FENNEL. 183 



It seems fond of the sea side, and is found 

 growing in a natural state at Feversham in 

 Kent. It may also be seen growing wild in 

 great abundance on the banks of the river 

 Adur, near the Sussex Pad, between Brigh- 

 ton and Worthing : this wild fennel is pre- 

 cisely the same as that of the garden. The 

 sweet fennel, Faniculum dulce, probably is the 

 kind alluded to by the naturalists of France 

 as coming from Syria and the Azores : this 

 variety soon degenerates in our soil into the 

 common fennel, which justifies the supposi- 

 tion, that the common fennel may not be an 

 aboriginal of England, but that it is more 

 probably changed from the seed anciently 

 sown in this country. 



The Italians consider the sweet kind of 

 fennel to be a native of the Azores islands. 

 It has long been cultivated in Italy as a salad 

 herb, under the title of Finochia; but the 

 English in general have not yet acquired a 

 relish for it ; although it eats very tender 

 and crisp, when earthed up as celery, which 

 should be done at least fourteen days before 

 it is used. 



We procure the seed from Italy, which 

 should be done annually. The first crop 



