"Well-Sweep Herb Farm: Tour of Rare and Unusual Herbs" is the topic Cyrus Hyde, co-owner of the Port Murray, N.J., farm, will address in the 10th annual Audrey Harkness O'Connor Lecture on Wednesday, Sept. 23, at Cornell University.

The 7:30 p.m. lecture, which is free and open to the public, is being presented by Cornell Plantations in the James Law Auditorium in Schurman Hall, at Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine. Parking is available in the Cornell B Lot off Route 366. A reception, courtesy of Auruca Herbarists, will follow the lecture.

Noted for having one of the largest collections of herbs in the country, Well-Sweep specializes in the rare, unusual and hard-to-find plants. These include some 68 kinds of lavenders, 88 thymes, 110 scented geraniums and 37 basils. Well-Sweep also breeds and selects its own special varieties, such as the Well-Sweep miniature purple basil and the "Alida Hyde" prostrate rosemary.

Hyde and his wife founded Well-Sweep Herb Farm 29 years ago, when the family moved from suburban New Jersey to a 4.5-acre farm in Warren County, N.J. As a symbol of the farm's simple way of life, he chose the 19th century-style well-sweep, which he recalled from his childhood on the family farm.

Using organic methods, Hyde has transformed the poor, rocky, clay soil into a self-sustaining farm, complete with animals and a traditional red barn for drying herbs and flowers. He overwinters tender herbs and topiaries in cold frames and greenhouses. His love for formal gardens inspired him to design and plant Well-Sweep's one-half acre brick-lined, herb display garden.

The annual lecture honors Audrey Harkness O'Connor, who received a degree from Cornell in 1935 in journalism and horticulture. She served as editor at Cornell Plantations for 22 years and was the planner and founding curator of the renowned Robison York State Herb Garden at Cornell Plantations and was its first curator. She is author of An Herb Garden Companion, published in 1984.

For more information concerning the lecture, contact Cornell Plantations at (607) 255-3020.