88 A GARDEN OF HERBS 



owne places where they were before." The Boke of the 

 Secrets ofAlbertits Magnus. 



" The flower of the dead nettle is like a weasell's face." 



W. Coles, The Art of Simpling. 



One of the varieties of nettle (urtica pilulifera) is said to 

 have been introduced into England by the Roman soldiers 

 who brought the seed of it with them. The tradition is 

 that they were told the climate of England was so terrible 

 that it was scarcely endurable, so they sowed these seeds 

 in order to have a plentiful supply of nettles wherewith 

 to rub their bodies and so to keep them warm. In 

 Scandinavian mythology nettles are sacred to Thor, 

 and to this day in the Tyrol peasants throw nettles 

 on to the fire during a thunderstorm to prevent the house 

 being struck by lightning. Nettles afford nourishment 

 to a large number of insects. It is the only food of the 

 caterpillars of three of our most beautiful butterflies the 

 Atalanta, Paphia and Urticae, and the principal food of a 

 fourth, 16. Whipping with nettles was formerly strongly 

 recommended for rheumatism. The bags of " poison " 

 which set up irritation can be seen with the naked eye at the 

 bottom of the prickles on the stalk of a full-grown nettle. 

 Nettles are one of the most valuable of our neglected herbs, 

 for they contain such health-giving salts. Boiled as spinach 

 they afford excellent green food during the early spring when 

 green vegetables are scarce in the garden. Their value as 

 a green food is well known to poultry fanciers. One of the 

 best-known exhibitors in England has such a high opinion 

 of the value of nettles that for the prize stock large quantities 

 of nettles are dried in order that the birds may be supplied 

 with them during the winter months. To make it palatable 

 to the fowls the boiling water is poured on to the nettles, 

 and meal is added to make it into a mash. Nettles are 

 good for poultry at any time, but they are only good for 

 human consumption during the early spring months. They 

 should never be eaten when they have gone to seed. 



NETTLE TEA. One quart of boiling water poured on to 



