117 



if it be considered a useless weed, hear how one of our poets 

 describes it, and pleads in its behalf. 



" A little herb of dark red hue, 



I met with in my walk. 

 On sunny bank it verdant grew, 

 In yonder hazel balk. 



" Not earliest of the Spring it blows, 



Yet earlier few appear. 

 Scarce melted have rough Winter's snows, 

 When it adorns the year. 



" I think that neither ass nor sheep, 



Will crop it as it feeds ; 

 And men will never care to reap, 

 But class it among weeds. 



" It is a weed then why not throw 



The useless thing away, 

 And in its place let others grow, 

 More sweet, and fair, and gay ? 



" No, let it be ; despise it not, 



For with it's homely smiles, 

 It brightens else a barren spot, 

 Perchance a care beguiles." J.R. 



O.S. Henbit Dead-nettle Cut-leaved Dead-nettle, and Spotted Dead- 

 nettle. 



BETONY. BETONICA. 



WOOD BETONY. Betonica officinalis, 



Plate 8, jig. 16. 



Grows a foot or more in height, upright, with a single tuft 

 of flowers at the top of the unbranched stem, and one pair 

 of leaves in the middle of it. The flowers are pinkish-purple, 

 four or five in a whirl, and three or four whirls nearly close 

 together. Stem leaves nearly sessile, those from the root with 

 long stalks, ovate in shape and deeply toothed ; whole plant, 

 except the calyx, hairy. 



Formerly the Wood Betony was much used in medicine, 

 and the ignorant village doctors of those days supposed that 

 it was possessed of almost every property, and capable of curing 

 all wounds and all diseases. Although a plant of no real 

 value, it is still much used in some country places, and in 

 Spain so highly esteemed that they consider it one of the 

 highest compliments to say of a man " He has as many virtues 

 as Betony." When the leaves are dried and pounded and 

 taken as snuff they excite very sudden and violent sneezing. 



