^ The Scents of Early Summer §f 



weeded out. Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum officinale) is 

 one of the pleasant old-fashioned scented flowers one 

 does not often see nowadays. I love their graceful arching 

 stems, their flowers like wax tassels, and the curious rich 

 ' thick ' smell, quite unlike that of any other English 

 flower. Solomon's Seal is one of our indigenous plants, 

 and it has many pretty old names — David's Harp, Ladder- 

 to-Heaven, Lady's Seal, White Root or Whitewort (so 

 called from the thick white roots'). In French, Italian and 

 Spanish it is called Solomon's Seal, the old belief being 

 that the curious marks to be seen if one cuts the roots 

 tranversely bear the impress of Solomon's own seal. The 

 roots were formerly commonly used as a poultice for 

 knitting broken bones, also for bruises. Gerard in his 

 Herball says, ' the root stamped while it is fresh and green 

 and applied taketh away in one night or two at the most 

 any bruise, black or blue spots, gotten by falls or woman's 

 wilfulness in stumbling upon their hasty husbands 

 fists ! ' The distilled water of the plant was also in great 

 demand for removing freckles, ' leaving the face fresh, 

 fair and lovely after it has been a few times washed 

 therein.' Parkinson in his Theatrum Botanicum tells us 

 it was a favourite complexion wash among ' the ladies of 

 Italy.' I have never seen the narrow-leaved Solomon's 

 Seal (P. verticillatum), but it is said to grow wild, although 

 very rarely, in Scotland. 



The ' softest ' of the early summer scents is surely that 

 of apple blossom. The individual blossoms have little 

 perfume, but in the mass it is exceeding sweet, although 

 delicate. But I think its most attractive quality, beyond 

 even its sweetness, is its softness. To walk in an orchard 

 of apple trees in full bloom is to be enfolded in an invisible 



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