84 THE HERB-GARDEN 



not the leaf; anyhow, it is the flowers that are 

 saved and dried to use medicinally. It is extra- 

 ordinary that nowadays Camomile should be so 

 little valued ; there is even some difficulty, as I 

 think I have said before, in getting plants or seeds 

 of it. You may go to florist after florist, and draw 

 a blank as regards Camomile. It is never asked 

 for, they say, so people who want it must exercise 

 patience till some friend comes along who has 

 some, and wiU spare a root or two. 



The flowers are like little Daisies, with a fringe 

 of white florets outside, and yellow discs in the 

 centre. In these discs lies the virtue of the plant. 

 The cultivated Camomile gradually loses the 

 yellow discs, exchanging them for more of the 

 white florets, which makes the blossoms prettier 

 to the eye but useless for physic. The one true 

 and original Camomile grows close to the ground, 

 and when allowed to seed about, makes a soft 

 gi'eensward, which, as Falstaff said, ' the more it 

 is trodden on the faster it grows.' The plant 

 produces but one flower from each stem. 



A very clever gardener has told me of the 

 Camomile, that it is an invaluable substitute for 

 grass in arid places — a dry bank, for instance. The 

 colour of its green is vivid and beautiful, quite as 



