120 FAMILIAR WILD FLOWERS. 



zealously preserved from harm, are brethren. The ragwort 

 is by the older herbalists known also as the St. James's- 

 wort, stagger- wort, and stammer- wort. St. James's 

 day is the 25th of July, and as that is about the dale 

 when the ragwort is fairly in blossom, that will probably, 

 as in the case of several other plants bearing saints' names, 

 give the point to the title. It is clear that stagger- wort and 

 stammer- wort are both testimonials to its supposed medical 

 efficacy. The plant was in the Middle Ages held to be 

 "singular good to heal green wounds, as also inward 

 wounds/' Cancer, sciatica, and many other grievous ills, 

 were supposed to yield to its potency, but its good qualities, 

 if it possesses any, are now altogether disregarded, for 

 no use is made of the plant in any form. 



