to a child of from four to eight years old, for confirmed
whooping-cough; and if this dose seems to aggravate the paroxysms,
or to provoke sickness, it must be reduced in strength, and dilution.

Also from four to ten drops of the tincture may be administered with
a tablespoonful of cold water, two or three times a day, for several
consecutive weeks, to a consumptive adult, in the early stages of
this disease. Dr. Hughes (Brighton) has employed a diluted tincture
of the Sundew (one part of this tincture admixed with nine parts of
spirit of wine) in doses of from three to five drops with water,
to a child of from three to eight years of age, for spasmodic
whooping-cough, several times in the day, with marked success; whilst
a larger dose or the stronger tincture served only to increase the
cough in violence and frequency. The same results may perhaps follow
too strong or full a dose to a consumptive patient, so that it must be
regulated by the effects produced. Externally, the juice [546] of the
fresh Sundew has been used for destroying warts.

SUNFLOWER.

The Sunflower (_Helianthus annuus_) which is so popular and
brilliant an ornament of cottage gardens throughout England in
summer and autumn, is an importation of long standing, and has
been called the Marigold of Peru.

Its general nature and appearance are so well known as scarcely to
need any description. The plant is of the Composite order,
indigenous to tropical America, but flourishing well in this country,
whilst bearing the name of _Heli-anthus_ (Sunflower), and smelling
of turpentine when the disc of the flower is broken across.

The growing herb is highly useful for drying damp soils, because of
its remarkable power of absorbing water; for which reason several
acres of Sunflowers are now planted in the Thames Valley. Swampy
districts in Holland have been made habitable by an extensive
culture of the Sunflower, the malarial miasmata being absorbed and
nullified, whilst pure oxygen is emitted abundantly.

An old rhyme declares, for some unknown reason:--

"The full Sunflower blew
And became a starre of Bartholomew."

The name Sunflower has been given as most persons think because
the flowers follow the sun by day turning always towards its shining
face. But Gerard says, about this alleged fact, he never could
observe it to happen, though he spared no pains to observe the
matter; he rather thought the flower to have got its title because
r