A GLANCE AT BRITISH WILD FLOWERS 169 



with this high color of the British flowers, as I 

 have noticed that on our New England coast the 

 same flowers are deeper tinted than they are in 

 the interior. 



A flower which greets all ramblers to moist fields 

 and tranquil watercourses in midsummer is the 

 meadow-sweet, called also queen of the meadows. 

 It belongs to the Spiraea tribe, where our hardback, 

 nine-bark, meadow-sweet, queen of the prairie, and 

 others belong, but surpasses all our species in being 

 sweet-scented, — a suggestion of almonds and cin- 

 namon. I saw much of it about Stratford, and in 

 rowing on the Avon plucked its large clusters of 

 fine, creamy white flowers from my boat. Arnold 

 is felicitous in describing it as the "blond meadow- 

 sweet. " 



They cultivate a species of clover in England 

 that gives a striking eff'ect to a field when in bloom, 

 Trifolium incarnatum^ the long heads as red as 

 blood. It is grown mostly for green fodder. I 

 saw not one spear of timothy grass in all my ram- 

 bles. Though this is a grass of European origin, 

 yet it seems to be quite unknown among English 

 and Scotch farmers. The horse bean, or Winches- 

 ter bean, sown broadcast, is a new feature, while its 

 perfume, suggesting that of apple orchards, is the 

 most agreeable to be met with. 



I was delighted with the furze, or whin, as the 

 Scotch call it, with its multitude of rich yellow, 

 pea-like blossoms exhaling a perfume that reminded 

 me of mingled cocoanut and peaches. It is a 



