The Herbarist

"As Americans entered the decade of the Forties, the only thing they could be sure of was change. Having struggled through the Great Depression, they now stood on the brink of a new world war, for in September 1939, Britain, France, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada had declared war on Germany. Culinary and medicinal herbs, formerly imported from Europe, became difficult to obtain due to an immediate and sustained attack on shipping vessels. Commercial growers, truck farmers, and drug companies, wondering if these herbs might be grown profitably on this continent, sought advice from The Herb Society of America. In response, The Society urged their members to create and monitor test plots. They also agreed to provide seed and supervision to commercial growers, in exchange for their accurate record keeping. This became a challenge when, in December 1941, America entered the war. Farm workers left to enlist causing a labor shortage that made weeding and harvesting problematic. The Herb Society of America persevered. Throughout the war, they endeavored to share the results of their research with farmers and housewives alike. In these reproduced issues of The Herbarist, originally published between 1940-44, members of The Society write about their experiences during The War Years, and their hopes for the future of the herb-growing industry"--Back cover.