For preparing the dry herb only the flowering tops are used, and these
are cut when the plant is in full bloom and carefully dried in the
shade in order to preserve the natural color. The volatile oil is
obtained from the entire herb, which is preferably cut when in full
flower and subjected to steam distillation without previous drying.
Returns from experimental areas have shown great variations in the
yield, which has averaged about a ton of green herb per acre. Normally
the yield from a planting increases for several years, as the plants
become better established, and yields at the rate of about a ton of dry
herb per acre have been reported. The wholesale price in June, 1920,
for the dry herb ranged from 11 to 15 cents a pound; for the imported
oil, from $1.85 to $2.25 a pound, according to quality.