112 THE VEGETABLE CULTIVATOR. 



the leaves, when boiled, enter into many fish sauces, 

 particularly mackerel, and when raw, are used as 

 garnishes for several dishes. It is also eaten in this 

 state with pickled fish. In France it is very exten- 

 sively used, and in Spain is put up with olives and 

 pickled pork. The whole of the plant is good in 

 broth or soups ; it is a hardy and wholesome herb, 

 and agrees well with the stomach. 



It is said the juice of this plant, taken when the 

 stalk is nearly full grown, has the singular property 

 of clearing the sight and taking away the film 

 from the eyes. At all events, this plant is used me- 

 dicinally, and especially the seeds, which are a 

 useful stomachic and carminative, and are ad- 

 mitted into the materia medica of the London 

 Pharmacopoeia. 



If the virtues of this and many of the commoner 

 herbs were known to the poor cottager in his afflic- 

 tion, the means of alleviating suffering might be 

 derived from a source little thought of, from 

 herbs growing in his own garden. 



That excellent author Pliny observes that a good 

 housewife will go into her herb-garden, instead of a 

 spice-shop, for her seasonings, and thus save the 

 health of her family by saving the contents of her 

 purse. 



Culture. Few plants, whether culinary or phy- 

 sical, require less culture than the common fennel ; 

 for where a plant is once established, and the seed 

 allowed to ripen, hundreds of young plants will 

 spring up yearly ; and, being a perennial, they will 

 last many years. 



In raising the plants from seed, sow early in 



