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RESOURCES

OF THE

SoU PH rN

FIELDS AND FORESTS,

MEDICAL, ECONOMICAL AND AGRICULTURAL;

BEING ALSO A

MEDICAL BOTANY OF THE SOUTHERN STATES ;

WITH

PRACTICAL INFORMATION ON THE USEFUL PROPERTIES OF
THE TREES, PLANTS, AND SHRUBS.

BY FRANCIS PEYRE PORCHER, M. D.,

FORMERLY SURGEON IN CHARGE OF CITY HOSPITALS, CHARLESTON; AND LECTURER ON
MATERIA MEDICA AND THERAPEUTICS; CORRESPONDING MEMBER OF THE MEDICAL
AND SURGICAL, AND THE OBSTETRIC SOCIETIES, AND THE LYCEUM OF
NATURAL HISTORY OF NEW YORK, AND OF THE ACADEMY

OF NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPSHIA.

Ille terrarum mihi praeter omnes

Angulus ridet, ubi non Hymetto

Mella decedunt, viridique certat \ ;
S Bacea Venafro, * See /

Ver ubi longum tepidasque preebet :
Jupiter brumas. NoiNeTON
Lib. ii.

Horace, Carm. vi,

New Gdition—Rebised and Xargely Augmented.

CHARLESTON:
WALKER, EVANS & COGSWELL, PRINTERS,
Nos. 3 Broad and 109 East Bay Streets.
1869.

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Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1869, by
FRANCIS PEYRE PORCHER, M. D.,

In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States for the District «
Charleston, South Carolina.

THIS VOLUME IS INSCRIBED

TO THE MEMORY OF

Pirginia Beigh Porcher,

HO AIDED IN ITS PREPARATION, AND WHO IS ASSOCIATED WITH WHATEVER OF TOIL OR
OF PLEASURE, WAS ATTENDANT UPON ITS EXECUTION.

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y

PRELIMINARY.

MEDICINAL AND USEFUL PLANTS AND TREES OF THE
SOUTHERN STATES—INDIGENOUS AND INTRODUCED.

The first Edition of this volume was prepared during the late war by
direction of the Surgeon-General of the Confederate States, that the Medical
Officers, as well as the public, might be supplied with information, which, at
the time, was greatly needed. I was released, temporarily, for this purpose,
from service in the Field and Hospital. My connection with the last men-
tioned Institutions, as Physician and Surgeon, has extended almost unin-
terruptedly over a period of twelve years; so that my opportunities for
experimental investigations in Therapeutics and practical medicine, has been
ample.

This Edition has been largely added to, and much time and care have
been expended in its preparation.

It is intended as a Hand-book of scientific and popular knowledge, as
regards the medicinal, economical and useful properties of the Trees, Plants
and Shrubs found within the limits of the Southern States, whether em-
ployed in the arts, for manufacturing purposes, or in domestic economy, to
supply a present as well asa future want. Treating specially of our medi-
cinal plants, and of the best substitutes for foreign articles of vegetable
origin, my aim has been to spare no exertions, compatible with the limits
assigned me, to make it applicable as well to the requirements of the Surgeon
as of the Planter and Farmer; and I trust that there will still be no diminu-
tion in the desire of every one to possess a source from whence his curiosity
may be satisfied on matters pertaining to our useful plants. The Physician
in his private practice, the Planter on his estate, or, should the necessity
arise, the Regimental Surgeon in the field, may himself collect and apply
these substances within his reach, which are frequently quite as valuable as
others obtained from abroad, and either impossible to be procured or scarce
and costly. In preparing it, I have also had in view the wants of Emigrants
and those abroad who wish to be acquainted with respect to the Agricultural
capacities of this extended section of country. But information scattered
through a variety of sources must needs be first collected, to be available in
any practical point of view.

I have, therefore, inserted whatever I thought would throw light upon
the vegetable productions of the Southern States, to enable every one to use
the abundant material within his reach, An excuse will be found for any
awkward arrangement of the details, in the difficulty of collating, digesting
and reconciling a multiplicity of statements, some of them contradictory,
from a varicty of authors. I have searched through the various Catalogues

Vi PRELIMINARY.

and systematic works on Botany, and noticed in almost every instance the
habitat and precise locality of plants, that each one may be apprised of the
proximity of valuable species. Frequent references to one limited section
in particular, may be accounted for by the fact that it has been illustrated
by the labors of at Jeast three Botanists of distinction, Walter, MacBride
and Ravenel. Whenever citizens of other States have performed a similar
work, I have gladly availed myself of it.

Catalogues of the trees and plants growing in special localities thus become
of great service, as they indicate precisely where valuable species may be
procured. Those interested may obtain the localitics of many plants found
in the Southern States by consulting Elliott’s Botany, Darby’s, and the
recent work by Chapman, of Florida, ‘‘ The Flora of the Southern United
States.’’ Among the Catalogues issued at the South, is one by Dr. Jno.
Bachman of “ Plants growing in the vicinity of Charleston,’’ published in
the Southern Agriculturist; one by Prof. Lewis R. Gibbes of those found
in Richland District, 8. C.; ‘‘ Plants found in the vicinity of Newbern, N.
C.,”’ by H. B. Croom; an unfinished paper by W. Wragg Smith, Esq.,
published in the Transactions of the Elliott Society of Charleston; ‘‘ A
Catalogue of Indigenous and Naturalized Plants of North Carolina, by
Rev. M. A. Curtis, D. D., 1867;’? and ‘‘ A Medico-Botanical Catalogue of
the Plants of St. John’s Berkeley, 8. C.,” by the writer. Also my ‘‘ Sketch
of the Medical Botany of South Carolina,” published in the Transactions of
the Am. Med. Association, vol. ii, 1849. The extensive collection in the
Charleston Museum, by my friend, Mr. H. W. Ravenel, and his several
publications, might also be consulted with profit. I have availed myself of
Dr. Chapman’s work in ascertaining the names of plants added by botanists
since the time of Walter and Elliott, and not contained in the Catalogues
referred to. By the opportune publication of this work, I have been enabled
to introduce a large number of plants possessed of valuable properties,
medicinal and economical, which are common to Mexico, the West India
Islands and the tropical countries. The plants have been arranged after the
Natural System, adopting, for the most part, the views of Lindley.

The reference to information contained in books* serves the purpose of
showing those interested in any Production or Manufacture where fuller
details, which are too long to insert, can be procured. It will be seen from
inspecting the list of authorities, that the labor of searching through the
large number of Medical and other authorities has been very great. My
chief object has been utility and the desire to benefit our people, and that
future inquirers, being advised of what has been already accomplished, may
proceed to more experimental researches. I have not hesitated to draw
largely from any quarter, appending the name of the author, whenever I
thought the matter applicable to our condition and requirements. Thus, on

*I take this occasion to express my indebtedness to Col. J. B. Moore, of States-
burg, 8. C., for the use of a valuable library of agricultural and chemical books, and
for many facilities afforded me in the prosecution of this work.

PRELIMINARY. vii

the subject of the Grape, Wine, Sugar, Sorghum, Tannin, Opium, Cotton,
Tobacco, Tea, Ramie, Esparto Grass, Flax, Mustard, Castor Oil, Oils, Tur-
pentine, Starch, Potash, Soda, Wood for engraving and for domestic pur-
poses, Medicinal substances, Agricultural products generally, etc., I have
been profuse in my selections from a multiplicity of sources.

I have avoided more than a cursory mention of the Cryptogamic plants,
Fungi, etc., as the space occupied would be too great. I would refer the
reader to my paper in the Transactions of the Am. Med. Association, vol.

vii, on ‘‘ The Medicinal, Dietetic and Poisonous Properties of the Crypto-
gamic Plants of the United States,’’ where the subject is treated in extenso,
and a description of several hundred useful or poisonous species furnished.
The older as well as the more recent works on the Materia Medica, Thera-
peutics and Medical Botany—from the Catalogus Plantarum of Johannes
Ray and the Dispensatory of Trillerus, to Pereira, Wood, Griffith and
Stille—have been consulted. I have been at the pains to search through the
former,in order not only to ascertain the virtues once ascribed to our Plants,
and to contrast these with the results of later investigations, but also to ex-
hibit the mutations that have occurred in the confidence reposed in many of
what are at present considered our most approved Therapeutic agents. The
frequency with which this takes place warns us not to discard, upon a super-
ficial examination, those popularly considered to be of trivial importance.
The Huropean authorities have been examined, and from them has been
obtained much concerning our Medicinal and Economical plants, which is
either not generally known or not alluded to in our Dispensatories, and
which might be of essential service to those desirous, not merely of ascer-
_ taining what is already understood, but also more thoroughly of investigating
the hidden qualities of others.

The investigation necessary for ascertaining and collecting these has
unfolded a vast fund of facts relative to the virtues of a large proportion, as
it will be observed, of the Plants, both obscure and well known, amongst us.

I have availed myself of the 12th Edition of the U. 8. Dispensatory,
recently issued and carefully revised by its able surviving author. That
complete and extensive work, the Dictionnaire de Matiere Medicale et Thera-
peutique Generale, by Merat and De Lens, including the Supplementary
volume, has been freely translated when necessary. I have also examined
the Agricultural Journals, the Patent Office Reports, the “ Rural Cyclo-
peedia,’’ edited by Wilson, of Edinburgh; and have thought it not inadmis-
sible to glean from the Journals and Newspapers of the day, which occa-
sionally afford the earliest information on the economical resources of a
country. From these I have been carefully collecting.

Many topics are, therefore, appropriately introduced which would hardly
have place in astrictly Medical work. Information of this kind is generally
referred to under subjects with which it is closely allied. Thus, Potash,
Ashes and Soap are classed under Hickory and Oak, (‘‘ Carya” and ‘ Quer-
eus,’’) Soda and Soda Soaps under ‘“ Salsola’”’ and ‘‘ Fucus,’”’ Charcoal under
Pine and Willew, (‘' Pinus” and ‘‘Salix,’’) Oils under Bene, (‘‘Sesamum,’’)

Viii PRELIMINARY.

Starch and Arrowroot under ‘‘ Maranta”’ and ‘‘ Convolvolus,”’ etc., as these
Plants are characteristically rich in such products. The Index, however,
will contain full references.

The mode of action of Medicinal plants infinitely varies; their selection,
consequently, for the several purposes required by the Physician, is not, in
my opinion, a matter of mere accident, the result of guesswork or of popular
reputation. Lach is distinguished by the composition of its principal con-
stituents; these are generally astringent principles, narcotics, stimulating
vegetable oils, cooling, refrigerant acids, bitter tonics, cathartics, etc., ete.
Some, as the Cinchonaceex and the less active anti-periodics, contain princi-
ples still more rarely met with and more obscure in their mode of operation,
which have control in warding off the access of malarial attacks. But once
in possession of the main active principles furnished by a plant, it is easy to
see why it gains credit as a remedy in certain classes of disease. This power
it may share in common with many others, and several properties may be
combined in various degrees in each, which it is necessary to know, prelim-
inary to a judicious application of them. Many Plants, for example, are
reputed efficacious in arresting the profluviz, diarrhceas and discharges from
the mucous surfaces generally; this should excite no surprise when it is
suspected or ascertained that they contain tannin simply. In some others,
as in the Uva ursi, for example, the tannin is associated with a stimulating
diuretic oil, which further adapts it to the relief of chronic renal affections.
So with those which experience teaches us produce a cathartic, emetic, nar-
cotic, sedative, irritant, or vermifuge action on the human system. It is
always in virtue of the well known principles they contain, that they prove
serviceable and are preferred, and chemical analysis subsequently reveals
precisely what it is upon which their powers depend. The ignorant, whether
credulous or incredulous, know only by memory the name of the plant and
the disease which it is said to suit—as in the manner of charlatans and herb
doctors.

Increased attention has, within the past decade, been paid to the produc-
tion and manufacture of the Concentrated Preparations, Alkaloids, Resin-
oids, solid and fluid Extracts, ete. We are indebted for many of these to
the pharmaceutical and chemical skill of Professor Proctor, Dr. Parrish,
and other competent investigators, and to the researches and publications
of Prof. Geo. B.. Wood. (See Am. Journ. Pharm., Journ. Phillad. Col-
lege of Pharm., and Am. Pharm. Assoc.) Extensive establishments at the
North are engaged in their manufacture, and an immense impulsion has
been given to their use among a large and growing class of physicians and
practitioners, particularly at the North and West.

I may remind the reader that the knowledge of the very existence of the
Alkaloids commenced with the discovery and separation of Morphia, by
Serturner and Seguin, in 1817; a modification of the Generic name of the
plant from which they are first derived, is usually given to them; sometimes
these are indiscriminately terminated by in or ia, but in order to have uni-

PRELIMINARY. ix

formity, the highest authorities reeommend that the former should always
be applied to the Neutral principle, and the latter to the Alkaloids. They
are dissolved by water, but sparingly, by acids, alcohol, ether and almost all
in benzine and chloroform. Tannic acid precipitates them, and is considered
the best antidote for their injurious effects.

Dr. Wood refers to the unscientific names used by the so-called Eclectics
in giving such appellations as Hydrastin, Iridin or Irisin to Alkaloids,
Oleo-resins, etc., which should be reserved for the pure active principles
when they shall have been discovered and separated; and Parrish objects to
‘‘ the evils growing out of this system of practice,’ and to ‘‘ the multiplicity
of these nondescript principles, which while many of them may be valuable
medicines, are prepared almost exclusively by a few manufacturers, each
pursuing his own process and liable to produce varying results ; while under
an imperfect system of nomenclature all are classed together.’’ This is
freely admitted ; still, even in the impure and comparatively complex state
in which"these products are used by them, they are much less bulky than
powders or decoctions of the plants from which they are obtained ; they are
easily administered, and though preparations more scientifically constructed
are to be preferred and should be used, it must be allowed that by their
means a certain advance has been made and an impulse given to the em-
ployment of medicinal agents of vegetable origin, and hence incidentally
to Medical Botany. Dr. Parrish also in his Practical Pharmacy sustains
views similar to those I have long held:

‘In justice to the so-called Eclectic practitioners, it must be admitted that
they have been instrumental in introducing to notice some obscure medical
plants which possess valuable properties; it is to be regretted that their dis-
position to run into pharmaceutical empiricism should have so long limited
their usefulness and damaged their reputation.”

It is this tendency of the age, as exhibited even by those who are justly
considered as irregular and unscientific, coupled with the efforts and capacity
of our Pharmaceutical Chemists, that we are indebted for the separation and
use of Leptandrin, Hydrastin, Irisin, Apocinin, Podophyllin, Caulophyllin,
etc., and a number of others which are being extensively employed both in
this country and in Europe; and that the plants from which they are pro-
duced have been transferred during a comparatively recent period from the
Secondary Lists and from a subordinate position in the Pharmacopeia and
the Dispensatory to the Primary List.

To so great an extent are Leptandrin and Podophyllin employed at the
North, that they are ‘leading articles of production with several of the
largest manufacturing Pharmaceutists in the United States.”

The use of our Indigenous Medicinal Plants is indeed extending with
rapid strides; and those unacquainted with or unobservant of what has
already and is being done, will be astonished at the progress that twenty
years more of careful investigation of them, aided by minute chemical re-
search and the experience obtained from clinical observation, will effect.

In this latitude, however, strange to say, it is rather regarded as a re-
proach for the educated Physician to be at all addicted to Botanical inves-

x PRELIMINARY.

tigations; or that he should by any unusual assiduity add to the experience
and observation acquired by him in the pursuit of his profession even the
outlines of a practical knowledge of either General or Medical Botany, as
if it leads necessarily to a blind belief in the potency of drugs; and so he
must fain suffer the penalties attached to his uncalled for and too adventur-
ous search in these forbidden fields. Such knowledge, so limited, has not
been considered essential or appropriate, as it is everywhere else, even to
the teacher of Materia Medica and Therapeutics; yet when the Therapeut-
ist, who is at all informed as a Botanist, hears only the name of a me-
dicinal preparation of vegetable origin, or that of an Alkaloid or Resinoid,
he knows and associates immediately therewith the name, relations, charac-
ter and properties of the plant from which it is derived, and conversely.

In a notice by my distinguished friend, W. Gilmore Simms, Esq., of an
Article in De Bow’s Review, by the writer, he refers in discursive language
to the ‘‘ resources of the Southern fields and forests, the natural productions
in brief of the South—her resources in the woods, and swamps, and fields,
the earth and rocks; for purposes of need, utility, medicine, art, science and
mechanics; hints to the domestic manufacturer; to the workers in wood and
earth; and rock and tree; and shrub and flower; hints, clues, suggestions
which may be turned to the most useful purposes; not merely as expedients
during the pressure of war and blockade, but continuously, through all time,
as affording profit, use, interest and employment to our people.”’

From an inspection of the large amount of material embraced in this
volume, it will be seen that our Southern Flora is extraordinarily rich.

It is the teeming product of every variety of soil and climate, from Ma-
ryland to Florida, from Tennessee to Texas. The Atlantic slopes with their
marine growth, the Mountain ridges of the interior, the almost infra-tropi-
cal productions of Louisiana and South Florida, with the rich alluvia of the
River courses—all contribute to swell the lists and produce a wonderful
exuberance of vegetation. The Southern States occupy almost the whole
of the Temperate Zone in the Western Hemisphere. Under a genial sun,
and enduring neither extremes of heat or cold, they are rich in natural re-
sources, and possess a variety of soil and a range of temperature affected by
the presence of both sea and mountain.

Their geological features are diversified and somewhat peculiar. The land
in the Atlantic States at varying distances from the coast rises evenly and
insensibly to the height of about two hundred and fifty feet above the gen-
eral tide level, forming a vast plain abounding in cypress swamps and pine
and oak ridges, and constituting what is known as the Alluvial formations.
For the most part, quartzose sands and clays cover the surface from the depth
of from ten to twenty-five feet or more. These overlay vast beds of Tertiary
marl, the Eocene, Miocene and Post-pliocene sections of which, composing
the Limestone regions, crop out and expose their rich fossils in several locali-
ties. The earth of the swamps and marshes that skirt the rivers and creeks

PRELIMINARY. xi

frequently contains a large proportion of peat. Succeeding the above are
the Primary formations stretching away to the mountains in the interior.
The soil of this portion, derived from the disintegration of the granite,
gneiss, clay-slate, and other metamorphic rocks, as they respectively come
to the surface, and are subjected to atmospheric influences, presents every
variety of fertility and barrenness. The geological features of the Penin-
sula of Florida are exceptional. These divisions are distinguished by their
characteristic vegetation,* and thus we are presented with geographical and
climatic influences, which combine to produce a relation between heat and
moisture peculiarly adapted to the production of a variety of species, com-
prising many of our most active curative agents. The State of New York,
which is said to include an area equal to the whole of Great Britain, accord-
ing to Prof. Lee,} out of a Flora of one thousand four hundred and fifty
species, contains but one hundred and fifty known to be medicinal. Here, it
will be observed, in a space at the South considerably smaller in extent, a
much lar€er proportion exists. My Sketch of the Medical Botany of S. C.
embraced a notice of four hundred and ten species, out of about three thou-
sand five hundred, possessed of medicinal or economic value; including,
however, among these, some few exotic or introduced. A single circum-
scribed locality in the lower section of the same State, but ten miles in
diameter, furnishes one and one-third more than the whole of New York.
We can readily perceive what the South at large, with an expanse of terri-
tory equalling that of Great Britain, France and Germany combined, is
capable of producing.

Hence, though the South has been swept as by a whirlwind, and, like one
of its native pines, scathed and blasted by the lightnings of war, its inherent
powers of reproduction are almost limitless. Its seasons of spring and
summer are long; the navigation of its rivers is scarcely ever interrupted,
and during the whole year its people may be continuously and industriously
occupied. Heretofore, they have been almost exclusively confined to the
labors of the field—in the production and preparation of those seven great
staple articles of consumption and of export, viz: Cotton, Rice, Sugar, To-

* “Tn short, the Flora of the upper verge of the Tertiary is as distinct from that of
the rest of the State as are the two geolezical systems which meet there from each
other.” Prof. Tuomey’s Geolog. Rep. of S. C., p. 140. Ihave repeatedly observed
similar relations affecting a more limited space.

Throughout the States bordering on the ocean at varying distances from the coast,
the same geological divisions are found, only differing in breadth and extent, and
presenting great similarity as respects soil and vegetation.

Thus I have carefully noted the Flora and face of the country prevailing in Fair-
field County, 8. C., and Powhattan, Va., and have observed a marked resemblance in
almost every respect. A narrow strip of Long leaf Pine, for example, is found bor-
dering the southeastern extremities of each of these counties. See Report to Elliott
Soc. of Charleston.

+A Catalogue of the Medic. Plants, Indig. and Exot., growing in the State of
New York. By C. A. Lee, Prof. Mat. Med., ete. New York, 1848.

Xil PRELIMINARY.

bacco, Wheat, Corn and Turpentine, which though dethroned as “ Kings,”’
yet still create or move the commerce of the world and form the wealth of
States. Now, however, immense Mills and Manufactories must spring up
to consume the raw material of the most important of these products, which
is grown at their doors, and which has heretofore been carried elsewhere to
be returned to us burdened with the cost of transportation and of the labor
and skill expended upon its conversion into fabrics.

It will, therefore, be observed how important it is for us to understand
the Flora as well as the soil of a country ; and as one at least of our staple
commodities has suffered, we must seek to diversify our industries ; and by
a more intelligent observation we may discover new products adapted to
our wants and capable of being produced here. It will be observed that
most of our useful Plants are not indigenous. Many now in the woods may,
by careful cultivation, become greatly improved in quality, and tenfold
more productive—as has already been done with our wild grapes, apples,
cauliflowers, strawberries, etc., etc.

Central Botanical Gardens should be established in place of Parks, which
may be made useful to the industry of man, and are as important to a State
as Geological Surveys.

I here introduce a notice of upwards of five hundred substances, possessing
every variety of useful quality. Some will be rejected as useless, others
may be found upon closer examination to be still more valuable. The most
precious of all Textile Fibres and Grains, Silks, Seeds, Fruits, Oils, Gums,
Caoutchouc, Resins, Dyes, Fecula, Albumen, Sugar, Starch, Vegetable
Acids and Alkalies, Liquors, Spirit, Burning Fluid, material for making
Paper and Cordage, Grasses and Forage Plants, Barks, Medicines, Wood
for Tanning and the production of Chemical Agencies, for Timber, Ship-
building, Engraving, Furniture, Implements and Utensils of every descrip-
tion—all abound in the greatest munificence, and need but the arm of the
authorities or the energy and enterprise of the private citizen to be made
sources of utility, profit or beauty.

Among the Resources of the South, I had intended to refer to the Phos-
phates recently discovered and developed, in one section, at least, which
may contribute so materially to improve the production of our Fields. I
had prepared a history of them, to be published as an appendix to this volume,
but the want of space forbids.

There is a subject, however, which the writer has been long reflecting
upon, and which he considers one of supreme importance, whether we regard
the improvement of our Cultivated Crops, or the Fields and Forests of the
country. If successfully carried out, it will reclaim and render fit for tillage
vast bodies of lands now lying idle, and greatly improve their sanitary
condition. It will also make white labor available during the whole year,
and greatly stimulate immigration.

I refer to the DrarnacE of the Marshes and Swamp lands, particularly

PRELIMINARY. xili

those near the Cities and along the River courses. This, save in particular
instances, cannot now be done by the separate and isolated efforts of planters
and farmers, but should be accomplished as a public work by the State. Op-
erations could be commenced on the inland Swamps, each of which presents
an independent problem to the Civil Engineer. Along our coasts, at a
distance of forty miles from the sea, there is a rise of about twenty feet above
the general tide level, giving a fall of half a foot to the mile, which is
sufficient. In my own experience, these are capable of thorough and per-
fect drainage.

The Engineer Mills, in his Statistics of S. Carolina, published in 1826, has
presented an elaborate scheme of this kind, by which it was proposed that
the State should purchase so many slaves, and when the Swamps were
drained, the lands so improved and increased in value should be sold to the
Farmers and Planters.

Enterprises of a similar nature, on an extensive scale, have long since, as
is generally known, been successfully prosecuted in Holland and in Belgium.
The Harlaem Meer, drained in 1839, was 4,500 acres in extent, with an
average depth of thirteen feet. The works were executed by the government
at an expense of 15/. 5s. per acre. The whole of the bed of the lake has
been brought into cultivation, and the government has been partially repaid
by the sale of the land. Large tracts of alluvial land have been reclaimed,
both in Holland and Belgium. The Campine, in Belgium, has been sub-
jected to a system of both drainage and irrigation.

Large Bogs in Ireland, the Chat Moss, and the Bogs of Allen have been
successfully reclaimed by surface ditches and by auger-holes descending to
the pervious strata below.

Fens and Morasses in Yorkshire, and in various other counties in England,
have been transformed from barrenness to fertility, and now yield abun-
dant crops of pasturage.

In Milan, the system of irrigation is extensively practiced on Meadow
land, and near Mantua, as in the time of Virgil, the superabundant water
has been reduced within its proper channels, to the great advantage of the
State.

The operations by the late East India Company have been brilliant in
their results, the engineers availing themselves of the huge works of their
Indian predecessors. Fifty per cent. has been realized.*

The French in Algiers have succeeded in draining and reducing to suc-
cessful cultivation the entire plain of the Alemtijo, which was before an
unhealthy region, and which now produces abundantly all the tropical fruits,
grains, etc., to supply the demands of the mother country.

* See, for more practical details, The Rudiments of Hydraulic Engineering, by G.
R. Burnell, F. G. §., Civil Engineer; The Art of Draining Districts and Lands,
and Drainage and Sewage of Towns, by G. D. Dempsey, C. E.; and Embanking
Lands from the Sea, by Jno. Wiggins, F.G.S. J.S. Virtue, London. I insert
these references on account of the truth of the maxim: “Scire ubi aliquid invenire
possis, maxima pars scientie est.” The first thing is to know where to get infor-
mation.

XIV PRELIMINARY.

The writer has seen the picturesque and fertile Valley of the Chiana in
Italy, smiling in peace and plenty, strewn with villas and farmhouses, and
intersected by the best constructed roads, always so indicative of wealth and
abundance; yet this beautiful Valley, which now supplies all-Tuscany with
corn, wine and oil, was once a pestilential and almost deserted region, and
noted in the earliest times for its insalubrity, as evidenced by the striking
allusion made to it by Dante in the Inferno.*

This has been accomplished by the skill of Count Fossombroni, who fol-
lowed the plan recommended by Torricelli in draining the Maremma by
hydraulic engineering. It is known as the system of Colmates, and consists
in turning the course of rivers or streams coming from clay-hills, so that
they deposit the sand and mud with which they are charged, and thus raises
the general level and at the same time causing a fall of the stagnant water,
converts it into a rich and fertile tract. (Opere Pratiche sopra il Val di
Chiana, published at Montepulciano; a copy of which is in the possession
of the writer.)

The simplest plans for draining the secondary or inland Swamps, is to run
a straight central canal, which removes the obstructions caused by logs and
mud flats, and takes off the main body of water. A canal or drain is also
cut on each side to receive the water coming in from the surrounding high
lands. The underground system with Tiles, generally practiced in England
and on the Continent, is only applicable in this country to a limited extent
at present.

The lands throughout a large portion of the South are quite rich
enough for every purpose, and we need not go to the West or elsewhere
in quest of better soil. Since emancipation, immigrants from Europe may
be employed in these public works now proposed. The cutting down the
trees and exposing the surface to the almost constant action of the sun, will
subject it to the important agency of evaporation; the removal of the causes
of malaria will be the result; and if complete exemption of the sickly por-
tions of the States from its baneful influences and from periodical fevers, by
which white labor is made possible, is not secured, the hygienic condition of
the whole country will, at least, be improved, and the wealth and happiness
of our citizens generally enormously increased.

By draining our Swamps, we secure a soil for corn, cane, ete., enriched by
the vegetable matter accumulated for centuries, and the higher lands are
released for cotton and other crops.

Besides, when we drain the Swamps there ensues an interstitial drainage,
by a process of molecular absorption incessantly acting, which extends for
miles around, affecting the high lands at a much greater distance than many

*Qual dolor fora se degli spedali
“Di Valdichiana, tra’] luglio e’l settembre,
E di Maremma e di Sardigna i mali
Fossero in una fossa tutti insembre.
CANTO xxix, and the PARADISO, ¢. xiii.

PRELIMINARY. XV

would suppose, rendering them drier, and allowing pines, oaks and other
plants to spring up where before only swamp trees and rank grasses grew.

Islands and isolated sections of country favorably situated, as, for example,
those adjoining Charleston, and embraced between the Cooper and Ashley,
the same being true of those lying near other cities, and along our coast, can
be drained and made rich and habitable even in the warm months. They
will be occupied by Garden Farms which will supply, not only the cities con-
tiguous to them, but fill our ships going to the North with fruits, vegetables
and produce.

Many of us residing on the Coast are aware of what was accomplished in
the way of Embankments by our fathers and the earlier settlers of the
State. They were built for the most part to aid in the cultivation of rice,
but the femains of these immense banks attest the industry and enterprise
of our people and are an earnest of what we ourselves may accomplish when
fostered and aided by the State.

It is true that much of this work was done under the system of primo-
geniture, when it was in the power and to the interest of the owner of the
soil to make lasting improvements, and by so doing look for the permanent
welfare of his descendants. A different organization of labor and capital
also enabled the private individual to accomplish more then than now.
These considerations, however, furnish arguments in support of the same
being done by the State ; which should, when it becomes necessary, perform
for its citizens those acts of public utility, the right or the ability to do which
depended upon systems and institutions which it has, from reasons of policy
or interest, abolished or destroyed, and being deprived of which, they suffer.

To carry out the project imperfectly unfolded above, the State or Govern-
ment may organize a Drainage Commission or Joint Stock Association,
which will make the financial scheme a feasible and successful one, into the
details of which I cannot now enter. Its realization is doubtless impossible
at present ; but viewed in every light as respects the common welfare, it in-
volves enterprises which are to us and to those coming after us of com-
manding importance and worthy of the most thoughtful consideration.

When the time arrives for its execution, the wisdom and policy of the
step being apparent, it will establish the distinction of any Administration
which undertakes it, or the fame of any Statesman who shall have the wit to
use his influence successfully to achieve it. Finis coronat opus.

Si bol fa at

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ah. Gian eee ‘it GE te Dita cafe tra OEY,
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WORKS CONSULTED AND ABBREVIATIONS USED.

WORKS.

Catalogus Plantarum Anglie, cum Observationibus et
Experimentis Novis Medicis et Physicis. Londini, 1667.
Auct. Johannes Ray.

English Physician.
“Student in Physic and Astrology.”
Physiological Discourse on Vulgar Herbs,” ete.

Bulliard, Histoire des Plantes Veneneuses de la France,
4 vols. Paris, 1774.

Hortus Americanus.

Linnezus, Vegetable Mat. Medica.
Whitlaw.

Demonstrations Elementaire de Botanique.
dem., veg., phys.
much information concerning the vegetable veterinary
practice, etc. By J. Gillibert. Lyons, 1787.

Plantz Rariores Hibernia Inventz, ete. With do |

By Nicholas Culpepper, gent.,
“An Astrologo-

By Dr. Barham.
Translated by C.

Containing
properties, and uses of plants. With

on the Properties and,Uses. By Walter Wade, M. D., M
L. 8. Dublin, 1804.

Le Medecin Herboriste.

New Med. Discoveries, 2 vols.
Whitlav.

Am. Herbal, or Materia Medica. With New Medical
Discoveries. By Samuel Stearns, LL. D. Walpole, 1801.
Flora Scotica. By John Lightfoot. Edinburg.

Indigenous Botany. By Colin Milne, LL. D., and Alex-
ander Gordon. London, 1793.

A New Family Herbal; or, an Account of Plants and
their Properties in Medicine and the Arts. By R. J.
Thornton. London, 1810.

Lindley’s Natural System of Botany. With the Uses
of Important Species in Medicine, the Arts, and Domestic
Economy. London, 1836.

Medical Botany. By W. Woodville, 4 vols.
1790. Sec. edition, 1800.

Barton’s Med. Botany.

W. P. Barton’s Flora. Philadelphia, 1823.
Rafinesque’s Medical Flora.

Bigelow’s Am. Medical Botany, 4 vols. Boston, 1820.

Barton’s Collection towards the Formation of a Materia
Medica.

Medical Botany. With the uses of Important Species
in Medicine, the Arts,ete. By R. E. Griffith. Philadel-

phia, 1847.

Illustrations of Medical Botany. By Joseph Carson,
M.D. With Descriptions, ete. Philadelphia, 1847.

Paris, 1802.

London, 1829. By C.

London,

ABBREVIATIONS.

Cat. Plantarum.

Culp. Eng. Phys.

Bull Plantes Ven. de

France.

Bar. Hort. Amer.
Linn. Veg. M. Med.

Dem. Elem. de Bot.

Wade’s Pl. Rariores.

Le Med. Herb.
Whitlaw’s New Med.

Dise.

Stearn’s Am. Herbal.
Fl. Scotica.
Milne Ind. Bot.

Thornton’s Fam. Herb.

Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot.

Woodv. Med. Bot.

Bart. M. Bot.

Bart. Flora.

Raf. Med. FI.

Big. Am. Med. Bot.

Barton’s Collec.

Griffith’s Med. Bot.

Carson’s Illust. Med.
Bot.

2

and Economical, of the Vegetable Kingdom. Charleston,
1806.

Elliott’s Sketch of the Botany of South Carolina and
Georgia. With Medical Notes. Charleston, 1806.

Sheeut’s Flora Carolinzensis ; or, a History, Medical
Shee. Flora Carol.

Ell. Bot. Med. Notes.

Drayton’s View of South Carolina. Charleston, 1802. Drayton’s View.
Chalmer’s History of South Carolina. Chalmer’s Hist. 8. C.
wet s and Lining’s Observations, Physical and a Gard: andileee

Travels in South and North Carolina. By John or ie Lawson's aae

son, Surveyor-General, 1716.

United States Dispensatory. By Wood and Bache. U.S. Dis
Philadelphia, 1846. 12th Edition, 1868. Da hte) iz

Thacher’s United States Dispensatory. Thacher’s U. 8. Disp.

American Dispensatory. By R. Coxe. Coxe, Am. Disp.
reat eset Medica. EH. regno vegetabili, ete. Stock- i Bergii, Mat. Med.

, L782.

Cullen’s Materia Medica. Edinburgh. Cullen, Mat. Med.

Lewis’ Materia Medica, 2 vols. London, 1791. Le. Mat. Med.

Pereira’s Materia Medica and Therapeutics, 2 vol- Pe. Mat. Med. and
umes. Therap.

Practical Dictionary of Materia Medica. By John Bell. ae 5
Philadelphia. ! Bell’s Pract. Dict.
dene eae Medica and Therapeutics, 2 vols. Phila- i Eberle, Mat. Med.

Edwards and Vavasseur’s Matiere Medicale. Paris, Ed. and Vav. Mat.

1836.
Trousseau et Pidoux, Traite de Therapeutique, et de Ma-
tiere Medicale. Paris, 1837.

Elements of Materia Medica and Therapeutics. By H. R. Frost’s Elms. Mat.
Frost, Prof. M. M. Medical College of South Carolina. Med.

en Med.
Chapman’s Therapeutics and Materia Medica, 2 be Chap. Therap. and

Trous. et Pid. Mat.
Med.

Philadelphia, 1822. Mat. Med.
Ballod and Garrod’s Materia Medica. London, 1846. Ball. & Gar. Mat. Med.
Royle’s Materia Medica and Therapeutics. Philadelphia, Royle, Mat. Med.

1847.
Merat and de Lens’ Dictionnaire Univ. de Matiere Medi- Mer. and de L. Dict.
de M. Med.

cale. Paris, 1837, tom. vi.
Supplem. to Dict.

Univ. de M. Med.

Watson’s Practice of Physic. Second American Edition. Watson’s Practice
Philadelphia, 1845. Physic.

Stille’s Therapeutics and Materia Medica. Philadelphia, 1862~6.

Statistics of South Carolina. A View of its Natural, Civil and Military History.
By Robert Mills, Civil Engineer. Charleston, 1826.

Southern Agriculturist. Charleston, 1820-39. So. Agricult.
Matson’s Vegetable Practice. 1839. Matson’s Veg. Pract.
Imp. System Botanical Medicine. By Horton Howard. Imp. Syst. Bot. Med.

Pharmacopceias, Journals, Reviews, Monographs, Inaugural Theses, ete., both
American and foreign.

The Principles of Agriculture, by’ Albert D. Thaer, translated by William Shaw,
Esq., member of the council of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, etc.,
and ©. W. Johnson, Esq., F.R.S. 4th Edition. New York: Bangs, Brother & Co.,
1852.

Flora of the Southern United States, containing an abridged description of the
flowering plants and ferns of Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia,

Supplementary volume to the above. Paris, 1846.

3

Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida, arranged according to the natural system, by A.
W. Chapman, M. D. The ferns by Daniel.C. Eaton. New York, 1860.

Rural Economy, in its relations with chemistry, physics, and meteorology, or chem-
istry applied to agriculture, by J. B. Boussingault, member of Institute of France, ete.
Translated by George Law, Agriculturalist. New York, C. M. Saxton, 1857.

Saxton’s Rural Hand Books. New York, 1852.

Thornton’s Southern Gardener, and Receipt Book. Camden, 8. C.

Enquire Within; 3,700 facts. New York, 1857.

The Fruit Gardener. Philadelphia, 1847.

Downing’s Fruit and Fruit Trees of America. New York, 1858.

The Southern Farmer and Market Gardener, by Prof. F. 8. Holmes, Charleston,
8. C.

The Art of Manufacturing Soaps and Candles. By P. Kurten. Philadelphia,
Linsay & Blakiston, 1854.

Industrial Resources of the South and West, by J. D. B. DeBow. New Orleans,
1853.

Sorgho and Imphee, the Chinese and African Sugar Canes, by H. 8. Olcott. New
York, 1857.

Ure’s Di@tionary of Arts, Manufactures, and Mines. From the 4th English edition.
New York, 1853.

Chemistry applied to Agriculture, by Count John Antony Chaptal. Boston,
1835.

Chemical Field Lectures, by J. A. Stockhardt. Translated from the German. Cam-
bridge, 1853.

Parrish, Practical Pharmacy. Philadelphia, 1859. This work contains informa-
tion respecting the active principles of plants, oils, acids, etce., with many pharma-
ceutical details.

Positive Medical Agents, a Treatise on the new alkaloid, resinoid and concentrated
preparations of native and foreign Medical Plants; by authority of the American
Chemical Institute. New York, 1854.

The Art of Tanning and Leather Dressing. By Prof. H. Dussouce. Philadelphia
and London, 1867. 3

A Muck Manual, by Samuel L. Dana. New York, 1858.

The Fruit Garden. A Treatise by P. Barry. New.York, 1857.

Practical Treatise on Culture of Grape, by J. Fiske Allen. New York, 1858.

Charlton on Culture of Exotic Grape under Glass. New York, 1853.

Elements of Scientific Agriculture, by 8. P. Norton, Professor in Yale College,
New York, 1854.

A Manual of Scientific and Practical Agriculture, for the School and the Farm, by
J. L. Campbell, A. M., Professor Physical Science, Washington College, Va. Phila-
delphia, 1859.

The American Grape Grower’s Guide, intended especially for the climate of America.
Illustrated by William Charlton. New York, A. 0. Moore, 1859. For full description
of best modes of cultivating the grape.

Sorgho and Imphee, the Chinese and African Sugar Canes. Manufacture of sugar,
syrup, alchohol, wines, beer, cider, vinegar, starch, and dye stuffs, with translations
of French Pamphlets, ete., etc., and drawing of machinery, by H. 8. Olcott. New
York, A. O. Moore, 1857.

Patent Office Reports, Agriculture, 1848, ’51, 53, ’54, ’55, 756, ’57, ’58.

Rural Chemistry, by Edward Solly, F. L. 8., Honorary Member of Royal Agricul-
tural Society, England. Philadelphia, Henry C. Baird, 1852.

The Rural Cyclopedia, or a General Dictionary of Agriculture, and of the Arts,
Sciences, Instruments, and Practice necessary to the Farmer, ete. Edited by Rey.
Jno. M. Wilson. In four volumes. Edinburgh, 1852, A. Fullarton.

General Directions for Collecting and Drying Medicinal Substances, with a list of
Indigenous Plants. From the Surgeon-General’s office, 1862. Richmond, A pam-
phlet.

+

Tobacco Culture. Practical details from the selection and preparation of the Seed
and Soil to harvesting, curing, and marketing the crop. Plain Directions, as given
by fourteen experienced cultivators. New York, 1867-8.

Essays on Cultivation of Flax Seed and Castor Beans. Published by the St. Louis
Seed and Oil Co., 1868.

A Catalogue of Indigenous and Naturalized Plants of the State of North Carolina,
by Rey. M. A. Curtis, D. D. Raleigh, 1867. This contains over a hundred edible
Mushrooms, designated by italics. Mr. Curtis will soon publish Illustrations of these
Fungi.

I have not enumerated the numerous authorities I had examined with reference to
the Medicinal and Economical properties of the Cryptogamic Plants, Fungi, and others
of this class.

The following works, published in England, may be referred to in case any are
desirous of consulting them:

Miller’s Gardener’s Dictionary, Marshall on Planting, Nichols’ Planter’s Calendar,
Ponty’s Profitable Planter, Phillips’ Shrubbery, Treatise on Planting in the Library
of Useful Knowledge, Loudon’s Encyclopedia of Plants, Accum on the Adulterations
of Food, Babbage on the Economy of Machinery and Manufactures, Thompson’s Veg-
etable Chemistry, Knapp’s Technology, Willich’s Domestic Encyclopedia. See, also,
Treatise by Dr. J. Harris, of Mass., on Insects injurious to Vegetation, and Townsend
Glover’s papers on same subject in Patent Office Reports.

J== Those interested in obtaining foreign seeds, plants, etc., can obtain them by
applying to James Carter & Co., and Butler and McCulloch, of London; William
Thompson, of Iswich, England ; and Vilmorin, Andreux & Cie., Paris, France.

Dr. Parrish in his “ Practical Pharmacy,” says that the cultivation of medicinal plants
in this country, for sale, as such, is mainly confined to the beautiful valley in Colum-
bia, Co., N. Y., where it is pursued by the Shakers and by Tilden & Co. “ This dis-
trict seems specially adapted to the purpose, and like the celebrated Physic gardens of
Mitcham, England, furnishes a great variety and in large quantity.” “ For an inter-
esting account,” he adds, “of the Physic gardens of Mitcham, see Am. J. Pharm.
v- XXIII, p. 25; for some details in regard to the N. Lebanon gardens, where every
kind of medicinal preparation from native and medicinal plants, are prepared on an
extensive scale, see the same Journal, v. XXIII., p. 386.”

The gathering of the Sumac leaves so extensively and profitably pursued in Va.
(1868), and to which I had invited attention as an original suggestion in the first Edi-
tion of this Book (see Sumac), is well worthy of imitation as an industrial pursuit by
a large number of people residing in other States, and I therefore give prominence to
it by the above reference.

PN ae Cel oe.

GENERAL DIRECTIONS
FOR

COLLECTING AND DRYING MEDICINAL SUBSTANCES OF
THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM.

DIRECTIONS FOR COLLECTING.

All l@aves, flowers, and herbs should be preferably gathered
in clear, dry weather, in the morning, after the dew is exhaled.

The roots of medicinal plants, although more advantageously
gathered at certain periods, to be hereafter specified, do not lose
their medicinal virtues in consequence of being dug in mid-
summer. It is probable that most of those imported are thus
collected by savages or ignorant persons, when the plant is in
full leaf, it being then more easily recognized.

Puants, ANNUAL, should be gathered at the time when their
vegetation is most vigorous, which is generally from the time
they begin to flower until their leaves begin to change.

PrLANnts, BrennrAL, should, in most instances, be gathered in
the second season of their growth, and about the time of
flowering.

Roots or ANNUALS are to be gathered just before the time of
flowering.

Roots or BiENNIALS are to be gathered after the vegetation
of the first year has ceased.

Roots or PERENNIALS are to be gathered in the spring, before
vegetation has commenced. Roots should be washed, and the
smaller fibres, unless they are the part employed, should be
then separated from the body of the root, which, when of any
considerable size, is to be cut in slices previous to being dried.

Buxss are to be gathered after the new bulb is perfected, and
before it has begun to vegetate, which is at the time the leaves

6

decay. Those which are to be preserved fresh should be buried
in dry sand.

Barks, whether of the root, trunk, or branches, should be
gathered in the autumn, or early in the spring. The dead
epidermis or outer bark, and the decayed parts, should be
removed. Of some trees (as the elm) the inner bark only is
preserved.

LEAVES are to be gathered after ther full development, before
the fading of the flowers. The leaves of biennials do not attain
their perfect qualities until the second year.

Frowers should, in general, be gathered at the time of their
expansion, before or immediately after they have fully opened;
some—as the Rosa Gallica—while in bud.

Aromatic Hxrps are to be gathered when in flower. -
SraLks AND Twies should be collected in autumn.
Sreps should be collected at the period of their full maturity.

DIRECTIONS FOR DRYING.

Medicinal products of the vegetable kingdom (as plants, roots,
etc.) should be dried as rapidly as is consistent with their per-
fect preservation, but not subjected to extreme heat.

Those collected in the warm months and during dry weather
may, except in a few instances, be dried by their spontaneous
evaporation, in a well ventilated apartment; some—as roots
and barks—may be exposed to the direct rays of the sun.

In spring and autumn, and in damp, foggy, or rainy weather,
a drying-house should be resorted to; the temperature to range
from 70° to 100° F. There should be an aperture above for the
escape of warm, moist air.

Fisrous Roots may be dried in the sun, or at a heat of from
65° to 80° F. in the drying-room.

Fiesuy Roots should be cut in transverse slices, not exceed-
ing half an inch in length, and during the drying process should
be stirred several times to prevent their moulding.

Bugs must have the coarse outer membrane peeled off. In
other respects they are to be treated like fleshy roots.

7

Barks, Woops and Twias readily dry, in thin layers, in the
open air.

Leaves, after separation from the stalks, should be strewed
losely over hurdle-frames, and their position changed twice a
day, until they become dry. When very succulent, they require
more care to prevent their discoloration. [For thin, dry leaves,
the heat need not exceed 70° F.; for the succulent, it may
gradually be raised to 100° F.

ANNUAL PLants AND Tops.—If not too juicy, these may be
tied loosely in small bundles, and strung on lines stretched
across the drying-room.

Frowers must be dried carefully and rapidly, so as to pre-
serve their color. They should be spread loosely on the hurdles,
and turned several times by stirring. When flowers or leaves
owe their virtues to volatile oils, greater care is necessary.

A carefully pressed specimen of the stem, leaf, and flower of

each medicinal substance collected, whether it be bark, root, or

herb, should be obtained and forwarded with euch collection,
for the purpose of aiding in its identification. The above is from
“General Directions” and List of Plants—a pamphlet issued
from Surgeon-General’s Office, 1862. Consult, also, U. 8. Dis-
pensatory.

The two following papers, contributed by the writer to a
Periodical during the war, are introduced before entering upon
the systematic portion of the Work, because they contain
information, in a condensed shape, which may be practically
useful :

BRIEF NOTICE OF EASILY PROCURABLE MEDICINAL PLANTS, TO BE
COLLECTED BY SOLDIERS WHILE IN SERVICE IN ANY
PART OF THE SOUTHERN STATES.

My attention having been occupied with the subject of the
substitutes for imported Medicines, I have thought that if some
hints were given the Surgeons and Assistant Surgeons in the
field, with respect to the useful properties of a few articles
(easily attainable in every part of the country), it would

8

greatly lessen the use of the more expensive medicines. One
man detailed from each company, or from a regiment, could
obtain a full supply of each substance fresh, for the use of the
Surgeon, and this at less trouble and expense than if it was
procured by the Medical Purveyors, to be distributed to the
regiments. I will mention some of these substances. They
are familiar to all, but still without special recommendation,
they are likely to escape attention:

Sassafras (Laurus).—Whilst engaged in active duties as Sur-
geon to the Holcombe Legion, whenever a soldier suffered
from measles, pneumonia, bronchitis, or cold, his companion or
nurse was directed to procure the roots and leaves of Sassafras,
and a tea made with this supplied that of Flax Seed or Gum
Arabic. The leaf of the Sassafras contains a great amount of
mucilage.

Bené (Sesamum).—The leaves of the Bené may be used in camp
dysentery, in colds, coughs, etc., in place of Gum Arabic or
Flax Seed. One or two leaves in a tumbler of water imparts
their mucilaginous properties.

Dogwood (Cornus Florida).—During the late war, the bark has
been employed with great advantage in place of quinine in fe-
vers—particularly in cases of low forms of fever, and in dysen-
tery, on the river courses, of a typhoid character. It is given as
a substitute for Peruvian barks. In fact, in almost any case
where the Cinchona bark was used.

Thoroughwort, Bone-set (Eupatorium perfoliatum) + Neeadieth:
wort, drank hot during the cold stage of fever, and cold asa
tonic and antiperiodic, is thought by many physicians to be
even superior to the Dogwood, Willow, or Poplar, as a sub-
stitute for quinine. It is quite sufficient in the management of
many of the malarial fevers that will prevail among troops dur-
ing the warm months; and if it does not supply entirely the
place of quinine, will certainly lessen the need for its use. These
plants can be easily procured in every locality.

Tulip Bearing Poplar (Liriodendron) and the Willow bark sup- .
ply remedies for the fevers met within camp. The Cold infu-
sion is given.

Sweet Gum (Liquidambar Styracifiua).—The inner bark con-
tains an astringent, gummy substance. If it is boiled in milk,

9

or a tea made with water, its astringency is so great that it will
easily check diarrhcea, and associated with the use of other
remedies, dysentery also. The leaf of the gum, when green, I
have also ascertained to be powerfully astringent, and to con-
tain as large a proportion of tannin as that of any other tree.
I believe that the Gum leaf and the leaf of the Myrtle and
Blackberry can be used wherever an astringent is required ;
cold water takes it up. They can, I think, be also used for tan-
ning leather, when green, in place of oak bark.

Blackberry Root (Rubus)—A decoction will check profuse
diarrheeas of any kind. The root of the Chinquapin (Castanea)
is also astringent.

Genttan.—Our native tonics are abundant. Several varieties
of Gentian, Sabbatia, etc., may be added to those mentioned,
The Pipissewa, or Winter Green (Chimaphila), is both an aro-
matic tonic and a diuretic, and therefore selected in the conva-
lescence from low fevers followed by dropsical symptoms. These,
the numerous aromatic plants, etc., are not intended to take the
place of other medicines, which can be obtained and are re-
quired. It is not intended that a blind or exclusive reliance
should be placed in them—but they were recommended to sup-
ply a great and pressing need.

Holly (Ilex Opaca).—The bark of the holly root chewed, or a
tea made with it, yields an excellent bitter demulcent, very use-
ful in coughs, colds, etc. The bitter principle is also tonic. The
Holly contains bird-lime.

Wild Jalap (Podophyllum Peltatum.—If this can be found it
can be used as a laxative in place of rhubarb or jalap, or
wherever a purgative is required. Every planter in the South.
ern States can produce the opium, mustard, and flax seed that is
needed for home use.

Swamp Dragon, (Saururus Cernuus).—The roots of this plant,
growing abundantly in the swamps and marshes along the sea-
board, boiled and mashed, furnish an easily procurable and high-
ly soothing material for poultices—admirably adapted to the
wants of large bodies of men in camps, as well as of negroes on
our plantations.

Potash, pearlash, and soda are easily procurable from the
ashes of certain plants. Our Salsola Kali, growing on the sea

10

coast, is rich in soda. Consult Index for references to more de-
tailed information.

SOUTHERN TREES ADAPTED TO THE PURPOSES OF THE MANUFAC-
TURER AND WOOD ENGRAVER.

In answer to an inquiry of a correspondent, I gave the names
of several Trees growing at the South as probably suited for the
purposes of the wood engraver. To these I will now add those
noticed by subsequent correspondents, and also call attention to
two or three other Trees with wood of great fineness and density
of structure, which may be tested as substitutes for the wood
heretofore imported from the North; and which are also likely
to prove serviceable whenever a wood of hard, fine grain is
required by the manufacturer. .

Iron Wood, Horn Beam (Ostrya Virginica, Ell. Sk.)—it has
often been employed by turners, and wrought into mill-cogs,
wheels, etc. The wood is tough and white, and will prove an
important acquisition to those interested in machinery, or in the
construction of implements, tools, ete.

White Beech, (Fagus sylvatica).—Diffused. This wood is very
hard, is capable of receiving a high polish, and should be prized
by cabinet makers and turners for manufacturing purposes.

Sweet Birch, Cherry Birch, Mountain Mahogany (Betula lenta,
Linn.) —Grows in the mountains of South Carolina and Georgia,
possesses a fine grain, and also susceptible of a beautiful polish.
The Red Birch (Betula nigra) grows in our swamps in the lower
country. The Black Birch is said by Lindley to be exceedingly
hard.

White Oak (Quercus alba).—One of the best of the Oaks, with
the Live Oak, likely to be employed wherever great durability
is desirable; these, with the Walnut and Maple, are well known.

Dog Wood (Cornus Florida).—Much used on our plantations
wherever a wood of firmness of texture is required.

Persimmon (Diospyros Virginiana).—A very hard wood—in
the natural family of plants found under what is known as the
Ebony tribe.

11

The Holly (Ilex opaca), the Apple and Pear are very much
esteemed by many; perhaps harder than any of those cited.
These may be more particularly adapted to the purposes of the
wood engraver.

The Calico Bush, Ivy Bush, (Kalmia latifolia)—Grows in our
middle districts. Wood hard and dense.

Mountain Laurel, Bay (Rhododendron maximum)—Found in
our mountains; said to resemble the Kalmia, and quoted by a
writer as adapted to the purposes of the engraver.

Iron Wood.—Another tree named from its supposed firmness
(Bumelia Lycioides Ell. Sk.) 1 have collected it in Charleston,
and fofty miles from the ocean.

Yellow Locust Tree, False Acacia (Robinia pseudoaccacie, L.)—
In mountains and in lower districts. The grain is fine and
compact; the wood, on account of its durability, is much used
for treenails in ship building.

Leather Wood (Dirca palustris)—Grows in Georgia; is both
hard and pliable.

Arbor Vite (Thuja occidentalis)—Grows in the mountains.
The wood said by Michaux to be the most durable which our
forests produce.

The soft woods are: the Cedar, the Cypress, the Black Spruce,
or Fir (Pinus nigra, Aiton), the Pinus strobus (growing in the
mountains), and the Spruce tree of our low country swamps,
which might well supply the place of Northern pine. All these,
with the Willow (Salix nigra), are used for the timbers and
spars of boats. The last is both soft and durable. Mr. Elliott
says, in his Sketch of the Botany of South Carolina, that the
wood of the Red Mulberry (Morus rubra) is preferred in the
building of boats to that of any other, except the Red Cedar.

The wood of the Black Gum (Wyssa aquatica), particularly
the portion near the ground, is peculiarly white, spongy, and
light. It has great elasticity, and a specific gravity almost low
enough to adapt it, in the opinion of the writer, to be used as a
substitute for the bark of the Cork tree. The Sycamore is a
very light wood, and the Catalpa also.

12

The Poplar is well known for its qualities of softness and
lightness. The Maple less so. The Pride of India is light and
durable, and susceptible of polish with a pretty grain under
varnish, adapting it to the purposes of the manufacturer. But
these do not resist water when submerged, as do the softer
woods first mentioned, viz: the Cypress, Cedar, or the Palmetto,
which is characteristically soft, porous, and elastic.

Bm 5G Oa OO 8 OU ae ee SH

OF THE

Southern Fields and Forests,

MEDICAL, ECONOMICAL, AND AGRICULTURAL.

Crass I. EXOGENS; OR, DICOTYLEDONOUS

-
FLOWERING PLANTS.

Sus-Ciass I. POLYPETALA.
NATURAL ORDERS.
Ranuncountacem. (Crow-Foot Tribe.)

The plants belonging to this order are generally acrid,
caustic, and poisonous. It contains some species, however,
which are innocuous. The caustic principle is volatile, and
neither acid nor alkaline.

CRISPED CLEMATIS; BLUE JESSAMINE, (Clematis
erispa, Linn.) Not of Eli. Sk., which is the C. cylindrica, T.
and Gray. Grows in damp, rich soils, and in swamps in the
low country of South Carolina; vicinity of Charleston, Dr.
Bachman. Newbern, Croom. N.C. Curtis. Fl. May.

Mer. and de. L. Dict. de M. Meéd. ii, 311; U.S. Disp. 1244;
Shee. Flora Carol. 418. This plant is substituted for the @.
erecta, mentioned by Storck, and is employed in secondary
syphilis, ulcers, porrigo, ete.; given internally, with the pow-
dered leaves applied to the sore. It acts also as a diaphoretic
and diuretic. Mérat says it possesses the properties of the C.
vitalba, which is a dangerous vegetable caustic, used as a substi-
tute for cantharides, and applied to rheumatic limbs, and in
paralysis and gout. The decoction of the root is alterative and
purgative; and is also said to be valuable in washing sores and
ulcers, in order to change the mode of their vitality, and to

14

make them cicatrize. Shecut remarks that “the Spanish or
blistering flies are very fond of the Clematis crispa, and it would
be well for medical gentlemen in the country to propagate the
plant about their residences, in order to secure a constant
succession of these valuable insects.” See Potato, “Convol-
vulus.” The American species are deserving of particular
attention, and I would invite further investigation of them.
The taste of the flower and seed vessel of the Clematis is
exceedingly pungent, and the juice irritates the skin, as I have
myself experienced.

TRAVELLER'S-JOY; LEATHER FLOWER, (Clematis
viorna, L.) Grows in middle and upper districts of South
Carolina. Elliott. N.C., Curtis. Fl. July.

Shee. Flora Carol. 489; Griffith’s Med. Bot. 86; U.S. Disp.
1244, This, and the following, have also a caustic property,
and are employed internally as diuretics and sudorifics in
chronic rheumatism ; and externally, in the treatment of erup-
tions, and as vesicants. Shecut says that a yellow dye may be
extracted from both leaves and branches; the latter are suffi-
ciently tough to make withs and fagots. The fibrous shoots
may be converted into paper, and the wood is yellow, compact,
and odoriferous, furnishing an excellent material for veneering.

VIRGIN’S BOWER; TRAVELLER’S-JOY, (Clematis Vir-
giniana, Linn.) Grows in rich soils; vicinity of Charleston.
N.C. Fl. July. Wood and Bache, U.S. Disp. 1244; Griffith,
Med. Bot. 80. See C. viorna.

WOOD ANEMONE, (Anemone nemorosa, L. Ranunculus phrag-
mites.) Mountains of South Carolina. N.C. Fl. April.

Bull. Plantes Ven. de France; Linn. Veg. M. Med. 109; FI.
Scotica, 287; Chomel, Plantes Usuelles, ii, 376; Dict. des Se.
Méd. Ixv, 194; Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. i, 292; U.S.
Disp. 1228. It is said to be extremely acrid—even small doses
producing a great disturbance of the stomach; employed as a
rubefacient in fevers, gout, and rheumatism, and as a vesicatory
in removing corns from the feet. It is reported to have proved
a speedy cure for tinea capitis, and the flowers have been used
in violent headaches ; Linneus says that the plant produces a
discharge of urine, attended with dysentery, in cattle which
feed on it. It contains a principle called anemonin.

15

Most of the species of Anemone, says Wilson, Rural Cyc.,
are acrimonious and detersive. ‘An infusion of Anemone is
said to remove woman’s obstructions, and to increase her milk ;
the bulbous roots when chewed are said to strengthen the gums
and preserve the teeth; a decoction of the roots is said to
cleanse corrosive ulcers, and heal inflammation in the eyes; the
flowers, boiled in oil, are said to have the property of thickening
the hair, and Anemone ointment is said to be a good eye-salve,
and a useful application to ulcers and external inflammations,”
all which I introduce for what it may be worth. No doubt the
oil furnished by it imparts some property to the plant, and, like
tannin in all the astringent plants, accounts for the slight
medicinal effect which results from their use. An improved
knowledge will, one day, determine the exact position in value
of the whole vegetable kingdom, but for a while we must be
contented with the publication of much that is vague and
uncertain. The unexpected discoveries of Ipecacuanha, Cin-
chona, Veratrum viride, etc., warn us not to discard, upon a
superficial examination, all those popularly considered as of
trivial importance.

LIVERWORT. | Hepatica triloba, Chaix. } Grows in light

Anemone hepatica, Linn. § soils, upper dis-
tricts, and in Georgia and North Carolina. Collected by Mr.
Ravenel at the Eutaw battle-ground, St. John’s, Berkley; sent
to me also from Abbeville district.

U.S. Disp. 368; Raf. Med. FI. i, 238; Lind. Nat. Syst. 81. A
tonic and astringent, supposed by some to possess deobstruent
virtues. It has been used to a considerable extent in hemopty-
sis and chronic cough; but Wood says it has fallen into neglect.

ORANGE ROOT; YELLOW ROOT; TURMERIC; IN-
DIAN DYE; GOLDEN SEAL, (fHydrastis Canadensis, W.)
Grows in rich soils, among the mountains of North and South
Carolina and Georgia. Fl. May.

Lind. Nat. Syst. 6; Bart. M. Bot. ii, 21; Veg. Mat. Med. ii, 17;
Raf. Med. Fl. i, 251; Griffith, Med. Bot. 82. It has a narcotic
smell; used in this country as a tonic. The root was known to
the Indians, from the brilliant yellow color which it yields. This
appears to be permanent, and might be applied in the arts.
Martin, in the Trans. Phil. Soc. 1783, in his Observations on the

16

Dyes used by the Aborigines, states, from his own experience,
that it was found serviceable in coloring silks, wool and linen.
With indigo, it yielded arich green. Griffith mentions it as a
powerful bitter tonic, much used in the West asa wash in chronic
ophthalmia. In its fresh state, supposed to be narcotic. Tine-
ture, decoction, or powder employed. Dose of powder, thirty to
sixty grains. Dr. Norcum, of Edenton, informs me that the in-
fusion is used successfully in gonorrhea.

The American Chemical Institute and Tilden & Co., pre-
pare from this plant two principles, one resinous, Hydras-
tina, which is laxative and tonic, given in doses of one to
five grains; the other an alkaloid Hydrastine or Hydras-
tina, the latter soluble in alcohol, water and ether, whilst the
first is only sparingly soluble. Hydrastine is given in the same
doses. In over dose it is said to produce almost identical effects
with sulph. of quinine, viz: a sense of tightness, buzzing and
ringing in the ears, reducing the pulse and producing sedation.
In ordinaty doses it is tonic and astringent and it is claimed to
have great power in intermittent fever. It is often prescribed
with Podophyllin. This plant yields berberina abundantly,
which Dr. Wood thinks should be examined for its antiperiodic
properties—U. 8. Disp. 12th ed., Am. J. Pharm., April 1861.
Am. J. Se. and Arts Jan. 1862 and July 1863. It is now placed in
the primary list U. S. Disp. The following summary of the quali-
ties of this plant is given by Dr. Wood: While all admit its tonic
properties, it is considered by different practitioners as aperient,
alterative in its influence on the mucous membranes, cholagogue,
deobstruent in reference to the glands generally, diuretic, anti-
septic, etc. It has been employed in dyspepsia and other affec-
tions requiring tonic treatment, in jaundice and other functional
disorders of the liver, as a laxative in constipation and piles,
and as an alterative in various diseases of the mucous mem-
branes, as catarrh, chronic enteritis, cystorrhcea, lucorrhea, gon.
orrheea, etc., being used in the latter complaint internally and
locally. By some it is used as one‘of the best substitutes for
quinia in intermittents. As an injection in gonorrhea Dr.
McCann, of Martinsburg, Ohio, made a decoction in the pro-
portion of a drachm of the dried root to a pint of water, and in-
jected a syringe full three times a day. The plant is used in the
form of decoction, infusion tincture and extract. The Eclectics

17

give their hydrastin in doses of three to five grains. See also a
volume entitled “Positive Medical Agents, New York.’

MARSH MARYGOLD; COLT FOOT; GROUND IVY,
(Caltha palustris, L. Var. parnassifolia, T. & G.) Cedar Swamps, S.
C., (Pursh) ; Chap. Flora. The flower buds are pickled for use as a
substitute for capers. The juice of the fresh roots is acrid and
caustic, but according. to Linneus, by drying, grinding and
washing the roots, furnish a very palatable bread. A syrup
prepared from this plant is a popular remedy for coughs. Dar-
lington’s Flora Cest. The Colt’s Foot of the U.S. Disp. is Tussi-
lago farfara.

CELERY LEAVED CROW FOOT, (Ranunculus sceleratus,
L. T.and Gray). Grows in bogs; abundant around Charleston.
Newbern, Croom. Fl. May.

Bull. Plantes Ven. de France, 143; Dém. Elém de Bot. Light-
foot’s Fl. Scotica, 295; U. 8S. Disp. 584; Mer and de L. Dict. de
M. Med. 620, and the Supplem. 1846, 620; Dioscorides, lib. vi, ¢.
iv; Orfila, Toxicol, Gén. ii, 90; Big. Am. Med. Bot. iii, 65; Grif:
fith, Med. Bot. 84.

The juice possesses remarkable caustic powers, raising a blis-
ter if applied topically, and often in doses of two drops exciting
fatal inflammation along the whole track of the alimentary canal.
Some, however, say that this property is not constant, as it is of
a volatile nature, and is dissipated by heat. According to Merat,
the Bedouins use it as a rubefacient, and it is applied in sciatica,
forming a substitute for cantharides. Annal. Univ. de Méd. 1843.
It has been administered with success in asthma, icterus, dy-
suria, rheumatism, pneumonia and fixed pains. When it acts as
a vesicant, it has not the disadvantage of producing strangury.
Bigelow says the volatile principle may be collected by distilla-
tion and preserved in closely-stopped bottles. Tilebein relates
_ that the distilled water is excessively acrid, and on cooling, de-
posits crystals, which are almost insoluble in any menstruum.
Precipitates are caused by muriate of tin and acetate of lead.
The boiled root may be eaten.

Ranunculus repens, Linn. ; Grows in shady woods, and among

% nitidus, Ell. Sk. § the mountains. Fl. Aug.

U.S. Dis. 584. This has also a rubefacient and epispastic
operation. Big. Am. Med. Bot, iii, 65, Very similar to the
above in its mode of action.

18

TALL LARKSPUR; (Delphinium exallatum, Ait.) Mts. of
North Carolina and Northward.

Dr. Wood says that the seeds have been used. for a similar
purpose with those of the Larkspur—a tincture made by mace-
rating an ounce of them in a pint of dilute alcohol, being used in
doses of ten drops, gradually increased, in cases of spasmodic
asthma and dropsy. U.S. Disp.

LARKSPUR, N.C. ; (Delphinium consolida, L.) Becoming natu-
ralized. The plant has astringent properties, the seeds are
acrid, and its flowers yield a fine blue dye.

My friend, Dr. Carmichael, of Fredericksburg, Va., informs me
that the tincture of the plant is destructive to insects, and use-
fully applied to the heads of children infested with them. It
possesses an active principle called Delphinia. Am. J. Ph. v, i,,
and xi, viii. W. Wick obtained aconitic acid from the expressed
juice—Journ. de Pharm., Julliet, 1854, and U. 8. D., 12th ed.
In his Statistics of South Carolina, Mills says that from the ex-
pressed juice of the petals with a little alum, a good blue may
be obtained.

BLACK SNAKEROOT; COHOSH, (Cimicifuga racemosa,
Torrey; Actea racemosa, L. & Willd). Grows throughout the
Southern States. Fl. July.

Linneus, Veg. Mat. Med. 102 (see Actea). The root is used
in the debility of females attendant upon uterine disorder; and,
in its action, is thought to have a special affinity for this organ.
It has also a decided effect upon some nervous affections, espe-
cially chorea. See Journal Phil. Coll. Pharm. vi, 20, and Dr.
Young’s notice of it in the Am. Journal Med. Se. v, 310. “We
have administered this medicine in chorea with complete suc-
cess, after the failure of purgatives and metallic tonics; and
have also derived the happiest effects from it in cases of convul-
sions recurring periodically, and connected with uterine disor-
der.” Wood, U. S. Disp. The powdered root is employed, a
teaspoonful three times a day. It is a stimulating tonic, in-
creasing the secretion of the skin, kidneys and lungs. Mérat,
in the Dict. de Mat. Méd., adds the authority of Dr. Kirkbride in
support of the efficacy of this plant in chorea, who advises that
a purgative be premised, when it may be given for several days,
and then discontinued, to be resumed again; frictions should at
the same time be made upon the surface with the tincture. See

19

the Supplem. 1846, to the Dict. de. M. Med. cit. sup. Dr. Hil-
dreth has found this plant, in combination with iodine, very ad-
vantageous in the early stages of phthisis. Am. Journal Med.
Se. Oct. 1842. The decoction is the most useful form ; one ounce
of the bruised root is boiled in a pint of water, of which a half
pint to one pint may be taken during the day. Dr. Physick
also had known it to cure cases of chorea; and Mérat and de L.,
in the 1st vol. of op. cit. p. 67 (See Actwa), say thatit partakes
of the properties of A. brachipetala. According to Chapman, it
produces free nausea, with abundant expectoration, succeeded
by nervous trembling, vertigo, and a remarkable slowness of the
pulse. Dr. Garden administered the tincture for phthisis. Lon-
don Med. Journal, li, 245. Dr. N.S. Davis uniformly found it to
lessen the force and frequency of the pulse, to soothe pain and
allay irritability. Trans. Am. Med. Assoc. 1, 352. Hildreth had
also observed its influence on the circulation. Barton employed
it as an astringent, which property it owes to the gallic acid it
contains. He also gave it in putrid sore throat. In New Jer-
sey, a decoction of the root is said to cure itch; and in North
Carolina, it is given as a drench for cattle, in the disease called
murrain. Shec Flora Carol. 91; Carson’s Illust, Med. Bot. i, p.
9, 1847. See anal. in Am. Journal Pharm. vi, 20, 1843 and
xxxili, 396. According to Mr. Tilghman, it contains gum;
starch ; sugar; resin; wax; tannin; gallic acid; salts of potassa ;
lime ; magnesia; iron, etc. The ethereal extract contains most
of its virtues. The Kclectics prepare from this plant a resin
which they call cimicifugin, from a saturated tincture of the root
precipitated by water—used in anomalous nervous disorders and
puerperal hypochondriasis. Dose, a grain. See, also, Jones, in
the Journal de Pharm. x, 670; and Journal Phil. Coll. Pharm.
vi, 14; Griffith, Med. Bot. 92. He remarks that its greatest ef-
ficacy has been exhibited in rheumatism, in the form of a tinc-
ture; the power of the root appearing to depend on the volatile
oil and bitter resin, both of which are soluble in alcohol, and
partially so in water. Dr. Tully, Mat. Med. p. 1358, uses it as
an ecbolic to excite the uterine organs. He says: “It never
narcotizes the child.” Dr. D. A. Morse, of Ohio, in Med. Rep.
recommends it as a nervous sedative of great value, and to pro-
cure sleep after physical exertion. He often combines it with
quinine. Bates in Journ. of Mat. Med., 1867,

20

BANEBERRY; WHITE COHOSH, (Actea alba, Big.; Acta
pachypoda, Ell.) Rocky Woods, Mts. of South Carolina; North
Carolina.

Mr. Ff’. Stearns in his accounts of the Medicinal plants of Mich-
igan, speaks of the rhizoma of this plant as being violently pur-
gative. (Proc. of Am. Pharm. Assoc., 1858, p. 240). U. 8. Disp.
12th ed.

YELLOW ROOT, (Zanthorrihza apiifolia. L’Her.) Upper,
and mountainous districts. North Carolina; Fl. April.

U.S. Disp. 745; Bart. Med. Bot. ii, 203; New York Med. Re-
pos. 291; Lind. Nat. Syst. 6; Griffith, Med. Bot. 95; Elliott’s
Bot., Med. note i, 376; Stokes, Med. Bot. ii, 194.

The bark possesses pure bitter tonic properties, closely analo-
gous to those of colombo and quassia. Dr. P. C. Barton thinks
it a more powerful bitter than the former of these. It was given
by Dr. Woodhouse in doses of forty grains in dyspepsia ; a de-
coction is also employed. The shrub contains a gum and resin,
both of which are intensely bitter. Alchohol is the best men-
struum. Its tinctorial powers were known to the Indians. It
yields plentifully a coloring matter, a drab being imparted by it
to wool, and rich yellow to silk; without a mordant it does not
affect cotton or linen; with Prussian blue it strikes a dull olive
green color. It yields the alkaloid berberina.

TWIN LEAF, (Jeffersonia diphylla. Pers.) Rich shady
woods, Tennessee.

The decoction of this plant is used by the vegetable practi-
tioners and Indian doctors as a diuretic in dropsy, and as an ex-
ternal application to sores, ulcers, ete.

To the above meagre outlines published in the first edition of
this work, the 12th ed.-U. 8. Disp. contains the following addi-
tional particulars. The plant has been analyzed by Mr. E. 8S.
Wayne, of Cincinnati, and found to contain albumen, sugar,
lignin, pectin, a fatty and a hard resin, and a peculiar acrid princi-
ple resembling polygalic acid, in which it is supposed that the vir-
tues of the root reside. The root is said to be emetic in large
doses, tonic and expectorant in smaller, and not unlike seneka,
as a substitute for which it is sometimes used. (Am. J. Pharm.
XXVIII). According to Prof. Mayer, of New York, the rhizome
of the plant contains a small quantity of berberina and another

21

alkaloid which is white, and in large proportion, as may be in-
ferred, adds Dr. Wood, from the reactions noticed by Mr. Bentley,
of London; the pectin of Mr. Wayne he considers to be saponiu.
Am. J. Pharm. March, 1863.

WILD JALAP; MAY-APPLE; MANDRAKE; WILD
LEMON; DUCK WEED, (Podophyllum peltatum. L.) Diffused in
rich woods; grows in Abbeville and Sumter districts ; collected
in St. John’s Berkley ; vicinity of Charleston, Bach. ; Newbern.
I saw it at Porsmouth, Virginia. It should be distinguished from
the “may-apple,” or may-pop of our corn fields. (See Passi-
flora). Fl. March.

Pe. Mat. Med. ii, 749; Bell’s Pract. Dict.; Drayton’s View S.
C. 73; Royle Mat. Med. 573; Frost’s Elems. 137; Eb. Mat. Med.
i, 205; Hd. and Vay. Mat. Méd.i, 514; U.S. Disp. 556; Big.
Am. Med. Bot. ii, 34; Bart. Med. Bot.i, 9; Journal Phil. Coll.
Pharm. iii, 873; Med. Record, iii, 332 ; Ball and Gar. Mat. Med.
193; Zchoepf, M. M. 86; Mer. and de L. Dict. de Mat. Méd. v.
207; Chap. Mat. Med. and Therap. 209; Coxe, Am. Disp. 478;
Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot.

Bigelow says it is a sure and active cathartic. “We hardly
know any native plant that answers better the common purpose
of jalap, aloes, and rhubarb.” ‘The Shakers prepare an extract,
which is much esteemed as a mild cathartic. By the experi-
ments of Dr. Burgon, in the Am. Med. Recorder, it is useful in
combination with calomel; ten grains of the latter with twenty
of the podophyllum. In bilious affections it usually supersedes
the necessity of an emetic previous to a cathartic; and by this
means two desirable effects are produced by one agent. Big.
Appendix, iii, 187 ; Griffith, Med. Bot. 116. It has been recom-
mended in dropsy, from the abundant evacuations which it pro-
duces. According to Staples, it contains resin and starch; and
Dr. Hodgson has given the name podophylline to the peculiar
substance it contains. See Journal Phil. Coll. Pharm.; Carson’s
Illust. of Med. Botany, pt. i. An officinal extract is prepared,
given in doses of 5 to 15 grains. The leaves are purgative, and
sometimes produce nausea in irritable stomachs ; the fruit is eat-
able. It was employed by the Cherokees as an anthelmintic; a
few drops poured into the ear are said to restore the power of
hearing, The plant has also been found to afford speedy relief

22

in incontinence of urine. Dr. McBride made great use of it dur-
ing his practice in St. John’s Berkley, 8. C.; he said that it an-
swers all the purposes of officinal jalap, “ producing copious
liquid discharges with no griping.” The powered root is applied
as a dressing for ulcers ; it is said to restrain excessive granula-
tions, sprinkled over the surface. In a communication to me
from Dr. Douglass, of Chester District, 8. C., his correspondent,
Mr. McKeown, considers the root too drastic as a purge ; he adds
that the powdered root, mixed with equal parts of resin, acts as
a powerful caustic, and is used by farriers for escharotic pur-
poses. I have employed this plant among negroes as a substi-
tute for jalap and the ordinary carthartics, and find that it an-
swers every purpose, being easily prepared by the person having
charge of them. Thirty grains of the root in substance were
given, or an infusion of one ounce in a pint of water, of which a
wineglassful three times a day is the dose; employing the Pop-
lar bark, Liriodendron tulipifera, as a substitute for quinine dur-
ing the stage of intermission of all mild cases of intermittent
fever. I would invite the particular attention of planters to the
extensive use of these medicinesupon their plantations. I have
caused them to be used on one on which upward of a hundred
negroes resided, and I found that during a period of seven
months, including the warm months of summer, they were used
in all cases, and apparently fulfilled every indication. No detailed
statement of these could be obtained, as it was administered by
one of their own number; but large quantities of them were |
required. The plant, from the examinations of Mayer, Hodgson,
Marsch, and Lewis, is shown to yield berberina and saponiu. The
resin podophyllin, is purgative in doses of two or three grains,
and is largely employed by some practitioners. See also U.S.
Disp.; Journ. Phil. Col. Pharm. 1863, July and iii. 273, Am. J. Ph.
XIX. 165, and March, 1863.

Dr. Joseph Parrish (Practical Pharmacy, 2nd edition, page
190), cites Podophyllin as the most popular and widely. known
of the whole class of “eclectic concentrated medicines,” and
he furnishes the processes for its preparation by F. D, Mill
& Co., of Cincinnati (see also, Am, J. Pharm. XXIII. 329);
according to Dr. Parrish’s experiment the roots yield 3? per cent.
of Podophyllin. In small doses } to 1 grain, itis said to operate
as an alternative and chologogue. It is claimed for this remedy

23

that it is a regulator of almost all the secretions, tending to re-
store them to normal activity and that it is a complete substitute
for mercury even to the extent in some cases of producing
ptyalism. Its efficacy is greatly increased by trituration with
four to ten times its weight of sugar of milk. Caulophyllin
combined with it is said to materially lessen its painful and disa-
greeable effects. A compound of Podophyllin with ten parts of
Leptandrin and ten parts of sugar, is much esteemed as an alter-
ative in dyspepsia, hepatitis, etc.; see King’s Eclectic Disp., Par-
rish, Op. cit. The Extract and resin are often used with mercury
and other cathartics. Dr. Wood says that in minute doses fre-
quently repeated Podophyllum has been thought to diminish the
frequency of the pulse and relieve cough, and for these effects
has be@n given in hemopysis, catarrhs and other pulmonary
affections. Op. cit. The soft pulp contained within the rind of
the fruit has a very peculiar musky taste, which is relished by
many persons. The pulp is squeezed into a wineglass, and with
the addition of a little old Maderia and sugar, it is said to be
equal to the golden granadilla of the tropics. Am. Farmer, vol.
14; Farmer’s Encyc. I have observed in the lower districts of
South Carolina, that the fruit generally drops before it becomes
fully matured. I have never been able to find.any ripe seeds.

PAPAVERACEA. (The Poppy Tribe.)

Narcotic properties generally prevail throughout this order.
Seeds are universally oily—seldom narcotic. Europe is the
principal seat of the papaveracee ; but several species included
under it are found in North America, beyond the tropic. Most
of them are annuals, the perennials being chiefly natives of
mountainous tracts.

OPIUM POPPY, (Papaver Somniferum). Thaér, in his Prin-
ciples of Agriculture, in speaking of the cultivation of the poppy
as an oil-bearing plant, says: ‘The color of the flower is unim-
portant. The seed is either white or black. Some persons think
that the black-seeded variety is more productive, others give the
preference to the white in thisrespect. The white seed is the
more agreeable to the taste, as likewise the oil expressed from it.
That variety of poppy is preferred whose heads or capsules when
ripe assume a slightly bluish tinge. The structure of the cap-

-sules is of more consequence ; for there is a variety in which the

24

envelope of the capsule dehisces spontaneously when ripe, so
that the seed is easily shed; and another, in which the seed re-
mains enclosed within the capsules, which must be opened in
order to extract it.” ‘The poppy may become one of the most
profitable crops, if we have the means of disposing of the seed,
or if we knew how to extract the oil. By proper cultivation it
may be made to produce from nine to ten bushels of seed per
acre, and one bushel yields twenty-four pounds of good oil. This
oil, especially the first portion, which is cold-pressed, and mixed
in the mill with slices of apple, is doubtless the purest kind of
oil for the table, and the most agreeable that is known. It is
inferior to none, excepting the finest Nice or Lucca oil. It is
preferable to the second-rate oil of those places, and the peculiar
taste of olive oil may be imparted to it by the addition of a
small quantity of that oil of superfine quality.” Principles of
Agriculture, 457. .

