62 WITH THE FLOWERS AND TREES 



And he who battled and subdued, 

 The wreath of fennel wore. ' ' 3 



Doubtless its presence in California harks back to 

 Mission days, when the Padres perhaps raised it in 

 their gardens, as its seeds have long had a reputation 

 in domestic medicine as a carminative ; but however 

 it first arrived, it is now widely distributed as a 

 weed. It is well known to Spanish-Californians, 

 who call it anis hinojo. Father St. John 'Sullivan, 

 of the Mission San Juan Capistrano, tells me that in 

 former days the Spanish people used to put the 

 broken-up leaves in water for sprinkling on the 

 floors of the Mission church to make the place smell 

 sweet. The pleasant flavor of the plant has long 

 made it attractive to California children, who find 

 enjoyment in chewing the buds and young leaves. 

 This use of the herb, according to Mr. J. Burtt 

 Davy, gained for it among the young folk of San 

 Francisco the polite name of " ladies' chewing to- 

 bacco." 



Perhaps it is hardly just to call so dainty a little 

 charmer as sweet alyssum a weed; but it certainly 

 has established itself on many a bit of vacant ground 

 in California, and in the gardens it spreads every- 

 where in bed and path regardless of whether wanted 



3 "The Goblet of Life." 



