MADDER FAMILY 



IS 



this is clear to one who picks a branch ; for that branch 

 so armed with sharp, stiff, backward-pointing 



prickles that the immediate prob- 

 lem is not to keep it but how to 

 get rid of it. 



The name Goose- Grass is said 

 to refer to the fact that geese 

 wandering along the hedges often 

 became helplessly entangled in 

 these stems to the detriment of 

 their feathers. The old EngHsh 

 nursery rhyme, 



" Goosey, goosey, gander. 

 Whither do ye wander?" 



is regarded as a reference to this 

 danger. The many common 

 names which the English people 

 give the plant is proof that for 

 some reason it was an object of 

 considerable interest, and this 

 from very early times. In addition to Goose-Grass, it 

 also has the names Bedstraw, Cleavers, Robin-Run-in- 

 the-Hedge, Love-Man, Bur- Weed, Catchweed, Cling- 

 Rascal, Grip- Grass — and these are really only a few 

 of those which it has acquired. 



It also had a great reputation for its medicinal 

 value, which reputation it seems to have lost. To-day 

 it is simply a weed whose room is regarded much more 

 desirable than its company. 



Goose-Grass. Galium 

 aperine 



2l6 