The oil of the poppy is bland, and not narcotic. “It is used
both for food and light, and is considered a fifth more valuable
than that of the colza. The cakes remaining after the expres-
sion of the oil are valuable for the fattening of swine; and the
stalks for fuel. The ashes which remain after burning it are of
the best kind of manure. If the seed be pressed in a mill used
for the colza, or other oil, the greatest attention must be paid
to cleaning it. The oil expressed in cold weather is much supe.
rior in quality to that obtained in warm weather, and the two
must not be mixed.” “Henry Colman’s European Agriculture,”
vol. ii, 538, Boston, 1849. See his ‘“ Report on Flemish Agricul-
ture, for method of growing the Poppy, Colza, Flax, Hemp, Hop,
Mulberry, Beet, Olive, Grape,” ete.; also “Thaér’s Treatise on
Agriculture.” See Bené (Sesamum) for oils and their expres-
sion.

In Thornton’s Family Herbal a very full and interesting
account can be read of the cultivation of poppy in England,
with the successful production of opium in considerable quan-
tity. Forty pounds were made in one season by one person.
Boys and girls were employed in incising the bulbs and gather-
ing the gum.

A variety of the “common” or “opium poppy” (P. somni-
ferum), indigenous to the warm and temperate parts of Europe
and Asia, has been introduced, and a brief notice is contained

25

in Patent Office Report, 1855, p. xxi: “It has proved itself sus-
ceptible of easy cultivation on very rich soils. It is well adapted
. to the climate of the Middle and Southern States. The flowers
of the ‘white poppy’ (Papaver s. alba), the variety with which
the experiment was made, may be either entirely white or red,
or may be fringed with purple, rose or lilac, variegated and
edged with the same colors, but never occur blue or yellow, nor
mixed with these colors, each petal being generally marked at
the bottom with a black or purple spot. The seeds are black in
the plants having purple flowers, and light-colored in those
which are white; although the seeds of the latter, when of
spontaneous growth, are sometimes black. The largest heads
which are employed for medical or domestic use, are obtained
from the single flowered kind, not only for the purpose of ex-
tracting opium, but also on account of the bland, esculent oil
that is expressed from the seeds, which are simply emulsive,
and contain none of the narcotic principle. For the latter pur-
pose, if no other, its culture in this country is worthy of atten-
tion. Certainly it is an object worthy of public encouragement,
as the annual amount of opium imported into the United States
is valued at upward of $407,000.” If this was true some years
since, how much more essential to us is its production now
(1862), when gum opium and morphine are so very difficult to
obtain. Mills, in his Statistics of South Carolina, states that
opium was extracted from the poppy in South Carolina, and
that seven grains were obtained from each plant. Occupied in
researches upon these subjects during the month of June (1862),
under the order of the Surgeon-General, I was enabled to col-
lect, ina few days, more than an ounce of gum opium, appa-
rently of very excellent quality, having all the smell and taste
of opium (which I have administered to the sick), from speci-
mens of the red poppy found growing in a garden near State-
burgh, 8. C. I have little doubt that all we require could be
gathered by ladies and children within the Southern States, if
only the slightest attention was paid to cultivating the plants in
our gardens. It thrives well, and bears abundantly. It is not
generally known that the gum which hardens after incising the
capsules is then ready for use, and may be prescribed as gum
opium, or laudanum and paregoric may be made from it with
alcohol or whiskey.

26

The poppy, it is said, produces better when planted in the fall.
With my present experience (June, 1863), I would say that this
was essential in the climate of South Carolina and Georgia. It:
should be planted early in September; the plants are not killed
during the winter, they thrive in the early spring, and the cap-
sules are ready for incision in May. I find that the vitality of the
seeds are not destroyed by the manipulations to which the eap-
sules are subjected. Several attempts by the writer to obtain the
poppy by planting several acres successively in April and May
failed, the seeds not getting up. From a “garden square” planted
in October, 1862, I obtained in May, 1863, from two gatherings,
5 drachms and 30 grains of gum opium, weighed after the mass
had dried one month, of excellent quality judging by the
smell and color. The experiment was hardly a fair one, as the
second recolte was delayed too long. Twice the amount might
have been collected. The land should be rich and finely worked;
the seeds were not sown lightly.

Mr. Farmer, of Walterboro’, 8. C., reports through Surgeon
Linning (June, 1863), that he also has succeeded in procuring
enough for the use of his plantation. The writer has little
doubt from the present beginnings that opium will become one
of the ordinary staples of the country, as the plant thrives well
asa volunteer. It should be remembered that poulty eat the
young plants with avidity.

I quote the following from paper cited above:

The successful cultivation of the plant, however, requires the
provision of good soil, appropriate manure, and careful manage-
ment. The strength of the juice, according to Dr. Butler, of
British India, depends much upon the quantity or moisture of
the climate. A deficiency even of dew prevents the proper flow
of the peculiar, narcotic, milky juice which abounds in every
part of the plant, while an excess besides washing off this milk,
causes additional mischief by separating the soluble from the
insoluble parts of this drug. This not only deteriorates its
quality, but increases the quantity of moisture, which must
afterward be got rid of. The history of the poppy, as well
as that of opium—its inspissated juice—are but imperfectly
known. ‘The oldest notices of this plant are found in the works
of the early Greek physicians, in which mention is also made of
the juice; but opium does not appear to have been so generally

27

employed as in modern times, as the notices respecting it would
would have been numerous and clear. In the manufacture of
opium in Persia or India, the juice is partially extracted, together
witha considerable quantity of mucilage, by decoction. The
liquor is strongly pressed out, suffered to settle, clarified with
the white of eggs, and evaporated to a due consistence—yield-
ing a fifth of the weight of the heads of extract, which possesses
the virtues of opium in a very inferior degree, and is often em-
ployed to adulterate the genuine opium. The heads of the
poppies are gathered as they ripen; and, as this happens at dif-
ferent periods, there are usually three or four gatherings in a
year. The milky juice of the poppy in its more perfect state,
which is the case only in warm climates, is extracted by incis-
ions ma@@e in the capsules, and simply evaporated into the con-
sistence in which it is known to commerce, under the name of
opium.

In Turkey, the plants during their growth are carefully wa-
tered, and manured if necessary; the watering being more
profuse as the period of flowering approaches, and until the
heads are half grown, when the operation is discontinued, and
the collection of the opium commences. At sunset longitudinal
incisions are made upon each half-ripe capsule, not sufficiently
deep to penetrate the internal cavity. The night dews favor
the exudation of the juice, which is collected in the morning by
scraping it from the wounds with a small iron scoop, and depos-
iting the whole in an earthen pot, where it is worked in the sun-
shine with a wooden spatula, until it acquires a considerable
degree of thickness. It is then formed into cakes by the hands,
and placed in earthen pans to be further exsiccated, when it is
covered with the leaves of the poppy, or some other plant.

In obtaining gum opium, the capsules are cut longitudinally
only through the skin, though some advise that it should be
done from below upward. I find longitudinal incisions the most
economical. This is generally done late in the afternoon, the
hardened gum being scraped off early next morning. Boys or
girls can easily attend to this. If the capsules are cut only on
one side, the same operations may be repeated on the other side,
and a fresh supply of opium obtained. A knife with three or four
edges, cutting about the twelfth or fourteenth part of an inch,
is sometimes used. If the incision is too deep the juice passes -
within the poppy head.

28

Prof. Alston, of Edinburgh, long ago, says Thornton, ascer-
tained that opium of good quality could be obtained in Great
Britain, “having all the color, consistence, taste, smell, faculties,
phenomena,” ete., of opium. It has been calculated by Mr.
Ball that more than fifty pounds of opium may be collected
from one statute acre. Mr. Jones, in 1794, in the County of
Middlesex, England, presented twenty-five pounds of opium to
the Society of Arts, made by himself, which was ascertained by
chemical examination, to be equal to the imported drug. The
reader interested in the culture of the poppy, can find in Thorn-
ton’s New Family Herbal, p. 516, a pretty full statement of the
method of culture, the collection of the gum, etc., employed by
Mr. Jones. In Love’s report to the Society, he says: “ Having
a tap root, their size will, consequently, be proportioned to the
depth of earth they are enabled to penetrate. Hence the ne-
cessity of land that will admit of deep ploughing. The fineness
of the surface, too, is very essential. As the seed is small, and
the plants on their first coming up so exceedingly tender, the
bush harrow should always be used after those which are com-
monly employed.” They should be so cultivated that the
gatherer may not disturb the plants in collecting the juice. Mr.
Jones is also in favor of autumnal sowing, planting in the month
of September, by which means the plants attain sufficient size
to endure the cold of winter; these were also found to produce
more opium than those planted in March. The scarifications
are described, Thornton’s Herbal, 517, but any one can devise
a knife for the purpose. In the Proc. of Am. Ph. Assoc., 1866,
a specimen of Virginia opium exhibited contained 4 per cent. of
morphia and 3.5 per cent. (approximately) of narcotina.

Mr. John Commins, of Charleston, has endeavored (1867) to
extract the gum more economically from the whole plant, leaves,
stalks and capsules, but it has been found impracticable. Papa-
ver dubium, Corn poppy, introduced, grows in lower North Caro-
lina, Curtis’ Cat.

DEVIL’S FIG; PRICKLY POPPY; MEXICAN POPPY;
THORN APPLE; YELLOW THISTLE, (Argemone Mexicana,
Linn. D. C. Prodrom.) Charleston District, grows around
buildings in rich spots; vicinity of Charleston ; Newbern, N. C.
Fl. July.

Mer. and de L. Dict. Univ. de M. Méd. i, 395; Journal de
Pharmacie xiv, 73; Bull. des. Sci. Méd. de Mer. viii, 210; De

29

Cand. Essai, 116. The oil is said by some to be as active as
that of the Croton tiglium; see the Supp. to Mér. and de L.,
1846—57, In Brazil, the leaves are employed as a cataplasm for
driving off ulcers. The infusion is used in Mexico for its marked
sudorific powers; the juice is found serviceable in chronic mala-
dies of the skin. In Java, they employ it in inveterate cuta-
neous diseases, and as a caustic in chancres. Lind., in his Nat.
Syst. Bot. 8, says that the seeds are narcotic, and are smoked
with tobacco; Gardener’s Mag. vi, 315. It is administered in
the West Indies as a substitute for ipecacuanha, and the juice
of the plant is considered by the native doctors of India as a
valuable remedy in ophthalmia, either dropped in the eye or
rubbed on the tarsus ; it is also considered purgative and deob-
struent.” Ainslie, M. Med. Ind, 2483; Prince Maximil. Travels,
214; Aublet, Hist. Guiane. Mérat, in the Supplem., 1846, says
that, in Brazil, in the Isle of France, and in India, the oil is
regarded as a purgative, not unlike castor oil, but more active—
not, however, being attended with griping; thirty drops were
found equivalent to the ounce of castor oil. They applied it in
tinea capitis, and as an external application in headache occa-
sioned by exposure to the rays of the sun. See Dr. Schort’s
examination of it. Dr. Muddie asserts that it induces anodyne
effects ; so much so, as to relieve, in an instant, the pains of
colic. Med. Bot. Soc. London, 1830; Griffith’s Med. Bot., 129.
The plant abounds in a viscid, milky, acid juice, which, exposed
to the air, becomes yellow, resembling gamboge. The flowers
are said by DeCandolle, Essai, to be employed in Mexico as a
hypnotic. A thorough examination of this plant might well
repay the labor bestowed upon it. It is, apparently, native,
says Chapman, in South Florida. “Its seeds are said to yield a
narcotic substance as powerful as opium. A milky, glutinous
juice flows from the whole plant; turns by exposure to the air
into a fine bright yellow; and when reduced to the consistence
of a firm gum, is not distinguishable from gamboge, and has, we
believe, been brought into the market under the name of that
drug. It has similar properties to gamboge, both as a medicine
and as a pigment; and it has been administered in very small
doses in cases of dropsy, jaundice, cutaneous eruption, and
some other diseases.” Wilson, Rural Cyc.

I collected a large number of the seeds of this plant near

30

Charleston, and experimented with the oil and tincture, but
with no definite results. A long paper on the medical proper-
ties of the Mexican Poppy can be found in the Charleston Medi-
cal Journal, among the extracts. I cannot, at present, cite the
volume, but it was during the editorial management of Dr. Cain
and myself. The tincture was particularly recommended for the
relief of colic and pain.

In the 12th Ed. U.S. Disp. M. Lepine is quoted as stating that
the oil of the seeds has a cathartic property, and may be used in
the arts (Journ. de Pharm. Julliet, 1861), and that according to
Dr. W. Hamilton, that the seeds unite an anodyne and soporific
with the cathartic property. In the hands of Dr. Afflecle, of
Jamaica, they have proved useful given in emulsion in flatu-
lent colic, in the dose of about 8 grains, repeated every half
hour, till three doses were taken. The pain was relieved and
the bowels opened. (Pharm. Journ. xii. 642.)

PUCCOON ; BLOODROOT, (Sanguinaria Canadensis, Linn.
Ell. Sk.) Diffused; vicinity of Charleston; Abbeville, Richland,
and Fairfield Districts; collected in St. John’s, N. C. Fl. March.

Drayton's View of 8, C. 72; Bell’s Pract. Dict. 404; Eberle,
Mat. Med. 95; Lind. Nat. Syst. 8; U.S. Disp. 627; Royle, Mat.
Med. 273; Pe. Mat. Med. and Therap. ii, 722; London Med.
Chirurg. Trans. vol.i, Bart. M. Bot. i, 30; Ann. Lyceum Nat.
Hist. New York, ii, 250; New York Med. and Phys. Journal, i,
No. 2; Am. Journal Med. Sci. N.S. ii, 506; Journal Phil. Coll.
Pharm. iii, 95; Ball and Gar. Mat. Med. 208; Big. Am. Med.
Bot. i, 75; Schoepf, Mat. Med. 85; Barton’s Collec. 28; Trans.
Lond. Med. Soe. i, 179; Thacher’s Disp. 331; Cutler, Mem. Am.
Acad. i, 455; Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. vi, 208; Bull. des
Sci. Méd. Fer. vi, 71; Edinb. Med. Journal, vii, 217; Shee. Flora
Carol. 153; Carson’s Illust. Med. Bot. i, 18, 1847. The root is
narcotic, emetic and purgative in large doses; stimulant,
expectorant, and diaphoretic, tonic in small. Dr. Dana found a
found a peculiar principle in it, called sanguinarina (Ann. Lyceum
Nat. Hist. New York). According to the experiments of Dr.
Donney, of Maryland, in his inaugural Thesis, twenty-grain
doses of the root induced nausea and vomiting, attended with
heat of stomach, acceleration of pulse, and sometimes slight
headache ; the leaves are said to be endued with similar powers.
“The seeds exert a marked influence on the nervous system,

31

occasioning torpor, languor, disordered vision, and dilatation of
pupil.” Dr. Bard, of New York, confirms this in his Inaugural
Diss. It isan acrid narcotic, producing vomiting, and given in
all diseases of the mucous membranes ; employed in catarrh,
typhoid pneumonia, croup, hooping-cough, and in arresting the
progress of phthisis, and also in inflammatory rheumatism and
jaundice. It was known to Schoepf; and Mérat states that it
was serviceable in gonorrhea. Dr. Israel Allen, of New York,
says it acts with all the good effects of digitalis, in affections of
the lungs—the infusion being preferred in these, as the tincture
does not afford the active principle sufficiently strong; he adds,
also, that it powerfully promotes diaphoresis in inflammatory
rheumatism. Bigelow mentions it as an acrid narcotic, in small
doses lessening the frequency of the pulse, somewhat analogous
in its operation to that of digitalis—this, however, being its
secondary effect. In still smaller doses, it is a stimulating tonic.
The powdered root, snuffed up the nose, is powerfully sternuta-
tory; it is applied as an escharotic to fungous flesh ; and several
polypi, of the soft kind, were cured by it in the hands of Dr.
Smith, of Hanover. Mill says in his Statistics of S. C., publish-
ed in 1826: “It is a deobstruent, and excellent in jaundice, old
coughs, and bilious habits; the root powdered and mixed with a
small quantity of calomel, and used as a snuff, bas cured the
polypus in the nose.” Dr. Shanks, of Tennessee, also destroyed
a gelatinous polypus with sanguinaria, after extraction had
twice failed. Am. Journal Med. Sci. Oct., 1842. The decoction
has also been used as a wash to ill-conditioned ulcers. Dr.
McBride employed this plant to some extent, in his practice in
St. John’s Berkley, S. C., in jaundice, in doses of two to six
grains of the root. He did not trust to it exclusively, but found
it most effectual in those cases characterized by torpor of the
liver, attended with colic and yellowness of the skin. See his
letter to Dr. Bigelow. He gave, too, with success, in hydrotho-
rax, the tincture in doses of sixty drops, three times a day,
increased until nausea followed its employment. Eberle, in his
work on Diseases of Children, p. 97, says that the powdered
root is an excellent escharotic in ulceration of the umbilicus.
Griffith’s Med. Bot. 127. It is observed by some that the seeds
are more narcotic than the root, inducing symptoms resembling
those produced by stramonium. The dose of the powder as an

‘82

emetic, x-xx grs.; as a stimulating expectorant, iii-v grs.; or
an infusion of one-half ounce of the root to one pint of water—
dose, a tablespoonful; of the tincture, it is one-half a drachm ;
a larger quantity acts as an emetic. The tincture is made by
adding two ounces of the bruised root to one pint of alcohol.
Macerate fourteen days. It is expectorant and alterative. Dr.
Donney says the leaves are administered in veterinary practice
in Maryland, to produce sweating, and to facilitate the shedding
of hair in the Spring. Dr. Griffith is convinced of its efficacy
in this respect, and he has also given the fresh root mixed with
the food, at intervals, to destroy bots in horses—one or two
roots proving sufficient. In a tommunication from Dr. Isaac
Branch, of Abbeville District, S. C,, he informs me that he has
for many years employed the decoction of the root in croup;
he prefers it to any other single remedy ; and, by persisting in
it till emesis is produced, he is of the opinion that it prevents
the formation of the diphtheritic membrane. From his own
experience, he considers it a specific in the early stages of the
disease, preferring, for infants, the infusion to the tincture, as
the difficulty of exciting vomiting frequently renders it necessary
to give more of the alcohol than would be prudent. He finds it
convenient, when called to a case of croup, to add to thirty
grains of the powdered, or bruised root, a teacupful of boiling
water, allowing it to steep for ten or fifteen minutes over the
fire, when it may be given in teaspoonful doses, frequently re-
peated, until vomiting is induced; if the patient is relieved,
continue it in doses short of the emetic point, every hour,or two,
increasing it in frequency and amount should the symptoms
require it. Dr. B. is of the opinion that it owes its value to
three qualities combined: an acrid, an emetic, and a deobstruent
property—the latter acting on the elandular system. It
possesses, also, the peculiar advantage of not producing bad
effects by accumulation; a teacupful not debilitating any more
than a smaller quantity, and neither inducing prostration,
which, in the disease in question, is an important consideration.
If the patient’s skin is hot and dry, the addition of a few grains
of ipecacuanha is advised. The experience of Dr. Branch cor-
roborates that of others respecting the value of the tincture, in
doses of ten to fifteen drops, given three or four times a day, as
an expectorant in chronic cough. In emetic doses, it proves a

useful promoter of expectoration in pneumonia. The decoction
of the root, taken in small doses, may be used wherever a
nauseant and expectorant is required, and will aid in prevent-—
ing the advance of colds, croup, pneumonia, etc. The juice of
the root was used by the Indians as a red pigment, and it has
been applied to the arts. Dr. Donney says that the sulph. of
alumina will partially fix the color in woolen stuffs, and the
murio. sulph. of lead in cotton and linen. The stain, applied to
the unbroken skin, is not indelible. Lawson, in his account of
Carolina, says, that the Puccoon is Batschia canescens (Lithos-
permum canescens), growing in upper districts. See Pursh’s
Flora and Croom’s Catalogue.

The above was contained in my report on Med. Botany of
_§. C., published in 1849. Since that period, I have used the
Tincture of Sanguinaria largely during five years attendance
upon the Marine Hospital, and in private practice. I employ
no vegetable substance so constantly, as an addition to cough
mixtures, and as an alterative and tonic, when I think the
functions of the liver not sufficiently active. We must avoid
adding too much of the tincture to any mixture, lest it convert
it into a nauseant or emetic. I can only say that it has proved
a highly satisfactory agent in my hands as a tonic, alterative,
and expectorant. (See Boneset, (Hupatorium perfol. iatum),
for combinations of that and Sanguinaria in pneumonias and
Formule at the end of this volume.)

Dr. J. B. Ancrum, of Charleston, informed me in 1867, that
he had repeatedly found benefit from the local application of
the powdered root to scrofulous ulcers, administering it also
internally in doses of a few grains several times a day. From
a suggestion made to him by a soldier during the late war he
used it internally with much satisfaction in scurvy, and the
powdered root was used in making a gargle, and was also
given internally.

I have repeatedly employed the tincture with advantage in
Jaundice, giving an occasional mercurial at night; thus avoiding
the prostration which is so marked a feature of this disease as
is often the case when managed exclusively by mercury.

In the 12th ed. of the U. S. Disp. 1866, Dr. Mothershead
paper (from Wood’s Quarterly Retrosp. 280) is quoted, where he

a

34

speaks in the strongest terms of its efficacy as an excitant to
the liver given in alterative doses.

Prof. Wood says in reference to Sanguinaria : The late Dr.
Wm. Tully found it in large doses to produce vertigo, dilatation
of the pupil, a haggard expression of the face, nausea, dimin-
ished frequency and irregularity of the pulse. Prof. R. P.
Thomas, of Philadelphia, who experimented with it on himself
and others, in medicinal doses, using both the alkaloid and its
salts, gave the following statement of its powers: In doses
varying from one-twelfth to one-eighth of a grain it acted as
an expectorant without disturbing the stomach. One-sixth or
one-fourth of a grain given every two or three hours generally
produced nausea and sometimes vomiting. Half a grain in
solution, given at intervals of ten minutes, almost invariably -
vomited after the second or third dose. Under the influence of
one-eighth or one-sixth of a grain given every three or four
hours, for two days or more, the pulse was generally reduced
from five to fifteen beats in the minute. He found no alterative
effect, and none of any kind directly upon the liver (Proc. of
A. M. Med. Assoc., 1863) U.S. Disp.

A fluid extract is prepared, of which the dose as an emetic is
from ten to twenty minims.

FUMITORY, (fumaria officinalis, Linn. Hook. Fl. Bo.) Natu-
ral, says Hiliott, on John’s Island, and at Mr. Middleton’s on
Ashley River. Not in Curtis’ Cat.

This plant received great attention in former times, and was
almost universally employed. Pliny speaks of it, lib. 25, e. 13.
According to Hoffman and Boerhaave, the juice taken in large
doses is diuretic and laxative. Great confidence was placed in
its virtues by Cullen. Mat. Med. ii, 77. In the Dém. Elém. de
Bot., it is referred to as a diuretic and detersive aperient,
employed as a purifier of the blood in scrofulous and cutaneous
diseases. It was administered in amenorrhea, loss of appetite,
and hypochondriacal affections ; Fl. Scotica, 379. Boerhaave
frequently prescribed it in jaundice and bilious colics. Thorn-
ton, in his Fam. Herb. 628, asserts that he had experienced its
value in cutaneous diseases. Its acrimonious property is vola-
tile; hence, it should be given in whey. Meér. and de L. Dict.

35

de M. Méd. iii, 310; Fl. Méd. iv, 153. “A marked bitter, which
increases on being dried.” A popular depurative remedy,
which augments the action of the organs, and therefore useful
in the diseases specified. Merat says, it was very generally
allowed to be a specific in elephantiasis, acting without any
evacuation or appreciable effect. Barbier, M, Med. 381; U.S,
Disp. 1254. An extract of the expressed juice, or a decoction,
throws out upon its surface a copious saline efflorescence. “The
plant indeed abounds in saline substances.” Griffith, Med. Bot.
118. It is still employed in France; given in the form of
decoction, extract, syrup, or expressed juice.

In observing the enormous amount of potash said by Ure to
exist insthe ashes of this plant (fourth London edition, 1853), I
can now well understand some of the statements made above,
which I had published several years since in my report to the
American Medical Association. It is another evidence of the
light thrown upon any subject by facts gathered from different
sources and by independent inquirers. See article “Potash.”
Wormwood, artemisia, tobacco, corn and rice stalks, etc., contain
potash in large proportion. The two first mentioned in enor-
mous amount relatively.

NELUMBIACER. (Nelumbo Tribe.)

WATER CINQUEPIN ; POND-NUTS, (Welumbium luteum,
W.) Fla. and northward, not common; Chap. N. ©. The
fruit is a nut, the size of a cinquepin, of a sweetish flavor, and
edible. It grows abundantly in the Santee canal. .

NYMPHAHACEM. (The Water Lily Tribe.)

This order is generally considered anaphrodisiac, sedative,
and narcotic. Their stems are bitter and astringent; they
contain a considerable quanty of fecula, and, after repeated
washings, are capable of being used for food.

SWEET-SCENTED WATER-LILY; POND-LILY, (Nym-
phea odorata, Ait. Kew. and Ph.) Diffused in lower country of
South Carolina; N.C. Roots immersed. Newbern. FI. April.

U. S. Disp. 1280; Mat. Veg. Pract. 201; Thompson’s Steam
Pract.; Big. Am. Méd. Bot. 132 ; Cutler, Am. Trans. i, 456. “An
anaphrodisiac.” The root possesses a high degree of astrin-
gency, containing, according to Dr. Bigelow, tannin and gallic

36

acid. It is a popular remedy in bowel complaints; and is used
as an astringent in gleet, fluor albus, etc. It also forms an
excellent demulcent poultice for ulcers. Meér. and de L. Dict.
de M. Méd. iv, 643; Bull. des. Sci. Méd. iii, 74. Ainslie, in his
Mat. Med. Ind. ii, 381, says that, in India, they prepare with it
a refreshing liniment for the head. Thompson employed this
plant in the steam practice, and Matson recommends it as a
gargle in sore throats.

CEPHALOTACE.

We insert this order, the properties of which are unknown,
merely to introduce the non-medicinal, but very remarkable
plant, the

VENUS FLY-TRAP, (Dionea muscipula, Ellis, L.) General
C. C. Pinckney informed Mr. Elliott of the only locality of this
interesting plant in South Carolina, viz.: on the margin of the
Santee River, between Lynch’s Ferry and the sea, particularly
at Collins’ and Bowman’s bridges. Newbern. Fl. May. Its
leaves possess great sensibility, and are prehensile: closing up
and confining insects and any foreign body which comes in
contact with it. See Curtis, in Bost. Journal Nat. Hist. i, p.
123, the article “Sarracenia” infra, and authors. “Mir-
aculum nature! folia triloba, radicalia, ciliata, sensibilia,
conduplicanda, insecta incarceranda. Ellis, Hpist. ad Linneum.
Croom’s Cat.

MAGNOLIACE®. (The Magnolia Tribe.)

This order is characterized by the possession of a bitter tonic
taste, and fragrant flowers; the latter generally producing a
decided action upon the nerves.

BAY; BEAVER TREE; SWAMP-LAUREL, (Magnolia
glauca, Li.) Diffused in damp pine lands. Charleston; New-
bern: N.,G., El. June.

Big. Am. Med. Bot. ii, 67; Bart. i, 77; U.S. Disp. 442; Pe.
Mat. Med. ii, 733; Royle, Mat. Med. 248; Ball and Gar. 189;
Michaux, N. Am. Sylvia, ii, 8; Kalm’s Travels, i, 205; Hum-
phries, Med. Comment. xviii; Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd.
iv, 193; Marshall’s Arbust. 83; Bart. Mat. Med. 46; Price,
Ivaug. Diss. Phil. 1812; Lind. Nat. Syst. 18; Am. Herbal, 200;

Griffith, Med. Bot. 97. It is a stimulant, aromatic tonic, with
considerable diaphoretic powers. The leaves, steeped in brandy,
or a decoction of them, are valuable in pectoral affections,
recent cold, etc. The tincture, made by macerating the fresh
cones and seeds, or bark of root, in brandy, which best extracts
its virtues, is much used as a popular remedy in rheumatism,
and in intermittent fevers; and, according to Barton, in inflam-
matory gout. Lindley refers to it as a valuable tonic, but it is
said to be destitute of tannin or gallic acid. The bark of the
root, according to Griffith, was employed by the Indians to
fulfil a variety of indications; the warm decoction acts as a
gentle laxative, and subsequently as a sudorific, whilst the cold
decoction, powder of, or tincture, is tonic. These have proved
very beneficial in the hands of regular practitioners in the
treatment of remittents of a typhoid character. It is supposed
by many residing in the lower portions of South Carolina that
this tree prevents the water of bogs and galls from generating
malaria. It certainly seems that the water is much clearer in
which the bay tree grows.* It is stated in a Journal, 1863,
that Mr. Kerr, of Wilmington, N. C., has made good writing
ink by boiling in water the bark of the bay or dwarf magnolia.
Pillars for staircases of the color of mahogany are made of the
red bay, an excellent material for inner work of houses, furni-
ture, etc., as I have seen at Col. Singleton’s, Clarendon, S. C.
Its grain is so fine and bears so good a polish, says Mills in his
Statistics of South Carolina, that it is used for catinet purposes.
It also dies a beautiful black color.

*In that old work on Herbs, entitled the ‘‘ English Physician,’ by Nicho-
las Culpepper, gentleman, ‘‘ Student in Physic and Astrology,’ I have met
with a great deal concerning the employment of herbs in medicine; but,
from the absence of Botanical terms, it is impossible to ascertain, in many
cases, what species are intended. In order to show the surprisingly super-
stitious credence then attached to the influence of Astrology, in determining
the virtues of, and the times proper for gathering plants, and also the
diversity of qualitics attributed to them, I will extract a portion of what
Culpepper says of the ‘‘ Bay Tree:” ‘ Government and Virtues.—That it is
a Tree of the Sun, and under the celestial Sign Leo, and resisteth Witch-
craft very potently, as also all the evils old Saturn can do to the body of
man, and they are not a few; for it is the speech of one, and I am mistaken
if it were not Mezaldus, that neither Witch nor Devil, Thunder nor Light-
ning, will hurt a man in the place where a Bay Tree is. Galen said that
the leaves or bark do dry and heal very much, and the berries more than
the leaves; the bark of the root is less sharp and hot, but more bitter, and
hath some Astrictsion withal, whereby it is effectual to break the stone, and
good to open the obstructions of the liver, spleen, and other inward parts,

MAGNOLIA, (Magnolia grandiflora, L.) This magnificent
tree grows abundantly along the sea-coast, and in the streets of
Charleston. Found sparingly in St. John’s Berkley, forty-five
miles from the ocean ; grows in Georgia, also, in North Carolina.
Fl. May.

Mér. and de L. Dict. de. M. Méd. iv; 193; Pe. Mat. Med. and
Therap. ii, 734; U.S. Disp. 444. The medicinal and chemical
properties of these plants are supposed to be identical. See J.
glauca. Mr. Proctor, in his analysis, Am. Journal Pharm. xiy.
95, and viii, 85, found in this species volatile oil, resin, and a
crystallizable principle analogous to the liriodendrine of Prof.
Emmett, obtained from the ZL. tulipifera growing in the Southern
States (vide L. tulip.) Mérat says that in Mexico the seeds are
employed with success in paralysis. Loc. cit. sup.

CUCUMBER TREE, (Magnolia acuminata, Linn. Mich.)
Mountainous districts; grows in Georgia, also, in North Caro-
lina. Fl. July.

U. S. Disp. 443; Mx. N. Am. Sylvia, ii, 12; Lind. Nat. Syst
16. Lindley speaks particularly of the cones of this species
being employed in the form of a spirituous tincture in rheumatic
affections. Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Med. iv, 193; Griffith,
Med. Bot. 98. Used as a prophylactic in autumnal fevers.

which bring the Dropsy, Jaundice, ete. The Berries are very effectual
against all poison of venomous creatures, and the sting of Wasps and Bees,
as also against the pestilence, and other infectious diseases, and therefore
put into sundry Treacles for the purpose. They, likewise, procure women’s
courses, and seven of them given to a woman in Sore Travel of child-
birth do cause a speedy delivery, and expel the after-birth, and therefore
are not to be taken by such as have not gone their time, lest they procure
abortion, or cause labour too soon. They wonderfully help all cold and
rheumatic distillations from the Brain to the Eyes, Lungs, or other parts,
and being made into an Electuary with Honey, do help the Consumption,
Old Coughs, Shortness of Breath, and thin Rheums, as also the Megrim.
They mightily expel the wind, and provoke urines, help the mother, and
kill the worms. ‘The Leaves also work the like effects; a bath of the de-
coction of the Leaves and Berries is singularly good for women to sit in
that are troubled with the mother, or the diseases thereof, or the stopping
of their courses, or for the diseases of the bladder, pains in the eters by
wind, and stopping of urine; a decoction, etc., settleth the palate of the
mouth in its place. The Oil made of the Berries is very comfortable. All
Cold, Griefs of the Joints, Nerves, Arteries, Stomach, Belly, or Womb,
and helpeth Palsies, Convulsions, Cramps, Aches, Tremblings, and Numb-
ness in any part, weariness also, and pains that come by sore travelling.
* * * * Pains in the Ears are also cured by dropping in some of the
Oil, or by receiving into the Ears the fume of the decoction of the Berries
through a funnel. It takes away the marks of Bruises; it helpeth also the
Itch, Scabs, and Weals in the Skin,”’ ete.

The wood is soft, fine grained, and susceptible of a brilliant
polish. It is sometimes sawed into boards, and used in the in-
terior of wooden houses.

The flowers of most magnolias exhale a strong aromatic
fragrance ; the bark of all possesses a combination of bitter and
hotly aromatic properties, without astringency, and that of
many acts as a powerful medicine, in a similar way to Peruvian
bark and Winter’s bark. Wilson’s Rural Cye.

pum { Magnoli brella, Liam.

UMBRELLA TREE, | ta snotia tripetala, Linn, and Bll. Sk.
Rare. Grows on the seacoast in rich soils; Newbern, N. ©.
Fl. June.

U. S. Disp. 443. It has a warm, aromatic odor, and is
possessed of similar properties with the above. Mx. N. Am.
Sylvia, ii, 19; Lind. Nat. Syst. 16. According to De Cand. and
Mérat, Dict. de M. Méd. iv, 193, it acts so powerfully on the
nerves as to induce sickness and headache.

LONG LEAVED MAGNOLIA, (Magnolia macrophylla.
Mx. and Bll. Sk.) Grows on the mountains of South Carolina
and North Carolina. It possesses the most magnificent foliage
and flowers of any of our forest trees; the former are a foot or
two in length; and the latter one foot in diameter. For its
medicinal properties, see MM. glauca. See, also, Griflith’s Med.
Bot. 98, and Ell. Sk, of Bot. of S.C.

ANISE SEED TREE, (lilicium Floridanum and parviflorum).
These plants have the smell of anise seed, and should be ex-
amined. Griffith says the bark may be used as a substitute for
cascarilla.

TULIP TREE; WHITE WOOD; POPLAR, (Liriodendron
tulipifera, Li.) Grows in swamps; diffused. Collected in St.
John’s, Charleston district; Columbia; Newbern, North Caro-
lina, FI. June.

Eberle, Mat. Med. ii, 308; U. S. Disp. 432; Rush, in Trans.
Phil. Coll. Phy. 1798; Pe. Mat. Med. ii, 743; younger Michaux
on Forest ‘Trees of North America; Clayton, Phil. Trans. 8;
Carey’s Am. Museum, 12; Barton’s Collec. Form. Mat. Med. 14;
Thacher’s U. 8. Disp.; Big. Am. Med. Bot. ii, 107; Barton, i,
92; Ball. Gar. Mat. Med. 190; Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd.
iv, 130; Annal. de Chimie, Ixxx, 215; Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot.;

Rogers’ Inaug. Diss. 1802. This plant is tonic, diuretic and
diaphoretic, and is generally considered one of the most valua-
ble of the substitutes for Peruvian bark. It has been employ-
ed as a warm sudorific in the treatment of chronic rheumatism
and gout; and Bigelow thinks it valuable as a stomachic. It
was administered by Dr. Young and himself, combined with
laudanum, in hysteria, and the former says that in all the mate-
ria medica he does not know of a more certain, speedy, and
effectual remedy for that disease. See his letter to Governor
Clayton. “He has never known it to fail in a single case of
worms.” Am.Museum, xii; Griffith, Med. Bot. 98. Rafinesque
says the seeds are laxative, and the leaves are used as an exter-
nal application for headache; they are washed and applied to
the forehead. Mérat states that it is useful in phthisis, and he
also refers to its vermifuge properties; employed in relaxed
states of the stomach (reldchemens) and in the advanced stages
of dysentery; this is corroborated by Thacher, Anc. Journal de
Méd. Ixx, 530; J. C. Mayer, Mém. on L. tulipifera, in the Mem
de l’Acad. de Berlin, 1796; Ruch. Mém. sur le tulipier, Tilloch’s
Magazine; Hildebrande, Essai sur un nouveau succédané du
quinquina in Ann. de Chim. Ixvi, 201; Carminati sur les pro-
priétés médicinales de l’écorce de tulipier. Its analysis, etc., in
the Mem. of Roy. Inst. Lombardy, iii, 4; in the Supplem. to
Mer. Dict. 1846, 436. M. Bouchardat advises, as the most pre-
ferable mode of exhibiting it in fevers, the wine made with the
bark in equal parts of alcohol, to which he adds of white wine
seven or eight times the amount of the alcoholic infusion. Bull.
de Thérap. xix, 246; 8. Cubiere’s Hist. Tulip. Paris, 1800; see
Tract. of Bouchardat in Ann. de Therap. 75, 1841.

Dr. J. P.Emmet, in his Analysis in the Phil. J. Pharm. iii, 5,
announced the discovery of a new principle in it—liriodendrine.
This is solid, brittle and inodorous at 40°, fusible at 180°, and
volatile at 270° It is soluble in alcohol, thought to be analo-
gous to camphor, and to the principle found in the Magnolia
grandiflora, and to consist of a resin and a volatile oil; hence the
alcoholic tincture is preferable. The powdered bark in syrup
is given to children who are liable to convulsions from worms,
to promote their expulsion, and to strengthen the tone of the
digestive organs. The bark should be pulverized and bottled.
I have employed a strong infusion of the bark and root of this

cad

plant as an anti-intermittent, among a number of negroes, and
am much pleased with its efficacy. See the wild Jalap (Po-
dophyllum peltatum,) in conjunction with which it was usually
given. In Virginia, the decoction of the bark, with that of the
Cornus Florida (dogwood) and the Prinos verticillatus, is given
to horses affected with the bots. ‘The poplar bark powdered is
a valuable remedy as a tonic for horses. An infusion may be
_ given to a horse, or the bark placed in his trough to be chewed.
It gives tone to the digestive organs when they are “off their
feed,” in veterinary or jockey parlance. This tree I notice in
unusual abundance along the line of railroad from Kingville to
Columbia, 8, C.; also in Spartanburg district, S. C., on the banks
ofstreams. Dose of bark xx—xxx grs. It is a stimulant tonic,
slightly diaphoretic. The infusion or decoction is made in the
proportion of an ounce toa pint of water; dose oneor two fluid
ounces. Dose of the saturated tincture a fluid drachm. The
wood is durable when not exposed to the weather—it is light,
smooth, fine grained, and flexible; employed for various me-
chanical purposes—for carving and ornamental work; for
making carriage and door panels, chairs, cabinets, etc. See
also Mx. Forest Trees of America.

ANONACEA. (The Papaw Tribe.)

The plants of this order generally possess a powerful aromatic
taste and smell in all the parts.
Uvaria triloba, T. and Gray.
PAPAW ; CUSTARD APPLE, Avon triloba, Linn.
Asimina triloba, Ell. Sk.

Grows in rich soils along streams. I have observed it in Fair-
field and Spartanburg districts, South Carolina, and collected it
in St. John’s; Mr. Elliott says it is found at Beck’s ferry, Sa-
vannah river, and North Carolina. Fl. May.

Dict. de Mat. Méd par Mer and de L. tom. i, 311. The rind
of the fruit of the A. triloba of Linn. possesses a very active
acid; pulp sometimes employed as a topical application in ul-
cers. Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 69. ‘Juice of unripe fruit is a pow-
erful and efficient vermifuge; the powder of the seeds answers
the same purpose; a principal constituent of the juice is fib-
rin—a product supposed peculiar to animal substances and to
fungi.” “The tree has, moreover, the property of rendering the

¥ 42

toughest animal substances tender by causing a separation of
the muscular fibre—its very vapor even does this; newly killed
meat suspended over the leaves, and even old hogs and poultry,
when fed on the leaves and fruit, become ‘tender in a few
hours!” Lind. loc. cit. The sap of the Papaw tree, (Carica pa-
paya), which is extracted from the fruit by incision, is white
and excessively viscous. Inaspecimen from the Isle of France,
Vauquelin found a matter having the chemical properties of ani-
mal albumen, and lastly, fatty matter. Boussingault. This
tree can be found in many parts of the South and I would in-
vite examination into these very curious properties. Foran
excellent description of the Papaw, see Hooker in the Bot.
Magazine, 898. At Pittsburgh, a spirituous liquor has been
made from the fruit. Michaux notices that the cellular integu-
ment of the bark, and particularly that of the roots, exhales in
summer a nauseous odor so strong as to occasion sickness if re-
spired in confined air. Am. Sylva.

UMBELLIFER®. (The Unmbelliferous Tribe.)

This order is nearly related to the Ranunculacez, and is gene-
rally found in cold countries, and on the mountains of tropical
regions. The plants belonging to it are often poisonous, some
* virulently so; others are nutritive and wholesome; of the for-
mer, the hemlock is an example; of the latter, the celery and
parsley.

PENNY WORT; WATER GRASS, (Hydrocotyle umbellata,
L.) Grows in bogs and wet marshes; collected in St. John’s;
vicinity of Charleston; Newbern, N.C. Fl. May.

Mér and de L. Dict. de M. Med. tom. iii, 560. Employed with
great efficacy in Brazil against bypochondriacism. According
to one author, the root is so valuable in diseases of the kidney
as not to be replaced by any other medicines. It is emetic,
diuretic and vulnerary. I see no mention of it in the English
or American works.

SANICLE; BLACK SNAKEROOT, (Sanicula Marylandica,
L.) Diffused, grows in shady spots; collected in St. John’s;
vicinity of Charleston; Newbern, N.C. Fl. July.

Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. vi, 201. The Indians used it
as we do sarsaparilla in syphilis, and also in diseases of the
June's.

43

In the 12th Ed. U. S. Disp. 1866, the author states that the
root has an aromatic taste, and has been used as a domestic
remedy in intermittent fever, and that Dr. J. B. Zabriskie has
found it highly effectual in chorea. He considers it most
efficient in substance, and he gives the powder to children of
eight or ten years old, in the dose of half a drachm three times
aday. Am. J. Med. 8S. C.; N.S. xii, 374.

BUTTON SNAKEROOT, (Aryngium aquaticum, L. E£.
Yuccewfolium of Mx.) Damp pine lands; diffused; coilected in
St. John’s; Charleston; N.C. Fl. July.

Coxe, Am. Disp. 268; Ell. Bot. i, 343; Barton’s Collec. i, 3;
Frost’s Elems. 280; U.S. Disp. 318; Mer. and de L. Dict. de M.
Méd. iii, 145 ; Shee. Flora Carol. art. Button snakeroot, 310, 545.
The decoction is diaphoretic, expectorant, and sometimes emetic.
Elliott says it is preferred by some physicians to the seneka
snakeroot. Barton, in his Collections, states that it is allied to
the contrayerva of the shops. This plant is possessed of un-
doubted diuretic powers, and in combination with the Jris
versicolor (blue flag), was much employed by Dr. McBride, of
- South Carolina, in dropsy. (See J, versic.) Great use is fre-
- quently made of them in popular practice. Shecut in his Flora
Carol. 310, states that the decoction and tincture are given with
benefit in pleurisies, colds, and most of the inflammatory
diseases of the mucous passages. It is also said to act as an
escharotic—keeping down fungus flesh, and preventing mortifi-
cation. The root, when chewed, sensibly excites a flow of
saliva. The #. aromaticum, an aromatic species, grows in East
and South Florida; Baldwin in Chapman’s Flora. The £.
maratimum, of England, penetrates the soil to the depth of
twenty feet.

FEVER WEED, (Eryngium fetidum, L.) Elliott is doubtful
whether this plant comes within the limits prescribed to us; it
has, however, been noticed by writers as a S. C. species, and
Michaux found itin Florida. T. and Gray are of the opinion
that it is not a native of the United States. Vicinity of
Charleston, Bachman; not in Curtis’ Cat. Shee. Flora Carol.
54. “An admirable febrifuge.” Mér. and de L. Dict. de M.
Med. iii, 145; Aublet, i, 284. Rotboll says it is a sedative,
alterative, and febrifuge. Sprengel, Hist. de. la Méd. v, 467;
Lind. Species, Pl. 336. Not included in Chapman’s Flora.

44

ACONITE; MONKS-HOOD; WOLFSBANE; (Aconitum
uncinatum, L.) Shady banks of streams among the mountains
of the Southern States, and northward; also, Aconitum reclina-
tum, Gray. Mountains of N. C,

Most of the Aconites, particularly those with blue flowers,
are highly poisonous. This species should be carefully experi-
mented with, as it may be made to supply the tincture of
aconite and aconitia for medicinal and chemical purposes. The
active principal is “ the most virulent poison known, not ex-
cepting prusic acid, as prepared by Moison, of London. 1-50
of a grain has endangered life.” Wilson’s Rural Encye. Chris-
tison states that this species is possessed of an intense acrimony.
See also works on Materia Medica. ‘The 1-100 part of a grain
has produced a feeling of numbness, weight, and constriction,
which has lasted a whole day.” The tincture of aconite is more
manageable, and is useful as an external anesthetic in frontal
neuralgia, local pains, etc. The writer has used it largely in
this way whilst in charge of the Marine Hospital, Charleston,
and with chloroform and glycerine to relieve the itching in
prurigo and camp itch (1868). No remedy, save chloroform,
equals it when applied locally for the relief of pain. The
tincture may be combined with oil and chloroform, as a liniment
in rheumatism. See Puff Ball (Lycoperdon), the dust of which
is said to be a good anesthetic agent.

AM. HEMLOCK; SNAKE-WEED; BEAVER POISON,
(Cicuta maculata, L. Walt. Fl, Carolina). Grows in bogs and
inundated land; collected in St. John’s; Charleston ; Newbern,
N.C. Fl. Aug.

U.S. Disp. 1242; Barton’s Collec. 1846 ; Mer. and de L. Dict.
de M. Méd. ii, 282; Big. Am. Med. Bot. i, 125; Schepf, M. Med.
36; Stockbridge, N. England Journal, iii, 334; Mitchell, Ely,
and Muhlenburg, Med. Repos. xvii, 303; Stearns, Am. Herbal,
1,2. The leaves, flowers, and seeds are resolvent, powerfully
narcotic, sedative, and anodyne. It resembles conium in its
effects, and is used as a substitute forit. “It relieves pain from
cancer more powerfully than opium;” employed in ill-condi-
tioned ulcers, gleets, painful uterine discharges, venereal ulcers,
epilepsies, and convulsions; it promotes perspiration and urine,
and, externally applied, disperses hard tumours. It is closely

45

analogous to the European species, the C. virosa; Bigelow says
identical with it. The dose of the leaves in powder is one to
two grains three times a day, in infusion, or one grain of the
extract, increasing it as the system becomes tolerant. This
plant has repeatedly occasioned the death of those mistaking it
for others. An active emetic, to which an infusion of galls may
be added, will generally give relief. The vegetable acids, lemon
juice, and vinegar, neutralize its effects; and strong tea and
coffee are the best antidotes for the stupor which follows its
employment.

Dr. Stearns, in his account of the plants of Michigan (Proc.
Am. Pharm. Assoc. 1858, 253) states that Dr. Norton, of
Minnesota, highly recommends it as a specific in nervous and
sick headache. By a chemical analysis, Dr. J. E. Young found
in the seeds a volatile oil, a principle supposed to be identical
with conia, ete. (Am.J. Pharm. xxvii, 294), U.S. Disp. 12th Kd.

CELERY, (Apium graveolens). Ex. cult. Milne, Ind. Bot. 420.
The fresh roots, observes Dr. Lewis, when produced in their
native water soil, are supposed to partake of the ill quality of
those of the hemlock kind, and to be particularly hurtful to
epileptic and pregnant women. So that we have here a strik-
ing evidence of the excellence of the Natural System, as it may
be remembered that, in describing the characteristics of this
order, this plant was alluded to as forming an exception.

PARSLEY, (Apium petroselinum). Ex. cult. Leaves aromatic
and slightly diuretic, and used as such. A recent Journal
contains the following: Two physicians of Paris have published
a very important memoir, the object of which is to make known
the immense resources which the healing art may draw from
the seed of the Parsley. This common indigenious plant pos-
sesses incontestible febrifuge properties ; the decoction of its
seeds may be substituted for that of Cinchona, and the active
principal which has been drawn from it, and which they desig-
nate under the name of Apiol, is equivalent to Quinine in the
treatment of local intermittent fevers.

The U.S. Disp. 12th Ed. refers to the substances apiin and apiol
furnished by the seeds and root of this plant, and also states that
the juice of the fresh herb has been employed as a substitute for
quinine—and the seeds also, according to M. M. Jozet and

46

Homolle, yield apiol and act on the system very much like quinine,
producing in the dose of about 15 grains cerebral excitation, and
in increased doses causing a species of intoxication with giddi-
ness, wasted sights and sounds, etc. In temperate latitudes
it cured intermittents in the proportion of 86 per cent. It
has also been employed as an emmenagogue in dose of four
grains morning and evening. (Journ. de Pharm. June, 1861.)
It is sometimes given in capsules of gelatin.

4 Discopleura capillacea, D. C.and T. and
BisneE ss ween), ; Gray. Ammi majus of Walter.

Grows in damp soils. Fl. July. N.C. Shee. Flora Carol. 136.
Sium nodiflorum, Walt. and Ell. Sk.
Ree ie aes: \ Foloscladion of Koch.
“ Probably introduced ; abundant around Charleston.” Il.
Thornton’s Fam. Herbal, 297; Ray’s Cat. Plantarum, 213;
Dict. de M. Méd. It is recommended in cutaneous eruptions.
Withering relates the case of a young lady, who was cured of a
very obstinate attack by taking three large spoonfuls of the
juice twice a day; “and I have repeatedly seen,” says Thorn-
ton, ‘two ounces administered every morning with the greatest
advantage.” It is not nauseous, and children take it readily,
mixed with milk. When it is prepared in this way it is not
disagreeable, and does not affect the head, stomach, or bowels.
U.S. Disp. 1296. The juice has also been employed in scrofu-
lous swellings of the lymphatic glands, and is considered
diuretic. Mér. and de L. Dict. 369; Bull.des Se. M.de Feérus.
xviii, 420 and xx, 421.

FENNEL, (Feniculum officinale). Introduced from Europe;
cultivated.

The seeds of Fennel are well known; employed in flatulent
colic for their carminitive and stimulant properties. The oil of
fennel is also used for the same purpose, and to correct the taste
of medicine. See authors.

COW PARSNIP; MASTERWORT, (Heracleum lanatum,
Mx.) Mountains of North Carolina.

This is an acrid plant, much esteemed by the Indians. Bige-
low, Mat. Med. 203, is of the opinion that it is poisonous, and
should be used cautiously when gathered from wet places.
The root and leaves have an unpleasant and rank odour, and

47

the taste is pungentand acrid. Its qualities are certainly active.
Griffith. The root, in a dried state, is used as a diuretic expec-
torant and antispasmodic. It has been greatly employed by
Empyrics. Dr. Griffith quotes a paper by Dr. Orne, of Salem,
Mass., read to the Massachusetts Medical Society, 1803, in which
he reports three out of five cases of epilepsy cured by it. He
gave it in large doses both in substance, and in infusion. Dr. Cox,
Am. Disp. 326, recommends it as a stomachic and carminative,
and in cases of dyspepsia accompanied with flatulence and car-
dialgia, he used a strong decoction of it with benefit. The
leaves are used externally as rubefacients as a cataplasm in ab-
scesses, and the seeds are said to beexpectorant. Dr. Richardson,
Faun. Bor. Am., says the Northern Indians use a portion of the
hollow stem of this plant to imitate the voice of the male deer,
to attract the female within gunshot. Griffith.

Angelica lucida, Ell, Sk.

ANGELICA ; MASTERWORT, i Wnaigilb Lid waste:

I have collected it in rich woods in Fairfield district ; also
rarely in upper St. John’s, Charleston district. Fl. July.

Pe. Mat. Med. and Therap. ii, 469; Ed. and Vav. Mat. Méd.
276; Le. M. Med. i, 85; Woodv. Med. Bot. 86; U. S. Disp. 98 ;
_ Journal de Pharm. 3e sér. 2; Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Med. i,
296 ; Shee. Flora Carol. 167. The root is edible, and possesses
- more aroma than any of our indigenous plants. It is used in
spasmodic vomiting, flatulent colics, and nervous headaches ;
some say it is powerfully emmenagogue. The vitte of some
species are filled with a pungent oil. A candy is sometimes
prepared with the roots boiled in sugar. The great fragrance
of this root has caused it to be used for many purposes by the
confectioner and others; the tender stalks also are candied. °
The seeds are cordial, tonic, and carminitive; and the plant
was in repute at one time as a preventive of pestilence to those
who bore it about them. “The pulverized root, in doses of a
drachm, is said to be very useful in pestilential fevers and
diseases of the liver; and a paste of its root and vinegar used to
be carried and smelled at by physicians during the prevalence
of epidemics, as a preventive of infection.” Wilson’s Rural Cyc.
“Angelica” is stated in some tables to yield more potash even
than wormwood or fumitory. See “ Chenopodium” and “Fuma-
ria” in this volume. Chapman does not include the A. lucida

48

in his Flora—he has Archangelica hirsuta, T. and G. A. triquinata,
Ell. N.C. Drs. Wood and Griffith refer to Angelica atropur-
purea as a native of the South, and Dr. Griffith includes A,
lucida, also, as a highly aromatic plant.

DILL, (Anethum feniculum, L.) Introd. cult. in South Caro-
lina.

It is employed in flatulent colic as a carminative and anti-
spasmodic. The oil has been given in hiccough. Milne, in his
Ind. Bot. 404, says: The herb, boiled in broth, has been used
with great success in preventing obesity.” See authors.

CARROT, (Daucus carota, Tourn.) Completely naturalized,
says Elliott, in South Carolina, Georgia and North Carolina.
Collected in St. John’s; Charleston. Fl. April.

Woodv. Med. Bot.; Royle, Mat. Med., 401. The root and
seeds are stimulant, carminative, and eminently diuretic; em-
ployed with great success in strangury, anasarcous swellings of
lower extremities, in suppression of urine, and in painful micturi-
tion. Eberle on Diseases of Children, 110; Am. Herbal, 92; Frost’s
Elems. Mat. Med. 298. Dr. Chapman used a strong infusion in
gravel. Meér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. 299; Flora Méd. ii,
99; see Chemical Anal. by Bouillon Lagrange, in the Journal
de Pharm. i, 529. Britanet and himself wrote a book on the
plant (which may be seen in the New York Hosp. Lib.) The
root contains some volatile oil, a large proportion of pectin, a pe-
culiar coloring principle called carotin, and sugar. Griffith, Med.
Bot. 337. The authors alluded to above contend that the plant
acts as a sedative, even topically applied. In the form of a
poultice, it calms pain, is antiseptic, and corrects the intolerable
fetor arising from internal diseases—as of the ear, for example.
Dr. Geo. Wilkes, ophthalmic Surgeon, New York, informs me
that he finds it invaluable in this respect. Mém. de Muséum, iv,
102; Suppl. to Mér. and de L. 1846; Vauquelin upon the Pectic
Acid in the Root of the Carrot, Journal de Pharm. xy, 340.
The essential oilis regarded as emmenagogue and anti-bysteric.
Ancien Journal de Méd. xxiv, 68. In Germany, it is considered
vermifuge. Crantz, Mat. Med. i, 23. Shecut, in his Flora
Carol., alludes to its employment in gravel, and in expelling a
species of tape worm. A syrup similar to treacle has been
obtained from it, and by distillation, a liquor nearly equal in

49

flavor to brandy. An old Encyclopeedia, in a very favorable
notice of the carrot, then not so generally known, gives this
statement :

“Various but unsuccessful attempts have been made to get
sugar from carrots—they yielded only a thick syrup similar to
treacle. These roots have been lately employed more advan-
tageously in distillation. A distiller has obtained from ten
pounds of carrots, one quart of ‘first runnings’ and half a pint
of very strong ardent spirits.”

Much use is made of the seeds of this plant in popular prac-
tice asa diuretic. For this purpose a drachm of the bruised
seeds, which are excitant and carminative, may be taken at
once, or an infusion of an ounce of the seeds may be given
during the day. Prof. Proctor has made an ointment of the
root grated and mixed with lard and wax melted, and slightly
evaporated and then strained. It is used in excoriated or ulce-
rated surfaces requiring a gentle stimulation. U.S. Disp., 12th
Edition.

WILD CARROT, (Daucus pusillus, Mx.) Grows on the Sa-
vannah River ; collected in St. John’s ; Charleston. Bach... N C.

Eberle, Mat. Med. and Therap. ii, 318; Bell’s Pract. Dict. 162.
The seeds contain more volatile oil than the other species. It,
however, possesses nearly the same properties. Used as a diu-
retic in calculous diseases, suppression of urine, ete.

ARALIACEH. (The Aralia Tribe.)

GINSENG, (Panax quinquefolium, L.) Rich soils in the moun-
tains of South Carolina and Virginia, and westward. Fl. May.
Am. Herbal, 157, by Stearns. In China they drink an infu-
sion of the root instead of tea, and it is well known that they
have recourse to it as a last resort in all diseases; Dr. James
Says, more especially in all cachectic and consumptive cases,
and in those arising from debility of any kind. Dr. Healde
also alludes to their great confidence in it as a restorative after
great fatigue, as an anti-spasmodic in nervous affections, in
coma, and as an aphrodisiac; one hundred and twenty grains
of the sliced root are boiled in a quart of water, and two ounces
_ of the decoction, or twenty grains of the root in substance, is
employed. Jartoux, in the Phil. Trans. xxviii, 239, states that,
after being fatigued by travelling three days, he employed the
4

50

decoction of the leaves internally, and as an application to the
feet, and was satisfied of its utility, being completely revived
by it. Dr. Wood, in the U. S. Disp. 530, says, it is very little
more than a demulcent; but Lindley, Nat. Syst. Bot. 25, thinks
that there is no reasonable doubt of the ginseng having an in-
vigorating and stimulant power, when fresh. Big. Am. Med.
Bot. ii, 82; Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. iii, 356, and iv, 176;
Flor. Méd. iv, 185; Kaempher, Amoen. Academice, v, 218; His-
toire du Japon, vi, 218; Burmann, Flo. Ind. tab. 29, 1; L’Eney-
clop. Chinoise, lxcii; Flora Cochine, 806; Lafitteau, Descrip. du
Ginseng, Paris, 1718, i, 12. Dr. Sarrazin introduced it into —
notice in Europe. Trans. Roy. Acad. Sci., Bartram Com. 61,
1741; J. P. Bregnius, Diss. Med. de Radice Ginseng, 1700 ; Coxe,
Am. Disp. 434. Cullen in his Mat. Med. 270, refers to its effi-
cacy in increasing virility. See Merat, loc. cit. “J’avoue qu’un
individu qui en avait fait usage dans cet derniére intention
pendant long temps, n’en obtint absolument aucun résultat.”
S. Vaillant in Acad. des Sci. 1718; Bourdelin, Hist. de l’Acad.
1797; Lafitteau, Mem. concernant la précieuse plante de Gin-
seng, Paris, 1788; Kalm. Travels, iii, 114; Osbeck’s China, 145;
Heberden, Med. Trans. iii, 34; Fothergill, Gent. Mag. xxiv, 209;
loc. cit. sup. The Ginseng was an article of importance as an
export from Virginia. The root is thought to resemble liquo-
rice, and may partially supply the place of that article: see
Report from Surgeon-General’s office, C. S. A., 1862.

THREE LEAVED GINSENG, (Panaz trifolium L.), N.C.
Croom.

This formed an article of considerable trade formerly with
the Indians, and it makes an excellent cordial. Mills’ Statistics
of South Carolina.

LIQUORICH, (Glycyrrhiza glabra.) Exotic. I am uncertain
as to the position of this genus in the Natural system ; it should
probably be placed near “ Robinia.” Dr. Wood states, U.S.
Disp., that a species G. lepidota grows about St. Louis and along
the bank of the Missouri to its source. <A friend informs me that
it has been a long time planted near Doko, on the Charlotte
Railroad, in South Carolina, where it grows luxuriantly. This
plant is said to be well adapted to the Southern States. It has
been grown in Texas. Information as to the best mode of
planting and culture can be found in a paper in Patent Office

51

Rep. 1854, p. 359. I append the following practical remarks:
“The sooner liquorice is sold the heavier it weighs; and the
greener it is the more virtue it contains. It is sold in three
distinct forms, viz: in the roots, in powder, and in its inspissated
juice. The first of these need8 no explanation. The second is
prepared by cutting the small roots into small pieces, drying
them in an oven or kiln, and grinding themina mill. The third
kind is prepared by pounding the smaller roots and fragments
with cold water for nearly two days; after which the pulp is to
be squeezed, and the juice boiled down in an iron pot to a pitchy
‘consistence, and then rolled or stamped into sticks or cakes,
‘which are sometimes sold under the name of ‘Spanish Liquo-
rice.’ Liquorice roots will keep a year if laid in sand, and stored
in a cool, dry cellar; and if the sets, or runners, or buds, are
cut ready for planting, tied in bundles, and sent by land car-
riage, they will keep a fortnight. If packed in sand, and sent
by water, they will keep some three or four months, especially
the mere hardy buds.” Inthe Patent Office Reports for 1854—55,
the cultivation of a number of medical plants is described, par-
ticularly those yielding aromatic oils.

TOOTHACHE BUSH; ANGELICA TREE; PRICKLY
ASH ; PRICKLY ELDER, (Arolia spinosa, L.) Collected in
St. John’s; rich soils along fences; Charleston, Florida and
North Carolina:

Plant often confounded with the Yanthoxylon; properties
somewhat similar, See . fraxineum, which is the true Prickly
Ash. Ell. Bot. 373; Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. i, 379;
Coxe, Am. Disp. 100; Shec. Elora Carol. 191; Frost’s Elems.
20; Griffith, Med. Bot. 345. It is a stimulating and very
certain diaphoretic, “probably to be preferred to any emetic
yet discovered among our native plants.” This species is more
stimulating than the A. nudicaulis. The infusion of the bark
of the root is used in chronic rheumatism and cutaneous
eruptions, also employed in lues venerea. Pursh states that a
vinous or spirituous infusion of the berries is remarkable for their
power in relieving rheumatic pains, and the tincture is also given
in Virginia in violent colics. See Dr. Meara’s experiments.
Mérat says, it has been used to allay pain caused by carious
teeth. Dose, of the saturated tincture, a tablespoonful three
times a day. A decoction is often preferred in rheumatism,

52

\

made by boiling an ounce of the bark in a quart of water;
taken in divided doses several times a day. In South Carolina,
this plant is the rattlesnake’s master par excellence, according to
the negroes; they rely on it almost exclusively as a remedy for
the bite of serpents. Iam infofmed that they use the bark of
the fresh root in substance, taken internally, also applying it
powdered to the wounded part. Dr. Meara advises that the
watery infusion, when employed as a diaphoretic, should be made
very weak, as it is apt to excite nausea, and cause irritation of
the salivary glands.

SPIKENARD, (Aralia racemosa, L. Mx.) Grows, according to
Dr. McBride, in the mountains of South Carolina, Georgia and
North Carolina.

Ell. Bot. Med., note, i, 373. The decoction of the root is much
esteemed by those residing in the mountainous districts as a
remedy in rheumatism ; no doubt possessed of stimulating pro-
perties. Michaux cites it as a sudorific. The root, when boiled,
yields a gummy substance. <A tea, syrup, or tincture, may be
made of the roots or berries. It is given in coughs, asthma and
diseases of the lungs. Also given as a stimulant in menstrual
obstructions ; said to be in high repute among the Indians. See
the “ Indian Guide to Health.” Dr. Sarazzin informs us that it
is very useful as a cataplasm in inveterate ulcers; generally
adapted to similar purposes with the A. nudicaulis. Meér. and de
L. Dict. de M. Méd. i, 376; U.S. Disp.; Am. Journal Med. Sci.
ee ee ek A

WILD SARSAPARILLA; WILD LIQUORICE, (Aralia
nudicaulis, Mx.) Mountains of South and North Carolina. FI.
June.

Raf. Med. Flora, i, 53; U.S. Disp. 116. <A gently stimulating
diaphoretic; thought to be alterative, and used in popular prac-
tice in rheumatism, syphilis, and cutaneous affections. Meér. and
de L. Dict. de M. Méd. i, 375. Dr. Meara records the roots as pos-
sessing the virtues of sarsaparilla. Mus. Med. Philos. iv. An excit-
ant diaphoretic, and eutrophic, like mezereon, guaiac, sarsaparilla,
and sassafras. The infusion has been employed with success in
zona, and as a tonic in debility of stomach (les reldchemens
destomac.) Coxe, U.S. Disp. 99; Lindley’s Nat. Syst.; Griffith
Med. Bot. 344; Phil. Med. Mus. ii, 161. Administered in domes-

53

tic practice, in pulmonary disease, where inflammation does not
coexist. :
DWARF ELDER, (Aralia hispida, Mx.) Mountains of North
Carolina and northward.
Dr. Peck strongly recommends the root as a diuretic in dropsy.
He uses it in the form of decoction and finds it pleasanter to the
taste and more acceptable to the stomach than most other medi-
cines of the same class. Am. J. Med. 8. C. xix,117; U.S:
Disp., 12th Edition.

' BERBERACE®. (The Berberry Tribe.)

AMERICAN BARBERRY, (Berberis valgaris, Walt. Fl. Carol.
Berberis Canadensis, Ph.and Ell.) Grows wild in St. John’s, Berke-
ley, near Woodlawn, Pl.; upper districts of Georgia, South and
North Carolina, and northward. Fl. May.

Shee. Flora Carol. (see B. vulgaris,) 268; Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot.
30; U.S. Disp. 1233, Appendix. The B. vulgaris of Europe,
with which this plant is not identical, though differing from it
but slightly, if at all, in medicinal properties, has received con-
siderable attention. They are used as a domestic remedy in
jaundice, and in dysentery and diarrheea ; it is supposed that the
acid is specific. From analysis by Buchner and Herberger, it is
shown that the root contains a new principle called berberine,
which acts like rhubarb, and with equal promptness and activity.
Griffith, Med. Bot. 113; Journal de Pharm. 1233; Trans. Phil.
Soc. 1834; Analysis in Journal de Pharm. xxiv, 39; Mer. and de
L. Dict. de M. Méd. Supplement, 1846, 101. From the berries a
syrup is obtained which is adapted to putrid fevers, and those of
a low type; a cooling drink is also made with them, and given
in similar cases. The root boiled in lye imparts a yellow color to
wool. I have observed the remarkable irritability of the stamens
in the species growing in South Carolina, which, when touched,
instantly spring down upon the stigma, and in this way com-
municate their pollen to it. It was said to have a singular effect
upon wheat growing near it, turning the ears black for some dis-
tance around; but this, however, is doubted. The berries are
acid. The English barberry (B. vulgaris) has attracted much
attention ; its fruit is edible, and much discussion has been ex-
cited whether or not it produces smut in wheat or corn when
planted near it. Experiments touching this peculiarity should

54

be performed with respect to our barberry. For a full state-
ment of the merits of the above question, see Wilson’s Rural
Cyc. Art Barberry. Thaér, in his “Principles of Agriculture,”
p. 409, says: “One very extraordinary fact is that the barberry
bush will produce smut, or something very similar to it, in all

corn growing within a considerable distance of it. This is
a fact which has been confirmed by numerous observa-
tions and experiments in almost all countries., But it

has never yet been clearly and satisfactorily ascertained
in what manner the barberry produces this effect. My
friend Einhoff has made several experiments on the possi- —
bility of communicating the ecidium (a parasitical fungus) to
cereals by cutting branches from the barberry, which were
quite covered with it, and shaking them over the corn, or else
planting them in the midst of it; but he never succeeded in
thus producing the disease; therefore it would seem that it is
not the communication of this dust, but the vegetation of the
barberry in the vicinity of the cornfield, which engenders the
disease. Nor will it attack crops planted near young and new-
ly made barberry hedges; but as these latter grow up, the dis-
ease will appear until these hedges are rooted up. As soon as
the barberry has been thoroughly extirpated, the evil disap-
pears.” Thaér considers mill or mel-dew a disease of the skin
of plants. See this work for information on diseases affecting
the cereals—on irrigation, etc. Translated by William Shaw
and C. W. Johnson, New York, 1852. It is believed by some
in this country that the pokeweed (Phytolacca,) if allowed to
die in a cotton field, will produce rust. This is quite unlilely.

Dr. Wood advises that the active principle berberina be ex-
amined for its antiperiodic properties. See Hydrastis, in this
volume; U. 8S. Disp., 12th Ed.

BLUE COHOSH; PAPOOSE ROOT; SQUAW ROOT,
(Caulophyllum thalictroides, Mx., Leontice thalictroides, L.) Moun-
~ tains of South Carolina and northward. Ell.

The seeds when roasted are said to form an excellent substi-
tute for coffee. The root, which is the part used, is sweetish,
somewhat pungent and aromatic, affording a yellow infusion or
tincture. See Griffith, who says that it is much employed by
empyrics, who derived a knowledge of it from the Indian. “It
is stated to be demulcent, antispasmodic and emmenagogue,

55

and has been administered in rheumatism, dropsy, nervous dis-
orders,” etc. Rafinesque states, adds Griffith, that it is par-
ticularly adapted for female disorders, and that the Indian wo-
men make use of a tea of the root for some time before their
confinement, asserting that it facilites parturition. It is like-
wise said to be an active emmenagogue. Ryddell, Synop. 4, ©
also states that it is “bitter, diuretic and a preparatory partu-
rient.” Griffith invites an examination of it. A decoction, in-
fusion or tincture of the root is employed; of the two former
the proportions are an ounce to a pint of water—dose one or
two ounces; the dose of the tincture, made by adding four
ounces of the root to a pint of spirits, being one or two teaspoon-
fuls.

SARRACENIACHAN.

The species of this order are exclusively confined to the bogs
of this country. Lindley thinks it should also comprehend the
Dioffea, which grows in North and South Carolina, and which
also possesses the power of entrapping insects. See D. mus-
cipula.

FLY-CATCHERS; SIDE-SADDLE FLOWERS, (Sarrace-
nia flava, L., and variolaris, M.) Diffused; grow in bogs;
Charleston; Newbern, Fl. June.

See Mér and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. vi, 226, where the Diss.
of Dr. McBride, of South Carolina, in the 12th vol. Trans.
Linnzan Soc., is referred to. I have read this description of
one of our native botanists, and allude to it with pleasure. I
am informed by several gentlemen of South Carolina, that these
plants are used in dyspepsia with great service. The roots are
undoubtedly possessed of bitter, tonic and stomachic proper-
ties; and I am credibly assured of a number of cases in which
relief has been experienced from them. The taste is disagreea-
ble to those using them for the first time, but eventually it be-
comes pleasant, as I have myself experienced. An infusion
might serve as a useful substitute for bitters.

In an article on the medicinal and chemical properties of
these plants, published by me in the January number (1849) of
the Charleston Medical Journal, the attention of the profession
is for the first time invited to their reputed value in the treat-
ment of dyspepsia. Several cases are there detailed, illustrat-

~ 56

ing the employment of the Sarracenia. It is supposed by many ~
to relieve most of the distressing symptoms of this affection,
among which may be cited: gastralgia, pyrosis, acidity, and
the general feeling of malaise so frequently attendant upon it.
In some it induces considerable diuresis, and in others soreness
of the mouth. In experiments made upon my own person, to
ascertain its physiological effects upon a healthy individual,
it exhibited a tonic, stimulating influence upon the digestive
organs, producing some cerebral disturbance, when persisted in.
On one occasion three hundred and twenty grains of the
dried root, in the form of pills, were taken during the
course of twelve hours. From the examination made for
me by Prof. C. U. Shepard, it contains besides lignin,
coloring matter, and traces of a resinous body, an acid, or
an acid salt, and also an astringent property, due neither
to- tannic nor gallic acid, “and a salt of some alkaloid, related
perhaps to cinchona, which, should it prove new, may be called
sarracenin.” I ascertained the existence of starch in some
quantity inthe cold infusion and in thedecoction, not discovered
in the boiled alcoholic solution, which, however, contained
some gluten. “In its exhibiting in moderate quantities no
very decided nor violent effects upon the animal economy in
disease consists its excellence. And its peculiar action on the
stomach, I think, is the result of a happy combination of ele-
ments, which renders it appropriate to the relief of an affection
like dyspepsia, Its acid prevents or corrects the undue forma-
tion of alkalies, or supplies its own deficiency ; the existence of
either condition having-been assumed as explaining the true
pathology of the disease. Its power of neutralizing or correct-
ing acidity was obvious. Its bitter property, which is abund-
ant, is tonic and restorative; its resinous portion may supply
the proper cathartic stimulus, the too inordinate action of which
is corrected by the astringent; and this being neither that of
the tannic nor gallic acid found in other vegetable tonics, may
be superior. Should dyspepsia be a gastric neuralgia, or con-
sist, as Parry thinks, in a condition of hyperemia; or as, ac-
cording to Wilson Philip, a chronic gastritis, its relief may be
accounted for, by a narcotic principle contained in the plant;
the cerebral disturbance, one of its physiological effects upon
my own person, giving some color to the suggestion.” (See

57

Art. cit. sup.) A bit of the fresh or dried root of either species
may be chewed, and the juice swallowed during the day before
each meal; it may be given powdered in the form of pill, with
alittle rhubarb if necessary; or a tincture may be made by
pouring a pint of brandy over several ounces of the root, of
which half an ounce, diluted, may be taken three times a day.
Ihave lately had cases reported to me of its marked success

_ PITCHER PLANT, (Sarracenia purpurea.) I have speci-
mens from Barhamvyille, S. C., and have collected it in St. John’s,
'§. C., near the State Road. It is not near so common as the
other species. N.C. Curt. Cat.
_ The following paper was sent to the Surg. General C. S.
Army, and was addressed to the Editor of the “Evening Mail,’
Eng, 2 Cosmo G. Logie, Surg. Major Royal Home Guards
_ (Blue,) and dated Windsor, May 25, (1862:)
_ Some time ago, seeing a paper written by Assistant Surgeon
Miles, of the Royal Artillery, on the efficacy of the North
_ American plant called the Sarracenia purpurea, or pitcher plant,
_ in the treatment of small-pox among the Indians, my colleague
(Mfr. Agnis) and myself have given this remedy, which has
_ been imported into this country by Dr. Miles, to the house of
Messrs. Savoy & Moore, a fair trial. And I am happy to say
the eleven cases in our hands have recovered under its peculiar
influence. This remedy I consider a boon to the public, for this
_ reason: it is so easily managed; any one can make a decoction
_ or infusion of the root, like tea. An ounce of the root is sliced
and infused in a quart of water and allowed to simmer down to
a pint, and given in two tablespoonful doses every four hours,
while the patient is well nourished with beef tea and arrow
root. Four of the cases in my hospital have been severe con-
_ fluent cases, (confluent means where the head, face and neck are
‘swollen into a misshapen mass, and the pustules thickly run-
ning into each other;) they have throughout the disease all
_ been perfectly sensible, have had excellent appetites, been free

—=-=” 6. ae
.

58

development of the pustules, killing, as it were, the virus from
within, thereby changing the character of the disease, and
doing away with the cause of pitting Gf I may so express
myself to the uninitiated,) and thus avoiding the necessity of
gutta percha and India rubber application, or of opening the
pustules. In my opinion, all the anticipations of disfigurement
from pitting may now be calmed, if this medicine is given from
the commencement of the disease. Before leaving this subject
I may here caution the public that the useful part of the plant
is its root, as recommended by Dr. Miles, and it can only be
obtained from Messrs. Savoy & Moore, to whose house alone it
has been imported. With the usual kindness of Dr. Gibson,
_ the Director-General, I: have been amply supplied with it for
the use of my regiment. So much am I impressed with the
efficacy of it in small-pox over the old mode of treatment, that
I hope to hear of it in every country gentleman’s medicine
chest, ”

It is difficult to conceive how it acquired any reputa-
tion in the cure of smiall-pox, unless from the fact that simple
means are the best in the treatment of this disease, as in other
eruptive fevers. I do not know that the S. purpurea has ever
been experimented with in this country. I was unable to procure
any of it in Virginia, in obedience to the wishes of Surgeon-
General Moore. Dr. A. Raoul informs me that this plant has
been used in South Carolina to correct vomiting in pregnant
women, 1867. He has employed it for this purpose. Prof.
Wood, in 12th Ed. U.S. Disp., is inclined to put no confidence in
the power of this plant as a remedy in small-pox, and I fully
agree with him. He refers to a description of this species in
all its relations by Prof. Bentley, in a paper inthe Pharm. Journ.
for January, 1863.

RHIZOPHORACEM. (Mangrove Tribe.)

MANGROVE, (Rhizophora mangle, L.) This plant is found
in South Florida. Chapman. An introduced species is used in
India for yielding a black dye.

ONAGRACEA. (The Evening Primrose Tribe.)

SCABISH, (@nothera biennis, Linn.) Grows in dry pastures ;
diffused ; collected in Charleston District ; Newbern.

- 59

Journal Phil. Coll. Pharm. iv, 202; Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 36;
U. 8. Disp. 1281; Dém. Elém. de Bot. ii, 444; Griffith, Med.
Bot. 304. The root and herb have been employed in cutaneous
diseases. Dr. Griffith has used it with success in tetter, apply-
ing the decoction to the affected part several times a day, and
_ giving it internally at the same time. He has been successful
with it in subsequent trials. The plant should be gathered
about the flowering season. The young sprigs are mucilagi-
nous, and can be eaten as salad. Lindley. The leaves of the
_ Cnothera expand in the evening, and continue open all night.
Pursh states that, even of a dark night, it can be seen at some
_ distance, owing, he supposes, to some phosphoric property.
The leaves are stated by M. Dussauce, in his Treatise on Tan-
ning, Philada., 1867, to be useful in tanning leather. Its roots
have a nutty flavor, somewhat similar to those of rampion, and
are used in Germany and some parts of France, stewed and
raw, in, salads, with mustard, oil, salt and pepper, like the
common celery The ancients thought the plant possessed the
power of allaying intoxication and calming the most ferocious
animals. It is doubtful whether this is the’ Gnothera of the
ancients. Wilson’s Rural Cyc. It appears to possess some
power as an abstergent, and is used in washing clothes.

WILLOW-HERB, (Xpilobium augustifolium, T.) Mountains
of N. C. and northward. The leaves and root are said to be
demulcent, tonic and astringent, and yield their virtues to
alcohol. They are used by the “Kclectics,” adds Dr. Wood,
generally and locally, in decoction infusion or cataplasm, in
cases which call for the use of astringent remedies ; U.S. Disp.,
12th Ed.

Jussiea grandiflora, Mich. Grows in bogs; “common
around Savannah, and in ponds four miles from Charleston.”

Dr. J. Bachman informs me that he has seen it in abundance
around Charleston for the space of ten miles, from which
locality I have specimens. Fl. July, Dr. S. A. Cartwright, of
Natchez, asserts that this plant has the power of preventing
the development of malaria in regions peculiarly adapted to its
generation. He affirms that it “purifies all stagnant water in
which it grows—that of the lakes and bayous inhabited by it
being as pure to the sight, taste and smell as if it had just
fallen from the clouds”—ascribing to the presence and peculiar

60

“hygienic or health-preserving properties of this plant” the
remarkable exemption of the inhabitants of lower Louisiana
from “malarious or miasmatic diseases.” “The fact,” he adds,
“that the region of country in which this aquatic plant abounds
is exceedingly healthy, can be established beyond cavil or dis-
pute ; it nevertheless contains more stagnant water and swamps
than any other inhabited district of the same extent in the
United States.” He is quoted in the notes appended by the
American editor, to Watson’s Pract. Physic, p. 465; and Dr.
Wood, in his late work on the Practice of Physic, also makes
use of these assertions as if they were established. Dr. C. must
seek for the exemption of this section of country from these
diseases in other causes, as this plant is abundant around the
cities alluded to above, in situations where it is well known that
fevers of malarious origin are continually prevailing. I have
recently observed this plant growing profusely around Charles-
ton Neck, where intermittent and remittent fevers are noto-
riously prevalent.

