718 
THE PRINCIPLES OF BOTANY. 
But the order under review has both dietetic and medicinal 
qualities of no mean kind, some of which we must now briefly 
describe. 
Economic and Medicinal Uses of Liliacece. — Onions, leeks, 
chives, andgarlic will at once appeal to us by their appetising 
odour and condimental flavour, for an early notice. 
Mr. George Lindley, in his f Guide to the Orchard and . 
Kitchen Garden,’ published in 1831, mentioned as many as 
sixteen sorts of garden onion — Allium cepa . These are now 
about doubled ; and as an evidence of the great value of this 
bulb, besides the vast quantities grown in our gardens, many 
thousands of pounds worth are imported into this country 
from Spain and Portugal. Portugal onions, indeed, being no 
uncommon or unacceptable present to the good housewife. 
At Cheltenham one of the autumn fairs is distinguished as 
the Onion Fair, and the piles of strings or races of onions 
which meet one at every turn testify to the popularity of 
this bulb as an esculent, for it is for cooking purposes they 
are used. 
Leeks and garlic are of the same class ; the latter, how- 
ever, as we shall presently see, is sufficiently strong to have 
got it a repute as a horse and cattle medicine ; so powerful, 
indeed, that its use in cooking requires to be regulated with 
a light hand to suit our English tastes, foreigners being re- 
puted not so particular in this matter. 
The leek is still a favorite with our Welsh cousins, though 
the enforced eating thereof is still as unpalatable everywhere 
now as in times gone by when, at the instance of Gower 
and Fluellin, “ Antient Pistol” was made to eat the leek 
because he mocked at it. 
Pistol. — Hence ! I am qualmish at the smell of leek. 
Gower. — I peseech you heartily, scurvy knave, at my desires, and my re- 
quests, and my petitions, to eat, look you, this leek. 
Pistol. — Not for Cadwallader and all his goats. 
Fluellin— There is one goat for you ( strikes him). Will you be so goot, 
scald knave, as eat it F 
Pistol. — Base Trojan, thou shalt die. 
Fluellin. — I desire you live in the meantime and eat your victuals ; come, 
there is sauce for it ( strikes him). If you can mock a leek , you can 
eat it. — Shakespeare. 
It has been a subject of controversy whether this wearing of 
the leek on St. David’s day originated in the fields of Cressy, 
as it seems more probable that it was known to the Druids, 
by whom it is indeed said to have been worshipped ; and it is 
said that the origin of the term scallions, sometimes applied 
to leeks, was from its worship at Ascalon ; and we have our- 
