MILFOIL, OR YARROW 263 



clammy Oyle, being annoynted vpon any man's 

 body he cannot be stung with Bees." 



The mallows also yield a valuable fibre for paper- 

 making and textile purposes, but as other plants, 

 such as hemp and flax, are yet better, this use of the 

 mallow scarcely comes to the fore. 



The milfoil, or yarrow Achillea millefolium is 

 one of the commonest roadside plants, and may there- 

 fore be deemed, by those whose tastes are not very 

 catholic, unworthy of a place, if indeed it be not 

 stigmatised as a rank weed to be ejected at sight ; 

 yet a plant or two springing up here and there 

 amidst our rock-work may well be permitted, since 

 the foliage is very distinctive in character and its 

 long, flower-bearing stems have a wild freedom of 

 growth that appeals. The foliage varies very con- 

 siderably in colour effect, being sometimes of a dull 

 green, and at other times so covered with little 

 hairs as to give it a silvery appearance. The 

 clusters of blossom, normally white, are not un- 

 frequently pink, and both should be cultivated. 

 An allied plant the A. Ptarmica, or sneeze wort 

 with its groups of daisy-like flowers, should also be 

 included. These are the only two English species 

 of the genus, but it contains many attractive 

 Alpine and other species, well adapted to culture, 

 and those who desire to extend their experience of 

 it will readily procure from their florist divers species 

 of Achillea that will thrive in any ordinary garden, 