The genus Jussiza has its roots distended into vegetable swim-
ming bladders. The curious can examine the J. grandiflora to
observe this peculiarity, like that in our beautiful Utricularia in-
flata, Typha and Nymphea (water lily,) and Sagittaria, also “ dis-
gee myriads of air chambers in the solid stem.” See Wilson,

“ Aquatic plants.”

BASTARD LOOSESTRIFE; SEED BOX, (Ludwigia alter-
nifolia, L.) Grows in Charleston District; Elliott says rare;
seven miles from Beaufort, and at Siivanante collected in St.
John’s; North Carolina. Fl. Aug.

Merat, in the Dict. de M. Méd. iv, 154, says that in Americaa
decoction of the root is employed as an unfailing emetic.

MELASTOMACEH.

In this order, a slight degree of astringency is the prevailing
characteristic ; though a large one, it does not contain a single
unwholesome species.

DEER GRASS; SORREL, (Rhewia glabella, Mx.) Grows in
moist pine lands, vicinity of Charleston; collected in St. John’s;
North Carolina. Fl. July.

The leaves of this plant have a sweetish, acid taste, and are
eaten with impunity. Deer are said to be fond of them.

61
MYRTACEM. (The Myrtle Tribe.)

POMEGRANATE, (Punica granatum.) Cultivated with suc-
cess in the Southern States. The bark of the root is a well known
astringent ; employed in dysentery and diarrhea; one scruple
of the powder may be given at a dose, or a decoction may be
used if this is too strong, as it acts on the nervous system. Car-
son, in his Illust. Med. Bot. i, 1847, states that it has also been
employed with success against tenia. The fruit is remarkable
for the beauty of the coloration of the pulp around the seed ves-
sels, which are packed away in a surprisingly economical man-
ner. This is edible, and forms with water a cooling ascescent
drink, grateful in fevers. A correspondent of the “ Mercury,”
“FR. J. S.,” 1862, says that the rind of the fruit yields a jet black
fluid, which writes very smoothly and retains its jetty hue.”

LYTHRACEX. (Loosestrife Family.)

SWAMP LOOSESTRIFE, (Nesewa verticillata, H.B. H. De-
codon verticillatum, Ell.) N.C.

Lindley tellsus : “It is said to destroy the young of cattle
heavy with calf.” Dr. Tully says: “Ifa great amount of testi-
mony will decide anything in medicine, Decodon v. is an ecbolic
for certain brute animals. This effect is said to be most fre-
quently produced upon ewes, next upon cows, and sometimes
upon mares.”

HAMAMELACEM. (The Witch-Hazel Tribe.)

This order, remarks Lindley, is found in the northern parts of
North America, Japan and China. In my examination of the
various authorities on the subject before me, I have frequently
_been struck with the correspondence prevailing between the
species found in South Carolina and those of Japan, and this re-
spects only the medical botany of the two; should the flora of
each be compared, a still more universal relation might be estab-
lished. Professor Agassiz has noticed something of the same
kind existing between the fossil botany and the fauna of each.

WITCH-HAZEL, (Hamamelis Virginica, L.) Grows along
pine land bays; collected in St. John’s, Charleston District ; vicin-
ity of Charleston, Bach.; N.C.

62

Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. iii, 452; Coxe, Am. Disp. 310;
U.S. Disp. 1258; Matson’s Veg. Pract. 201; Griffith’s Med. Bot.
350; Rafinesque, Med. Flor.i, 227. It is said to be sedative, as-
tringent, tonic and discutient. The bark was a remedy derived
from the Indians, who applied it to painful tumors, using the
decoction as a wash in inflammatory swellings, painful hemor-
rhoidal affections and ophthalmias. <A cataplasm, and a tea of
the leaves, as an astringent, were employed in hematemesis. The
steam practitioners also administer it in irritable hemorrhoids,
and during the bearing-down pains attending child-birth. No
analysis has been made, but as it probably contains sedative and
astringent principles, attention is directed to it. The curious
reader may consult, besides the paper in Hutton’s “Mathema-
tics,” on the wonderful properties of the witch-hazel in detecting
water, a recent one in Patent Office Report on Agriculture, p. 16,
1851. This is from Prarie du Chien, by Mr. Alfred Burnson,
and contains some remarkable statements of the certainty of
finding water by diviningrods. Some electrical and telluric influ-
ences are hinted at—COredat Judeus! Persons living in the up-
per districts of South Carolina assume to use the rod with suc-
CESS.

Dr. James Fountain, of Peekskill, N. Y., speaks highly of the
efficacy of the bark in hemorrhage of the lungs and stomach,
and also as one of the best applications for external piles, an
ointment being prepared from lard, and a decoction of equal
parts of this bark, white oak bark and that of the apple tree.
He believes the witch-hazel to possess anodyne properties. (N.
Y. J. Med. x, 208.) Dr. N. S. Davis in his report (Trans. Am.
Med. Assoc. i, 350,) agrees with Dr. Fountain in his estimate of
this remedy, which he has employed in the form of a decoction,
made with one ounce to a pint of water; dose, a wine glass full
every three to eight hours in incipient phthisis. U.S. Disp.,
12th Ed.

In the Richmond Journal for January, 1868, is an article from
the Atlanta Med. and Surg. Journ. (1867,) in which Dr. W. W.
Durham claims for this plant properties similar to those said by
Dr. Phares to be those of the Virburnum prunifolium, and which
tend to confirm opinions expressed above by Prof. Davis and
others. In reference to its power of preventing abortion or
miscarriage, Dr. Durham says: “At one period of my practice

63

the negroes used the cotton root so frequently to produce
abortion, that my supply of black haw became exhausted, and
haying heard of this power of the hazel to affect the purpose
for which I used the haw, I resorted to it (the hazel) with per-
fect success. Having only used it for the purpose of preventing
abortion, from the effects of the cotton root, I cannot speak of it
in other cases.” He makes a decoction of one pint of the leaves
to one pint of water, which is administered freely. See also
_ Viburnum prunifolium.
Dr. Joseph Bates, in an article on the Witch-hazel, published
in Tilden’s “Journ. of Mat. Med,” February, 1868, furnishes an
analysis of this plant by Dr. A. Lee. (See J. of Mat. Med. 2,
p- 200.) The bark contains organic and inorganic. matter,
allumen gum, extractive, tannin, a particular (bitter) principle,
resin, starch, etc.
Dr. Lee observes: “The great amount of tannin contained in
this plant is worthy of notice; while the sumach contains
three hundred and twenty-five and geranium one hundred and
thirty-six parts in seven thousand, the hazel contains no less
than four hundred.” This is an important statement and
deserves attention. In the Boston Med. J. Surg. J., v, 37, p.
348, is an account of the efficacy of this plant in arresting hem-
orrhages—the leaves being chewed and the juice swallowed.
Tilden & Co. prepare a fluid extract which may- be given in
doses of one to two drachms. By means of this an infusion or
a wash may be made by mixing with water in the proportion
_ of one ounce to a pint.

CORNACEAH. (The Dogwood Tribe.)

DOGWOOD, (Cornus Florida, L.) Well known; diffused in
rich, shady lands; Newbern; Va.

Drayton’s View S. C. 63; Bell’s Pract. Dict. 152; Barton’s
Collec. 12; Eberle, Mat. Med. 303; Chap. Therap. and Mat.
Med. ii, 438; Ell. Bot. i, 208; Pe. Mat. Med. ii, 753; U.S. Disp.
277; Ed. and Vay. Mat. Méd. 197; Am. Journal Pharm. vii,
114; Royle, Mat. Med. 422; Ball. and Gar. 310; Mér. and de L.
Dict. de M. Méd. iv, 436; Big. Am, Med. Bot. ii, 73; Shee. Flora
Carol. 449; Thacher’s Disp. 203; Walker’s Inaug. Diss. Phil.
1803; Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 49; Frost’s Elems. Mat. Med.
This well known plant possesses tonic and anti-intermittent

64

properties, very nearly allied to those of cinchona; in periodic
fevers, one of the most valuable of our indigenous plants. “Dr.
Gregg states that, after employing it for twenty-three years in
the treatment of intermittent fevers, he was satisfied that it
was not inferior to Peruviam bark.” Generally given in con-
junction with laudanum. It also possesses antiseptic powers.
In the recent state, it is legs stimulating than the cinchona bark,
but it affects the bowels more ; the dried bark is the preferable
form. The fresh bark will sometimes act as a cathartic. It is
more stimulating than thoroughwort (Hupatorium,) and, there-
fore, is less applicable during the hot stages of fever. According
to Dr. Walker’s examination, the bark contains extractive mat-
ter, gum, resin, tannin and gallic acid; and Dr. Carpenter
announces in it a new principal, cornine. Dr. S. Jackson also,
from experiment, is satisfied that it contains a principle analo-
gous to quinia. It has been exhibited by Dr. 8S. G. Morton in
intermittent fever, with success. Griffith, in his Med. Bot. 347,
mentions that the infusion of the flowers is useful as a substitute
for chamomile tea; for analysis, see Am. Journ. Pharm. i, 114;
and Phil. Journal Med. and Phys. Sci. xl. Dose of the dried
bark in powder, is twenty to sixty grains; the decoction is made
with one ounce of the root to one pint of water, or the extract
may be employed; alcohol also extracts its virtues. The ripe
fruit, infused. in brandy, makes an agreeable and useful bitter,
which may be a convenient substitute for the article prepared
in the shops. Dr. D. C. O'Keeffe, of Georgia, published an
article on the C. Florida in the So. Med. and Surg. Journal, Jan-
uary, 1849. He gave the extract in doses of ten grains to two
drachms, without its producing any disturbance of the stomach,
as alleged by some writers. Barton says, in his Collections,
that the bark is vaiuable in a malignant disorder of horses
called yellow water. From the gallic acid it contains, a good
writing ink may be made, and from the bark of the fibrous
roots the Indians extracted a scarlet color. Lindley mentions
that the young branches, stripped of their bark; and rubbed
“against the teeth, render them extremely white. It is often
employ ed for this purpose by persons living in the country.
Where there is need of astringent anti-periodies and tonics,
the dogwood bark powdered will be found the best substitute
for the Peruvian. Internally and externally, it can be applied

65

wherever the cinchona barks were found serviceable. The dog-
wood bark and root, in decoction, or in form of cold infusion, 18
believed by many to be the most efficient substitute for quinine,
also in treating malarial fevers; certainly, it might be used in
the cases occurring in camp, to prevent-the waste of quinine, as
it can be easily and abundantly procured.

Dr. Richard Moore, of Sumter County, informs me that he not
‘only finds it efficient in fevers, but particularly useful, with
whiskey or alcohol, in low forms of fevers, and dysentery
occurring near our river swamps.

During convalescence also, where an astringent tonic is re-
quired, this plant meets our requirements. See Hupatorium
(boneset) and Liriodendron (Poplar.) These, with the black-
berry and chinquapin as astringents, the gentians and pipsis-
sewa as tonics and tonic diuretics, the sweet gum, sassafras, and
bené for their mucilaginous and aromatic properties, and the
wild jalap (Podophyllum) as a cathartic, supply the surgeon in
camp «during a blockade with easily procurable medicinal
plants, which are sufficient for almost every purpose. Nitrate
and bi-carbonate of potash are most wanted, and with calomel
may be procured from abroad. Our supply of opium can be
easily reached by planting the poppy, and incising the capsules.
Every planter could raise a full supply of opium, mustard and
flaxseed. A tonic compound, as advised by the herbalists, is
made with the bark of the root of dogwood, colombo (Frasera,)
poplar, each six ounces ; bark of wild cherry, six ounces; leaves
of thoroughwort, four ounces; cayenne pepper, four ounces—
sifted and mixed. Dose, a teaspoonful, in warm or cold water,
repeated.

The berries of the dogwood have also been highly recom-
mended—given as a remedy for fever in place of quinine (1862.)

The wood is compact, heavy, fine grained and susceptible of a
brilliant polish. It is used on our plantations wherever a hard
wood is required, as in making wedges, the handles of light
tools, mallets, plane stocks, harrow teeth, hames, horse collars,
etc. Michaux states that the shoots, when three or four years
old, are found proper for the light hoops of small portable casks.
In the Middle States the cogs of mill wheels are made of dog-
wood. The branches of the tree are disposed nearly in the

form of crosses. WV. Am. sylva. Farmer's Encyc. I have used
5

: ~ 66
the dogwood for engraving. See “Amelanchier” in this vol-
ume.

Dr. Walker makes an excellent ink thus: Half an ounce of
dogwood bark, forty grains of sulphate of iron, the same of
gumarabic, in sixteen ounces of rain water. Prof. Joseph
Jones, of Georgia, has also used it with success. See So. Med,
and Surg. J., September, 1861, The wood of the dogwood, like
the willow, (see Saliz,) is preferred in making gunpowder.

RED WILLOW; SWAMP DOGWOOD, (Cornus sericea,
Ph.) Elliott says it grows in the mountains of South Carolina ;
sent to me from Abbeville District, by Mr. Reed; North Caro-
lina.” Fl. June.

Griffith, Med. Bot. 349. 1 possesses properties quite similar
to those of the C. Florida, but it is more bitter and astringent.
Mr. R. informs me that it is employed to a great extent in do-
mestiec practice in Abbeville. According to B.S. Barton, the
bark was considered by the Indians a favorite combination with
tobacco forsmoking. The young shoots were used tomake coarse
baskets; and they extracted a scarlet dye from these and the
roots.

BLOOD RED DOGWOOD, (Cornus sanguinea, Li.) Grows,
according to Elliott, in the valleys among the mountains. Fl.

May.
- Dict. de Méd. de Feérus. ii, 737; Mathiole, Comment, ii, 119;
Journal de Chim. xxxviii, 174, and xl, 107. See, also, Journal
de Pharm. for an account of the oil extracted from it. M. Mu-
rion says they afford one-third of their weight of a pure and
limpid oil, used for the table and for burning. A case of hydro-
phobia was said to have been cured by it. Griffith, Med.
Bot. 349. There also exists in this, as in the others, a red color-
ing principle, soluble in water alone.

Cornus stricta. Grows in swamps near Charleston; Newbern.
Shec. Flora Carol. 449. C. Circinata is not included by Chap-
man among the Southern species, though Dr. Wood says that it
grows in Virginia. See U.S. Disp.

LORANTHACEA.

Bark usually astringent; berries contain a viscid matter; plants
possess the power of rooting in the wood of others,

67

MISLETOE, ( Viseum verticillatum, L.)- The V. verticillatum of
Ell. Sk. is not of that Linn. T. and Gray; N. A. Flora. Dif-
fused; grown on oaks; Newbern. Fl. May.

_ Mér. and de L. Dict. de Méd. vi, 860; Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot.
50; Le. Mat. Med. ii, 456; Journal de Méd. lxx, 529; Eberle,
Dis. of Children, 522. Dr. Barham, in the Hortus Americanus,
_ says that the fruit of the misletoe cures epilepsies, pleurisies,

- coup de soleil, ete. Dém. Elém. de Bot. iii, 556; employed in
_ paralysis. Thorton’s Fam. Herb. 333. Fothergill, Dr. Wilson
_ and Gilbert Thompson use it “with great effect in epilepsy.” So,
also, Dr. Fraser, who published a work on it. Wade’s PI. Rari-
ores, 82. Eberle, “Dis. of Children,” alludes to its employment
in infantile epilepsy. Some writers refer to the European species ;
but this is supposed to be identical with it. The seeds contain a
viscid substance resembling bird-lime in appearance, which is
insoluble both in water and in alchohol. In Dr. Hunter’s edition
of Evelyn’s Sylvia, it is said to prevent the rot in sheep. Bird-
lime was formerly made from the berries of the misletoe of oak,
_ which were first boiled in water, then pounded, and the water
1 poured off in order to carry away the seeds and rind. For pro-
cess, see “Holly” (Ilex opaca ;) also, Wilson’s Rural Cyc., “Bird-
lime” and “Bird catching.”

MISLETOE, (Phoradendron flavescens, Nutt.; Viscum flaves-
cens, Pursh.) This is the only specie included by Dr. Chapman
in his Flora of the Southern United States.

M. Gampert (Ann. de Therap, 1859, 36,) had reported a case in
France in which a child three years old was poisoned by eating the
berries of the misletoe. Vomiting and prostration were produced,
the patient was insensible, with a fixed and somewhat contracted
pupil, and coldness of the skin and convulsive movements of the:
extremities were present; an emetic brought away a considera-
_ ble quantity of the berries and the child recovered. Prof. Wood,
- in reporting this in the U.S. Disp., 12th Ed., states that Dr.
_ Henry Dye, of Texas, records (Memphis Med. Record, iv, 344,)
several cases of children poisoned by eating the berries of a
species growing on the elm, probably V. flavescens of Ph. The
prominent symptoms were vomiting and great thirst, followed
by frequent discharges of bloody mucus from the bowels, with
tenesmus. One of the children was found in a collapsed state
_ in which death took place. Dr. Dye states, also, that in another

:

68

instance, as he had been informed, children had eaten the ber-
ries, without any ill effect.

CUCURBITACEA. (The Gourd Tribe.)

This order is closely allied to the Passifloraces, and is found
in most abundance in hot countries. Most of them are valuable
articles of food, but are pervaded by a bitter laxative quality,
which in the colocynth gourd becomes an active purgative
principle.

WATERMELON, (Cucumis citrullus.) The juice of the melon
by boiling may be converted into a palatable syrup for table use
and one of the best substitutes for molasses. From recent ex-
periments it has’ been found that about one pint is yielded by
each melon, which may be profitably made during a period of
great scarcity in the supply of sugar. No doubt, like the ripe
fig, beet and other saccharine substances, it may easily be con-
verted into vinegar, and should be added to the vinegar cask.
It is well known that the juice is diuretic, and the seeds, by tri-
turation, or by being boiled in water, afford a demulcent and
diuretic drink, useful in incontinence of urine and in strangury.
Almost the same may be said of the pumpkin, which is used as
an article of food for man and beast in many of the Southern
States. The harder portions of both melon and pumpkin are
used in making preserves by our Southern matrons, and brandy
was made from the juice during the war. The melon, the celery
and the asparagus are said to yield mannite.

PUMPKIN, (Cucumis pepo, W.) Cultivated very successfully
at the South.

Shee. Flora Carol. 488. The seeds afford an essential oil,
which might be made of some value; when triturated with
water, they furnish a cooling and nutritive milk, and when
boiled to a jelly, they are said by Bechstein to be a very effica-
cious remedy for retention of urine. The fruit is much used on
the plantations at the South as an article of food both for men
and animals; pies and preserves of an agreeable flavor are made
of it. See Stille’s Mat. Med. and recent medical works for the
singularly useful qualities of the seeds, as recently applied by
Johnson, Soulé, Jones and others, as a remedy for tape-worm.
A paste is made from the seeds, in the quantity of about an ounce

69

and a half with as much sugar. The dose of the seeds is about
two ounces in emulsion, taken in the morning and followed by
castor oil. Boston Med. and Surg. J., U.S. Disp. An oil of the
seeds is also used. The fruit when dried is useful as a winter
provision for armies. An excellent substitute may be found in
the pumpkin, which when cut into slips and dried either in the
sun or in a dry room, is said to be little inferior to dried ap-
ples. The musk-melon (Cucumis melo) and cucumber (C. sativus)
-are also largely cultivated at the South.

GOURD; CALABASH, (Cucurbita lagenaria, L.) Grows in
cornfields and along fences; vicinity of Charleston; Richland ;
coilected in St. John’s. Fl. May.

Linn. Veg. Mat. Med. 180; Ed. and Vav. Mat. Méd. 563; Le.
Mat. Med. i, 379; Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Med. ii, 492. An
infusion has been found useful in inflammation of the urinary
passages, and the seeds have been employed in rheumatism,
strangury and nephritis. Shec. Flora Caroi. 479. “Water,
which has lain for some time in the fruit of this plant, becomes
violently emetic and cathartic.” The shells of the dried fruit
are sometimes so capacious as to contain four gallons of water ;
convenient receptacles, water-flasks, dippers, milk pans, etc., are
made of them. They must first be deprived of their acrid
principle by boiling; moulds for buttons are fashioned out of
them, and they are much used for these purposes by the
negroes on the plantations. The general reader will recall the
_ “Calebassia Tree,” mentioned in “Paul and Virginia,” hence
the name given to this vine, no doubt by the negroes, from its
resemblance to the tree, a native of the east coast of Africa.

CREEPING CUCUMBER, (WMelothria pendula, L.) Grows
in rich, shaded soils; collected in St. John’s, Charleston Dis-
trict. N.C. Fil. June.

Journal de Chim. Méd. iii, 498; Mér. and de L. Dict. de M.
Med. iv, 322; Griffith, Med. Bot. 311. The seeds act as a drastic
purgative—half a one is a dose for an adult. Martius states
that three or four, will act powerfully on a horse. Journal de
Chim., loc. cit. sup.

‘

CACTACEM. (The Indian Fig Tribe.)
Fruit very similar in its properties to that of the currant
tribe ; often refreshing, sometimes mucilaginous and insipid.

~~ 70

CACTUS; PRICKLY PEAR, (Opuntia vulgaris, Mill. T. and
Gray. Cactus opuntia of Ell. Sk.) Grows in dry pastures ;
Newbern. Fl. May.

Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. vi, 11. The fruit is said to
be eatable; the leaves cut transversely are applied to tumors
as a discutient; the decoction is mucilaginous, and I am in-
formed that it is much used in Alabama as a demulcent drink
in pneumonic and pleuritic inflammations. Its cultivation has
been recommended on account of the cochineal insect, which is
said to feed on it. Mr. Wm. Summer, of South Carolina, con-
tributes the following to the list of our “expedients:”

To Make Hard Tallow Candles—To one pound of tallow
take five or six leaves of the prickly pear, (Cactus opuntia,) split
them, and boil in the tallow, without water, for half an hour or
more; strain and mould the candles. The wicks should have
been previously dipped in spirits of turpentine and dried. If
the tallow at first is boiled in water, and the water changed
four or five times, it will be bleached and rendered free from
impurities. Then prepare, by frying with prickly pears, to
harden it. In this way we have made tallow candles nearly
equal to the best adamantine.

The prickly pear has been generally used (1862) for hardening
tallow, with satisfactory results. One pound is added to four of
tallow ; a larger quantity make the candles too brittle. It takes
the place of wax. I have often seen candles which were made
hard by this process, and it appears to be a singular property
possessed by this plant—and equally singular how it was ever
first applied for the purpose.

COCHINEAL CACTUS, (Cactus cochinilifer.) Elliott says
that it is probable that other species exist, but he does not in-
clude this in his sketch of the Bot. of South Carolina. Shecut,
however, in his Flora Carol. 319, remarks that “we are indebted
to Dr. Garden, of South Carolina, for the discovery of this tree
here,” well known as the one upon which the cochineal insect
feeds. T. and Gray do not include it in their N. A. Fl. The
fruit tinges red the urine of those who eat it; and the leaves
rubbed up with hog’s lard, are useful as a topical application to
prevent mortification.

71

CRUCIFERM. (The Cruciferous Tribe.)

Lindley states that the universal characteristic of this order
is the possession of anti-scorbutic and stimulant qualities, com-
bined with an acrid flavor. The species contain a great deal of
nitrogen, to which is attributed their animal odor when
rotting.

PEPPERGRASS; VIRGINIA CRESS, (Lepidium Virgini-
cum, L.) Wet places. N.C. Common.

It is suitable to be used in winter and early spring salads, but
is far less in request than some of the other cresses. Sowings
should be made in light, dry earth, the beds protected with dry
litter during severe winter. Rural Cye.

GOLD OF PLEASURE; FALSE FLAX, (Camelina sativa,

Crantz.) Referred to in Chapman’s Botany of Southern States,
p. 30, as introduced, growing in cultivated fields. N. Hanover,
N. C., Curtis.
. Se6 a paper in P. O. Report on Agriculture, 1851, p. 51, on
the ‘‘ Camelina sativa—a new oil plant.” In some parts of the
world it is cultivated for its stems, which yield a fibre applica-
ble for spinning, and for its oleiferous seeds. Merat says it is
cultivated for this purpose in Flanders.

Mr. Wm. Taylor, F. UL. S., has recently drawn the attention
of agriculturists and others to this as an oil plant, adapted for
feeding cattle, and for other purposes. He says that the soil
best adapted for its cultivation are those of a light nature, but
a crop will never fail on land of the most inferior description.
It has been found to flourish this year on sandy soils, where no
other vegetable would grow, and independent of the drouth
the plants have grown most luxuriantly, yielding a large and
certain crop. When grown upon land that has been long in
tillage and well farmed, the crop will be most abundant. The
best time for putting in the seed is as early as possible in the
spring months, say from the middle of March or the middle of
April to June, and for autumn sowing to August; and the
quantity per acre required, fourteen pounds; and may be either
drilled or broadcast, but the drilled method should be preferred.
If drilled, the rows must ‘be twelve inches apart. As soon as
the plants have grown five or six. inches high, a hand or horse
hoe may be used to cut up the weeds between the rows, and no

72

further culture or expense will be required. If sown early, two
crops may be frequently obtained in one year, as it is fit for
harvesting in three months after the plant makes its first ap-
pearanee. Or another important advantage may be obtained:
if seed is sown early in March, the crop will be ready to harvest
in the beginning of July, and the land fallowed for wheat or
spring corn; also when barley or small seeds cannou be sown
sufficiently early, this may be put in with great success. It is a
plant that may be cultivated after any corn crop, without doing
the least injury to the land, and may be sown with all sorts of
clover ; the leaves of the gold of pleasure, being particularly small,
afford an uninterrupted growth to every plant beneath it, and
the crop being removed early, the clover has time to establish
itself.

The grower of this invaluable production is in all seasons
secure of his crop, inasmuch as it is not subject to damage by
spring frosts, heavy rains, and drouth, and, above all, the
ravages of insects, more particularly the cabbage plant louse,
(Aphis brassica,) which so frequently destroys rape, turnips and
others belonging to the crucifere order, when coming into
blossom. The seed is ripe as soon as the pods change from a
green to a gold color. Care must then be taken to cut it off
before it becomes too ripe, or much seed may be lost. When cut
with a sickle, it is bound up in sheaves and shocked in the same
manner as wheat. The process of ripening completed, it is
stacked or put in a barn, and threshed like other corn. The
expense of these crops cannot be very great, either in the prep-
aration and culture of the land or in the management in secur-
ing the produce afterward ; but when grown with care and in
good season, the produce will mostly be very abundant—as high
as thirty-two bushels and upward to the acre.

The cultivation of this plant for the seed would repay the
farmer ;'an abundance of chaff would be produced, which would
be of infinite service for horses or for manure. In a grazing
country like England, where vast sums are annually expended
for foreign oil cake, the gold of pleasure will soon be found an
excellent substitute under manufacture, and consequently a
grower would find a good remuneration in cultivating the seed.
The plant may be considered a valuable production of the earth.
A fine oil is produced for burning in lamps, in the manufacture

73

of woollen goods, in the manufacture of soaps for lubricating
machinery, and for painters. The oil cake has been found
highly nutritious in the fattening of sheep and oxen, as it
contains a great portion of mucilage and nitrogenous matter,
which, combined together, are found very beneficial in de-
veloping fat and lean. From the experiments above related,
it is abundantly proved that it does not suffer from the severest
frosts, its foliage not being injured. It is not infested by insects,
nor does it exhaust the soil.

The gold of pleasure has been cultivated by several practical
agriculturalists, who highly approve of the new plant. For all
these reasons it is hoped that every farmer will avail himself of
this valuable discovery as a remunerating rotation crop. Mr.
Taylor adds that one acre cultivated with these plants yield
thirty-two bushels of seed; from which five hundred and forty
pounds of oil are obtained ; so that the Camelina seems to ex-
_ ceed the flax in its produce of seed, oil and cake per acre. The
seed is extremely rich in nutriment. I know of no seed superior
to it for feeding cattle. The oil obtained by expression is sweet
and excellent, especially for purposes of illumination. From the
very small quantity of inorganic matter in the seed, it will be
evident that the seed cake must be of a very nutritious character,
being merely the seed deprived of a portion of its water and
oily matter. We have examined some of the oil obtained from
the seed of the Camelina sativa, and which has been recently
sent to several medical men by Mr. Taylor, under the belief that

it possesses valuable medical properties. It is of a yellow color,
and smells something like linseed oil. Finding it of service in
relieving the incessant cough of an animal, Mr. Taylor has
extended the use to the human subject, and states that it has
cured several persons affected with diseased lungs and asthma.

In a brief notice, P. O. Reports, 1850, is the following state-
ment: “Camelina sativa, (Miagrum sativum,) an annual from
France, produces a finer oil for burning than rape, having a
_ brighter flame, less smoke and scarcely any smell. It succeeds
well in light, shallow, dry soils; and in our Middle and Southern
States it would probably produce two crops in a seasov. Besides
the use of the seeds for oil, the stems yield a coarse fibre for
making sacks and a rough kind of packing paper, and the whole

74

plant may be employed for thatching. The culture is similar to
that for flax.” See “ Linum” in this volume.

; Capsella Bursa-pastoris, Meench and
SHEPHERD'S PURSE, (1) andG. Thlaspi. Linn. and Bil. Sk.

Grows in damp pastures; collected in St. John’s; Newbern.
Fl. May. ;

Ray’s Cat. Plantarum, 47; Bergius, Mat. Med. ii, 389; Le
Mat. Med. i, 243; Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. vi, 732. It
astringes and constipates; hence employed in dysentery, diarr-
hea and bloody urine; the juice placed on a piece of cotton
and inserted in the nostril, will arrest hemorrhage. “ Externe
vulneribus solidandis adhibieter nec sine successu.” Fl. Scotica
342; Linn. Veg. M. Med. 128.

CRESS, (Sisymbrium nasturtium, Li: and Ell. Sk." Erysimum o:
Bot.) Nat. in the upper part of South Carolina; vicinity o
Charleston. Fl. March.

Fl. Scotica, 351. The young leaves furnish an agreeable salad
the plant was esteemed useful as an anti-scorbutic, and was em
ployed in removing obstructions of the liver, viscera, jaundice
etc. Thornton’s Fam. Herb. 618. The juice acts as a stimulan
and diuretic. Haller says: “We have seen patients in a dee]
decline cured by living almost entirely on these plants.” Ac
cording to Tournefort, the juice, snuffed up the nose, cured case:
of polypus of that organ. See Kdinburgh New Disp., Flor:
Med. iii, 138; Pliny, lib. xix, chap. 8; xx, chap. 13. Hoffman anc
Cullen spoke highly of it as furnishing a mucilaginous applica
tion. for the heads of infants affected with eruptions. It wa:
acknowledged to have an effect upon the maladies of the skin
engorgement of the abdominal viscera when the blood is de
praved, in feeble digestion, etc. U.S. Disp. 1226. This plan
is also vaunted in incipient phthsis, in chronic catarrhs, in mala
dies of the bladder and kidneys, and in hysterical affections. I
contains a very bitter and odoriferous essential oil—the seed
yielding fifty-five per cent. of fixed oil. See De Cand. Phys
Veg. i, 298; Journal Gén. de Méd. xxviii, 136; Barbier, M
Méd. 242. Moreau asserts that vertigo and discoloration o
the face are produced in those eating this plant; but this is ai
effect unnoticed by others.

75

HEDGE MUSTARD, (Sisymbrium officinale, Fide Gray ; Ery-
simum officinale, Lin. and Ell. Sk.)

This is not included by Mr. Elliott in his Sketches of the
Plants of South Carolina. It was one of the specimens sent to
Professor Gray, and determined by him; collected in St. John’s
Berkeley; Charleston District; North Carolina. The herb is
said to be diuretic and expectorant; the seeds possess consider-
able pungency, and have been recommended in chronic cough,
hoarseness and ulceration of the mouth and fauces; the juice
of the plant in honey or the seeds in substance may be used.

WATER RADISH, (Sisymbrium amphibium, L.) Rare; roots
immersed ; collected on causeway near Brunswick Pl., T. W.
Peyre’s, in St. John’s; vicinity of Charleston.

Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. vi, 365. Recommended for
tape-worm by Didelot, and in the old works as an anti-scorbutic.
Mérat says the “young leaves are eatable in the spring ; whey
bly possessed of similar properties with the S. nasturtium.”

WATER CRESS, (Nasturtium officinale, R. Br.) Introduced.
Ditches Florida, and northward. Chap. N.C.

This plant came into pretty high favor about a century ago
as a spring salad; and it soon obtained preference to all other
spring salads on account of its agreeable, warm, bitter taste,
and for the sake of its purifying, anti-scorbutic and diuretic
properties. It was greedily gathered in all its natural habitats
within some miles of London for the supply of the London mar-
ket, and eventually became an object of regular, peculiar and
somewhat extensive cultivation; see methods, ete., Wilson’s
Rural Cyclopedia.

MUSTARD, (Sinapis nigra.) Cultivated throughout the South.
Therapeutic virtues well known.

Mustard is a hardy annual, cultivated as a small salad for
greens, and for the seed, which are extensively employed for
medicinal purposes. The demand for the production of this
plant, on account of the value of seeds as a local irritant, should
induce every planter and farmer to grow it. Enormous quanti-
ties are required to supply armies; besides that, it is largely
consumed in every household. The white mustard I have seen
cultivated on our plantations, and, maturing early in June, is
fully equal in strength to the imported article. It is very easily
ground or powdered, and used like English mustard.

76

The common table mustard is prepared from the flour of the
seed, Tor salad, it is sown thickly, and used like common cress,
“Sow early in the spring in two feet drills, and thin to six
inches. ‘Che crop must be gathered before it is fully ripe, on a
cloudy day or early in the morning, to prevent the seed from
shelling out.”

The “white” is usually preferred for salad, and the seeds are
eaten whole as a remedy for impaired digestion, ‘The leaves of
this are light green, mild and tender when young; the seed
light yellow. The “black” or “brown” is a larger plant, with
much darker leaves. ‘Seeds brown, and more pungent.”

Kor the medical uses of these plants, any of the works on
the materia medica will supply information under the head
Sinapis.”

Mustard seed oil, says Ure, in his Diet. Arts and Sciences, p.
285, coneretes when cooled a little below 82° Fahrenheit. The
white or yellow seed afford thirty-six per cent. of oil, and the
black seed eighteen per cent.

The reader interested in the culture of mustard can find some
information in Wilson’s Rural Cye. He quotes from a prize
essay by TT’. C. Burroughes in 7th volume Royal Ag. Soe. The
field culture of both the white and black mustard is practiced
for the production of their seeds, with a view either to the ex-
pression of oil from them similar to that of cole and rape and
poppy, or to the obtaining of oil cake for the use of cattle, or to
the grinding them into the well known condimental and medi-
cinal flour of mustard, or to several other economical and
pharmaceutical purposes. The crop is reaped, and tied in
sheaves like wheat, and is afterward threshed out upon cloths
in the field in the same manner as cole. White mustard is gen-
orally laid in handfuls on the shuttle, and not tied up. The
black mustard is hardier than the white. The quantity of oil
obtained from any given weight of black mustard seeds is
greater than that obtained from the same weight of coles; but
the oil cake is slightly purgative, and requires to be given to
rattle with caution, and is commonly ground and sprinkled on
their chaff. Wilson also states that the flour of mustard from
the seeds of black mustard, is much more pungent, and of much
finer quality than that from the seeds of white mustard. It is
still the kind most commonly used in France; but it requires to

ard
46

be manufactured by a nice mechanical process of removing the
outer skins of the seeds, or else it has a grayish or very dark
color; and, in fact, it is never so prepared as to be entirely
freed from its grayishness, The flour of white mustard is gon-
erally used in Britain in consequence of its fine color, and the
superior facility of manufacturing it. It is often mixed with
the black. Rural Cye. The method of depriving the black
mustard seed of its envelop I have been unable to obtain,

Warm water is always the best addition to mustard to elicit
the volatile oil. Vinegar lessens its pungency. See Trousseau’s
Experiments. Mustard has been highly recommended as a sub-
stitute for the spring colza and other plants, to be used in the
production of oil. “Both species,” white and black, yield oil,
Thaér says in his Principles of Agriculture, “which is well
adapted for burning ; and also, when well purified, for the use
of the table. A quintal of mustard seed yields from thirty-six
to thirty-eight pounds of oil, The biting acridity of the seed
exist not in the oil, but in the integument; and the Knglish
mustard, which is celebrated for its strength, is said to be made
from cakes from which the oil has been expressed.” Among
the plants mentioned by Thaér as valuable for the oil in their
seed, are the oily radish, (Raphanus chinensis oleiferus,) the sun-
flower, and the common poppy, (Papaver somniferum ;) the oil
from the white-seeded variety is preferable on account of its
taste, See Thaér also for descriptions of the cultivation of
flaxseed, hemp, hops, madder, beets, etc. Many plants, the
seeds of which yield oil, are used in making oil cake for agri-
cultural purposes, and as food for animals. ‘The. sunflower,
which yields a large quantity of seed to the acre, will, it is said,
furnish one gallon of oil to the bushel. See “Cotton,” “ Mlax,”
ete., in this volume.

‘I obtain the following, on the cultivation of mustard, from
the Farmers’ Cyclopoedia: :

The species of sinapis, generally grown in the kitchen garden
for domestic purposes, are the white mustard, (S. alba,) and the
common or black mustard, (S. nigra.) The first is the one
grown for salads; but the seed of both is employed in the
manufacture of mustard.

The soil they succeed in best, is a fine, rich, mouldy loam, in
which the supply of moisture is regular; it may much rather

78

incline to lightness than tenacity, If grown for salading, it
need not be dug deep; but if for seed, to full the depth of the
blade of the spade. In early spring and late in autumn, the
situation should be sheltered; and, during the height of sum-
mer, shaded from the meridian sun. For salading, the white
may be sown throughout the year; from the beginning of No-
vember to the same period in March, in a gentle hot-bed appro-
priated for the purpose, in one already employed for some other
plant, or in the corner of a stove. From the close of February
to the close of April, it may be sown in the open ground, on a
warm sheltered border; and from thence to the middle of Sep-
tember in ashady one. Both the white and the black, for seed,
may be sown at the close of March, in an open compartment.

or salading, it is sown in flat-bottomed drills, about half an
inch deep and six inches apart. The seed cannot well be sown
too thick. The mould which covers the drills should be entirely
divested of stones. Water must bo given occasionally in dry
weather, as a due supply oft moisture is the chief inducement
to a quick vegetation. ‘The sowings are to be performed once
or twice in a fortnight, according to the demand, Cress (Lepi-
dium sativum) is the almost constant accompaniment of this
salad herb; and, as the mode of cultivation of each is identical,
it is only necessary to remark, that, as cress is rather tardier in
vogetating than mustard, it is necessary for obtaining them
both in perfection at the same time to sow it five or six days
earlier,

It must be cut for use while young, and before the rough
leaves appear, Otherwise the pungency of the flavor is disa-
greoably increased, If the top is cut off, the plants will, in
general, shoot again; though this second produce is always
scanty, and not so mild or tender. For the production of seed,
whether for manufacture of mustard or future sowing, the
insertion must be made broadcast, thin, and regularly raled in,
When the seedlings have attained four leaves, they should be
hoed, and again after the lapse of a month, during dry weather,
being set eight or nine inches apart. Throughout their growth,
thoy must be kept free from weeds; and if dry weather occurs at
tho time of flowering, water may be applied with great advan-
tae to their roots. The plants flower in June, and are fit for
cutting when their pods have become devoid of verdure, They

7

must be thoroughly dried before threshing and storing. For
forcing, the seed is most conveniently sown in boxes or pans,
even if a hot-bed is appropriated for the purpose. Pans of

rotten tan are to be preferred to pots or boxes of mould. But,

whichever is employed, the seed must be sown thick, and other
restrictions attended to, as for the open ground crops. The

hot-bed need only be moderate. Air may be admitted as abund-

antly as circumstances will allow.

CAPPARIDACEA. (The Caper Tribe.)

~ CAPER TREN, (Capparis Spinosa.) This plant, cultivated in
Greece, the Ionian Isles, France, Italy, etc., has also been intro-
duced into this country. The flower buds are collected and put
into salt and vinegar. See Patent Office Report, 1855, p, 285,
for a brief notice of the cultivation and preparation. In the
Southern States we have the C. Jamaicencis, Jacy, and C. cyno-
phallophora, 1, growing in south Florida, It is possible that
they may be used as substitutes for the foreign caper.

VIOLACEM, (The Violet Tribe.)

Roots more or less emetic; a property which prevails to a
greater extent in the South American species, which are gener-
ally less herbaceous.

VIOLET, (Viola pedata, Mich.) Found in the upper dis-
tricts ; sparingly in the lower; Richland, L. Gibbes. N.C. Fl.
May.

U.S. Disp. 753; Griffith, Med. Bot. 140. The roots of nearly
all the species of this genus possess a nutritive and an emetic
principle, called violine, allied to that of ipecacuanha, but more
uncertain in its operation. This is said to replace the Huropean
plant, and, according to Dr. Bigelow, is valuable as an expecto-
rant and demulcent in pectoral affections.

FIELD VIOLET, (Viola arvensis, D. C.)

Griffith, Med. Bot. 141. This and the V. tricolor, of which it

is a variety, have received considerable attention from Kuro-

pean writers, especially the German. Strack made them the
subject of a discussion in 1776, and since then the observations
of Metzer, Cloquet and others have shown that they are pos-

80

sessed of much efficacy in the treatment of cutaneous diseases,
and especially of that obstinate and unpleasant eruption, crustea
lactea. The fresh plant, or its juice, is to be used, as drying
destroys its active qualities. Strack states that, when the
remedy has been given for some time, the urine becomes ex-
tremely fetid, smelling like that of the cat; op. cit. supra. At
tention is invited to it. See V. tricolor.

WILD PANSY, HEARTSEASE, ( Viola tricolor, Linn.) Cul-
tivated in gardens. N.C. Fl. May.

Trous. et Pid. Traité de Thérap. et de Mat. Méd. ii, 15; U.S.
Dis. 743; Le Mat. Med. ii, 453; Griffith 40; Thornton’s Fam.
Herb. 731. It was formerly considered a valuable remedy in
epilepsy, ulcers and scirrhus. See Storck de V. tricolor, Kr-
lang. 1782. Metzer de crustea lactea infantum, ejusdem que
remedio premio coronavit. 1776. Lond. Med. Journal. A
handful of the fresh, or one ounce and a half of the dried herb,
was boiled in milk, which was taken twice a day; bread soaked
in this was also applied to the affected parts. It was much
boasted of as a remedy in the latter disease; see Mér. and de
L. and the Art. V. arvensis. Bergius, speaking of these two,
says that half an ounce in twelve of water produces a consistent
and valuable demulcent jelly.

HAND-LEAVED VIOLET, ( Viola palmata, Linn.) Collected
in St. John’s; vicinity of Charleston; Newbern. Fl. March.

Ell. Bot. 300, Med. Notes. The plant is very mucilaginous.
It is employed by negroes for making soup, and is commonly
called wild okra. The bruised leaves are’ used as an emollient
application.

COMMON BLUE VIOLET, (Viola cucullata, Ait.) Grows
in damp pine lands; collected in St. John’s; vicinity of Charles-
ton. N.C. Fi. May.

This plant has been used for making soup during war times.
To it may be added the wild okra, the dock and the lamb’s
quarter.

Le. Mat. Med. i, 223. Probably possessed of similar proper-
ties with the others; a decoction is given to children in eruptive
diseases. These plants might very conveniently be used in
domestic practice, and I would invite attention to their further
employment.

3!
CYSTACEA. (Rock Rose Family.)

FROST WORT; FROST WEED OR ROSE, (Helianthemum
canadense, Mx.) Fla. and N. C. and northward.

Dr. Ives, of N. Haven, first recommended it in scrofula, and
Dr. Isaac Parrish, of Philada., informed Dr. Wood that he had
used it with much apparent benefit as an internal remedy in
-scrofulous affections of the eye. In a pamphlet upon the Frost-
weed by Dr. D. Tyler, published at N. Haven, 1846, it is stated
that H. corymbosum possesses similar properties. He found
both species useful in scrofula, diarrhoea and secondary syphilis,
and locally as a gargle in scarlatina, and a wash in prurigo.
The plant bas been used in the forms of powder, decoction,
tincture and syrup; and may be given freely with impunity.
Dr. Tyler, however, has known the strong decoction and the
extract to produce vomiting. He considers two grains of the
latter as a full dose for an adult. The herb has an astringent,
slightly aromatic and bitterish taste, and appears to possess
tonic and astringent properties. Dr. Wood says that attention
has only been attracted recently to it as a medicine. U.S.
Disp., 12th Kd.

Dr. Parrish, in his Pract. Pharmacy, p. 231, furnishes a syrup
of this plant which he says was much used by Dr. Isaac Par-
rish in scrofulous affections of the eyes, and by others in
diseases of the scrofulous type. Four ounces of the herb,
sixteen ounces of sugar are boiled down with alcohol and water,
till the liquid is reduced one-half; given in doses of a fluid
drachm three times a day.

DROSERACHA (The Sun Dew Tribe.)

Plants generally slightly acid; acrid and poisonous to cattle.

SUN DEW, (Drosera rotundifolia, Linn.) Grows in damp
spots in the low country of South Carolina; Richland; col-
lected in St. John’s; Newbern. FI. June.

Bull. Plantes Vén de France. Vicat mentions it as an active
and corrosive plant; the liquor which exudes from the hairs
destroying warts, corns, etc. Dém. Elém. de Bot. ii, 334. M.
Geoffroi asserts that it is a valuable pectoral, employed in ulcers
of the lungs, asthma, etc.; the infusion being generally used.
The juice has been recommended in dropsies, diseases of the

6

82

kidneys, ophthalmias, ete. Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. ii,
690. Shee. in his Flora Carol. 519, confirms the opinion in
reference to the corrosive property of the juice, and adds that,
with milk, it furnishes a safe application for removing freckles ;
any part of it will curdle milk. Fl. Scotica, 109. It is thought
to be very injurious to sheep, producing in them consumption
or rot. M. Berlace affirms (Esquiss. Hist. Bot. Aug.) that cattle
avoid it on account of an insect (ILydra hydatula) which feeds
on it. This plant is quite diminutive, and has heretofore
received very little attention. I see no mention made of it in
our Am. Dispensatories.

PASSIFLORACEA. (The Passion Flower Tribe.)

MAY APPLES; MAY POPS; PASSION FLOWERS, (Passi-
flora lutea and incarnata, L.) Grows in pastures, passim.

The fruit of these beautiful climbing plants, which should not

be confounded with the wild Jalap, (Podophyllum,) sometimes
called may apple and growing in rich woods, contains a sweetish,
acid pulp, and is eatable. Several of the species are employed
in medicine; but these have received no attention, being more
remarkable on account of the structure of their flowers. One
is quite diminutive. In some portions of South Carolina the
weed is used as greens and for making soup.
_ Inapaper in Richmond M. Journal, for July, 1867, Dr. D. L.
Phares, of Newtonia, Miss., recommends the May pop very
highly as a remedy for tetanus. He states that in 1838, Dr. W. B.
Lindsay, of La., had directed his attention to it, and that “he
used it for thirty years with extraordinary success in all cases
of tetanus neonatorum.” Dr. L. says it never stupefies, but is
serviceable in “all sorts of neuralgic affections.” He also em-
ploys the aqueous extract of the root as an application for
chaneres, in irritable piles, for erysipelas and recent burns.
The eulogy is couched in rather extravagant terms,

The author directs that the leaves should be gathered in May,
or before forming fruit ; it is pounded and the juice expressed
through a strong cloth into shallow glass or porcelain dishes to
dry as rapidly as possible in the shade. When dry it is reduced
to powder in a mortar, bottled and closely corked. The dose
of this powder is from one to four teaspoonsful, repeated. For
external use, the whole plant, including the root, may be boiled

83

for an hour, the extract thus obtained being further boiled down
to a proper consistence.

I may add that Griffith, in his Med. Bot., refers to the edible
fruit of the P. quadrangularis, or Granadilla, and in speaking
of the foreign species he says: “In a medical point of view,
they are also of some interest, being possessed of active quali-
ties capable of fulfiling a variety of indications, though it should
be noticed that our information in regard to them is far from
definite. The only memoir on the subject, deserving of notice,
is that of Dr. Ricord Madiana (Journ. de Pharm. xvi, and Ann.
Lyc. Nat. Hist. 1,) on the P. quadrang. ; a decoction of the root
of this he found to be poisonous, acting like a narcotic; he dis-
covered in it a peculiar principle which he calls passiflorine.”
Brown, in his Hist. of Jamaica, says a tincture of the flowers
of the P. rubra is used as a substitute for laudanum. The
experience, therefore, of Dr. Phares, with reference to our spe-
cies, should encourage others to test their value.

HYPERICACKAM. (The Tatsan Tribe.)

The juice of many of the species is slightly purgative and
febrifugal.

ST. PHTER'S: WORT, | Ascyrum Crux Andrea, W.
j Ascyrum multicaule, Mx.

Collected in pine land soils; St. John’s; vicinity of Charles-
ton; Newbern. FI. July.

The infusion of the bruised root and branches of this plant
was used by an Indian with success in the case of a female,
under my observation, with an ulcerated breast, which had re-
sisted all other attempts at relief. I have since seen it employed
with entire satisfaction on the person of an infant, having a
painful enlargement of the sub-maxillary gland. No further
opportunity has been afforded of ascertaining its properties
with certainty ; but it seems to be possessed of some power as
a resolvent in discussing tumors, and reducing glandular en-
largements; given internally and applied topically. The taste
is somewhat acrid, 1 would invite further examination. See
Hypericum perforatum,

ST. JOHN’S-WORT, (Hypericum perforatum, Li.) Sparingly
naturalized in the Southern States. S. and N. C.

84

It was greatly in vogue at one time, and was thought to
cure demoniacs. The decoction was also given in hysteria and
suppressed menstruation. 'Thornton’s Family Herbal, 67. The
coloring matter gives a good dye to wool.

The plant called St. John’s-wort, which I think is Ascyrum
cruxandree, growing abundantly throughout our country, is
popularly regarded as of great value, bruised and applied in
the healing of wounds, and as a discutient. I have known a
decoction of the whole plant used successfully as a local appli-
cation in prurigo and in “camp itch,’ lamp oil being also
applied alternately with it. Ihave used it with great satisfac-
tion (1868) without the oil.

Wilson states that its leaves and fiowers are strongly resini-
ferous or oleiferous, and emit a powerful odor when rubbed ; it
bleeds under very slight compression or Wounding, and imparts
a blood-red color to any spirituous or oleaginous substance with
which it is mixed, and was formerly supposed to possess the
power of healing wounds, bruises and contusions. It is the
Fuga Demonium, he adds, of old herbalists, and was held to
influence conjurations and enchantments. It yields a good
yellow dye to woven fabrics, from its flowers, and a good red
dye from its leaves. The juice of the hypericums are often
exceedingly similar to gamboge. Rural Cyc. The plant has a
resinous odor, and Dr. Darlington says is believed to produce
troublesome sores on horses and horned cattle, especially those
which have white feet and noses. The dew which collects on
the plant appears to become acrid. Flora Cest. Farmers’
Encye. I found the same impression prevailing in Powhattan
County, Va. There it is known to cause blindness in horses
and troublesome sores on the legs, particularly in white horses
with delicate skins. Dr. John Harvie, of Va., informs me that
five of his were made blind by this plant in one season They
sometimes recover. The plant proves injurious by being eaten
with hay, and it gets in contact with the skin or the eye when
the animal is browsing. See Ascyrum cruxandrée. I find that
Griffith also, in speaking of H. perforatum, says that it is ob-
served to exercise “an injurious effect on cattle by inflaming
the skin wherever the skin is white, but he is inclined to attri-
bute this to a species of Euphorbia growing with it.” This
opinion was entertained by some persons in Virginia. The ear-

85

lier writers attributed to the St. John’s-wort great virtues as a
febrifuge and anthelmintic. In this country, adds Dr. Griffith,
“it is only used to make an oil or ointment, which is said to be
an excellent application in ulcers, the reduction of tumors, ete. ;
and from some trials with it, we are disposed to think favorably
of it. Itis made by infusing the flowers in oil or lard until
these substances are tinged of a red color. The first of these
preparations, though perfectly fluid at first, has a tendency to
solidify when kept.” It is observed by Cullen, in his Mat. Med.
173, “we should not be so audacious as to neglect it, for by the
sensible qualities it appears active,” ‘and there are many well
vouched testimonies of its virtues, particularly of its diuretic
puwers.” Blair, in Am. Jour. Phar. ii, 23, says its active con-
stituents appear to be an acrid, resinous substance in the whole
plant, a red oil furnished by the glands on the petals and some
tannin. A tincture of the flowers and leaves are used in stom-
ach complaints. M. Dussauce, in his Treatise on Tanning, 1867,
says that the flowers and flower tops may be used for tanning
leather.

PINE WEED; ORANGE GRASS, (Hypericum sarothra,
Mich., T. and G. Sarothra gentianoides Linn. and Ell. Sk.)
Grows in dry pastures; collected in St. John’s; vicinity of
Charleston; Newbern. Fl. July.

Mér and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. vi, 226 ; Journal de Med. Ixxx,
360. It is employed as an aperient in inflammatory affec-
tions.

ACERACEAM. (The Sycamore Tribe.) ’

RED MAPLE, (Acer rubrum, Linn.) Diffused.

Shee. Flora Carol. 80. The wood is much used in the manu-
facture of Windsor chairs, gun-stocks, etc.; the grain is some-
times beautifully curled. In a communication received from J.
Douglass, M. D., of Chester District, 8. C., his correspondent,
Mr. McKeown, states that the country people consider a strong
decoction of the bark, with white sugar, used as a wash, a safe
and certain cure for ordinary ophthalmia. Some of the inhabi-
tants of the Western States make sugar by boiling down the
sap of the white maple, which, however, like that of the red
maple, yields only half the proportion of sugar obtained from
the juice of the sugar maple. Farmer’s Encyc.

86

M. Dussauce in his “Complete Treatise on the art of Tan-
ning,” etc., 1867, states that the sap or juices of “maple, beech
and oak” furnish tannin.

SUGAR MAPHE, (Acer saccharinum, Linn.) Var. Florida-
num, found in south Florida. Chap. Diffused, but more abund-
ant in the upper districts ; found sparingly at the head waters
of Cooper River, St. Jobn’s, Berkeley; Newbern, N. C. FL.
Feb.

Shee. Flora Carol. 90. Pure flake manna has been discovered
in this species. Sugar extracted from it is an article of trade ;
it is employed medicinally also. The wood is esteemed in the
manufacture of saddle-trees. The grain of the wood is fine and
close, and when polished it has a silky lustre.

The timber of old trees is extensively used in, America for
inlaying mahogany, and it possesses, in an eminent degree, the
same kind of bird’s-eye markings which distinguish the timber
of the Norway maple. The wood is heavy and strong, but not
durable. The ashes are very rich in alkaline matter, and fur-
nish a large proportion of the potash which is imported to
Europe from New York and Boston. Rural Cye. I have seen
the sugar maple boxed as low down as Middle Virginia, but
have never heard of any sugar being made from the tree in
States south of Virginia. Maple and sweet gum barks, with
copperas, will dye a purple color; maple, red oak bark and cop-
peras to fix it, will dye dove color ; maple, with bark of black
walnut, (Juglans nigra,) gives a brown color ; sweet gum, with
copperas, yields a color nearly black. See, also, ‘ Quereus,”
“ Hopea,” ete.' See Boussingault’s Treatise, ‘“ Rural Keconomy,
in its Relation to Chemistry, Physics,” ete., p. 125, for valua-
ble instruction on cultivation, production, ete., of sugar from
maple, beet, etc.; also, Ure’s Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures
and Mines, article “Sugar, beet,” ete. Wilson, in his Rural
Cyc., article “ Acer,” which the reader may consult, states that
the sap of the maple also contains ammonia, and has, there-
fore, all the conditions for forming the nigrogenous components
of the branches, leaves and blossoms; and in proportion as
these parts of the tree are developed, it gradually loses its am-
monia, and when they are completely formed it ceases to flow.
Rural Cye. Liebig discovered that ammonia was emitted from
this juice when mixed with lime. The sugar crystalized spon-

87

taneously. The American practice with the sugar maple is to
bore two auger holes, three-fourths of an inch in diameter, and
half an inch deeper than the bark, in an obliquely ascending
direction, on the south side of the tree, at the height of about
eighteen or twonty inches from the ground, in February or
March, while the snow is on the ground, and the cold is: still in-
tense, and to insert into the holes elder or sumac tubes, partial-
ly laid open, eight or ten inches in length and three-fourths of
an inch in diameter, communicating at the lower end with
troughs of two or three gallons in capacity, for the reception
of the sap. Four gallons are usually sufficient to yield one
pound of sugar; and eight to sixteen gallons are usually ob-
tained in a season from a single tree—this must depend upon
the locality. Op. cit. TI insert the following from the Farmer's
Encye. :

“Tn a central situation, lying convenient to the trees from
which the sap is drawn, a shed is constructed, called a sugar-
campewhich is destined to shelter the boilers and the persons
who tend them from the weather. An auger, three-fourths of
an inch in diameter, small trough to receive the sap, tubes of
elder or sumac, eight or ten inches long, corresponding in size
to the auger, and laid open for a part of their length, buckets
for emptying the troughs and conveying the sap to the camp,
boilers of fifteen or eighteen gallons capacity, moulds to receive
the syrup when reduced to a proper consistency for being form-
ed into cakes, and, lastly, axes to cut and split the fuel, are the
principal utensils employed in the operation. The trees are
perforated in an obliquely ascending direction, eighteen or
twenty inches from the ground, with two holes four or five
inches apart. Care should be taken that the augers do not
enter more than half an inch within the wood, as experience
has shown the most abundant flow of sap to take place at this
depth. It is also recommended to insert the tubes on the south
side of the tree; but this useful hint is not always attended to.

“A trough is placed on the ground at the foot of each tree,
and the sap is every day collected and temporarily poured into
casks, from which it is drawn out to fill the boilers. The evapo-
ration is kept up by a brisk fire, and the scum is carefully taken
off during this part of the process. Fresh sap is added from
time to time, and the heat is maintained till the liquid is re-

88

duced to a syrup, after which it is left to cool, and then strained
through a blanket, or other woollen stuff, to separate the re-
maining impurities.

“Some persons recommend leaving the syrup twelve hours
before boiling it for the last time; others proceed with it im-
mediately. In either case the boilers are only half filled, and
by an active, steady heat the liquor is rapidly reduced to the
proper consistency for being poured into the moulds. The evap-
oration is known to have proceeded far enough when, upon rub-
bing a drop of the syrup between the fingers, it is perceived to
be granular. If it is in danger of boiling over, a bit of lard or
of butter is thrown into it, which instantly calms the ebulli-
tion. The molasses being drained off from the moulds, the
sugar is no longer deliquescent, like the raw sugar of the West
Indies.

“Maple sugar manufactured in this way is lighter colored, in
proportion to the care with which it is made, and the judgment
with which the evaporation is conducted. It is superior to the
brown sugar of the colonies, at least to such as is generally
used in the United States; its taste is as pleasant, and it is as
good for culinary purposes. When refined, it equals in beauty
the finest sugar consumed in Europe. It is made use of, how-
ever, only in the districts where it is made, and there only in
the country ; from prejudice or taste, imported sugar js used in
all the small towns and in the inns.

“The sap continues to flow for six weeks; after which it be-
comes less abundant, less rich in saccharine matter, and some-
times even incapable of crystalization. In this case it is con-
sumed in the state of molasses, which is superior to that of the
islands. After three or four days exposure to the sun, maple
sap is converted into vinegar, by the acetous fermentation.
The amount of sugar manufactured in a year varies from dif-
ferent causes. A cold and dry winter renders the trees more
productive than a changeable and humid season. It is observed
that when a frosty night is followed by a dry and brilliant day
the sap flows abundantly; and two or three gallons are some-
times yielded by a single tree in twenty-four hours. Three
persons are found suflicient to tend two hundred and fifty trees,
which give one thousand pounds of sugar, or four pounds from
each tree. But this product is not unitorm, for many farmers

89

on the Ohio do not commonly obtain more than two pounds
from a tree. Trees which grow in low and moist places afford
a greater quantity of sap than those which occupy rising
a but it is less rich in the saccharine principle. That of
‘insulated trees, left standing in the middle of fields or by the
side of’ fences, is the best. It is also remarked that, in districts
which have been cleared of other trees, and even of the less
vigorous sugar maples, the product of the remainder is, pro-
portionally, most considerable. ‘ Having introduced,’ says a
writer, ‘twenty tubes into a sugar maple, I drew from it the
‘same day twenty-three gallons and three quarts of sap, which
gave seven and a quarter pounds of sugar; thirty-three pounds
have been made this season from the same tree, which sup-
poses one hundred gallons of sap.’ It appears here that only a
little more than three gallons was required for a pound, though
four are commonly allowed.”

Mr. M. Eames furnishes the following account of his pro-
COsS:

“T gather my sap to one large reservoir once in twenty-four
hours; then it is boiled each day to syrup, which is about half
the sweetness of molasses; it is then taken out and strained
through a flannel cloth, and put into a tub or barrel to cool and
settle for twelve hours—(I use a sheet-iron pan set in an arch of
brick ; the pan is made of Russia iron, eight feet long, four feet
wide, and six inches deep;) it is then taken out,-and I am care-
ful not to move the bottom where it has settled, and place it in
a kettle and heat it to ninety-cight degrees. I then add (for
one hundred pounds) the whites of four eggs, two quarts of
milk, and one ounce of saleratus—the eggs well beat up, and
the saleratus well dissolved—and stir the whole well together
in the syrup; and when the scum has all risen, it is to be taken
off, and be sure it does not boil before you have done skim-
ming it. Then it is boiled until it is done, which you will know
by dropping some into water; which, if done, will form a wax.
It then must be taken from the kettle and placed in tinpans
to cool and form the grain; and as soon as the grain is suf-
ficiently formed, I then pour it into tunnel-shaped boxes to
drain, and after twenty-four hours [ place a flannel cloth on the
top, and take the plug from the bottom and let it drain. The
flannel cloth I keep wet from day to day.”

;

90
SAPINDACEA. (Soapberry Tribe.)
SOAPBERRY, (Sapindus marginatus., Willd.) Florida and

Georgia, near the coast.

The skin of the fruit of S. emarginatus is said to be used in
India for the same purposes as soap. That of the S. saponaria,
which grows in the West Indies, is employed for washing linen,
but when employed often is apt to burn and destroy it; the
nuts are very smooth and of a shining black color, and were
formerly imported to England and manufactured into buttons,
which were sometimes tipped with silver and always very
durable. Wilson’s Rural Cye. Our species should be examin-
ed. It will be observed that it is very nearly related to the
buckeye, (#esculus,) the roots of which are also used for wash-
ing woollens. See, also, “ Saponaria,” in this volume.

Cardiospermum halicacabum, L. S. Fla. “Apparently native
but not uncommon in tultivation.” Chap.

The root is sudorific, diuretic and aperient ; and on the Mala-
bar coast the leaves are considered efficacious in pulmonic af-
fections. Anslie, LI, 204, Griffith.

The Dodoncea viscosa also grows in 8. Fla.

AESCULACEM. (The Horse Chestnut Tribe).

The seeds contain a great quantity of nutritive starch; also
a sufficient amount of potash to be useful as cosmetics, or as a
substitute for soap.

HORSE CHESTNUT; BUCKEYE, (sculus pavia, L.)
Diffused. I have observed it in Greenville, Fairfield and
Charleston Districts ; vicinity of Charleston, Bach.; North Caro-
lina. Fl. May.

Shee. Flora Carol. 105; Griffith’s Med. Bot. 214. The fruit is
about the size of a small lemon, and of a beautifully polished
mahogany color externally ; it contains a great deal of starch.
Dr. Woodhouse prepared a half a pint from the nuts, which re-
tained its color for two years. It is superior to the famous
Portland starch, and does not impart a yellow color to cloth.
It is said that the washing from this is narcotic and poisonous,
Dr. McDowel tried the powder of the rind, and states that ten
grains were equivalent to three of opium; a strong decoction

d1

is recommended as a lotion to gangrenous ulcers. A strong
decoction of the root is said to relieve toothache when held in
the mouth. The fresh kernels, macerated in water, mixed with
wheat flour into a stiff paste and thrown in pools of standing
water, intoxicate fish, so that they float on the surface, and
may be taken; reviving, however, when placed in fresh water.
Iam informed that large quantities were formerly caught in
_ this way in the swamps along the Santee River. See, also, EIl.
Bot. Med. Notes. The roots are preferred even to soap for
_ washing and whitening woollens, blankets, and dyed cottons—
_ the colors of which are improved by the process. Satins washed
in this manner and carefully ironed, look almost as well as
new. ,

The Buckeye has been used in St. John’s, Berkeley, S. C.,
(1863,) to fix the color of cotton fabrics, muslins, etc., when alum
ox gall, sugar of lead, etc., had proved inefficient. Bedsteads
made of the horse chestnut are said not to be infested by bugs.
I am tgld that in the West they use the buckeye to prevent
piles, worn about the loins as an amulet!

POLYGALACEA, (The Milkwort Tribe.)

Bitterness in the leaves, and milk in the roots, are their usual
characteristics.

SENEKA ‘SNAKEROOT; MOUNTAIN ELAX, (Polygala
Senega, L.) Mountainous districts of South and North Carolina.
Fi. July. .

Thornton’s Fam. Herb. 629. An active stimulant, increas-
ing the force of the circulation, especially that of the pulmo-
nary vessels; hence, found very useful in typhoid inflamma-
tion of the lungs. Dr. Brandreth, of Liverpool, has derived
great service from its employment, in cases of lethargy, in
the form of an extract combined with carb. ammonie. It has
been given in dropsical cases, and as it sometimes provokes
plentiful discharges by urine, stool and perspiration, it is fre-
quently the means of removing the disease after the ordinary
cathartics, diuretics and bydragogues have failed. The In-
dians use it in snake bites, given internally and applied topi-
cally ; if beneficial, it only acts as a diffusible stimulant ; it is
administered, also, as a gargle in croup. A principle called sene-

92

gin has been discovered in it; and one by Reschier, called poly-
galic acid. Quevenne is also said to have detected two: poly-
galic and Virgineic—the first of which will unite with bases;
the second volatile, oily, nauseant and emetic in small, dia-
phoretic, expectorant and diuretic in large doses. Stephens &
Church, 103. See Analysis in Journal de Pharm, xxii, 449.
One of the principles referred to is said not to differ from sa-
ponine. Supplem. to the Dict. de M. Méd. by Mér. and de L.
1846, 578; M. Guibourt, in his “Abridged Hist. of Simple
Drugs;” Carson’s Illust. Med. Bot. 1847, pt. i; L. Feneulle’s
Annal. Journal. de Pharm. ii, 430. It has been employed in
pleurisy. See Tennent’s Essay on that disease; Duhamel, Mém.
de l’Acad. de Paris, 1739, 144; MeKensie’s Med. Obs. and
Hnquiries, ii, 288; De Haen. Ratio Medendi: F. d’Ammon “sur
Yemploi et lutilité de la racine du P. sénéga dans plusieurs
mal. de l’ceil;’”” Annal. de Chim. de Heidelberg. Dr. Ammon,
of Dresden, in his paper, employs it in ophthalmias, after the
inflammatory stage is passed; it is said to prevent the forma-
tion of cataract, and to promote the absorption of pus in hy-
popion ; he reports two cases; it is adapted, in fact, to all
‘cases of exudation, by its power of promoting discharge. Suite
des Expériences, in Bull. des Sci. Méd. xx, 241. Bretonneau
gave four to five grains, every hour, in croup; it opposes the
formation of the diphtheritic membrane. Bull. des Sei. Med.
de Férus. xi, 61; Mém. sur le Sénéga, Acad.’ des Sci. See
Mérat, loe cit. Dr. Milne spoke highly of the decoction, joined
with bitartrate of potash, indropsy. Dr. Percival administered
it in dropsy of the chest. If the decoction causes vomiting,
some aromatic, angelica, calamus, or fennel may be added. It
is prescribed as a drink in pneumonia, pleurisy and typhoid
fever. Linneeus, in his Veg, Mat. Med. 137, speaks of this plant
asa specific in croup (specificum in phlogose hine officinis nostris
dignissima.) Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 87. It acts as a stimulant,
diuretic, sialagogue, expectorant, purgative, emetic, sudorific,
and is also emmenagogue. U.S. Disp. 649; Big. Am. Med. Bot.
ii, 27; Bart. M. Bot. ii, 111; Mér and de L. v, 424; Dict. des Sci,
Méd. li, 1; Journal de Chim. Méd. ii, 431; Journal Analyt. i, 339.
Employed in nervous affections, and hectic fever; in hydro-
thorax, from its stimulating effect on the kidneys, and in dis-
sases of the lungs, from its augmenting the absorbent forces.

93

Ane. Journal de Méd. Ixxvi, 53; Detharding, Diss. de Sénéga,
1749; C. Linn. Diss. upon the Root of the Senega, Argentorati,
1750; Kielhon, Diss. Frankfort, 1765; Helminth, at Edinburgh,

~1782; G. Folchi, “Rech. chimico—Thérap. sur la racine du
polygala du Virginie.” In pneumonia, after bleeding, and in
the typhoid stage, it is one of our best remedies for promoting
expectoration; at an-earlier period it is too stimulating. Much
use is made of it on the plantations in South Carolina for this
purpose. According to Dr. Bree, it is eminently useful in the
asthma of old people, and in the latter stagesof croup. It has
been employed successfully in chronic rheumatism, and Dr.
Chapman also found it very efficacious in recent cases of amen-
orrhea. Frost’s Elems. 258; Griffith’s Med. Bot. 225; Archer’s

_Med.and Phys. Journal, i, 83; Bree on Asthma, 258; Massie’s
Inaug. Diss. Phil. 1803; Thacher’s Disp. 319; N. Kng. Journal,
vii, 206. In croup, it is often given in the form of hive syrup ;
the best form, however, is a decoction made by boiling one
ounce of the root in one pint and a half of water, till it is reduced
toa pint, the dose of which is a tablespoonful ; thirty grains of the
powdered root may be given in substance. This plant is em-
ployed by the steam practitioners. See Howard’s Syst. of Bot.
Med. 343.

BLOOD RED POLYGALA, (Polygala sanguinea, L. Nutt.)
Grows in flat, pine lands; abundantly near Purysburg; sent to
me from Abbeville by Mr. Reed; vicinity of Charleston, Bach.
North Carolina. Fl. June.

Lind. Nat. Syss. Bot. 86; Barton’s Med. Bot.ii,17. A stimu-
lating diaphoretic, similar, it is supposed, in properties to the
above. Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Med. v,424; Griffith, Med.
Bot. 225.

Polygala paucifolia, Willd. Grows in the mountains of South
and North Carolina. Fl. August.

Griffith, Med. Bot. 227. Rafinesque, in his Med. Flora, says
itis possessed of active properties; the root having a sweet,
pungent, aromatic taste, similar to that of the winter green
(Gaultheria procumb.;) he thinks it milder than the P. senega,
and, therefore, adapted to cases in which that is inapplicable.
Griffith does not agree with him, attributing to it merely tonic
and bitter properties.

94

Polygala rubella, Willd. Polygama, Walter. Vicinity of
Charleston.

The whole plant is officinal. In small doses it is tonic, in
larger, laxative and diaphoretic. The infusion of the dried plant
has been usually employed to impart tone to the digestive
organs. (Bigelow.) It appears, adds Dr. Wood, to be closely
analagous in medical virtues to the Polygala amara of Europe,
which is used for a similar purpose. U.S. Disp., 12th Ed.

The fresh root of P. lutea, yellow bachelor’s button, growing
throughout the Southern States, emits a taste similar to that of
the Gaultheria.

Krameria lanceolata, Torr. 8S. Fla. It is highly probable that
this might be used as a substitute for the officinal Rhatany
which is such an excellent astringent. Griffith.

CEDRELACEA. (Mahogany Tribe.)

MAHOGANY, (Swietenia mahagoni, L.) South Florida,
Chap. So. Flora.

This tree is cut down in August. See description of method
pursued in Honduras, Wilson’s Rural Cye.

The uses of the wood are so well known as to need no further
description.

The bark which has the properties of the S. febrifuga, which
is employed in the Kast in intermittent fever in doses of thirty —
grains, may, it is said, be used as Peruvian bark. I do not
know that the tree is “exploited” in Florida.

LINACEM. (The Flax Tribe.)

FLAX, L. (Linum usitatissimum.) ee in the Southern
States.

It is cultivated here pretty much on account of the seeds,
which are well known for their valuable demulcent properties,
and for the linseed oil which they afford. Immediate attention
should be paid to raising on a very much larger scale both this
plant, the mustard and the castor oil. Flax matures well in
this latitude. For much useful information in reference to the
economical application of this plant, see Mér. and de L. Dict.
de M. Méd. Sup. 1846, 435.

95

Among the thread plants may be mentioned Ramie Flax, (Linum
usitatissimum,) Perennial Flax, (Linum perenne,) Hemp (Cannabis
sativa,) Virginian Silk, (Asclepias syriaca,) Common nettle,
(Ortica dioica,) and the Rosebay willow herb, (pilobium angus-
tifolium.) The three latter are all found growing wild in South
Carolina. The Asclepias was planted for the purpose in Ger-
many, but is an imperfect substitute for hemp or flax. See A
syriaca in this volume. The stem of the hop has also been used
for the production of thread. They require further examina-
tion. See Thaér’s work, “Principles of Agriculture,” p. 461.
Hemp seeds also yield oil.

The best drying oils, Chaptal states (“Chemistry applied to
Agriculture,” p. 145,) are those of flaxseed, nuts and poppies.
Linseed oil will dissolve at boiling temperature one-quarter of
its weight of that oxide known in commerce by the name of
litharge. It becomes brown in proportion as the oxide is dis-
‘solved; When saturated with the oxide it thickens by cooling,
and it is necessary to render it liquid by heat at the time of
using it. Linseed oil saturated with the oxide and applied with
a brush to any substance, hardens readily and forms a coating
impervious by water, and much resembles gum elastic; linen or
silk prepared with it is flexible without being adhesive. <A ce-
ment of this oil, prepared with the oxide and mixed with the
refuse or broken fragments of porcelain or well baked potter's
ware, isused with great success in uniting the tiles upon roofs,
and in cisterus and reservoirs. To form this cement the pul-
verized fragments are thoroughly incorporated with the heated
oil, and applied by the trowel while in that state. When linseed
oilis to be used in painting, one-twentieth, or, at the most, one-
tenth of litharge is sufficient to render it drying.

With linseed oil and common glue, a water-proof material is
made, which may prove of great use in preparing garments for
soldiers. Immerse common glue in cold water until it becomes
perfectly soft, but yet retaining its original form; after which
it is to be dissolved in common raw linseed oil, assisted by a
gentle heat, until it becomes entirely taken up by the latter ;
after which it may be applied to substances for adhesion to each
other, in the way common glue is usually applied. It dries al-
most immediately, and water will exert no action upon it. It
has more tenacity than common glue, and becomes impervious

96

to water. It may be used also for furniture, and two layers of
cloth may be glued together to form a water-proof garment.
Glue dissolved in vinegar also makes a very tenacious substance —
in place of the prepared glues. See plates of machinery for
pressing linseed and other oils, Ure’s Dictionary of Arts, article
“Oils ;” also Wilson’s Rural Cyc., articles “Flax” and “Lin-—
seed.” The processes are described, with plates. Those inter-_
ested may find there a full statement of the method of gathering, -
planting, uses, etc. See, also, “Olea,” in this work. Flaxseed |
intended for planting should not be gathered too quickly. It is |
sown early in the spring. If raised merely for the seed, it is |
harvested and threshed like other grain. But when the stalk
is used, it is pulled up by a machine as soon as the seed begins |
to ripen, and bound in small bundles, the seed stripped off by a_
machine, and the stalks spread out and dew rotted; it is then |
sold to the hemp makers for seven or eight dollars per ton.
The farmer sells the crop at one dollar per bushel for the seed,

which is sent to the oil-mill.

Popular Essays on the cultivation of Flaxseed and Castor Oil
Beans have been published, 1868, by the St. Louis “ Lead and
Oil Company.” Barnum & Brother, of St. Louis, furnish ma-
chinery. They say that “farmers can undertake their culture
with an almost absolute certainty of obtaining high prices, and —
of being richly rewarded for their labor,” and that their cultiva-
tion in the Southern States may be made more remunerative
than in the Northern States, where, as in that of New York
particularly, they have been profitably cultivated for years. On
account of the importance of the subject, I introduce the follow-
ing from the pamphlet: F

“ Millions are annually paid to foreign nations for flaxseed (or
linseed) and castor beans, and for the oil pressed from them.
It is strange that this country should be the importer of articles
which can be so easily produced by our own people, and which
are so perfectly adapted to our soil and climate. We might,
with the same propriety, neglect to raise enough wheat or corn
for our own consumption, and thus be compelled to depend upon
foreign nations for our supply of these articles; for we maintain
that these crops can be raised at a greater average profit than
wheat or corn. \

“The cultivation of flaxseed is as simple as that of any crop

Ye

we have. It requires no more labor to raise and harvest a crop
of it than it does to raise and harvest a crop of oats, barley or
wheat. It is less exhausting to the soil than a crop of wheat.
The use of mowers in harvesting, leaving the roots in the
ground, prevents the crop from being an exhausting one.
Flax is a very quick crop. The producer can receive his money
within three months after sowing. The following directions, if
followed, will enable any farmer to raise a large crop of strictly
prime seed :

“ Selection of Soil—Almost any dry, rolling, moderately rich
land will produce good seed. It is generally thought that flax-
seed should be sown on moist, rich land, such as our creek and
river bottoms. This opinion prevails because the straw of flax
grows more luxuriantly on such land. The best seed, 7. e., rich-
est in oleaginous matter, is produced upon rather dry, rolling
and only moderately fertile soil. The stalks are shorter, branch
more, and the bolls fill better. A better quality of seed is also
obtaiwed in a dry season than in a wet one, 7. @., the seed con-
tains a better per cent. of oil. The straw does not grow so rank,
and the bolls fill with larger, richer seed.

“ Preparation of the Soil—The soil should be put in the finest
_ possible tilth for the reception of the seed. One good, deep
plowing, and several harrowings, so as to make the surface fine
and smooth, will answer. But it is better, when it can be done,
to plow the ground deeply in the fall, exposing the sub-soil to
the action of the frosts and the atmosphere. In the spring, cross
plow the land, and harrow as before recommended. One thing
must always be borne in mind in preparing land for flaxseed,
and that is, the land must not be worked when wet. If it is, it
will be lumpy, sticky, and in bad condition for a crop. When
the soil is dry, it pulverizes freely, and no such consequences
follow. It is desirable to have a heavy roller drawn over the
field, to crush and thoroughly pulverize any lumps or clods that
may be on the surface. The whole cultivation of the crop, and
the yield therefrom, depends upon putting the land in proper
condition for the seed. A little éxtra labor and care in this re-
spect will yield a rich return. If the sub-soil is a retentive clay,
it is better to plow the ground in back furrows or lands, eighteen
or twenty feet wide, leaving the furrows between the lands open

‘j

8

for the passage of water in case of heavy rains, or an undue
umount of moisture,

“ Quality of Seed.—Too much pains cannot be taken to get that
which is fully matured and perfectly clean--free from all foul
seods—both to secure a good merchantable crop and to preserve —
the land on which it is sown from troublesome weeds. Farmers
often experience great difficulty in procuring such seed, as no
ordinary fanning mill will remove some of the worst enemies of
the farmer and good flax. The linseed oil manufacturer who
receives the crop of a large section of country is enabled to
select choice lots of seed and reserve them for sowing, and then,
by machinery too expensive and cumbrous for ordinary use, to
clean it so thoroughly that he can give out cach year an almost
perfect article of sowing seed, Such seed is superior to that
ordinarily obtained in the market, and even at seed stores,
With good seed to sow, there is nothing like flax as a prepara-
tory crop for wheat. The testimony of Ohio farmers, where
flax has been extensively grown for over a quarter of a century,
is explicit on this point.

