692 A N E T 
Species, i. Anethum graveolens,,or common dill: fruit 
■com p re fled. IDil i differs from fennel, which it otherwife 
relembles very much, in having an annual root, a fmall'er 
and lower fiem, leldom exceeding three quarters of a 
yard; the leaves more glaucous, and of a lels pleafant 
fmell ; the feeds broader, flatter, lurrounded with a mem¬ 
branaceous rim, and of a lels pleafant flavour than fennel 
feeds; the umbels of flowers yellow, but fmaller than 
thofe or fennel. 1 his plant has a peculiar firong fmell, 
but aromatic, fl he bruited herb is anodyne and refolv- 
cnt. 1 lie feeds arc aromatic, and contain an elherial oil; 
are ulehil therefore in flatulencies; for this purpofe they 
rub the bellies of children with the oil prepared by infu¬ 
sion.: the elfential oil is alfogood in the cholic. A dill’ll - 
led water, drawn off to the quantity of a gallon from a 
pound of the feeds, was.ordered in the London Pharma¬ 
copoeia; and occalionally made the bafts of carminative 
draughts and juleps: its flavour is more agreeable than 
that ot the feeds in lubffance. Along with the water ari¬ 
ses a conliderable quantity of elfential oil, which is given 
from one to three or four drops, or more, as a carmina¬ 
tive ; and, in hiccoughs. No mention is made of this in 
the lall: edition of the London Pharmacopoeia. It grows 
wild among the corn in Spain and Portugal; alfo in Italy 
on the coalL It is annual, and was cultivated in 1597. 
2. Anethum fegetum: three ftem-leaves, fruits oval. 
Annual. A native of Portugal. 
3. Anethum fcenicnlum, or fennel or finckle: fruit 
■ovate. Native of Germany, Spain, Italy, Madeira, Chi¬ 
na, &c. It flowers in July, and the feeds ripen in au¬ 
tumn. Height live or fix feet. Of this fpecies there are 
three varieties: i. Foeniculum vulgare, or common fen¬ 
nel : Has a llrong flefiiy root, which penetrates deep into 
the ground, and will continue fevera! years. It flowers 
in July, and the feeds ripen in autumn. It has foy/n itfelf 
in many pilaces where it has been introduced in Inch plen¬ 
ty, as to appear as if it were a native in England; but it 
is no where found at a great difiance from gardens. It is 
however enumerated among our native plants, by Hudfon, 
Withering, &c. though certainly not originally io : and is 
now common on chalk-cliffs, as about Marazion in Corn¬ 
wall, in Sulfex, about Gravefend, and other parts of 
Kent; and in many inland places, as Nottingham cafile, 
near Spetchly in Worcefferlhire, Burwell, and other pla¬ 
ces in Cambridgefhire. ii. Foeniculum dulce, or fweet 
fennel: The fweet fennel has been by many luppofed only 
n variety of the common fort. The leaves of it are very 
long and (lender, growing more fparfedly, and do not end 
ia fo many points as thofe of the common fort; the (lalks 
■do not rile io high, and the feeds are longer, narrower, 
and of a lighter colour. Theft? leeds are generally im-_ 
ported from Germany or Italy, and are by feme preferred 
to thofe of the common fort for life, being much fweeter. 
The tender buds of fennel are eaten in faliads. The leaves 
boiled are ufed as lauCe for filli, and they are eaten raw 
with pickled fifh. In Spain they put them up with olives 
and pickled pork. A pound of fweet fennel feeds im¬ 
pregnates a gallon of water ftrongly with their flavour, in 
diftillation. A great quantity of yellowilh eflential oil 
floats on the furface of the water, mild and fweetilh like 
oil of anifeleeds. and, like il alfo, congealing by a flight 
cold into a white mals like butter. Thefe leeds contain 
likewife a conliderable quantity of grofs exprelfed oil, 
Wjhi;fdi is extracted, along with the aromatic matter of the 
fennel, by digeffian in rectified fpirit, but rifes to the fur- 
face upon inlpiffating the filtered tinchire: the concentra¬ 
ted extract retains much the greateft part of both tafte 
and fmell. The feeds of common fennel are warmer and 
more pungent, but lels fweet, and of a lefs grateful fla¬ 
vour. There is the fame difference in the preparations 
from them: the fpirituous tintture of fweet fennel is yel- 
lowilli; of this, greenilh. The leaves impregnate water 
by diftillation with a grateful flavour, and yield a conllde- 
rablc portion of eflential oil. An ex trail made from them 
by’rectified fpirit, is likewife no inelegant aromatic. The 
H U M. 
roots, taken up early in the fpring, have a pleafant fweet - 
ifli tafte, with a flight aromatic warmth. They are rank¬ 
ed among the aperient roots, and luppofed by fome to be 
equivalent in virtue to the ginfeng-, from which however 
they differ conliderably in their fenfible qualities. iii. 
