Now, although these different forms of salad plants are not cultivated to any considerable extent, yet when we come to inquire into the salad herbs, we find that they are not grown at all, and indeed they are practically unknown.  They constitute, however, the crowning grace of a proper salad, and confer upon it a delicacy which is unrivalled, and thus it is that any traveller will tell you that a salad in France tastes so infinitely better than one elsewhere.  Now, these salad herbs are readily grown, and do not require any care in their cultivation, so that there is no opportunity for excuse on that score.  In order, however, to prevent this paper becoming too diffuse, I must confine my remarks to those salad herbs which it is almost impossible to do without—­that is, if we wish to have any salads worth speaking of.  It will be convenient, for this purpose, to refer to the word “ravigote”; and by this term is meant a collection of four herbs, namely—­burnet, chervil, chives, and tarragon.  As has been already mentioned, each of these herbs, chopped up very finely, is usually placed in a little heap by itself on the one plate, and from these four heaps is selected whatever is required for the salad.  This invariably forms the garniture of any lettuce salad, whether cabbage or cos, and also of the Batavian endive, though, as we have already seen, the curly endive is best suited with the chapon—­i.e., the crust of bread rubbed over with a garlic clove.  The very derivation of the word “ravigote,” from the French verb RAVIGOTER, to cheer or strengthen, shows that certain exhilarating virtues are ascribed to these herbs.

Burnet.—­This is also known as salad burnet, and is a hardy herb, which will continue green during the greater part of the year.  The young and tender leaves possess a smell and taste almost identical with cucumber, and greatly enhance the flavour of the salad.  These leaves, when blanched, are sprinkled over the latter; but in addition burnet enters into the composition of ravigote butter, and helps to form green mayonnaise.  It hardly requires any culture whatever, and will do well in the coastal districts and in all the cooler localities.  With all these advantages, therefore, we can only marvel why it is denied us.

Chervil.—­Of the two varieties which are cultivated elsewhere than in Australia—­namely, the common chervil and the curled variety—­the latter is generally considered the better.  It grows about twenty inches high, and has deeply divided leaves, which are aromatic, and which are thus absolutely a necessary component of any well-ordered salad.  The plant will grow everywhere, and, as it is never seen, it is only one instance out of the many which might be adduced, that much is neglected in Australian cultivation which would be of advantage to the whole community.