“Time and Manner of Sowing.—The seed should be sown so
soon in spring as the land can be got in proper condition—say
the latter part of March to middle of April. We have heard
that it is sometimes injured, at a particular stage of its growth,
by frost ; but we bave cultivated it, and seen it cultivated for
more than twenty-five years, and have never known any injury .
to occur to it from frost. To avoid frost, it should not be
planted till about the first of May in the latitude of St. Louis ;
but if the season should be dry, the flax will not get large
enough to resist the drouth of summer, Therefore, we think it
better to sow the seed about the first of April. Some farmers
do sow the seed as early as in February, on the snow, It may
be sown with safety at almost any time in spring. The seed is
scattered evenly and thinly over the surface of the ground by
hand. It should be covered by drawing brush over it, instead
of harrowing it, as by the latter method it is covered too deep.
Only a very slight covering is required, A heavy rain, imme-
diately after the seeding, will cover the seed sufficiently ; or,
drawing a heavy roller over the ground will answer the same
purpose. But, in these cases, the soil must have been made
very mellow and fine before sowing the seed,

99

“ Quantity of Seed per Acre.—N ot over half a bushel per acre, in
any case, should be sown. By thin sowing the stalks will be
stronger and throw out vigorous branches, which will produce
large bolls filled with plump, glossy seed, containing a very
large per cent. of oil. By thick seeding the plants are less
strong, branch but little, the sun can strike only the tops of the
plants, and the seeds will be smaller, lighter, and will not con-
tain within fifteen or twenty per cent. the amount of oil that
seed will when raised by thin sowing.

“ Flaxseed with Barley.—¥laxseed may be raised with spring
barley with the most satisfactory results. A yield has been
obtained, varying in different years, from ten to fifteen bushels
of flaxseed, and from sixteen to twenty-two bushels of barley
per acre. ‘The barley is first sown and harrowed in, then the
flaxseed is sown, six or eight quarts per acre, and covered with
the brush, The crops ripen nearly together. They are har-
vested, and then threshed with a common threshing machine;
and by*he use of suitable screens in the fanning mill, the barley
comes out clean in the front part of the mill, and the flaxseed
comes out under or at one side of the mill. We have seen as
fine, plump flaxseed raised in this manner as we ever saw, and
the barley equally fine. Those farmers who intend to sow
barley, will find that, by sowing flaxseed with it, they will
derive much greater returns from the flaxseed than from the
barley, and the quantity of barley produced will not be materi-
ally Jessened. Less than the usual quantity of barley should be
sown, when it is intended to raise flaxseed with it.

“ Time of Cutting.—¥ lax should be cut as soon as the bolls begin
to turn brown, and while the stock is yet green. If left stand-
ing too long, there will be a great loss of seed in harvesting.
Farmers are usually well through harvesting spring wheat
before flax is ready to cut; and it ripens considerably later
than winter wheat.

“ Mode of Cutting —Some farmers use a cradle, but a large
majority a machine. From the number of reapers mentioned
as working well, we are persuaded that almost all our standard
machines can be used to advantage in cutting flax. When it is
raised principally for the seed there is no necessity for binding
it, but may be simply raked off into gavels and lie until dry,
when it is ready for threshing. It is better to thresh it early.

100

“ Mode of Threshing.—Some use a flail, some a machine, and
some tread out with horses. In some sections, and those where
they have raised most, and for the longest time, they report no
difficulty in using machines with some slight alterations, to suit
better the nature of the crop. The good sense and peculiar
circumstances of each farmer will suggest the best mode for
him, .

“Cleaning Seed.—Is an item in raising flax that must have great
attention from farmers. Until lately the makers of fanning
mills had little or no experience with it, and so furnished no
screens suitable; but now several furnish a flax screen, with
which a large amount of the foul seeds can be removed; and
there is certainly no excuse for transporting dirt, at a high
rate of freight, to the damaging of the crop in the market, and
the great annoyance of the manufacturer, who has to separate
every particle of it before crushing the seed. The difference in
price between lots of seed belonging to different parties is mainly
determined by the manner in which it has been cleaned by the
farmer.

‘Yield per Acre.—The average yield of seed may be stated at
ten to twelve bushels per acre. The largest yield of which we
have heard was twenty-three bushels to the acre, but scores of
farmers report fifteen to twenty bushels, The average yield of
straw is one and a half to two and a half tons—when cut, yield-
ing about one ton of rotted straw for which there is now an
active demand with every prospect for its increase, as machines
for breaking out the fibre are improved and multiplied.

“Cost of Production—About the same as wheat. Harvesting
less expensive, but cleaning a trifle more. So that it may be
safely put down as costing less to raise flax than wheat.

“ Certainty of the Crop.—On this point there is perfect agree-
ment from all sections. We hope farmers, who have hitherto
stood aloof from its culture, will give it at least a fair trial—
fully persuaded that, at no distant day, the South and West can
and will produce flaxseed enough to supply the whole country
with linseed oil, and flax fibre enough to clothe us all in linen
more or less fine, and that at a cost comparing favorably with
cotton,

“Flaxseed has proved a profitable crop in the Northern States
for several years, The importation of linseed and linseed oil

101

has exceeded manyfold the home production ; and the present
duty on foreign oil and seed, with the immense home demand, is
a sufficient guarantee to the producer of remunerative prices for
many years tocome. The market price for flaxseed has ruled
remarkably regular the past few years, as a comparison of the
highest and lowest prices for the four years last passed will
show :

Highest Price. Lowest Price.
TO04;.ii,0 ges $2 75 $2 25
1865..... Edevevescasduese 2 85 1 70
OOO Fits dds evebsiee 2°75 2 50
BOO Ess etiony beste lakece 2 50 2 00

The highest prices for the four years averaging $2 71, and the
lowest $2 11 per bushel. The fibre, when properly rotted and
broken, is saleable in large quantities in the principal cities, at
from eight to twelve cents per pound.”

The reader interested in the preparation and cleaning of the
fibres of textile plants, will find a paper upon the subject, con-
densed from the Singapore Free Press, in the P. Office Rep.
1854, p. 174. A description of the simplest and most economi-
eal modes of cleaning them is given. The Plantain, Agave and
Aloe are planted in India, and the fibre exported for twine,
paper, etc., bringing from sixty to two hundred dollars per ton.
Ido not know that these plants are used in our West India
islands or in Florida for these purposes. The ordinary mill used
in pressing sugar cane can be used in cleaning the fibre. See
article cited, and “ Ramie” in this volume.

Wilson’s Rural Cyc., article “ Bleaching,” furnishes a practi-
cal explanation of the methods of bleaching flax, hemp, etc. See,
also, Ure’s Dictionary. The wild flax (LZ. Virginianum, L.)
grows in Florida and northward.

MALVACEM. (The Mallow Tribe.)

They abound in mucilage, and are totally destitute of all un-
wholesome qualities.

LOW MALLOWS, (Malva rotundifolia, L.) Naturalized ;
grows around buildings; Richland; vicinity of Charleston; N.
C. Fi. June.

U.S. Disp. 444. A substitute for M. sylvestris, which possesses
valuable demulcent properties. Woody. Med. Bot. 554, tom.

~ 102

197. It is very emollient, and is employed in catarrhal, dysen-
teric and nephritic diseases, and wherever a mucilaginous fluid
is required. It is administered in the shape of emollient
enemata, and it forms a good suppurative or relaxing cataplasm
in external inflammations. Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Med. ii,
207. It was highly regarded by the ancients. ‘‘ Pythagore
regardait leur usage comme propre a favoriser l’exercise de la
pensée!”’ Hippocrates employed it as we do, for gargles and
collyria, as an application to heated and*inflamed parts, as a
vehicle for pectoral and anodyne medicines, and for those
administered in diseases of the urinary passages, The root,
seeds and whole plant are mucilaginous, and are employed in
catarrhal, dysenteric and nephritic complaints as an emollient
injection, and wherever an emollient substance is required. U.
8. Disp. I have seen it collected in Charleston for these
purposes.

INDIAN MALLOWS; VELVET LEAF, (Abutilon Avi-
cenne, Gertn., T. and G.) (Sida abutilon, Linn. and Ell. Sk.)
Grows at Granby, in Richland District, and in Georgia ; vicinity
of Charleston. Bach. Newbern. FI. July.

Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 96; Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. vi,
338. The plant is said to be cultivated in China as a substitute
for hemp. The flowers are employed as an ingredient in emol-
lient applications.

Abutilon and Sida. Species of these two genera have been
used inmedicine. WS. abutilon is cultivated in India for the fibre,
and somewhat extensively introduced into field culture in Italy.
See Rural Cye., Chap. So. Flora. Our Abutilons should be ex-
amined; several grow in South Carolina and Florida. They
all furnish mucilage and may be used as substitutes for the
Marsh mallow.

MARSH MALLOW, (Hibiscus Moscheutos, L.) Collected in
St. John’s; vicinity of Charleston ; Newbern.

Bergius, M. Med. ii, 629. This also is possessed of demulcent
properties ; a convenient substitute for the above.

OKRA, (Hibiscus esculentus.) Introduced from Africa.

The fruit and pods afford the well known valuable vegetable
so largely used in the Southern States in combination with
tomatoes in making soup. It is very mucilaginous, and, in-

—_-

10%

fused in water, forms a suitable vehicle for medicines prescribed
in diseases of the mucous passages, for enemata, etc. The leaves -
are sometimes employed for preparing emollient poultices. The
roots are said to abound in mucilage, of which they yield twice
as much as the Althwa root, free from any unpleasant odor.
Their powder is perfectly white and superior also to that of the
Marsh mallow. See Am. J. Pharm., May, 1860, U. S. Dis.,
12th Ed. The parched seeds afford a tolerably good substitute
for coffee ; the difference can with difficulty be detected. It has
for some time been used for this purpose among the negroes on
the plantations of South Carolina.

This well-known vegetable contains an enormous amount of
albumen—so much, that Chaptal says that in St. Domingo it is
employed in clarifying liquors. In Guadeloupe and Martinique
they use the bark of the slippery elm for this purpose as white
of egg elsewhere. It would be a matter of importance to as-
certain whether or not vegetable albumen would be useful in
clarifying sugar. In employing albumen for clarifying fluids
the following method is adopted, according to the writer just
mentioned. I would refer the reader also to Ure’s Dictionary of
Arts and Manufactures. The albumen, generally white of egg,
is diluted with water, and then mixed with the liquid which is
to be clarified ; the whole is then heated to 65° or 70° Fahr., and
stirred carefully so as to distribute the albumen equally among
all its particles; by increasing the heat the albumen is made to
coagulate, when it rises to the top of the vessel, carrying with
it all the particles which render the liquid turbid or cloudy; the
thick foam which this produces, when cooled, may be taken off
with a skimmer, and the liquid be afterward filtrated, to remove
any remaining particles from it. The same writer says that
animal albumen, mixed with quick-lime, finely powdered and
spread upon strips of linen, makes an excellent lute, to be ap-
plied over the joints of vessels for distilling, to prevent loss of
gas or vapor.

The Bené, (Sesamum indicum,) is another plant cultivated on
our plantations, which has a very large amount of mucilage.

The okra plant has been recommended to be planted for the
fibre as a textile substance. Even the cotton plant, if not al-
lowed to come to maturity, and planted closer, like flax and,
hemp, might furnish an inner bark suitable for twine or cloth.

‘104

The nettle, (Urtica dioica,) the Apocynum cannabinum, and several
species of Asclepias, or silk weed, may, by improved cultiva-
tion, give a useful fibre; see index. Dr. GC. Shaeffer, the
author of'a paper in P. O. Rep., 373, 1859, on “ Vegetable fibre,”
states that the fibre of the silk or milk-weed (A. cornuti) “was
nearly if not quite as strong as the hemp.” In this article the
mode of preparing textile fibres is treated of, and also the best
materials for paper making. A curious work, by Dr. J. C.
Shaeffer, 1765, is referred to, in which experiments were long
since performed upon innumerable substances suited to the
making of paper. The latest work of consequence has been
published by L. Piette, 1838. Piette gives specimens of good,
strong, white paper made from straw. Paper in the United
States was also made from wood, sawdust and shavings, in 1828
and 1880. The bark of the linden is used in Prussia. (See
Tilia.) The palmetto, agave and yucca of the South furnish a
long fibre. When necessary, the intercellular substance may
be dissolved out by strong alkalies by the lye from the ashes of
plants, ete. For material for paper making see “Cotton” and
“ Esparto” Grass. Ure'’s Dictionary of Arts may be consulted
with reference to machinery, ete.

COTTON, (Gossypium herbaceum, Linn.)

A native of tropical America. The long staple, including the
varieties of sea island, black seed and mains, grow best in the
lower «ountry, and the short, or green seed, in the upper dis-
tricts. Prescott states that the Spaniards found it in Mexico.

See “Conquest of Mexico.” It was first planted in the United.

States as an experiment in 1621. It was known in South Caro-
lina by a paper which refers to it, dated 1666, but only seven
bags were exported in 1748.

Mér and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. Supplem. 1846. This was
the plant known to the ancients as the Byssus of old writers,
Herodotus, t. iii, 1384, of Durger’s Ed.; Chateaubriand, Journal
to Jerusalem, 1777. See Révue Médicale, Feb, 1845, 225, for
Observations on the Employment of the Cotton Fibre in Dress-
ing Wounds; Ann de Chimie, 427, 1845; Binol’s Letters on the
Cultivation of Cotton in India; C. Delasterie on the G. her-
bacea and its Cultivation, Paris, 1808; Lessier sur la Culture du
Coton en France; Gerspach, Considerations sur l’influence des

—_—

105

filatures du Coton sur la santé des ouvriers, Paris, 1827; Obs.
on the Employment of Cotton in the Treatment of Blisters,
1830; Some Reflections by F. T, Saint Hilaire on Wounds, and
their Treatment with Cotton, (in French,) Montp. 1830; Sicand,
Obs. on the Employment of the Cotton Fibre in Surgery and a
Memoir on the different Species cultivated in Naples, op. cit.
sup.; Griffith, Med. Bot. 163; Dr. MacFayden (FI. Jamaica)
considers the species only as varieties. Humboldt saw them
growing in Central America at an elevation of nine thousand
feet: The flowers are emollient. like mallows and used for
similar purposes ; the roots are used in India in diseases of the
urinary organs. See Anslie. In Brazil, a decoction of the
leaves steeped in vinegar is said to relieve hemicrania. Ac-
cording to Martin the seeds, which afford much oil, are emol-
lient and are employed in emulsions, injections and diseases of
the mucous passages. The oil is afforded by the seeds in suf-
ficiently large quantities to be exported. It might be made a
useful Grticle on the plantations, as it does not deprive the
seeds of their valuable properties as a manure. When boiled,
they furnish an excellent food for cattle, but are poisonous to
hogs when eaten in the raw state. Much use is made of the
roots in South Carolina in the treatment of asthma—a decoc-
tion being employed. It appears to have, moreover, a specific
action on the uterine organs. Dr. Ready, of Edgefield District,
informs me (1849) that his attention was called to its emmen-
agogue properties by an article which appeared in a journal
published some years since. (New Orleans Med. Journal.) He
has since used it in suppression of the menses, but more par-
ticularly in many cases of flooding, with entire success. It
seems to produce as active contractions of the uterus as ergot
itself. Four ounces of the root or inner bark of the root are in-
fused in one pint of boiling water, of which from three to four
ounces are taken internally every fifteen minutes. More ex-
tended experiments with this remarkable plant, in cases of this
description, might furnish very valuable results, and I would
invite particular attention to it. Since the appearance of the
first edition of this work many articles have been published in
the medical journals on the use of the cotton root as an em-
menagogue and parturifacient.

Dr. Wood in the 12th Ed, U.S. Disp., 1866, says that the root

106

of the cotton plant has been employed by Dr. Bouchelle, of
Mississippi, who believes it to be an excellent emmenagogue
and not inferior to ergot in promoting uterine contractions.
He states that it is habitually and effectually resorted to by the
slaves of the South for producing abortion; and thinks that it
acts in this way without injury to the general health. To as-
sist labor he employs a decoction made by boiling four ounces
of the inner bark of the root in a quart of water to a pint, and
gives a wineglassful every twenty or thirty minutes. (West.
Journ. Med. and Surg. Aug. 1840.) Dr. T. J. Shaw, of Ten-
nessee, thinks it superior in the treatment of amenorrhea to
any other agent, and equal to ergot as a parturient, while at-
tended with less danger. He uses a tincture made by ma-
cerating eight ounces of the dried bark of the root in two pounds
of diluted alcohol for two weeks, and gives a drachm three or
four times a day. (Nashville Journ. Med. and Surg. 1855.) See
U.S. Disp. See, also, Pe. Mat. Med. ii, 568; Med. and Surg.
Journal, xiii, 215; U.S. Disp. 357; Lond. Med. Gazette, Nov.
8, 1839; West. Journal Med. and Surg. 1840; Royle, Illust. 84
and Mat. Med. 288; Mér. and de L. Dict de M. Méd. iii, 409;
Marcgrave’s Brazil, 60; Dict. des Sc. Nat. xxxiv, 15. Dr. Bates,
Journal of Mat. Medica, May, 1867, furnishes a paper on the
medical uses of the plant.

The fibre of our great staple is applicable to many purposes
in surgery, in dressing burns, preserving the temperature of the
extremities in depressed conditions of the system, and also for
stuffing and padding in the application of fracture boxes; but it
is not, as has been contidently stated, arsubstitute for lint in any
sense of the term. On account of the oil which it contains, it
cannot absorb pus or liquids from wounds, unless it has been
previously prepared. This, indeed, is a peculiarity of cotton
fibre in its natural state; water or fluids will roll from it; the
slightest experience or observation would convince any one of
this; and yet it has been extensively distributed as a substance
for dressing wounds, which it only tends to render hotter and
more inflamed.

The plant has also been highly recommended as a substitute
for quinine in intermittent fever. I will refer the reader to
some of the later volumes of the Charleston Med. Journal and
Review. It has been used with great confidence by many per-

a SROT

sons throughout the South and West. See, also, a paper by Dr.
Cabell, in the Va. Med. Journal, vol. 3. Prof. H. R. Frost,
(Charleston Med. Journal, May, 1850,) quotes Dr. W. R. Davis,
of Fairfield District, S.C., who reports that it was used as an
anti-periodic agent. A pint of the seeds is boiled in a quart of
water to a pint, and a teacupful of the decoction is given an
hour or two before the return of the chill. I introduce the fol-
lowing slip from a newspaper (1862) in default of more precise
information from the medical authorities who have used it.
H. D. Brown, of Copiah County, Mississippi, communicates
the following notice of the use of the cotton seed tea as a sub-
stitute for quinine :

“T beg to make public the following certain and thoroughly
tried cure for ague and fever: One pint of cotton seed, two pints
of water boiled down to one of tea, taken warm one hour before
the expected attack. Many persons will doubtless laugh at this
simple remedy, but I have tried it effectually, and unhesitatingly
say it #® better than quinine, and could I obtain the latter article
gratuitously, I would infinitely prefer the cotton seed tea. It
will not only cure invariably, but permanently, and it is not at
all unpleasant to the taste.”

Collodion, a solution of gun cotton in ether and alcohol,
has been extensively employed in surgical cases, as a covering
for wounds, to keep out the air and to assist in the approxima-
tion of the edges. It has also been employed in various eruptive
diseases, in erysipelas, in burns, in the cure of excoriations and
fissures of the nipple, in nevus, ete, See medical works,

I am informed by planters in South Carolina that they use
habitually a decoction of the cotton seed in place of flaxseed,
and wherever a mucilaginous tea is required. If it serves fully
the purposes of flaxseed, the fact is highly ms dat ecg and it
should be largely used.

The seeds of the black seed cotton, parched and ground, are
considered by many as one of the best substitutes for coffee,
both in smell and taste. In a paper by G. C. Shaeffer, on the
cotton fibre, Patent Office Report, Agriculture, 1854, p. 181, he
says: “Still, in the present scarcity of paper making material, it
may be well to look to the bark of the cotton plant as a partial
supply for the common kinds of paper. Fermentation, or any
of the known methods of separating the wood, may be em-

108

ployed.’ If the cotton is gathered, the plant has then become
too woody. Soe, also, Okra, (/Zidiseus esculentus.)

Townsend Glover, entomolog'’st, employed by the Patent
Office, describes the diseases incident to the cotton plant in his
successive papers, in the volumes of the P. OQ. Report for
1855—7, “On the Insects frequenting the Cotton Plant.” These
papers contain a good deal of information on the character and
habits not only of insects infesting cotton, but many other
plants, with illustrations on wood. He describes the rust, rot
and blight, and devises methods for preventing their spread.
The English use cotton dipped in a solution of saltpoter as a
moxa; see “ Helianthus.” “Gun cotton” is also a well known
explosive agent, prepared by means of nitric acid,

Dr. Wood, in his notes to the 12th Ed. U. 8. Disp, 1866,
quotes some interesting tacts from a paper by Mr. Wm, H.
Weatherby, who resided at the South, (See Am. J. Pharm.,
May, 1861.) He states that the oil is obtained by expression
from the seeds, previously deprived of their shells, In this
state they yield two gallons of oil to the bushel. Besides the
crude oil, there are three varieties in the shops at the South
more or less puritied, recognized as the elariied, the refined and
the winter dleached. The last mentioned has a mild, peculiar
odor, and a bland, sweetish taste, not unlike that of almond
oil. The oil is used in the preparation of woollen cloth and
morocco leather, and for oiling machinery. There seems to be
some doubt of its drying qualities. It has been found to be an
excellent substitute for almond and olive oil in most pharma-
ceutical preparations, but it does not answer well in the forma-
tion of the lead plaster. Citrine ointment may be prepared
with it. It is unsoluble in alcohol, but dissolved in all pro-
portions of chloroform.

Cotton Seed Soap—-The following I obtain from a cor-
respondent: “ Put cotton seed into a large and strong iron pot,
in small quantities at a time, mash them well with a wooden
pestle, and then pour in a certain quantity of common lye, and
boil thoroughly ; strain in an ordinary sieve, and proceed in
the usual way in drying and cutting intocakes. The oil is thus
yielded, and saponified.”

Machines are now manufactured in this country for decorti-
cating the cotton seed in manufacturing the cake. It is thus

i

:

10%

much improved as an article of food for cattle, not being near
80 liable to injure the animals. It brings a high price in Eng-
land. Mills for the preparation of the cake have been estab-
lished in Rhode Island. Strange that nothing of the kind has
existed at the South where the seed can be 60 easily obtained.
The great value of the seed as a manure may account in part

for the indifference of the planter. The seed has been pressed

in New Orleans. The oil is said to be “unsurpassed for dress-
ing leather and lubricating machinery, and as an illuminator
affords a clear and brilliant light”—as good as spermaceti when
refined. See, also, a paper on cotton seed oil, Southern Cultiva-

tor, p. iii, vol. 3. He states that there are thirty bushels of

seed to every bale of cotton ; each bale will yield at least fifteen
gallons of crude oil and three hundred and sixty barrels of oil

take. “No difficulty exists in hulling, tempering, or expressing

the oil,” and the huller of Follet and Smith, of Petersburg, is
referred to; hulling at the rate of a basket of kernels in four or
five nifmutes. The machinery employed in French Flanders for
rape seed, answers perfectly for cotton seed.

Cotton Seed Oil.—A good deal has been said of late in the
Cincinnati and New Orleans papers on the subject of cotton

_ seed oil and cake; and if the half of what is published shall

turn out to be true, we have reached the beginning of a new
era in the cotton culture, not unlike that which marked the

invention of the cotton gin. Mr. William R. Free, of Cincin-

nati, has invented and constructed a cotton seed huller, which en-
tirely separates the hull and the little lint that adheres to it
from the meat part of the seed. The huller is said to be simple
in construction, is made entirely of iron, and is easily kept in
repair. It requires a two-horse power to drive it and two
hands to tend it—one to feed the mill and one to remove the
hulls from the screen. It will hull and screen one ton, or two
thousand pounds per hour, ready for the press—fifty per cent.
of which is kernels or the meats of the seed, from which forty
gallons of oil may be obtained. This machine must be exceed-
ingly valuable to prepare seed for all feeding purposes on the
farm where no oil is expressed, as the hulls and lint are alto-
gether undesirable as food. Hulls and cotton seed and cut straw,
or corn stalks, boiled together in large iron boilers, or steamed
in big tubs or vats, will make a superior stock feed. Butas a

L10

gallon of this oil is cheap at a dollar, and enough seed to make
forty gallons can be hulled in an hour, it is far better to teed the
cake after most of the oil is taken out, steamed with straw or
stalks, than to feed this precious oil to live stock. After cotton
seed is hulled, a good cotton press for baling cloth will press
out most of the oil in the kernels, Perhaps they may require
beating, asin pressing flaxseed, The art is very simple. In-
stead of sending cotton seed to distant markets, where the
producer will lose the cake for feeding and as a fertilizer, we
earnestly recommend to each large plantation (or where their
operations are small, for several to unite,) to purchase a hulling
machine, and, if necessary, construct or buy an oil press for
home use. According to the data furnished by the Cincinnati
operators, four thousand pounds of common cotton seed will
turn out fifty dollars worth of oil; and every planter knows
that in case he should wish to mix the hulls with the cake in
feeding it, or as amanure, he can do so after the oil is expressed.
The oil is nearly valueless as a fertilizer, being nothing but
carbon and the elements of water, while in skilful hands it is
worth some forty to fifty cents a gallon for making tat hogs,
sheep, cows and steers, but more for burning, and lubricating
machinery. At this time we would gladly pay twenty dollars
per one thousand pounds for cotton seed cake, to feed cattle,
sheep and hogs. It is worth more than corn or wheat, pound for
pound, to feed mules and hogs on a cotton plantation. It con-
tains more of the muscle, sinew and bone forming matter. It
has less starch than corn, but is a healthier food than either
peas, beans, wheat or maize. If the hulls were in the cake, the
result would be quite different. In flaxseed cake the hull of the
seed is not removed. It is owing to the richness of the clean
meats of cotton seed that straw, or coarse forage of some kind,
should be fed with the cake, except to hogs.

Consequent upon the increased amount of cotton raised in
the Southern States, and the great bulk of the seed, there had
been several establishments in operation before the war for
economizing the oil. At one in New Orleans, driven by a thirty-
five-horse power steampress, five hundred gallons of oil and
five tons of oil cake a day were prepared. It required for the
day's work, as is stated in the Southern Farmer and Planter,
about fifteen tons of cotton seed to produce this amount of oil

111

and cake, each ton of seed yielding about forty gallons of oil
and seven hundred or eight hundred pounds of cake. The
proprietor shipped eight hundred tons to England, where it was
_ used by the farmers, who are extensive importers of linseed oil
cake. The cotton seed cake “is highly esteemed for fattening
cattle and sheep.” In Memphis, Tenn., it was also made in
very large quantities. The oil, refined by a secret process, is
made of two qualities—“the best used for illuminating and lu-
bricating purposes, as well as for currying leather, etc. The
_ inferior is found to answer the purpose of soap making equal to
palm oil, making soap of every quality, even to the most re
fined toilet soap.” Cotton seed cake might be used as a sub-
stitute to a certain extent for corn for fattening stock. ‘“ Cotton
seed meal and corn meal, if applied directly to the hay that is
fed in fattening animals, instead of the Jatter being fed alone
and dry, and the corn unground, would add vastly to the
profits of fattening.” Cotton seed cake sold at the mills for
about the same price that flaxseed cake sold for.
Browne, in his “ Field Book of Manures,” New York, 1853,
says of the cotton seeds: “They abound in a mild oil, and are
accounted very nutritious (as manures) after the oil is expressed.
A bushel of seed weighs thirty pounds, and yields two and a
half quarts of oil and twelve and a half pounds of fine meal.
The oil cake is very brittle and breaks down much more
readily than linseed oil cake. Its taste is not unpleasant, and
it is stated that it can be employed with success in fattening
stock.”

In the Patent Office Report, 1855, p. 234, are some “ Chem-
ical Researches on the Seed of the Cotton Plant,’ by Prof. C. T.
Jackson. In this article a patent is referred to as having been
taken out by D. W. Mesner for “separating the hulls from the
cotton seeds.” The yield of the unprepared and woolly seeds
is very small, in comparison with what is obtained from those
which have been hulled. Analysis are given of the oil, the
seed, the cake, etc. Prof. Jackson says: “ Separation of the oil:
In order to separate the fixed oil, pure ether was employed,
and it was found that one hundred grains of the dried pulver-
ized seeds yielded in one experiment 39.7, and in another 40
per cent. of pure fatty oil. By pressure, I was able with a
small screw-press to obtain only thirty-three per cent, of oil ;

112

but I have no doubt a more powerful one would have given a
larger yield. The specific gravity of the oil which I obtained
from the ethereal solution was 0.923—water being unity. This
is also the specific gravity of purified whale oil. Cotton seed
oil is stated by Dr. Wood to be a drying oil, but that. which I
have obtained does not appear to possess drying properties,
serving perfectly well for the lubrication of machinery, and for
burning in lamps, as well as for making soap. It will also serve
as a substitute for olive oil in many cases, and perhaps may be
eaten as a salad oil, for it has no disagreeable odor or taste.”
Chemical examination of the Oil Cake.—Linseed oil cake is well
known both in Europe and in this country as valuable food for
cattle, and asan excellent fertilizer—worth from forty to fifty
dollars per ton for the latter purpose. On examining my cotton
seed oil cake, I found it possessed a sweet and agreeable flavor,
and was much more pure and clean than linseed oil cake. One
hundred grains of the seed leave sixty grains of oil cake. This
cake, examined for sugar, was found to contain 1.1 grains, and
for gum, thirty-five grains were obtained. Jodine gave no proof
of the existence of any starch in cotton seed, nor in the oil cake.
Alcohol dissolves out the sugar, which is like that obtained from
raisins, and is grape sugar. Boiling water dissolves the gum,
and becomes very mucilaginous. The gum is precipitable from
the water by means of pure alcohol. On the subject of paper
from the cotton plant, I introduce the following communication
dated Carlowville, Ala., and signed C. F. Sturgis, 1863 :
“Several years since I commenced experimenting with the bark
of the cotton plant, (both of the root and the stalk,) and soon
satisfied myself that it furnishes an admirable substitute for
rags in the manufacture of paper, and is doubtless possessed of
some advantages. Proceeding with my experiments, I finally
invented a process (in many respects peculiar) adapted to the
production of pulp from this material, visiting during the time
the Bath Paper Mills and the Rock Island Mills for this pur-
pose, as Mr. Walker, of the Bath Mills, can inform you. After a
long series of annoyances, succeeded in procuring a patent
from the United States Government, which is inoperative
through or by reason of defective specifications, the fault either
intentionally or unintentionally of my agent, at least to a
degree. I, however, continued my experiments, and since the

113

termination of the war made application for a patent for my
amended specifications.

“J am prepared to demonstrate to any intelligent body that
the above named material furnishes an admirable substitute for
rags in the production of Paper pulp, and that dispenses with
some of the operations necessary with rags, and, therefore, will
produce paper far more cheaply than rags can possibly do.”

A writer in the Jackson, Miss., Southron, urges most stren-
uously upon the people of the South the advantages of cotton
for making beds. Besides its greater cheapness, attention is
called to its superior cleanliness, “vermin will not abide in it;
there is no grease in it, asin hair or wool; it does not get stale
or acquire an unpleasant odor as feathers often do; moths do
not infest it as they do wool; it does not pack or become hard,
as moss does; nordoes it become dry, brittle or dusty, as do
straw, hay or shucks. It is the cheapest, most comfortable
and most healthy material for bedding.” Cotton has been ex-
tensively used both by whites and negroes in making mat-
tresses and comforts during the war. See “Zostera” and
“Ramie” for substitutes for cotton.

It would hardly be desirable that I should furnish, in a work
like this, very full instruction respecting the cultivation and
- handling of cotton, as it can easily be procured elsewhere. It
is greatly to be hoped that manufactories will soon spring up
everywhere in our midst which can use the raw material at
their very doors, and thus obviously diminish our expenditures
and increase our profits.

Governor W. B. Seabrook, of 8. C., has written, perhaps, the
most full description of the cultivation of cotton, in a pamphlet
published a few years since. See, also, a paper on “Cotton” in
new Am. Encyclopedia, which contains a full account of the
trade, growth, manufacture, production, ete.

Cultivation of Cotton.—With respect to the cultivation of up-
land or short staple cotton, I must be content to give an abstract
of the plan recommended by David Dickson, of Hancock County,
well known as one of the most successful planters in Georgia,
and as published by him in a series of letters to Southern Cult-
vator, for January, 1869.

His method in brief is as follows:

8

114

Break the land deep before planting. If in a warm climate,
cultivate the land flat, not on beds. At the second plowing;
when the plant is about six inches high, give it a very deep
plowing—sub-soil it if you can; after then cultivate with broad
sweeps twenty-four inches across the wing, set to run very
shallow or light harrows, so as not to break the small roots in
the middle of the row, as the breaking of these roots is very
fatal to cotton,.causing it to shed its fruit. In a cold climate or
on bottom land plant on high beds, and keep them so in cultiva-
tion, and be sure to leave a thick stand to prevent too large a
weed.

His formula for manures for both corn and cotton, is “ Pure
dissolved bones, land plaster and salt, crowned with the best of
all manures, Peruvian Guano. Purchase the pure article and
do your own mixing. For one acre, take:

Permvia Guanes s505 ictus athe Mudd de anaed sdael beeen 100 lbs.
Dissolved bone (‘sup-Phosph.) without admixture of

Cir tlds )/. oo sees Rasa Vaan Sek idde eds cae 100.“
tl te ree Cie 100; as
Tian) Plaster isi: 5.0. .tvale tecineds <caiewetant 000 Sager er 50

all well mixed ; and when you lay off cotton, open at least eight
inches, and deposit the manure along the furrow and bed as
usual. [For corn open eight inches, drop the manure in hills
three feet apart, drop the corn within three or four inches of
the manure, cover all at once, about one and a half inches deep.
Let it stand for four or five weeks without work.’’]

The following contains an abstract of his method of cultivat-
ing a lot of sixteen acres. He gives the details of the prepara-
tion, manuring, planting, cultivation and production of a sixteen
acre lot planted in cotton. As many may desire to know all
the particulars, I will be as explicit as I can be in a letter:

“First, the land is good pine land, and has been under the
plow nearly seventy years, and as many as fifty-five years in
cotton. About twelve years ago it was sown in oats, with two
hundred lbs. of guano and bones mixed with salt and plaster,
and made thirty or thirty-five bushels per acre; all fed off by
turning stock in the field. Four years ago I left it uncultivated
until the middle of July—there was then a heavy growth of
weeds on it, just grown. I turned them in and dropped peas

115

in every third furrow. The result was a large crop of vines
‘and at least fifteen bushels of peas per acre. These were fed
off by beef cattle.

“That, if you call it rest, is all the field ever had. The cot-
ton was planted on the top of a level ridge. It was planted
in cotton in 1866—manured with about one hundred and fifty
Ibs. of bones and Peruvian guano each, and one hundred lbs. of
plaster. I commenced the 3d day of May with two horses, to
prepare the land, cotton rows four feet apart; ran two furrows
in the middle of each row, which stood open about eight inches
deep, and applied to each acre two hundred and fifty lbs. solu-
ble bones, one hundred and sixty-five lbs. No. 1 Peruvian guano
and one hundred lbs. plaster. Salt being too high, I omitted
that. The mixture was deposited in the bottom of the furrow,
then covered with a long scooter plow, going about as deep
as the other two furrows, then ran on the side of each scooter
furrow with a good turning plow, going seven inches deep.
After"preparing about six acres in this way, I opened witha
small bull-tongue plow; dropped the seed and covered lightly
with a board—part of it with a harrow. I continued in this
way until the lot was planted, finishing the 15th of May.
The land being freshly prepared and a little dry, it did not
come up well. The 25th of May, had a fine shower, and on the
first morning of June there was a first rate stand. About the
first of June I turned the plows back to finish the preparation,
running a scooter (six ?) inches long in the bottom of each turn
plow furrow, going seven inches deeper; then ploughed up the
old stalks with a large, long shovel plow, going under the old
cotton stalks—making nine furrows to the row in preparing
the land—taking nine days, with one horse, for every eight
acres, which was equal toa full sub-soiling. The preparation
was not expensive. Including planting, it was eleven days
work to eight acres.

“The cotton soon stretched up well. The first plowing was
done with a heavy twenty-two inch sweep, (right wing towards
the end nearly flat; the back edge of the wing about one and
a fourth of an inch above the front edge in elevation.) I then
hoed out to a stand, the width of No. 2 Scovell hoe, leaving one
to three stalks in a hill. Cotton standing thick in the drill
will be much forwarder than that which is thin, Give it the
necessary distance between the rows.

“

116

“The second plowing was done with the same kind of sweep,
with both wings elevated—the second and last hoeing followed
in afew days. The third plowing ran one furrow in the mid-
dle of the rows. The cultivation with the plow occupied one
horse five days for each eight acres, which makes two days
plowing for each acre, and about two days hoeing for the
same.

“The cotton grew so rapidly it did not need any more work.
The lot averaged about (3,000) three thousand lbs. per acre,
but owing to a storm and other causes, I gathered only (2,700)
twenty-seven hundred lbs. and a fraction, which will make two
good bales per acre. I picked one hundred bolls in two sepa-
rate parts of the lot, at four o’clock in the evening of a dry
day. Hach weighed twenty-one ounces. In the lot was an
Trish potato patch that had been manured and mulched with
straw twice. I think that portion made at the rate of six
thousand Ibs. per acre. The next best place was about one
acre of old pine field, first year, which made, I think, about five
thousand lbs.

“Tf you expect such results, you must not cut the roots of
the cotton. Cotton is a sun plant, as you will see by its turning
its leaves to the sun, as the latter moves through the heavens.
So have a deep water furrow in the spring, work flat by
hot weather, and on level land run the rows north and
south.

“The cotton would have been much better planted the 10th
of April.

“T found, during the wet weather, where the most manure
was put it stood the best—especially the part that had the most
Peruvian guano onit. There was some rot, owing to the density
of foliage and wet weather; some boll worm and caterpillar on
about one-half of the patch. The seed planted was of the
David Dickson, Oxford, Ga., variety, selected twice by myself,
and would sell for more than the cotton if I did not wish to
plant them myself.”

David Dickson, of Oxford, by his selections, has greatly im-
proved the quality and productiveness of this variety of cot-
ton. Mr. Peabody, on the contrary, has hybridized the “uplands”
on fine sea island cotton, and has reached what is esteemed by
him a most valuable class of cotton.

117

At my request, Mr. J. W. R. Pope, of Bluffton, 8. C., has drawn
out the following account of the Cultivation* of the Sea Island
or Long Staple variety of cotton. Though his experience is not
as great as that of some others, he has made one hundred and

fifty pounds round of fine cotton to the acre, using manures
made on the farm.

The sea island cotton is the plant which has been so carefully
cultivated since the abandonment of indigo along the shores
of Carolina and Georgia, and more recently introduced into
Florida. ‘ :

‘This plant was first cultivated on the Island of Hilton Head,
by. Mr. William Elliott, some sixty years or more ago. This
variety of cotton affords the finest vegetable fibre known, its
silky"staple reaching over two inches in lengun. The selection
of this cotton has so far improved its quality, that the seed of
the most valued kinds have commanded one hundred dollars

per bushel in gold. The finest quality of this cotton has com-
- manded in market as high as seventy to ninety cents in gold
before the war, and has sold during the present season at two
dollars per lb. in currency. The most prominent selectors of
this cotton, beginning with Mr. Kinsey Burden, are Joseph D.
Hdings, Joseph J. Pope, Ephraim Seabrook, J. Jenkins Mikell,
John F. Townsend, William G. Baynard, William Edings,
Theodore Becket, Ephraim Clarke, Owens, Benjamin Godley,
William Fripp—the two last confining themselves chiefly to
selecting for more productive varieties.

This plant requires, on the whole, a nicer cultivation than the
uplands.

Previous to emancipation the sea island fields were cultivated
by “listing” down the old beds of the fallow land into the
alleys. This was done exclusively with the hoe. Manures
were applied either above or below this list, according to the
fancy of the planter, the pressure of the manure in the field at
time of “listing, or the character of the soil.

This work being carefully done, the land was then bedded, or
hilled up with the hoe, either with or without the plow, ac-
cording to the wish of the planter, the strength of his laboring

* Peter Gaillard on the Santee, in Berkeley Parish, 8. ©., carried the
culture of this cotton to perfection very soon after its introduction. His
method has been published.

118

force or team. With the early and further crops, in the mean-
time, it usually required from the Ist to 15th February, up to
Ist or 18th April, to complete the fields for planting, much of
this time being consumed in hauling out and distributing ma-
nures on the field. The most approved time of planting was
from the 6th to 15th April.

The distance in planting was from under one foot to three
feet and over, on rows averaging five feet or less apart, accord-
ing to strength of soil and manures applied.

The plants along the rows range from under one foot to two
feet and more, according to strength of soil and growth of cot-
ton. The most approved plan of planting consisted of from five
to six seeds to the hill. These plants were afterwards thinned
down to one or two plants to the hill—the more careful and
judicious planters leaving but one stalk. The first working
after the plant gets up for eight days or more, is a nice hoeing,
when the bunches of young plants “are slacked” by carefully
drawing out a portion of the same.

The next working is what is called a “hauling,” or hilling up
to the cotton, when the plants are reduced to two or three in
the hill. Another “hoeing” or “hauling” is then given, when
the plants are reduced to a “stand,” or the number of stalks
deemed proper to the row. The crop is then hoed or hauled,
according to condition of the field, to the end of the season, it
being deemed advisable to have the two last workings, at least
the last, done by “hauling.” The plow, in the meantime, is
used or not, as the preference of the planter or circumstances
may require. These fields were formerly thoroughly and beau-
tifully attended with the hoe alone, and checkered with narrow
paths a quarter of an acre apart, presented the appearance of
a well kept farm garden.

The last working was given from the 5th to 20th July. The
sea island planters enriched their lands with marsh cane, and
usually made their own manures, consisting of composts made
of salt weeds or marsh grass, salt muck, leaves, drifted “marsh
sedge” or dead marsh grass, washed in heaps on the shores,
mixed sparsely with cotton seed strewn on the different layers;
the whole drenched with sea water and soiled by cattle, each
layer being strewed over with salt muck until the bed was
completed. Stable manures were freely used and the fields
soiled by running over them shifting pens of cattle.

119

The green salt marsh was also freely used, being cut in the
summer and fall for next year’s use.

This cotton is prepared for market by what is known as the
McCarthy Gin, propelled either by steam or horse power. This
gin is of more recent use: A few years ago the whole sea island
crop was ginned out on treddle roller gins.

The cultivation now pursued with this variety approximates
more nearly the upland method, and with a moderate use of
the hoe, the recurrence to manures formerly practiced, and the
free use of approved mercantile manures, it is confidently hoped
that these once beautiful fields will again gladden our genial
shores.

See P. O. Rep., 1857, and 'Tuomey’s Geol. of S. C. for analysis
of cotton plant, fibre and soil, by Prof. C. T. Jackson and C. W.
Shepard.

The germinating power of some seeds reaches from one to
forty years; that of the cotton may germinate after being
kept three years. See paper on vitality of seeds, and then
packing for transportation in P. O. Rep., 1857.

OSAGE ORANGE; Bois d’arc, (Maclura aurantiaca;) N.
America. Not included by Chapman in his Flora of the
Southern United States ; position irregular ; it is allied to the
Mulberry morus.

From the P.O. Report, 1848, is an article taken from the Prairie
Farmer, by Prof. J. B. Turner. He says that the osage orange,
the favorite hedge plant of the United States, has already become
too well known to need any particular description. It grows in
the wilds of North America, in regions further north than New
York and further south than the Carolinas. It is usually in
this country from ten to fifteen feet in height, though, like the
English thorn, it is said sometimes to attain in its native soil a
height of fifty and even sixty feet. Its utility as a hedge plant
is no longer an experiment. Hedges of the rarest beauty and
excellence have been growing in Boston, Philadelphia and Cin-
cinnati, in Kentucky, Tennessee and Northern Missouri; and,
in short, in all the Middle and Southern States. Some of these
hedges have been standing for ten or twelve years; they were
planted by gentlemen of wealth and taste around their favorite
walks and grounds at a time when the plants sold at the rate
of five dollars per thousand. Among all who have written on

120

the subject, no unfavorable account has come to my knowledge.
Great losses have been incurred with the seed, as might be ex-
pected, but the plant and hedge are universally admired and
commended, and it is confidently believed by the best judges
that it will double the real value of any farm it surrounds.
Recent writers enumerate thus its many advantages: First,
its tenacity of life is scarcely equalled; it is a native of the
prairies and will grow on any soil where common prairie grass
will grow. Overflowing the land does not harm it. It will live
for weeks and months entirely under water. The dead wood is
exceedingly hard and durable, and fresh shoots from the stumps
soon supply the place of all which have been killed by fire or
cutting. Second, its protection is perfect. It is armed with a
very sharp, stout thorn under each leaf. Its dense iron branches
soon become so interlocked, that no domestic animal, and not
even a common bird, can pass through it. Both its thorns and
its acrid bitter juice prevent all animals from browsing or
feeding on its branches. Its seed is like the orange, and its
roots like the hickory, consequently it can never spread into
the field, either from the seed or root, but keeps its own place,
growing stronger and thicker year by year. It thus perfectly
secures orchards, fruit yards, stables, sheepfolds and pasture
grounds from all thieves, dogs, wolves, etc., and one good gate,
well locked, makes a whole farm secure from all intruders of
whatever description. It may be trained so high as to afford
shelter to stock, and break off the rough prairie winds from all
grounds needing such protection. Plants may also be prepared
so that it can be set in the open prairie without fence with
perfect success. See, also, in Patent Office Report, 1854, p. 419,
an article on the best mode of cultivating the osage orange for
hedges, and the volume for 1855, p. 315, on “ Live fences.” The
insects which feed on it are described, viz: a “chinch-bug,”
and the mole known as the gopher in southern Illinois. In
Illinois contractors set and tend the hedge at one dollar a mile,
till a good fence is produced. The juice of the osage orange,
says Wilson, is exceedingly abundant, and flows freely from
incisions, and quickly separates into a feculant matter, and a
supernatant, clear liquid. The wood is uncommonly fine and
elastic, and is used by the American Indians for making their
bows. It seems well adapted to many purposes of turners. It

121

is said to equal fustic as a yellow dye stuff, and may be much
more easily produced. Rural Cyclopedia.

The Cherokee rose forms a most valuable hedge plant. A
writer praises highly the “cabbage tree.” See, also, Crab apple,
(Crategus,) and Wild Orange, (Cerasus Carolin.,) in this volume.

TILIACEM. (The Linden Tribe.)

They all have a mucilaginous, wholesome juice.
, aa Tilia Americana, Linn., T.
LIME TREE; BASS WOOD, aes G. Tilia glabra, Vent.

and Ell. Sk. An ornamental tree, found in the mountaii valleys
from Florida to North Carolina; Newbern.

Ell."Bot. 22. The bark, when macerated, forms a strong
cordage, used for domestic purposes. The wood is white and
soft, and is used by carriage and cabinet-makers,

The inner bark of the European linden, (7. Huropea,) forms a
strong cordage. Doubtless our American species are also thus
distinguished. Mills, in his Statistics of 8. C., states that the
inner bark of the Tilia Americana, macerated in water, may be
made into ropes and fishing nets, and is a good application to
burns. The plants or branches may be steeped in water for
three months, dried and stripped ; for every purpose of cordage
on the plantation or garden, this material will be found useful.
It forms throughout England the material for “ bass,” and is
used by the horticulturist. The flowers of our American Tilia,
sent to me from Pendleton District, S$. C., I find quite as useful
as the imported “ Tilleul,” a material for quieting, anti-spasmodic
teas, which I have repeatedly seen prescribed in France. It is
particularly grateful and soothing to lying-in women: quieting
nervous excitement, and pleasant to the taste. I would particu-
larly recommend a larger use of these flowers in the Southern
States. It can be used wherever a tea is required. The above
remarks apply to 7. pubescens also, which is indigenous. The
wood of the 7. Americana is white and soft. In the Northern
States, where the tulip poplar does not grow, it is used for
carved work for the panels of carriage bodies and the seats of
Windsor chairs. It is, however, apt to split, and is not con-
sidered equal to poplar for such and other useful purposes. N.
Am. Sylva.

122

“ Honey-dew ” is generally found most abundant on the Lime,
Sycamore and Beech trees. [have noticed it on the Cotton plant,
and at times it covers the leaves of the Potato, Rye, Wheat,
ete.

It is, by some, supposed to be connected’ with the potato
disease, though it abounds in swampy places. Heywood says
“it is owing to an excess of carbon in the plants,” which could
only occur in dry weather, when the other ingredients could
not be furnished for it to combine with. I insert here an ex-
tract from the Analectic Mag., Philad., 1815:

“My design in this essay is to give a brief statement of
certain facts relative to the appearance of the honey-dew in
Carolina, which appear to militate against the received theories
of its formation ; together with a concise view of the opinions
of ancient and modern writers with regard to this peculiar
substance,

* The production of honey-dew is influenced by the season of
the year, evidently by the state of the atmosphere. In Carolina
it most frequently appears in the month of May or June, during
a long absence of rain, and after a succession of warm days,
alternating with cool nights. Early in the morning it is found
on the leaves of plants, grapes, ete., of the consistency of diluted
honey, transparent, and resembling in taste the syrup of refined
sugar; the viscidity of it increases with the heat of the sun ;
and about ten or eleven o'clock it ceases to be fluid, giving to
the leaves a shining and glossy appearance. Situations, also,
appear to influence the production of the honey-dew. I have
observed it in the greatest abundance near the margin of stag-
nant marshes, ponds and savannahs. In the District of Marion,
South Carolina, is a morass extending fifteen or sixteen miles in
length, and one or two in breadth; it contains no trees of con-
siderable magnitude, except the cypress and a few perennial
shrubs, but abounds with annual succulent aquatic plants and
grapes. Near the edge of this morass, during the season and
state of the atmosphere alluded to, the honey-dew is produced
in such quantities as to moisten every shrub, and to cover the
grass. Horses, which feed at large in the vicinity of the morass,
may be found at eight or nine o’clock in the morning with their
manes and tails agglutinated to a mass with this substance.
The particles of pine leaves and grasses carbonated by the fires

j 123
which sometimes ravage extensive tracts of country in March
and April, are frequently observed cemented with large masses,
and in situations where, apparently, the bhoney-dew could not
have dropped from overshadowing trees. Swarms of bees in-
bit almost every excavated tree; and from their honey the
poor inhabitants of this sterile region derive no inconsiderable
support.

“ Penega, in his history of California, says that Father Piccola
observes that in the months of April, May and June, there falls
“with the dew a kind of manna, which becomes inspissated on
: the leaves of trees. He adds that he tasted it, and, though not
80 white as sugar, it had all the sweetness of it.”

CAMELLIE.

TEA PLANT, (Thea viridis.) The introduction of the Tea
plant into the Southern States is so important that I will, at any
rate, endeavor to give all suitable references to sources of infor-
mation*toncerning its culture, preparation, etc. See a pretty
full account of the history of its production in the United States
in P. O. Report, 1855, p.42. The best mode of growing the
plant, drying and preparing the leaves, is also described.

For some account of the experiment in the cultivation of
foreign tea in South Carolina, by Dr. Junius Smith, see P. O.

Report, 1848, p. 168, and 1859, p. 6. See, also, vol. for 1857, p.
167, for article on “Practicability of the Tea Culture in the
United States.” A description is given of the varieties of soil
and climate adapted to the growth of tea, its cultivation and
preparation, with a notice of the plants set out in Wasbington.
This communication should be read by any one who proposes
entering upon the business of raising tea plants ; also, vol. 1859,
p- 5, et. seq., containing successful experiments in Brazil. See
Red-root, New Jersey tea tree, (Ceanothus Americanus,) as a
substitute.

Among our indigenous plants, the Gardenia, (G. pubescens and
lasianthus, growing from Florida to North Carolina,) belong to
the same natural family, Camelliew, as the tea plant, and they
should be experimented with. Our Linden tree, ( Tilia Ameri-
cana,) the flowers of which are used in making an anti-spas-
modic tea, is closely related to Gardenia and Thea; so the
botanical relationship and the natural properties are again sub-

124

stantiated. See Tilia. It is said that a pleasant tea can be
made likewise from the Holly, (dlex opaca.)

The introduction of both coffee and tea into Brazil was at
first very ow, but was subsequently successful.

A writer in the “Country Gentleman” makes this state-
ment: ‘A few days ago | drank a cup of real American tea,
from the Chinese tea plant, of which Dr. J. P. Barrett, near
New Market, S. C., has a fine shrub, about four feet high, which
has borne fruit during several years. By its side was a thrifty
specimen of the Olea fragrans, or Chinese olive, with which the
tea is scented.” I have seen plants of the Thea growing out
in the open air, near Stateburg, South Carolina, which bore seeds
abundantly and were very flourishing. The seeds, at first sweet
to the taste, soon prove nauseous and pungent, to a great degree.
It was some time before I recovered from their disagreeable
effects.

In the cultivation of the tea in China, “the lower slopes of
the hills are preferred, at 1,000 feet above the level of the sea.
In India, from 2,000 to 6,000 feet. The best description of soil
for the tea plantis a light loam, well mixed with sand, and en-
riched with vegetable matter, moderately moist, but neither
wet nor sour. Sloping or undulating land of this kind, on
which good crops of millet or Indian corn may be produeed, is
likely to be suitable. Any aspect will do, but east or west is
preferred. The tea plant will not flourish in a wet or stagnant
soil. When produced from seeds, the tea plant first flowers in
the second year. The usual period of flowering is in November,
and the seeds ripen the next autumn. The ground is prepared
for planting by being dug or trenched in the usual ways.
Manure is rarely used in tea culture in China; but where the
land is poor, stable-litter and sewage of all kinds are sometimes
applied indiscriminately, in moderate quantities, and a top
dressing of rich loam is considered valuable. The best time to
apply manure is in the spring, beforethe plants begin to grow,
or during mild weather in winter. When the plant is about
eighteen inches high the leading shoots are pinched off, and the
shrub is forced to throw out laterals. Naturally, it has a ten-
dency to grow talland straggling, with few side shoots. * * *
As the leaves used in making tea are produced yearly at the
ends of the shoots, the object of this system of treatment is ap-

125

parent. A small crop of leaves may be gathered the third
year after planting. Inthe eighth or tenth year, the product
may be considered at its maximum. About ten pounds to an
"acre is produced in China the third year, sometimes three hun-
_ dred pounds in the tenth year.” Art. cit. sup.
_ A valuable but lengthy article on the cultivation of this plant
has recently (1866) appeared in the Southern Cultivator, a
standard agricultural journal published in Athens, Ga., from
which I make the following extracts:
“Tn March, 1860, I received fifty plants from the Patent Office.
I kept them in pots until Febraary, 1861. They were then
planted out five feet each way in a loose,sandy soil. They grew
_ off very finely; in April, 1862, I made a small quantity of tea,
and from that time to the present (1866) 1 have supplied my
family with five or six pounds of tea yearly from fifty plants.
The largest amount of tea produced in China, is raised in the
Bands lying between twenty-eight and thirty-five north latitude.
_ “That the plant will grow and flourish as well or even better
(although an exotic) through the whole of the States bordering
the Atlantic and Gulf, Foi North Carolina to Texas, I have
“not the least doubt. All the lands of Middle Geor gia and the
Carolinas, which are now considered of little value for corn or
_ cotton, can be made available, and grow tea to great advantage.
_In Middle Georgia and other regions the cultivation of cotton
will decrease from this time onward. The truth of this fact is
patent to all observers.

“As before stated, I planted out tea plants in 1861. At the
present time (1866) they are from six to seven feet high, each
plant covering a space of seven or eight feet in diameter—so
interlocking that it is with difficulty you can get between them.
To estimate the quantity which one acre of land planted in tea

would make, I selected a medium sized plant, and collected the
leaves from it. The yield was one-fourth of a pound of tea.
The number of plants to an acre, standing five feet each way,
is one thousand seven hundred and sixty-four, which will make
four hundred and forty-one pounds to the acre. Can we cul-
tivate any plant that will compare with this? At fifty cents per
pound it would make two hundred and twenty dollars per acre.
Another very great advantage it has over all other crops is,
that neither cold or heat, dry or wet, bail or winds, or insects

\

126

injure it. Whoever heard of’ a failure of the tea crop of China —
or Japan? Of the quality of the tea I have made, I can only
say that connoisseurs have assured me that they prefer it to the
imported. Age gives flavor to coffee—so with tea. Some that
is two years old I find higher flavored than that recently
made,”

MELIACEM. (The Bead Tree Tribe.)

Bitter, astringent and tonic properties characterize the species
of this order. Some of them are active and dangerous.

PRIDE OF INDIA; CHINA BERRY; PRIDE OF
AMERICA, (Melia Azedarach, Linn.) Nat.; diffused ; grows in
the streets of Charleston and North Carolina. Fl. May. |

Chap. Therap. ii, 70; Ell. Bot. 475; Mér. and de L. Dict.
de M. Med. iv, 290; U. 8S. Disp. 135; Royle, Mat. Med. 308;
Bell’s Prac. Dict. 87 ; Eberle, Mat. Med. 207; Frost’s Elems. pt.
1; Archives Générales de Méd. xvii, 112; Lind. Nat. Syst. 102;
Coxe, Am. Disp. 128. Barton considered it our most active an-
thelmintic. It is also a febrifuge, adapted to verminous fevers,
where no worms are voided. Dict. des Drogues, par Chevallier,
iii, 27. Tournon relates a case where alittle girl was thrown
into convulsions by eating three of the seeds. Mérat also
mentions cases. Journal Gén. de Méd. xlviii, 25; Gazette de
Sante, Mars, 1824. I have frequently seen them eaten by
children in South Carolina, with no bad effect, though destrue-
tive, itis said, to hogs. As an anthelmintic, four ounces of the
bark of the fresh root are boiled in one pint of water, till it
becomes of the consistence of coffee, of which from one ounce
to half an ounce may be given every two hours; it may be drunk
sweetened, and should be followed by a cathartic. The dried
' berries, in spirits, have also been employed against ascarides,
tape-worm, and verminous maladies generally. According to
Thacher, the pulp of the berry, stewed in lard, is used advan-
tageously as an ointment in scald head. The decoction of the
leaves is regarded as astringent and stomachic, and Dr. Skyston
says he uses it with success in hysteria. This plant is employed
in Java and Persia. See Rév. Médicale, iv, 82. The tree is
planted around stables, in order that horses, by eating the
berries, may be prevented from having “bots.” The leaves and
berries of the Pride of India, packed with dried fruits, will

127

preserve them from insects, and will prevent moths in clothes.
The leaves of the cedar are also useful for the same purpose. See
Peach for mode of preventing injury from worms, where what I
_ consider to be a very important suggestion is made. It is much
valued in South Carolina as a shade tree, growing equally well
in dry pine land residences, and in cities; during the expansion
_ of the flowers, however, it gives out a disagreeable odor. It is

easily blown down, and is not long lived. The wood is beauti-
fully grained, and adapted for table covers, drawers, etc., never
_ being injured by worms. A tea of the berries affects the eye-
sight, | am told.

A solution or decoction made with the berries of the Pride of
India, (to a half bushel of the berries put into a barrel add
fifteen gallons of water, and let them soak one or two days, )
and sprinkled with a water-pot over the plant, will, in most
cases, prevent the depredation of the black grub, or cutworm.
The elder (Sambucus canadensis) is also said to be excellent,
used inethe same way. F. S. Holmes’ So. Farmer. The oil
from flaxseed (Linum) will also destroy all kinds of animals
infesting quadrupeds, when rubbed into the skin.

A soap is made from the berries of the Pride of India, which
is called “ Poor man’s soap.”

The followmg was published in the Columbus (Ga.) Sun

1863: ‘
China Berries for Horse and Cow Feed.—The writer has fed
China berries to horses and cows for the past two seasons, and
can perceive no bad effects from them—on the contrary, horses
under this feed seem to improve better than when fed on corn
alone. In these times of scarcity and high prices it is worth
while to give this feed a trial. In my opinion a bushel of
China berries are nearly, if not quite, equal to a bushel of corn.
The crop is very abundant, and now, before the winter rains, is
the time to gather them. I give my horses a half a bucket
full of the berries, with a small feed of corn, three times a day,
and I boil the seed with peas or other feed for my cows.
Horses are particularly fond of the berries.

AURANTIACEAR. (The Orange Tribe.)

SWEET ORANGE, (Citrus aurantium, W.) This well known
tree is cultivated in Charleston, and grows abundantly in Beau-

128

fort District, on the seacoast; very productive in Florida, and
coast of Georgia.

I will condense the following from Griffith: In every part of
the Western States the orange tree is liable to be injured by
frosts, and hence cannot be considered as a certain crop ; where
this is not the case it is a most prolific plant, and the quantity
borne by a single tree is sometimes enormous; thus it is said
that 20,000 have been gathered from one in St. Michael’s, exclu-
sive of those unfit for use, which may be calculated at 10,000
more.

The orange contains a large quantity of saccharine matter
and mucilage united to an agreeable acid, and hence is whole-
some, cooling and refreshing to the sick, especially in febrile
and inflammatory complaints, but should be used cautiously, as

itis apt to disorder the stomach and bowels. The juice of this:

fruit contains citric and malic acids, the super citrate of lime,

mucilage, sugar and water. The rind of the sweet orange is

also used as a substitute for that of the bitter species, which is
the true oflicinal article; it yields by distillation a fragrant
essential oil. The immature fruit is also employed for the pur-
pose of making issue peas; for this purpose they are turned
smooth by a lathe; they have an aromatic odor and a bitter
taste, and are also employed to flavor certain cor@ials. Accord-
ing to Lebreton, they are composed of volatile oil, sulphur,
fatty matter, a peculiar principle called hesperidin, bitter
astringent matter, some traces of acids, vegetable and mineral
salts, ete.

The leaves have been employed by some practitioners as a
remedy in many nervous disorders, and are said to have proved
beneficial in epilepsy and chorea. They are aromatic and
feebly bitter, and contain a fragrant volatile oil, which is pro-
cured on distillation, principally employed by perfumers. The
flowers are much more celebrated as remedial agents, in sub-
stance, but more especially in their distilled water. Orange
flower water, as it is termed, has a very agreeable odor, but
less powerful than that of the flowers themselves, and is in
general use in Europe as an anti-spasmodic, and is considered to
possess much power; its use in this country is limited, but is
becoming more extended; although not endowed with the
active qualities ascribed to it, it forms a very pleasant drink to

129

the sick, and exercises a soothing influence when the nervous
system is unduly excited. An essential oil is obtained from the
flowers, known as the oil of Neroli, much used as a perfume
and in the manufacture of cologne and other scented waters
for the toilet. See, also, Risso’s elaborate work referred to by
Griffith. The young shoots are regularly knotted and are much
used in the manufacture of walking canes.

To obtain the fragrant essences from the fresh rinds of lemons,
oranges, etc., the rinds are rubbed against large lumps of loaf
sugar until the yellow rind is completely absorbed. Those
parts of the sugar which are impregnated with the essence,
are, from time to time, to be cut away with a knife, and put

into an earthen dish. The whole being thus taken off, the
sugared essence is to be closely pressed, and put by in pots,
where it is to be squeezed down hard, have a bladder over the
paper by which it is covered, and tied tightly up. It is at any
time fit for use, and will keep for many years. Exactly in the
same nanner may be obtained and preserved, at the proper
seasons, from the fresh roots, the essences of the rinds of bitter
or sweet oranges, lemons or limes, bergamots, etc., some of
which are often unattainable in a fresh state at any price.
Thornton’s Herbal, p. 659. By this simple means those who
have, or can obtain lemons, may preserve the essence for the
preparation of cooling acidulous drinks at any time. Wine
may also be made from the orange. ‘Thornton, in his medical
work, gives the method as follows: Put twelve pounds of pow-
dered sugar, with the whites of eight or ten eggs, well beaten,
into six gallons of spring water, boil them three quarters of an
hour; when cold, put into it six spoonsful of yeast and the
juice of twelve lemons, which, being pared, must stand, with
two pounds of white sugar, in a tankard, and in the morning
skim off the top, and then put it into the water; add the juice
and rinds of fifty oranges, but not the white or pithy parts of
the rinds; let it work all together two days and two nights ;
then add two quarts of Rhenish or white wine, and put it into
a vessel. =
In P. O. Rep., 1859, p. 106, is a communication on the pro-
ducts of the Ionian islands and Italy. The following may be
useful to those in Florida who raise the lemon in quantity: At
Agrami, “the most considerable, and sometimes the most valu-

~130

able portion of the fruit is Scarito, or that rejected as unfit for
exportation, from which the essential oil contained in the rind,
and the juice, or citric acid, in the pulp, are extracted. The
essential oil is expressed by the hand, in a room from which
the air is carefully excluded, as, owing to its highly volatile
nature, the oil produced would be greatly diminished by cur-_
rents of air. The skin cut from three sides of the lemon is
pressed between the thumb and finger, and ten or twelve ounces
may be expressed in a long day by an expert workman. The
oil thus expressed is put into large receivers, whence (after
remaining some days to deposit the extraneous matter that
comes off with the oil) it is transferred to copper bottles for
exportation.”

“The juice, or citric acid, is obtained by submitting the pulp
to a powerful press, which, though rustic in construction, is
efficient. This is worked during the season night and day.
The quantity of juice produced from one press during twenty-
four hours averages 126 gallons. * * Lemon juice intended
for exportation is put into well seasoned oak casks, and filled
to the bung, so as entirely to exclude the air. When of a good
quality, and the filling of the cask is completed, the article may
be kept in a cellar or cold place for any reasonable time.”
Lemon juice, used for calico printing, was afterward boiled down,
or evaporated, in leaden pans, over steam, to a certain consis-
tency—the citric acid and mucilage only remaining in a highly
concentrated stage. Consult Mulberry (Morus rubra) in this
volume. See P. O. Rep., 1858, p. 257, for Mr. Glover’s report on
the insects feeding upon it, and a history of the tree in Florida.
See, also, Ure’s Dictionary of Arts, article Citric Acid. To
prevent attacks of the “scale,” an insect, hot water or steam is
the best remedy. The Persian powder (see P. O. Rep., 1857,
p- 129,) is also advised (Pyrethrum caucasicum)—allied to the ox-
eyed daisy (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum) growing in the
Southern States.

LEMON, (Citrus limonum, Risso.) Dr. Griffith gives the fol-
lowing account of the properties of the Lemon:

“The juice and rind are officinal. The rind bas an aromatic
and bitter taste, and an agreeable, fragrant odor; these proper-
ties are owing to the presence of a volatile oil and of a bitter
principle. It is an aromatic stimulant, principally employed,

131

however, as a mere flavoring ingredient, being seldom or never
administered alone. The volatile oil, oil of lemons, although
carminative and diaphoretic, is more used as a perfume and to
mask the taste of nauseous medicines, than as a remedial agent;
some success has attended its employment as an external stimu-
lant, especially in chronic inflammations of the eye.

“The juice owes its sourness to the presence of the citric acid

it contains in combination with mucilage, extractive matter,
some sugar and water. Scheele was the first chemist who ob-
tained this acid in a pure state. The process he devised is the
same now employed, that of saturating the juice with chalk, and
decomposing the citrate of lime thus formed by means of sul-
phurie acid, when the vegetable acid is set free, and may be
purified and crystallized. Citric acid thus obtained is extremely
acid, but not as agreeable as the juice itself; it is, therefore, but
seldom used in medicine when the latter can be procured. It
is, however, largely employed in the arts.
_ “Temon juice, as being one of the most grateful of the acids, is
much used in the formation of refreshing drinks in febrile com-
plaints, and also in the preparation of effervescing draughts. A
mixture of this made with one scruple of the carbonate of potash,
dissolved in an ounce of water and half an ounce of lemon juice,
taken in a state of effervescence, is advantageously employed to
lessen fever, to check vomiting, and to diminish morbid irrita-
bility of the stomach. But the juice appears to possess proper-
ties of a higher order. Whytt found that given in half ounce
doses it allayed the paroxysms of hysteria, and relieved palpi-
tation of the heart. As a preventive to scurvy, this article is
well known. The crystallized citric acid has been substituted
for it, though it is not equal to the juice itself. In the West
Indies and South America a cataplasm of the pulp mixed with
common salt, is a usual remedy for the bites of venomous
reptiles.”

I may refer, also, to the use of lemon juice, with olive oil, in
the West Indies, in the treatment of yellow fever, and in large
doses, as recommended by B. Jones and others in acute
rheumatism.

LIME, (Citrus acida.) Cultivated in warmer regions of
Southern States.
This is largely used in the preparation of citric acid. It is

~ 132

more acid than the Lemon. The C. decumaria, or Shaddock,
and C. bergamia, or Bergamot, are also cultivated. The former
possesses a rind superior to that of the Bitter Almond for me-
dicinal purposes, and the latter the well known oil employed in
perfumery. The rinds of all are used in making preserves.

BITTER ORANGE; SEVILLE ORANGE, (Citrus vulgaris,
Risso.) Cultivated.

The fruit is too bitter to be eaten. The leaves, flowers, ete.,
are used for the same purpose as those of the sweet Orange, but
the volatile oils are said to be of a finer quality. The rind is
the officinal cortex aurantii of the Pharmacopeeias, though that
of the Orange is generally substituted for it in our shops, See
Griffith, U. S. Disp., and authors.

CITRON, (Citrus Medica, Risso.) Cultivated.

This resembles the Lemon very closely. The fruit attains a
great size. The rind is used to make a preserve; oil of Citron
and oil of Cedrat are obtained from it, which are essential in
composition with oil of Lemon, and used in perfumery. See
Griffith, U.S. Disp., and authors.

RHAMNACE®. (The Buckthorn Tribe.)

NEW JERSEY TEA TREE; RED-ROOT, (Ceanothus
Americanus, L.) Two varieties exist in the Southern States.
Diffused in dry pine barrens ; Richland; collected in St. John’s;
vicinity of Charleston; Newbern. Fl. July.

Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 108; Ferrein, Mat. Med. iii, 338; U.S.
Disp. 1240; Ell. Bot. Med. Notes, 291; Mer. and de L. Dict. de
M. Med. ii, 165; Boston Med. and Surg. Journal, 1835. See,
also, the supplement to Mér. de L. Dict. de M. Med. 1846, 155.
This plant possesses a considerable degree of astringency, and
has been used in gonorrheeal discharges. It is applied by the
Cherokee doctors as a wash in cancer, and may be used wher-
ever an astringent is likely to be useful. The Indians employed
it in lues venerea, preferring it to lobelia; if the case was violent,
the root of the blackberry (Rubus villosus) was mixed with it.
Stearns’ Am. Herbal, 97. Referring to its anti-syphilitie powers,
Ferrein says: “Elle guerit aussi en moins de quinze jours, les
véenériens les plus inveteres.” It is not now supposed to be
endowed with any very decided virtue in this respect. Dr,

—————————— a ee

EE

133

Hubbard prescribes it with advantage in the aphthous affections
of infants, in malignant dysentery and in other maladies depen-
dent upon debility ; he usually combines with it a little borax.
See Journal de Pharm. xxiii, 354. Mr. Tuomey, State Geologist,
informs me that much use is made of it in domestic practice
in Chesterfield District. An infusion of the leaves was employed
during the war of independence as a substitute for tea. I have
experimented with the leaves, and obtained a liquor somewhat
resembling common tea, both in color and taste. It imparts to
wool a fine, persistent, cinnamon, nankeen color.

The above was included in my report on the Medical Botany
of South Carolina, published in 1849. Since the beginning of
the recent war I called the attention of our citizens to this plant
as a substitute for foreign tea, in a brief communication, having
again collected and used it, and induced others to do the same.
I quote from this article: “Without any desire to exaggerate, I
commend the substitute. It grows abundantly in our high pine
ridge? The tea, prepared from this shrub, drawn as common
tea, is certainly a good substitute for indifferent black tea.
Properly dried and prepared, it is aromatic and not unpleasant.
I am glad to report it as an article to be used in war times in
place of a high-priced commodity, which, in every respect, it
resembles, if it does not equal.” Dr. John Bachman, also, at a
later ‘period (1862) directed attention to the plant, stating
that he had used it for two months in his own family. The
leaves should be carefully dried in the shade.

CAROLINA BUCKTHORN, (Frangola Caroliniana, Gray.)
Mills, in his Statistics of South Carolina, states of Rhammus
Carolinianus, that a purgative syrup is prepared from the
berries ; and of R. frangula, (Blackberry bearing alder,) that
the bark dyes a yellow color, and that from a quarter to half an
ounce of the inner bark boiled in small beer is a sharp purge;
used as a Certain purgative in constipation of the bowels of
cattle.

CELAST RACE.

STAFF TREE, (Celastrus scandens, L.) Mountains of N. C.
and northward.

Acridity characterizes the order, but the seeds yield an oil
which is useful for a variety of purposes. The bark of this
plant has considerable reputation in domestic practice as an

134

emetic, discutient and anti-syphilitic; it also appears to possess
some narcotic powers. Riddel, in his Syn. FL, states that it is
used by the Thomsonians as a stimulating diuretic, and con-
sidered capable of removing hepatic obstructions. Griffith.

KRUPHORBIACEM. (The Euphorbium Tribe.)

The general property, according to Jussieu, is an excitant
principle, residing principally in the milky secretion, and pro-
portioned in its strength to the abundance of the latter.

BOX, (Buxus sempervirens.) Ex.; cultivated in gardens.

Bergii, Mat. Med. ii, 799; Ed. and Vay. Mat. Méd. 512; Le.
i, 244; Griffith’s Med. Bot. 602. The leaves have been affirmed
to be violently purgative, and are employed as a substitute for
guaiacum. Dem. Elém. de Botanique, iii, 434; Bull, Plantes
Vén. de France. A fetid oil is obtained from it, and the wood
is prized by engravers for their blocks.

The timber-bearing box tree is planted in England from the
seeds to great profit. Besides being ornamental, its timber is
very valuable. It attains a great height in Turkey and Asia
Minor, and the wood is used by the engraver, and for the manu-
facture of combs and musical and mathematical instruments.
It will grow on poor lands. One species of the garden box is
always dwartfish.

BALSAM BEARING CROTON, (Croton balsamiferum.)
Willd. South Florida.

This plant, C. maratimum, Walt., and several other species,
natives of the Southern States, should be examined on account
of their alliance with C. tig/ium, which produces croton oil.
Cascarilla bark, and a dye, are obtained from the genus Crofon.
The resin known as lac is obtained from C. lacciferum.

CASTOR OIL PLANT ; CASTOR BEAN ; PALMA CHRIS-
TI, (Ricinus communis.) Ex; grows luxuriantly in rich spots. This
valuable plant thrives so well in the Southern States that it might
be made a source of profit. On some of the plantations the
seeds are boiled, and the supernatant oil given as a cathartic.
It might with great advantage be more generally used. See
medical authors passim.

It is believed by some that one variety of the castor oil bean
hulls itself spontaneously. I remember no distinction of this
kind mentioned in Pereira’s lengthy description of the plant.

135

-

Mr. W. ‘Toney, a writer in the Southern Field and Fireside,
says “there are several varieties, all yielding castor oil, but
only one kind which is self-hulling, and this is the true, genuine
oil-bean.” If this is so, 1 am not aware of it. I have only
seen a large and a small seed variety, and no writer refers, so
far as l.am aware, to any other distinction. He says that, for
the common varicties, some machinery, like the cotton seed huller,

_ is necessary to decorticate them.

, I have been applied to to ascertain the relative value of the
small and large-seeded variety. Pereira states that the oil is
equally good andabundant in each. See, also, the Dictionnaire
de Mat. Médicale.

It is being planted extensively by planters for home use in
the Southern States, As it is important that this plant should

_be largely grown, on account of its great value and enormous
consumption, I will be at the trouble to insert some of the
practical information at my disposal.

* A brief paper can be found in the Patent Office Report, 1855,
p- 27. The writer says that the Palma Christi “bas proved
itself well adapted to the soil and climate of the Middle and
Southern States, and were its culture extended for the manu-
facture of castor oil, there is no doubt it would be profitable
under improved methods of extracting it, and we should no
longer be dependent upon other nations for a supply. At
present we annually import an amount of this article ex-
ceeding in value $30,000.”

Although an annual herbaceous plant in the gardens of the
cooler parts of Kurope and the United States, within the trop-
ics, and the warm climates adjacent thereto, the Palma Christi
becomes a tree of several years standing, often having a woody
trunk of the size of a man’s body, and fifteen or twenty feet
high. This plant thrives best in a light, sandy loam, although
it may be cultivated with success in almost any soil tolerable
fertile, orin any climate or soil where Indian corn will thrive.
In the cooler parts of the Union it may be planted in hills two
feet by three apart, two seeds in a place, as early in the spring
as the warmth of the ground and the season will admit ; but in
the South, where the season is longer, and the plant assumes
the character of a tree, the hills should be six or seven feet in
one direction, and three and a half feet in the other, receiving

-

136

one seed to a hill, covered to the depth of two inches. The
culture is so simple, that it only requires to keep the plants free
from weeds, with a small, flat hill to each. The only difficulty
to contend with is, that in saving or harvesting the beans, the
outward coats, as they become dry and elastic, fly off the plants
to a considerable distance, causing the seeds to drop to the
ground. In order to prevent this, it has been recommended to
cut off the branches from the plants as soon as the pods begin
to explode, and spread them on the floor of a close room; and
after the beans and their shells have parted, to separate the
husks from the seeds with a fanning-mill, as with wheat, or try
the common riddle and a draught of air. The oil is obtained
both by decoction and expression. The former method is per-
formed by freeing the seeds from their husks, which are
gathered upon their turning brown, and when beginning to
burst open are first bruised in a mortar, afterwards tied up in a
linen bag, and then thrown into a large pot with a sufficient
quantity of water, and boiled until the oil has risen to the sur-
face, when it is carefully skimmed off, strained, and preserved
for use. In extensive operations, a mill should be provided,
moved by the agency of animal power, water or steam, for
bruising the seeds; and the other apparatus used in obtaining
the oil should be of appropriate dimensions. The oil thus ob-
tained, however, has the disadvantage of becoming rancid
sooner than that procured by expression. The best mode,
therefore, is to subject the seeds to a powerful hydraulic press,
in a similar manner to that in which the oil is extracted from
almonds and cotton seeds. The seeds yield about one-quarter
of their weight in oil. The reader interested in the varieties,
mode of pressure, etc., of castor oil seeds, may consult with
profit Mérat and DeLens, Dict. de Mat. Méd., Pereira’s Mat.
Med., the U.S. Disp., and in addition the material included in
this paper; also, Ure’s Dict. of Arts, article “Oils,” and Wilson’s
Rural Cye.

I introduce the following, from an Essay on the Cultivation
of Castor Beans, published, 1868, by the St. Louis Lead and Oil
Company :

“The cultivation of the Castor Bean is attracting considerable
attention’at the present time. Heretofore it has been cultivated
chiefly for the Oil for medicinal purposes, but it is now coming

137

largely into demand for other uses. It is being used quite ex-
tensively for lubricating, and as an excellent oil for the hair.
For medicinal purposes its use is almost universal.

“ Selection of Soil—Almost any soil that will produce wheat
or corn, will answer for the castor bean. Whenitcan be had, a
sandy loam is preferable. The soil should be dry. Wet, heavy
soils are not adapted to its successful culture.

“One important fact in connection with the culture of castor
beans is, that it is one of the most fertilizing crops raised. In
this respect it surpasses even clover. Many farmers say, for
fertilizing purposes, a crop raised upon land is worth several
dollars per acre to the land, on account of the additional fer-
tility gained by it. We have heard of landholders offering the
free use of land to be planted with castor beans.

“ Preparation of the Soil—The ground should be put in good
condition for the seed as for other crops. One thorough plow-
ing, and three or four harrowings, with a heavy harrow, will be
a suffitient preparation. Fall plowing is undoubtedly de-
sirable, as it more fully exposes the particles of the soil to
the influence of the frosts and the atmosphere, thereby pulver-
izing it, and preparing it better for the seed. Where a fall
plowing has been bestowed upon the land, and another cross-
plowing in the spring, thorough harrowing will put it in ex-
cellent condition for a heavy crop. If the soil is inclined to be
wet, it should be thrown into back furrows or lands, fifteen or
twenty feet in width, and the dead furrows between these
Jands should be kept open for draining off all surface water.
This is not more necessary for the castor bean than for many
other farm crops, where the land is inclined to be wet.

“ Planting the Seed.—The ground is now laid off in rows, five
or six feet apart each way, except that between every sixth
and seventh row, a distance of about eight feet between the
rows is left one way, to admit a horse and wagon or slide to
pass, to take the beans when gathered. Hot water, somewhat
below the boiling point, should be poured over the seeds, and
they should remain in this water twenty-four hours before
being planted. The temperature of the water will, of course,
be gradually reduced to the temperature of the atmosphere,
Applying the hot water once will be sufficient. If planted with-
out this preparation, they are a great while in germinating,

- 138

many of them not making their appearance for three or four
weeks. With this preparation they will soon germinate and
come up regularly. Some farmers put in each hill one-half of
those which have hot water poured over them, and one-half of
those which have not ; so that if the cutworms destroy the first
that come up, a stand may be obtained from the others, which
will come up a week or two later. Good, sound, plump seed
should be selected for planting. A half bushel will plant eight
or ten acres. Eight or ten seeds should be dropped in each hill.
But one, or at most, two plants are to be left ina hill. As the cut-
worm is quite destructive to the plants, this number of seeds is
recommended, so as to be certain of an even stand. Of course,
replanting can be done; but it is better to avoid it, if possible,
by planting plenty of seed, The seed should be planted as soon
as all danger of frost is over. The plants are as easily destroyed
by frost as our common bean, and, therefore, planting should
be delayed till after the first of May.