Foeniculum Azoricum, or Azorian fennel or finochio : 
The finochio-is fuppofed to have been originally brought 
from the Azorian lflands; it has been long cultivated in 
Italy as a fallad-herb; and tiieie are Come few gardens in 
England, where it is now cultivated, but in fmall quanti¬ 
ties, for there are not many Englifh palates which reliffi 
it, nor is it eafy to be furniflned with good feeds; thole 
which are annually brought from Italy feldom prove good ; 
and it is difficult to fave it in England, becaufe the win¬ 
ter frequently kills thofe plants which are left for feeds, 
and, when any good plants of the early Cow ing are left for 
feeds, they do not ripen, unlefs the v. inter Ihould prove 
very favourable. This fort has very fnort lialks, which 
fwell juft above the furface of the ground to four or five 
inches in breadth, and almoft two thick, being fielhy and 
tender: this is the part which is eaten when blanched, 
with o'd, vinegar, and pepper, as a cold fallad. When 
the plants are permitted to run for feeds, the (talks do not 
rife more than a foot and a half high, having a large 
fpreading umbel (landing on the top. The feeds of this 
lort are narrow, crooked, and of a bright yellow colour; 
they have a very ffrong fmell like anile-feed, and are very 
fweet to the tafte. 
Propagation and Culture. Dill is propagated by Cowing 
the feeds, which Ihould be done in autumn foon after they 
are ripe; for, if they are kept out of the ground till fpring, 
they frequently mifearry; or, if any of the plants come 
up, they often decay before they have perfected their 
feeds. They love a light foil, and will not bear to be 
tranfplanted, but muff be fown where they are to remain, 
and Ihould be allowed eight or ten inches room to grow, 
otherwile they will draw up very weak, and produce few 
lateral branches, whereby their leaves will decay, and be 
rendered ufelefs, nor will they produce fo good feeds; 
therefore the belt way is, when the plants are come up, 
to hoe them out, as is pradtifed for onions, carrots, &c. 
leaving the plants about eight or ten inches afunder every 
way, obferving to keep them clear from weeds; and, when 
the feeds begin to be formed, you Ihould cut up thofe that 
are intended to be put into the pickle for cucumbers, 
leaving thofe that are intended for fhe ufe of the leeds 
until they are ripe; at which time they Ihould be cut, and 
fpread upon a cloth to dry, and then beat out for ufe. If 
you let the feeds fall upon the ground, the plants will rife 
the next fpring without any care. 
The bell time to fow the feeds for fennel is, foon after 
they are ripe; the plants will come up in the autumn, or 
the following fpring, and require no other care but to 
keep them clean from weeds, and thin the plants where 
they are too clofe; it will grow in any foil or fituation. 
For the cultivation of finochio, your firft care mult be 
to' procure good feeds from fome perfon who has been 
careful in the choice of the plants, otherwife there will 
be little hope of having it good; for the plants will run 
up to feed before they fwell to any flze, and thus not be 
fit for ufe: then make choice of a good fpot of light rich 
earth, not dry nor very wet, for in either extreme this 
plant will not thrive. The firft crop may be fown about 
a fortnight in Match, which, if it fucceeds, will be fit 
for ufe in July; and, by fowing at fevcral times, there 
may be a flupply for the table till the froft puts a ftop to 
it. After having well dug and levelled the ground, you 
mil ft make a (hallow drill by a line, into which you mult 
fcatter your feeds pretty thin; for, if your plants are fix 
inches afunder in the rows, it will be full near enough; 
however, you mull expecl fome of your feeds to fall, and 
therefore you Ihould fcattdr them about two inches dis¬ 
tance ; then cover the feeds about half an inch thick with 
earth, laying it finooth : thefe drills Ihould be made eighteen 
inches afunder, or more, that there may be room to clean 
