WHERE ROSEMARY GROWS 117 



or Lavender Cotton ; and the Sweet Bay, Laurus 

 nobilis. This last, we confess, is not a Herb, accord- 

 ing to the modern meaning of the word ; but, for 

 the sweetness of its leaves, we think a bush or tree 

 of it should be found not far away from any Herb- 

 garden. 



Rosemary, so long beloved by English people 

 that some say it was here before the Norman Con- 

 quest, was valued for such a number of different 

 reasons that in early times every wise matron and 

 good manager took care to have it in her garden. 

 There may have been some sense in the old saying : 

 * Where Rosemary flourishes the woman rules/ 

 Rosemary is a plant that wants a little looking 

 after. It came originally from the southern sea- 

 board, and will not grow just anywhere. It likes 

 a well-drained, somewhat sandy soil, and is never 

 happier than when trained close to a wall, or 

 allowed to throw its long wands over sunny stones, 

 where in winter's dearth of outdoor green the 

 lovely colour of its foliage, green lined with silver, 

 is truly welcome. 



And why was Rosemary so greatly in request ? 

 It was wanted to make wine, to make physic, to 

 make scent, and is still one of the ingredients of 

 eau-de-Cologne, It was stuck into rounds of beef, 