“After Culture—The cultivation of the plants consists in
destroying the weeds and grass, and keeping the soil open and
mellow. These objects are chiefly attained by using the horse
and cultivator, or small plow, working between the rows both
ways. It is also necessary to work among the plants with hoes,
going over them two or three times, cutting the weeds away
from the plants that cannot be reached with the plow or culti-
vator, and drawing a little mellow earth to the plants, gradu-
ally reducing the number to one plant in a hill, though two are
occasionally left. One strong, vigorous plant, however, will
produce better seeds than two, and as great a quantity. After
the plant is two feet high, it is capable of taking care of itself,
and grows rapidly. After heavy rains, however, it is still ad-
visable to work between the rows with the horse cultivator,
breaking up the crust tbat has formed on the surface of the
ground, and opening and loosening the soil to derive a greater
benefit from the atmosphere. It will be seen that the cultiva-
tion is as simple as that of Indian corn, or of the common navy
bean.

“ Harvesting the Crop—About the first day of August the
beans begin to ripen. They are produced in pods or husks, on
spikes about eighteen inches long, and should be gathered as
soon as the pods begin to turn brown, to prevent loss by their

139

popping out on the field, as the beans when ripe pop or burst
from the pod quite a distance. They are gathered by cutting
off the entire spike. Hach plant has a number of these, and
they are produced and ripen in succession till frost. Of course,
only those exhibiting brown pods should be cut. These spikes
are then thrown into a wagon or on a slide, passing through the
broad rows, and hauled away to the

“ Dry Yard.—Which is made on a piece of Jand near the bean
field, sloping to the south, so as to get as much heat as possible
from the sun to ripen the beans and cause them to burst from

the husks. Then roll the ground down hard and make a fence

around the yard by placing boards up agaiust rails laid on
crotched sticks or posts; though the fence is not necessary if
the yard is made large enough to leave a space outside the
beans of twelve or fifteen feet, as many of the beans will pop
that distance; and if the fence is not built, or the space left,
many of the beans will be lost in the grass or field beyond the
yard. *

“The spikes are occasionally turned over and exposed to the
sun, until all the seeds have left the husks, when the old spikes
are taken away and a new supply added. The same process is
gone through with the entire crop. Great care should be taken
to prevent the beans getting wet. Dirty beans command but a
small price, and sprouted beans are nearly worthless. When
rain is anticipated, rake the spikes into a heap and cover them
with straw or plank; sweep the beans up; clean them with a
fanning mill, sack them up and store in a dry place. Do not
attempt to pop them out in pots over the fire, as it renders them
almost worthless.

“After the beans begin to ripen, the field should be gone over
once or twice a week till frost. In hot, dry weather, they
ripen more rapidly than in cool, wet weather. Children can
perform this work, and a large family of children cannot be
more profitably employed than in taking care of a crop of castor
beans. The work is all light. With a steady horse children
might do all the work.

“Farmers who raise but a few acres of castor beans will not,
of course, go to the expense of fitting up a dry house, as the
yard answers the purpose ; but farmers who raise fifty acres or
more will save labor and expense by having a dry house for
popping out the beans on the following plan:

140

“ Dry House-—A common log hut or frame building may be
converted into a convenient castor bean dry house by making it
tight and constructing in it a drying floor, composed of narrow
strips of board, carefully laid one-fourth of an inch apart, except
those parts which are immediately over the stove and pipe,
which should be laid close. This floor should be as near the
ground as possible, but not so low as to impair the value of the
building as a barn or place of storage. A window for taking in
beans is made in one side of the house, two or three feet above
the drying floor, and a similar opening in the first story would
be very convenient. <A large stove, for burning coal or wood, is
set up near the front door, and the pipe, after passing to the
rear under the drying floor and up through an opening in the
same, returns again to the front, and is carried out through the
roof.

“ With a large wood stove, having a pipe of proper size, the heat-
ing power may be increased by carrying the pipe entirely around
the building, three or four feet from the walls, before it passes
up through the floor, and again to the rear, before going out
through the roof. A damper should be placed in the pipe near
the upper end to save heat and fuel.

“The opening in the floor through which the pipe passes, is three
feet square, and is protected by a boxing or curb to keep the
beans from falling through... The space about the stove is pro-
tected by a similar guard, and should be at least six feet square,
as the front door opens into this area.

“The beans on the spikes, as they are cut from the plant, are
thrown through the window upon the drying floor; and as the
bolls open the beans are stirred and fall through upon the ground
floor, ready to be fanned and sacked for shipping. The hulls
and spikes will make good fuel.

“ Frosted Beans—Are worth from one-half to two-thirds the
price of good beans, but must never be mixed with them when
sent to market, as a very few frosted beans in a lot of good will
reduce the value very much, from the inability to separate them
economically.

“ Yield, Price, ete—The yield will depend much upon the
culture bestowed upon the crop, upon the season, and the care
exercised in gathering and ripening the seeds. From fifteen to
twenty-five bushels to the acre is an average yield. Some culti-
vators will raise more, others less. Farmers will do well to pay

141

attention to this crop, for which a certain demand exists, and
at remunerating cash prices. It will pay better than raising
corn, potatoes, wheat, barley, or almost any other farm pro-
duce. It is not a difficult crop to get to market—can be taken
by team, or sent by river or railroad, with more profit than
most crops, as the value is greater for the same quantity.

“Castor beans have also proved a profitable crop. The
market price, however, has fluctuated considerably. The crop
of 1865 was totally unequal to supply the demand for oil, and
prices reached the extraordinary figure of $5 00 per bushel.
This stimulated the production and importation of foreign oil
and beans to such an extent that the crop and importations the
succeeding year (1866) proved more than sufficient to supply
the demand, and a small surplus was carried over to the next
season. At the commencement of the harvest of 1866, the
market opened at $3 50 to $4 00 per bushel, rapidly declining,
however, as the extent of the crop was developed, until at one
time sales were made at $1 50 per bushel, and advanced later in
the season to $2 00 and $2 25. Importers of foreign oil suffered
heavy losses; and where their stocks were still “in bond,” they
were forced to ship to Europe for a market. Prices in 1867
showed remarkable regularity, ranging from $2 00 to $2 40,
with great steadiness during the season.

“For medicinal purposes only, the demand for castor oil
would undoubtedly be limited; butit is the best lubricator known,
and at competing prices with lard oil would, doubtless, super-
sede it in all cases where required for heavy bearings, and the
demand would be nearly unlimited.

_ ‘Flaxseed or Castor Beans, for seed, can be procured at the
market price, which to-day is $2 25 for Flaxseed, and $2 40 for
Castor Beans.

“Tn more southern latitudes, circumstances would probably
render it necessary to deviate from these instructions in regard
to times of planting, harvesting, etc., etc., which any intelligent
planter would at once discover. It is thought they are suffi-
ciently explicit to enable any one to successfully attempt their
- culture.”

The Oil may be extracted from the seeds, (see U. 8. Disp.,)
in three ways: by decoction, expression and by the agency of
alcohol.

142

The process by decoction consists in bruising the seeds, pre-
viously deprived of their husks, and then boiling them in water.

The oil rising to the surface is skimmed or strained off, and —

afterwards again boiled with a small quantity of water, to
dissipate the acrid principle. To increase the product, it is said
that the seeds are sometimes toasted. The oil is thus rendered
brownish and acrid, and the same result takes place in the
second boiling if care is not taken to suspend the process soon
after the water is evaporated. Hence the color of the West
India oil, where this method is pursued. “The oil obtained in
this country is by expression. The following, as we have been
informed, are the outlines of the process usually employed by
those who prepare it on a large scale. The seeds having been
thoroughly cleaned from the dust and fragments of the capsules
with which they are mixed, are conveyed into a shallow iron
reservoir, where they are submitted toa gentle heat, insufficient
to scorch or decompose them, and not greater than can be
readily borne by the hand. The object of this step is to render
the oil sufficiently liquid for easy expression. The seeds are
then introduced into a powerful screw-press. A whitish, oily
liquid is thus obtained, which is transferred to clean iron boilers,
supplied with a considerable quantity of water. The mixture
is boiled for some time, and the impurities being skimmed off
as they rise to the surface, a clear oil is at length left upon the
top of the water—the mucilage and starch having been dissolved
by this liquid, and the albumen coagulated by the heat. The
latter ingredient forms a whitish layer between the oil and
water. The clear oil is now carefully removed, and the process
is completed by boiling it with a minute proportion of water,
and continuing the application of heat till aqueous vapor ceases
to rise, and till a small portion of the liquid, taken out in a vial,
preserves a perfect transparency when it cools. The effect of
this last operation is to clarify the oil, and to render it less
irritating, by driving off the acrid, volatile matter. But much
care is requisite not to push the heat too far, as the oil then
acquires a brownish hue, and an acrid, peppery taste. After
the completion of the process, the oil is put into barrels, and is
thus sent into market. There is reason, however, to believe
that much of the American oil is prepared by merely allowing
it to stand for some time after expression, and then drawing off

143

the supernatant liquid. One bushel of good seeds yields five or
six quarts, or about twenty-five per cent. of the best oil. If itis
not very carefully prepared, it is apt to deposit a sediment upon
standing; and the apothecary frequently finds it necessary to
filter it through a coarse paper before dispensing it. Perhaps
this may be owing to the plan just alluded to, of purifying the
oil by rest and decantation.” U.S.Disp. The American castor
oil, says Wood and Bache, is also prepared by mere expression,
rest and decantation. See Bené, (‘‘ Sesamum,”’) and Groundnut,
(“Arachis,”) for oils and:method of expression.
The beaten beans may be used as a purgative, but an over-
dose is sure to act powerfully as a cathartic, and often as an
emetic. I have known cases of poisoning in children from
eating the seeds. I may add, also, that to purify the oil
of mucilage, which will render it rancid, it should be boiled
in a little water; the mucilage being insoluble in the water,
may be skimmed off. Any water remaining with the oil
should ‘be evaporated, taking care not to burn or over-heat
the oil in the process. Soubeiran considers that all processes
in which heat is employed are objectionable, as a quantity
of fatty acids is produced, which renders the oil acrid; only
too high a temperature should be avoided. Pereira says that
in England the oil is expressed either by Bramah’s hydraulic
press, or by a common screw-press, in a room artificially
heated. It is purified by rest, decantation and filtration. It
is bleached by exposure to light on the tops of houses. In
Calcutta it is prepared as follows, Pereira adds: The fruit is
shelled by women, the seeds are crushed between rollers, then
placed in hempen cloths, and pressed in the ordinary screw or
hydraulic press. The oil thus procured is afterward heated
, with water in a tin boiler until the water boils, by which
the mucilage or albumen is separated as a scum. The oil is
then strained through flannel and put into canisters. The
small seed variety is supposed to yield the most oil. Beans
of ricinus are said by Boussingault to be about four times
more rich in oil than either flaxseed, olives, or sunflower seed.
He says that sixty-two pounds of oil can be procured in one
hundred of the castor oil bean. Itis stated that in Jamaica
castor oil is often obtained by simply bruising the seeds in a
mortar, and boiling them in bags under water—the oil rises to

144 7
|

the surface, is skimmed off, strained and bottled for use. This
was the plan used on the plantations in South Carolina during
the war of independence. It would not do for operations on a
large scale, See, also, Eneye. Britannica, art. “ Ricinus.” The
oil is considered good for illuminating purposes. A writer in
the Southern Cultivator, p. 29, vol. 7, refers to the discovery of
a process for separating stearine from the pure oil in the seeds,
and making the former into candles.

The Cake left after the expression of castor oil is very ad-
vantageously applied to land as a manure for wheat and other
crops. An interesting communication upon this subject may
be found in the first volume of the Farmer's Register, from T.
G. Peachy, Esq., of Williamsburg, Va., the results of whose
experiments show the great value of the article. In one ex-
periment he applied from fifty to sixty bushels per acre on
seven and a half acres of land sown with ten bushels of wheat,
and the product was twenty-six bushels of wheat per acre. In
this case the land was so poor that not over five bushels could
be expected from it without dressing. He recommends about
forty bushels as an ordinary dressing. Mr. Peachy does not
think the common impression correct, that the chief efficacy of
the cake resides in the portion of oil which it retains. His
press, he says, “is a very powerful one, and leaves a very
small portion of oil in the cake. There is, moreover, other
refuse matter in such an establishment as ours, which contains
a vast deal more oil than the cake, which I have used as ma-
nure, and been uniformly disappointed in its effects. Accident
has enabled me, I think, to solve the difficulty, and to declare
my belief that the fertilizing qualities of the oil cake reside
chiefly in the farina it contains. Some time last year, a vessel
laden with flour was stranded near Jamestown, and the flour
ruined. Mr. John Mann, who owns a farm in the neighbor-
hood, took two or three of the barrels and top-dressed a small
portion of his wheat with it. I was not an eye-witness of its
effects; but I was informed that it produced as great an in-
crease of that portion of his crop as my oil cake would have
done.

« By experiment, I find that fifty bushels of the cake will
weigh 1,800 pounds; and of this quantity I have discovered
that ten-eighteenths is farina or flour—equal to five barrels of

145

=

flour. The cotton seed, | think, contains more farina, in pro-
_ portion to the oil, than the castor bean, and, I believe, would
produce as great an effect after being deprived of its oil as it
would do in its original state.”

The leaves of the castor oil applied to the breast of nursing
“women are reported to be galactagoque and to increase power-
fully the flow of milk, and used for this purpose in the West
India Islands. Sce Art. Charleston Med, Journal.
STINGING NETTLE, (Jatropha stimulosa, Mx.) Grows in
dry pine land; vicinity of Charleston ; collected in St. John’s ;
Richland; Newbern. Fl. Aug.

The leaves are prickly and highly irritating when applied to

the skin. It might be employed like the nettle, ( Urtica,) as a
counter-irritant in epilepsies and diseases requiring stimulating
applications. The plants of this family furnish, generally, a
stimulating and highly acrid oil and they should be examined.
_ THREE SEEDED MERCURY, (Acalypha Virginica, . )
Grows Th dry, fertile lands; vicinity of Charleston; collected
in St. John’s Berkeley; Newbern. Fl. Sept.
Kl. Bot. Med. Notes, ii, 645. Said by Dr. Atkins, of Coosaw-
“hatchie, to be expectorant and diuretic; he has employed it
successfully in cases of humid asthma, ascites and anasarca.
Phyllanthus niruri, lL. §. Fla. Chap.
It has a bitter and astringent root, successfully prescribed in
Jaundice; half an ounce rubbed in milk, given twice a day, is
said to effect a cure in a few days; and that both it and the
young shoots are said to be diuretic; the leaves are very bitter,
and are a good stomachic; Ainslie. Martial states that they are
employed in Brazil as a specific in diabetes. Griffith.

MANCHIN EEL, (Hippomane mancinella, L.) South Florida.
Chap. ;

I find it closely related to Queen’s Delight, (Stillingia,) and it
belongs to the Huphorbiacee. Wilson describes it is a poisonous,
_ evergreen, tropical tree, of the spurge family. It attains a
height of eighty feet, and was esteemed a great curiosity in the
_hot-houses of Britain. The fruit is the size of an apple. A

milky, caustic juice abounds in every part of the tree, and if it

touches the human eye, is in danger of causing blindness; and
if it falls on any part of the human skin, will blister it; if upon

linen, it will make it black, and afterward eat a hole through
10

)

146

it; yet this forms, adds the author from whom I quote, some of
the well known caoutchouc of commerce. The timber of the
machineel is very durable and takes a fine polish, and is much
esteemed for various kinds of cabinet-work; but the woods-
men require to dry and consolidate it by surrounding it with
artificial fires before felling the trees, else they might be blis-
tered and blinded by its juice. And the cabinet-makers must
cover their faces with fine lawn while working it, else they
might get their eyes inflamed, and temporarily blinded with its
exhalations and sawdust. The fruit violently inflames the
mouth and throat of any person who tastes it, and it is exceed-
ingly dangerous. Any available part of the plant is so dread-
fully active that it cannot, even in the smallest doses, be safely
introduced into medicine. A notion prevails among the Ameri-
cans that the dew which falls beneath the tree is inflammatory
and blistering ; but this seems to be, the author adds, an absurd
exaggeration. The name /HHippomane signifies horse-madness,
ascribing to the tree a maddening effect upon the horse. Rural
Cyclopedia. Its resemblance to our Stillingia, which is a mere
shrub, is close, and the tree wants a careful investigation at
the hands of those living in Florida. I have collected the milk
from the Huphorbia and Asclepias and hardened it, though not
in sufficient amount to test its qualities. The salsify is said to
yield a large amount of milk, which may furnish caoutchoue,

QUEEN’S DELIGHT; YAW ROOT, (Stillingia sylvatica, Ly)
Collected in the pine barrens of St. John’s Berkeley, in great
abundance ; Richland; vicinity of Charleston; Newbern. FI.
Aug.

U.S. Disp. 687; Frost in So. Journal Med. and Pharm., Oct.
1846; Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Med. vi, 535. Dr. Wood says
that the Stillingia was introduced to the notice of the profession
by Dr. T. Y. Simons, of Charleston. (Am. Med. Record, April,
1828.) See, also, a paper by Dr. A. Lopez, formerly of South
Carolina, in N. O. Med. and Surg. Jour. iii, 40; but Mills had
stated in his statistics, published in 1824, that “the root acts
as an emetic; it is a most powerful cleanser of the blood;
used with complete success in diseases where this fluid has been
corrupted. The properties of this root are invaluable.” This
plant exudes a milky juice, very pungent to the taste, and
flowing in great abundance from the bruised surface. It is used

Eee ee

?

A

di

147

to some extent in South Carolina as an alterative in scrofula,
in syphilis, in cutaneous diseases, in chronic hepatic affections,
and in the composition of diet drinks; it adds to the efficacy of
sarsaparilla. I am informed by physicians residing in South
Carolina, that they have treated secondary syphilis successfully
with it. It is believed to be possessed of valuable properties,
and greater attention should be paid to it by those living in
the country where it is easily obtained. A tincture is made
with the root two ounces, of diluted alcohol a pint. Dose a
fluid drachm. A decoction is made of the bruised root one
ounce, water one and one-quarter pints. Boil to one pint.
Dose, one or two fluid ounces several times a day; an overdose
is cathartic or emetic. Dose of the powder fifteen to thirty
grains. The milky juices should be examined. I have inspis-
sated that from the Asclepias and Huphorbia. See these genera.

Since the publication of the first edition of this work, I have
employed the decoction of the root of this plant as an altera-
tive insyphilitic sores, occurring in patients in the City Hospi-
tal, Charleston, the spread of which nothing else could arrest.

It proved completely satisfactory. Phagadenic chancres were

rapidly cured under its use. A strong decoction was given
three times a day with four drops of nitric acid in each dose.
The following was published in the “ Floridian” newspaper :

“The herb known as Queen’s Delight, (Stillingia,) is a sure
preventive of chills and fever. It should be taken just before
or just as the chill is coming on, and it will soon put the pa-
tient in a profuse perspiration. The manner of preparing it is
to make a strong tea of the root, either in a green or dry state.
Take doses of a wineglassful until it produces perspiration.”

TALLOW TREE, (Stillingia sebifera, L.) Nat. from China;
collected in St. John’s, forty-five miles from the ocean. I have
seen it growing abundantly near Charleston, on the King street
road. |

Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. ii, 476; see Croton sebif. of
Mich. An ointment made from this is applied in nocturnal
fevers. The Chinese, according to Thumberg, employ the con-
creted oil extracted from the plant, in manufacturing candles.
The Reporters of the Patent Office, for 1848, speak very favor-
ably of it, and recommend its introduction, seeming not to be
aware of its being already found here. See their method of
extracting the oil.

148

In my report on the Medical Botany of South Carolina to
the American Medical Association, in 1849, I had, as above,
reported the fact of this tree being already naturalized. The
seeds, when burned, give out a great deal of light. It could
be planted with profit. In the Patent Office Report, 1851, p,
54, there is also a paper on the uses of the S. sebifera, with a
notice of the Pe-la, or Insect Wax of China. By D. J. Mac-
gowan, M. D., dated Ningpo, August, 1850. In this article, it
is stated that the Encyclopedia Americana refers to its being
grown along our coast. “ Analytical chemistry shows animal
tallow to consist of two proximate principles—sfearine and
elaine. Now, what renders the fruit of this tree peculiarly
interesting, is the fact that both these principles exist in it
separately, in nearly a pure state.” ‘ Nor is the tree prized
merely for the stearine and elaine it yields, though these pro-
ducts constitute its chief value: its leaves are employed as a
black dye; its wood, being hard and durable, may be easily
used for printing-blocks and various other articles ; and, finally,
the refuse of the nut is employed as fuel and manure.” Dr.
Roxburgh, in his Flora Indica, had condemned the plant as of
little value, because, in simply crushing and boiling the seeds,
the two principles referred to as existing together are not prop-
erly separated. I had myself; in my report, published in 1849,
and also in my paper in DeBow’s Review, August, 1861, recom-
mended this plant to the candle and soap manufacturers for the
large amount of oil it contained, and because of its abundance
around Charleston. I also gave some of the seeds to a manu-
facturer of castor oil, to experiment with, in 1851. I will now
quote from the paper mentioned, and also refer the reader to a
paper on the subject in the Charleston Medical Journal, by H.
W. Ravenel.

“The Stillingia sebifera is chiefly cultivated in the provinces
of Brangsi, Kongnain and Chekkiang. In some districts near
Hangchan, the inhabitants defray all their taxes with its pro-
duce. It grows alike on low, alluvial plains and on granite
hills, on the rich mould, at the margin of canals and on the
sandy sea-beach. The sandy estuary of Hangchan yields little
else. Some of the trees are known to be several hundred years
old, and, though prostrated, still send forth branches and bear
fruit. Some are made to fall over rivulets, forming convenient
bridges. They are seldom planted where anything else can be

149

conveniently cultivated—in detached places, in corners about
houses, roads, canals and fields. Grafting is performed at the
close of March, or early in April, when the trees are about
three inches in diameter, and also when they attain their
growth. The Fragrant Herbal recommends for trial the prac-
tice of an old gardener, who, instead of grafting, preferred
breaking the small branches and twigs, taking care not to tear
or wound the bark. In midwinter, when the nuts are ripe,
_they are cut off, with their twigs, by a sharp, crescentic knife,
attached to the extremity of a long pole, which is held in the
hand and pushed upward against the twigs, removing at the
same time such as are fruitless. The capsules are gently
pounded in a mortar, to loosen the seeds from their shells, from
which they are separated by sifting. To facilitate the separa-
tion of the white, sebaceous matter enveloping the seeds, they
are steamed in tubs having convex open wicker bottoms, placed
over caldrons of boiling water. When roughly heated, they
are reduced to a mash in the mortar, and thence transferred to
bamboo sieves, kept at a uniform temperature over hot ashes.
A single operation docs not suffice to deprive them of all their
tallow; the steaming and sifting are, therefore, repeated. The
article thus procured becomes a solid mass on falling through
the sieve, and, to purify it, is melted and formed into cakes for
the press. These receive their form in bamboo hoops, a foot in
diameter and three inches deep, which are laid on the ground
over a little straw. On being filled with the hot liquid, the
buds of the straw are drawn up and spread over the top, and
when of sufficient consistence, are placed with their rings in
the press. This apparatus, which is of the rudest description,
is constructed of two large beams, placed horizontally, so as to
form a trough capable of containing about fifty of the rings,
with their sebaceous cakes. At one end it is closed, and at the
other it is used for receiving wedges, which are successively
driven into it by ponderous sledge-bammers, wielded by ath-
letic men. The tallow oozes in a melted state into a receptacle
below, where it cools. It is again melted and poured into tubs
smeared with mud, to prevent its adhering. It is now marketa-
ble, in masses of about eighty pounds each, hard, brittle, white,
opaque, tasteless, and without the odor of animal tallow. Un-
der high pressure it scarcely stains bibulous paper; melts at

150

104° Fahrenheit. It may be regarded as nearly pure stearine ;
the slight difference is, doubtless, owing to the admixture of
oil expressed from the seeds in the process just described. The
seeds yield about eight per cent. of tallow, which sells for about
five cents per pound. The process for pressing the oil, which
is carried on at the same time, remains to be noticed. It is
contained in the kernel of the nut—the sebaceous matter which
lies between the shell and the husk having been removed in the
manner described. The kernel, and the husk covering it, are
ground between two stones, which are heated to prevent clog-
ging from the sebaceous matter still adhering. The mass is
then placed in a winnowing machine, precisely like those in
use in western countries. The chaff being separated, exposes
the white, oleaginous kernels, which, after being strained, are
placed ina mill to be mashed. This machine is formed of a
circular stone groove, twelve feet in diameter, three inches
deep and about as many wide, into which a thick, solid stone
wheel, eight feet in diameter, tapering at the edge, is made to
revolve perpendicularly by an ox harnessed to the outer end of
its axle, the inner turning on a pivot in the centre of the ma-
chine. Under this perpendicular weight the seeds are reduced
to a mealy state, steamed in the tubs, formed into cakes, and
pressed by wedges in the manner described; the process of
mashing, steaming and dressing being repeated with the ker-
nels likewise. The kernels yield about thirty per cent. of oil.
It is called ising-yu, sells for about three cents a pound, answers
well for lamps, though inferior for this purpose to some other
vegetable oils in use. It is also employed for various purposes
in the arts, and has a place in the Chinese Pharmacopeia
because of its quality of changing gray hair black, and other
imaginary virtues. The husk which envelops the kernel, and
the shell which encloses them and their sebaceous covering,
are used to feed the furnaces—scarcely any other fuel being
needed for this purpose. The residuary tallow cakes are also
employed for fuel, as a small quantity of it remains ignited a
whole day. It is in great demand for chafing-dishes during
the cold season, and, finally, the cakes which remain after
the oil has been pressed out are much valued as a manure, par-
ticularly for tobacco fields, the soil of which is rapidly impov-
erished by the Virginia weed. Artificial illumination in China

151

is generally procured by vegetable oils; but candles are also
employed by those who can afford it and for lanterns. In
religious ceremonies no other material is used. As no one
ventures out after dark without a lantern, and as the gods can-
not be acceptably worshipped without candles, the quantity
consumed is very great. With an important exception, the
candles are made of what I beg to designate as vegetable
stearine. When the candles, which are made by dipping, are
of the required diameter, they receive a final dip into a mixture
of the same material and insect wax, by which their consist-
ency is preserved in the hottest weather. They are generally
colored red, which is done by throwing a minute quantity of
_ alkanet root, (Anchusa tinctoria,) brought from Shangtung, into
- the mixture, Verdigris is sometimes employed to dye them
green. The wicks are made of rush coiled round a stem of
coarse grass, the lower part of which is slit to receive the pin
of the candlestick, which is more economical than if put into a
socket Tested in the mode recommended by Count Rumford,
these candles compare favorably with those made from sperma-
ceti, but not when the clumsy wick of the Chinese is employed.
Stearine candles cost about eight cents per pound.

WILD HIPPO; WILD IPECACUANHA, (2uphorbia cor-
ollata, 1..) Collected in St. John’s Berkeley, Charleston Dis-
trict, in dry soils; vicinity of Charleston; Newbern. Fl. Aug.

Frost’s Elems. Mat. Med. 82; Bell’s Pract. Dict. 199; Am.
Journal Med. Sci. xi, 22; U.S. Disp. 321; Big. Am. Med. Bot.
iii, 119; Royle, Mat. Med. 542 ; Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd.
iii, 179; Clayton’s Phil. Trans. Abrid. 331; Zollickoffer, Mat.
Med. 1819; cit. in Bart. loc. sup.; Coxe, Am. Disp. 272; Grif-
fith Med. Bot. 592. It is emetic, diaphoretic and cathartic.
Dr. Zollickoffer thinks that, as a diaphoretic, combined with
Dover’s powder, it is notinferior to ipecacuanha. He tried it in
seven cases. Twenty grains of the powdered root would pro-
duce emesis, sometimes followed by hypercatharsis. Mr. McKeen
states that twelve grains of the root in substance have double
the purgative power of an equal quantity of jalap. “Combined
with opium and the sulphate of potassa, it is an excellent dia-
phoretic in dropsy.” See Dict. de Mat. Méd. Dr. Frost, Prof.
Mat. Med. South Carolina Med. Coll., thinks it quite as active
as the ipecacuanha, and fully entitled to the consideration of

~~ 152

the profession, he having used it with benefit in his own prac-
tice. “Even should they not be employed, every physician
should be instructed in their properties, and, when occasion
requires, know the substitute he can apply to in case of need.”
Op. cit. 82. A drachm to eighty or one hundred grains may be
added to a half pint of hot water, which may be given in table-
spoonful doses every five or ten minutes till vomiting is induced.
This is a convenient mode of administration. According to
experiment, the contused root will excite vesication and inflam-
mation if applied to the skin. Maj. John Leconte, of New
York, informs me that he has been much pleased with its effects
as a sudorific. Dose as an emetic, twenty grains ; as a cathartic,
ten grains; asa diaphoretic, four grains. This plant is easily
obtained, and can be conveniently prescribed as a substitute
for ipecacuanha. It should be used with caution in cases of
insensibility of the stomach.

CAROLINA HIPPO; CAROLINA IPECAC., (Huphorbia
tpecacuanha.) Grows in Abbeville, Edgefield and Colleton
Districts; Newbern. Fl. June.

U.S. Disp. 223; Barton’s Med. Bot. 120. An energetic and
tolerably certain emetic; but liable sometimes to produce ex-
cessive nausea by accumulation; hence, thought by some
writers “wholly unfit to supersede the officinal ipecacuanha.”
This opinion, however, has been questioned by Hewson, Royal
and others. Barton said it was equal, and in some respects
superior. Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 114; Shec. Flora Carol. 555;
Mer. and de L, Dict. de. M. Med. iii, 182; Coxe, Am. Disp. 272;
Schoepf, Mat. Med. 74; B.S. Barton. Collec. 26; W. P. Barton,
Veg. Mat, Med.; Griffith’s Med. Bot. 592; Frost’s Elems. 81.
It sometimes has its action extended to the bowels, and operates
with a considerable degree of activity. Dose as an emetic,
fifteen to twenty grains; as a diaphoretic, five grains. Bigelow
notices among its constituents caoutchouc, resin, mucus and
feecula. Am. Med. Bot. ii, 109. It is evident, from the variety
of opinions expressed in relation to this plant, that it should be
given with caution. Both species are considered to be more
active than the imported ipecacuanha.

SPURGE; EYE-BRIGHT, (Euphorbia hypericifolia, L.)
Grows in the upper districts, according to Elliott; vicinity of

153

- Charleston, Bach ; collected in St. John’s; found by Dr. Boykin
in Georgia, N.C. Fl. July.

U.S. Disp. 321. Highly recommended by Dr. Zollickoffer, of
Baltimore, in dysentery, after due depletion. Used in diarrhea,
menorrbagia and leucorrhca; a half ounce of the dried leaves
is infused in a pint of boiling water, of which a fluid half ounce
must be taken every hour in dysentery, and the same quantity
after every evacuation in diarrhoea, and two ounces morning,
noon and night, in amenorrhea, flour albus, etc. See, also, Mér-
and de L. Supplém. to the Dict. de M. Méd. 1845, 282, where
Dr. Zollickoffer’s success in twelve cases is referred to; also,
Am. Journal of Med. Sci. Nov., 1832; M. and de L. iii, 181. It
possesses some narcotic power, also, which contributes to render
it peculiarly applicable in these diseases. Journal Méd. de la
Gironde, 161, 1825. Martius says it has the same properties as
the #. linearis, the milky juice of which is used in Brazil in
syphilitic ulcers. He has often tested its value in ulcers of the
cornea® Journal de Chim. v, 427. The juice applied to the eye
causes severe smarting, and it is thought to cause the severe
salivation to which grazing horses are subject. From several of
the spurge tribe a gum (euphorbium) is obtained by incision,
which concretes by exposure to the air. It is a dangerous irri-
tant, and has to be handled with caution. Mixed with starch
to weaken it, it may be used externally. Our Euphorbias should
be examined for caoutchouc, and the juice investigated carefully
and cautiously ; so, also, the juice of the Stillingia.

SPOTTED EYE-BRIGHT, (Euphorbia maculata, L.) Culti-
vated soils; vicinity of Charleston; collected in St. John’s. N.
C.. Fi: July.

Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. iii, 184; Ainslie, Mat. Med.
Ind. ii, 76. The juice is employed with great success in cleans-
ing the cornea of the spots and pellicles (les pellicules) follow-
ing small-pox. Mérat says the ancients recommended these
plants in diseases of the eye. Dr. Zollickoffer speaks of this
species, also, as possessing valuable properties. AJ] are endowed
with some emetic power.

Euphorbia helioscopia. Grows near the Horseshoe bridge,
Ashepoo, and on Hutchinson’s Island. See Ell. Sketch. FI.
May.

Dém. Elém. de Botanique, ii, 21. “A valuable purgative.”

~ 154

According to Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Med. iii, 181, it is use-
ful in syphilis when mercury is contra-indicated. Dr. Nonne
assures the profession of its utility. See Bull. des Sci. de Fér.
li, 354.

Euphorbia thymifolia, L. Included by Thomas Walter, in his
Flora Carolina, among the South Carolina species. Mich. says
it grows on the Mississippi. Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd.
iii, 188. In India the powder is administered in the verminous
disorders of infants. Ainslie, Mat. Med. Ind. 275.

Mercurialis annua. Grows around Charleston. Introduced.

A poisonous, narcotic plant, with emetic properties, but ,

less active than the M. perennis. Seeds purgative. It par-
takes, to a certain extent, of the acrid qualities of the Euphor-
biaceze.

CELASTRACEA.

DeCand. says an acrid principle has been detected among the
species.

BURNING BUSH; STRAWBERRY TREE; FISHWOOD;
SPINDLE TREE, (Huonymus Americanus.) Rare; grows in
swamps; collected in St. John’s Berkeley. N.C. Fl. May.

Griffith’s Med. Bot. 220. Emetic, discutient and anti-syphi-
litic. It is also thought to be narcotic. The seeds are said to
be nauseous, purgative and emetic, and are used in some places
to destroy vermin in the hair. The leaves are poisonous to

cattle.

WAHOO, (Luonymus atropurpurens.) Possesses properties
similar to the above.

Dr. Wood, in the 12th Ed. of the U.S. Disp., states that Mr.
G. W. Carpenter had introduced a bark some twenty years
since as a remedy for dropsy, under the name Wahoo, he
having obtained a knowledge of its virtues in the Western
States. Dr. W. ascertained that it was derived from this plant,
which must be distinguished from the Elm of the Southern
States, which is also called Wahoo. The bark imparts its
virtues to water and alcohol. By analysis of Mr. W. 'T. Wenzel,
it was found to contain a bitter principle, which he named
euonymin, asparagin, resin, fixed oil, wax, starch, albumen,
glucose, pectin and salts. (Am. J. Ph., Sept., 1862.) Mr. W.
P. Clothier found the substance, which is the euonymine of the
Eclectics, to purge actively without griping. Dr. Twyman, of

155

Mo., informed Dr. Wood that he had found the bark, as a
cathartic, rather to resemble rhubarb than to possess hy-
dragogue properties, and he thought that he had obtained from
_ it good results as an alterative to the hepatic functions. The

decoction or infusion is used in dropsy, made in the proportion
_ of an ounce to a pint of water, and given in the dose of a wine-
_ gilassful several times a day. U.S. Disp. See a paper by C.
A. Santos, upon the Am. species; Am. J. Pharm. xx, 80.

STAPHYLEACEM. (Bladder-nut Family.)

THREE LEAVED BLADDER-NUT, (Staphylea trifolia, L.)
Damp woods, North Carolina, Tennessee and northward (Chap.)

The nut of our tree resembles closely that of the S. pinnata,
which is used in Catholic countries for making rosaries.
Rosaries are also made of the seeds of the Pride of India tree,
(Melia.) The nuts of the S. trifoliata resemble a large, inflated
bladder.

Cyrilla racemiflora, Walter. Grows in swamps and inundated
lands; collected in St. John’s, where it is found in abundance ;
vicinity of Charleston; Newbern. FI. July.

Ell. Bot. Med. Notes, i, 295. The outer bark of the oldest
shrubs, near the root, is extremely light and friable, and absorbs
moisture. It has been used with advantage as a substitute for
agaric and other styptics. I learn that it is much confided in
for this purpose by those living in Darlington District, South
Carolina. When rubbed on the hand, it produces a sensation
similar to that produced by the application of an astringent
fluid. It has also been applied to ulcers when the indication is
to cicatrize them. This plant merits further attention.

TITI, (Cliftonia ligustrina, Banks. Mylocarium, Wild.) Pine
barren ponds and swamps, Florida and lower districts of South
Carolina and Georgia.

The stems, when dried, are found to suit admirably for pipe-
stems—a heated wire being passed through the pith. Much
used by our soldiers in camps; and now (1868) becoming to
some extent an article of trade.

CLUSIACEA. (Balsam Tree Family.)

YELLOW BALSAM TREE, (Clusia flava, L.) South Florida.
Wilson, in his Rural Cyclopeedia, says that the balsam tree,

156

Clusia rosea, grows in Carolina and in the West India Islands.
“A balsam resembling turpentine exudes from every part of the
tree, and has been much used as a plaster for the cure of sciatica.
The West Indians call this balsam hog gum, from a belief that
wild hogs rub themselves against it to obtain a cure of their
wounds.”

Canella alba,
Swartz.
Winterana
canella, L.

WHITE CANELLA; WILD CINNAMON,

South Florida. Chap.

This is an aromatic tree, bearing black berries. Every part
of the plant is aromatic; the flowers retain much of their odor
when dried; and if they be moistened with warm water, the
scent becomes very powerful, approaching that of musk. The
bark gives out its virtues to alcohol and partly to water; but
the infusion though bitter, has very little aroma. Petroz and
Robinet show that it contains volatile oil, resin, bitter extract-
ive, canellin, gum, ete. Its properties are owing to the first
three constituents, but principally to the oil which is used to
adulterate oil of cloves. The canellin is a saccharine substance
which is very analagous, if not identical with mannite. Ca-
nella is employed to cover the taste of several disagreeable
tasted articles of the Materia Medica, and enters into the com-
position of the Pulvis Alues cum Canella; added to the tine-
ture or infusion of senna it covers the nauseous taste of those
articles, and prevents them from griping. It is more useful as a
condiment than a medicine ; Swartz says it is thus employed
by the Caribs, and that it forms an ingredient of many dishes
among the negroes. In Martinique the berries constitute the
basis of a much esteemed cordial. The above account is sub-
stantially that of Griffith. See, also, U.S. Disp., Swartz, Trans.
Linn. Soe., i, 96, and Woodville’s, Stokes’, and Stephenson and
Churchill’s Medical Botany.

PORTULACACEA. (The Purslane Tribe.)

GARDEN PURSLANE, (Portulaca oleracea, Walter.) Grows
in yards and rich soils; vicinity of Charleston ; collected in St.
John’s; Newbern. Fl. Aug.

Linn. Veg. M. Med. 88; Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Med. v,
458. It is anti-scorbutic, diuretic and anthelmintic, and vaunted

ee

157

“as an antidote for poisoning from cantharides. According to
Linnzus, the herb was used in strangury. It will coagulate
milk. The American Dispensatories do not vouchsafe it the
same notice that it has received in various parts of Europe.
It has long been used as a salad and potherb. The young
_ shoots are gathered when from two to five inches long. Rural
_ Cyclopedia. A blue color is obtained from this plant. The
following is given by an agricultural journal: Boil a bushel of
garden parsley or purslane till soft, in an iron pot or kettle, and
strain off the liquor; boil a pound of logwood, also in iron, for
two hours, strain off the liquor and mix the purslane water;
then dissolve half a pound of alum in soft water, sufficient to
cover three pounds of yarn; put it in a brass or copper kettle,
and simmer the yarn in it for three hours; then wring and put
into the dye; simmer this three hours, with frequent stirring.
The depth of the color may be varied by varying the quantity
of thelogwood. A very desirable blige dye is obtained. See
Ohio and Southern Cultivator.

Dr. C. B. Lucas, of St. John’s, S. C., informs me (1868) that
several children, and a dog also, were made sick, with vomiting
and depression, from drinking the milk of a cow which had
been fed on purslane. The same milk given to the dog on the
next day again produced vomiting, which occurred almost in-
stantaneously.

SILENECEA. (The Dianthus Tribe.)

Uniformly insipid.

VIRGINIAN SILENE, (Silene Virginica, L.) Grows on the
margin of roads; vicinity of Charleston ; collected in St. John’s.
Fi. June.

Griffith, Med. Bot. 188; Barton’s Collec. i, 39; U. S. Disp.
1296; Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. vi, 342; De Cand. Essai,
94; Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 125. The decoction of the root acts
as an anthelmintic.

SOAPWORT, (Saponaria officinalis, Linn.) Nat. in upper dis-
_ tricts; Newbern. Fl. Aug.

U.S. Disp. 1293. This plant imparts to water the property
of forming a lather, from a principle it contains called saponin,
which is allied to the active constituent of sarsaparilla, and as
a substitute for which it is frequently used. This is obtained

158

by treating the watery extract with alcohol and evaporating.
It has been used in Germany in visceral and scrofulous affec-
tions, cutaneous eruptions, and by some is thought superior to
sarsaparilla in efficacy. The decoction. or the extract may be
given. Wade’s Pl. Rariores, 32; Mér. and de L. Dict. de M.
Med. vii, 220; Flore Med. vi, 311. It is regarded as diuretic,
aperient and sudorific, recommended in engorgement of the
abdominal viscera, stomach, intestines, lymphatic glands, and
in icterus, cachexy, etc. On account of its sudorific properties,
it is advised in syphilis, rheumatism and gout. Perrihle gave it
combined with mercury ; while fresh, administering it in doses
of one-half ounce of the decoction, or from twenty-four to forty-
eight grains of the extract. Journal de Chim. Méd. vi, 747, and
vii, 710; Ludolff, Diss. de Rad. Sap. Offic. Erfordis, 1756, J. F.
Cartheusen, Diss. de Sap. Frankfort; Amielhon, “Si le Stru-
thium des anciens est véritablement la saponaire des modernes.”
Mém. Nat. des Sci. et des. Arts, i, 587,

Dr. Wood states that Buckholz had obtained saponin from
the dried root of which this principle constituted thirty-four
per cent. (Jour. de Pharm. Ser. x, 339.) It is said to possess
poisonous properties. The Soapwort is given as an alterative
in the form of decoction and extract, which are taken freely.

Audry says that the inspissated juice, given in the quantity of ©

half an ounce in the course of a day, will generally cure gon-
norheea in about two weeks without any other remedy. <Ac-
cording to Dr. Bonnet and M. Malapert, this and other plants
containing saponin are capable of producing poisonous effects,
U.S. Disp., 12th Ed.

A decoction of this plant has been used in some countries as
a substitute for soap, and is well capable of cleansing woollen
fabrics; the leaves were considered laxative. Wilson’s Rural
Cye. Consult “Sapindus” and “ dsculus,” in this volume, for
other plants used as substitutes for soap. The Sapindus (soap-
wort) also furnishes one species, S. marginatus, which may be
useful. Found in Florida and Georgia, near the coast.

BARILLA PLANT, (Salsola soda.) I would particularly ad-
vise the planting in the Southern States of this plant, (cultivated
so largely in Spain, Sicily and Sardinia,) on account of its great
value in the ready manufacture of crude soda—which is now
supplanting, on account of its cheapness, the use of potash in

159 :

the manufacture of soap. Besides, soda gives a hard. soap.
According to the analysis of Ure, “good barilla contains twenty
per cent. of real alkali, associated with muriates and sulphates
of lime, soda,” ete. Caustic lyes made from it are used in the
finishing process of hard soap manufacture.

SALTWORT, (Salsola kali, L. SS. Caroliniana of Walt.) It
grows in Georgia and northward; and I have little doubt is
rich in soda, and may be made of great use to us in the pro-
duction of this most important product.

The barillas, Ure says, “always contain a small proportion of
potash, to which their peculiar value, in making a less brittle or
more plastic hard soap than the fictitious sodas, may, with great
probability, be ascribed.”

The following is the method of preparing soda from the Sal-
sola: “Of manufactured soda, the variety most anciently known
-is barilla, the incinerated ash of the Salsola soda. This plant is
cultivated with great care by the Spaniards, especially in the
vicinity of Alicant. The seed is sown in light, low soils, which
are embanked toward the seashore, and furnished with sluices
for admitting an occasional overflow of salt-water. When the
plants are ripe, the crop is cut down and dried; the seeds are
rubbed out, and preserved; the rest of the plant is burned in
rude furnaces, at a temperature just sufficient to cause the ashes
to enter into a state of semifusion, so as to concrete on cooling
into cellular masses, moderately compact,” etc. ‘Another mode
of manufacturing crude soda is by burning sea-weed into
kelp.” Ure. Crude soda, and the soda ash of commerce, are
made altogether by the decomposition of sea salt. I am not
aware whether our native Salsola kali grows in abundance upon
the coast of the Carolinas and Georgia. See “Corn” (Zea mays)
for economical mode of making soda from corn-cobs. Also,
article ‘‘ Kelp,” in this volume.

Directions for making “ Home-made” Soda.—The Richmond
Dispatch publishes the following: “The preparation more
closely resembles saleratus than soda, and is a comparatively
pure article for making bread. It is more valuable in view of
the scarcity and high price of soda in our drug stores. After
making a strong lye from ashes, boiling down to dryness and
burning till white, take the residue and add its own weight of
cold water, set in a cool place for several days, say a week,

160

stirring frequently; then strain through a fine cloth, and boil
down again to dryness, stirring frequently, and, finally, cork up
the powder so obtained in a bottle. These operations should all
be conducted in an iron vessel, not in glass or stoneware.”

I insert the following from a journal of the day, hoping that
they may prove useful:

“ Soap Receipts —In times of war and blockade, when people
are thrown almost entirely upon their own resources, every
item looking to domestic economy and home production should
be carefully observed. Our people have passed through a try-
ing ordeal, but they have learned lessons which will be of prac-
tical utility in after times. Habits of economy, and elements of
self-reliance, which have been pushed aside by the pressure of
an extravagant sentiment, by an increasing love for easy and*
luxurious living, are now, from the influences of necessity, being
resumed, while they are found to embody all of practical utility -
which they possessed in days of yore.”

Looking to the general principle of domestic economy and
home effort, I annex the following receipts for making soap,
which I find in the Wilmington Journal. One of these has been
patented at the North. If tried, they will, no doubt, be found
valuable:

“ Family Soap—Take six quarts of soft water, six pounds of
bar soap, one-quarter of a pound of sal-soda, three teaspoonsful
spirits turpentine, one and a half teaspoonsful hartshorn, one
teaspoonful of camphor, two teaspoonsful of salt. Cut the soap
up fine, boil the water, and add all the ingredients, and boil
thirty minutes; take off, and pour into shallow vessels to cool
and harden.

“Another—Five pounds bar soap, four pounds sal-soda, two
ounces borax, and one ounce hartshorn. Dissolve in twenty-
two quarts of soft water, and boil fifteen or twenty minutes.

“Jelly Soap—aAfter pouring out of the vessel the above soaps,
pour in water enough to wash off the sides and bottom, and
boil twenty minutes. Then pour off to cool, and you have ex-
cellent jelly soap for washing clothes, ete.

“ Soft Soap.—Take ten pounds potash well pulverized, fifteen
pounds grease, and three buckets boiling water. Mix, and stir
potash and water together until dissolved. Then add the
grease, stirring well; put all into a barrel, and every morning

|
|
‘

161

add two buckets cold water, stirring it well each time, until the

_ barrel is nearly full, or mixed to the consistency of soft soap.”

,

Consult Hickory, (Carya,) for manufacture of potash and pot-
ash soap from ashes.

SPURREY, (Spergula arvensis. Walt.; Linn.) Grows in
cultivated lands, lower country of South Carolina; vicinity of °
Charleston ; collected in St. John’s.

Mer. and de L. Dict. de. M. Méd. vi, 497: “Cows which feed

on it give milk of a richer quality, and in larger quantities.”

The seeds of a variety of this plant growing in Germany con-
tinue green during fall and winter, are far superior to pasture
grasses, and yield an oil suitable for lamps upon expression.
They are also ground up with rye, and used for making bread.
Poultry eat spurrey in any form, and are thought to become
very prolific of eggs when fed upon it. Rural Cyclopeedia, and
Thaér’s Agricultural Chemistry.

CHICKWEED; STITCHWORT, (Stellaria media, Smith.)
Introduced. Yards and gardens.

The herbage is greedily devoured by hogs, and is said to be
nutritive, and suitable for being boiled and eaten in the manner
of spinach. It has the reputation, when boiled in vinegar and
salt, of possessing virtue to cleanse eruptions of the hands and
limbs. The flowers serve, in some degree, as a natural barome-
ter, for when rain is approaching they remain closed, and in
dry weather they are regularly open from about nine o’clock in
the morning till noon. Wilson’s Rural Cyclopcedia.

XANTHOXYLACE.

The species belonging to this order are generally aromatic
and pungent.

Americanum, T. and Gray.
PRICKLY ASH; TOOTH- | fraxineum, Willd.
ACHE BUSH, (Xanthoxylum.) { ramiflorum, Mich.
Clava Herculis, Linn.

Barham’s Hortus Americanus. The scraped root is applied
to ulcers in order to heal them. The plant possesses stimu-
lating powers, and is a “powerful sudorific and diaphoretic ;”
remarkable, according to Barton, for its extraordinary property
of exciting salivation, whether applied immediately to the gums,
or taken internally. It is reported to have been used success-

162

fully in paralysis of the muscles of the mouth, and in rheumatic
affections. Also, in low forms of fever; the tincture of the
berries being sometimes employed as a carminative in doses of
ten to thirty drops, increasing the quantity when its stimulating —
effect is desired. Dr. King, of Cincinnati, states that it was
beneficially employed in cholera in teaspoonful doses. See Dr.
Bates’ article; Tilden’s J. Mat. Med., April, 1867. Mér. and de ~
L. Dict. de M. Méd. vi, 179; Journal Gén. de Méd. xl, 226. Dr.
Gillespie asserts that it is a good tonic and febrifuge. Accord-
ing to Cam, the Indians employed the decoction as an injection
in gonorrhea: “Voyage to Canada.” It has been given in
syphilis as a substitute for guaiacum, and also for mezereon.
See Anc. Journal de Méd. ii, 314. A peculiar principle, xantho-
picrite, is afforded by it. U.S. Disp. Its acrimony is imparted
to boiling water, and to alcohol. According to Dr. Staples,
besides fibrous substances, it contains volatile oil, a greenish,
fixed oil, resin, gum, coloring matter, and a peculiar crystalliza-
ble principle, which he calls zanthoxylin. The latter is given in
doses of two to six grains. Journal Phil. Coll. Pharm. i, 165.
It is stimulating ; producing, when swallowed, a sense of heat
in the stomach, arterial excitement, and a tendency to diapho-
resis. It enjoys considerable reputation in chronic rheumatism.
Dose of powder from ten grains to half a drachm. It has been
tried by many with advantage in this disease. Barton’s Collec.
i, 25,52; Thacher’s Disp. sub. A. spinosa; Big. Am. Med. Bot.
iii, 162. A fluid extract is also prepared and given in doses of
fifteen to forty-five drops. (Tilden’s Jour. Mat. Med.) In rheu-
matism an infusion is given, made of one ounce of the bark to
one quart of boiling water; one pint to be administered in
divided doses during the twenty-four hours. Rep. from Sur-
geon-Gen. Office, 1862. Itshould not be confounded with Aralia
spinosa, sometimes called prickly ash.

AX. Carolinianum, Lam. and T. and G, &. tricarpum, Ell. Sk.

This species is supposed to be possessed of similar properties
with the above. It is the Prickly Ash of the Southern States.
T. and G.

Chapman, in his Flora of the Southern States, does not in-
clude X. Americanum among our Southern plants, but what is
said of the medicinal properties of 4. Americanum, applies to
this plant.

163

These plants have the reputation in America of being power-
fully sudorific and diaphoretic, and excite copious salivation,
not only when made to act directly on the mouth, but when
taken internally, and have been found highly efficacious in para-

lysis of the muscles of the mouth. Rural Cyc. This may ac-
count for their utility in toothache.

I have ascertained (1868) that the decoction of this plant is
extensively used by physicians in South Carolina asa remedy in
dropsy. In a letter from a medical friend, he reports to me an
aggravated case which recovered under its use. A saturated
tincture of the berries or root made with whiskey is also

given.
HOP TREE, (Ptelea trifoliata, L.) Fla. and northward.
Chap. N. C.

A small genus of shrubs peculiar to America and India.
This species is said by Scheepf, Mat. Med. Am., to be anthelmin-
tic, a strong infusion of the leaves and young shoots being used.
The fruit is aromatic and bitter, and is stated to be a good sub-
stitute for hops.

SIMARUBACEA. (Quassia Family.)

ALIANTHUS, (Alianthus glandulosa.) Cultivated.

M. Hetel, of Toulon, France, has ascertained that the pow-
dered bark, in doses of seven to thirty grains, are very efficient
in the expulsion of the tape-worm. The volatile oil obtained
from it is so powerful that persons exposed to the vapors in
preparing the extracts, are liable to be seized with vertigo, cold
sweats and vomiting. The resin is purgative.

The tree also assumed great importance in an economical
point of view; its leaves having been found to be suitable food
for a species of silk worm, (Bombyx Cinthia,) imported from
China. (Journ. de Pharm. Mars. 1859.) U.S. Disp., 12th Ed.

Some suppose that the emanations from the leaves cause
fever.

QUASSIA, (Simaruba glauca, D. C.) South Florida. A
large tree. Chap.

This species of quassia, though not the officinal, should be
examined for any bitter tonic properties it may contain and for
quassin.

¢

164
GERANIACEAR. (The Geranium Tribe.)

Characterized by an astringent principle, and an aromatic or
resinous flavor.

CRANESBILL; CROWFOOT; ALUM ROOT, (Geranium
maculatum, Linn.) Diffused.

Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 137; Coxe. Am. Disp. 304; Eberle, Mat.
Med. i, 382; Bell’s Pract. Dict. 218; Big. Am. Med. Bot. 189;
Thacher’s Am. Disp. 224; U.S. Disp. 350; Royle, Mat. Med. 73;
Bart. M. Bot. i, 140; Pe. Mat. Med. and Therap. ii, 751; Am.
Journal Pharm. iv, 190; Journal Phil. Coll. Pharm. i, 171; Ed.
and Vav. Mat. Med, 135; Schepf, Mat. Med. 107; Barton’s Col-
lec. 7; Cutler, Mem. Am. Acad. i, 469; Mér. and de L. Dict. de
Mat. Méd. iii, 369; Journal Pharm. xiii, 287. It is a powerful
astringent, adapted to passive hemorrhages, chronic diarrhea,
and cholera infantum. It is injected with advantage in cases
of gleet and leucorrhcea, and is used as a wash for old ulcers.
Bigelow speaks of it as a very powerful astringent, very similar
to kino and catechu, and a useful substitute for the more expen-
sive articles. It forms an excellent local application in sore
throats and ulcerations of the mouth, and is adapted to the
treatment of such discharges as continue from debility after the
‘removal of their exciting causes. Colden and Schepf also
speak highly of the root in dysentery; and Dr. B.S. Barton, in
cholera infantum, used the decoction, in milk. Eberle was suc-
cessful with it, in his treatment of aphthous affections of the
mouth, and of ulcerations of the fauces and tonsils. Griffith,
Med. Bot. 209. The absence of unpleasant taste and other of-
fensive qualities, remarks Dr. Wood, renders it peculiarly ser-
viceable in the cases of infants and persons of very delicate
stomachs. By Staple’s examination, Journal Phil. Coll. Pharm.
i, 171, it contains tannin, gallic acid, mucilage, a small propor-
tion of amadin, and red coloring matter; from the bark, a small
quantity of resin and a peculiar crystallizable principle.

Dose of the powdered root in substance, is twenty to thirty
grains, one to two ounces of the tincture, and ten to fifteen
grains of the extract. The decoction is made by boiling one
ounce of the root in one pint of water, the dose of which is one
to two tablespoonsful. The extract is said to be the best form ;
alcohol and proof spirits, however, readily dissolve the active

it li ll tlt Dt i

165

principle, and the tincture keeps best. The resinoid Geranin,
as prepared by the Am. Chem. Institute, is given in doses of
five grains to an adult, or one grain every hour, to arrest intes-
tinal discharges. They use a solution of this powder in hema-
turia and as a wash in apthous sore throat; as a wash to the
eye and in ointments where astringents are required. Dose of
Tilden’s extract, three to fifteen grains.

ZYGOPHYLLACEA. (Bean Caper Tribe.)

Guaiacum sanctum, L. 8. Fla. Chap.

This possesses the same properties as the G. officinale, Lignum-
vit or Guaiacum, but ina minor degree. The wood is paler and
lighter, and is seldom imported, unless mixed with the true
Lignum-vitz, and as an adulteration of it; may be distinguished
by the smaller size of the billets, and the less decided green
tint of the heart wood. Griffith. The uses of Lignum-vite
and the*qualities of Guaiac as a medicine, its action on the kid-
neys in amenorrhea, and in rheumatism and gout, are well

known.
BALSAMINACEH. (The Balsam Tribe.)

According to De Cand., the species are diuretic. They are
chiefly remarkable for the elastic force with which the valves
of the fruit separate at maturity, expelling the seeds. Lind.

TOUCH-ME-NOT; JEWEL WEED, (Impatiens pallida,
Nutt.; T. and G. Noli me tangere, Ell. Sk.) Grows in inundated
Swamps; vicinity of Charleston; collected in St. John’s. FI.
July.

Bull Plantes Vén de France, 166: “The whole plant is very
acrid, and is used as a cataplasm.” Elém de Bot. iii, 58. Six
grains of the dried leaves will produce nausea. The U.S. Disp.,
1264, speaks of it as a dangerous plant, possessed of acrid
properties; when taken internally, acting as an emetic, cathar-
tic and diuretic.

OXALIDACEM. (The Sorrel Tribe.)

Leaves generally acid.
WHITE WOOD-SORREL, ( Oxalis acetosella, L.) Mountains of
North Carolina and northward. Chap.

166

The plant is a very agreeable and wholesome salad, and pos-
sesses refrigerant, anti-scorbutic, and anti-septic properties. The
juice coagulates milk, and precipitates lime from solution,
When boiled in milk, it gives off its acidulousness to the whey ;
and either this whey, or the expressed juice of the plant, much
diluted with water, may be used as a good refrigerant drink in
fevers. Rural Cye. The herb is powerfully and most agreeably
acid, making a refreshing and wholesome conserve with fine
sugar; its flavor resembles green tea,

Dr. Wood states that it owes its acidity to binowalate of potassa,
which is sometimes separated for use, and sold under the
name of salt of sorrel; the process of making which is furnished
by him. It is sometimes called essential salt of lemons, and is
used for removing iron mold and ink stains. This and other
species are refrigerant; and he also adds that their infusion or
a whey made with them in milk, may be used as a pleasant
drink in febrile and inflammatory diseases, and the fresh plant
eaten raw is useful in scurvy. U.S. Disp., 12th Hd.

PURPLE WOOD-SORREL, (Oxalis violacea, L.) Grows
in rich soils; vicinity of Charleston ; collected in St. John’s, N,
C. Fi. May.

U.S. Disp. 66. It contains the oxalate of potash, which im-
parts to it its pleasant, acid taste.

Oxalis corniculata, L. Ovwalis furcata, Ell. Sk. Vicinity of
Charleston ; similar in properties to the Oz. vielacea.

ROSACEA. (The Rose Tribe.)

None of the species are unwholesome; they are generally
characterized by the possession of an astringent principle.
The sub-order, Amygdalew, are better known for yielding Prus-
sie or hydrocyanic acid.

Potentilla, (canadensis.) Grows in meadows, in lower and
upper districts; St. John’s, South Carolina.

Dr. Richard Moore, of Sumter District, South Carolina, in-
forms me that this plant, on account of its bitter, mucilaginous
qualities, has been found, by repeated experiment, to be a most
efficient and useful remedy in the treatment of chronic colds,
threatening phthisis. The decoction is used. He refers to the
plant as the P. reptans (2).

i 167

a a ee,

JUNEBERRY; HIGH BUSH BLACKBERRY, (Rubus villo-
sus, Ait.) Diffased ; collected in St. John’s; vicinity of Charles-
ton; Newbern. Fl. May.

Eberle, Mat. Med. i, 386; Pe. Mat. Med. ii, 453; Ed.and Sikes
Mat. Méd. 134; Royle, Mat. Med. 374; U.S. Disp. 603-4; Ball.
and Gar. Mat. Med. 267; Big. Am. Med. Bot. ii, 160; Chap.
Therap. and Mat. Med. ii, 474; Thacher’s U.S. Disp. 341; Lind.
Nat. Syst. 144; Barton’s Collec. ii, 157; Griffith, Med. Bot. 270.
Bigelow considers it a powerful astringent, and is satisfied of
its efficacy, administered both internally and externally, in a
variety of cases admitting of relief from this class of remedies.
Dr. Chapman also speaks highly of it in the declining stage of
_ dysentery, after the symptoms of active inflammation are re-
moved ; he asserts that nothing in his hands had done so much
to eheck the inordinate discharges in cholera infantum—two or

three doses sufficing to bind up the bowels. The decoction is

made of one ounce of the root in a pint and a half of water,
boiled down to one pint, of which the dose for a child is two or
three teaspoonsful; for an adult, a wineglassful several times a
day ; orange peal may be added. Dose of the powdered root,
twenty or thirty grains. No analysis has yet been made I
have little doubt, from my own examinations, (see Liguidambar,)
that the astringency is owing to tannin. I have frequently
used a tea made of the roots of the Blackberry to check the

diarrhoea of teething children, and in refractory cases of dysen-

tery, after mercurials and other treatment had been employed,
and have always been pleased with the result. I consider it one
of the most useful of our astringents.

Dr. Sneed, of Ga., (So. Med. Surg. J. 1867,) maintains that its
usefulness in disorders of the bowels, does not depend princi-
pally upon the tannic acid it contains, but that its most power-
ful effect, in these instances, are attributable to the bitter,
stimulant, or tonic properties, distinct from its astringent effects.
He avers that a small quantity of the fluid extract taken into
the stomach increases the appetite. He also uses the bark of
the root grated in water in diarrhceeas. Tilden’s Journ. Mat.

Med. Aug. 1867.

I have known cases of chronic diarrhea and dysentery which
recovered after using a strong tea of blackberry root, which
had resisted other and persistent efforts for their relief; and I

~ 168

have had cases of similar benefit following its ei da de-
tailed to me by others.

In the old work on “ Herbs,” by Nicholas Culpepper, gentle-
man, “Student in Physic and Astrology,” the author observes
of one of the genus Rubus: “Hither the decoction or powder
of the root being taken, is good to break, or drive forth gravel,
and the stone in the reins and kidneys.” “The berries, and the
flowers, are a powerful remedy against the poison of the most
venomous serpents.” —P. 48.

I have noticed a yellow fruited variety in Fairfield District,
S. C., at Aiken’s place near Winnsboro’.

I received the following communication from Rev. M. A. Cur-
tis, in answer to inquiries on the subject :

“The White Blackberries, so-called, generally of a dirty amber
color, are occasionally met with in different States, from New
York to Carolina. The ‘New Rochelle’ of the gardens, is of
this kind. One found in North Carolina is coming into culti-
vation. Its only advantage is that it makes a prettier jelly than
the black.”

LOW BUSH DEWBERRY; CREEPING BLACKBERRY, -

(Rubus trivialis, Mich.) Diffused; vicinity of Charleston ; col-
lected in St. John’s; Newbern. Fl. April.

Watson’s Pract. Phy sic, 820; U.S. Disp. 603; Pe Mat. Med.
and Therap. ii, 543; Royle Mat. Med. 375; Chap. on Dis. of
Thorac. and Abdom. Viscera, 279; British and For. Med. Re-
view, January 31, 1845; Ball. and Gar. Mat. Med. 268. This
is, no doubt, possessed of astringent properties similar to the
above; a decoction of the root is said to be a safe, sure and
speedy cure for dysentery—a remedy derived from the Oneida
Indians.

As Blackberry wine is much used as a substitute for more
costly foreign wines, I will introduce the following receipe for
making it, communicated by Mrs. Summer, of South Carolina,
which was said to have been introduced from Virginia by the
Rey. Richard Johnson. Blackberry wine, as well as cordial
made from the wild cherry, is a pleasantly stimulating beverage,
useful as a cordial, capable of being medicated and very ser-
viceable in families, as well as in camps and hospitals. It can
easily be made with whiskey, or this may be omitted. It is
only strange that so useful and pleasant a drink, and one

ee

/ 169

within the reach of every one, should, until recently, have been
so little made: “To every three pints of berries, add one quart
of water; suffer it to stand twenty-four hours, strain through
a colander, then through a jelly-bag, and to every gallon of the

juice add three pounds of good brown sugar, the whites of
three eggs beaten to a froth, and stirred in the juice; a little
spice, with two dozen cloves, beaten together, and one nutmeg
grated, should be put in a small linen bag and dropped in.
After all are mixed, put it in a stone jug, filled up, and kept full
with some of the same juice, reserved for that purpose, until it
is done working, which will be in two or three weeks. Cork it
tightly, and keep it in a cold place for three or four months,
then pour it off into bottles, with a little loaf sugar in each
bottle; cork and seal close. If the wine is kept for twelve
months, it will be still better.” It is not easy to over-value the
great utility of so mild an alcoholic drink, combining slightly
astringent vegetable properties and which may be placed
within the reach of almost every one. 1 have seen this wine of
such an agreeable flavor and taste as to be preferred to more
valued wines. Cheap, good wines are certainly the greatest
boon that could be conferred on any country. See “ Grape,”
Vitis, and “ Apple,” Pyrus.

The following is an approved method of making Blackberry
wine, in vogue in St. John’s Berkeley, South Carolina. I insert
it in a work of this kind for its general utility, and as it forms
an approved liquor which “cheers but not inebriates.” Black-
berries, six quarts; boiling water, two quarts; brown sugar,
two pounds. The whites of six eggs frothed, added when the
jug is nearly full. Mash the berries, pour in the water—let it
remain twenty-four hours. Strain through a hair sieve and add
the sugar. Leave the jug open for two weeks, until fermen-
tation ceases—a glass of alcohol may then be added. An addi-
tional pound of sugar would probably secure the wine from
the acetous fermentation.

The following modification is considered the most sure means
of securing a good result: To every three quarts of berries
well mashed add one quart of boiling water—some prefer to add
no water ; allow it to remain twenty-four hours ; strain through
a hair seive ; to every gallon add two pounds of brown sugar—
to every five gallons add the white of four eggs well beaten ;

AN the jug; keep some of the preparation and add to the jug
every morning until fermentation ceases, then add one glass of
aloohol, cork up Gghtly until the month of March, keeping it in
acool place, The next is very simple, if good,

Rlackderry Wine—The following is said to be an excellent
recipe for the manufxoture of superior wine from blackberries :
Measure the berries and bruise them, to every gallon adding
one quart of boiling water; let the mixture stand twenty-four
hours, stirring occasionally; then strain off the liquor into a
cask, to every gallon adding two pounds of sugar; cork tight
and let stand ull following October, and you will have wine
roady for use, without any further straining or boiling,

A correspondent in the Mobile Register gives the following
method of making blackberry cordial;

“Cordial for Stekness tn the Army.—To alleviate the sufrings
and perhaps save the lives of many of our soldiers, whose sick-
ness may be traced to the use of unwholesome water in lime-
stone regions, T recommend the use of blackberry cordial. The
following is a good recipe: Bruise the berries and strain the
juice through a bag; to each quart of the juice allow a half
pound of loaf sugar, a heaped teaspoonful of powdered cin-
namon, the same of powdered cloves and a grated nutmeg; boil
these ingredients fifteen or twenty minutes, skimming them
well, When cool, stir into each quart a half pint of brandy ;
then bottle and cork well, In case brandy and loaf sugar
cannot be had, substitute good whiskey and sugar house mo-
lasses, :

* Compound Syrup of Blackberries—Aedicated Blackberries —
Useful as a drink in diarrh@a, and to supply soldiers in camp,
either as aremedy in mild cases of diarrhea or as a vehicle for
medicines. To two quarts of the juice of blackberries, add
half an ounce each of cinnamon, allspice and nutmegs, and one
quarter of an ounce of cloves, well pulverized. Boil them to-
gether for filkeen to twenty minutes in a preserve pan or Kettle,
to get the strength of the spices; strain through a piece of
flannel, then add loaf sugar to make very sweet, and while
still hat add to every two quarts of the juice one pint of brandy,
The dose of this for an adult is about two tablespoonsfal re-
peated, Qne-tifth portion of the mixture is brandy.”

The following substitute for the spiced syrup of Rhubarb, is

171

given by Dr. Parrish, (Pract, Pharmacy p. 230,) used in the
diarvhwa of children. Blackberry root (cither species) eight
ounces; cinnamon, cloves and nutmegs, each three drachine;
sugar, four pounds; water, four pinte—boil the roots and the
aromatics in the water for one hour, express and strain, then
add the sugar, form a syrup and again strain, then add French
brandy, ix fluid ounces, oil of cloves and oil of cinnamon, of
each four drops. Dose fora child of two years old a teaspoon-
ful—a tablespoon for an adult, to be repeated.

The blackberry root is an easily obtained and valuable as-
tringent, A decoction acts a6 an astringent, and will check
diarrhea, The rind of pomegranate, which is casily portable,
boiled in milk, ie an excellent remedy in diarrhea in the army,
to be used during scarcity of medicines. The tree grows
abundantly in the Southern States; all parte of it are me-
dicinal,

Fromefrequent trials, | know of no remedy for diarrbwa and
dysentery of teething children, superior to the decoction of
the root of this species; also, during the convalescence from
dysentery in adults. It might be much more extensively used
on our plantations.

The following preparation from blackberries will be found
useful a6 a laxative, and to prevent constipation. Half a pound
of brown sugar to every pound of the fruit boiled together for
an hour, till the blackberries are soft, stirring and mashing
them well, This should be preserved, and will prove a most
agreeable laxative for children, on account of the saccharine
matter contained in it and the mechanical irritation of the
seeds :

“ Blackberrics.—Vreserve these as strawberries or currants,
_ either liquid, or a6 a jam, or jelly. Blackberry jelly or jam is an
excellent medicine in summer complaints or dysentery. To
make it, crush a quart of fully ripe blackberries with a pound
of the best loaf-sugar ; put it over a gentle fire and cook it until
thick; then put to it a gill of the best fourth-proof brandy ;
stir it awhile over the fire, strain, then put in pots.

“ Blackberry Syrup.—Make a simple syrup of a pound of sugar
to each pint of water; boil it until it is rich and thick; then
add to it a6 many pints of the expressed juice of ripe black-
berries as there are pounds of sugar; put half a nutmeg grated

172

to each quart of the syrup; let it boil fifteen or twenty
minutes, then add to it half a gill of fourth-proof brandy for
each quart of syrup; set it by to become cold; then bottle it
for use. A tablespoonful for a child, or a wineglass for an adult,
isa dose,

« Blackberry Cordial Medicated.—It is recommended as a de-
lighttul beverage, and a remedy for diarrhe@a or ordinary
disease of the bowels:

*'To half a bushel of blackberries, well mashed, add a quarter
of a pound of allspice, two ounces of cinnamon, two ounces of
cloves ; pulverize well, mix and boil slowly until properly done ;
then strain or squeeze the juice through homespun or flannel
and add to each pint of the juice one pound of loatsugar;
boil again for some time, take it off, and while cooling add half
a gallon of best brandy. For an adult, half ounce to an
ounce; for a child, a teaspoonful or more, according to age,”

Blackberry Jelly is made by washing the berries, to each
pound adding a half pound of sugar, place on a stove and
simmer, pour off the juico which is to be boiled down to a jelly,
the seeds being thus excluded.

The leaves of the blackborry and raspberry carefully dried are
recommended as substitutes for foreign tea. Upon experiment,
I find the tea drawn from them agreeable and pleasant, and
perhaps slightly stimulating or sedative, as the case may be,
but the Aerd taste is rather too prominent.

VIRGINIAN, OR WILD RASPBERRY, (Rubus occiden-
talis, Linn.) Grows in the upper districts; collected in St.
John’s; Newbern.

Mer and de L, Diet. de M. Med. vi, 181, Properties identical
with the above. It is thought to be aspecitic in dysentery.

STRAWBERRY. (Fragaria vesea, Ex.) Cult.

Flore Med. iii, 169; Griffith Med. Bot. 277. Gesner speaks of
the good effects of the fruit in calculous disorders, and Lin-
newus extolls its efficacy in gout, having, he says, prevented
paroxysms of it in himself by partaking of this fruit very
freely. They are also supposed to possess vermifuge properties,
and to be useful in phthisis. The leaves are astringent, and aro
recommended in bowel complaints; and the roots are much
used in Europe as diuretics; frequently given in dysuria, in
infusion, made with an ounce to the pint of water. Op. eit,

ee ee ee

173

Lallemand, in his work on Spermatorrhwa, p. 310, states that
strawberries are quite serviceable in relieving irritable con-
ditions of the bladder and urethra, Rousseau mentions this as

trae of himself, see his Confessions; and I have known of per-

sons in ill-health during the winter who rapidly recovered as
soon 26 this fruit could be procured—owing doubtless to the
need of the vegetable acids they contain.

SCARLET VIRGINIAN STRAWBERRY, (Mragaria Vir-
giniana, Krhart.) Rich woods; Florida to Virginia. Chap.

It was introduced into England in 1629 and possessed a fame
equal to the hautbois. The pulp has a fine flavor. Rural Cye.
This plant is well known, and its economical value and appli-
cation require no description. The use of the fruit often acts
beneficially upon dyspeptics, who are benefited by acids. “The
old Carolina strawberry is a well known and much esteemed
variety. The pulp is colored and juicy, and has a fine vinous
flavor.” By pinching off all the first flowers of early bloom
varicties, the flowers will appear and fructify the present
autumn. Rural Cyc. They require constant watering to bear
almost constantly.

: Geum Virginianum, Linn.

WHITE AVENS, } “s Cas inden, Walt,

Griffith, Med. Bot. 279; Raf. Med. FI. i, 220. This plant is
possessed of tonic and astringent properties, recommended by
Ives and Bigelow in dyspepsia, and debility of the viscera; em-
ployed, also, with success in leucorrhoea and chronic hemorr-
hages. It is not supposed, however, to be possessed of much
power; one drachm of the powdered root may be used, or a
decoction made by one ounce to one pint of water, of which the
dose is one ounce several times a day. In domestic practice, it
is given in the shape of a weak decoction, as tea.

AGRIMONY ; FEVERFEW; COCKLE BURR, (Agrimonia
Eupatoria, li.) Diffused in cultivated lands; Newbern. FI,
July.

Parr’s Med. Dict. Art A. Hup.; Pe. Mat. Med. and Therap. ii,
76: Le. Mat. Med, i, 1251; Royle, Mat. Med. 602; Hoffman’s
Obs. Phys. Chim. i; Obs. i; Ell. Bot. Med. Notes, i, 403, note;

U.S. Disp. 145; Ed. and Vay. Mat. Med. i, 281; Ball and Gar.

Mat. Med. 431; Bergii, Mat. Med. 287; Mér. and de L. Dict. de
M. Méd. i, 63; Woody. Med. Bot.; Ann. de Chim. Ixxxi, 332;

~
—

we

Coxe, Am, Disp. 18; Shee, Flora Carol, 96; Dém. Rlém de Bot,
HQ The root and leaves, before the flowers are produced,
are acrid and astringent, and are serviceable in passive hem.
orrhages, diarrha@a lorcorrh@a and gonorrhea, and are highly
recommended as a deobstruent in obstructions of the spleen, and
in diseases arising from torpor of the liver, as dropsy, jaundioa,
ete, The roots and leaves have been fund efficacious in invol-
untary discharge of urine (enuresis) Ray's Cat, Plantarum;
Am, Horbal, by J. Stoarns, 89; Lightivot’s Fl, Seotioa, It is
styptie ; it strengthens the tone of the stomach, and it has been
employed in chronic diarrh@a, The plant, digested in whey,
atfonds a very grateful diet drink, See Linnwus Veg, M. Med,
S& The ladians used it in intermittent fever. Colonel Sea.
born, of Pendleton Distriet, S.C, writes me werd that he has
known the plant, boiled in milk, given successfully in snake
bites, and injuries arising from the stings of spiders, The dose
of the powder is one drachm; of the infusion of six ounces of
root in one quart of boiling water, the dose is one ounce. In
popular practice, the leaves are applied as a cataplasm to con-
tusions and fresh wounds, Itis used by the steam practitioners,
See Howard's Imp, Syst. Bot, Med. 284. The leaves and stalks
impart a beautifal and permanent gold color to animal wool,
previously impregnated with a weak solution of bismuth, and
the flowers are employed by tanners for curing soft and delioate
skins, I have obtained a delicate yellow dye from the leaves
(A882) which might be usefal in coloring kid gloves, morocco
sking, ete.; alum should be used to tix the color,

Spirea trifeliata and stipulacea, See Gillenia,

HARDHACK; STREPLE-BUSH, (Spirwe tomentosa, Linn.)
Grows in the upper districts, and in Georgia; Newbern, Fl.
July.

U.S Disp 682; Raf Med. Fl. ii, 91. A valuable tonie and
astringent; administered in diarrhea, cholera infantum, and
other complaints where medicines of this class are indicated.
Wood says it is peculiarly adapted, by its tonic powers, to cases
of debility, as it does not disagree with the stomach; but it
should be avoided during the existence of Inflammatory action
or febrile excitement. It was employed by the Indians, and
brought to the notice of the profession by Dr. Cogswell, af Conn,
Dr, Ives is of the opinion that the root is the least valuable por.

s

We
tion; tannin, gallic acid, and bitter extractive are among ite
Constituents, and ite virtues are extracted by water. Mér. and
de L, Dict, de M. Méd, vi, 507. According to Mead’s Thesis, it
given with success in the second stages of dysentery and
hea, having virtues attributed to it analogous to those of
ne, See, also, Journal Univ. des, Sci. Méd. xxiv, 246, and
vig in New York Med. Repos. (Mérat, vp. cit.) The extract
waid Ww be fally equal to catechu, and might very well take
its place. As it does not disagree with the stomach, it is con-
sidered 4 very valuable addition to the materia medica. Griffith,
Med, Bot, 280. From five to fifteen grains of the extract may
_ be taken, or two ounces of the decoction, prepared by the ad-
dition of one ounce of the plant to one pint of water. The ex-
| tract ia preferable; made by evaporating the decoction of the
stems, leaves or root. This is taken cold, and repeated several
times during the day. Great use might be made of this plaut,
particularly by practitioners residing in the country. In 4
communication from Dr. 8. &. Mead, of Ilinois, he informs me
that he has employed it in obstinate diarrhwas in place of
om.

NINE-BARK, (Spirwa opulifolia, Linn.) Grows along streams.
$. and N.C.

Griffith’s Med, Bot. 282. This is not so astringent as the S.
tomentosa, though NRafinesque (Med. Flora) says it is possessed
_ Of similar properties. It has an unpleasant odor, which ren-
ders it objectionable as an internal remedy. It is, however,
- much employed as an external application, in the form of fomen-
tation, or a4 4 cataplasm to ulcers and tumors. The seeds are
| externally bitter, and are said to be tonic. The bark separates
in thin layers, hence the name.

, | Gillenia trifoliata, Nutt.
| INDIAN PHYSIC, | Coe Linn,
_ Grows in the upper districts; also in Geo. FI. July.

Big. Am. Med, Bot. iii, 10; Bart. M. Bot. 164; U.S. Disp.
253. Itis a mild emetic according to some writers; largely
employed as a substitute for ipecacuanha. Bigelow thinks it is
not a certain emetic, but Zollickoffer, Barton, Eberle and Grif-
fith unite in testifying to its value; the latter entirely disproves
Baume’s unfavorable report. In smal) doses, it acts as a gentle
tonic, especially in torpid conditions of the stomach. Accord-

176

ing to Mér. and de L. Dict. de Med, 509, (see Spirea trifol.,) its
properties partake also of a stimulating character. Coxe, Am.
Disp. 305 ; Carson’s Illust. Med. Bot. pt. Ist, 40, 1847. Shreeves
(Ex. in the Am. Journal Pharm. vii) found in it starch, gum,
resin, wax, fatty matter, red coloring matter, and a peculiar
principle, soluble in alcohol and dilute acids, but insoluble in .
water and ether. According to the statement of Dr. Staples,
it contains no emetine. It may be conveniently given as an
emetic, by boiling the root and giving one or two ounces of the
decoction at a dose till vomiting is induced. “The tincture of
the root is an infallible remedy for milk sickness. “Cherokee
Doctor.” The dose of the powdered root is thirty grains, per-
sisted in till vomiting takes place; two to four grains act as a
tonic, and sometimes as a sudorific. The infusion will occa-
sionally produce hyperemesis and catharsis. Lind. Nat. Syst.
144; Frost’s Elems. 80; Inaug. Diss. of Dr. De La Motta, of.
Charleston, published in Philadelphia; Schoepf, M. Med. 80;
Bart. M. Med. 26; Griffith’s Med. Bot. 283; Griffith, in Journal
Phil. Coll. Pharm. iv, 177.
Gillenia stipulacea, Nutt.

