Parsnips abound in saccharine juice; and various experiments have, in vain, been made with a view to extract sugar from them. In several parts of Ireland they are used instead of malt in brewing; and, when properly fermented, they afford an agreeable beverage. The _seeds_ are considered by some practitioners as an efficacious remedy in intermittent fevers. 90. _FENNEL_ (Anethum foeniculum) _is a well known plant, which is cultivated in gardens, and grows wild in several parts of England._ The _leaves_ of fennel, both boiled and raw, are used in sauce for several kinds of fish. The tender buds are eaten in salads; and, in Italy, the _stalks_ are sometimes blanched as winter salad. A distilled water, prepared from the seeds, is occasionally administered as a medicine; and there was formerly a notion that the _roots_ were peculiarly valuable, as a remedy in several diseases, but they are now almost wholly disregarded. 91. _CARAWAY is a small well known seed, produced by an umbelliferous plant_ (Carum carui), _with smooth and double winged leaves, narrow leaflets, and small white, or pale flesh-coloured flowers, of which the petals are bent inward, so as to become heart-shaped._ The _seeds_ of caraway have a pleasant spicy smell, and a warm aromatic taste. They are much used by pastry-cooks and confectioners in cakes, and for other purposes. Incrusted with sugar, they are called caraway comfits. They are also distilled with spirituous liquors, to improve their flavour; and are recommended as a medicine in several disorders. An essential _oil_ and a _spirit_ are also prepared from them. In the spring of the year the _leaves_ are sometimes used in soups, or boiled with pot-herbs. The _roots_ may be converted into an agreeable pickle; and, if simply boiled, they are said by Parkinson to be better than parsnips. This plant grows wild in several parts of England, but particularly in meadows and pastures near Bury St. Edmunds, in Suffolk. It is much cultivated in Essex and Kent, sometimes alone, and sometimes mixed with teasel (53) and coriander (88). The season for cutting it is about the beginning of July; and it is threshed in the field on a cloth, in the same manner as rape-seed (187). 92. _ANISE-SEEDS are the production of an umbelliferous annual plant_ (Pimpinella anisum), _which grows wild in Egypt, Syria, and other Eastern countries. They are roundish and striated, flatted on one side, and pointed at one end; and of pale colour, inclining to green._ Attempts were made more than two hundred years ago to cultivate anise in this country, but the summers of our climate are seldom warm enough to bring the plant to perfection. It has consequently been found necessary to import the seed from Malta and Spain, where it is cultivated to considerable extent.