1 68 THE FRUITS OF THE COUNTRY-SIDE 



applying it to medicinal use, an application rarely indeed 

 overlooked in the consideration of a plant's " virtues." 

 We accordingly find divers preparations of its very 

 astringent root, leaves, and seeds in vogue for the relief 

 of toothache, dropsy, pneumonia, and various other ills 

 that afflict humanity, and which, we fear, iris notwith- 

 standing, will continue to do so. " The root cleane 

 washed and stamped with a few drops of Rose-water, 

 and laid plaister-wise vpon the face of man or woman, 

 doth in two dayes at the most take away the blacknesse 

 or blewnesse of any stroke or bruse." One seems to see 

 in this a delicately-worded hint that even in those good 

 old times men were brutal and women aggravating ; black- 

 ness on the face, in some circles of society a not uncommon 

 complaint, suggesting that the peaceful current of family 

 life had become somewhat ruffled by some breeze that 

 had sprung up. In such case another good application 

 would be a preparation of the root, for " the iuyce of 

 the same doth mightily and vehemently draw forth 

 choler." 



TOUCH-ME-NOT (Impatiens Fulva) 



If our riverside stroll that brought us in contact 

 with the yellow iris chanced to be along the banks of 

 the Wey or some portion of the Thames, we shall very 

 probably have found a balsam-like flower, orange-red in 

 colour and a foot or so in height, rising amidst the 

 luxuriant riverside herbage. This would be the Impatiens 

 fulva, a North American plant really, that in some 

 mysterious way has thoroughly established itself in the 

 River Wey, and the Basingstoke Canal, and other water- 