AMERICAN IPECAC., \ Spire, oF NOR
Grows on the Saluda mountains; N.C. Fl. July.

Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 144. It is emetic and probably tonie,
and is possessed of properties similar to those of the S. trifol.,
though it is said to be more certain in its effects, and not to
have been deteriorated by cultivation. U.S. Disp. 353; Grif
fith’s Med. Bot. 284.

COCKSPUR THORN; HAW, (Cretagus crus galli.) Grows
in swamps.

Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. ii, 460. Dr. Darlington re-
gards it as one of the best thorn plants for hedges ; it is much
used in Delaware. Fl. Cestrica. Itis better than the Washing-
ton thorn, C. cordata. These and the species of Pear, Pyrus,
should be examined for the alkaloids propylamin and secalina.
See Sorbus acuparia.

CRAB-APPLE, (Pyrus coronaria, Linn.) Newbern. Fl. May.

It is not employed medicinally. The fruit is very acid to the
taste, and is often made into preserves. The acid juice is known
under the name verjuice, and has been applied to sprains and
bruises. Phloridzine has been obtained from this genus—said

177

to have succeeded in intermittents where quinia had no effect.
Dungl. New Remedies. ‘Ten to fifteen grains may be given dis-
solved in a little ammonia and water. Mills, in his Statistics of
8. C., says that the fruit makes the finest cider; that the
leaves afford a yellow dye, and that the acid juice of the fruit
is used in recent sprains, and as an astringent and repellant.
The bark, with that of the white hickory, gives a yellow dye.
Alum must be used as a mordant. The yarn should first be
boiled with soap and water, then wrung out and boiled in the
preparation.

APPLE, (Pyrus malus.) Cultivated. The apple, pear, (P.
communis,) and quince, (P. cydonia,) grow very well in the South-
ern States in districts removed from the seacoast. The pulp
surrounding the seeds of the latter is often dissolved in water
and used as a mucilage. See authors.

Perry from pears is made very much like cider. Hitt’s
method*of keeping pears and apples is described by Wilson in
his Rural Cyc. Art. “ Fruit storing.” Having prepared a num-
ber of earthenware jars, and a quantity of dry moss, (different
species of Hypnum and Sphagnum,) he placed a layer of moss
and of pears alternately, till the jar was filled; a plug was
then inserted and sealed around with melted rosin. These jars
were sunk in dry sand to the depth of a foot—preferring a deep
cellar for keeping them to any fruit room. Millar’s plan is also
described. After sweating and wiping, in which operation great
care must be taken not to bruise the fruit, the pears are packed
in close baskets, having some wheat straw in the bottom and
around the sides, to prevent bruising, and a lining of thick,
soft paper, to hinder the musty flavor of the straw from infect-
ing the fruit. Only one kind of fruit is put in each basket. A
covering of paper and straw is fixed on the top, and the basket
is then deposited in a dry room, secure against the access of
frost; and the less air is let into the room the better the fruit
will keep. Some preserve apples and pears in glazed earthen-
ware jars, with tops, by placing dried sand between each layer
of fruit—the jars to be kept in a dry, airy situation, secure
from frost.

The gum exuding from the apricot tree dissolved in water
acts as a substitute for gum arabic as an adhesive agent; see,
also, Bletia aphylla. IJ find that from the wild orange, in boil-

12

178

ing water, acts admirably as a glue for paper. The wood of
the pear and apple is very hard, and will probably supply some
of our best material for wood engraving; see Amelanchier, with
which it is closely related. The pear and apple are employed
to make wooden type for mammoth letters. The apple is the
best material for plane stocks, as it becomes harder and more
polished the more it is used.

The bug, or plant louse, which in the shape of a hoary cov-
ering destroys the apple tree, is generally an aphis or an erio-
soma; see Wilson’s Rural Cyclopeedia, a full account; also,
papers on the “Insects destructive to Trees,” in the Patent
Office Report on Agriculture. In these the remedies are given.
“'The best of the methods, as to at once cheapness, cleanliness
and efficiency, are syringing with soap suds and tobacco water,
minutely brushing with spirits of turpentine, brushing with a
mixture of soap lees and one of oil of turpentine, and brushing
with brown, impure, pyroligenous acid.” Wilson. See “ peach,”
“pear,” mode of keeping, ete. Planting apricots near by will
divert the insects to their fruit. Turning hogs in orchards,
_ which consume the fallen fruit, is one of the means of destroy-
ing the larve, which produces the fly of the next season.

A species of wine is made from apple cider by adding sugar
and alcohol. Cider may be kept by digging under ground dry
cellars, and covering from the sun. Vinegar made from cider
is of the best quality. It is easily made in a warm place by
adding a little mother of vinegar to the sour cider in a barrel.
It is ready for use in a few weeks. The strength and purity of
vinegar, as determined by the framers of the United States
Pharmacopeeia, is as follows: ‘One finid ounce is saturated by
about thirty grains of erystalhzed bicarb. of potassa. It affords
no precipitate with solution of chloride of barium, and is not
colored by sulphohydrie acid.”

Good cider is deemed a pleasant, wholesome liquor during
the heats of summer; and Mr. Knight has asserted, and also
eminent medical men, that strong, astringent ciders have been
found to produce nearly the same effect in cases of putrid fever
as Port wine.

The unfermented juice of the apple consists of water and a
peculiar acid called malic acid, combined with the saccharine
principle. Where a just proportion of the latter is wanting,

179

the liquor will be poor and watery, without body, very difficult
to preserve and manage. In the process of fermentation, the
saccharine principle is in part converted to alcohol. Where
the proportion of the saccharine principle is wanting, the de-
ficiency must be supplied either by the addition of a saccharine
substance before fermentation, or by the addition of alcohol
after fermentation; for every one must know that all good
wine or cider contains it, elaborated by fermentation, either in
the cask or in the reservoirs at the distillery. The best and
cheapest kind is the neutral spirit—a highly rectified and taste-
less spirit, obtained from New England rum. Some, however,
object to any addition of either sugar or alcohol to supply defi-
ciencies, forgetful that these substances are the very elements
of which all wine, cider, and vinous liquors are composed.
The strength of the cider depends on the specific gravity of
the juice on expression: this may be easily ascertained by
weighitig, or by the hydrometer.

Newark, in New Jersey, is reputed one of the most famous
places in America for its cider. The cider apple most celebrated
there is the Harrison apple, a native fruit ; and cider made from
this fruit, when fined and fit for bottling, frequently brings ten
dollars per barrel, according to Mr. Coxe. This and the Hughs’
Virginia Crab are the two most celebrated cider apples of
America. Old trees, growing in dry soils, produce, it is said,
the best cider. A good cider apple is saccharine and astringent.

To make good cider, the first requisite is suitable fruit; it is
equally necessary that the fruit should be not merely mellow,
but thoroughly mature, rotten apples being excluded; and ripe,
if possible, at the suitable period, or about the first of Novem-
ber, or from the first to the middle, after the excessive heat of
the season is past, and while sufficient warmth yet remains to
enable the fermentation to progress slowly, as it ought.

The fruit should be gathered by hand, or shaken from the
tree in dry weather, when it is at perfect maturity ; and the
ground should be covered with coarse cloths or Russia mats
beneath, to prevent bruising, and consequent rottenness, before
the grinding commences. Unripe fruit should be laid in large
masses, protected from dews and rain, to sweat and hurry on its
maturity, when the suitable time for making approaches. The
earlicr fruits should be laid in thin layers on stagings, to pre-

180

serve them to the suitable period for making, protected alike
from rain and dews, and where they may be benefited by cur-
rents of cool, dry air. Each variety should be kept separate,
that those ripening at the same period should be ground to-
gether.

In grinding, the most perfect machinery should be used to
reduce the whole fruit, skin and seeds, to a fine pulp. This
should, if possible, be performed in cool weather. The late
Joseph Cooper, of New Jersey, has observed emphatically, that
“ the longer a cheese lies after being ground, before pressing, the better
for the cider, provided it escapes fermentation until the pressing is
completed ;” and he further observes, ‘that a sour apple, after
being bruised on one side, becomes rich and sweet after it has
changed to a brown color, while it yet retains its acid taste on
the opposite side.” When the pomace united to the juice is
thus suffered for a time to remain, it undergoes a chemical
change ; the saccharine principle is developed ; it will be found
rich and sweet. Sugar is in this case produced by the pro-
longed union of the bruised pulp and juice, which could never
have been formed in that quantity had they been sooner sepa-
rated.

Mr. Jonathan Rice, of Marlborough, who made the premium
cider so much admired at Concord, Massachusetts, appears so
sensible of the important effects of mature or fully ripe fruit,
that, provided this is the case, he is willing even to forego the
disadvantage of having a portion of it quite rotten. Let me
observe, that this rottenness must be the effect, in part, of
bruises by improper modes of gathering, or by improper mix-
tures of ripe and unripe fruit. He always chooses coo! weather
for the operation of grinding; and instead of suffering the
pomace to remain but twenty-four hours or forty-eight hours at
most before pressing, as others have directed, he suffers it to
remain from a week to ten days, provided the weather will admit,
stirring the mass daily till it is put to the press. See his com-
munication in vol. vii, p. 123, N. HE. Farmer.

The first fermentation in cider is termed the vinous; in this
the sugar is decomposed, and loses its sweetness, and is con-
verted into alcohol; if the fermentation goes on too rapidly,

the cider is injured; a portion of alcohol passes off with the

carbonic acid.

ee

181

The design of frequent rackings is principally to restrain the
fermentation ; but it seems to be generally acknowledged that
it weakens the liquor. It is not generally practiced, although
the finest cider is often produced by this mode. Various other
modes are adopted with the view of restraining fermentation— |
one of which is the following: After a few gallons of cider are
_poured into the hogshead into which the cider is to be placed
when racked off, a rag six inches long, previously dipped in
melted brimstone, is attached by a wire to a very long, tapering
bung ; on the match being lighted, the bung is loosely inserted ;
after this is consumed, the cask is rolled or tumbled till the
liquor has imbibed the gas, and then filled with the liquid.
This checks the fermentation; yet the French writers assure
us that the effect of much sulphuring must necessarily render
such liquors unwholesome.

Black oxide of manganese has a similar effect; the crude
oxide is rendered friable by being repeatedly heated red hot,
and as often suddenly cooled by immersion in cold water.
When finely pulverized, it is exposed for a while to the atmos-
phere, till it has imbibed again the oxygen which had been
expelled by fire. An ounce of powder is deemed sufficient for
a barrel. If the cider is desired to be very sweet, it must be
added before fermentation, otherwise not till afterward. Mr.
Knight, from his long experience and observation in a country
(Herefordshire, England,) famous for its cider, has lately, in a
letter to the Hon. John Lowell, stated that the acetous fer-
mentation generally takes place during the progress of the
vinous, and that the liquor from the commencement is imbibing
oxygen at its surface. He highly recommends that new char-
coal, in a finely pulverized state, be added to the liquor as it
comes from the press, in the proportion of eight pounds to the
hogshead, to be intimately incorporated; “this makes the
liquor at first as black as ink, but it finally becomes remarkably
fine.”

Dr. Darwin has recommended that the liquor, as soon as the
pulp has risen, should be placed in a cool situation, in casks of
remarkable strength, and the liquor closely confined from the
beginning. The experiment has been tried with good success ;
the fermentation goes on slowly, and an excellent cider is gen-
erally the result.

182

A handful of well powdered clay to a barrel is said to check
the fermentation. This is stated by Dr. Mease. And with the
view of preventing the escape of the carbonic acid, and to pre-
vent the liquid from imbibing oxygen from the atmosphere, a
pint of olive oil has been recommended to each hogshead. The
excellent cider exhibited by Mr. Rice was prepared by adding
two gallons of New England rum to each barrel when first
made. In February or March it was racked off in clear
weather, and two quarts more of New England rum added to
each barrel. Cider well fermented may be frozen down to any
requisite degree of strength. In freezing the watery parts are
separated, and freeze first, and the stronger parts are drawn off
from the centre. I finish by adding the following general
rules—they will answer for all general purposes ; they are the
conclusions from what is previously stated: 1. Gather the fruit
according to the foregoing rules ; let it be thoroughly ripe when
ground, which should be about the middle of November.
2. Let the pomace remain from two to four days, according to
the state of the weather, stirring it every day till it is put to
the press. 3. If the liquor is deficient in the saccharine prin-
ciple, the defect may be remedied in the beginning by the addi-
tion of saccharine substances or alcohol. 4. Let the liquor be
immediately placed in a cool cellar, in remarkably strong, tight,
sweet casks ; after the pulp has all overflown, confine the liquor
down by driving the bung hard, and by sealing; a vent must
be left, and the spile carefully drawn at times, but only when
absolutely necessary to prevent the cask from bursting. The
charcoal, as recommended by Mr. Knight, deserves trial.

Fresh and sweet pomace, directly from the press and boiled
or steamed, and mixed with asmall portion of meal, is a valuable
article of food, or for fattening horses, cattle and swine.

Sour casks are purified by pouring in a small quantity of hot
water and adding unslacked lime; bung up the cask and con-
tinue shaking it till the lime is slacked. Soda and chloride of
lime are good for purifying. When casks are emptied to be
laid by, let them be thoroughly rinsed with water and drained,
then pour into each a pint of cheap alcohol, shake the cask and
bung it tight, and it will remain sweet for years. Musty casks
should be condemned to other uses. Cider should not be
bottled till perfectly jine, otherwise it may burst the bottles.

183

The bottles should be strong and filled to the bottom of the
neck. After standing an hour, they should be corked with
velvet corks. The lower .end of the cork is held for an instant
in hot water, and it is then instantly after driven down with a
mallet. The bottles must be either sealed or laid on their sides
in boxes, or in the bottom of a cellar and covered with layers
of sand.

Most of the above information relative to cider making is de-
rived from the American Orchardist, by W. Kenrick, of Boston,
Massachusetts, whose tist of apple and other nursery trees com-
prehends almost every kind desirable for any purpose.

The reader will find very explicit instructions for the manu-
facture of cider in the Penny Cyclopeedia, vol. vii, p. 161; in
the Lib. of Useful Know.; British Husb. vol. ii, p. 364; Low’s
Pract. Agr. p. 379; Croker, On the Art of Making and Man-
aging Cider; in the Quart. Journal of Agr. vol. viii, p. 332, by
Mr. Tewers; and in Baxter’s Agr. Lib. p. 135, by Andrew
Crosse, Hsq., of Somerset. The following instructions for
making cider are by a Devonshire lady: Gather the fruit when
ripe; let it remain in a heap till the apples begin to get damp,
then grind them ina mill, (similar toa malt mill ;) take the pulp
and put it into a large press like a cheese press, only on a much
larger scale ; place a layer of reed in the bottom of the vat and
a layer of pulp alternately until the vat is full. The vat is
square, and the ends of the reed must be allowed to turn over
every layer of pulp, so as to keep it from being pressed out at
the sides. The layers of pulp must be five or six inches thick.
When you have finished making your cheese, press it as hard
as you can, and let it remain three or four hours; then cut down
the corners of it, and lay them on the top with a reed as before ;
then press it again and allow it to remain for another three or
four hours: Repeat this process as long as necessary, or until
the cheese is quite dry. It takes seven bags of apples for one
hogshead of cider, and the vat ought to be large enough to make
from three to four hogsheads at atime. The best sort of apple
to make mild cider is the hard bitter-sweet. Any sort of sour
apple will do to make the harsh cider. The liquor must be
strained through a fine sieve into a large vessel, and allowed to
ferment for three or four days, taking off the scum as it rises;
then rack it, and put it into casks stopped down quite close.

184

Before the cider is put into the cask, a match is made of new
linen, and attached to a wire, is lighted and put into the cask
and the bung is put in to keep the wire from falling into it.
After a few minutes the match is removed and the cider poured
into the cask while yet full of the smoke.

A person would require three or four years experience before
he would be qualified to superintend the making of sweet or
mild cider. Much depends on the year, or rather on the
ripening of the apples; it should be the second, not the first
falling ; and the “green bitter-sweet,” and the “ pocket-apple,”
are the best for making it. After pounding, isinglass and
brimstone are used to sweeten and fine it, and many other in-
gredicnts.

The sweet cider, above described, is distinct from the other
two kinds of cider, (the harsh and mild.) Cider, according to
Brande, contains about nine eight-sevenths parts per cent. of

alcohol. It is a wholesome beverage for those who use much —

bodily exercise. Willich’s Dom. Enec.; McCulloch’s Com. Dict.

The Sumter Watchman, 1863, recommends a jelly made from
cider: Boil cider to the consistency of syrup, and let it cool—
nosugar need be added—said to be excellent for convalescents.

Under this genus, I insert the following from Chaptal’s Chem-
istry Applied to Agriculture, as the subject of the manufacture
of Liquors from fruits, grain, etc., is important in the present
exigency of high duties, etce.: “Good water is undoubtedly the
most wholesome drink; but man has almost everywhere con-
tracted the habit of using fermented liquors, and this habit has
created in him a want of them; so that if he be deprived of
their use, he loses his strength and energy, and becomes less
able to work. The best fermented drink is wine ; but excepting
the wine countries, where the low price of ordinary wine
renders the use of it common, the laborer has seldom the means
of procuring it daily. It is, therefore, necessary that,its place
should elsewhere be supplied by such other liquors as will pro-
duce nearly the same effect, and this is done by the fermen-
tation of grains, fruits, milk, the sap of trees, etc., from the
product of which there is formed in Europe a great variety of
liquors; some of these have become very important articles of
consumption and of commerce. The peasants, in the greater
part of our districts, have acquired the habit of preparing their

1

185

liquors from the fermentation of most of these substances ; and
as the only object I have in view is to furnish information in
regard to extending and perfecting these processes, | shall
confine myself to pointing out such methods as are easily exe-
cuted, and which require the employment of such substances
only as are everywhere in the hands of the agriculturist :

“ All mucilaginous fruits, all fleshy stone fruits, excepting
those which yield oil, all grains which contain gluten, sugar, or
starch, are capable of undergoing the spiritous or alcoholic fer-
mentation.

“The expressed juice of saccharine fruits may be made to
ferment by exposure to a sufficient degree of heat. The method
most commonly pursued is that of crushing or grinding the
fruits, and thus fermenting the pulp with the juice; in this
manner are treated apples, pears, grapes, cherries, etc.

“For such fruits as are not very juicy, but contain, however,
some sugar and mucilage, and for such as can be made to keep
better by being dried, some water is employed to mix and
dissolve the fermentable principles. In this class of fruits may
be placed those of the service tree, the cornelian cherry, the
medlar, the mulberry, the privet, the juniper, the Neapolitan
medlar, the thorn apple, the wild plum, etc., and with them the
dried fruits of the plum and fig tree, and some of the other
trees and shrubs before mentioned.

“To produce the development of the saccharine principle in
bread corns by germination, they must be moistened with
water; the spiritous fermentation is afterward excited in them
by immersing them in water containing the yeast of beer, or
leaven made of wheat flour. The operation of germination
may even be suppressed by mixing the meal with a portion of
leaven and of lukewarm water. This dough may be allowed
to ferment for twenty-four hours, and may then be gradually
diluted with water ; fermentation will take place in a few hours,
and will go on regularly during two or three days. As di-
rections for the manufacture of cider, perry and beer for general
consumption are much less necessary here than those for pro-
curing for farmers, (or soldiers, I add,) wholesome liquors at a
trifling expense, I shall confine my observations to this object.
Grapes furnish the best liquor, and that in the greatest quantity ;
but when this is drunk clear, it serves but little purpose for

186

quenching thirst ; when made use of in large quantities, it im-
pairs the strength. The liquor called piquette, which is manu-
factured by our farmers, supplies advantageously the place of
wine, serving as a tonic, and at the same time quenching thirst.
Piquette is made from the pressed and fermented mash of red
grapes, by means of water filtrated through it till it acquires, in
some degree, the color and appearance of wine; it is, even in
this state, a better drink than water, inasmuch as it is slightly
tonic; its good qualities may, however, be much increased by
fermentation. Piquette can be kept but a short time unchanged,
and, from this tendency to sour, it is necessary that it should be
made only in such quantities as are immediately wanted, and
that the manufacture of it should be continued at intervals
throughout the year. For this purpose the pressed mash of
red grapes is put into a cask, care being taken to crowd it in till
the cask is completely full, after which it is hermetically closed,
so as to exclude air and moisture, and set in a cool, dry place.
When the piquette is to be prepared for use, the head is taken
out of the cask, and water is thrown upon the mash until the
whole mass is moistened with it, and the water stands upon
the top; fermentation soon takes place, as becomes evident by —
the light foam which arises; it is completed by the end of the
fourth or fifth day; from this time the liquor may be drawn off
for daily use—the place of the portion removed being supplied
by an equal quantity of water thrown in upon the top of the
mash. Inthis manner a cask of mash, of the capacity of sixty-
six gallons, may furnish about four gallons of drink per diem, ;
and will continue to yield it for about twenty days.

“As the mash of white grapes cannot be made to ferment
with the juice, this last is separated and put into casks to fer-
ment by itself; and the piqguette is then made by adding to the
mash the necessary quantity of water. This liquor is more
spiritous than that made from red grapes, and keeps better; it
is, therefore, reserved for use during the latter part of the summer.
If instead of throwing pure water upon the mash as is every-
where done, this liquid should first be slightly sweetened and
heated, and then receive the addition of a little yeast, piquette
of a very superior quality would be obtained. In the absence
of yeast or leaven, the scum which arises upon wine, especially
white wine, during fermentation, may be used for the same

187

purpose ; this foam or scum may be dried, and thus preserved
for use without undergoing any change.

“Well made piquette is a very wholesome drink for country
people, for its tonic properties, as well as its power of quenching
thirst ; it is far preferable, as a daily drink, to wine; but this
resource is only local, as in most countries that are most fruitful
in grapes, if the harvest fall short, there can be but little
piquette made; it is necessary then to be able to supply its
place from some other source, and this is done by the fermen-
tation of certain fruits.

“ Apples and Pears, as being the fruits that are most abund-
antly produced, are the most valuable for the purpose of manu-
facturing Liquors. A mixture of the two produces a more
wholesome article of drink than does either treated separately.
The juices of plums and other fruits may likewise be added,
as their astringency renders the liquor more tonic. Excellent
liquoremay be produced, both from apples and pears, by fol-
lowing the well known method of making cider, which consists
in grinding the fruit with a millstone and fermenting the pulp
and juice together; but upon farms, where we seldom find the
means of preserving liquors unchanged, it is necessary that the
processes be simple, and such as can be made use of for pre-
paring them as they are needed. Isball, therefore, recommend
the following method: Begin to collect the apples and pears
which fall from the trees toward the end of August, and con-
tinue to do so till they have arrived at maturity ; cut them in
pieces as fast as they are gathered; dry them first in the sun
and afterward in an oven from which the bread has been drawn.
If the fruit be well dried in this manner, though it may grow
dark colored, it may be kept unchanged for several years.
When drink is to be prepared from these dried fruits, put about
sixty pounds of them into a cask, which contain sixty-six
gallons; fill the cask with water, and allow it to remain four or
five days; after which, draw off the fermented liquor for use.
The liquor thus prepared is very agreeable to the taste ; when
put into bottles it ferments so as to throw out the cork as
frothing Champagne wine does. Though wholesome and
agreeable, it may become still more conducive to health by
mixing with the apples and pears one-twentieth of the dried
berries of the service tree, Amelanchier canadensis, (Aronia botrya-

188

pium, Ell. Sk., which grows in the Carolinas,) and one-thirtieth
of juniper berries; from these the liquor acquires a slightly
bitter taste, and the flavor of the juniper berries, which is very
refreshing, and it is besides rendered tonic and anti-putrescent.
The use of this drink is one of the surest means that can be
taken by the husbandman for preserving himsclf from those
diseases to which he is liable in autumn, and for the attacks of
which he is preparing the way during the greatest heats of
summer.

« After the spiritous portions of the liquor have been drawn
off, very agreeable piquette may be made from the pulp which
remains in the cask; for this purpose it is only necessary to
crush the fruit, which is already soft, and to add to it as much
lukewarm water, to which a small quantity of yeast has been
added, as will fill the cask, fermentation commencing in a short
time, and terminating in three or four days. To flavor this
liquor and render it slightly tonic, there may be added to it
before fermentation a handful of vervain, three or four pounds
of elder berries, and of juniper berries.

“ Cherries, and particularly the small bitter cherries, when
ground and afterward fermented in a cask, in the same manner
as the mash of grapes, and then pressed to separate the juice
from the pulp, furnish a liquor containing much spirit. The
wine made from cherries, when distilled, affords an excellent
liquor, which, although not exactly the same as the good
Kirschwasser of the Black Forest, is yet a valuable drink, and is
sold in commerce under the same name.

“The berries of the Service tree, dried in an oven, and put
into a cask in the proportion of about sixteen or eighteen
pounds of fruit to twenty-six and a half gallons of water,
furnish, after four or five days fermentation, a very good drink.
Plums and figs, dried either by the sun or in an oven, may be
made use of for the same purpose. In order to render the
liquor more wholesome or more agreeable, several kinds may
be mixed together, and thus the defects of one kind may be
compensated for by the good qualities of the other. . A few
handfuls of the red fruit of the bird-catcher service tree coun-
teract the flat, sweetish taste of certain other fruits,

“Tn our farming districts the berries of the Juniper are care-
fully collected and fermented, in the proportion of about thirty

189

pounds of berries to thirty-eight and a half gallons of water.
The drink procured from these is one of the most wholesome
possible, but it requires a little use to reconcile one to the odor
and flavor of it; those, however, who drink it, prefer it after a
short time to any other liquor. The juice of the juniper con-
tributes so much to health that I cannot too strongly recommend
its being mixed, in greater or less quantities, with all fruits
which are to be subjected to fermentation ; its flavor alone will
disguise the taste of such liquors as, without being unwhole-
some, are flat, sickish or otherwise unpleasant,- Count Chaptal
probably refers here to the juniper growing in Holland, from
which gin is procured. Our common red cedar, growing in
South Carolina, (Juniperus Virginiana,) is closely related to the
European juniper, and the berries, perhaps, may be used in
flavoring drinks and the leaves employed in place of savin. See
Juniperus.

“Thérinds of Oranges or Lemons, aromatic plants, Angelica
roots, (grow in South Carolina,) Peach leaves, etc., may likewise
be mixed with any of these fruits which are naturally too sweet
and thus serve to raise the flavor of the fermented liquor, and
render it more strengthening and efficacious in preventing the
attack of disease. ;

“T do not doubt but that by the application of the true
principles of science, and by employing only those products
which nature yields us abundantly and without expense, we can
procure for the husbandman a variety of drinks more healthy,
more agreeable, and better adapted for quenching thirst than
the weak and imperfectly fermented wines made from green
grapes.

‘“‘T have limited myself to pointing out the simplest methods
in which such articles as are within the reach of every peasant
may be made use of; if such liquors as are more spiritous be
wished, they can be obtained by dissolving from four to six
pounds of the coarsest kinds of sugar in from five and a half to
ten and a half gallons of warm water, and throwing the solution
upon the mash when the cask is filled with it, supposing the
cask to contain sixty-six gallons. To this may be added any
number of pounds of raisins.

“Tiquors suitable for drinking may likewise be manufactured
from the sap of several kinds of trees. In Germany, Holland

190

and some parts of Prussia, as soon as the returning warmth of
spring begins to cause the ascent of the sap, holes two or three
inches deep are bored with a gimlet in the trunks of the Birch
trees; through the straws which are introduced into the gimlet
holes there flows out a clear, sweet juice, which after having
been fermented for a few days, becomes a sprightly liquor, that
is drank by the inhabitants of those countries with much pleas-
ure. It is thought by them to be very serviceable in counter-
acting affections of the kidneys, stomach, ete. A single tree will
furnish a quantity of drink sufficient to last three or four per-
sons a week. The natives of the Coromandel coast fabricate
their calore from the sap of the cocoanut tree. The savages of
America prepare their chica from the juice of the maize, and the
drink of the negroes of Congo is made from the juice of the
palm tree. E

“Tt cannot be doubted that the sap of all those trees which
afford a saccharine substance can. be made to yield a spiritous
liquor, but I mention only these few as instances, because our
own wants may be abundantly supplied from our fruits and
grain.
~ “The fermentation of Rye and Barley has afforded, from time
immemorial, a liquor which has supplied the place of wine for
the use of the common people in nearly all those countries in
which the vine cannot be made to flourish ; in those where wine
is made abundantly, the use of Beer is still very extensive, both
on account of the nutritive qualities which it possesses in a high
degree, and its power of quenching thirst. Though beer may
be brewed upon so small a scale as to supply the wants of a
single family, I shall enter into no explanation of the process.
In Russia a wholesome drink called guass is made. One-tenth
part of the rye to be employed in its manufacture is steeped in
water till it becomes soft; it is then spread thinly upon planks
in a place warm enough to produce germination, and it is there
sprinkled occasionally with warm water. The remainder of the
rye, after having been ground, is mixed with the germinated
grain, and the whole is diluted with two gallons and a half of
boiling water; the vessel is then set into an oven, from which
bread has just been drawn, or exposed to an equivalent degree
of heat, during twenty-four or thirty hours; if the vessel be
put into an oven which it is necessary to heat every day, it may

j 191

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be removed during baking, and returned again after the bread
is taken out. After this first operation, the fermented substance
is diluted by mixing with it two and a half gallons of water at
the temperature of 12° or 15°. (If of the Centigrade, 53° to
59°; if of Réaumur, to from 59° to 65°.) This mixture is stirred
for half an hour, and then allowed to settle. As soon as a de-
posit is formed and the liquor becomes clear, it is then thrown
into a cask, where fermentation takes place; this is completed

_in a few days, when the cask is removed into a cellar, and the

quass soon becomes clear. It is in this state that it is drank by
the peasants; but it is much improved by being drawn off in
jugs 4s soon as it has formed its deposit in the cask, and bottled,
after having been preserved in these vessels till it has become
clear. The liquor prepared in this manner has a vinous and
sharp flavor, which is not unpleasant. The color of it is not
very precise, being of a yellowish white. The imperfections of
qvass wight easily be remedied by adding wild apples, or pears,
or juniper berries, to the fermented substances. The fermented
liquor might be racked off several times from its lees, and clari-
fied by the same process which we use for wine. The different
deposits which are formed during the manufacture of quass are
entirely of malt, and afford a nourishing and fattening food for

animals.” The reader is referred to same authority for other

methods of manufacturing drinks, beverages, etc., from articles

furnished on our farms.

On the subject of fermentation, Chaptal gives the following
hints which may avail us in our experiments upon the produc-
tion of wine. It seems to me that they convey some doctrines
similar to those brought forward by Professor William Hume,
of South Carolina, in his ingenious essay :

“Generally speaking, the French Grapes, when ripe, contain
such proportions of sugar and the vegeto-animal principles as
are well adapted for producing the vinous fermentation; but
when the summer is cold or damp the proportion of sugar is
less, and the predominance of the mucilage (it is from this mu-
cilage that vinegar is formed) renders the liquor weak. In this

_ ase the small quantity of alcohol which is developed is not sufficient

to preserve the wine frdm spontaneous decomposition, and at the
return of heat a new fermentation takes place, the product of
which is vinegar. This evil may be easily obviated by artificial

192

means ; it is only necessary to add to the liquor such a quantity
of sugar as would naturally have been found in it under usual
circumstances.” Professor Hume advises the addition of alco-
hol, I believe, to preserve the wine from the acetic fermentation.
See, also, “ Treatise on Rural Chemistry,” by Ed. Solly. F. R. 8.
From Lond. ed. Philada. 1852 ; articles on manufacture of wine,
brandy, etc., from fruits and vegetables. Several articles on
manufacture of wine can be found in Patent Office Reports.
See “ Grape.”

A harvest drink is made by adding ten gallons of water to
half a gallon of molasses, a quart of vinegar, and four ounces of
ginger. Let the water be fresh from the spring or well; stir
the whole well together, and a refreshing drink is obtained.

PEAR, (Pyrus communis.)

Fruit trees, particularly the pear, were formally introduced
into hedge-rows. It was objected that depredations would be -
made upon the hedge. Gerard, who wrote on the subject three
hundred years ago said: “The poore will breake downe our
hedges, and wee have the least part of the fruit. Forward, in
the name of God; grafte, set, plant, and nourish up trees in
every corner of your ground. The labor is small, the cost is
nothing, the commodity is great; yourselves shall have plenty,
the poore shall have somewhat in time of want to relieve their
necessity, and God shall rewarde your goode mindes and dilli-
gence.” See paper on “Best trees for hedges,” in Pat. Office.
Reports, 1854, p. 416. To manufacture perry, cider, cte., con-
sult Wilson’s Rural Cye,; Ure’s Dictionary of Arts, ete.; see,
also, “Apple.”

Dr. John Lindley has written a most instructive article on
Fecundation in plants, physiological principles, and methods upon
which fruits are produced. See his “ Guide to the Orchard and
Kitchen Garden,” and a condensation in Patent Office Reports,
1856, p. 244. He says that some fruits of excellent qualities are
bad bearers, and recommends the following modes of remedying
these defects: Ist, by ringing the bark ; 2d, by bending branches
downward; 3d, by training; 4th, by the use of different kinds
of stocks. All these practices are intended to produce the same
effects by different ways: “ Physiologists know that whatever
tends to cause a rapid diffusion of the sap and secretions of any
plant, causes also the formation of leaf buds instead of flower

193

buds; and that whatever on the contrary tends to cause an
accumulation of sap and secretions, has the effect of producing
flower buds in abundance ;” so that a flower bud is often only a
contracted branch. By arresting the motions of the fluids and
secretions in a tree, we promote the production of flower buds.
See, also, same volume, for mode of preservation and transpor-
tation of seeds, with the longevity of seeds, their utility and
germinative powers. A long list is given of the length of time

“which seeds can be preserved.

MOUNTAIN-ASH; MT. SUMACGH, (Pyrus Americana, D.
C. Sorbus microcarpa, Ph., acuparia, Mx.) Highest moun-
tains of North Carolina. Fruit acid.

This plant yields malic acid. I insert the following from
Ure’s Dictionary, (Farmer’s Encyclopcedia :)

Malice acid. This vegetable acid exists in the juices of many
fruits and plants, alone, or associated with the citric, tartaric,
and oxalic acids; and occasionally combined with potash or
lime. Unripe apples, pears, sloes, barberries, the berries of the
mountain-ash, elder-berries, currants, goose-berries, strawher-
ries, raspberries, bilberries, bramble-berries, whortleberries,
cherries, ananas, afford malic acid; the house-leek and purslane
contain the malate of lime.

The acid may be obtained most conveniently from the juice
of the berries of the mountain-ash, or barberries. This must
be clarified by mixing with white of egg, and heating the mix-
ture to ebullition; then filtering—digesting the clear liquor
with carbonate of lead till it becomes neutral; and evaporating
the saline solution till crystals of malate of lead be obtained.
These are to be washed with cold water, and purified by re-
crystallization. On dissolving the white salt in water, and
passing a stream of sulphuretted hydrogen through the solu-
tion, the lead will be all separated in the form of a sulphuret,
and the liquor, after filtration and evaporation, will yield yel-
low, granular crystals, or cauliflower concretions, of malic acid,
which may be blanched by redissolution and digestion with
bone-black, and recrystallization.

Malic acid has no smell, but a very sour taste, deliquesces by
absorption of moisture from the air, is soluble in alcohol, fuses
at 150° Fahr., is decomposed at a heat of 348°, and affords by

distillation a peculiar acid—the pyromalic. It consists, in 100
13

194 ,

parts, of 41.47 carbon, 3.51 hydrogen, and 55.02 oxygen ; having
nearly the same composition as citric acid. A crude malic acid
might be economically extracted from the fruit of the mountain-
ash, (Sorbus acuparia,) applicable to many purposes; but it has
not hitherto been manufactured upon a great scale. Dem.
Elém de Bot. 655. The flowers are purgative. The oil from
the young branches is caustic, and is employed against ring-
worm. M. Dussauce says that the leaves are used for tanning
leather. The bark, says Rafinesque, smells and tastes like cherry
bark, but more astringent; is anti-septic, and contains prussic¢
acid, used like cinchona in fevers and other diseases. This
plant, Pyrus communis, and species of Crategus, yield an alka-
loid called secalina or propylamin, considered by Dr. Awenarius,
of St. Petersburg, to be a true specific for rheumatic affections,
acute and chronic. He adds twenty-four drops of propylamin
to six ounces of mint water with two drachms of sugar, and
gives doses of a tablespoonful every two hours. Parrish, Pract.
Pharm. and Proctor in Proc. Am. Pharm. Assoc. 1857; Am. J.
Pharm. xxxi, 125 and 222.

WILD CURRANT; SHADE TREE; SERVICE TRHE,
(Amelanchier canadensis, L. Aronia botryapium, of Ell. Sk.)
Upper country ; Sarrazins Pl., St. John’s, 8. C.; woods Fla. to
Miss., Chapman ; Newbern, Croom’s Catalogue.

Upon examining with a sharp instrument the specimens of
various Southern woods, deposited in the museum of the Elliott
Society by Professor L, R. Gibbes, Dr. A. M. Foster, and W.
Wragg Smith, Esq., I was struck with the singular weight,
density and fineness of this wood. I think I can confidently
recommend it as one of the best to be experimented with by
the wood engraver. It is also, it will be observed, closely
allied to the apple, pear, ete., which are all hard. From my
brief examination ot the excellent and useful collection above
referred to, I would arrange the hard woods as follows, those
just cited taking the first rank: next in order, Dogwood, Far-
cleberry, (Vaccinium arboreum,) Redberry, (Azalea nudiflora,)
and Kalmia latifolia. The Holly (dlex opaca) I find to be quite
hard when well dried. The beech, (/agus sylvatica,) the horn-
beam, (Ostrya Virginica,) indigenous plants, have all been recom-
mended for the purposes of the engraver.

While engaged in completing a number of wood engravings

195

for my Prize Essay for the South Carolina Medical Association,
I used a piece of well seasoned dogwood, and obtained a very
good impression from coarse figures cut with the graver’s tools.
J find that none, so far experimented with, equal the boxwood,
but I have not yet fully tested the woods put to season. See
Kalmia, ete.

See apple, (Pyrus malus,) for stimulating beverages made from
the fruit of the service tree.

Prunus Virginiana. See Cerasus. Several South Carolina
species furnish fruit, which is eatable, and often employed for
various domestic purposes.

Cerasus serotina, T, & Gray.

WILD CHERRY, } Prunus Virginiana, Ell. Sk.

Diffused in upper and lower districts; Newbern. FI. May.

U.S. Disp. 576; Journal Phil. Coll. Pharm. x, 197, and xiv,
27; Eberle, Mat. Med. 300; Bell’s Pract. Dict. 389; Pe. Mat.
Med. arfd Therap. ii, 538; Le Mat. Med. ii, 487; Phil. Trans.
418, and Michaux, N. Am. Sylva, ii, 205; Ball and Gar. Mat.
Med. 273; Cullen, Mat. Med. 288; Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 147;
Woodv. Med. Bot.; Griffith, Med. Bot. 288; Carson’s Illust.
Med. Bot. pt. 1. This is, undoubtedly, one of the most valuable
of our indigenous plants. The bark unites with a tonic power

_the property of calming irritation and diminishing nervous
excitability, “adapted to cases where the digestive powers are
impaired, and with general and local irritation existing at the
same time.” It is peculiarly suited to the hectic fever attend-

ing scrofula and consumption, owing to the reduction of excita-
bility which it induces, it is supposed, by the hydrocyanic acid
contained init. Eberle states that the cold infusion had the
effect of reducing his pulse from seventy-five to fifty strokes in
the minute. In a case of hypertrophy with increased action of
the heart, I tried the infusion of this plant, taken in large
quantities, according to Dr. Eberle’s plan, but without very
satisfactory results. It was persisted in for three weeks; the
patient, a gentleman aged twenty-five, of nervous temperament,
drinking several ounces of it three times a day. The force of
the circulation was at first diminished; but the abatement was
not progressive ; the individual was not made any worse by it,
Tincture of digitalis had been likewise used with no beneficial
effects. Dr. Wood speaks of the employment of the wild cherry

196

in the general debility following inflammatory fever. It is
valuable, also, in dyspepsia, attended with neuralgic symptoms.
Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. v, 159; Bull des Sci. Méd. xi,
303. The bark is indicated whenever a tonic is necessary, from
impairment of the constitution by syphilis, dyspepsia, pulmonary
or lumbar abscess, etc. I am informed by a correspondent
that he finds equal parts of this bark, rhubarb, and the gum
exuding from the peach tree, (Amygdalus communis,) which like-
wise affords Prussic acid, when combined with brandy and
white sugar, an excellent remedy in dysentery and diarrhea;
one ounce of each is added to one pint of brandy, with a suffi-
cient quantity of white sugar, a tablespoonful of which is taken
every half hour. The sensible, as well as the medicinal prop-
erties of this plant, are impaired by boiling; cold water ex-
tracts its virtues best. The inner bark is officinal. The bark
of all parts of the tree is used, but that from the root is most
active. The bark is stronger, if collected from the root in
autumn, and it deteriorates by keeping. It is tonic, sedative,
expectorant. The officinal infusion is thus made: Bark bruised,
half an ounce to one pint of cold water; macerate for twenty-
four hours. Dose, two or three fluid ounces three or four times
aday. To make the officinal syrup: Take of wild cherry bark,
in coarse powder, five ounces; sugar, refined, two pounds;
water sufficient to moisten the bark thoroughly. Let it stand
for twenty-four hours in a close vessel ; then transfer it to a per-
colator, and pour cold water upon it gradually until a pint of
filtered liquor is obtained. To this add the sugar, in a bottle,
and agitate occasionally until it is dissolved. Dose one-half fluid
ounce. By Proctor’s analysis, it contains starch, resin, tannin,
gallic acid, fatty matter, lignin, salts of lime potassa and iron,
and a volatile oil associated with hydrocyanic acid. This proved
fatal to a cat in less than five minutes. See Journal Phil. Coll.
Pharm. vi, 8; Am. Journal Pharm. x, 197. The leaves, also,
are sedative and anti-spasmodic; used in coughs, angina pec-
toris, etc. The dose of the powdered root is from twenty grains
to one drachm. The infusion is the most convenient form. A
syrup is also made; beside several secret preparations.

The method of making “ Cherry” cordial by the Southern
matrons in the lower country of South Carolina, is as follows:
Fill the vessel with cherries, (not washed, if gathered clean,)

197

and cover with whiskey. After several weeks pour off all
the clear liquor and press the cherries through a sieve. Put
into the juice thus pressed out five pints of brown sugar, and
boil with syrup enough to sweeten the whole. Pour five pints
of water on the thick part; boil and strain to make the syrup
with the sugar. “Blackberry cordial” is made in the same
way; or it can be stewed, strained, sweetened and whiskey
added. In the above, the sugar is to be boiled in the water
which is obtained from the thick part as directed.

Plum cordial is thus made in S. C.: Fill the vessel with plums
after sticking each one. Pour whiskey enough to cover them.
After six weeks preserve the plums in half their weight of.
sugar. Put all together and shake the jug well. The common
wild plum is used.

The gum which exudes from the red cherry, the plum and
peach, is used in place of gum arabic in increasing the brilliancy
of starch and in sealing envelopes.

The wood of this tree is highly valuable, being compact, fine
grained and brilliant, and not liable to warp when perfectly
seasoned. When chosen near the ramifications of the trunk, it
rivals mahogany in the beauty of its curls. Farmer’s Encyc.

Cerasus Caroliniana, Mich.
ft) ORANGE, \ Prunus Caroliniana, L,, Ell. Sk.

FI]. March.

This is one of the most ornamental of our indigenous ever-
green trees, and is planted around dwelling houses. The berries,
bark and leaves possess in a high degree the taste character-
izing the genus. It deserves an analysis.

This tree, the flowers of which are much frequented by bees,
grows abundantly on the seacoast of our States, and is certainly
one of the most beautiful and manageable evergreens that we
possess. It can be cut into any shape, and is of a most attrac-
tive green color. It forms an impervious hedge and grows
rapidly. The black, oval berries contain an abundance of
Prussic acid, as does the whole tree; but I do not know of any
use to which it is applied. Dr. Thompson has found great use
from Prussic acid, largely diluted, as a local application in im-
petigo. He used the infusions of bayberry; no doubt the
infusions of the wild orange would be equally useful. In the
Patent Office Reports, Agriculture, 1854, ’55, p. 376, are papers

198

on “ Live fences,” or the planting and management of quick-set
hedges. In this the reader will find a most full and satisfactory
account of the desirable plants for hedges, both American and
European. This is not the place for a full description of these —
plants and shrubs; but I will at any rate give a list of some of —
them, and refer the reader to the article. All are of course not
adapted to our climate. The English sloe, or black thorn, (Prunus
spinosa,) the hawthorn, (Crategus oxyacantha,) and the buck-
thorn, (Rhamnus catharticus,) have been planted in this country
with indifferent success on account of the intense heat of our
Southern sun. “The ‘Washington Thorn,’ (C. cordata,) grow-
ing in mountains of Georgia, was also brought into notice as a
hedge plant toward the close of the last century, and was sub-
sequently employed for that purpose in various sections of the
Union; but owing to improper management, and the tendency
to disarm itself of its spines after a certain age, it has been
discontinued. Similar results have attended the adoption of -
other species of thorny trees and shrubs in this country, with
the exception of the ‘Osage orange,’ the ‘Spanish bayonet,’ —
( Yucca,) and the ‘ Cherokee rose.’” These are natives of this
continent. See article for modes of management, planting,
ete., of hedges, with illustrations on wood. The Arbor Vite,
(Thuja occidentalis,) one of our native plants, growing only in
the highest mountains, is said to be “ indigenous, and to grow
abundantly on the banks of the Hudson, making the finest orna-
mental hedge known to this climate.” The holly (dlex opaca)
and the hemlock spruce (Abies canadensis) should be mentioned ;
also the willow box, (Buxus sempervirens ;) prickly ash, (Yan-
thoxylum fraxineum ;) honey locust, (Gleditschia triacanthus)—
all these are either natives or are cultivated in the Southern
States. See Willow and Osage Orange.

PEACH, (Amygdalus.) The peach produces abundantly in the
Southern States. The root, leaves and kernels are sometimes
employed in medicine, and in seasoning drinks, condiments,
etc., being indebted for any virtues which they possess to the
hydrocyanic acid contained in them. A tea of the leaves is a
favorite domestic palliative in whooping-cough, and in most
pectoral affections. A tea or syrup made with either the bark,
leaves or flowers, will act freely as a purge. Dose for a child, a
teaspoonful repeated every half hour till it operates. A syrup

199

may be made by adding honey. The leaves are astringent and
styptic, and used in domestic practice to arrest bleeding—em-
ployed powdered as a snuff in the nose in epistaxis, to stop
bleeding. The kernel, which is said to yield as much amygdalin
as bitter almonds, is used in seasoning, and in making the cor-
dial known as ratifia; also in adding to tonics. The leaves are
used in seasoning creams in imitation of vanilla bean. The
liquor known as peach brandy is distilled from the fruit. The-
leaves put in layers with cotton, and boiling water poured over,
will dye yellow. The cotton or thread should first be boiled in
a solution of alum. The leaves of artichoke (Cynara) also dye
a yellow color; see “ Rhus.” Fumigation with tobacco smoke,
syringing with tobacco water, and washing with strong lime
water, are requisite for destroying aphides whenever these exist
in such swarms as to make a copious discharge of honey-dew.
Wilson’s Rural Cyclopeedia, Art. Aphis.

Drying Peaches.—Several modes of affecting this are pursued.
When done in-doors, furnaces should be placed in the cellar,
from which the heated air may rise into the building suitably
provided with shelves, ete.

In some of the Southern States, says Mr. Kenrick, the pro-
cess is facilitated by a previous scalding. This is effected by
immersing baskets of the fruit a few minutes in kettles of boil-
ing water. They are afterward halved, the stones separated,
and being laid with the skins downward, the drying is effected
in the sun in three days of good weather. They then may be
stored in boxes.

In France, as we are informed, peaches and other fruits are
thus dried whole: The peaches or other fruits, being pared, are
boiled for a few minutes in a syrup consisting of one pound
of sugar dissolved in three quarts of water, and after being
drained, by being laid singly on board-dishes, they are placed
in the oven after the bread is taken out, and when sufficiently
dry they are packed in boxes. The following is the mode of
drying practiced by Mr. Thomas Bellangee, of Egg Harbor,
New Jersey: He has a small house provided with a stove, and
drawers in the sides of the house lathed at their bottoms, with
void intervals. The peaches should be ripe, and cut in two, not
peeled, and laid in a single layer on the laths, with their skins
downward, to save the juice. On shoving in the drawer, they

200

are soon dried by the hot air produced by the stove. In this
way great quantities may successively, in a single season, be
prepared, with a very little expense, in the preparation of the
building and in fuel.

The following may be adopted for preserving peaches in cans,
by which they keep well and retain the flavor: Add half a
pound of sugar to each pound of peaches. The sugar is put
into a preserving kettle, with half a pint of water to every
pound of sugar, heated, and the surface skimmed. Into this
syrup the peaches, after being pared, are placed and boiled ten
minutes. The peaches are then put into the cans while hot
and immediately sealed up.

I publish, for the first time, in this edition, a suggestion de-
rived from the observation of Mr. John Commins, a gentle-
man of much practical experience, which, if it proves to be
be true upon further trial, will be of the very greatest advan-
tage to the whole country, as it will enable us to add largely
to the production of our fruit trees. This a method to prevent
the immense destruction by insects of the fruit of the peach.
It consists in interspersing by planting among the trees alter-
nately China berry or Pride of India trees, (Melia azederach.)
The gentleman who communicated the observation to me has
noticed that peach trees shaded by this tree were never in-
fested by the aphis. Their preventive effect may depend upon
the roots, or more probably upon the berries of the China tree
covering the ground and proving deleterious to the worm which
attacks the peach. ‘The experiment is one easily made as the
Pride of India is readily propagated and grows rapidly. Some
persons adopt the plan of boring a hole in fruit trees and
inserting calomel, which is said to be successful.

The gum which exudes from the peach, plum or cherry,
answers the purpose of gum arabic in increasing the brillianey
of starch; also in sealing envelopes. Peach leaves are used as
a substitute for hops in making yeast biscuits for bread, and
the leaves are often dried and powdered to flavor tobacco, to
increase its bulk, and to diminish its strength. The leaves are
cited by M. Dussauce in his Treatise on Tanning, Philada., 1867,
as among those employed for Tanning Leather.

BUFFALO-.BERRY TREE, (Shepardia magnoides, N.) Mo.
Nuttall. I do not know the family of the plant.

201

The fruit, resembling currants, of a fine scarlet color and
growing in clusters, have a rich taste, and are considered
valuable for making into tarts and preserves. Farmer’s Ency-
clopeedia.

LUGUMINOSAD OR FABACEA. (The Bean Tribe.)

The sub-orders are distinguished by nutritive, purgative and
astringent properties.

YELLOWWOOD, (Cladrastis tinctoria, Raf., Virgilia lutea,
Mx.) Hill-sides, Tennessee and Kentucky.

The wood is yellow and dyes a beautiful saffron color.

JAMAICA DOGWOOD, (Piscidia erythrina, L.) 8. Florida.
Chap.

The piscidia is said to be used in America for stupefying fish,
which are taken as readily by this means as with nux vomica.
Wilson’s Rural Cyclopedia. It yields a highly narcotic and
diaphoretic tincture. Griffith. The powdered bark relieves
toothache.

To the above, which was contained in the first edition of this
work, I add the following from the 12th Ed. of the U.S. Disp.:
Dr. Wm. Hamilton, of Plymouth, England, in a communication
to the Pharm. Journ. iv, Aug., 1844, speaks of this plant as a
powerful narcotic, capable of producing sleep and relieving pain
in an extraordinary manner. When aresident of the West Indies
he had observed its effects as a narcotic in taking fish of the
largest kind. He was induced to try it as an anodyne in tooth-
ache, and he found a saturated tincture exceedingly efficacious,
not only affording relief when taken internally, but uniformly
curing the pain when introduced upon a dossil of cotton into
the carious tooth. The bark of the root to be effectual, should
be gathered during the period of inflorescence in April. When
chewed, it has an unpleasant acrimony like mezereon. It yields
its virtues to alcohol, but not to water. He prepared the tinc-
ture by macerating an ounce of the bark in coarse powder, in
four fluid ounces of rectified spirit, for twenty-four hours, and
then filtered it. The dose is a fluid drachm. He first tried it
on himself, when laboring under severe toothache, taking the
quantity mentioned in cold water on going to bed. He first
felt a violent sensation of heat internally, which gradually ex-
tended to the surface, and was followed by profuse perspiration

202

with profound sleep for twelve hours. On awaking he was
quite free from pain, and without the unpleasant sensations
which follow a dose of opium.

Erythrina herbacea. Grows in woods; seeds scarlet.

Dr. J. H. Mellichamp writes me that he has heard from an
excellent source “of remarkable cures in tertiary syphilis, hav-
ing been effected with a decoction of the root of this plant.”

WILD INDIGO; HORSE-FLY WEED, (Baptisia tinctoria,
Hill. Sk.) Grows in rich, shaded lands; vicinity of Charleston;
collected in St. John’s; Newbern. FI. July.

Barton’s Med. Bot. ii, 57; Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 153. Its
virtues reside in the cortical part of the root. In large doses,
it operates violently as an emetic, cathartic and sub-astringent
anti-septic. It is said to have proved useful in scarlatina, typhus
fever, and the condition attendant upon mortification and gan-
grene. Dr. Comstock found it useful in the latter state, used
both externally and internally. Eclectic Repert. vi; U.S. Disp.
1231. It was employed by Dr. C. not only in existing, but as a
prophylactic in threatening mortification and gangrene. Dr.
Thacher speaks highly of its efficacy as an external applica-
tion to obstinate and painful ulcers, and Eberle, (Diseases of
Children. p. 98,) used a decoction with advantage in the aggra-
vated cases of ulcerated umbilicus, so frequently met with in
infants. It may be employed topically, in the form of a cata-
plasm. The young shoots may be eaten as asparagus; but after
they assume a green color, they act as a drastic purgative.
Griffith, Med. Bot. 232. The decoction, made with one ounce
of the recent root to one pint of boiling water, is given in doses
of a tablespoonful every three or four hours. Dr. Stevens, of
Ceres, Penn., has employed a decoction of the root advantage-
ously in epidemic dysentery. N. Y. Journ. Med. iv, 358. The
ointment, prepared by simmering the fresh root in lard, is ap-
plied to ulcers and burns. Darlington in his Fl. Cestrica, says
it yields a blue color of an inferior quality. See Indigo, (Jndi-
gofera amorpha.) The fresh plant attached to the harness of
horses keeps off flies—much used in Virginia for this purpose.
There is no gum exuding from it and the odor is not pungent,
but it seems to prove hostile to them. I have noticed that they
will not remain upon the plants.

B. leucophea, Nutt. B. bracteata, Muhl. Cat. Grows in dry
soils; found in Georgia also. FI. April.

‘ 203

Sent to me from Abbeville District by Mr. Reed, by whom
I am informed that a decoction of the leaves and branches is
considered stimulant and astringent, and was used by Dr.
Branch, of that district, with great satisfaction in all cases of
Be onrinl salivation.

-YELLOW CLOVER; LUCERN; } NONESUCH, (Medicago
lupulina, L.) Introduced. Waste places Florida and westward.

It bas been planted extensively as a clover, but is not so
valuable as other species—the WM. sativa, for example. See
Wilson’s Rural Cyclopeedia for a long article on “Clover” and
“ Lucern.”

MELILOT; SWEET CLOVER, (MMelilotus officinalis, Ph.)
Completely nat. says Elliott, around Charleston. N. C.

Dém. Elém. de Bot. iii, 37. The infusion of the flowers is
emollient and anodyne, and is employed in inflammation of the
intestines, retention of urine, tympanites, ete. Am. Herbal
222; W.S. Disp. 1275. It is thought to be possessed of very
little efficacy in medicine, but is used as a local application, in
the form of decoction or cataplasm, in inflammatory diseases.
Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 153; Journal de Pharm. xxi, 152. A
principle called coumarin exists abundantly in the flowers of
the melilotus, and it possesses an odor which is attributed to
the presence of benzoic acid. See Vogel’s Anal. Nouv. Journal
de Méd. viii, 270; Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. iv, 293; Flore
Med. iv, 229; Aubulet, Voyage. ii, 454; Haller, Hist. Stirp. Helv.
362. The flowers are employed in flatulent colic, and in rheu-
matism, and the decoction for fomentations. Wilson states that
it is used in making the famons Gruyére, or Schabzieger cheese,
and is the cause of its peculiar flavor—the flower and the seeds
in a dried state being bruised or ground and mixed with the
‘curd before pressing. Any mixture of the seeds with bread
corn renders the latter very disagreeable. Melilot, Wilson adds,
was long used in making a blister plaster which bore its name,
and acquired from it a green color and a disgusting smell, and
was of exceedingly little value. Rural Cyc.

RED CLOVER, (Trifolium pratense, L.) Vicinity of Charles-
ton; Newbern.

Dém Elém. de Bot. ii, 36. All the species contain a mucous,
nutritive principle. In Ireland, when food is scarce, the pow-
dered flowers are mixed with bread, and are esteemed whole-

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some and nutritious. Fl. Scotica,-of Lightfoot. Some are said
to produce vertigo and tympanites in cattle which feed on them.

RABBIT-FOOT; FIELD CLOVER, (Trifolium arvense,
Linn.) “Grows sparingly in the upper districts.” Collected »
in St. John’s, Charleston District; Newbern. Fl. April.

Wade’s Pl. Rariores, 56. Dickerson observes that the dried
plant is highly aromatic, and retains its odor. It has been used
in dysentery. Withering, 636; Fl. Scotica, 406.

WILD BUFFALO CLOVER, (Trifolium reflexum.) Upper
districts ; vicinity of Charleston; collected in St. John’s; N. C.

It affects very sensibly the salivary glands. I have noticed
horses in Virginia violently salivated from eating this or other
plants.

WHITE CLOVER, (Trifolium repens, L.) Vicinity of
Charleston ; collected in St. John’s; Newbern. Fl. May.

Ell. Bott. ii, 201. This also affects the salivary glands, some-
times producing complete salivation. Fl. Scotica, 404. Its
leaves are a good rustic hygrometer, as they are always relaxed
and flaccid in dry weather, but erect in moist and rainy.

MILK-VETCH, (Astragalus.) There are five species of this
genus within our limits. I refer to them because the seeds of
A. boeticus, planted in Germany and England, are found to be
the very best substitute for coffee yet tried, and so used—roasted,
parched, and mixed with coffee. Our species of Vicia, tare,
vetch, and Lathyrus should also be tried.

EDIBLE PSORALEA, (Psoralea esculenta.) The bread
root, growing in Missouri, is eaten by the inhabitants of the
plain, and the Rocky Mountains. Rural Cyclopeedia.

CAROLINA WILD INDIGO, (Indigofera Caroliniana, Walt.)
Grows in dry soils; vicinity of Charleston; collected in St.
John’s Berkeley ; Newbern. Fl. May.

Not inferior, says Nuttall, to the cultivated indigo. It does
not, however, possess so much coloring matter. The decoction
of the leaves is said to act as an emetic when given in large
quantities; in smaller doses it is cathartic. “F. I. 8.,” a cor-
respondent of the Charleston Mercury, says: “Our country
ladies gather wild indigo, and ferment from it a blue powder
equal to the commercial indigo, which dyes a beautiful and last-
ing blue. A solution of this powder in water is a speedy and
certain relief for cramp and asthma. The red swmach dyes a

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rich dark or light purple, as is required.” See Wild Indigo,
(Baptisia.)

Indigofera anil, L. Introduced.

Formerly cultivated and employed in the manufacture of in-
digo.

INDIGO, (Indigofera tinctoria.) Introduced. Once cultiva-
ted in South Carolina to a large extent; see Indigofera anil.
Collected in St. John’s Berkeley. FI. June.

Drayton’s View of South Carolina; Mérat and de L. Dict. de
M. Méd. iii, 601. According to Laennec, the decoction of the
root possesses the property of acting against poison, and is use-
ful in nephritic diseases. In Jamaica, it is employed to destroy
vermin. The leaves are alterative, and are given in hepatic dis-
orders. Ainslie, Mat. Med. Ind. i, 180; ii, 33; Journal de Bo-
tanique, v, 11; Ann. de Chim. lxviii, 284; M. and de L. Sup-
plem. 1846, 383; Martius, Syst. Mat. Med. 126; Perollet,
Mém. ur la culture des indigoféres tinctoriaux, Paris, 1833 ;
L’Herminier, Résumé des obs. faites sur plusieurs espéces indi-
goféres de Guadeloupe; see Journal de Pharm. xix, 257; A.

Saint Hiliare, “ Hist. of Indigo, from the first account of it till

the year 1833,” (Ann. des Sci. Nat. vii, 110;) Mem. on Indigo,
in the Comptes Rendus Hebdom. of Acad. Nat. Sci. 19th Dee.
1836, 445 ; Dumas’ Mem. upon Indigo, its Composition, etc., in
the Journal de Chim. Med. iii, 66, 1837; D. Erdmann, Rech.
upon Indigo, (in French, also,) in the 26th vol. Journal de Pharm.
460, 1840, and the report upon the proposed extraction of indigo
from Polygonum tinctorium. See Journal de Pharm. xxxvi, 274.
Indigo itself has acquired some celebrity in the treatment of
epilepsy—results doubtful, as large quantities may be taken—
an electuary or syrup was used. Dungl. New Remedies, 361.
Griffith. See, also, Roth in Pereiras Mat. Medica. The remains
of the indigo plantations, with the vats in which indigo was
prepared, are still to be seen in the lower districts of South Car-
olina, bordering on the Santee River. Since the introduction of
cotton and rice it is cultivated, though not very largely.

On the cultivation, preparation, etc., of indigo, Woad, (satis
tinctoria,) see Chaptal’s Chemistry applied to Agriculture, p.
295; Ure’s Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures, and Mines, arti-
cles “ Indigo,” “Calico Printing ;”’ also, Penny Cyclopedia. J
must content myself simply with a reference to the source of

206

information. The J. anil is also used for the production of in- .
digo. The So. Cultivator, vol. ii, p. 58, contains a full account
of the preparation of indigo. To avoid the deleterious effects
of fermented indigo, Dr. Roxburg, of India, states that he suc-
ceeds perfectly by the “scalding process.” This is doubted.
See, also, Southern Cultivator, p. 15, vol. 6, report of a Commit-
tee of the Georgia Agricultural Association. They recommend
the Indigofera argentea, or wild indigo of Georgia, which is not
included by Chapman in his Fl. of So. States. I insert the fol-
lowing.

The directions for preparing I obtained, many years ago,
from an old and respectable planter in South Carolina. The
manuscript which he delivered to me was from the pen of one
who had been extensively engaged in the cultivation and prep-
aration of indigo for market, before the Revolution. It has
never been published; and may, therefore, impart information
on a process little known by the present generation:

“The pigment, or dyeing substance of the indigo, is obtained
from the leaves. There are several species of this plant. The
French indigo, Indigofera tinctoria, yields the greatest quantity,
and is cultivated in India; but the quality is inferior to the Jn-
digofera argentea, or wild indigo. The former is distinguished
by its pinnate leaves, the smaller ribs expanding from the prin-
cipal rib like the feathers of a quill, similar to the leaves of the
pear and of the lime tree, and by a more slender, ligneous stem.
It rises, in a rich soil, and when well cultivated, to the height
of six feet.

“The seeds are sown as early in the spring as the climate and
season will warrant. In the West Indies, the planting com-
mences in March, in trenches about a foot asunder; and the
weed is cut downin May. In South America, six months elapse
before it can be cut. In the former, generally four cuttings are
obtained of the same plant in the course of a year; but in the
latter, never more than two, and often only one, The cutting
takes place when the plant is in blossom, and is done with the
sickle. Fresb plantings of the seed are required yearly.

“ Commence the cutting of the weed in the evening, in time
to have the steeper set before it is dark. The plants are laid in
strata, and pressed down by weights. When a sufficient quan-
tity of them are laid, pour in water to the height of about four

207

inches above them. One inch and a half above the surface of
the water bore a hole through the side of the vat, and directly
over the trough which is to convey the liquor into the beater.
When the fermentation has commenced the liquor will rise and
run over. Let it remain until the stream has ceased, or nearly
so. This, in hot weather, will be from ten to fourteen hours
after the water has been poured upon the weed, or on the follow-
ing morning. Immediately draw off into the beater, and com-
mence the agitation. Continue this for about twenty minutes,
and then let in the lime water until you have plenty of grain,
but not very coarse. The agitation must be carried on, and
frequent use be made of the plate. As soon as a change in the
color is perceived, from a muddy green to a purple or blue, the
beating should cease. This operation usually requires an hour.
There can be no certain rule as to the quantity of lime water
to be used, or the length of time for continuing the agitation.
If the indigo be not sufficiently steeped, it will require more lime
water, and longer beating, and vice versa. Having obtained the
fine blue tint you wish, stop the agitation, and pour in an addi-
tional quantity of lime water, which will cause the grains to
collect and settle in a short time. Be careful, however, not to
add so much as to give the liquor a yellow or red tinge: it
should be of a clear, but pale green. As the sediment subsides,
commence drawing off the water through the upper plugs, and
80 on to each successively, until the mud alone remains at the
bottom of the vat or beater. In the evening this should be re-
moved into the drainer, and by the morning following it will be
well drained and cracked, which it should be before it is taken
out. Having first pressed out the water remaining in it, work
up the mud; give it a second pressure, and work it up again
until it becomes stiff. After this, submit it to a third pressure,
for cutting. Should your indigo incline to mould on the drying-
boards, as it is apt to do in rainy or damp weather, the mould
must be wiped off; otherwise it may turn to a gray color. Let
it remain upon the drying-boards until you plainly see the qual-
ity ; afterward it may be put up in small barrels. In continued
damp weather, during the manipulating and drying process,
put the greenish indigo in the sun, and turn it frequently. As
soon as it begins to crack, take it in.

“Good indigo is known by its lightness, or small specific

208

gravity, indicating the absence of earthy impurities; by the
mass not readily parting with its coloring matter, when tested
by drawing a streak with it over a white surface ; but above all
by the purity of the color itself. The first quality, esteemed by
this last test, is called, in commercial language, fine blue; the
next, ordinary blue; then fine purple, etc. The most inferior is
known as ordinary copper.”

The most satisfactory information can be got in the Patent
Office Reports, and from Mr. Spalding, Liebig, Chaptal, the En-
cyclopeedia, etc., etc. Several varieties are cultivated. The
Indigofera disperma is used in Guatemala, and makes the best
and most beautiful article. The Indigofera tinctoria, formerly
cultivated in South Carolina and Georgia, is the most productive,
and the increase in quantity will make up the deficiency in
price.

The following is the account of the method of cultivating and
manufacturing indigo, furnished by Mr. T. W. Glover, of
Orangeburg, S. C., and published by Mr. Tuomey, in his Geology
of S. Carolina, 1848 :

“Indigo was planted in South Carolina at any early period,
and was extensively cultivated, and constituted an important
item in the exports of the colony, till rice, in the lower country,
and cotton, almost everywhere, superseded it.

“In Orangeburg District it has never been abandoned, and
the following exhibit will show the number of acres planted,
and the amount made in three several years :

Years. Acres planted. Amount made.
1831 953 27,700 Ibs.
1841 1,091 34,150 lbs.
1842 1,337 35,935 lbs.

“The average production per acre, therefore, was 29 Ibs. in
1831, 31 lbs. in 1841, and 26 lbs. in 1842. Some planters, how-
ever, in 1842 made upwards of 60 lbs. per acre.

“The price of Carolina indigo varies from 40 to 80 cts., and
much of it is vended in the interior or in the neighboring States.
Light and sandy land, which will not yield more than 500 Ibs.
seed cotton per acre, is generally appropriated to this culture,
the better soils being reserved for cotton.

‘Two species of indigo have been cultivated here—the tame,
which is an annual plant, and the wild, which is septennial. The

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latter, reproducing seven years successively and affording a
better and finer dye, has almost entirely supplanted the former.

“The seed is planted about the 15th April, in trenches eighteen
inches asunder, made sometimes with the plow, and it is after-
ward worked with the hoe. The wild indigo may be cut once
during the first year, but it is frequently not touched till the
second. The ground is hoed over every subsequent year,

about the last of March, and before the plant appears. One

bushel of seed is enough, and is used for four acres planted in
drill. The weed is cut (after the first year) twice annually,
early in June and again in September; and the hoe is used,
even after the second cutting, that the land may be left free of
grass.

“ Manufacture.—Three vats or tanks, made of wood, and
water tight, are employed in the manufacture of indigo. First,
the steeper, which is sixteen feet square and twenty-six inches
deep; s@cond, the beater, sixteen feet by twelve, and four feet
deep ; and third, the lime vat, which is ten feet square and three
feet deep, into which is put two bushels of lime, and, in the
process of manufacturing, one-half bushel is added to each sub-
sequent vat made. When the plant begins to bloom, it is cut
with hooks, early in the morning, and two wagon loads are put
in the steeper, which is filled with water by pumps, or, if the
locality admits, by troughs from a hill-side. Laths are placed
over the weed, which is entirely immersed under the water,
where it remains until sufficiently steeped. The indications by
which the sufficiency of the steeping is judged are various, and
mainly depend on experience. If the fermentation stops, or the
leaves cease to be brittle, or the water subsides, it is drawn
from the steeper into the beater, the former being elevated above
the latter to admit the free passage of the liquid through
troughs. When in the beater, a wheel, with arms placed on a
shaft, is used to stir and agitate the liquid for about fifteen
minutes. Lime water is then added from the lime vat till a
cloudy hue appears; with an addition of lime water, it is again
agitated thirty or forty minutes, until granulation begins.
After beating, or this process of agitation, the liquor remains at
rest about four hours, when, from its affinity for and combina-
tion with the lime, and from its greater specific gravity, the dye
stuff aes ee and the liquid is drawn off. The drug

210

deposited at the bottom of the beater is then collected and re-
moved into a box five feet square and fourteen inches deep,
called the drainer, which is placed on a bed of sand, and inside
of which, and in contact with the sand, is a coarse cloth, (cot-

ton osnaburghs.) From the drainer the indigo is placed in a ~

box three feet long and fourteen inches wide, called the press,
in which a stout cloth is also put and folded over the indigo.
It is then pressed until sufficiently dry, and cut into pieces
about two inches square, which are placed separately for several
days, and then put into barrels for the market.

Culture and Manufacture of Indigo—A writer under the
signature of “Oconee” says: “The soils best adapted to it are
the rich, sandy loams, though it grows on most lands mode-
rately well, provided they are not wet. The ground should
be well broken, and kept light and free from grass by the plow.
The nature of the manure used exerts a great influence upon
the quantity and quality of its coloring principle. Those sub-
stances that act as stimulants to vegetation, such as lime, pou-
drette, ashes, etc., ete., favor the growth of the plant without
injuring the coloring matter. When barn-yard manure has been
largely used, a crop of grain should first be raised on the land.

“The seed should be mixed with ashes or sand, and sown in
drills fourteen inches apart, four quarts of seed to the acre. In
this climate, (Middle Georgia,) the seed should be sown the first
of April. When it first comes up it should have the grass picked
out with the hand. When an inch ortwo high the grass
between the rows should be cut out with the hoe or scraper,
and the soil loosened about the roots. Three weedings are
enough before the first cutting, which should commence as soon
as the plant throws out its bloom. It is so easily injured by
the sun after being cut, that the operation should be commenced
and end in the afternoon. After cutting with the reap-hook, it
is put under the shed until it can be putin the vats. In Georgia,
the two cuttings yielded sixty pounds of indigo to an acre, pro-
vided the roots were not injured in the first cutting, which, at
three acres to the hand, would be one hundred and eighty
pounds ($180.) The price varies from 30 cents to $2 25 per
pound for the best Guatemala.

“Like other plants, it has its enemies. The leaves are fre-
quently seen covered with yellow spots, owing to some change

Se

211

in the atmosphere. It often happens that in consequence of a
degree of heat and drouth, the plant is not fully developed ;
the leaves are not more than one-third their proper size, yet
exhibit all the properties of a perfect plant. If the plant is cut
in this imperfect state the crop is lost, for the indigo is not well
developed. An insect (the flea) often destroys the first crop of
leaves. Next, a louse destroys the plant later in the season;
this, however, is not so bad as the first. The cutworm also
commits some depredations upon it.

“ Manufacturing Process.—T wo methods are used, the cold and
the hot. The cold is the safest; the plant must be in a certain
state to use the hot.

“Ist. By Cold Water—The weed is put in the vat and cov-
ered with clear water, where it remains until the color of the
liquid becomes a light olive; this is about ten hours; the weed
must be pressed down by heavy scantling laid upon it. Draw
the liqwid off into the churn or beater. The churning must now
be commenced, and kept up until the fluid becomes lighter in
its general shade, and the blue fecula are seen in the water;
which sooner begins from small quantities of lime water being
added from time to time during the process of beating. The
quantity of lime water that is used should be not more than
one-tenth of the liquid that is in the vat. If the lime water be
all thrown in at once, the lime more than saturates the carbonic
acid, and the carbonate thus formed will be precipitated, and
thus injure the indigo. After the fecula shows itself distinctly
in the water, the vat is allowed to be still for four or five hours,
then the clear water is drawn off by faucets at different heights,
so as to allow the indigo to be precipitated in the bottom.

“2d. The Hot Process—The weed is put in the vat, boiling
water is let on so as to saturate the plant, and fully cover it.
The weed is kept down by scantling thrown upon it. Allow
the water to stand from five to fifteen minutes, according to the
effect above mentioned. Draw it off through a faucet and sieve
into the beater; repeat until all the coloring matter is extracted ;
beat or churn as above, omitting the lime water; remainder of
the process the same.

“The precipitated indigo still requires some further operations
to bring it to a state of perfection, (though it can be dried and
sent to the market as it now is.) It contains particles that are

212

imperfectly oxydated; consequently it has neither the color nor
properties of the best indigo. Continued beating would bring
these to a proper state; but it would cause the -particles first
oxydated to imbibe an additional quantity of oxygen, by which
the color is too much deepened, and the article would be rejected
in commerce as burnt. To avoid this, throw over the liquid fe-
cula a volume of warm water double the quantity of the fecula,
stirring it all the while; by this means the perfect indigo will
be precipitated, the other held in suspension. This water is
drawn off, and lime added, ete., as above, by which the green ~
color becomes a yellow brown, and the indigo is rendered insol-

uble and precipitated. That indigo may be pure and brilliant,

it should be twice washed—once in cold, and once in hot water.

After washing, allow the fecula to settle, then draw off the

water.

“The last purification now is to mix the fecula with another
quantity of water, in a vat having several faucets. While it is
suspended, the earths are precipitated; draw off while stirring,
and allow to settle. The last operation consists in putting the
fecula in a coarse bag of hemp or wool, and this bag in an open
basket to drain, placing weights upon it until it becomes tightly
compressed. These last operations are not requisite if a very
common article is to be made; but it is well to follow all the
purifications. The increase in price will cover the increase of
trouble.”

“Indigo Vat.—Description—For every set of ten hands there
should be what are called a set of works. These formerly cost
about one hundred dollars or more, and were a vat or tank,
made of plank two inches thick, well joined. This vat is twenty
feet square, stands upon posts four feet from the ground, and is
kept tight by wedges driven into the sleepers upon which the
plank rests. The vat is three feet deep, and is called the steeper.
Alongside of it is another vat, twenty feet by ten, occupying
the space between the bottom of the steeper and the ground,
into which the water is drawn in which the indigo is steeped
when ready to be beat, or churned, as we may say. At the end
of this last vat a small tank or cask must be placed, to furnish
lime water in the process of beating. The liquor is drawn from
the steeper by a spigot at the bottom of the vat along the beater. —
Lengthwise of this is stretched a beam, resting on its upper

213

ends, and revolving on journals, and furnished with cross arms,
to the ends of which are fixed open buckets without bottoms,
containing about two gallons each. Two men, standing on this
beam, with a handspike fixed to the long beam, alternately
plunge the open buckets right and left, thus churning the liquid
until it begins to show a blue fecula, which is produced by small
quantities drawn from the lime cask.”

The following is the method successfully used on the planta-
tions in St. John’s Berkeley, South Carolina, to prepare a dye
from the wild and naturalized indigo:

“Cut the plant, put in a barrel, and cover with water. In
about three days it commences to foam, and it is then ready to
churn; take out the leaves, and press the liquid out of them. It
is then to be whipped up in a churn with a stick made like a
dasher. When it foams, a greased feather applied to the sur-
face will check the foam. In order to test whether the process
is sufficiéntly advanced and the blue color extracted, it may be
tested in a white plate put in the sunlight; the thickened
grounds will be visible. About a quart of strong lye-water, or
lime soaked in water, should be first thrown in to settle it.
This should be done before it is churned. If the coloring sub-
stance appears to be sufficiently separated by the test mentioned
above, drain the supernatant water carefully away. The re-
mainder or sediment, should be placed in a bag to drain. This
contains the indigo. This indigo may subsequently be moulded
into cakes. I have seen yarn excellently dyed by it; also wool,
which was dyed before it was carded, and made into cloth,
(1862.) The woods have been eagerly searched for indigo
plants during the recent war.

The following process of manufacturing indigo in small quan-
tities for family use is extracted from the Southern Agri-
culturist :

“Cut the indigo when the under leaves begin to dry, and
while the dew is on them in the morning; put them in a barrel,
and fill this with rain water, and place weights on to keep it
under water; when bubbles begin to form on the top, and the
water begins to look of a redish color, it is soaked enough, and
must be taken out, taking care to wring and squeeze the leaves

_ well, so as to obtain all the strength of the plant; it must then
be churned (which may be done by means of a tolerably open

214

basket, with a handle to raise it up and down) until the liquor
is quite in a foam. To ascertain whether it is done enough,
take out a spoonful in a plate, and put a small quantity of very
strong lye to it. Ifit curdles, the indigo is churned enough, and
you must proceed to break the qace: in the barrel in the same
way, by putting in lye (which must be as strong as possible) by
small quantities, and continuing to churn until it is all sufficiently
curdled; care must be taken not to put in two much lye, as that
will spoil it. When it curdles freely with the lye it must be
sprinkled well over the top with oil, which immediately causes
the foam to subside, after which it must stand till the indigo
settles to the bottom of the barrel. This may be discovered by
the appearance of the water, which must be let off gradually by
boring holes first near the top, and afterward lower, as it con-
tinues to settle; when the water is all let off, and nothing
remains but the mud, take that and put it in a bag (flannel is
the best) and hang it up to drip, afterward spreading it to dry
on large dishes. Take care that none of the foam, which is the
strength of the weed, escapes ; but if it rises too high, sprinkle
oil on it.”

Seven or eight species of indigo are found in the United
States, most of which grow in the South. The wild indigo,
(Dyer’s baptisia,) common in Pennsylvania and other Middle
States, yields a considerable proportion of blue coloring matter
of an inferior kind. (Flora Cestrica.) See Baptisia, Amorpha
and Robinia.

Blue Dyes—The materials employed for this purpose are.
indigo, Prussian blue, logwood, bilberry, ( Vaccinium myrtillus,)
elder-berries, (Sambacus nigra,) mulberries, privet-berries, (Ljgu-
strum vulgare,) and some other berries whose juice becomes
blue by the addition of a small portion of alkali, or of the salts
of copper. I shall here describe the other, or minor blue dyes:
To dye blue with such berries as the sce! we boil one pound
of them in water, adding one ounce of alum, of copperas and of
blue vitriol to the decoction, or in their stead equal parts of
verdigris and tartar, and pass the stuffs a sufficient time through
the liquor. When an iron mordant alone is employed, a steel-
blue tint is obtained; and when a tin one, a blue with a violet
cast. The privet-berries, which have been employed as sap
colors by the card-painters, may be extensively used in the

215

dyeing of silk. The berries of the African night shade (Solanum
qguineense) have been of late years considerably applied to sill on
the continent in producing various shades of blue, violet, red,
brown, etc., but particularly violet.

i introduce the following general directions, at the risk of
some repetition, from an article in the Charleston Courier dated
Gowansville, 1862:

First. It is important to cleanse the wool, or other material
to be dyed, from grease and all foreign matters which might
prevent it from taking the dye. Wool must be well washed in
warm soap suds, rinsed in warm water, squeezed as dry as
possible, and then put wet into the dye. Cotton and linen must
be thoroughly wet in boiling water, and then squeezed or wrung
out of it and put into the dye wet.

