348 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  17,  1901— 
the  restoration  of  the  same  in  cases  of  baldness,  and  its 
employment  for  that  purpose  was  persisted  in  by  the  empirics 
for  many  a  day. 
Then  the  tooth-like  shape  of  Henbane  seed  was  considered 
as  a  proof  that  it  would  cure  the  toothache.  This  eccentric 
theory  of  like  cures  was  pushed  still  farther.  Ragwort  was 
given  to  horses  because  the  uneven  edges  of  its  leaves 
suggested  the  uneven  motion  of  the  animal  when  suffering 
from  an  attack  of  the  staggers,  whilst  belief  also  prevailed 
t  hat  Fern  seeds  conferred  invisibility,  arising  from  the  notion 
that  Ferns  bore  invisible  seed,  as  there  was  ever  great 
difficulty  in  finding  it.  Instances  might  be  multiplied  ad 
infinitum  of  cases  in  which  a  fancied  resemblance  of  some  part 
of  the  plant  to  signs  of  disease  were  indicated,  but  I  have 
surely  cited  enough  in  this  connection. 
Parkinson,  whose  name  is  well  known  as  an  early  botanist, 
next  comes  upon  the  scene  to  corroborate  the  foolish  dogmas 
promulgated  by  Culpepper,  and  we  are  forthwith  enlightened 
on  many  fresh  matters.  Thus  we  are  gravely  told  that 
Eyebright  (Euphrasia)  wine  will  not,  only  enable  old  people 
to  read  without  spectacles,  but  that  it  has  in  many  instances 
been  known  to  actually  restore  sight  to  the  blind.  Vinegar 
of  Squills,  again,  if  taken  in  the  morning  before  an  hour’s 
walk,  assists  the  digestion,  improves  the  voice,  sharpens  the 
sight,  and  clears  the  complexion  ;  virtues  which,  no  doubt, 
insured  it  great  popularity.  Valerian  juice  was  said  to  draw 
iron  or  wood  out  of  flesh,  whilst  Fennel  performed  the  same 
office  in  the  case  of  fractured  bones  ;  or,  if  thought  prefer¬ 
able,  if  taken  internally,  with  the  addition  of  Solomon’s-seal 
pounded  in  a  draught  of  ale,  the  fractures  would  actually  be 
reset,  the  liquid  glueing,  as  it  were,  the  parts  together  again. 
Cowslip  wine  restored  beauty,  so  there  was  every  excuse  for 
elderly  ladies  whose  charms  were  fading,  drinking  it;  whilst 
the  juice  of  the  Marsh-mallow  was  asserted  to  be  a  pre¬ 
servative  for  all  time  from  every  disease — truly  a  very 
comprehensive  remedy.  Mothers,  we  learn,  had  but  to  eat 
freely  of  that  somewhat  acrid  fruit,  the  Quince,  in  order  to 
transmit  wisdom  to  their  children,  who  surely,  if  endowed 
with  a  modicum  of  the  same,  would  hardly  follow  their 
parents’  practice. 
Wives,  again,  who  suspected  their  husbands  of  infidelity,  by 
inducing  them  to  sup  at  home  off  Periwinkle  salad  would 
cause  the  love  of  the  errant  to  return  to  its  legitimate  object. 
Rue  was  said  to  render  a  man  quick,  subtle,  and  inventive  ; 
whilst  the  virtues  attributed  to  the  herb  Bage  were  so  nume¬ 
rous  that  a  mortal  namesake  propounded  the  query  “How  is  it 
that  one  who  groweth  Sage  in  his  garden  can  die  1  ”  Then 
there  existed  a  recipe  to  kill  a  man  in  such  sort  as  though  he 
should  seem  to  have  died  laughing  ;  but,  inasmuch  as  the 
publication  of  this  might  induce  an  attempt  at  homicide,  it  is 
as  well,  perhaps,  that  full  particulars  are  not  given  !  Nume¬ 
rous  herbal  preventives  against  the  plague,  too,  were  forthcoming 
when  that  deadly  visitation  took  place  ;  but  none,  seemingly, 
were  very  efficacious,-  judging  by  the  number  of  peop’e  who 
succumbed  to  that  terrible  ailment.  Here,  perhaps,  we  may  be 
pai’doned  for  interpolating  that  old  story  of  King  Mithridates, 
the  monarch  who  took  a  vegetable  antidote  so  often  when  there 
was  no  real  occasion  for  it,  that  afterwards,  when  he  attempted 
suicide  by  poison,  he  utterly  failed  to  accomplish  his  purpose. 
