36 THE WILD-FLOWERS OF SELBORNE 



" sallet-herbes " may be mentioned lamb's-lettuce or 

 corn-salad, a small annual with pale lilac flowers, often 

 found in cornfields ; the common dandelion, the young 

 leaves of which are excellent in spring ; and Barbarea 

 prcecox, or winter-cress, a plant supposed to have been 

 introduced from America. It is frequent in the Isle 

 of Wight, where it is known as land-cress, in contra- 

 distinction to water-cress. 



Not so many years ago the gathering of samphire 

 for purposes of pickling was a regular occupation on 

 various parts of the coast. This trade is a very 

 ancient one, and is alluded to by Shakespeare in 

 King Lear : 



" Half way down, 



Hangs one that gathers samphire, dreadful trade ! 

 Methinks he seems no bigger than his head." 



This plant still grows abundantly on the white chalk 

 cliff known as Shakespeare's Cliff at Dover, though 

 the "dreadful trade" has ceased. Fifty years ago, 

 however, it was regularly followed in the Isle of Wight. 

 " The warm, aromatic pickle prepared with this plant," 

 wrote the author of Flora Vectensis, about the year 

 1848, "is greatly esteemed and commonly seen at 

 table in this island. The herb, minced, is also served 

 up with melted butter in lieu of caper-sauce. For the 

 purpose of pickling it is annually collected in large 

 quantities from the cliffs at Freshwater, and sent up 

 to some wholesale houses in London by the cliffsmen, 

 who make samphire gathering a part of their summer 

 occupation, and for which, when cleaned and sorted, 

 they receive 45. per bushel. It is put up in casks 

 with sea water, for its better preservation on the 

 journey, and probably also to extract any bitterness 



