8o 



IRambles witfo Iftature Stufcents 



amount to about one thousand five hundred seeds. 

 No wonder gardeners find it a troublesome weed, 

 when one plant can produce so many seeds and 



sow itself all over the 

 garden. We may note its 

 very varied leaves, those on 

 the stem are oblong and 

 arrow-shaped at the base, 

 the root leaves being pin- 

 natifid, that is, cleft into 

 divisions half way down. 



In China and North 

 America the plant is used 

 as a vegetable, and it used 

 to be credited with medi- 

 cinal virtues. 



My chief interest in this 

 hardy little weed arises from 

 its remarkable power of 

 adaptation ; if it happens to 

 be growing in rich soil, it 

 will attain to a height of 

 one or two feet, but if 

 starved in some wall crevice 

 or growing between the 

 stones on a hard gravel path 

 even there it does its best ; 



its dwarf stem is covered with immature purses, and 

 is crowned by a tiny head of flowers ; it is thus a 

 true emblem of patience and fruitfulness under 

 adverse circumstances, 



SHEPHERD'S PURSE. 