Basil  has  ever  had  an  evil  reputation  as  an  encourager  of 
scorpions,  some  even  going  so  far  as  to  say  that  they  might  be 
bred  in  the  head  by  merely  smelling  the  plant.  This  belief 
may  have  arisen  from  old,  rude  representations  of  mortal 
brows  bound  with  scorpions.  Mandrake  bore  a  fearful  name 
for  all  that  was  bad.  It  was  said  to  grow  under  the  gibbet,  and 
to  spring  from  the  blood  of  malefactors,  to  resemble  in  some 
manner  the  human  form,  and  not  only  to  shriek  aloud  when 
pulled  cut  of  the  ground,  but  to  threaten  those  who  attempted 
to  remove  it  with  madness  and  death.  Juliet,  among  the 
terrors  she  dreaded  on  awaking  in  die  vault,  conjures  up 
Shrieks,  like  Mandrakes,  torn  out  of  the  earth, 
That  living  mortals  hearing  them,  run  mad. 
Leeks  were  planted  on  the  housetops  to  preserve  the  inmates 
from  lightning,  arid  it  was  thought  that  those  taking  shelter 
under  a  Bay  tree  in  a  storm  would  come  to  no  harm. 
Not  satisfied  with  finding  presumed  remedies  for  ills  and 
diseases  of  all  sorts  in  the  judicious  use  of  plants,  our  worthy 
ancestors  must  still  travel  further  afield  and  endeavour  to  find 
in  many  of  them  omens,  signs,  and  auguries  for  the  future. 
In  this  connection  it  was  taught  that  if  the  Peach  tree  or 
the  Elm  cast  its  leaves  early  it  prognosticated  a  coming 
murrain  amongst  cattle.  The  presence  of  a  worm  in  an  Oak- 
apple  was  considered  ominous  of  scarcity,  but  if  a  fly  appeared 
therein  it  betokened  plenty.  A  spider  indicated  mortality. 
There  was  another  reading  to  this  superstition  of  even  a  still 
more  disturbing  character,  for  it  was  said  that  if  the  little 
tenant  crept  in  the  core,  famine  was  imminent ;  if  it  flew  away 
war  might  be  apprehended  ;  and  if  it  ran,  pestilence  ensue. 
A  Fir  tree  struck  by  lightning  gave  warning  of  the  approaching 
demise  of  its  owner.  Even  the  poet  of  the  Hesperides  turned 
his  lyre  to  an  unwelcome  melody  when  he  sang  :  — 
When  a  Daffodil  I  see 
Hanging  down  her  head  towards  me, 
Guess,  I  may,  what  I  must  be  : 
First  I  shall  decline  my  head  ; 
Secondly  I  shall  be  dead  ; 
Lastly,  safely  buried.  • 
— Wm.  Norman  Brown 
Liliums  for  Pots. 
(' Concluded  from  page  312.) 
The  varieties  of  L.  auratum  should  be  syringed  fre¬ 
quently  with  water  that  has  been  exposed  to  the  sun,  and 
occasionally  with  quassia  water.  Keep  the  tobacco  powder 
distributor  at  hand,  in  case  of  green  fly  making  an  appear¬ 
ance  ;  attention  to  these  matters  is  vital  to  success.  Want 
of  cleanliness  is  a  potent  cause  of  mortality  amongst  Liliums 
of  all  species. 
