132 
LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS. 
The Valerian is too large and scrambling a 
plant to hold a place in the parterre of choice 
flowers; besides which, cats are so fond of the 
smell of its blossom as to be attracted to it, and 
by rolling over ihe plant to destroy its beauty, as 
well as that of the contiguous flowers. They 
are equally fond of its root, which has a dis¬ 
agreeable smell: they will roll on it and gnaw 
it to pieces with ecstatic delight; and it seems 
to produce in them a kind of pleasing intoxica¬ 
tion. 
The root of the Valerian is considered as a 
valuable remedy for many of those ailments 
which luxury engenders in the human frame; 
exerting a peculiar influence on the nervous 
system, reviving the spirits, and strengthening 
the sight. 
