THE COMMON NETTLE. 



torpor ; while " nettle-tea" forms, at the present day, 

 one of the most esteemed of those cooling spring 

 medicines which our peasantry hold in such high 

 repute. At the same season of the year, the young 

 shoots, when boiled, are eaten with meat in some 

 parts of this country, and, I believe, more generally 

 on the Continent ; they are wholesome and anti- 

 scorbutic, and are said to resemble asparagus in 

 flavour, though I will not pretend that I could 

 ever discover the similarity. It will be remem- 

 bered that during the last famine in Ireland, hun- 

 dreds of the poorer people were for days nay, 

 perhaps for weeks without any other sustenance. 

 Loudon speaks of the nettle as a most delicate pot- 

 herb, even when unforced, and recommends it as one 

 of the best and most rapid plants for early forcing 

 with which he is acquainted. Who does not remem- 

 ber the exclamation of Andrew Fairservice, in 

 " Rob Roy : " " Nae doubt I suld understand my 

 ain trade o" horticulture, seeing I was bred in the 

 parish o' Dreep-daily, near Glasco, where they raise 

 lang kail under glass, and force the early nettles for 

 their spring kail !" 



" Gin ye be for lang kail," 

 Says the old Scotch song, 



" Cow (pluck) the nettle, cow the nettle early ; 

 Gin ye be for lang kail, 



Cow the nettle early. 



Cow it laigh, cow it sune, 

 Cow it in the month of June, 

 Just when it is in the blume, 



Cow the nettle early. 



B 2 



