FIELD FLOWERS 



in 



THEY are interesting and incompre- 

 hensible. They are vaguely called the 

 "Weeds." They serve no purpose. 

 Here and there a few, in very old vil- 

 lages, retain the spell of contested vir- 

 tues. Here and there one of them, 

 right at the bottom of the apothecary's 

 or herbalist's jars, still awaits the com- 

 ing of the sick man faithful to the in- 

 fusions of tradition. But sceptic medi- 

 cine will have none of them. No longer 

 are they gathered according to the 

 olden rites ; and the science of " Sim- 

 ples" is dying out in the housewife's 

 memory. A merciless war is waged up- 

 on them. The husbandman fears them ; 

 C 783 



