122 THE HERB-GARDEN 



like Old-Man, only finer, more delicate-looking, 

 and without the refreshing smeU. In homely 

 language this plant is Old- Woman ; the Latin 

 name for it is Artemisia maritimum. 



Balm, with its delicious lemon scent, is by 

 common consent one of the most sweetly- smelling 

 of all the Herbs in the garden. We like bushes 

 of it everywhere, so that it is always at hand ; and 

 handled it must be before it shows how sweet it is. 

 Balm-wine was made of it, and a tea which 'is good 

 for feverish colds. The fresh leaves make better 

 tea than the dry. With us the Balm dies down 

 in winter. 



Santolina, or French Lavender, sometimes called 

 Lavender-Cotton, has no particular sweetness, but 

 a fairly pleasant, strong, clean scent. The grey 

 fohage makes it valuable as an edging plant. It 

 used to be put in garlands for decoration, and was 

 mixed with other sweet Herbs for strewing. 



Sweet Bay, or Poet's Laurel, was so often used 

 along with Rosemary and other Herbs that it 

 seems unfair to exclude it from our list altogether. 

 A branch of Bay : how much that means — victory, 

 joy, triumph I And at one time Bay was regarded 

 as a panacea for every ill. In my childhood we 

 were brought up almost on Bay-trees, for two 



