198 THE NEW GARDENING 



in allusion to the early blooming. Even the hearty old 

 word " manure/' which affects flower, fruit and vegetable 

 alike, can be traced to the Latin manus through the 

 French main, hand, and ceuvre, work ; thus " manur- 

 ing " was " manually working " the soil. Dandelion 

 comes from the French dent de lion (lion's tooth), in 

 allusion to the jagged leaf. Nearly every Londoner 

 knows Birdcage Walk in St. James's Park, but many do 

 not know that the name is horticultural rather than 

 ornithological, and derives from the French bocage, a 

 shrubbery walk. 



The old name Artichoke is not English ; it comes from 

 the Arabic al harshaff, through the Latin articiocco. 

 And in the Jerusalem Artichoke which, it has been 

 pungently remarked, is not an Artichoke and does not 

 come from Jerusalem we have a truly remarkable 

 case of name corruption, for " Jerusalem " in this case 

 came from the Italian il girasole, but the root is the 

 Latin gyrus, circle, and sol, sun. 



The Damson is the damascene or Damascus Plum, and 

 the Cherry is the Cerasus, from a town in Asia Minor of 

 that name. 



We trace Rhubarb to Rha barbamm, Rha being the 

 old name of the Volga, on the banks of which great river 

 Rhubarb grew. Tansy is from the Greek athanasia, 

 immortality. The name Onion (union, one-ness) comes 

 from the pearl-like shape of the bulb. The root is the 

 Latin word unus, one, a large, single pearl ; note : 



" The King shall drink to Hamlefs better breath 

 And in the cup an union shall he throw" Hamlet V. II. 



Truffle comes from the Italian tartafula, which derives 

 from the Latin terra, ground, and tufola, tuber. 



Tulip, Lavender, Violet and Lily are common 



