COMPOUND FLOWERS. 215 his meadows, the tall and branching ragwort, ané blue succory, cumber his pastures ; and wild chamomile, ox-eye, and corn marigold, choke up his corn-fields. hese plants, in general, have a bitter, nauseous taste, so that no cattle will touch them. Daisies, I believe, are the chief exception. G. But some of them, I suppose, are useful to pian P 7. Yes, several, and in various ways. Some that have milky, bitter juices are employed in medicine, for purifying the blood and removing obstructions. Of these are dandelion, succory, and sowthistle. Many other sare bitter, and strongly aromatic; as chamomile, wormwood, southernwood, feverfew, and tansy ; these are good for strengthening the stomach, and expelling worms. That capital ingredient in salad, lettuce, is of this class, and so is endive. Artichoke forms a very singular article of diet, for the part chiefly eaten, called the bottom, is the receptacle of the flower, upon which the choke, or seeds with their feathers, is placed. It is said that some of the larger species of thistles may be dressed and eaten the same way. Then there is Jerusalem artichoke, which is the root of a species of sunflower, and, when boiled, much resembles in taste an artichoke bottom. On the whole, however, a very small proportion of this class of plants 1s used in food. G. Are there no garden flowers belonging to them ? T. Several, especially of the autumnal ones. There are sunflowers of various kinds, which are the largest Howers the garden produces, though not the most sicghtly ; marigolds, both the common, and the French und African; asters, china-asters, golden-rod, and chrysanthemums. Very few flowers of this class have an agreeable scent, and their shape is not the most pleasing; but they have often gay colours, and make a figure in the garden when other things are over. Well—this is most that I recollect worth noticing of the compound-flowered plants. They are a difficult class to make out botanically, though pretty easily