^'orks/i/iT Xd/iini/is/s nl l^oivcs. :^6^ 



wonderful and Interesting' as many o'i these are, vet thev ahvavs 

 bear the stamp of artificiality more or less, and the naturalist 

 turns to his wildings to make his soul rejoice. This, I think, 

 proves that a genuine naturalist is onlv a partlv-reclaimed 

 savage ; it is impossible for a real naturalist to love conven- 

 tionality o'r even to tolerate it. The floors of these little dells 

 produce a thick crop oi tall grasses, to whose stems cling the 

 tendrils of the Tufted \'etch and the Meadow Vetch, the rich 

 purple oi the flowers of the one, and the bright vellow of the 

 other, intermingled with the sober shades of the manv grasses, 

 form a delightful sight. 



None of these natural rock-gardens on account of the lime- 

 stone formation hold water, but in a damp, shady corner of 

 some of them is a bed of huge-sized Nettles. Do anv of mv 

 readers eat Nettles? I mean young ones that appear in 

 February and early March. Try them when the time comes 

 round ; boil them, strain them dry, add salt, pepper, and butter — 

 don't forget the last -and with well-fed English roast beef they 

 are fine. This common plant, which loves the habitations of 

 man, for you seldom find it far away from them, was formerly 

 in England and Scotland put to many uses which are now 

 obsolete. The fibre was made into thread, woven into sheets, 

 tablecloths, etc. The roots produce a yellow dye which was 

 used in colouring yarn and staining Easter eggs. 



The sides are clothed with Giant Bedstraw, clustered Bell- 

 flower, Lady's Fingers, Hoary Ragwort, Slender-flowered 

 Thistle, Goat's-beard, Great Knapweed with blooms of large 

 size and rich colour, here and there a rose bush and a bramble 

 bush ; but this particular part of the district of Bowes is very 

 thinly populated with members of the Rose family. Why? .Any 

 fool can ask a question, but frequentl\- it requires the wisdom of 

 a philosopher to answer it. 



'Good King Harry,' ' All-good,' or 'Oak-leaved Goosefoot' 

 is another useful plant that I often met with on this roadside. 

 Like many other useful things, this plant is not showy or 

 attractive ; many people call it a ' docken,' but under its humble 

 guise lie many virtues. Try it in early spring, when the foliage 

 is young; in my opinion, and that of many of my friends, it is 

 infinitely superior to the sweated and artificially produced 

 Spinach sold by greengrocers, a large hamper of which when 

 boiled does not fill an ordinary vegetable dish. ' Ther's nowt 

 in it,' as a gardener once said to me. 



1903 September i. 



