4G FAJIILIAE GASDEN FLOWEllti. 



useful ill ages gone by it would prove useful noW; unless we 

 ivere armed with better curative agencies, as no doubt we 

 are, and therefore it is not sur[>risiug that the plant is uo 

 longer famous as a great power in healing. It is astrin- 

 gent, mucilaginous, and nitrous, and a steej:) or infusion 

 would no douljt help any poor wheezing creature in the 

 present day as it did a thousand years ago when the in- 

 halation of steam and the use of cod-liver oil were un- 

 known. It would be wrong to ignore the possible virtues 

 of medicinal plants that have gone out of fashion, because 

 every scrap oi' true knowledge has its value for mankind. 



As a garden flower the lungwort is worthy of atten- 

 tion. It belongs to the very limited company of true 

 blues, for the flowers are very blue when fully out, though 

 brilliant pink in the bud. Strange to say, it obtained its 

 homely name as well as its scientific name from the spots 

 on the leaves, which suggest a resemblance to the lungs, 

 and this plant is one of the immense number that originally 

 owed their repute to their comj)liance with what was called 

 the doctrine of signatures or signatures. Such plants 

 occasionally agreed in' quality with the signs they bore, but 

 the signature notion was peculiarly injurious because it en- 

 gendered contempt in the minds of reasonable men, and so 

 tempted them to ignore good things liecause of the many 

 bad things they were called upon to recognise. 



In the garden we have a pretty little group of plants 

 that the " hardy" gardener will not neglect if he possesses 

 average wisdom. This common lungwort {PiiliiKniaria 

 i>lliriiiaH.\) must have first con.sideration, for it makes a 

 handsome tuft of leafage, and the flowering adds a gay 

 sparkle of colour. The seaside gromwell [P. iiiariUuhi) , a 

 native of our western coasts, is a good rockery plant. The 



