4 THE HERB-GARDEN 



Orchids, the varieties are few, and make less 

 demands upon our memories. 



How, then, it may be asked, does it come about 

 that books written by the old Herbalists have cata- 

 logues of such great length — long enough to fill 

 pages upon pages ? This question is easily answered. 

 The old list included a large class of Herbs of a kind 

 which I do not fancy many people would care to 

 encourage in their gardens, much less to cherish 

 in their sunniest quarters ; on the contrary, they 

 generally cast them out with contumely. Yet they 

 are of great interest to the Herbalists, and swell 

 their lists to overflowing. Cat's-Tails, Shepherd's- 

 Purse (troublesome, encroaching little weed that, 

 but it contains a tannate and arrests bleeding), 

 Dandelions, Daisies, Nettles, Plaintains, were all 

 treasures in the eyes of Gerarde and Culpepper. 

 There is a lively Sow-Thistle who often stares at 

 me from a back border of my Herb-garden. ' My 

 milky juice,' he says, ' is a fine face-wash, and my 

 leaves, if eaten, will cure hares, even March hares, 

 of madness.' But do I let him stay where he is ? 

 No ; I am ashamed to say I root him out, and so, 

 I suppose, would most people. 



To make a long story short, there is a large 

 number of Herbs which are most interesting to 



