Flower clusters of anise hyssop. 
gardeners should have so completely 
overlooked this plant. The old world 
hyssop which has been cultivated for 
centuries has been brought to Ameri¬ 
can gardens but this one which was 
so much loved by the Indians has 
been permitted to disappear almost 
completely from its native region. 
From the leaves of anise hyssop 
the Indians made a beverage similar 
to tea although the taste is entirely 
different. We have made such a 
drink from it on several occasions 
and find that when properly made it 
is very pleasing. Because of their 
fragrance the Indians used the leaves 
also in seasoning other food much as 
our mothers used the garden sage. A 
remedy for colds was also prepared 
f*om this plant by the red men. It 
seems strange, indeed, that a plant 
with so many attractions should be 
permitted to vanish so completely. 
A search of the catalogues failed 
to reveal a single nursery which 
offered it and none of the plant 
hunters with whom we were in touch 
remembered having seen it. I had 
seen the plant in western Canada 
in 1925 when the beemen all the way 
from Winnipeg to Edmonton were 
getting crops of spicy honey from it 
in the woodland borders of the newly 
settled bush country. Letters to 
friends in that area brought replies 
which indicated that it has since dis¬ 
appeared from many neighborhoods 
there. Perhaps the settlers’ live¬ 
stock found the fragrant foliage so 
attractive that it has been destroyed 
by grazing animals. 
Months passed before we could 
find the plant until finally a friend 
located it 180 miles north of Winni¬ 
peg. Twelve plants were dug for us 
but first they must go to the 
Canadian inspection service for ex¬ 
amination to permit their export and 
from there they were sent for further 
examination to our own Department 
of Agriculture at Washington to se¬ 
cure permission for import. By the 
time all these journeys were com¬ 
pleted and the plants arrived at 
