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being thus treated, loses its pungency, and is commonly eaten in the neigh' 

 bourhood of the Isle of Portland as well as being manufactured for sale in 

 London under the name of Portland sago. All these plants should, however, 

 be very cautiously dealt with by amateiirs. From the roots of two species of 

 Orchis, mascula and morio, is made Salep, which of all substances produces the 

 greatest amount of jelly in proportion to its bulk. In the East it is used as 

 food. It is said that one ounce of it per day will support a man for several 

 days together. I have made it on a small scale, by following the ordinary 

 directions : to scald the roots, rub off the skin, dry in the sun if possible, and 

 then to reduce them to the state of flour, which is to be boiled in milk or 

 water. The roots of the water Arrow-head may be treated like those of the 

 orchis : they should not be used without care. 



For all information relating to the British Edible Funguses, 1 gladly 

 refer to Dr. Bull's illustrated paper in the last volume of our Transactions, 

 Those to whom he has given a taste of their quality, owe him a double debt, 

 I may, however, mention two cryptogamic plants. Fucus vcsiculosus, a sea-weed, 

 said to be mingled with flour in bread, and F. pahnatiis,, which in the north of 

 Scotland is freed from salt and eaten in milk or broth. Certainly the northern 

 islanders eat small quantities of Hindware and two kinds of Tangle, and the 

 preparation from sea- weed known as "'Laver" is relished as a luxury by many 

 persons. 



If I have not in each case subjected the plant (and myself) to actual 

 experiment, I have done so wherever I was able, and I live to tell the tale. 

 In inquiring into the truth of the ordinary statements handed down from 

 author to author as to the use of herbs in particular localities, I came to this 

 conclusion. Wherever a wild plant is said to be used on the Continent it 

 is actually used at the present day, and often forms an important part of the 

 food of the people, but when it is said to be used in England, it will probably 

 be found to be either forgotten or only eaten occasionally as fancy dictates. 

 The general enclosure of lands in this country, and the constant appendage 

 of a garden to each cottage, disposes our poor to depend upon such plants as 

 they can grow rather than such as they may or may not be able togather. 

 If a wild plant is really good, it is often more economical to grow it in the 

 garden than to seek it in the field. But the great reasons for the neglect of 

 wild vegetables seem to be : — 1st, a very general ability in all ranks to obtain 

 reaUy good bread, potatoes, and even meat, in fair proportion ; and 2nd, a 

 lamentable want of aptitude for the practice of cookery as a fine art. "We are 

 not simply content with plain roast and boiled, they are part of our national 

 glory. I well remember the contempt with which some English villagers spoke 

 of a small colony of French artizans who had settled in their neighbourhood 

 and might be seen "picking up all manner of rubbish out of the hedges to eat." 



But it is not everyone who has a garden. And if by a little ingenuity — 

 such as every French peasant knows how to apply — a good dish of vegetables 



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