Secondly. Use a copper caldron for all light and delicate
colors, and an iron pot for black and all dark colors. The shades
of color will be regulated by the strength of the dye, the num-
ber of times the article is dipped, or the length of time it re-
mains in the dye.

Thirdly. Many dyes that will color cotton will leave wool and
linen untinged, and some that will color wool deeply will dye
cotton a very light shade.

Fourthly. What is used for brightening and making the
colors durable are called mordants. The mordants used here
are copperas, (sulphate of iron,) blue vitriol, (sulphate of copper, )
alum, wheat bran, lye, and lime water. Those who cannot ob-
tain copperas, use the water from one of the mineral springs,
which is strongly impregnated with iron.

Fifthly. The best seasons for dyeing with bark are the spring
and summer, while the sap is in the tree Autumn is the best
season for dyeing with leaves, and winter is the season for dye-
ing with roots, because the sap of the tree then goes into the
roots.

Sixthly. Bark and roots must be cut into small pieces; let the
caldron be two-thirds filled with the pieces, then fill up with
water, and boil for several hours until the color is as deep as
desired. If leaves and twigs are used, fill the boiler with them
and cover with water. Two or three hours steady boiling will
extract the color from bark, roots, and leaves. Then strain off
the liquid carefully from the sediment, and put it back into a

“216

clean boiler, add to it the alum or copperas, or both, according to
the color desired; lot it be completely dissolved and well mixed
in the dye, after which immerse the wet wool, yarn, or cloth in
the dye, and proceed according to tho definite directions for
each color, By mixing different barks, roots, and leaves to-
gother in the same dye a variety of shades of different colors
are obtained by those who are skilled in the art of preparing
domestic dyes, The following named trees aro much used here
for dyeing wool and cotton;

Sassafras, (Laurus Sassafras.) The bark and roots are used
for dyeing worsted a permanent and beautiful yellow and orange
color, Use a copper boiler and five ounces of alum to one
pound of wool or worsted yarn,

Kalmia, (angustiyolia,) or dwarf laurel, dyes cotton a fine drab
color Use a copper boiler, The leaves and twigs of the Kal-
mia and about one tablespoonful of copperas to three gallons of
dye, Scald the cotton material in the dye for twenty minutes,
then rinso in cold water and hang to dry in the air,

Willow, (salty eapreata ?) The bark dyes wool and linen a
deep blue black, and dyes cotton a dark slate color, Use an
iron boiler, For black, three ounces of copperas to four gallons
of dye; for slate color, one ounce of eopperas is suilicient,
Boil in the dye for twenty minutes, rinse in cold water and
hang to dry. The dye may be deepened by a repetition of the
same process in fresh dye.

Red Oak, (Quereus sinuosa.) The bark and roots dye a fine
shade of chocolate brown, Use an iron boiler and two ounces
of copperas to four gallons of dye. Boil twenty minutes in the
dye and rinse in cold water. This dyes cotton, The Spanish
Oak dyes another shade of brown.

White Oak, (Quereus aida.) The bark dyes cotton lead color,
Use an iron boiler; two ounces of copperas to four gallons of
dye; scald in the dye twenty minutes and rinse with cold
water, Oak bark will not dye wool.

Pine bark, (all the varieties found in our woods,) dyes cotton
slate color; combined with the Kalmia, it dyes dove color, For
each color, put one ounce of copperas to four gallons of dye,
and boil in it for twenty minutes. , Rinse the slate color in cold
water and the dove color in cold lye.

Sweet Gum bark dyes cotton dove color, Use a copper boiler;

217

a spoonful of copperas to three gallons of dye, and scald in the
dye for twenty minutes; rinse in cold water, To produce
another shade, rinse the cotton stuff in cold lye-water, and hang
to dry in the air.

Guinea Corn, (Ioleus Sorghum.) Vhe seed dyes wool lead
color, and will not dye cotton, Use an iron boiler, a little cop-
peras, and rinse in lye.

Maple, (Acer campestris?) The bark dyes both wool and cot-
ton a fine dark shade of purple. Use an iron boiler and two
ounces of copperas to four gallons of dye; scald in hot dye for
twenty minutes and rinse in cold water,

Beach, (Magus Sylvatica.) The bark dyes dove color. Use
an iron boiler and one ounce of copperas to four gallons of dye;
rinse in cold water, or in lye for another shade.

Sumach, (thus Glabrum.) The leaves and berries dye black.
Use an iron boiler and four ounces of copperas to four gallons
of dyé.« Boil the cotton yarn or cloth in the dye for an hour,
and ringe in cold water. (See “Sumach,” for dyes without cop-
peras; vinegar and old iron serve the place of copperas. )

Walnut, (Juglans nigra.) Vhe bark and roots dye cotton
fawn brown and root color, according to the proportion of bark
or of roots and copperas used, The leaves boiled into dye color
cotton purple and wool black; when used without boiling the,
leaves dye wool fawn color, The green shells of the full grown
nuts dye black, with copperas. What is dyed black must be
rinsed in cold water; the cotton to be dyed purple must be
rinsed in lye. The fawn, brown, and root color must be rinsed
in cold water. The proportion of copperas used for black is
two ounces to four gallons of dye; for the other shades, use
much less copperas.

To make a cold dye for wool, fill a tub with alternate layers
of walnut leaves and wool, then pour on water till all is covered.
The next day take out the wool and dry it in the sun, then re-
place it in another tub with alternate layers of fresh walnut
leaves. Strain off the water from the old walnut leaves and
pour it over the wool and fresh walnut leaves; let it remain
again till the next day. Repeat this process for one week, add-
ing as much water, from day to day, as to make the dye suffi-
cient to cover the wool and fresh leaves. This is a fine, perma-
nent fawn colored dye.

218

Madder dyes wool red. Mix four quarts of wheat bran with
four gallons of water, and set it to ferment. When it is quite )
sour, strain off the water and dissolve in it a lump of alum the
size of afowl’s egg. Set the liquid on the fire in a copper kettle,
and just before it boils mix well into it a half pound of fresh
madder for every pound of wool. Then put into the dye the
wet wool or worsted stuff to be dyed, and let it remain im-
mersed in the dye for an hour, turning and pressing it frequently ;
during which hour the dye must be kept very hot, but must not
boil, lest the color should be tarnished. When the wool is taken
from the dye pot, it must be rinsed immediately in cold strong
lye, or in lime water, and then dried.

Spanish brown is used for dyeing cotton red. Put a pound
of Spanish brown, powdered, into a little bag, and rub it out in
a gallon of hot water till the bag is completely emptied of its
contents. Then put the cotton yarn into the painted water,
and rub the color into the yarn till all the coloring matter is
transferred from the water to the yarn. After which, put two
tablespoonsful of linseed oil into the water and boil the yarn in
it for fifteen minutes, then hang the yarn to dry. If linseed oil
cannot be obtained, boil the painted yarn in new milk for fifteen
minutes. |

Solferino pink. Cut a piece out of the end of a pumpkin
large enough to admit the hand, take out all the seeds and leave
the strings in. Mash pokeberries into pulp and fill the cavity
of the pumpkin with them, stir them up well with the strings
and put the worsted yarn into the mixture, then cover it up
close with the piece of pumpkin that was cut out. The next
day take out’the yarn and dry it in the air; when dry, put the
yarn back into the pumpkin as before, and cover it up again till
next day. Repeat this process every day till the desired shade
of pink is obtained, then rinse the worsted out in cold, strong
vinegar, and dry it for use. It will take a week to dye the
deepest shade of pink.

Glyceria tomentosa Grows in pine lands. Fl. June.

Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. 387. In Pondicherry, this
is given to horses in place of oats. Mém. du Muséum, vi, 326.

TURKEY PEA; GOAT’S RUE; CATGUT, (Tephrosia Vir-
giniana, Ph.) Vicinity of Charleston ; N.C.; grows in dry soils.
Fl. July.

219

Lindley’s Med. Flora, 244; Griffith, Med. Bot. 238. The roots
were used by Indians, and are now employed in popular prac-
tice as a vermifuge ; a decoction is said to act as powerfully and
~ as efficiently as the pink root, (Spigelia.) Attention is invited
to it. ;

Dr. Wood, in the 12th Ed. U.S. Disp., quotes from the Am. J.
Pharm., xxviii, 218, an account of the experience of Dr. B. O.
Jones, of Atlanta, Ga., with this plant. He used it with advan-
tage as a mild, stimulating tonic and laxative, and he found it
especially useful in typhoid fever. He prepares it by boiling
eight ounces of the plant with two of Rumex acutus, in four
quarts of water to a quart, and straining; adding, when the
preparation is to be kept, an equal bulk of diluted alcohol or
brandy, and half its weight of sugar, and macerating for several
days. The dose is one or two tablespoonsful.

BASTARD INDIGO, (Amorpha fruticosa, L.) Florida, S. and
N. Carélina, and Mississippi.

This was formerly used in Carolina as an indigo plant, and
continues to be extensively cultivated in Britain as an ornamen-
tal shrub. Wilson's Rural Cyclopcedia.

YELLOW LOCUST TREE; LOCUST; FALSE ACACIA,
(Robinia pseudacacia, L.) Grows in the mountains of N. and
S. Carolina; vicinity of Charleston; collected in lower St.
John’s Berkeley, near Ward’s plantation; Newbern. Fl. May.

Dem. Elém. de Bot. The flowers are aromatic and emollient.
An anti-spasmodic syrup is prepared from them; and Gendrin
states that when given to infants, it produces sleep, vomiting,
and sometimes slight convulsive movements; he relates a case
where it was swallowed by boys, in whom acro-narcotic effects
were induced. Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. vi, 101; Desfont,
Traité des Arbres, ii, 304; Ann. d’Hort. ix, 168; Ann. Clin. de
Mont. xxiv, 68.

Dr. Wood, in the 12th Ed. U. 8S. Disp., states that the bark of
the root is said to be tonic, and in large doses, emetic and pur-
gative, and he reports from the Ann. de Thérap. 1860, p. 64,
three cases of poisoning, in children, from eating the root; they
all recovered; the symptoms were like those produced by an
overdose of Belladonna. One of them who happened to be
laboring under intermittent fever at the time, had no return of

the paroxysm. He adds, “these facts render caution advisable

220

in the use of the root, yet are also well calculated to stimulate
inquiry.” Mills states that “the best bows of the Indians were
made of this tree.”

The inner bark is fibrous, and may be spun into cordage; the
wood is of a fine, compact grain, and is used for manufacturing
purposes. Mém. sur la Robinia, Mém. de la Soc. d’Agricult.
1786; Francois, Letters on the Robinia, Paris, 1803 Griffith,
in his Med. Bot. 239, says that it has not received sufficient
attention, for “every part is endowed with some good quality.”
On account of its durability, the wood is much used for tree-
nails in ship-building ; the leaves, prepared in the same manner
as those of the indigo, may be employed as a substitute; they
afford an excellent nourishment for cattle, either in the fresh or
in the dried state. Willich, Domestic Encyc. i, x. Grossier
(Desc. de la Chine) says that they are used by the Chinese to
produce the beautiful yellow color so remarkable in their silks.
It is prepared by roasting half a pound of the half expanded
flowers in a copper pan over a gentle fire, and stirring them
continually ; after turning yellow, water is poured over, and it
is boiled till it acquires a deep color. It is then strained, and
half an ounce of alum, and the same quantity of shell lime are
added, when the dye is fit for use. It is possible that this author
may have confounded this plant with the R. flava. Mérat says
the flowers furnish a palatable dish when fried. The seeds are
somewhat acrid, but afford a large quantity of oil on expression.
By infusion in water, they become perfectly mild, and contain
an excellent farina.

This tree, both the leaves and flowers of which are beautiful,
has attracted great attention in England, and its seeds are
largely imported, to be planted as a hedge and ornamental
plant, and for various purposes. Almost a mania preyailed
upon the subject. “No other tree grows more rapidly than
this, excepting some species of the willow and the poplar.” A
sucker at Chiswick grew twenty feet in one season, with a cir-
cumference of three inches. When the tree is felled suckers
spring from the trunk in great profusion.

Large quantities are exported to Liverpool for fastening bolts
in ship-building. C. W. Johnson and others write of it thus:
“The wheelwright and the coach-builder have employed it for
axle-trees of carriages; the turner has used it for various pur-

221

x

poses of his art, and has been delighted with its smooth texture
and beautifully delicate straw color; fence-makers have used it
for rail fencing and have found it to stand wet and dry near
the ground betterthan any other timber in common use, and to
be as durable as cedar; landscape gardeners have planted it for
a combination of ornament and utility. * * Farmers might
try it for the formation of hedges, and were they to transplant
it from the nursery whenit has a height of about four feet, they
would find it forming a hedge quite equal in compactness,
strength, economy and manageableness, to hedges consisting of
tried and approved plants, and a hedge available as a fence far
earlier than any other, and capable of being raised to any de-
sirable elevation. The flowers of the acacia tree are used in
St. Domingo for making a distilled liquor, and its roots, and
leaves, and juices contain a considerable proportion of sugar.”
Wilson’s Encye. Rural. The plants are easily propagated by
pourin® boiling water over the beans in the fall ; let them re-
main twenty-four hours and plant. They grow six or seven
feet the first season.

The following highly interesting account of this tree, and the
mode of cultivating it in the United States, is given by Dr. S.
Ackerly:

“The cultivation of the locust tree on Long Island, and in
other parts of the State of New York, has been attended to
with considerable profit to the agricultural interest, but not
with that earnestness which the importance of the subject de-
mands. This may have arisen from the difficulty of propa-
gating it by transplanting, or not understanding how to raise it
from the seed. * x i 2 = *

“The locust is a tree of quick growth, the wood of which is
hard, durable, and principally used in ship-building. To a
country situated like the United States, with an extensive line
of seacoast, penetrated by numerous bays and giving rise to
many great rivers, whose banks are covered with forests of ex-
traordinary growih, whose soil is fertile, rich and variegated, and
whose climate is agreeably diversified by a gradation of tem-
perature ; to such a country, inhabited by an industrious and
enterprising people, commerce, both foreign and domestic,
must constitute one of the principal employments. As long as
the country possesses the necessary ‘timber for ship-building,

: 222

and the other advantages which our situation affords, the gov-
ernment will continue to be formidable to all other powers.
We have within ourselves four materials necessary for the com-
pletion of strong and durable naval structures. These are the
live-oak, locust, cedar and pine, which can be abundantly supplied.
The former is best for the lower timbers of a ship, while the
locust and cedar form the upper-works of the frame. The pine
supplies the timber for decks, masts and spars. A vessel built
of live-oak, locust and cedar, will last longer than if constructed
of any other wood. Naval architecture has arrived in this
place, and other parts of the United States, to as great per-
fection, perhaps, as in any other country on the globe. Our
‘ fir-built frigates’ have been compared with the British oak, and
stood the test; and in sailing, nothing has equalled the fleet-
ness of some of our sharp vessels. The preservation and culti-
vation of these necessary articles in ship-building is a matter of
serious consideration. It might not be amiss to suggest to the
Congress of the United States to prohibit the exportation o

them. ‘The pine forests appear almost inexhaustible, and the

will be so in all probability for many generations to come; bur
the stately cedars of Mobile and the lofty forests of Georgia,
where the live-oak is of a sturdy growth, begin to disappear
before the axe of the woodsman. The locust, a native of Vir-
ginia and Maryland, is in such demand for foreign and domestic
consumption that it is called for before it can attain its full
growth. It has been cultivated as far eastward as Rhode
Island, but begins to depreciate in quality in that State. Inseets
attack it there, which are not so plentifully found in this State,
nor its native situations. These give the timber a worm-eaten
appearance and render it less useful. The locust has been ex-
tensively cultivated in the southern parts of the State of New
York, but the call for it has been so great that few trees have
attained any size before they were wanted for use. Hence they
are in great demand, and of ready sale, and no ground can be
appropriated for any kind of timber with so much advantage
as locust. Beside its application to ship-building, it is exten-
sively used for fencing; and for posts, no timber will last longer,
in or out of the ground. On Long Island, where wood is
scarce and fencing timber in great demand, the locust becomes
of much local importance from this circumstance alone, inde-

223

pendent of its great consumption in this city among ship-
builders. In naval structures it is not exclusively applied to the
_ interior or frame. In many places where strength is wanting,
locust timber will bear a strain which would break oak of the
same size, Thus an oak tiller has been known to break near
the head of the rudder in a gale of wind, which has never hap-
pened with a locust one. Tillers for large sea vessels are now
uniformly made of locust in New York. It is the best timber
also for pins or tree-nails, (commonly called trunnels,) and pre-
ferable to the best of oak. The tree generally grows straight,
with few or no large limbs, and the fibres of the wood are
straight and parallel, which makes it split well for making tree-
nails, with little or no loss of substance. These are made in
considerable quantities for exportation.

“The locust tree does not bear transplanting well in this part
of our country, but this in all probability arises from the custom
of cuttimg off the roots when taken up for that purpose. Most
of the roots of the locust are long, cylindrical and run horizon-
tally not far under the surface. In transplanting, so few of the
roots are left to the body of the tree removed that little or no
support is given to the top, and it consequently dies. If care
was taken not to destroy so much of the roots a much larger
proportion of those transplanted would live and thrive. So
great has been the difficulty in raising the locust in this way
that another method of propagating it has been generally re-
sorted to. Whenever a large tree was cut down for use, the
ground for some distance around was plowed, by which ope-
ration the roots near the surface were broken and forced up.
From these roots suckers would shoot up, and the ground soon
become covered with a grove of young trees. These, if pro-
tected from cattle by being fenced in, would grow most rapidly,
and the roots continuing to extend, new shoots would arise,
and in the course of a few years a thrifty young forest of locust
trees be produced. The leaves of the locust are,so agreeable to
horses and cattle that the young trees must be protected from
their approach. When growing in groves they shoot up straight
and slender, as if striving to out-top each other, to receive the
most benefit from the rays of a genial sun.

“ Another difficulty has arisen in propagating the locust from
inability to raise it from the seed. The seed does not always

224

come to perfection in this part of the State of New York, and
if it does, it will not sprout, unless prepared before planting.
The method best adapted to this purpose was proposed by Dr.
Samuel Bard; but it is not generally known, or if known, is not
usually attended to. When this shall be well understood and
practiced, the locust will be easily propagated, and then, instead —
of raising groves of them, the waste ground along fences and
places where the Lombardy poplar eneumbers the earth will
be selected to transplant them, as by having them separated
and single there will be an economy in using the soil, the trees
will grow much better, and the timber be stronger.

On account of its rapidity of growth and its use in making
cross-ties on railroads, | would suggest that it be planted along
railroad embankments for this purpose.

ROSE ACACIA, (Robinia hispida; also, Va. rosea.) Moun-
tains of Georgia and North Carolina. Chapman.

Wilson speaks of it as a “remarkably beautiful shrub.” Its
shoots of each year, or newest and freshest twigs, carry the
flowers; so that its old wood may be annually pruned away to
any extent which the taste of the cultivator or the situation of
the plants may require. The flowers are large, odorless, and of
a beautiful rose color. See, also, nearly all the English and
Scotch authorities.

“Dr, Bard’s method of preparing the seeds was to pour boil-
ing water on them, and let it stand and cool. The hard, outer
coat would thus be softened, and if the seed swelled by this
operation, it might be planted, and would soon come up.”

CLAMMY LOCUST, (Robinia viscosa, Vent.) Grows among
the mountains of S. and N. C., and in Georgia. Fl. May.

Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. vi, 101. The young branches
afford an abundant, glossy exudation, secreted by little super-
ficial glands, which is dissolved by ether; Vauquelin considers
it a peculiar product: An. de Chim. xxvii, 223. Chevalier,
however, doubts it: Dict. des Drogues, iii, 15.

JAPAN CLOVER; WILD CLOVER, (Lespedeza striata,
Hooker and Arnott.) Introduced; Miss. to N. C.

This plant has recently (1868) attracted great attention as a
new forage plant, springing up everywhere and attracting uni-
versal inquiry from farmers and planters in every portion of the
Southern country. I have received letters from a number of

=. FF

225

persons asking for information concerning it, as it seemed to

take the place of other plants, and was greedily eaten by horses,
cattle and hogs. It causes slight salivation in the former. It
grows abundantly on waste lands, under pine saplings, and
drives out joint, nut and Bermuda grasses. It is a mistake to
suppose, however, that it is of recent introduction, as my
friend, Mr. H. W. Ravenel, of Aiken, S. C., had noticed it in St.
John’s Berkeley, S. C., many years since, and I had sent him

_ specimens from Fairfield District, S. C., fifteen years ago. Mr.

~ ee

R. having ascertained that it was a Lespedeza has recently

_ obtained the specific name from Prof. Gray, and the former, in

an article written in the Aiken Press, first proposed the name
Japan Clover for it, as it is a native of that distant country.
Dr. Jno. Bachman has also made it the subject of a communica-
tion in the Charleston Courier.

It covers the earth as with a carpet of green; it is highly
nourishing and has proved a great acquisition to our people.
The seed is not winged, and it must be rapidly propagated

through the instrumentality of animals. See, also, Dr. L. E.
_ Berckman’s paper before the Agricult. Club of Augusta, Ga.,
1866. I introduce the following slip as a specimen of numerous
_ notices concerning the plant. It is from the Laurensville (S. C.)

Herald:

“ Wild Clover.—A new grass, which is generally called in this
section by the name of Wild Clover, is springing up luxuriantly
all over this district, and, we see from our exchanges, all over
the Southern States. It grows almost everywhere, and seems
to take hold even on the washed and galled parts of land, as if
it would redeem both the looks and fertility of the country.
It appears to be a dwarf clover, is very thick set, and covers
the earth with a beautiful carpet of green. We have heard
that a single root sends out as many as six hundred branches.
It is much relished by cattle, and is said to be exterminating
the Bermuda, Joint, Sedge, and all other grasses. We see that

itis attracting much attention in Middle Georgia.”

A friend in Orangeburg writes: “The plant grows best on a
rich clay soil, but does well on sandy lands—and even in the

_ shade, up to the roots of trees, but is not seen on lands worked

‘within a year or two. It sometimes grows to two feet high.

The St. Matthew’s planters (where it abounds) speak of it as a
15

226

blessing, a8 fodder has been scarce, and it puts out very early,
and cattle and horses are fond of it; although, like Clover, it
salivates them at first. I have a lawn with a number of mules
and cattle feeding on it; but like rye they do not appear to
destroy it.”

Mr. Ravenel has published an article on this plant in “The
Land we Love,” 1868, January and February. I have exam-
ined the roots, which are long and fibrous, and which penetrate
and flourish even in sandy roads and in yards. ‘The seed should
be gathered for sale.

DOLLAR-PLANT, (Rhyncosia tomentosa?) Diffused in dry
pine lands.

This plant, receiving its name probably from the shape of
the leaf, is reputed, in the neighborhood of Aiken, 8. C., and
elsewhere, to be a valuable agent in arresting troublesome
diarrhoea. A tea is given several times a day. Several cases
have come to my knowledge where it was successfully em-
ployed—no doubt on account of the tannin contained in it, as
is evident from the taste.

TARE, (Vicia sativa, Linn. Walter.) Grows abundantly
around Charleston. N.C. Fl. June.

In England, a decoction of the seeds in water is used as a
sudorific in small-pox and measles. The seeds are a good food
for pigeons. Fl. Scotica, 396; Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Med.
vi, 892.

GARDEN BEAN, (Vicia faba.) Cultivated.

Pisum sativum. Pea.

Great use is made of the varieties of the pea on our planta-
tions in South Carolina, as articles of food for men and animals.
The species called the cow-pea is most in use. I have been
unable to find any accurate botanical description of this very
valuable plant. It seems, however, from my examination, to
be included under the genus Vicia.

A soup made of the cow-pea, which is a very common dish
at the South, is much used by nursing women to increase the
amount of milk, as it is believed to be endowed with some
special virtues as a galactagogue. It failed completely in a
case where I had it used most assiduously. See, also, castor
oil plant.

227

David Dickson, one of the most successful planters in Georgia,
in his letters, republished in So. Cultivator for January, 1869,
says that the chief thing added to the soil by a clover crop, are
carbon and ammonia. “In the South the cow-pea will answer
the same end, if sown early, manured with two hundred pounds

of Peruvian Guano, and turned under from the 1st of July to

1

the Ist of August; then at the same time seeded again with
peas, using one hundred pounds guano. Feed off with hogs and
beef cattle, which will generally pay for all expenses, and leave
the land twenty dollars better. * * All acknowledge the
importance of turning under green crops. The only thing lost
by their drying is theirammonia.” “The farmers of the North-
ern States are improving their lands almost entirely by in-
creasing their supplies of ammonia, growing hay, clover, oats
and rye, and keeping stock to eat these crops annually ; not
gaining, but losing phosphates and gaining nitrogen—making
the land rich, and the land making the owner rich. Ammonia
is the foundation of English agriculture. Ammonia from the
atmosphere, ammonia from Peruvian Guano, ammonia from the
turnip, hay and clover, etc., returning merely the bone earth to
the soil, which has been extracted by ammonia, which last is
constantly increasing in its relative amount.”

Amphicarpa monoica. Grows in rich lands. Fl. July.

Ell. Bot. Med. Notes, ii, 322. The subterranean pod is culti-
vated as a vegetable.

GROUNDNUT; PINDAR; PEANUT; GOOBERNUT,
(Arachis hypogea,) Brought by the negroes from Africa. FI.

May.

Mér. and de L. Dict, de M. Méd.; Supplém. 53, 1846. The
fruit preserves its germinative powers for forty years. Boudich

_ Excurs. 392. Large quantities are exported from Senegal on

account of the oil which is expressed from them, and which is

much valued. Ermandel “on the cultivation of the groundnut,

d

and its employment as a substitute for coffee,” Journal de la

- Littér. Btrang. ix, 169; Du Buc, Mem. on the use of A. hypog.,

and an examination of its oil, (in French ;) see Journal de
_ Pharm. viii, 231; Rivoli, Lettre sur |’Arachis hypogsea, Milan,
_ 1807; Donmen, Notice sur l’Arachis, Montpellier, 1838. Ac-
_ cording to the analysis of Pagen and Henry, it is very difficult
_ for the oil to become rancid. ‘Journal de Chim. Méd. i, 435;

228

Ann. de Hist. Nat. iv, 206; Gurnin, Mém. sur l’Arachis, Bib-
lioth. Physice Heon. i, 145; Tessier, Mém. sur l’Arachis, Avig-
non. The seeds, parched and ground, can with difficulty be
distinguished from coffee, as I have myself experienced. In
some portions of South Carolina it is employed as a substitute.
The okra (Hibiscus esculentus) serves the same purpose.

In a letter from Mr. W. G. Simms, dated Woodlands, 1863,
he writes as follows: .

“ You speak of the groundnut as a substitute for coffee. But —
as coffee it is a very inferior thing to its use as chocolate. ‘The
manufacture of chocolate cakes out of the groundnut alone and
without a particle of cocoa, is an immense and most profitable
part of Northern manufacture. We make it in my family of a
quality not inferior to any you buy. To prepare it for the table
it is beaten in a mortar. At the North, I have been told that
the hulls are ground up with the nut, and I do not doubt that
this is an improvement as qualifying the exceeding richness of
the nut, which I have usually found too rich prepared as choco-
late in our way.”

The groundnut and bené make rich and nutritious soup, and
act as substitutes for meat. They are often parched, and beaten
up with sugar, and served as a condiment or dessert. The
groundnut is cultivated to some extent in the Southern States,
and great, use is made of it on the plantations as an article of
food, and for various domestic purposes; it is exported with
profit, but troublesome to prepare. I am not aware of any use
being made in the Carolinas of the oil which it affords on ex-
pression. The authorities cited above will afford much valuable
information.

The above was published in my report on Med. Botany of S.,
1849. Since the war itis largely employed. The superintend-
ent of the Rockfish Factory in North Carolina, writes that he |
has “used the peanut oil by the side of the sperm, and that
it works fully as well.”

The N.C. Advertiser publishes the following: “The vine,
when the pea is removed, makes an excellent forage for cattle,
said to be equal to the best Northern hay. From the nut is
expressed a valuable oil. During the war this oil was exten-
sively used in our machine shops, and its lubricatory properties
are pronounced by competent authority to be superior to those

229

of whale oil, for the reason that it does not gum atall. One
quality of the oil is extensively employed in the composi-
tion of medicines; another is used for burning purposes, and
possesses the virtue of not smoking, while a third makes a
really excellent salad condiment. Such, and so varied and
important, are the uses to which this simple product can be
-deyoted—uses which the uninformed, who have, perhaps, re-
garded it only in the light of an indigestible bulb, would never
suspect to proceed from its cultivation.”

The oil was expressed by screw pressure by parties near
Manning, S.C. Mr. Dyson obtained three quarts of oil from
a bushel of the nuts.

Dr. Wood states that it is a non-drying oil and will not do
for painting, but is used for various purposes in the arts, for
lubricating machinery and in the manufacture of woollen Cloth;
and would serve, adds Dr. Wood, for burning in lamps, giving
even a better light than sperm oil. Am. J. Pharm., July, 1860.
U.S. Disp., 12th Ed.

SWEET LOCUST; HONEY LOCUST, (Gleditschia triatan-
thus, L.) Diffused. As far west as Mississippi; I have seen it
in the lower and upper districts of South Carolina; N. C.

Beer is sometimes made by fermenting the sweet pods while
fresh. The pores of the wood are very open. When perfectly
seasoned, the wood is extremely hard. It is far inferior to the
black walnut or wild cherry for cabinet-making. Hedges of it
are rendered impenetrable by its long thorns. Michaux, in
Farmer’s Encye. Mills’ Statistics of S. C.

WILD SENNA, (Cassia Marylandica, L.) Grows along the
banks of rivers; vicinity of Charleston; N.C. FI. July.

Frost’s Elems. Mat. Med. 135; Griffith’s Med. Bot. 261. It is
said to be as safe and as certain in its operation as the imported
senna, but more apt to gripe ; this may be corrected by infusing
fennel seed or some other aromatic with the leaves. It is pre-
pared in large quantities by the Shakers, and is generally col-
lected after the seeds ripen; one ounce of the leaves is added
to one pint of hot water, of which the dose is one to three
ounces, repeated. I have specimens of the leaves of the offi-
cinal senna, which is cultivated successfully by Mr. W. Lucas,
of South Carolina, for use on his plantation. He says that it
does not appear to degenerate.

230

STYPTIC WEED; FLORIDA COFFEE, (Cassia occidentalis,
L. Cassia Caroliniana, Walt.) Common around old buildings ;
collected in St. John’s; vicinity of Charleston; N.C. It is be-
coming a pest to the farmer. FI. July.

Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. ii, 130; Maregrave, in his
Hist. of Brazil, mentions it as a remedy in the poison of ven-
omous animals and in strangury. In the Supplem. to Mérat, p.
150, 1846, properties are ascribed to it similar to those of the C.
hirsuta, which is diuretic, acting on the lymphatic system, and
employed in obstructions, debility, dropsy caused by derange-
ment of the digestive organs, and as a vermifuge also; forty
grains, parched like coffee, are used. It is useful as an applica-
tion, in the form of a decoction of the leaves, in itch, erysipela-
tous eruptions, irritation and inflammation of the rectum. The
negroes apply the leaves, smeared with grease, as a dressing for
sores. Griffith, Med. Bot. 262; Bouditch, Exper. 392; Cher-
noviz, Form. 222. Once thought to be very valuable as a sub-
stitute for coffee; roots said to be injurious to hogs.

GOLDEN CASSIA, (Cassia chamecrista, L.) Diffused in dry,
sandy soils; collected in St. John’s; vicinity of -Charleston ;
Newbern. Fl. July.

Trans. Am. Phil. Soc.; Shee. Flora Carol. 390; Mer. and de
L. Dict. de M. Méd. ii, 129. The leaves are said to be purga-
tive. It grows in abundance in South Carolina and elsewhere
and should be examined. It is employed in portions of the
country for the recovery of worn-out lands; those that are
sandy being particularly benefited by it. See Greenway’s ac-
count of its domestic uses. Op. ant. cit.

Cassia tora, L. Diffused in cultivated soils; vicinity of

Charleston. Fl. Sept.

Supplem. to Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. 1846, 150;
Ainslie’s Mat. Med. Ind. ii, 405. Used in India.

REDBUD; JUDAS TREE, (Cercis canadensis, L.) Swamps
vicinity of Charleston ; collected in St. John’s; N. C. Fl. March.

Shec. Flora Carol. 380. “The wood is of great value for
mechanical purposes, as it polishes exceedingly well, and is ad-
mirably veined with black and green.” Mills, in his Statistics
of S. C., states that the blossoms are used as a salad.

Pithecolobium unguis-cati, Benth. Inga unquis-cati, Willd. S.
Fla. Chap. Said to be a good remedy in urinary complaints

~—

231

and obstruction of the liver and spleen; a decoction of the
bark is very astringent. Macfadyen.

Schrankia angustata, T, and G.

SENSITIVE VINE, } Schrankia piled stat BIL. Sk.

Grows in pine lands; N. and S.C. Fl. July.

The leaves of this plant possess a remarkable degree of sen-
sibility or irritability, closing up immediately upon contact with
any surface. I have repeated upon this plant, and in a measure
verified the experiments with chloroform and sulphuric ether
upon the Mimosa sensitiva, made by Prof. Marcet, of Geneva, in
illustration of the relations existing between animal and vege-
table irritability.* After trying a number of substances, in-
cluding the tinctures of opium, capsicum and camphor, and the
solutions of tartar emetic, sulp. morphine, and hyd. potash,
without producing any impression, I ascertained that the two
anzesthetic agents alone, when placed on the main petiole of
the leawes, had, in about five minutes, their influence gradually
extended to those above, causing the leaflets to contract seriatim.
Though sensibility to impressions was impaired by each suc-
cessive attempt, yet it was never entirely lost. The result of
my observations differed from those of Prof. Marcet, but agreed
with De Candolle in his analogous experiments with nitric and
sulp. acids, in its not disclosing any impressions transmitted
downward, or at any rate beyond the junction of the branch
experimented on with the main limb of the plant. A drop of
the oil of aniseed placed on a leaf-stalf seemed to have the
effect of arresting the transit of any influence beyond it; hence,
we may be led to suspect that the impression is conveyed by
organs of sensation or of contractility or irritability, arranged
not far from the surface. In the examination I was assisted by
Dr. René Ravenel.

In sensitive plants, Mimosa, for example, the movements of
the leaves, says Mr. C. Mackensie, quoted by Wilson, have their
origin in certain enlargements situated at the articulation of
the leaflets with the petiole, and of the petiole with the stem.
If by a longitudinal section the lower half of this swelling be
removed, the petiole will remain depressed, having lost the
power of elevating itself. If the superior half be removed, the

*Read before the Soc. de Phys. et d’Hist Nat., Oct. 19th, 1840. See,
also, Sill. Journal, July, 1849.

232

petiole will remain constantly elevated, having lost the power
of depressing itself. These facts prove that the motions of the

petiole depend on the alternate turgescence of the upper and,

lower half of the enlargement, situated at the point of articula-
tion, and that contractility is not the principle of these mo-
tions. The irritation of a burning lens, for example, is felt
either above or below. This interior movement, M. Dutrochet
found, was transmitted equally well, even though a ring of bark
has been removed; that it is transmissible even though the
bark and pith be removed, so that nothing remains to commu-
nicate between the two parts of the skin except the woody
fibres and vessels; that it is transmissible even when the two
parts communicate merely by a shred of bark; and that it may
be transmitted even when the communication exists by the pith
only ; but that it is not transmissible when the communication
exists only by the cortical parenchyma. From these very in-
teresting experiments, it results that the interior movement
produced by irritation is propagated by the ligneous fibres and
the vessels. The propagation is more rapid in the petioles than
in the body of the stem, the rapidity having been computed.
Absence of light during a certain time completely destroys the
irritability of the plant. The return of the sun’s influence
readily restores the plant to its irritable state. “It appears,
therefore, that it is by the action of light that the vital proper-
ties of vegetables are supported as it is by the action of oxygen
that those of animals are preserved ; consequently, etiolation is
to the former what asphyxia is to the latter.” Rural Cye.

M. M. Bert and Blondeau have been experimenting on the
contractions of the Sensitive Plant, as I see by a paper sent me
by Prof. Gray, of Boston, (1868.)

M. Blondeau experimented on plants with the induced gal-
vanic current of a Ruhnkorff’s coil. He submitted three plants
to the influence of the electric current. The first was operated
on for five minutes; the plant when left to itself seemed pros-
trated, but after a while (a quarter of an hour) the leaves
opened and it seemed to recover itself. The second was acted
on for ten minutes. This specimen was prostrated for an hour,
after which it slowly recovered. The third specimen was gal-
vanized for twenty-five minutes, but it never recovered, and in
- twenty-four hours it had the appearance of a plant struck by

nee

233

lightning. A fourth plant was etherized, and then exposed to
the current. Strange to say the latter bad not any effect, the
leaves remained straight and open ; thus proving, says M. Blon-
- deau, that the mode of contraction of the leaves of the senitive
plant is in some way allied to the muscular contraction of ani-
mals.

CALYCANTHACA. (The Carolina Allspice Tribe.)

Flowers aromatic and fragrant.

SWEET SHRUB. (Calycanthus Floridus, Linn.) Specimens
from Aiken: I have observed it growing wild in Fairfield Dis-
trict,S. C. Fl. May.

One of the most aromatic and sweet scented of our indigenous
plants; cultivated on this account in gardens. Dr. Jno.
Douglass, of Chester District, 8. C., sends me a communication
rom his correspondent, Mr. McKeown, who says be has fre-
quentlyeused it with satisfaction, as an anti-spasmodie tonic, in
the cure of chronic agues. A strong decoction of the seed or
bark of the root is given. The wood is strongly camphorated,
especially the root, and Mr. Nuttall thinks will probably pro-
duce this drug as abundantly as the Laurus camphora. The
seeds seldom mature.

MYRTACEA. (The Myrtle Tribe.)

Hugenia, Micheli. Allspice family.

Several species of this genus are found in South Florida. See
Chapman’s Southern Flora. The oil from the berries should be
examined, as they are closely related to the clove bearing trees,
Caryophilus. The timber of most Hugenias is useful and good.
Like the myrtles, their bark abounds in tannin, their soft parts
contain a more volatile oil, and the fruit of some, though ren-
dered somewhat disagreeable by the aroma of the oil, are edible.
Wilson’s Rural Cyc.

SAXIFRAGACEA. (The Saxifrage Tribe.)

De Cand. considers the whole order as more or less astrin-
gent.
HEUCHERA.
Heuchera Villosa, Mx. -Heuchera caulescéns, Pursh. Moun-
tains of North Carolina and Tennessee. The roots are ex-

234

tremely astringent, and were used as styptics and in apthous
sore mouth. Rafinesque Med. Flor. Properties same as those
of HH. Americana.

ALUM-ROOT, (Heuchera Americana, L.) Grows in damp
soils; Richland; collected in St. John’s; Charleston District;
found also in Georgia ; Newbern.

Coxe’s Am. Disp. 112; Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 163; U.S. Disp.
390; Barton’s Collee.; Mich. Flora Boreal. Americana, i, 171.
“A powerful astringent.” The powder was employed by the
aborigines in wounds and cancerous ulcers. Bart. M. Bot. ii,
159; Mér and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. iii, 490. It is also admin-
istered as a substitute for Colocynth. It is used in decoction,
tincture or syrup, wherever an astringent is required—as in
diarrhcea, piles, menorrhagia, etc., ete. These plants may serve
the purposes of Rhatany, Kino and Catechu.

Hydrangea arborescens, L., Hydrangea vulgaris, Mx., Hydrangea
cordata, Ph. Florida to Mississippi and northward.

Dr. 8. W. Butler, of Burlington, New Jersey, introduced this
plant into notice through the New Jersey Medical Report. He
states that his father whilst on a mission to the Cherokees,
learned of them the merits of this plant in the treatment of
graveland stone, and has himself employed it for many years in
an extensive practice amonga people peculiarly subject to those
complaints. He considers it a most valuable medicine, possessed,
perbaps, of specific properties. Dr. Parrish, in his Practical
Pharm. in noticing the above, has modified Dr. B.’s formula for
its preparation thus: Hydrangea, sixteen ounces; water, six
pints or sufficient, boil the root in successive portions, mix them
and evaporate to halfa pint; mix this with two pints of honey
and evaporate to two pints. In the summer season push the
evaporation somewhat further and add a half a pint of brandy.
The dose of this fluid extract is a teaspoonful twice or three
times a day. Dr. P. says he has prepared it for several years
and has dispensed if under the direction of several practitioners
to numerous patients, and with general satisfactory results, in
irritable conditions of the urethra, though its value as a specific
remedy requires confirmation. Op. cit. 205.

In the 12th Ed. U.S. Disp. an analysis by Mr. Laidley, of
Richmond, Va., is referred to, (Am. J. Pharm. xxiv, 20.) Drs.

400

Atlee, Horsley and Monkun, are also said to have confirmed
the opinion of its utility ‘in sabulous or gravelly deposits.” N.
J. Med. Report, September, 1854, October, 1854, and March,
1855. In overdose it occasions vertigo and oppression of the
chest. U.S. Disp.

BURSERACE®. (The Torchwood Tribe.)

*

TORCHWOOD, (Amyris Floridana, Nutt.) South Florida.
Chapman.

Nearly all the species afford fine materials in both their resin
and their wood for fragrant incense and delightful pastiles.
Wilson’s Rural Cyc. Our species should be examined. A South
American species yields a gum which makes one of the best of
known varnishes. Frankincense is said to be got from the
Pinus teda. The Bursera gummifera, Jacq. of Florida, also
yields a balsam called Chibou resin.

ANACARDIACEM. (The Cashew Tribe.)

Trees abounding in a resinous, sometimes acrid, highly
poisonous juice, are the ordinary representatives of this order.

POISON OAK, (Rhus toxicodendron, T. & Gray ; Rhus radi-
cans of authors.) Diffused; common in pine lands; vicinity of
Charleston ; Newbern. Fl. July.

Trous. et. Pid. Mat. Méd. i, 524; Bell’s Pract. Dict. 453;
Eberle, Mat. Med. ii, 116; Pe. Mat. Med, ii, 603; Ed. and Vay.
Mat. Méd. 345 ; U.S. Disp. 718; Ball. and Gar. Mat. Med. 241;
Royle, Mat. Med. 341; Bergii, Mat. Med. i, 248; Mér. and de L.
Dict. de M. Med. vi, 78; Orfila, Toxicologie Gén.i, 45; Ann. de
Chim. xxxv, 186; An. Journal de Méd. Ixxx, 136; Eberle, Mat.
Med. ii, 117; Hill. Bot. 363; Alibert, Eléms. de Thérap. i, 452 ;
Big. Am. Med. Bot. iii, 20; Du Fresnoi, quoted in Ann. of Med.
v, 182, and 483; Med. and Phys. Journal, i, 308; vii, 273; and
x, 486; Duncan’s Disp. 294; Bu'l. Plantes Vén. de France, 146.

It produces in those who come into its vicinity an erysipela-
tous inflammation. It is stimulant and narcotic, employed in
paralysis and herpes ; of the former disease, seventeen cases are
reported by one physician to have been successfully treated with
it. The juice which exudes on plucking the stem makes a good
indelible ink. It is dissolved by ether. Bigelow thinks it is
composed of a resin and an essential oil. Purging with neutral

236

salts, the use of opium, blood-letting and cold applications of
acetate of lead are employed in case of poisoning from these
plants. The bruised leaves of the Collinsonia canadensis (which
grows in the Southern States) are also employed for the erup-
tions caused by the emanations from the poisonous sumachs,
and the Verbena urticifolia, growing in the South, is likewise
considered an antidote. Dr. A. Livezey, of Penn., as quoted.by
Dr. Wood, strongly recommends a saturated tincture of lobelia
as a local application in this affection, He applies it by means
of linen cloths, (Boston Med. and Surg. Journal iv, 262.) Dr.
Proctor uses an alkaline solution applied immediately after ex-
posure with excellent effect, and he finds that Monsel’s solution,
introduced by a pointed instrument into the vesicle, renders it
abortive. (Am. J. Pharm. 1863, Nov.) U. 8. Disp., 12th Ed.
Horsefield, in his Diss., states that he administered the infusion
in consumptive and anasarcous patients. Du Fresnoi reports
‘ases of herpetic eruption cured by preparations of this plant ;
also “four cases of palsy. Dr. Alderson, of Hull, has given it
with good effect in doses of one-half to one grain, three times a
day, in paralysis. Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. Supplem.
1846, 627. Dr. Baudeloecque employs it with success in the
chronic ophthalmia of scrofulous infants, a collyrium being made
of the alcoholic tincture. Four drachms in two ounces of water
is used, afterward augmenting the dose. Rev. Méd, Nov, 1836;
A. Howroarth’s Hist. R. Toxicod. in Essai Méd. du Docteur Al-
derson, Lond. 1793; Fontana, Traité de la vipére, ii, 169; Ali-
bert, M. Méd. i, 450. Some have inoculated themselves with it
without injury. Biblioth. Méd. xxvi, 395. “On cite un cas
mortel par suite d’attouchement des parties sexuelles aprés
avoir manié des rameaux de ce végétal: Mér. loc. cit. See
Annal. in Journal de Chim. In employing it for ring-worm Du
Fresnoi increased the dose of the extract till it amounted to
eight grains a day. “Novel effects concerning a dangerous
American plant,” by Gleditch, (in French;) see Journal de
Physic, 1782; Du Fresnoi, in Actes de la Soc. de Med. de Brux-
elles, i, 186; Wursur, sur le R. Toxicod.; Actes de La Soe. Keon.
de Florence, iii, 138 ; and observations by Wilhmet on the effects
of this plant, in Journal de Méd. de Courv. i, 209; Employ. R.
Tox. in Thesis, at Montpellier; Ann. de Clinique, vi, 343.
Heinning’s case of paralysis, cured by R. rad. in Bull, des Se.

I a

=

a

237

Méd. de Férus, iv, 262. It is employed in maladies arising from
general debility, and defective innervation. A French writer
testifies to the efficacy of this plant in homeopathic doses, in all
- cutaneous diseases. Dr. Alderson prefers the infusion of the
_ recent leaves; Van Mons the extract of the dried leaves. By
analysis, it contains a very combustible ‘“hydrocarbonate,”
tannin, gallic acid, resin, gummy substance, fecula, etc. Grif-
fith’s Med. Bot. 185; and Stephenson and Churchill, iii, 167 ;
Bull. des Sc. Méd. vi, 98; Bull de la Facult. v. 439. An acrimo-
nious vapor, combined with carburetted hydrogen, exhales from
a growing plant of the poison oak sumach during the night, can
be collected in a jar, and is capable of inflaming and blistering
the skin of persons of excitable constitution who plunge their
arms intoit. The yellow, milky juice turns dark, and forms
one of the best indelible inks for marking linen, and is used by
the Japanese as a varnish, Rural Cyc. See varnish sumach,
(R. veFnizx.)

SMOOTH SUMACH, (Rhus glabra, Linn.) Grows in the
upper districts; found near Columbia, and Augusta, Ga., in wet
soils. N.C. Fl. May.

“Tf the bark of the root is boiled in equal parts of milk and
water, forming, with flour, a cataplasm, it will cure burns with-
out leaving a scar.” ‘The excrescences have been preferred, as
an astringent, to tannin or gallic acid. Dr. Walters employed
and substituted them for galls; their sourness is supposed to be
owing to malic acid, which is contained in the pubescence.
According to Dr. Cozzens, also, of New York, they are astrin-
gent and refrigerant, furnishing with water a cooling drink,
useful in inflammation and ulceration of the throat. The
excrescences on the leaves of the &. glabra, which I have
gathered (1862) on Tiger Creek, Spartanburg District, are as
large as persimmons—resemble fruit in appearance—are power-
fully astringent, and contain moving bodies resembling seeds
attached to the inner walls, surrounded by a white, cottony sub-
stance, probably_embryo animals. These glandular excres-
cences are showy. I would recommend them as a perfect sub-
stitute for tannin. I have dried and powdered them. They
are a pure astringent. From the experiments of Dr. Stenhouse,
(U.S. Disp., 12th Ed.,) it appears that the tannic acid of sumach
is identical with that of galls; malic acid and binoxalate of lime

238

coexist in the berries, (W. J. Watson,) and Prof. Rogers sug-
gests the procuring of malic acid from this source. Dr. Fahne-
stock states that an infusion of the inner bark of the root is
employed as a gargle, and is considered almost as a specific in
the sore throat attending mercurial salivation. An infusion of
the leaves sweetened with honey is serviceable, applied in the
same way, and for cleansing the mouth in putrid fevers. The
bark is considered a febrifuge. Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 166; U.
S. Disp. 598; Am. Journal Med. Sci. 561; Mér. and de L. Dict.
de M. Méd. vi, 77, where its employment as a gargle is alluded
to; Rey. Médicale, i, 1830, 307; Griffith, Med. Bot. 106. The
decoction of the root is used by the Indian doctors in the treat-
ment of gonorrhea and gleet, and as a wash in ulcers. In
other words, it is an astringent. The bark of this, the &. copal,
and the R. typhinum, and of the European species, acts as a
mordant for red colors, and much use is made of it in the tan-
ning of morocco leather. A vinegar may be prepared from the
berries of this species.

I introduce the replies of several correspondents of the
Charleston Courier (1862) to inquiries concerning the sumach.

Dr. Abner Lewis Hammond writes:

“The Rhus Glabra I consider identical with that so exten-
sively grown for export and manufacturing purposes in Sicily.
The difference, as seen in the size of the leaves, tree, etc., is at-
tributable, no doubt, only to a difference in locality, soil and
cultivation, and to no other. I have seen it flourishing alike on
the mountain slopes and in the valleys of Virginia; on the rich
table lands and bottoms of Kentucky, Tennessee and Illinois;
onthe flinty ridges and barren mineral lands of Missouri. Under
cultivation it suckers freely. Looking at its value and impor:
tance as a manufacturing agent or material, and its easy pro-
duction, I have long wondered at its total neglect, and feel no
hesitancy in saying that with the same care given to its culti-

vation by our people as by the Sicilians, it could be as suc- .

cessfully and profitably raised in the one as the other country,
and should, under existing circumstances, be neglected no
longer. Hundreds and thousands of bags, at heavy: expense,
are annually imported into. the United States for tanning and
other purposes, yielding to the growers (after expense) a remu-
nerating profit. The berries, the bark of the tree and roots,

ee a oT

239

have for years furnished the country people here and in the
West a most substantial dyestuff, (a brilliant black,) while its
prepared leaves (ground) have been as steadily used (to the
full extent of the available quantity) in the preparation of mo-
rocco.”

A correspondent from South Carolina says:

“ Your article and a subsequent communication lead me to
believe there is more importance in the sumach than I ever at-
tached to it. I have gathered bushels of the berry on the
mountains in this State for the purpose of having the wool dyed
black for the woof of our home-made jeans. I will try its use
in shoemakers’ wax (as recommended.) There can be any
quantity gathered in this section.

“Should any one wish to try dyeing wool, they will find it
one of the handsomest black dyes known to me.”

Dr. Wm. Jeuson, of Charleston, writes :

“Sumach—Rhus Glabra—figured also as Rhus Virginicum,
better known as smooth sumach, and variously called Pennsyl-
vania sumach, upland sumach, is a native of most parts of the
continent of North America. Grows in dry, uncultivated places,
flowering early in July, and succeeded by dense clusters of
crimson berries, which, when mature, (about early autumn,) are
covered with a whitish and very acid efflorescence (often used
to make vinegar in country localities.) The bark and leaves are
astringent, and said to be used in tanning leather and in dyeing.
Excrescencies are produced under the leaves resembling galls in
character. These have been used by Dr. Walters, of New York,
who thought them in every respect preferable to imported
galls. The only officinal part is the berries, which are used as
a refrigerant and febrifuge, though Dr. Fahnestock speaks
highly of an infusion made from the inner rind or bark of the
root, for a wash and gargle in the sore mouth attending inor-
dinate mercurial salivation. The writer’s own experience has
been to use the berries in impure water, or when that was not
to be obtained, to put them into the mouth to allay the thirst
attendant upon riding through the hot, unsheltered and fre-
quently waterless prairies of the far West. He also knows that
a syrup made with the berries is successfully used in the fall
fluxes, while a drink made with them is a favorite remedy in
many localities in febrile attacks. In the sickly year of 1853

240

the writer used them (the berries) constantly, although fre-
quently changing his atmosphere from the free, open prairie
to the confined pestilential air of a city with yellow fever
ravaging it, and without experiencing the slightest indispo-
sition.”

James Peckham, of Columbia, South Carolina, adds:

“I have often wondered that no one here has engaged in its
cultivation, or rather in gathering and preparing it for market,
as it grows all over the country.”

The following was communicated by Mr. C. H. Woodin, of
Charleston:

“T notice in the Courier an inquiry in regard to the use of
the sumach, which grows so abundantly in the lower portions
of our State. Your correspondent informs us that it is very
beneficial in making shoewax, consequently it was called shoe-
mach. But the sumach is not only used for making wax, but it
is extensively used in the New England and Northern States
for tanning purposes.

“The sumach leaf is invaluable in tanning fine hog skins and
skirting, and it is shipped in great quantities from South
America to all the principal tanneries in the North.

“The process is this: It is well known to every tanner that
the most important thing in making good leather is to have it
properly colored, and that it is not crisped or parched on the
grain in the ‘ handlers.’ ”’

The shoemac leaf is put into a vat which is intended fora
“handler,” and then the vat is filled with clean, fresh water,
and when it has stood until the strength is entirely out of the
leaf, the skin or stock is taken from the “daif,’ rinsed in the
“pool,” and then placed in the “handler.” The stock is then
turned or handled as in other processes, until the grain is
properly colored. It is then taken through the regular pro-
cess of tanning, and when it is scoured it is perfeetly white.
The stock should be tanned with white oak, or some other kind
of mild bark. “The advantage of the sumach is this: That
the stock comes out fair and good, while in other processes the
grain has to be made white by acids, which injures the stock
very much. Tanners intending to make fair leather would do
well to make a note of this information.”

See “Sweet Gum ” (Liguidambar) for my examination of this,
the sumach and other leaves, as substitutes for oak bark.

241

Sumach berries in layers with wool and boiled will dye
black without copperas. Vinegar and rusty iron will often fix
colors without the aid of copperas. Sumac berries ground up
are used for flavoring tobacco. The powdered leaves are some-
times mixed with tobacco to diminish the strength. The writer
has often used them in this way. In Danville, Va., the peach
leaf is often employed also to flavor tobacco.

POISON SUMACH; SWAMP SUMACH; POISON EL-
DER, (Rhus verniz, L., Ell. Sk., Rhus venenata, D.C.) Grows
in the upper districts and in Georgia; collected in St. John’s;
vicinity of Charleston. Fl. June.

Mér. and de L. Dict.de M. Méd. vi, 82; Lindley, Phil. Trans.
‘vi, Abridg. 507; Sherard, do. 508; Kalm’s Travels, i, 77 ; Mar-
shall’s Abstract, 130; Cutler, Am. Acad. 427; Big. Am. Med.
Bot. i, 86; Bart. Coll. 24; Thatcher’s Disp. 321; see Big. R.
vernix, Nouv. Journal de Méd. xv, 43; U. S. Disp. 718. This
also giges out a poisonous exhalation; some are even affected
by the atmosphere around it. It is thought to be identical with
_ one in Japan, which furnishes a fine varnish much used in that

country. Dr. Bigelow ascertained that the juice, which flows in
. large quantities from our tree when wounded in the spring,
affords a brilliant, glossy, black varnish. Mér. and de L. Dict.
de M. Méd. Supplém. 1846, 628. See Thunberg’s Voyage, vi, 15,
for a notice of the oil extracted from the seeds. Lind. Nat.
Syst. 168; Linn. Veg. M. Med. 56. It is styptic and astringent
and the resin is used as an ointment in piles. Bigelow, in his
examination of the juice referred to above, believes that it
consists of a resin and an essential oil. He first boiled it till
the volatile oil had escaped; the remainder being reduced
almost to the state of a resin, was applied warm as a varnish.
Dr. Pierson reports an interesting case of poisoning from this

plant ; and it is said that some individuals have been injuriously
affected by the fumes from the wood of this and the Rhus radi-
cans, accidentally burnt on the fire. A swarm of bees was
poisoned by alighting on one of these trees. New York
Medical Repos. i

WING-RIB MOUNTAIN SUMACH; COMMON SUMACH,
(Rhus copallina, Linn. Walt.) Diffused. Vicinity of Charleston ;
Florida and Mississippi and northward ; collected in St. John’s ;
ers Fl. July.

-

242

Ell. Bot. 302; Hd. and Vav. Mat. Méd. 136. A wash is ap-
plied to ring-worms. The root is used by the Chippeway In-
dians as an anti-venereal. The excrescences on the leaves are
powdered and made into an ointment as an application to
hemorrhoids. Griffith, Med. Bot. It does not afford copal.
The leaves were mixed with tobacco and used by the Indians
for smoking. The sumach is said to form an ingredient in the
manufacture of “ Killickinick” tobacco; since the war the
leaves dried have been much used by soldiers in camp to render
tobacco milder and increase its bulk. The berries are quite
sour, and afford, with water, a cooling drink.

Wilson asserts in the Rural Cyc. that the R. copallina does
contain copal. “The resin from this shrub exists in smooth
brittle, translucent, roundish, small masses; has litttle taste and
scarcely any odor; is fusible by heat, inflammable by ignition
insoluble in water, very sparingly soluble in alcohol, and fully
soluble in sulphuric ether and some essential oils. It is the
characteristic ingredient of the well known copal varnish, an
article requiring operose and careful manufacture, but dis-
tinguished for the brilliancy, durability, hardness and resistance
of its exquisite polish.” Consult “ Liguidambar” for detail of
experiments. By my experiments the leaves of the Rhus contain
more tannin than either the sweet gum, myrtle, or any of the
fifteen or twenty that I examined by reagents. Iam also con-
vinced that the excrescences abundant on the Rhus glabra (or
smooth sumach) would furnish an excellent material for the
supply of tannin. Upon drying and examining them, I find the
tannin in a highly concentrated state. They would be suitably
used wherever an astringent is required in medicine, and should
be added with the leaves to the tan-vat. See article “ Quercus
tinctoria’’ in this volume, for trees furnishing tannin and gallic
acid.

DWARF SUMACH, (Rhus pumila, Mich. Ph.) Upper dis-
tricts; Newbern. Fl. August.

U.S. Disp. 719; Mx. Flora Americana. According to Pursh,
it is the most poisonous of the species.

STAGHORN SUMACH, (Rhus typhiana, Walt. Flora Carol.)
S. and North Carolina. Fl. July.

Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. iv, 82; see Analysis, in
Journal de Chim. Med. iv, 511. Lassaigne says that this con-

243

tains malic acid. The incised bark yields resin. It is employed
in preparing morocco leather. See R. verniz, ete.

Rhus metopium, L. A tree fifteen to twenty feet high. South
Fla. Chap.

This, which is also a West India species, furnishes a gum
known as “Doctor’s gum,” which, in large doses is emeto-ca-
thartic, and is said in smaller ones to be a useful remedy in dis-
orders of the bowels and respiratory organs. A spoonful of the
fresh juice is mixed with two ounces of boiling water; the dose
is a teaspoonful given occasionally, (Jam. Phys. Jour.) Des-
courtilz, (Fl. Med. Antill., ii., 49,) states that the bark is an
excellent astringent. Griffith.

The Rhus aromatica grows in West Florida and Mississippi
and northward, is aromatic but not poisonous and should be
examined. Our R. cotinoides, Nutt., which Buckley found in
the interior of Alabama, may approximate in qualities to the
R. cotinus of Europe “which furnishes most of the sumach of
commerce,” and the wood of which is the basis of a bright
yellow dye.

Rhus coriaria. This species of sumach is Zexotic, and is the
principal plant cultivated in Sicily for export. I insert the
following, in case it shall be found expedient to “exploit” or
plant for tannin our wild sumachs which are found so abund-
antly in rank meadows throughout the South; particularly
abundant, I have observed, in the Dismal Swamp, Va. I think
it is sufficiently abundant there to supply almost any amount
for the purposes of the tanner or dyer.

“In the best sumach one hundred grains of the leaf should
give thirty to thirty-five grains of pure tannin. The proper
adaptation of the land can be ascertained by testing the leaves
with sulphuric ether. ‘Use as much sulphuric ether as will
dissolve the sumach, or pass it through the sumach till it runs
clear, then draw off the ether by heat, and the deposit will be
pure tannin.’ A rough test for tannin is prepared with a solu-
tion of sulphate of iron, or may depend upon its coagulation of
albumen.

“The sumach is thus cultivated near Palermo: The soil is
prepared as for potatoes, with furrows from two to two and a
half feet apart, in which in January or February are placed
the young suckers two and a half feet apart. In August of the

244

first year the leaves on the lower part of the branches are
drawn off with the thumb and finger, leaving a tuft on the top.
In October the whole head is taken off, or sometimes broken,
and left banging by the bark till dry. The second year, in
June, the branches are stripped of ripe leaves; and in August,
as soon as the whole plant is mature, it is cut with a sickle
down to six inches. It is then spread out and dried thoroughly
on each side till entirely cured. The June gathering is omitted
in many cases when the plants are not strong. After being
dried the branches are put upon a floor and threshed, when the
leaves will separate from the wood, which is of no value except
for fuel. The leaves are then ground between two millstones,
one of which is on edge, and revolving around a centre. We
visited a mill driven by steam-power, which threw out the pow-
dered sumach in large quantities. The air was filled with fine
particles of dust, which covered our clothing and entered the
lungs. It is not injurious, however, for although it seemed
suffocating, the workmen will sleep three or four hours success-
ively in it; and are always remarkably healthy. They were
particularly exempt from cholera. The leaves are readily re-
duced to powder while the stems are not. These last are then
separated by sifting, and the pure sumach is placed in bags of
one hundred and sixty-three pounds for shipment. Two thou-
sand pounds of ground sumach to an acre is considered a good
crop.”

This corroborates my own suggestion regarding the employ-
ment of leaves for the supply of tannin, See article Tannin
and Sweet Gum, (Liguidambar,) for my comparative experiments
npon the leaves of gum, myrtle, etc., for tannin. Both these
trees grow abundantly everywhere, and will easily supply a
large amount of tannin, to be used as I suggest—in place of
oak bark.

Most of the plants containing tannin will furnish a black dye,
with iron. “The basis of black dyes for all organic fibres is the
tannogallate of iron; but the modes of application vary with
the nature of the fabric, whether silk, wool, or cotton. The
finest blacks are obtained by a combination of colors; thus, a
rich black is imparted to wool by grounding it with a deep,
indigo blue, then passing it through logwood, galls, or sumach,
and finally through a bath of these, with copperas and verdi-

245

gris, or immediately through the latter.” Wilson’s Rural Cyc.
See, also, Ure’s Dict. of Arts, article “ Calico Dyeing.” Any of
our plants containing either tannin or coloring principles can
be used as dyes, with alum or iron; vinegar also adds to the
intensity of the color.

There is a paper by John M. Marston, on the cultivation of
the sumach in Sicily, in Patent Office Reports, 1851, p. 60. I

believe that the great abundance of sumach in Virginia, would

supply for a long time all we would require—besides, it grows
abundantly in our savannas, and among myrtles throughout
the country. Mr. Marston thinks that the superiority of the
Sicilian sumach lies in the mode of cultivating it—‘“all the
leaves are the production of the young sprouts that spring up
from the stump every year.’ The middle Southern States he
thinks adapted to its growth. “The export of sumach to the
United States last year was 65,000 bags.”

I quote as follows from the letter:

“Sumach is an article of commerce to the Sicilians of great
importance, as it is also with the Americans. And, it is my
opinion that this article, so valuable for manufacturing pur-
poses, for tanning, etc., can be produced in the United States in

sufficient quantity to supply the world, if the mode of its cul-
ture be understood, and proper attention be paid to it.

“T have no idea that it is the same kind that grows in the
United States, which there runs to the size of trees. In Sicily
they plant the roots or small plants from two to three feet
apart; rows about four, so that the plow or harrow can save
the hand labor of the hoe. They hoe it two or three times
before the rains finish in May, and gather it in July and August.
The leaves are the only parts made use of. After being sepa-
rated from the twigs by threshing, (or, in this country, both
ways—by threshing and treading off with oxen and horses,)
the leaves are then ground to the state of fineness in which
you see it in the United States, being passed through sieves or
bolting-cloths of sufficient fineness, and put into bags of one
hundred and sixty pounds each. The pruper season for plant-
ing the roots or plants is in November, December and January.
When the season is rainy, the plants take root better. The
root or stump is cut off from four to six inches above ground.
The scions or sprouts spring up four to six out of each root;

246

and when at maturity, which in this island is in July or August,
they are all cut off at the stumps, and laid in small handfuls to
dry, say for a day or two. Do not spread them out much, as
the sun will turn the leaves yellow, and great care must be
taken that no rain falls on them. Perhaps, in this country, it
may answer to plant nearer together than would be advisable
in America, on account of the greater heat of the sun here, and
thus shade the ground better. The leaves are ground in mills
mostly by horse-power; but water or steam-power would be
much cheaper and better. The perpendicular running stones
weigh nearly three thousand pounds; they run double or single
round an upright shaft. The nether or foundation stone is
heavier, and one-third greater in diameter than the running
stones. The grinding surface of these latter is slightly rough,
being occasionally touched with the pick or cold-chisel. Hard
granite stones answer; here they use a volcanic stone, which is
as hard as marble. There follows round the running stones a
little piece of wood that keeps the leaves always under the
stones. When ground fine enough, it is sifted or bolted in a
large, tight room, with a door to enter and fill the bags. In
Sicily the article is more or less adulterated with spurious stuff,
such as other kinds of leaves, and an article called bucca, which
resembles the juniper bush of New England ; this has no value
in itself. I believe the first year they do not cut off the sprouts.
In the second and following years, a curious freak of nature
produces a single plant a foot or so distant from the original
root; and this little plant it is which they usually make use of
to transplant. Now, the plow or harrow would prevent these
from growing, as they would be in the track, and this may be
the reason why they hoe it. Still, I think the plow or harrow
must be used in our country, and some way or other contrived
to save these little plants if wanted.”

The above was printed in the first edition of this volume.

It will be observed that I had called attention to the exploita-
tion of the sumach, as above, in the first edition of this work,
printed in 1863, and also to the great abundance of the plants.
I hope that my suggestions have been productive of good. It
is now become an extensive business throughout the State of
Virginia, giving employment to many persons, and in time I
hope that a large number of our population may derive profita-

247

ble employment from the same, and by cultivating or collecting
medicinal plants, when depots for their purchase in small quan-
tities shall be established in the large cities.

Dr. H. Baer, of Charleston, in a communication made to me
requesting a series of popular articles upon these subjects, 1868,
states: “I see that Virginia exports a large amount of sumach,
and by some of my last circulars from Liverpool, I see it quoted
- at 8s. per cwt.” The analysis was as follows:

RNC TIPLE A ceigels 21s = 2s <p cd sncvecna duces ciated dnieSsaveabase steoacs 83.10
EIB ea see satedany ove: sete akatwad ac ov celeste ive tbeuk oudlacsecanes 15.50
URINE eis do tiide hic od teers dod wilds do ebadddnedt Conwade'schblasuadcaideed ldew'te 1.40

The following letter, which I find in the Norfolk Journal,
will, no doubt, interest all dealers in sumach. It is from Alex.
S. Macrae, merchant of Liverpool, and is dated Sept., 1868:

“T have to-day received a sample of Philadelphia brand
American sumach—a very superior quality. Our first chemical
analysis make it :

ERS eK ae ccussnkdta Wav rddee Need eMue VRE UdRs sect eeeets Weece ges 20.80
MREMMINE PEACE. Uy, reich cece Sushi an cduaRiee ddsehle sed badels Se'se Reve ud ocean sleet 0.75
eee) UOT Os 205 dsc fake lie seads wists’ J e8ss sb Sdeataneccseectdivtes 78.45

100.00

“The best sumachs in this market average 16 a 20 per cent.
of tannin, and sell at £13 a £24 per ton. I, therefore, make the
value of the Philadelphia £16 per ton, at which price there
should be a handsome remuneration.

“Tf, as you say, sumach leaves are to be had in Virginia for
the gathering, what a trade has been neglected, which at once
may be developed.”

I see it stated that Fredericksburg has received one thousand
tons this season; and a merchant of Fauquier County paid out
last year $5,000 for sumach, a commodity which any person
seems licensed to gather free of charge by merely requesting
the privilege from landowners.

The Norfolk Virginian, (1868,) says of the “‘sumach trade:”

“This new item of interest to our industrial classes is now
attracting much attention in this State, throughout the entire
length and breadth of which it flourishes in profusion in a wild
state. The material is used largely for the essential principle of
tannin, which it contains, and factories for its extraction have

248

been established in this State and elsewhere. Our attention has
been particularly called to the establishment of Messrs. Chisman
and Crocker, in Hampton, who have gone into the business on a
large scale, and from whose circular we make the following
extracts, for the guidance of those who may wish to engage in
its collection : ‘Sumach must be of a good color, free from stems,
dirt and berries’ * * * * ‘It should be gathered from Ist
July until frost, after which it will turn red, and then it will
be worthless. It should be cured as much as possible under
shelter, or in the shade, to preserve its color and strength—
carefully threshed (and not cut) on a plank floor, or sheet, to
keep it free from dirt and sand. The sticks, stems and berries
should be carefully raked and picked out before sending to
market.”

They also give the following direction for gathering and cur-
ing the product :

“Gather as you would fodder of this year’s growth, except
the blossoms and berries; dry it under shelter; stir it as you
would hay; be careful it does not heat; do not dry it in the
sun—both will soil it; when dry put it in bulk. When dry,
windy days set in, then lay it in beds as you would wheat or
oats, thresh it with a flail, when the leaves and stems will break
up fine; take out the large stems and throw them away; all
the fine is called threshed sumach. Be careful not to have any
sand on the floor before threshing. There is no weight in the
large stems, being mostly pith and no strength; to bring them
to market-will only reduce the price of your sumach, and when
you gather the large stems you have to wait that much longer
for your sumach to cure. The strength of the sumach is in the
leaf and leaf stem.

“ With these instructions a large class of the population in
the surrounding country can spend their leisure time in light
but very remunerative employment, at no cost beyond the labor
of gathering.”

VITACEA, (Vine Tribe.)

Vitis bipinnata, T. and G. (Ampelopsis, Mx.) Margins of
swamps, Florida and northward ; abundant, bearing black ber-
ries in bunches.

Attracted by the sweetish taste and the purplish black hue

249

of the berries of this plant, which is closely related to the
grape, I succeeded (1862) in extracting a beautiful dark purple
by the following process : The berries were mashed in a mortar,
vinegar was added, with a small quantity of powdered alum.
The mixture was then boiled, and the yarn, or other material
previously wrung out of water, put in while hot. The color of
articles dyed is said to be fixed more firmly by subsequently
dipping them when thoroughly dried in boiling salt and water.

Vitis, Grape. Dr. Fair, of Columbia, S. C., informs me that
the root of the winter grape (V. cordifolia) is powerfully diur-
etic. He had used it in several cases. See Pereira’s Mat. Med.
and Griffith's Med. Bot. for much information concerning the
grape, wine, etc.

My friend, the late Major John Leconte, in a paper on the
“ American Grape Vines of the Atlantic States,” expresses the
opinion. that a grape adapted to the production of wine in the
Southern States would be ill adapted to the Northern States,
which are colder, and less humid, and dry. “Thus, the Scup-
pernong grape can never perfectly ripen north of Virginia, and
the fox grapes of the North will scarcely grow in the lower
parts of Carolina and Georgia ; the Isabella, or Catawba varie-
ties of this last, which were originally brought from the upper
regions of South Carolina, do not flourish in the low country,
and will scarcely live in lower Georgia.” To remedy the want
of the sweet principle in a grape, nothing more is necessary
than to boil down the must, before fermentation, until it is con-
siderably reduced.

Major Leconte considers it quite possible to make wine that
will keep without alcohol; also, that our American grapes do
not require the pruning adopted in Europe. See, also, Patent
Office Reports, 228, 1857, for a critical account of the species of
grape growing in the Atlantic States, and Chapman’s Flora of
the Southern United States, under genus “ Vitis,” for grapes
_ exclusively Southern. “ Bland’s Grape,” V. palmata, so highly
praised by Major Leconte, as being equal to any variety of the
European grape, which he says grows in the mountains of
North Carolina, is not included by Chapman as a native. It is
the V. Virginiana of Poiret. Dr. A. P. Wylie, of Chester, 8.
C., has been for several years engaged very successfully in the
cross-breeding of the different species of grape. The varieties

250

he bas obtained by hybridizing possess as high flavor as the .

best foreign grapes, (1868.)

A writer recommends the use of natural caves as wine cellars. —

i

Drs. Gall and Petiol’s “method of wine making, according to —

the modern principles adopted in Germany and France,” is

published in Patent Office Reports, 1859, p. 95. The same —

C

volume also describes the construction of cellars and vats, etc. —
Governor Hammond, of S. C., has had a large cellar built for

wines, sugar cane juice, etc. These seem to me essential.

A correspondent says that foreign grapes must be laid in
straw during the winter.

H. W. Ravenel, also of Aiken, 8. C., who has been investi-
gating the native grape with his known ability as a botanist, in
a paper published in Patent Office Reports, 1857, and in his
essay on the “Clabsification and nomenclature of Fruits,” before
the S. C. Agricult. Soc., gives an enumeration of our four

American species of grapes so far studied, growing west of the

Mississippi. Under these, viz: V. labrusca, L., fox grape, V.
estivalis, Mx., summer grape, V. cordifolia, Mx., winter or frost
grape, V. Vulpina, L., bull grape, or Bullace, he classes the
varieties which have proceeded from them, and to which all the
others can be reduced ;,this also is the opinion of the best botan-
ists of the day. Dr. Chapman has added another, the V. cari-
baca, of D. C.; confined to lower Fla. The V. rupestris of Scheele
is found in Texas.

Mr. Ravenel makes a statement which is instructive: “ All
the species of American grapes are diwcia polygamous ; that is,
some of the vines bear staminate or barren flowers only, and
are forever sterile; others bear perfect flowers, and are fruitful.
All the species of the Eastern hemisphere are hermaphrodite ;
that is, every vine bears perfect flowers, containing stamens and
pistils in the same corolla, and are fruitful. In the absence of
other evidence, this fact would be conclusive of the parentage
of an unknown seedling, whether it be of exotic or indigenous
origin.” The varieties of foreign grapes are referred to a single
species, V. vinifera, L.

Professor C. T. Jackson, in a communication in Patent Office
Reports, p. 42, 1859, remarks, in reference to the preservative
power of sugar in making wine, as follows:

“We must find out the proportion of saccharine or alcohol-

251

producing matter in the American grapes, for if they will not
produce alcohol in sufficient proportions to keep the wine from
souring, we should have to add saccharine matter in some form
_to make a sound wine.” In many portions of the country, it is
found necessary to add sugar to wine. Jackson says that those
grapes “which contain less than 15 per cent. of saccharine
matter will require sugar or alcoholic spirit to be added to
them, in order to make a wine that will keep.” See, also, notice
of Prof. Wm. Hume’s paper, further on, and Patent Office Re-
ports, 1859, p. 59, for proportions of acids and sugar in Ameri-
can grapes, cultivation, preparing wine, gathering grapes, ap-
paratus, and making of wine in detail, p, 55, et seq.

See a paper with full description and mode of cultivation of
wine, with manufacture of wine near Cincinnati, in Patent Office
Reports, 1848, pp. 6-14. The value and amount of yield per
acre is also given in this paper. I will extract a portion of it:

Selecting and preparing the ground.—A bill-side with a southern
aspect is preferred. If the declivity is gentle, it can be drained

_by sodded, concave avenues; but if too steep for that, it must
‘be benched or terraced, which is more expensive. In the
autumn or winter, dig or trench the ground with the spade all
over two feet deep, turning the surface under. The ground
will be mellowed by the frosts of winter.

Planting.—Uay off the ground in rows three by six feet; put

down a stick, twelve or fifteen inches long, where each vine is
to grow. The avenues should be ten feet wide, dividing the
vineyard into squares of one hundred and twenty feet. Plant
at each stick two cuttings, separated six or eight inches at the
bottom of the hole, but joined at the top. Throw a spadeful of
rich, vegetable mould into each hole, and let the top eye of the
cutting be even with the surface of the ground, and if the mat-
ter is dry, cover with half an inch of light earth. The cuttings
should be prepared for planting by burying them in the earth
immediately after pruned from the vines in the spring. By the
latter end of March, or early in April, which is the right time
for planting, the buds will be swelled so as to make them strike
root with great certainty. Cut off close to the joint at the
lower bud, and about an inch in all above the upper.

Pruning.—tThe first year after planting cut the vine down to
a single eye, (some leave two,) the second leave two or three,

252 5

and the third three or four. After the first year, a stake, six

and a half or seven feet long, must be driven firmly down by
each plant, to which the vines must be kept neatly tied with
willow or straw as they grow. Late in February, or early in
March, is the right time for spring pruning in this climate.
Summer pruning consists in breaking off the lateral sprouts
and shoots so as to leave two strong and thrifty canes or vines—
one of which is to bear fruit the ensuing season, the other to be
cut down in spring pruning to a spur to produce new shoots.
These may be let run to the top of the stakes, and trained from
one to the other, until the wood is matured, say in August or
September, when the green ends may be broken off. One of
these vines is selected next spring for bearing fruit, and cut
down from four to six joints, and bent over and fastened to the
stake in the form of a bow. The other is cut away, as well as
the fruit-bearing wood of the last year, leaving spurs to throw

out new wood for the next, and thus keeping the vine down to-

within one and a half to two feet of the ground. Nip off the
ends of the fruit-bearing branches two or three joints beyond
the branches of grapes, but do not take off any leaves. If both
the cuttings grow, take one up, or cut it off under ground, as
but one vine should be left to each stake.

Culture—The vineyard must be kept perfectly clean from
weeds and grass, and hoed under two or three times during the
season. Keep the grass in the avenues around down close.
About every third year put in manure by a trench the width of
a spade, and three or four inches deep, just above and near each
row ; fill in with two or three inches of manure, avd cover it
up with earth. |

Wine making.—Gather the grapes when very ripe; pick off
the unsound and unripe berries. The bunches are then washed
in a washing tub, or passed through a small mill, breaking the
skin, but not the seed, and thrown into the press, and the screw
applied until the skins and seeds are pressed dry.

Fermentation —This process is very simple. The juice is put
into clean casks in a cool cellar, and the casks filled within
about four or five inches of the bung, and the bung put on
loosely. The gas escapes, but the wine does not run over. In
two to four weeks, generally, the fermentation ceases and the
wine clears; then fill up the casks and tighten the bungs. In

SS or ee

253

February or March rack off into clean casks. In the spring a
moderate fermentation will again take place; after that the
wine fines itself and is ready for bottling or barrelling. Use no
brandy or sugar if the grapes are sound and well ripened. Keep
bunged or corked tight, and in a cool cellar, and the wine will
improve by age for many years. A paper on “ North Carolina
Grapes,” p. 48, may be consulted in Patent Office Report on
Agriculture, 1851. It gives an account of wine made from the
wild fox grape, and others, and discusses some of the native
varieties. Johnston’s Chemistry of Common Life, vol. 2, Chap-
tal’s Chemistry, in its relations with Agriculture, chapter on
“ Fermentation,” Ure’s Dictionary of Arts, article, Wine, “Fer-
mentation,” etc., may be consulted for information as to the pro-
cesses of wine making. See DeBow’s Review and DeBow’s
‘Industrial Resources of the South and West,” in three volumes,
for articles on cultivation of grape and wine making at the
South; also, Patent Office Reports, 1859, p. 72, for a very full
and detailed account of cultivation of grape, manufacture of
wine, construction of vats and cellars, by Dr. Weber, of Wash-
ington. I regret that I cannot condense this article.

In Missouri and Ohio it is found that the Catawba grape, a
native of the Atlantic seacoast, is liable to rot, and to be af-
fected by mildew. A writer in Patent Office Reports, 1854, p.
453, recommends several hardier varieties, viz: The Halifax,
(wine mild and spicy,) Norton’s Virginia seedling, (wine fiery and
aromati¢,) the Rockhouse Indian, which is said to produce a wine
not inferior to the best Burgundy. The writer gives some di-
rections about the culture, and adds: “In the place of putting
the ‘bung loosely’ on your casks during fermentation, put on
the bung-hole first a grape leaf, and upon that a small bag filled
with fine and not quite dry sand. In good cellars and large
casks your wine will, and must not clear in less than six or
eight weeks. Rack off in March, then again in midsummer,

and again just before the time of the next harvest. Before
every racking, have your cask well sulphurated. Then your
juice is real wine and may be bottled; it will keep as long as
you please and improve considerably for a series of years.” I
introduce the above, as it seems to contain some practical di-
rections.