When  forcing  Liliums,  care  should  be  exercised  not  to 
have  them  brought  into  the  hothouse  until  they  are  quite 
rooted.  L.  Browni,  a  form  of  L.  japonicum,  is  another  very 
fine  subject  for  pot  culture.  The  large,  trumpet-shaped 
flowers  are  creamy-white,  with  the  reverse  of  pale  purplish 
brown.  It  grows  to  the  height  of  3^  to  4ft,  and  is  at  once 
distinct,  chaste,  and  beautiful.  Plenty  of  pot  room  should 
be  afforded,  and  also  liberal  watering  when  in  rapid  growth. 
The  same  compost  as  recommended  for  L.  speciosum,  with 
the  addition  of  a  very  little  peat,  is  found  to  be  a  good 
mixture  in  which  to  grow  them.  They  have  large  bulbs, 
and  are  easily  grown. 
L  sulphureum  WaUichianum  (superbum),  a  trumpet¬ 
shaped  flower  of  pleasing  sulphur  colour,  is  also  a  good  pot 
subject.  L.  nepaulense  is  a  singular  species,  having  sulphur- 
coloured,  trumpet-shaped  flowers,  recurving  sharply  at  the 
apex  of  the  perianth,  and  is  heavily  tinged  with  purple  on 
the  inside.  This  comparatively  uncommon  Lilium  succeeds 
best  if  the  turf  is  not  too  finely  broken  up,  and  a  fail- 
amount  of  grit  added  ;  leaf  mould  being  mixed  w-ith  the 
loam,  and  a  piece  of  charcoal  broken  up  amongst  the  soil 
would  insure  success,  as  this  species  is  rather  more  fastidious 
than  some. 
Most  of  the  Burmese  Lilies  require  the  same  treatment 
«s  L.  nfpauknce.  Toe  groups  including  L.  davuricum  and 
L.  elegans  (syn.  Thunbergianum),  in  their  numerous 
varieties,  are  also  very  much  used  for  pot  culture  when 
treated  the  same  as  L.  speciosum.  A  good  plan  is  to  allow 
some  plants  to  remain  in  the  frame  longer  if  the  fibre  is 
removec]  from  them  early  in  the  spring,  eare  being  taken 
that  the  spring  frosts  do  not  injure  the  soft  young  growths. 
When  this  course  is  pursued  the  Lilies  will  flower  later,  and 
should,  when  strong  enough,  be  placed  on  slates  or  similar 
hard  material  in  a  position  open,  but  having  the  sun’s  rays 
broken,  and  be  brought  into  the  house  when  the  buds  are 
just  expanding.  This  mode  of  procedure  will  save  valuable 
greenhouse  space,  a^nd  extend  the  flowering  period. 
A  method  more  recently  adopted  by  gardeners  who  do  a 
lot  of  furnishing  is  to  grow  batches  of  the  different  Lilies 
in  open  ground  prepared  as  before  mentioned,  and  when  the 
flowers  are  expanding  carefully  lift  the  plants,  place  them 
in  suitable  sized  pots,  having  first  carefully  crocked  them 
and  covered  the  drainage  with  rough  cocoa-nut  fibre  or 
sphagnum,  bring  them  into  a  cool  shaded  place  for  a  day  or 
two,  and  then  use  them  for  the  conservatory,  corridor,  hall,, 
or  room  as  required.  When  they  have  gone  out  of  flower, 
place  them  back,  whence  they  will  suffer  scarcely  at  all  from 
the  move,  provided  they  get  sufficient  water  during  the 
process. 
This  is  a  space-saving  method,  and  one  which  may  per¬ 
haps  be  extended  to  other  subjects  with  a  similar  object  in 
view.  One  great  advantage  is  that  large  masses  can  be 
made  of  flowers  of  equal  ages,  creating  the  maximum  of 
effect.  Retarded  bulbs  should  not  be  hurried  too  much  at 
first,  but  should  be  started  in  gentle  warmth,  especially  at 
the  bottom.  Then,  when  ready,  afford  a  stove  temperature, 
with  as  much  light  as  possible,  during  the  winter  months. 
Neglect  of  this  is  a  frequent  cause  of  retarded  bulbs  not 
maturing  their  flowers. — E.  Ladhams. 
