SEPTEMBER. 175 



clustering among the short grass, and studding 

 all the surface of the mountain. ".The whole 

 plant," says Dr. Clarke, " was scarcely an inch 

 in height, and seemed to consist of little else 

 than the petals of its flowers, which, in size and 

 luxuriance, were out of all proportion to its 

 diminutive leaves and branches." 



The taller yellow gentian (^Gentiana luted) is 

 also a species which can be well cultivated in 

 the British garden. This flower, besides being 

 handsome, is valued for the bitter medicine 

 aflbrded by its root. It grows wild on the 

 mountains of all the central parts of Europe, 

 and is gathered for the French and English 

 markets. The root also contains an abundance 

 of sugar, and a spirit is distilled from it called 

 enziangeist, or bitter snaps, which the peasants 

 of the Swiss Alps drink, under the idea that it 

 will presei-ve them from the injurious efibcts of 

 the fogs and damps sometimes prevalent on 

 these regions. Wherever this bitter plant 

 abounds, the pastures are untouched by cattle, 

 and large tracts of land Avhich the herdsman 

 w^ould value, remain unused, because of its 

 bitterness. It is this principle, hoAvever, which 

 renders it so useful in medicine, and it is one of 

 the medicines of greatest antiquity. In the 

 West Indies, where the European constitution 

 becomes languid by the heat of the climate, it 

 is customary to take a preparation of gentian 

 before meals, in order to assist the appetite. 



Some other gentians may also be seen 

 commonly in the garden. The small Alpine 



