THE DOCK AND THE ELECAMPANE 433 



scattered over the surrounding ground, the dock 

 is a serious nuisance to the farmer, more especi- 

 ally since it invariably selects the most fertile 

 ground for its habitation, refusing to thrive in 

 poor and worthless soils. The leaves are fre- 

 quently utilized for the purpose of packing butter, 

 and hence its second appellation of butter-dock. 

 It is an enemy to the farmer not only as a weed, 

 but as being utilized as a lodgment for the turnip- 

 fly, which finds a suitable breeding-place amongst 

 its broad and shady foliage. The root, when 

 dried and reduced to powder, is said to be used 

 in the manufacture of tooth-powder, and to be 

 valuable for that purpose. The flowers, which 

 make their appearance in July and August, are 

 of a reddish colour. 



The elecampane was well known and highly 

 prized by the ancients. Its name is stated by 

 Pliny to be derived from the legend that the 

 plant sprang from the tears of Helen. It is not 

 so many years ago that the sweetmeat sold under 

 this name was procurable in some few of our 

 more primitive village shops. As far as I can 

 remember, it was a very sugary compound made 

 into round, flat cakes. The plant is found in 

 moist meadows and pastures, more especially 

 those in the vicinity of houses, from which it 

 may be inferred that it was formerly cultivated 

 for the sake of its value as a remedy for coughs 

 and colds, and it is also probable that the sweet- 

 meat manufactured from the root of this plant 



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