SWEET HERBS 



The Greek name for Fennel is Marathon. This fact throws 

 light upon the historic myth that grew up about the swift rurmer, 

 Pheidippides, he who ran to Sparta to seek aid for Athens against 

 the Persian fleet which threatened the coast. As Herodotus tells 

 the story, after two days and two nights Pheidippides reached 

 Sparta, only to be told that the Spartans could not come until after 

 the full moon. Disappointed and disheartened, he turned back to 

 carry the word to Athens. On his way he met the great god Pan, 

 who promised the Athenians victory and gave him as a pledge of 

 his prophecy a stalk of the Fennel plant. The battle was fought 

 on the Fennel-field, Marathon, and the god's word came true. 

 Statues of the youth always represented him with a stalk of Fennel 

 in his hand. Browning puts the old story in words of wonderful 

 pathos and power in his poem "Pheidippides" : 



Say Pan saith: Let this foreshowing the place, be the pledge! 

 Gay, the liberal hand held out this herbage I bear — 

 Fennel — I grasped it atremble with dew — whatever it bode. 



Fight I shall with the foremost, wherever this Fennel may grow, 

 Pound — Pan helping us — Persia to dust and under the deep 

 Whelm her away forever. 



The glory of Fennel has passed from the gardens, and few 

 gardeners even know it by sight. It lives in literature, but no 

 longer lingers beside the garden walk. 



DILL 



Anelhum graviolens. 



Anethum, burning, stimulating; referring to the juices of the plant. 



An annual or biennial plant of the market garden; much used in the 

 making of pickles; pungent. Summer. 



Stems. — Three to four feet high, erect, branching. 



Leaves. — Finely dissected, bi or tri-pinnate, glaucus, leaflets thread- 

 like; petioles broad, clasping the stem. 



Flowers. — Yellow, borne in large, flat terminal, compound umbels 

 destitute of both involucre and involucels; calyx- teeth obsolete. 



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