Wild Flowers as They Grow 



asserts that it is very injurious in a close room, 

 and that it has been the cause of severe ilhiess to 

 some who kept it in their bedrooms. 



A recipe more than a hundred years old teUs us 

 that if the flowers are infused in any kind of liquor 

 they give a pleasant taste, while if added to mead 

 the flavour of the Greek wines is attained. The 

 truth is that the same flavouring which characterises 

 the almond is the base of that of the " Queen of the 

 Meadow." If a few of the unopened buds are 

 placed in the mouth, the flavour of, say, an 

 almond or plum kernel can immediately be de- 

 tected. Even in the roots it is present, and 

 Linnaeus pointed out that if these are dried and 

 ground and mixed with meal they form no bad 

 substitute for flour. 



The Icelanders have a curious superstition with 



regard to this plant. They say that if gathered on 



St. John's Day it can be used to discover a thief. 



It will float in water if that thief be a woman, and 



sink if it be a man. 



90 



