THE ROOT 15 



' And the children of Israel also wept again, and said, who 

 shall give us flesh to eat ? We remember the fish which we 

 did eat in Egypt freely ; the cucumbers and the melons, and 

 the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic." Numbers, chap. xi. 



The onions of Egypt are said by travellers to be highly 

 delicious and savory, and almost entirely without that strong 

 nauseous flavor, which renders them so disagreeable to many 

 persons in other countries. It is also stated that the onions 

 of that country are of a very pure white that they are con- 

 stantly exposed for sale in the streets, dressed or cooked in 

 various ways, and that they form the chief sustenance of the 

 poor. The leek is also in high estimation among the people 

 of Egypt at the present day ; a few bulbs of this root, and a 

 little bread, forming the favorite dinner of the lower classes. 



Repent, or Creeping root, 

 Fig. 12, (Radix repens.) This 

 root creeps along on the sur- 

 face of the ground, or just 

 under it, and throws out 

 fibres at various intervals. Ex. 

 Mint, (Mentha,} Strawberry, 

 (Fragaria.) 



This kind of root is exceedingly tenacious of life, so much 

 so, that if any portion be thrown upon the ground, in a moist 

 place, it will shoot out new fibres, and finally become a per- 

 fect plant of its species. The well known Couch or Squitch 

 grass, (Tricicum repens,} is to gardeners a most troublesome 

 example of this kind of root. It is found in nearly every 

 country, always preferring the best soil, and creeping into 

 places where it is least wanted. Its root has a sweetish taste, 

 and though generally so mischievous, has occasionally been 

 used for food in times of scarcity. In Italy, and in some 

 parts of France, this root is collected by the poor, and sold 

 as food for horses. 



The Repent root, though often so vexatious to gardeners, 

 is highly useful to others. The very existence of Holland is 

 said to depend on the growth of this kind of root. That coun- 

 try, it is well known, is surrounded by dikes, or dams, which 

 prevent the inundation of the sea. The earth of which these 

 dikes are composed, is bound together by various creeping 

 roots, so firmly as to enable them to resist, the action of the 



What is said of the delicious taste of the onions of Egypt ? What are 

 examples of the repent root ? 