The “rot” in grapes is caused by an excess of moisture about

“254

the roots, and moist and damp weather. Vineyards located
upon “ stiff, cold, clayey sub-soils, which unavoidably retain the
excess of moisture and produce injurious effects, can be ob-
viated by thorough draining, or by selecting soil which is warmer,
lighter and richer in the ingredient most favorable to the vine.”

The “mildew” is often a most serious cause of disease in
grapes, extending over entire sections of country, as almost to
discourage the cultivation. It is considered to be a parasitic
fungus. See a paper on this subject in Patent Office Reports,
1854, p. 311, by J. F. Allen, of Massachusetts. In the New
England States the presence or absence of this fungus depends
upon the condition of the weather, and the progress in maturity
of the vine in August and July. There the fungus appears during
foggy weather, resembling a white mould. In Reports for 1853,
p- 311, an engraved illustration is given of this mildew fungus.
«“ When a grape becomes affected by it, the fruit will either dry
or crack open, unless checked or destroyed before it makes
much progress. The so-called disease is a living plant, most
rapid in its growth and wonderful in its powers of reproduction
and multiplication. When a vine has once been infected by it,
the seeds or sporules in countless millions lie waiting a favorable
atmospheric change to spring into life; and when this does
occur, so rapid is their growth that in one day the under side of
the leaf will be almost covered.” The plan of dusting the
leaves with sulphur is impracticable. The writer says he has
found a wash quite effectual in destroying this fungus, and it
can be applied on a large scale with the garden engine; ona
smaller, by thesyringe or the nose of a watering-pot.

“To prepare this wash, take one peck of lime, not slacked,
and one pound of sulphur; put them together in a barrel, and
pour hot water over them sufficient to slake the lime; pour on
this three gallons of soft water, and stir the mixture well to-
gether. In twenty-four hours it will bave settled and become
perfectly clear. This should be drawn off as clear as possible.
Half a pint of this mixture added to three gallons of water will
be sufficiently strong, and may be applied over the fruit when
mildew first appears. It can be repeated every few days, if
occasion requires. The first application I have found would
kill the most of it; a second and third are all that I have ever
found necessary for the season. The fruit and foliage have

255

ripened fully on the European varieties. The American or na-
tive varieties are less subject to the attacks of this fungus than
the European. There is also a difference in these, the Catawba
and Isabella being more attacked than some other kinds. That
this mildew or fungus requires a peculiar condition of the at-
mosphere to allow of its vegetating is a hopeful fact for the
people of the European grape growing regions. A series of
seasons unpropitious to its growth, may destroy millions of
sporules or seed vessels deposited upon their vineyards.”

I have seen grapes attacked with a disease, an apparent black-
ening or rot of the internal portion of the fruit, which had
never been attacked until the arbor was covered over, and thus
the requisite amount of light was diminished. In this case,
they become diseased from too much shade and moisture, and
the remedy is plain; but in some cases this occurs under a full
supply of light. The U.S.Commission to the Paris Exposition,
in their report published in P. O. Rep. for 1867, state that the
application of sulphur to the leaves is the best remedy for
diseases affecting the vine.

Wilson in his Rural Cyc. furnishes from several sources recipes
in his article on “ Wine,” for making “ Wine from the leaves,
tender shoots, and tendrils of the vine ; if judiciously prepared, it
is so excellent that Mr. MacCulloch compared it to ‘ white her-
mitage.’” See, also, MacCulloch’s Treatise on Wine Making
Excellent wine is also prepared from the unripe berries, loc. cit.,
where the method is given. It is as follows: - The claret vine
leaves, as he observes, will produce a red color, and this tree
could be cultivated for the express purpose. Having repeatedly
prepared red and white leaf wine, we can with the greatest con-
fidence offer a few abbreviated extracts from Mr. MacCulloch’s
book, previously observing that the specific gravity of the liquor
must here also be taken as the criterion of strength; the pro-
portions are calculated for ten gallons of wine. The leaves
should not have attained their full growth, and must be plucked
with their stems. On forty or fifty pounds of such leaves, seven
or eight gallons of boiling water are poured, in which they are
to infuse for twenty-four hours; the liquor being then strained
off, the leaves are to be forcibly pressed. A gallon more water
is to be added, and the leaves again are to be pressed. A screw
wine-press with hair bags, is very useful in the process, Sugar,

256

varying from twenty-five pounds to thirty pounds, is then to be
added to the mixed liquors; the quantity is to be made up to
ten gallons and a half. Such are the essentials of Mr. MacCul-
loch’s directions. We need only add, continues the editor, that
if a fermenting, lively wine be contemplated, the manufacture
must be conducted as in the process for Champagne, and the
smaller of the two proportions of the leaves, etc., is to be em-
ployed. The specific gravity of the must should be 1.110 to
1.115. The fermentation must be carried on for a short time in
the open vessel, or till the gravity be reduced to 1.090; and the
barrel will require to be filled, and be kept full, in order to carry
off the froth and leaven that rise to the top of the liquor. But
we apprehend that grape leaves are better qualified to produce a
dry wine, and, therefore, the larger proportion of leaves, etc.,
should be employed, and sugar to the extent that will raise the
gravity to 1.120. In this case, the fermentation must be con-
ducted in the manner already stated for the production of a dry
wine from green grapes; and when perfected, and the wine be-
comes bright, it is to be fined and racked off during clear and
cold weather, then returned to a clean and sweet cask, and
bunged close. A second fining and racking may be required.
Grape wine made from the green berries, we have found deli-
cious in flavor, and quite fit for the table in two years or less.
But the liquor obtained from the leaves contains a quantity of
vegetable extract which eonveys a flavor that time alone can
subdue; hence, we recommend, the author adds, that it be al-
ways retained two years in the cask, and be bottled in the
second winter. It ought also to remain during one entire year
in the bottles. Wilson’s Rural Cye. art. “ Wine.”

The following brief statement of the mode of making wine,
by J. 8S. Reid, of Fayette County, Ind., appears so simple, that I
quote it here. (See P. O. Rep. 1855, p. 308:)

“The mode adopted by me of making wine is as follows:
From the 1st to the 15th of October, I continue pulling the
grapes, always selecting the ripest ones first, and after mashing
them in a tub made for the purpose, subject them to a small
press made in the form of a cider-press. The barrels into
which the juice is put are well washed with cold water, dried
and fumigated with sulphur before the must is put into them.
I then place over the bung-hole a piece of tin or sheet-iron per-

257

forated with small holes. The must is then allowed to ferment
slowly for about three weeks, until the scum caused by the fer-
mentation apparently ceases. The barrels are then filled and
bunged tight until spring, when I rack the wine off into clear
casks, washed out with cold water and juniper berries, and fu-
migated with sulphur as before, to destroy any bad flavor. It
is then ready for market; but during this time the casks re-
quire to be frequently examined, and filled up, keeping them
always full to the bung.’ The reader can find in the Patent
Office Reports of 1855, p. 304, a brief statement by D. Ponce, of
Hancock County, Ga., of the method of making Champagne
wine in France.

Dr. Wm. Hume, Professor in the State Military Academy of
South Carolina, read a paper before the South Carolina Medical
Association, on the “ Manufacture of Winesin the South,” and
delivered a series of Lectures before the Aiken Vine Growing
and ort. Society, which have been revised and published in
DeBow’s Review, Marchand April, 1862. In these well written
articles he gives the results of experiments, containing an expo-
sition of a plan to obviate the disabilities of climate opposed to
the manufacture of wine in South Carolina, etc.

In brief, Prof. Hume advises that the two qualities of sweet-
ness and acidity in wines (which vary in different varieties and
at different seasons) should be ascertained and considered by
the wine maker. The latest date compatible with the full and
perfect maturation of the grape should be selected for gathering,
so that they should be as little acid and contain as much sugar
as possible.

Cellars should be constructed in order to prevent acidity
during the fermentation, and if necessary alcohol, brandy, or
whiskey should be added, to preserve the preparation from
turning sour, and also to procure different varieties of wine. I
would refer the reader to the articles for an agreeable and
forcible exposition of the author’s views. He rejects the idea
that it is useless or improper to modify the juice of the grape by
alcohol under its various forms. Many wines are to a certain
extent factitious, but not adulterated. The writer says: “I
have clearly shown that the purely manufactured wines of
Aiken are either too acid or too weak in spirit—that these
defects proceed from immaturity of the grape and from the

258

high temperature of the must during fermentation. The high
temperature induces two evils which are injurious to wine, viz:
the loss of alcohol by its conversion into acetic acid, and its loss
by more rapid evaporation during the exposure of fermenta-
tion.” Cool cellars are certainly one obvious desideratum. The
addition of alcohol to wine as a preservative agent has been re-
ferred to by writers: “The object and intention of adding
alcohol to recent grape juice is to preserve it through the months
of August, September and October unchanged by fermentation.
During the month of November the cool weather is sufficiently
established and continues in Aiken to conduct the vinous fer-
mentation without the apprehension of the acetic ; hence wine,
not vinegar, can then be made.” (Hume.)

The reader can find a good account of fermentation and the
rationale of manufacture of various liquors in Solly’s Rural
Chemistry, p. 164, et seg. Drs. Gall and Petiol also refer to the
process of ‘ameliorating’? the wine made from the wild grapes
by the free addition of sugar dissolved in water, adding also
tartaric acid if the acid is deficient. The husks or pomace
which remains is again treated with sugar, water or acid aslong
as any wine extract remains, and so an enormous amount of
wine is made at small cost. In this process the grapes are
mashed, not pressed.: See details, P. O. Rep., 1859, p. 97. Tables
for calculating the acid and sugar are described. I regret not
being able to give this method in full.

in connection with Prof. Hume’s project of adding alcohol to
wine, I extract the following from an article on the “ Grape and
Wine Culture in California,” P. O. Rep., 1858, p. 342. “ An-
gelica is a sweet wine, which is never allowed to ferment. It is
made by adding brandy to white wine, which is the first and
purest juice that runs from the press, in the ratio of one to three,
as it comes from the press. Jt is thus kept from fermentation, and
always remains sweet. Itis immediately put into close casks and
drawn off as soon as it is clear, which is generally within four or
five weeks. The casks for Angelica wine have to be prepared
with great care by sulphuring. “ Aguadiente” (brandy) only
can be used in making Angelica, as it has the true grape flavor,
which most other brandies have not. This brandy is distilled
-from wine made from leaves or from the pomace (skins of the
grapes) of the pressed grapes, It takes about five gallons of

©

259

wine to make one of aguadiente.” By this it will also be seen
that the shape in which the alcohol is added is material. Let —
us compare the following with our difficulties here in South
Carolina and Georgia. Italics are my own. Matthew Keller,
of Los Angelos, Cal., says: “The manufacture of wine, in a
suitable climate, is simple and may be done by any one of ordi-
nary intelligence. But when the climate and soil are not adapted-
to the nature of the grape, then, indeed, it becomes a complicated ~
art. One of the most essential things to be observed in its manu-
facture is the proper regulation of temperature, particularly
during the phenomenon of the first fermentation ; and to this
the least attention is paid. Ifthe must is too cool, the fermen-
tation is slow, and apt to sour; while if there is too much heat,
it will soon go into the acetous state. Much which abounds in
saccharine matter, and is deficient in ferment, requires a higher
degree of temperature than that which has these substances in
opposite proportions. The strongest must, even when it con-
tains much ferment, can support a higher temperature than the
weak, because the great quantity of alcohol which is developed
retards the action of the ferment and prevents the tendency to
pass to the acetous fermentation. The best general temperature
is between 62° and 64° Fahrenheit. There is little difficulty in
maintaining the temperature in a cellar, but it may be observed
that the act of fermentation elevates the temperature. To arrive
at that which is the most convenient, it is necessary to pay at-
tention to the temperature of the grapes at the time of mashing
them: if picked early in the morning or at noon, it varies many
degrees. ‘To obviate this, they may be picked a day in advance,
or they should be cooled in a large vat, and vice versa. These
few facts comprehend all that is necessary to make wine, but
they are subject to many variations and much detail, like most
other processes of manufacture.” The necessity for the display
of judgment, and the value of experience in modifying pro-
cesses, is true of the manufacture of indigo, of sugar from the
different variety of canes, etc. No rigid rules adapted to every
climate can be depended upon. That vats should be essential,
I myself, without experience, felt sure from seeing their neces-
sity in keeping porter and ale in Charleston, or cider in the
upper country. We do not manufacture any of them in Charles-
ton, but in order to bottle or keep them under favorable cir-
cumstances, a cool cellar is essential.

260

The writer quoted above gives the method of making wine in
Los Angelos, as follows: “The grapes are deprived of their
stems by hand; they are then mashed between wooden or iron
rollers ; some tread them out in the ancient style. A portion of
the juice runs into a cooling-vat, without pressing; the crushed
grapes are put into a screw-press and forced out rapidly, all the
result being must for white wine. As the grapes are black,
and the coloring matter exists only in the skin, and requires in
some degree the presence of alcohol to dissolve it, if the pressing
be done quickly the wine will be white; but if slowly, or if the
grapes come broken from the vineyard, the must will show
color; for as soon as the fruit is broken, and the juice comes in
contact with the air, fermentation commences, and simultaneous
with it, the presence of alcohol, in a greater or less degree,
which extracts the coloring matter. The must is then trans-
ferred into the fermenting tuns, and the first active fermenta-
tion goes on, according to circumstances, for from four to ten
days. The mashed grapes are put into vats to ferment, from
which results red wine. This is in part distilled into brandy.
Some persons distil red wine with the “mare” into brandy im-
mediately after fermentation, but if left to pass a secondary
fermentation it would yield more alcohol. The wine is racked
off in January and February, again in March and April, and for
the third time in September. It should be taken off the lees
after the first fermentation subsides, when the wine has settled ;
for it cannot gain anything by being allowed to stand on the
lees longer than is absolutely necessary. Zhe proportions of
saccharine matter and ferment in our grapes are well balanced,
therefore there is no extraordinary art in making wine; as it
will make itself with common care, and without the addition of
any extraneous substance. The purest and finest wines in the
world are made from the juice of the grape alone (?) More
capital is needed to make. proper cellars, procure necessary ma-
terials, and to enable us to hold our wines till they have age,
when they would compare favorably with the best. See, also,
P. O. Rep., 1859, p. 94, et seq.; also an extended account of grape
culture and wine manufacture, with wood-cuts of presses, etc.,
in Report 1856, p. 408, by J. A. Warder, M. D., of Ohio. The
diseases affecting the grape are also described.

I obtain the following from the Southern Field and Fireside :
Although this subject has been widely discussed, and hun-

261

dreds of methods recommended, still I see no satisfactory article
written which has treated this question as to our Southern
grapes and climate. Almost all the writers have confined them-
selves to the Northern and Western wines and their modes of
production, leaving out the idea that Georgia, Alabama and
South Carolina had more resources for wine producing than
all the North and West combined, not speaking of the im-
mensely superior quality of its products. I trust that the fol-
lowing hints may be of service to some beginners, and be
auxiliary to many masters in the art.

There exist a large number of varieties of wine, differing
among themselves by the color, perfume, taste, consistence, etc.,
and often many such varieties are produced by the same grape.
Often those varieties of wine depend upon many circum-
stances—such as difference in soil and sub-soil, exposure, mode
of cultivation, climatic influence, degree of maturity of the fruit
when"pressed, and above all, by the mode of making the wine.
The first process is the gathering of the grapes, and this should
be one of the most careful. The grapes should be thoroughly
ripe, and the best signs of maturity are these: Tbe stem of the
clusters changes to brown, the berries become soft, and when
the bloom is removed the skin is smooth and nearly transparent,
the flavor is vinous sweet, and the seeds free from the pulp and
dry. At this point the grapes should be gathered. If gathered
sooner the wine will be of an inferior quality,.and apt to form
vinegar ; if later, the wine will be less in quantity and syrups
like. When the grapes have attained the right period of ma-
turity, select a dry, clear day, and do not begin the gathering
until the dew is well evaporated, and the grapes perfectly dry.
Use sharp knives or scissors, and remove all green and decayed
berries from the branches, and put them in clean wooden pails ;
then, if the press is some distance from the vineyard, put them
in wooden tubs, which must not be too large, so as not to be
difficult to handle, and transport by wagon. Now it is necessary
to give some remark upon the process to be followed according
to the mode of wine to be produced, and to the variety of grape
employed. Our native grapes of the Labrusca or fox type are
mostly cultivated in this section of the country, and the wine
they produce is of the Hock or Rhine wine order. The great
value of that wine consists in its delicate aroma, or bouquet, and

262

to attain it must be an essential object in its making To this —
class belong the Catawba, Isabella, Diana, Delaware, etc., etc.,
the former of which being most generally cultivated. I will
describe the process in its best manufacture.

When the grapes are gathered they must be mashed between
wooden rollers. The juice is received in a clean cask or vat,
but the hulls, seeds or stems are carefully avoided to come into
contact with the juice. After the whole is mashed it is pressed.
The juice which runs out at the time of mashing should be kept ©
separate from the juice which comes from the pressing, as the
former will make a wine much more delicate than the latter.
The pressed juice will be of a marked color. The casks or vats
should be of.as large size as consistent with the quantity of the
crops. They should be made of the best white oak, with strong
iron hoops. The greatest cleanliness is necessary. Wash the

casks well, and further fumigate them by burning a wick of
sulphur, and keeping the bung closed. Avoid sulphuring too
much, as it will give a bad flavor to the wine if done to excess.
Fill the cask full, then close it with a tight bung, in the centre
of which is fitted a siphon, the lower end of which rests in a
vessel filled with water. The juice of the Catawba, as well as
that of all the grapes of that class, should never be fermented
upon the hulls, as it then loses its delicate flavor, and only pro-
duces a harsh wine—neither a hock nora claret. The above
method is also applicable to the juice of any grapes of which a
white or pale wine is desired. Juice thus treated should be
left in the cask until the following spring, after the blossoming
of the vine, at which period it will undergo a slight fermenta-
tion. It can then be drawn off in clean casks of required size
for market, or in bottles; but it will be to its advantage to leave
the wine in casks for two or three years before bottling.

The process of making red wine is different—the grapes
being mashed, with hulls, seeds, etc., in a fermenting-vat, (a cask
having one head taken out will answer for a small vintage.)
A faucet is put at about eight or twelve inches from the bottom ;
usually a bunch of cuttings is placed in the interior to keep it
free from the seeds, etc., in drawing off, leaving a space five or
six inches between the must and the lid, which is well fastened,
and has also a valve for the evaporation of the gas. This may
be also arranged with a siphon, as in the manipulation of the

263

white wine, the end of which siphon must rest in water. In
a few hours after the must has been put in the vat the liquid
will commence to ferment, the gas will be thrown off in large
quantities, and bring upon the surface the stems, hulls and
seeds, which form what the French term chapeau, (hat.) This
mass is often very consistent. As soon as the chapeau shows
signs of going to pieces is the time to draw off the wine from
the vat. The residuum is then pressed, and generally makes a
wine containing much tannin, and not as delicate as the wine
first drawn. ‘The latter wine is kept separate, or mixed with
the other wine, as desired. As soon as the wine is drawn in
clean casks put the bung in lightly for a few days, then bung it
tight., A still easier method is to put a false bottom in the fer-
menting-vat, which is made from well seasoned wood, and holes
bored all over. This false bottom is put upon the hulls to pre-
vent their rising. Its position must be regulated by the amount
of pemace in the vat, and kept steady by sticks. The vat is
covered as before with a tight head and siphon, and the period
of the drawing off the wine is visible when the fermentation
ceases. In general, the fermentation will last from eight to
twelve days. This method is applicable to all the colored
grapes of the estivalis, or summer grape type—such as Lenoir,
Clinton, Jacques, etc. The cellar should be dry, and of an even
temperature of about fifty to sixty degrees. After the young
red wine is put into the cellar it will undergo a light fermenta-
tion. The casks have to be filled occasionally, and kept full to
the bung. As soon as dissolution of the sugar and the other
constituents of the wine has taken place, the undissolved matter
will settle at the bottom, and is called lees. When the wine
becomes quiet and settled, it is time to draw it off in clean
casks. In the above remarks I have endeavored to compress
the wine making to a small compass, by which it will be seen
that it is far less complicated than presumed. I give the
different wines obtained from our native grapes.

Varieties belonging to the Vitis labrusca, or fox grape:

Catawba.—A light colored hock, often equal to the celebrated
Rhine wines.

Diana.—Also a light colored wine, much more delicate than
Catawba.

264

Delaware—From small experiments yields a wine of the
muscatel class, remarkably rich, and very often makes a beauti-
ful, sparkling wine.

Isabella—Makes a wine of a pale red color, if fermented
upon the juice, and a darker wine of a claret order if fermented
upon the hulls.

Hartford prolific and Concord.—A dark, harsh wine. These
varieties are not well calculated for wine.

Varieties belonging to Vitis wstivalis, or summer grape:

Clinton.—Makes a high-bodied wine of the claret order. This
variety is destined to be relied upon as our red wine grape at
no distant period.

Jacques.—Gives a very dark wine of the Burgundy order.
Its juice can be manipulated as for white wines—there being a
large amount of coloring matter in the juice.

Lenoir with Clinton —Will give a delicate claret or port.

Warren.—Makes a wine of the Madeira class.

Pauline—Somewhat similar to above.

Taylor or Ballet.—A white variety of the Clinton, and doubt-
less will soon be our standing, or white wine variety. yo »

The Scuppernong.—A vaxriety-of Vitis cordifolia. Yields a
wine of the muscat order, but unfortunately sugar and alcoho)
are too generally added, and thereby a good wine is spoiled.

Many other varieties of our native grapes will soon be ex-
perimented upon as to the wine making qualities; but with the
above list we can obtain almost all the classes and colors of
wine that are imported in this country.

The Commissioners to the Paris Exposition recommend (P.
O. Report, 1867,) the introduction into this country of a coarse
but very productive grape called in France “En Regat.” It
yields a very cheap wine.

In Spartanburg District, S. C., they make out of the garden
grape a very pleasant wine, which is the pure juice of the grape,
by the following simple process :

Squeeze the grapes through a bag; to each gallon of juice put
one pound of sugar, (more may be added ;) set it away in jars
or casks for two or three days, occasionally skimming off all
the supernatant froth, scum, ete. Then strain into a cask,
adding some honey and brandy. A gallon of brandy may be

OE

Af

265

added to twelve gallons of juice. This wine is suid to equal the
best quality. Very good wine is also made by adding sugar
and brandy to apple cider.

A correspondent of the Southern Field and Fireside writes as
follows:

“ Qultivation of Grapes.—Growing Scuppernong grapes in the
South is easy, pleasant and very valuable. My plan is this: In
February take the vines that you have rooted the previous
year, and set them in some place where you want them, say in
rows ten feet each way, with’some convenient place for them to
spread their branches on, and soon erect a good arbor to each
one, and if they are well treated they will soon cover the whole
field. The best land for this vine is light, sandy coil, and the
best manure is grass or weeds, hoed up when green and put
under the arbor; also, rotten wood, such as old boards, rails,
sticks, etc., piled under the vines. It is also good to have a pen
around the roots filled with all the scrap leather, old shoes,
bones, brickbats, etc. When the vines begin to grow they must
be pruned every spring, for the tendrils will rap around the
branches, and when the branches grow large, die or break off,
it will injure the vine very much; but when they get old a large
vineyard would require a great deal of labor, so this part
generally receives but little attention when the vineyard is old.
This grape is not only useful to preserve and pleasant to eat,
but the most delicious wine can be made from them. When
they are fully ripe gather them, and they can be ground in a
gridder, or if that is not convenient, mash them in a trough;
then press them well, putting three-quarters of a pound or a
pound of sugar to the gallon ; in this every one is to be governed
by his own taste. When well sweetened, put it in casks and
draw it off from one to another, until it is purified; then bung
it very tightly to prevent evaporation, and set it in a barn or
cellar six or twelve months; it is then good enough for anybody
to drink.”

Wine Farming and Making.—Mr. R. Buchanan, of Ohio, who
is one of the most eminent vine-growers of this country, thinks
that “ wine farming will, in a few years, become simplified, and
almost as easily understood as corn farming. There is no mys-
tery in it. Hxperience alone must teach the proper position
and soil; the right distances apart for the vines; the most ju-

266

dicious methods of spring and summer pruning; and as for cul-
tivation, keep the ground clean with the plow or cultivator,
like corn. Certain rules are given in books for vineyard cul-
ture, as pursued in the Ohio valley. These are the European
systems, adapted to our own country. It will be safe to follow
these rules, until by experimenting we can find better. There
is more room for progress in this branch of agriculture than in
almost any other.

“ Making the wine is as simple as making cider. The great
bunches are cut from the vines, and all unsound or unripe
berries picked off the bunch and thrown into a bucket, to
make—with the addition of sugar—vinegar, or an inferior wine.
The perfect grapes of each day’s cutting are taken to the wine-
house, and in the evening, after being mashed in a barrel with a
beetle—stem and berries—or passed through wooden rollers in a
small mill, are put on the press and the juice extracted. About
one-third runs off without any pressure. The outer edges of the
pomace are cut off for eight or ten inches after the first pressing,
separated with the hands, and thrown on top, when the power
of the screw is applied, and another pressing made. This is
repeated two or three times. The juice from the last pressing
being very dark and astringent, is put with the inferior wine.
The other is put in large casks filled about five-sixths full, to
ferment and make the good wine. No sugar or brandy should
be added to the best Catawba juice, or must, as it makes a
better wine without, and is strong enough to keep well. One
end of the siphon is placed in the bung-hole of the cask; the
other being crooked over, rests in a bucket of water.

“The fermentation commences in a day or two, and the car-
bonic acid escapes through the water. In ten or fourteen days,
the siphon may be removed, the casks filled up, and the bung
driven in lightly; in amonth tightly. In midsummer the wine
is drawn off into another cask, and the lees of the wine, with
the pomace of the grapes, are used to make brandy.

“The wine will be clear and pleasant to drink in a month or
two after the first fermentation ceases. The second fermenta-
tion occurs in the spring, about the time of the blossoming of
the grapes; this is but slight, and it will be merely necessary to
loosen the bungs; when it is over, the wine will be clear in two
or three months, and safe to bottle, but that operation had

267

better be deferred until November. And this is the whole
process of making still wine—the wine for general use; and,
being a natural product of the pure juice of the grape, it is
more wholesome than any mixed or artificial wine, however
showy and high-priced it may be.

“Tet the grapes be well ripened; the press, casks, and all
vessels perfectly clean, and then keep the air from the new wine,
by having the casks constantly bung-full, and there is no danger
of its spoiling. This is the whole secret.

“Tt is presumed that no one will go into wine farming largely
at first; but take the precaution to test, by the cultivation of a
few acres, the capabilities of the soil, position and climate, and
the kind of grapes best suited to it.”

I am induced to give place to the following article by Mr. P.
J. Berkmans, of Augusta, Ga. As it treats of the Cultivation
of the Grape at the South, and is written by a man of practical
experience, (from the Trans. of the Richmond Co., Ga., Agricult.
Club, 1867.) I will condense some of the information contained
in the first portion. He states:

Ist. That there is still a lack of information on the peculiar
culture of the grape, and in regard to the selection of varieties
for the Southern States.

2d. The country, by its natural productions, seems to be em-
phatically the home of the grape, and he urges upon us the
cultivation of the native varieties, the employment of the for-
eign having been repeatedly found not adapted to vineyard cul-
ture. Foreign grapes utterly fail after one or two seasons of
fruiting ; the seedlings also are not better than their parents.

3d. He advises the planting of only a few but well tried
varieties.

“Since the advent of the Catawba, which gave the start tor VY"

American grape growing and wine making, and which for
many years, with the Isabella, made up the list of the then
wine grapes, vine culture has made immense progress, as well in
the application of sound principles in its culture, as by the pro-
duction of numberless new varieties, some of which are now
fairly rivalling in quality many of the good European varieties.
A few years more of this steady march of improvement, and

America will have no need to ask any grapes from Europe or
Asia.

¥

/

Los

“Tt is true that the eultivation of the grape has not been
very remunerative since 1861; but reports trom almost every
section of the country are more favorable, and give us the
hope that the period of decay, which has been so fatal to vine
culture, has at last reached its limit, and that a more favorable
era is commencing,

“While on this topic of decay a few words are required,
Various reasons have been given as to the cause of decay,
Neither wet nor dry weather, old or young vines, soils too
porous or tod retentive, long or short pruning, thorough culti-
vation or entire neglect, had anything to do with the general
cause of decay, One or the other of the above may cause par
tial decay, but it cannot influence the grape crop throughout
the country, A soil retentive of humidity will, by itself, be
conducive to decay in the fruit; another, of too arid a nature,
will fail to supply the requisite sap to the vine when most
needed, and by either cause the grape crop will fail. Still we
have seen, during the past four years, the reverse of what
we could expect, For instance, grapes would rot in a soil
which all vignerons would select for the site of a vineyard; and
produce sound fruit in a low soil underlayed with stiff pipe clay.
This is contrary to all past experience,

“Some years the rot would commence upon the appearance
of a rainy season in June; at others, it would be arrested upon
the cessation of rain. Old vines in general will fail sooner than
younger ones, their vigor being impaired by previous excessive
crops, Whenever a wine is allowed to overbear itself, it sel-
dom recuperates afterwards, even if the supply of nutriment is
more abundant than is generally the case. We should be satis-
tied with a moderate crop of fruit; we can expect this fora
long period of years; but if the vine is allowed to produce in
one year three times as much fruit as it should naturally pro-
duce, it is to the detriment of its future fertility and vigor.

“Qverbearing, at first or second production, is one of the
great causes of the early exhaustion of our vineyards, The
land used for a vineyard is generally impoverished by previous
croppings. The vine finds in it a few remaining constituents
requisite to its growth and production of fruit; being a vera-
eiows feeder, it absorbs these rapidly and in a short time. A
year or two of heavy producing of fruit exhausts the soil of

ee d ;
4
269
r

F

=.

a

nutritive clements; and the vine, finding no longer a supply of
nourishment, begins to decline in vigor and fertility; and, once
stunted in growth, it seldom recuperates, even if the after-treat-
ment is euch as to return a new supply of nourishment to the

wil, The tendency w overbear should be checked; but how

few persons have sufficient courage to cut off a portion of the
branches in early spring? It is essential to remove one-half of
the branches a6 soon as they appear; the remaining half wilh

be more developed, the berries larger, the quality improved, the

weight of the fruit as large in the end as if all the branches
were \eft, and the vine wil) not exhaust iteclf # much. By

overtraining nature fails; and it is easier for 4 vine to perfect

a dozen bunches than to attempt to do 0 for double that num-
ber, Our finest specimens of fruits, such a6 pears, peaches,
apples, ete., are the consequence of a moderate crop of fruit

_ upon the trees, caused either naturally or artificially, by remov-

ing @ proper proportion of the flowers, or, better still, the
flower bude, as s00n as they appear.
“Itisa wrong policy to desire to enjoy too swoon; Festina

_ lente whould be the motto of the fruit grower. Vo revert w the

”

subject of decay, the main cause seems to be purely ‘ dimatic;
and can be compared to an epidemic in man, or epizooty in ani-
male; it will make ite appearance suddenly, and often as eud-
denly cease. This was the experience of French vine growers,
although the character of the disease there differed from the
American grape rot. We may henceforth have a long period
A sound fruit crops, and perbaps be visited again by the rot,
after a long or shorter time. But one thing is certain, that the
decay thie year was less destructive than at any period since
1862, the year of its first appearance.

“Can the grape be cultivated here with a fair prospect of
profit? is a question that is first asked by new beginners. It
can be answered in the affirmative, provided the right varicties
be planted.

“The Concord bas been pronounced at the North and West

_ the grape for the ‘million, and the poor man’s wine grape. This

is true for those sections, but not for the Southern States. We
have 4 grape indigenous to the country, which is more deserv-
ing that appellation for us; one that will thrive on a rocky hill
a6 well a¢ inarich bottom; never failing to produce a crop of

- 270
fruit; never having been known to rot, and, above all, needing
no experienced hand to trim it. I refer to the Scuppernong.
Its capacity of production is fabulous when compared to other
vineyard varieties. Vines planted six years ago upon land that
would not produce ten bushels of corn to the acre, in average
years, have produced one and a half bushels of fruit each, and
this is the fourth crop. They were planted without regard to
the arbor training, under which mode the Scuppernong attains
its largest size, but simply trained upon a wire trellis four feet
high; the distance twenty feet in the row. What will an acre
produce at this rate, and what will it produce, if properly
trained, and planted in a rich soil?

“ Instances of a single vine covering one acre of ground are
numerous, and sixty barrels of wine its product in a single sea-
son. These are exceptions which vine growers must not all
expect to realize; but they are merely given as an evidence of
its wonderful fertility. Its culture is the simplest of all modes,
and the outlay required to establish an acre is insignificant, as
compared with the prices of the new varieties. Enough of the
former to plant an acre can be procured for the price of a half
dozen new comers.

“The next best wine grape is the Clinton, whose merits are
now sufficiently known to give it its rank among the great wine
grapes of the country. It is of Northern origin, but improves
as it is brought southward. It is very prolific and makes a
heavy bodied claret. Other varieties are coming into notice,
and bid fair to make valuable additions to this class of grape :
such are the “ Tree Seedling,” ete.

“Our good table grapes are becoming numerous. First comes
Delaware, which seem to thrive everywhere South. Isabella
bids fair to even excel the Delaware; its quality is superior to
any of its class; so far it has not decayed, although, from the
short time of its introduction South, we cannot form a decided
opinion as to its ultimate behavior ; still, two years’ fruiting,
during which it bore perfectly sound crops, and this during a
period when many other varieties, of like recent introduction,
decayed, is a fair beginning and likely to end well. Hartford
Prolific is as yet our best very early grape. As a profitable
market fruit it stands first in order. The bunches and berries
are large, of fine appearance, fair quality, and stands carrying to

. io *

271

market better than any other variety. It is not so liable to
drop its berries as in Northern States. Its earliness will always
make it command a high price. Miles is better in quality, fully, :
if nota little earlier, but not so fine in appearance.

“ Concord will long remain as one of our good grapes. Its
skin is rather too thin to stand carrying to distant markets ;
but it is very prolific, of fine quality, and will doubtless make a
good wine, although no experiments have as yet been tried
upon a large scale.

“ Ontario, or Union Village, when well grown, rivals in size
the Black Hamburg. It is a splendid looking grape, of good
quality, and has decayed less than many of the heretofore con-
sidered reliable grapes. When the Warren and Black July find
a suitable soil and situation, no grape can compare with either
in the peculiar texture of the fruit. The vinous flavor of these
varieties belongs only to the type of summer grape, ( Vitis ces-
tivalis,) from which they originate, and they are all well de-
scribed by Downing, when he calls them ‘bags of wine.’ Other
varieties have their merits; but they alone have given more
satisfaction generally than others; and we must be satisfied
with them, especially if we expect to derive profit from grape
growing ; and, until better varieties are produced, we must
take them, as they combine variety enough to satisfy the most
fastidious taste.

“ Hybridizing has been much experimented with of late ; but
very few of the so-called hybrids are really so ; they are, in most
instances, true natives of either the Labrusca or distivalis type.
To Dr. Wylie, of Chester, S. C., belongs the credit of having
achieved the best results. The thanks of all American grape
growers should be given him for his efforts in improving our
native varieties by scientific and patient labors, and the fruits
of these labors will, at no distant day, largely benefit the
country. His experiments have been, by taking the native
species as the female, and using the pollen of the foreign
varieties as males. The offsprings show more foreign atte
acters than native ones; proving that the pene eae were
successful.. By this process he has produced Delawares with
the most exquisite flavor of the Muscats. Clintons as large as
Concords, and with a Muscat or Chasselas flavor. By cross im-
pregnation, taking his hybrid varieties as male, he has pro-

272
duced from the wild Halifax a most exquisite wine grape ; and
the most pleasant feature with his hybrids, is that they have
not been in the least subject to decay, although he states that
the ground in which they are planted is not a suitable one for
a vineyard.

“The best soil fora vineyard is a dry calcareous loam, one con-
taining natural salts and a proportionate quantity of vegetable
matter. It is futile to expect a heavy grape crop upon soil too
poor to be used for the cultivation of corn.

“The different varieties of grapes will make different wines.
Nearly all the varieties belonging to the Fox grape (Vitis La-
brusca) will make a Hock. They are better suited to the pro-
duction of white wines than red ones, when used by themselves.
The Catawba, the Venango, etc., give a rough wine, when fer-
mented upon the skins. The Concord, from its thinness of
skin, contains less acid matter, and will, therefore, make a pala-
table red wine. The Labruscas should have a portion of dsti-
valis mixed with them, when a red wine is desired. For in-
stance Catawba and Isabella, with a third; Clinton, Warren or
Black July, will give a superior red wine. The Astivalis class
are more akin to the French wine grapes. The Clinton will
give a fine Claret; Ohio, or Jacques, something more resembling
a Burgundy; Pauline, Warren and Black July will produce
wines varying from a Sauterne to a Madeira. Scuppernong
will make a delicious Muscatel. Enough for all tastes; and it
is to be hoped that, as we have the elements of success in our
hands, we shall no longer allow them to remain unproductive.”

The objection to the Scuppernong as a wine grape is that the
fruit produces almost singly and not in bunches, and hence is diffi-
cult to gather. This, as well as other grapes, grow remarkably
well in our common pine land when cleared and prepared—
favored possibly by the characteristics of the soil combined with
the protection afforded by the pine forest. I hope that in a few
years grape culture will be regarded as an industrial resource
by those residing in these comparatively sterile regions, and
that it will yield employment and profit to our people.

Mr. 8S. MceDowel, of N. C., directed attention to the “Belt of
no frost, or Thermal Belt,” on the slopes of the Southern Alle-
ghanies. It is a vernal zone which exhibits itself upon our
mountain sides, commencing about three hundred feet vertical

273

height above the valleys and traversing them, he says in his
letter, in a perfectly horizontal line throughout their entire
length, like a vast green ribbon on a black ground. Its breadth
is four hundred feet. Here there is no frost, “and the most
tender of our native grapes has not failed to produce abundant
crops in twenty-six consecutive years.” These should be
selected for grape culture as the low valleys are unsuited to it.

See the philosophy of the subject as described by him, in P.
O. Rep., 1867, p. 29.

MUSCADINE; BULLACE, (Vitis vulpina, L.) A wine may
be made from this grape. ‘Two pecks of the mashed grapes are
added to one gallon of boiling water ; allow it to ferment thirty-
six hours; add a little sugar to each gallon and lay it aside. It
must not be sealed closely at first.

AM. IVY; VIRGINIAN CREEPER, (Ampelopsis quinquefo-
lia, Mx.) Fla. and northward.

Used by the “ Ecletics” Dr. Wood states, as an alterative,
tonic, and expectorant. The bark and the twigs are the parts
employed. Dr. McCall has recently in the Memphis Med. Jour.
recommended a decoction or infusion of the bark in dropsy.
He believes it to act rather by stimulating absorption than as a
diuretic. (Penins. and Independ. Med. J., June, 1858.) See
U.S. Disp., 12th Ed.

The “Ivy,” (Hedera helizx,) an exotic, which by its tendrils
clings to and covers the walls of brick houses, has been exten-
sively and successfully used at the South during the late war to
restore the color of silk dresses—a strong decoction of the
leaves, as I’ am informed, is employed. It owes this property
of imparting lustre and freshness to silk no doubt to the resin-
ous ivy gum which it coniains, a principal constituent of which
‘is bassorin.

CORYLACEAR. (The Nut Tribe.)

Properties well known. The seeds oily, and generally eat-
able; the bark astringent, and often containing coloring matter.
IRONWOOD ; HORNBEAM, (Ostrya Virginica, Willd., Ell.
Sk. Ostrya carpinus, Mich.) Richland ; Newbern.
Ell. Bot. Med. Notes, ii, 619; Shee. Flora Carol. 355. Its
leaves afford a grateful food to cattle. The wood is tough and
18

274
white, and burns like a candle. I have suggested this (article
in De Bow’s Review) as a substitute for wood employed by en-
gravers. It is employed by turners, and wrought into mill-
cogs, wheels, etc. A permanent yellow color is imparted to
yarn by the inner bark.

The birch hornbeam, (C. betulus,) growing in England, is very
much used as a hedge plant, and is said to “afford a more uni-
form temperature of shade than a brick wall.” Our species “is
the most elegant of all the hornbeams of Britain.” Wilson.

“The sap of the hornbeam (Carpinus sylvestris) is obtained in
the months of April and May, At this period it is colorless,
and clear as water; its taste is slightly saccharine ; its odor
resembles that of whey; it reddens turnsole paper. The sap of
this tree contains water in very large quantity, sugars, ex-
tractive matter, (probably azotized,) and free acetic acid, ace-
tate of lime, and acetate of potash in very small quantities.
This sap, left to itself, presents in succession all the phenomena
of the vinous and then of the acetous fermentation.” Vauque-
lin’s Annales de Chimie t. xxxi, p. 20, first series; Boussin-
gault’s Rural Economy, p. 67, Law’s edition, 1857.

BEAKED HAZELNUT, (Corylus rostrata, Ait.) Grows on
the mountains. Fl. March.

Griffith, Med. Bot., 585; Duhamel’s Mem. Am. Journal Pharm.
Dr. Heubener, of Bethlehem, has employed the short, rigid
hairs of the involucre as a substitute for those of mucuna, and
has found them equally anthelmintic.

I have collected this plant in fruit on Tiger River, near Reid-
ville, S.C. The hairs are extremely fine, and pierce the skin
with facility. I have little doubt with respect to their acting in
a similar way with mucuna.

HAZELNUT, (Corylus Americana, Walt.) Rich soils; along
the margin of woods and thickets, West Florida and north-
ward. Chapman. N.C. Edible.

T have seen the hazelnut growing wild near Summerville,
S. C., in Laurens District, and in Powhattan County, Va. Our
American hazelnut is said to be preferred to the filbert. Wilson
says that the oil which is obtained from hazelnuts by pressure
is little inferior to that of almonds; and under the name of
nutoil is often preferred by painters, on account of its drying
more readily than any other of the same quality, Chemists

275

employ it as the basis of fragrant oils, artificially prepared,
because it easily combines with and retains odors. This oil is
found serviceable in obstinate coughs. If nuts be put into
earthen pots and well closed, and afterward buried eighteen
inches or two feet in the earth, they may be kept sound through
the winter. In many parts of England hazels (C. avellana) are
planted in coppices and hedge-rows, to be cut down periodically
for charcoal, poles, fishing-rods, etc. Being extremely tough
and flexible, the branches are used for making hurdles, crates,
and springles to fasten down thatch. They are formed into
spars, handles for implements of husbandry, and when split are
bent into hoops for casks. Charcoal made from hazel is much
in request for forges; and when prepared in a particular man-
ner, is used by painters and engravers to draw their outlines.
The roots are used by cabinet-makers for veneering; and in
Italy the chips of hazel are put into turbid wine for the purpose
of fifing it. Rural Cyc. Our species will doubtless answer for
all these purposes. Hemp-seed oil also is used by painters. In
the countries where yeast is scarce, they twist the slender
branches of hazel together, and steep them in ale yeast during
its fermentation; they are then hung up to dry, and at the
next brewing are put into the wort instead of yeast. Farmer’s
Encye.

WHITE BEECH, (Fagus Sylvatica, Fagus V. Americana, L.)
Rich, shaded swamps. Richland; collected in St. John’s ; New-
bern. Fl. March.

Shee. Flora. Carol. 559; Griffith, Med. Bot. 585; Fl. Scotica,
ii, 583 ; Linn. Veg. Mat. Med. 175. The bark is astringent, and
has been used, according to Dr. Farnham, in intermittent fever;
but it is not possessed of any decided powers. The fruit pro-
duces vertigo and headache in the human species, It is ob-
served, in the Fl. Scotica, that “the fat of hogs, which feed on
them, is soft, and will boil away.” The seeds yield an oil little
inferior to olive oil, and fit, also, for burning. The pulp re-
maining after expression may be converted into flour, similar in
taste and color to wheat, but sweeter. A narcotic principle,
called fagine, has been found in the husks. The young leaves
are sometimes used by the common people as a potherb. The
wood is valuable to cabinet-makers and turners, for manufac-
turing purposes—being capable of receiving a high polish.

276

Every kind of implement, plane stocks, tool handles, may be
made of this wood, which resists great pressure. In England
the beech is extensively used for umbrella handles. See Dick-
ens’ Household Words. Liebig states that the ashes of the
beech contains a larger proportion of phosphate of lime than
those of any other tree. See his Agricultural Chemistry. It
is observed in South Carolina that the lands on which it grows
are not usually suited for cotton; and we may, perhaps, attri-
bute it to their depriving the soil of this, so necessary a con-
stituent in the maturation of that plant. In the lower country
of South Carolina, the beech is one of the most magnificent. of
our forest trees. Chapman only includes in his work F. feru-
ginea, Ait. ;

By distilling, says Ure, beech tar (I. sylvatica) to dryness
with other processes, paraphine is obtained. “It would form
admirable candles,” the author adds, while referring to the pro-
duction of paraphine as an article of commerce from peat. I
insert this here (1862) as deposits of peat are found within the
Southern States. The ashes of peat, also, are worth something
as manure. They usually, Norton states, contain five or six
per cent. of potash and soda, and considerable quantities of
lime, magnesia, iron, etc. Soot, a substance somewhat allied,
contains a large quantity of ammonia, and is useful as a ma-
nure, 80 much so that when laid on heaps of grass the plants
are destroyed. Michaux says that our beech bears a strict
analogy with the European beech. The beech should be felled
in the summer when the sap is in full circulation ; cut at this
season it is very desirable. In the Fagus sylvestris, white beech,
“the duramen or perfect wood, bears a remarkably small pro-
portion to its alburnum. The bark of old trees is used by tan-
ners as a substitute for oak bark.” In England beech wood is
employed for many purposes—the nuts or mast being given to
hogs. See, also, Rural Cyc. The wood of the red beech is
stronger, tougher, and more compact than that of the white.
In the State of Maine, and in the British provinces, where oaks
are rare, it is employed with the sugar maple and yellow birch
for the lower part of the frames of vessels. The beech is in-
corruptible when constantly in the water. The ashes of both
species of beech yield a very large proportion of potash. Mi-
chaux, who describes the process of extracting the oil, says

277

that it equals one-sixth of the nuts used. The quality of the
oil depends upon the care with which it is made, and upon-the
purity of the vessel in which it is prepared. It should be twice
drawn off during the first three months, without disturbing the
dregs, and the third time at the end of six months. It arrives
at perfection only when it becomes limpid several months after
its extraction. It improves by age, lasts unimpaired for ten
years, and may be preserved longer than any other oil. The
manner of making beechnut-oil most commonly pursued in the
districts of the Western States where the tree abounds, is some-
what different from that described in Michaux’s Sylva. Instead
of resorting to the rather tedious process of gathering the nuts,
and pressing them through screw-presses, the farmers turn out
their hogs immediately after the first frost, who secrete the oil
under their skin. Unless they be fed some time before killing,
upon Indian corn, the bacon has little solid consistency, becomes
liquid upon the slightest application of heat, and keeps that
state, resembling in that respect the lard of hogs fed upon acorn
mast. The nuts are only plentiful every third or fourth year.
I have observed that the beech growing in the swamps of S.
Carolina mature a very scanty supply of nuts. I obtain the
following from a journal, (1862:)

Beech Tree Leaves.—The leaves of the beech trees, collected at
autumn, in dry weather, form an admirable article for filling
beds. The smell is grateful and wholesome ; they do not harbor
vermin, are very elastic, and may be replenished annually
without cost.

CHINQUAPIN, (Castanea pumila, W.) Diffused in upper
and lower country ; sometimes attaining a height of thirty feet;
vicinity of Charleston ; St. John’s; Newbern. FI. July.

U. 8. Disp. 189. The bark has been used in intermittent
fever, but is probably possessed of very little value. The fruit
is eatable. The wood is finer grained, more compact, heavier
and even more durable than that of the chestnut, and is ad-
mirably adapted for fence-posts—lasting in the ground more
than forty years. Farmer’s Encye. The bloom of this tree
and of the persimmon is said to destroy hogs. See following.

CHESTNUT, (Castanea vesca, L.) Fairfield District, Florida
and northward. In South Carolina only found in upper dis-
tricts; one of our noblest trees.

278

The fruit of this tree and the chinquapin (C. pumila) are well
known. Eaten either raw or boiled. The roots contain an as-
tringent principle; that of the chinquapin boiled in milk is
much used in the diarrhea of teething children. I would advise
a tea made of this to be used extemporaneously in diarrhea by
soldiers in camp. The late Dr. Nelson Burgess, of Sumter
District, S. C., informed me that at the recommendation of Dr.
Jones, he has used the decoction of the root and bark of the
chinquapin frequently as a substitute for quinine in intermittent
and remittent fever, and with decidedly satisfactory results. I
mention this hoping that it will be examined by others. I can
have no clue to the reasons of its utility, regarding it here-
tofore simply as an astringent. Hot water is poured over the
root and bark, and a large quantity taken during the twenty-
four hours.

Dr. J. S. Unzicker, of Cincinnati, reports the use of a decoc-
tion of the leaves of the chestnut in hooping cough. He says
that he has given it in about thirty cases, in all of whichit gave
decided relief in two weeks. He uses a decoction made with
three to four drachms of the leaves in a pint of water given ad
libitum. Caulophyllin, in doses of one-fourth to four grains, has
also been much used recently in this disease and in asthma.
Boston Med. and Surg. J., Jan., 1868. See, also, Bates in Tilden’s
J. Mat. Med. Sept., 1868, article containing a history of the
Blue Cohosh, (Caulophyllum.)

The bark of both trees contains tannin, and may be used in
tanning leather. In Italy, chestnuts are baked as bread, and
there and elsewhere are planted as food for hogs.

Wilson, in his Rural Cyc., says that coppices of chestnut afford
an excellent produce every ten or twelve years, for hop-poles,
hoops and all kinds of elastic props and handles. “The wood
of young chestnuts serves better for gate-posts or for any other
purposes which involve constant contact with the ground than
any other kind of wood, except yew or larch. It is lauded as a
good succedaneum for the coarser kinds of mahogany in the
making of furniture.” It ranks nearly equal with oak.. “Cask

staves of chestnut possess the double recommendation of not,

being liable to shrink and of not imparting a foreign color to
liquors which the casks may contain. The wood of the chestnut,
though brittle, is very durable in weather. I am informed that

ms =»

279

fence-rails made of it will last over twenty years. The trees
can easily be raised from the seed.

BLACK OAK; QUERCITRON OAK, (Quercus tinctoria,
Bartram.) Uapee districts ; rare in lower; collected in Charles-
ton District; St. John’s; North Cuneta: Fl. April.

Pe. Mat. Med. and Therap. ii, 194 ; Am. Med. Record, iii, 363 ;
Barton’s Essay to Form. Mat. Med.; Alibert, Nouv. Eléms. de
Thérap. i, 93; Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. v, 590; Edinb.
Med. Journal, 72; U. 8S. Disp. 581; Mich. N. Am. Sylva, i, 91;
Journal de Pharm. et de Chim. v, 251; Royle, Mat. Med. 559:
Ball. and Gar. Mat. Med. 396; Griffith’s Med. Bot. 585; Am.
Herbal, 153. The bark, a powerful and valuable astringent, is
also possessed of purgative properties, in which respect it has
an advantage not met with in the Q. falcata. They have both
been efficacious in leucorrhcea, amenorrheea, chronic hysteria,
diarrhcea, rheumatism, pulmonary consumption, tabes mesen-
terica, eynanche tonsillaris and asthma. Oak-balls produced by
these sre also powerful astringents, and are employed in many
cases requiring such remedies—as in diarrhcea, dysentery and
hemorrhage; also, in mild cases of intermittent fever. The dose
of the powder is forty grains. The powder of this, or of the
bark, mixed with hog’s lard, is a very simple and effectual
remedy in painful hemorrhoids and a decoction is serviceable as
a fomentation for prolapsus uteri and ani, and for defiuctions
from those parts. According to Dr. Cullen, it is applicable in
relaxations or impaired conditions of the mucous membranes,
on account of its tonic, constringing effect, and as a gargle in
inflammation of the fauces, prolapsus uvule, etc. Mr. Lizars
has used it with “ wonderful success” in the cure of reducible
hernia. It is applied topically in mortification, and to ill-con-
ditioned ulcers. Marasmic and scrofulous childen are bathed
with great advantage in a bath made of the bark. Although
this species acts slightly on the bowels, it contains more tannin
and gallic acid than the Q. alba and Q. falcata ; hence it is better
suited to cases requiring an external astringent. Quercitron is
obtained from this and the Q. falcata (which see) indiscrimi-
nately, and is sent to Europe in large quantities to be employed
in dyeing wool and silk of a yellow color.

The bark is a well known and important dyestuff, and is much
employed in dyeing wool, silk and paper-hangings. It is said

280

by Dr. Bancroft, who introduced it into notice, to be equal in
power to ten times its weight of woad. With a basis of alumina,
a decoction of the bark gives a bright yellow dye; with oxide of
tin, it gives a variety of tints from pale lemon to deep orange ;
and with oxide of iron, it yields a drab color. The cellular in-
tegument of the bark is what contains the coloring matter.
Wilson’s Rural Cye. “ Oak-galls put into a solution of vitriol in
water give it a purple color, which as it grows stronger becomes
black.” Infusions of oak-galls (tannin) are excellent tests of
iron. (Gallic acid is also yielded by the gall-nuts, and by oak
bark. The principal barks which are known to yield it are
those of the oak, willow, plum tree, the poplar, the elm, the
mountain ash, the birch, the elder, the sycamore, the beech and
the cherry tree. But it by no means, adds Wilson, follows the
proportions of tannin. It is readily, but very slowly obtained
from a cold, long-kept and eventually evaporated decoction of
galls, or of the tanniniferous barks. Wilson’s Rural Cyc. and
medical authors.

The best season for felling timber is undoubtedly midwinter,
the next being midsummer, when the sap is chiefly confined to
the young shoots, the circumference of the soft wood and the
bark. The worst time for felling timber is the spring, just
before the development of the buds, when the tree is fullest of
sap. Where much value is attached to the soft or outer wood,
felling ought to take place when there is least sap in the tree.
In general, all the soft woods, such as the elm, lime, poplar,
willow, should be felled during winter; hard woods, like the
oak, beech, ash, etc., when the trunks are of large size and
valued chiefly for their heart-wood, may be felled at any time.
When the bark, however, is to be taken into consideration, as
in the oak, the tree should be felled in spring, as then the bark
contains four times the quantity of astringent matter to that
felled in winter. Brande’s Dictionary of Science; Farmer’s
Encyclopedia.

All oak bark for the tanner ought at latest to be removed
from the tree before the third week of June, “when the sap
has begun to rise and before the leaf is completely developed ;”
and every ton of it, says Wilson, which is removed after the
first of July, is not only impoverished in tannin, but weighs
two hundred weight less than if it had been removed before

ee Fy

281

the end of May. Other trees may in England be peeled

earlier. The reader interested in procuring barks should read
the article, Rural Cyc., “ Barking.” The best methods of col-
lecting and storing are described. The instruments used in
collecting bark are a mallet to beat the bark and a wedge, both
made of ash, to insert beneath the loosened bark. The wedge
is spatula-shaped. Slight wetting does not injure bark. It is
dried in dry, open air, upon supports, so that water will not
collect upon it. The bark should be frequently turned. When
itis sufficiently dry to avoid fermentation, it should be carried
to a dry-house or shade, or stacked in the same manner as hay—
in stacks not so large as to incur the risk of fermentation. In
the Farmer’s Encyc. the plan of removing bark is described.
It is stated that tannic acid most abounds when the buds are
opening, and least in winter, and in cold springs. Four or five
pounds of good oak bark of average quality are required to form
one pound of leather. The bark separates from the tree more.
easily during spring. See Am. Farmer’s Cyclopeedia.

See article “Leather,” in Wilson’s Rural Cyc., for mode of
preparing the varieties of leather, tanning kidskins for French
gloves, etc.; also “ Rhus,” in this volume.

The editor of the Southern Field and Fireside, April, 1862,
states in answer to inquiries “that the bark of the black poplar
is used in England for tanning, but not, we believe, in this
country. It has probably about half the strength of black oak
bark. Blackberry briars, roots and stems washed clean (this it
will be observed confirms my own observations) supply a good
deal of the tanning principle; and our common broomsedge, or
straw, has been largely employed in the manufacture of leather
in Kuropean nations where timber barks are insufficient to meet
the public wants. Sumach is exported largely from Sicily for
tanning goat and sheepskins. Oak leaves, fennel and May-weed
abound in tannic acid, and we intend experimenting with the
bark of old field pine for making leather. That it contains tan
we know; but whether it will be profitable to peel and use it
has yet to be determined. Larch is much used in Great Britain
and bemlock at the North.”

From a useful communication “in the Southern Field and
Fireside, October 19, 1861, it is stated that*oak bark has sold in
the District of Columbia at ten dollars a cord for years; and

282

that “several million dollars worth of sumach (Rhus) is an-
nually imported from the south of Europe into the United
States for tanning purposes.” The Rhus grows abundantly in
the Southern States, as well as many other plants containing
tannin. I have noticed, in traversing that part of the Dismal
Swamp near Norolk, Va., that the Rhus is the most character-
istic growth. See Suwmach. It could be procured in any amount.
The writer of the article just referred to calls attention to the
great amount of goatskins and morocco manufactured and ex-
ported from France and England, where tannin is scarce, to
this country, where the materials for producing it are abundant,
at least in the Southern States. I quote from the writer in the
Southern Field and Fireside as follows, and also refer the reader
» to my own examination of several of the plants growing in St.
John’s Berkeley, 8. C., October, 1862, for the relative amount of
tannin in plants. See “ Liquidambar,” in this volume:

“ But such is the demand for leather one may well use oak
and chestnut bark hewed off at any time in the year- Sumach,
fennel and pine bark are much used in Europe. Whether any
of our common pine barks contain tan enough to warrfint their
use has, we believe, never been tested. Larch bark is much
used in Scotland, although only half the strength of oak. Mon-
teath, of Stirling, applied chemical tests to the infusion of dif-
ferent barks with the following results: Oak (coppice) contains
most tannic acid; ash and hornbeam next; Spanish chestnut
third ; willow fourth; birch, beech and larch fifth ; spruce and
silver firs sixth; mountain ash and broom seventh; and next
Scottish pine, bramble or briars, laburnum, and the sawdust of
oak timber.’ My examinations were made before I saw this
paper.

Dr. Daniel Lee in the papers published in the Southern Field
and Fireside, from which I have drawn largely, earnestly ad-
vises us to be more economical with regard to our supply of
barks for tanning. “It is poor economy,” he says, “for the
South to destroy nearly all its valuable tan-bark in clearing oak
land, cutting rail timber and firewood, and thereby deprive our
children and grandchildren of the power to manufacture their
own leather. The time has come when this error must be cor-
rected, or serious injury will be the consequence. To send a
million dollars worth of hides to the North, have them tanned,

—

283 ©

- and the leather made into shoes, boots, saddles and harness for
Southern consumption, is to pay about eight or nine million
dollars for the support of that Northern economy which never
wastes the bark that grows on oak or hemlock trees, and that
industry which turns this bark into gold.” I know this criticism
is partly just; still, the planter at the South cannot often turn
to the storing away or sale of all the oak or other bark on his
place when he is compelled to clear new land, and can scarcely
accomplish that properly ; whereas at the North the farmer is
compelled to every expedient to add to his resources.

I have endeavored, in the examination made by me to show
that the leaves of many of our native trees—such as the sweet
gum, myrtle, etc., are rich in tannin, and being easily procured
may be substituted for barks, which are difficult to prepare.
Mr. Jno. Commins, of Charleston, informs me (1867) that he
employed myrtle and other leaves extensively and profitably
in tamhing leather during the late war, but whether it was
original with him, or the result of my suggestion and publication,
I do not know. Tanners in the State of New York, Dr. Lee
states, save tan-bark enough to manufacture three times as much
leather as the four millions of people in that State consume.
“Leather is largely exported from New York and Massa-
chusetts to England, the Southern States, and the great prairie
West.” He condemns “the habit of felling oak trees when the
bark will not peel.” See “ Quercus,” “ Rhus,” “ Myrica,” and
“ LTiquidambar,” for notice of plants suitable for tanning leather ;
also Wilson’s Rural Cyc., art. “Currying,” for method of pre-
paring and dressing leather, and Ure’s Dictionary of Arts.

“ Method of tanning.—For doing a small business hot water
and hot ooze may be best run upon the bark to extract all its
tannic acid in a short time; but in a large way either a copper
heater should pass through the leech holding bark, or it should
be boiled by steam. A copper pan is sometimes used, set on an
arch, for heating ooze. A mill for working hides operates pre-
cisely like a fulling-mill in scouring and fulling cloth. When
dry and weighty, Spanish hides are tanned. Hide-mills have
heavy hammers, which are elevated eight or ten inches by a
revolving wheel, and fall with an oblique stroke on the hides,
that causes them to turn like cloth in a fulling-mill. Any hori-
zontal staff will work a hide-mill, and a horse-power will drive

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the shaft. Our friend, Prof. Rutherford, has constructed a
horse-power for fifty dollars on his farm (which joins that of
the writer) that would drive a hide-mill as easily as it now
threshes wheat, and cuts hay and straw for horses. As this is
a cheap and valuable. power for farm use, it has been our pur-
pose to describe it, which we shall yet do.

“ Any mechanic, by seeing the model of a hide-mill, could
easily make one. It needs no cast iron double crank like a
fulling-mill. The whole affair can be made of wood. Our tan-
ning in the South is many years behind the progress of the
age.” The reader interested in this subject may consult with
advantage Ure’s Dictionary of Arts and Manufactures ; also an
excellent article on tanning and leather, in Nicholson’s Ency-
clopeedia.

I am induced to insert, in connection with the subject of
materials for tanning,.a communication entire upon the subject
from the pen of Dr. Daniel Lee, in the Southern Field and Fire-
side, November 30, 1861. It contains practical instruction on
the subject of manufacture of leather on a small scale by farmers
and planters:

“Tt will be better for several farmers, having from five to ten
hides each, to unite in the purchase of a bark-mill for grinding
tan-bark, and in constructing a few vats for their common use,
than for one to be at the whole expense for so small a business
as his own alone. The most primitive way of tanning is in
troughs dug out of large trees like pine and poplar; but mo-
lasses and bacon hogsheads will form the cheapest tan-vats for
the farmer’s use. Dig out the earth two-thirds the depth of
the hogsheads; pound moist clay over the bottom on which the
hogsheads are to stand. Three or four will do for the tanning
part of leather-making. Let them not come within six inches
of each other, so that moist clay may be pounded closely
around each hogshead to within three inches of the top. If
bark cannot be ground, it should be broken or cut fine with an
axe, so as to fill two of the hogsheads. Heat clear spring or
rain-water boiling hot in large pots or kettles, till the bark in
both hogsheads is covered with it. Let the bark steep and
soak a week or more, while the raw hides are prepared for the
ooze and tanning. One hogshead will do for this, but two are
better. They ought to stand some yards from the bark-vats,

285

because lime spattering into the ooze injures it. Surround these
with clay like the hogsheads used for tanning. ;
“ After the horns, tail and dew-claws are removed from a
green hide, it is split into two halves or sides, from the tail to
the nose on the pate. If the hide is dry, it must soak and
soften first. After it is split it goes upon the beam, and the
operative scrapes and tears off all the flesh, and part of the
fascia or membrane which covers the flesh side of every skin.
It is now ready for the lime. A half bushel of recently slaked
lime, or some less of quick lime, will do for a hogshead nearly
full of water. The lime and water should be well stirred with
a clean hoe or “plunge” before putting sides or skins into the
same. They should be often moved about in the lime water by
a lever some seven or eight feet long, and hauled out once a
day with an iron or wooden hook such as tanners use. As soon
as the hair will slip, sides should be worked over the beam and
rinsed fn the soak, or water hogshead, to remove the hair and
all the lime. The hogshead used as a soak, washed clean, is
now to serve as a hen-dung vat or bait. It ferments, and is
ripe for use in one or two days, after soaking in a half hogs-
head or more of water. Much pains and care are used in work-
ing sides and skins out of the bait, as they go from this into
the tan ooze. They will soon taint and spoil in warm weather.
Worked and washed clean, the sides and skins are next handled
two or three times a day in tan ooze until they are evenly col-
ored, and get a handsome, fine grain. The handling is done in
this wise: Place three or four pieces of plank four feet long
down as a platform, so as to slope over the hogshead, and let
ooze from the leather, when lifted out of it upon the plank, run
back into the hogshead, and not waste upon the ground. Short
pieces of scantling or sticks of clean wood lie on three sides
of the plank, over which the edges of the two sides laid down
extend, and thus form a sort of trough open only at the end
that lies over the edge of the hogshead. All the sides are
drawn up separate from the liquor with a hook, and spread by
hand on the platform, and are thrown back into the ooze again.
If the latter is weak, it is half or more pumped out, and fresh,
strong ooze is pumped in. The two hogsheads of bark, with
boiling hot water, will keep up the strength as fast as ten or
twelve sides can possibly absorb it, after starting with two

286

hogsheads of good ooze. You cannot heat old ooze in an iron
vessel, as it would spoil it; but you may, perhaps, obtain
a copper still, in which tan ooze may be heated without the
least injury to the liquor or the still. The heated ooze is put
on the bark, as it is much better than water, where it is allowed
to become about as cool as the atmosphere.

“ As the tanning advances, skins and hides require less hand-
ling. We should hang them across sticks an inch or less in di-
ameter, in and under the ooze. The endsof these sticks or rods
should rest on a light frame in the hogshead, and four inches or
more below the top. Allowing two inches for each stick and
side, fifteen sides would occupy thirty inches in width in the
hogshead. Batts and butts hang down near the bottom of the
hogshead, where the ooze is strongest. A small hand-pnmp
should be put frequently by the side of the leather and of the
hogshead, to lift the ooze at the bottom to the top. Sides are
handled a week or too before suspending them separately in
00ze.

“Ags pumping is easier, and less wasteful than dipping, we will
state the way in which a cheap and good pump can be made:
Its whole length should be some six feet, and the material,
plank, not over an inch thick. The open space on the inside
for the ascent of ooze or water should be about three inches
square. Two strips of plank three inches wide, and two five
inches, the latter lying on the former on both sides, will form
an aperture in the centre of three inches square. The plank
ought to be closely jointed, and either painted or covered with
tar or melted pitch to make all the joints water-tight. Of
course the nailing should be close and perfect. A box of half-
inch plank comes up two inches inside from the bottom of the
pump for the leather valve to rest upon.

“One side of the valve is very simple, but not easy to describe.
Imagine a funnel made of thin, flanky sole-leather, four inches
in diameter across the top, and as many deep down to the neck,
and that its centre is nailed or tied fast to a rod that is to serve
as a piston in the pump. The weight of water or other liquid
to be raised in pumping can set this pliable leather cup to adapt
itself to the square shape of the aperture in the pump; and to
prevent this cup or funnel falling back in lifting ooze or water,
three narrow strips of leather, sewed to the top of the funnel

287

on three sides, (one on each,) are nailed with small nails to the
piston-rod above, say six inches from the funnel. A small but
strong wooden pin passes through the end of the rod which,
held in the hand, enables one to lift easily all the liquid in the
pump. The discharge from the pump is made in the usual way,
a foot or more below the top of it. Any one who can use a
plane can make a pump of this kind take ooze from the bottom
- of one vat, tub or hogshead filled with bark or leather, and put
it expeditiously into another, where all stand on a level or nearly
so. A thin case keeps the tan-bark or leather from filling the
little space required by the pump, which is put into the vat or
hogshead, and taken out as often as needed. Any blacksmith
can make the beaming-knives used by tanners, but not those
used by curriers in finishing leather. The former are curved,
and often bave small teeth to tear up the tough membrane under
the skin. All-tan bark should be clean and dry, for dirt and
earth Blacken leather. Careless persons often get clay and mud
into tan-vats, than which nothing is more injurious. Few arts
demand equal neatness in their operatives With the most im-
proved apparatus and good bark, the labor of tanning is small.
An expert will work one hundred grown hides into the bark or
ooze in a month, for which we generally paid twenty dollars;
and the labor of tanning two hundred sides was about the same
after they came to the bark.

“Tf a farmer can get his hides tanned and curried for half of
the leather they will make, it is probably better than to attempt
to tan them himself. Let him improve his pastures by cultiva-
ting the best grasses, and raise more fat cattle for home con-
sumption, and thus have three or four hides for the tanner
where he has one now. This will call first-class tanneries into
existence that will give a pound of good sole-leather for a pound
of dry hide, or nearly that. Every farmer ought to spare all
the tan-bark he can; for we speak advisedly when we say that
the Southern States are even now short of oak bark if they are
to manufacture all the leather which they consume in saddles,
bridles, harness, saddle-bags, buggy and carriage trimmings,
caps, hat-linings, book-bindings, shoes and boots. It has been
the misfortune of the Cotton States to underrate all other indus-
tries but that of producing their great siaple. Hence the
scarcity of good mechanics and artisans. Hence we make no

288

effort to diversify our agriculture, and thereby meet many pub-
lic wants, while resting our land from the scourge of eternal
plowing. That system of husbandry which accumulates the
elements of crops and fertility in every acre cultivated, is still a
myth to most planters. Southern nationality will expose, and
happily correct many errors. We shall learn to make as much
cotton and corn on two acres as we now do on six, and at the
same time we shall produce tenfold more of the necessaries and
comforts of civilized life. Our dependence on foreign industry
and skill for so much of what we consume encourages the world
to believe that our subjugation is only a question of time. Since
the mechanical trades are necessary to our happiness, we should
encourage our sons to become scientific mechanics, as well as
farmers, lawyers, doctors, and priests and soldiers.”

On account of the importance of the subject I insert here the
following directions for ‘“ Tanning on the Plantations,” by T.
Affleck, from the Am. Agriculturist, also republished in the
Southern Cultivator, vol. i, p. 198, the paper by J. S. Whitten,
and one in vol. vi, p. 177:

“Tanning leather for the use of the plantation is an item of
good management that should not be overlooked by any planter.
Nor would it be as much overlooked as it is if the simplicity of
the process was generally known—that process, I mean, that
will suffice for making leather for home use. The tanner by
profession, in order to prepare an article that will command a
good price in market, and have a merchantable appearance, puts
the hides and skins through a greater number of manipulations,
and that he may work to better advantage, has his arrange-
ments On a more extensive scale.

“The vats, tools, and implements really needed are few and
simple. Four vats will generally be found all-sufficient; one for
a pool of fresh water, and for baiting ; one for liming ; another
for coloring ; and a fourth for tanning. The best size, in the
clear, is seven feet long, four and a half feet wide, and five feet
deep. They should be placed so as to be easily and conveniently
filled with water from a spring, running stream, or cistern. Dig
the holes nine feet by six and a half and six; if the foundation
is clay, the depth need not be over five feet. Form a stiff bed
of clay mortar in the bottom on which to lay the floor, and on it
erect the sides and ends of the vat, of plank of almost any kind,

289

sufficiently thick to resist the pressure from without—two
inches will be thick enough. When this is done, and the whole
nailed fast, fill in the vacant space all round with well tempered
clay mortar, ramming it effectually. It is on this, and not the
planks, that dependence is placed for rendering the vat perfect.
When well made a vat will be good for a long lifetime—the ooze
preventing the decay of any but the top round of plank. Such
»a vat will hold fifteen large beef hides, (thirty sides,) besides a
number of small skins.

“The material used for tanning is the bark of the red or black
oak, stripped when the sap flows in the spring, stocked and
dried, of which about four pounds are supposed to be necessary
to produce one pound of leather. There is an article occasion-
ally used called “catechu,” which is an extract made from the
wood of a mimosa tree, a native of India, half a pound of which
answers the same purpose. Galls, willow bark, the bark of the
Spanish chestnut, and common elm, as also sumach, are all used
by the tanner. It has been recently found that the root of the
palmetto answers an equally good purpose with the best oak
bark.

_“ Bark has to be ground as wanted ; or if the quantity needed
is small, and it is not thought advisable to incur the expense of
a bark mill, (from $10 to $18,) it may be pounded in a large
mortar, or beat up on a block. * It will require one-third more of
pounded than of ground bark to afford equally strong ooze,
which is the infusion of bark.

“The principal tools requisite are a flushing-knife, currier’s
knife, a brush like a stiff horse-brush and a fleshing-beam. The
fleshing-beam is made by splitting in two a hard wood stick of
about a foot in diameter; inserting two stout legs, some thirty
inches long, in one end on the split side, so that the other end
rests on the ground, with the round side up, the elevated end
being high enough to reach the workman’s waist. A fleshing-
knife may be made by bending an old drawing-knife to suit the
round of the fleshing-beam.

“The skins of bulls, oxen, cows and horses are called hides ;
_ those of calves, deer, sheep, etc., are known as skins.

“Fresh and dried hides receive the same treatment, except
in the washing process. Those that are salted and oe (and
no hide should be dried with less than from two to four quarts

290

of salt being rubbed on the flesh side—dried without salt, it is
extremely difficult to soften them;) require to be steeped,
beaten and rubbed several times alternately, to bring them to a
condition sufficiently soft for tanning.

“Green or fresh hides must be soaked in pure water from
twelve to twenty-four hours, to extract all the blood, ete., and
soften the extraneous, fleshy matter, which must then be re-
moved—throwing one hide at a time on the fleshing-beam, grain
or hair side down, and scraping or shaving it off with the flesh-
ing-knife, which must be somewhat dull or the skin is apt to be
cut. They are then put in the liming-vat, which is supplied
with strong lime water by filling the vata little over half full
of water, and adding thereto four bushels of unslaked (or of
air-slaked) lime, or at the rate of two-thirds of a bushel of lime
to the barrel of water. This will suffice for fifteen hides; each
time that they are removed and a fresh lot of hides put in, add
another bushel of lime, which will keep up the strength for a
twelvemonth. Before using stir the lime well up, and while it
is thus mixed with the water put in the hides evenly, so that
the lime will settle on every part of them. They are to remain
here from ten to fifteen days, or for three or four days after the
hair will rub off with the finger completely and with ease.
While in the liming-vat they must be moved up and down every
other morning, to expose them to the air, and to the equal
action of the lime. Being now ready for unhairing, cut each
hide in two by slitting them along the centre of the back with a
knife, forming them into sides. Throw ten or twelve of these
sides on the fleshing-beam, and strip the hair off with the knife ;
and as they are unhaired, throw each one into the vat of fresh
water to bait or soak. When the lot of sides and skins in hand
have all been unhaired and thoroughly washed, throw them
again, and at once, on the fleshing-beam, with the grain or hair
side up, and work them over (rub and press them) with the
knife until all the gummy or mucilaginous matter is worked
out. This should be repeated two or three times during ten or
twelve days, being each time baited anew in fresh water. And
this working over must only be done when the sides feel soft
and smooth to the touch; as they will at times from some tn-
explained cause, feel rough, at which time they must not be
worked over. While they are thus boiling they must not be

291

neglected, or they will soon spoil. Tanners are in the practice
of adding one thousandth part of sulphuric acid (oil of vitriol)
to the last bait, which has the effect of swelling the pores and
distending the fibres, and thus rendering the skins more suscep-
tible to the action of the ooze. Forty-eight hours generally
suffices for this last baiting.

“Tn the meantime, some good, strong ooze should be prepared
for the first tanning process, called coloring. Fill a vat a little
more than half full of water, and add bark, in the proportion
of one and one-half bushels of ground, or two bushels of pounded

_bark to the barrel of water, which will bring the vat up to
about two-thirds full. When the bark has soaked from four to
five days, the sides are put in and allowed to remain fifteen
days; during which they must be once welland carefully fleshed
and worked over, and must be drawn up and down every morn-
ing, for the first week at least, and the bark well plunged or
stirred up, to have them color evenly.

“After this, the vat being now two-thirds full of this same
ooze, after drawing out the hides lay a good coating of fresh
bark, of say an inch thick, on top of the water, on which it will
float; lay on this a side, spread out evenly, and if it has to be
lapped over in any part lay on more bark until it is all well
coated, taking care to place those hides at the bottom of the vat
now that were at the top last time. On this side lay an inch-
coating of bark, and on that another side, and so on, with alter-
nate layers of bark, until the vat is full, or the sides all laid
away.

“Tn this, which is called the first bark, the sides must lie four
weeks. They are then drawn out, and the spent bark taken
out with a skimmer or drainer. The sides are then replaced as_
before, with alternate layers of fresh bark, in the same ooze,
which has acquired some additional strength, notwithstanding
the amount of tannin and extractive matter contained in the
bark that has become intimately combined with the animal
fibre of the hide. In this second bark they remain six weeks
undisturbed, when they receive a third bark in the same way,
in which they are left another six or eight weeks. Three barks
will suffice to tan deer, hog, calf and other small skins; four

barks will make good sole-leather, but five are preferable.

_ “The tanning process being completed, sole-leather is taken

292

out of the vat, rinsed effectually, and dried in the shade, hang-
ing the sides up by two of their corners to joists, where they
may remain until wanted. Those sides intended for upper and
harness leather, (which are those of cows, etc., the largest and
thickest bullock hides being used for sole-leather,) as also deer,
hog and other small skins, being thoroughly rinsed, are spread
out on a strong table, with the grain or hair side up, and
scoured with a stiff brush, like a very stiff horse-brush, ocea-
sionally throwing on pure water, until all the ooze is scoured
out. Tanners use the edge of a stone, made smooth, to assist
in rubbing out the ooze, and all the water that can possibly be
rubbed out. They also use what they call a slicker, being a dull
edge of copper of about six or seven inches long set in a piece
of wood, to serve as a handle.

“ After they are all served thus, and rubbed as dry as possi-
ble, the table is cleaned off and the skins thrown back upon it
grain side up, and are rubbed with tanner’s oil (codfish oil) as
long as the leather will receive it. Harness leather must be
completely saturated. As they are oiled fold them up and lay
them aside. When they are all gone over lay one on the table
at a time, flesh side up, and with a rag rub on all the dubbing
that the leather will absorb. Thin hides require but a small
quantity ; harness leather must have a heavy coating.

“ Dubbing, which consists of equal parts of tar and tallow,
melted together and well mixed, must be made the day pre-
vious to being used. Lard may be used in place of tallow; but
will require a lesser proportion of it. Each side of leather is
then hung up by two corners to joists, there to remain until
perfectly dry, or until wanted.

* -“Tf iron or steel touches a hide during the process of tanning
when in the least wet, or even moist, it will discolor it, forming
an indelible black mark.

“To blacken harness or other leather, take the skin when
completely dried, and if any greasy spots appear, showing that
more oil or dubbing has been applied than the leather could
absorb, wet the spots with a little strong ooze, and scrub them
out with the brush. Then apply a coat of copperas (sulphate
of iron) dissolved in ooze, until the leather bas a good color all
over. After this, when dry, put on another good coat of oil.
The leather may then be smoothed off with a rounding edge of
polished steel, or glass, or stone.”

293

The following is from the Southern Cultivator:

“Having tanned my hides for a number of years, and be-
lieving it to my interest, I suppose it will be profitable to others
who have many raw hides.

“T have succeeded well, and think my leather firmer, and
more valuable for negro shoes and the coarse harness on my

_ farm than tan-yard leather. My plan is a much cheaper one
than Mr. Aftleck’s.

“T tan from ten to fifteen hides a year, of various sizes. I
have two vats five by seven feet, four feet deep, sunk in the
ground near a falling branch, so constructed at the bottom that
I can draw aplug and wash and empty them. I begin in March;
soak my hides ten days in running water. Two or three times
I take them out and give them a good rubbing or washing. They
are then ready for the lime, as we call it. I then put them in
one of my vats and divide equally among them from three and
one-half to five bushels of good ashes and two or three quarts
of lime, and cover the whole in water. The lye had better be
strong, and if you err, err on that side. Every few days I take
_ them up, or rather stir them up and mix them again, so that all
parts shall be equally acted on by the lye and the atmosphere,
in the top and the bottom of the vat. If your lye is right, in
ten or twelve days your hides will be thickened to two or three
times their first thickness—feel more like a sheet of jelly than
anything else—and the hair will slip easily. Then slip off the
hair, and with a drawing-knife or a currying-knife scrape off
the loose flesh and cellular matter on the other side, and as
much of the lye as you can, without bruising the hide; and
then put them back into fresh and clean water. Every other
- day take them up and give them a good rubbing or scouring,
for ten days. They are then ready for the bark; and by that
time you can slip the bark off your oak trees, and have it ready
_ for the hides. I never grind my bark. I take it from the tree,
and with a drawing-knife take off the rough on the outside, and
just beat it enough to cause it to lie flat in the vat. In my other
_vatIdo all my tanning, and commence with a layer of bark,
then of leather, and so on; and so lay it in the vat that every
part of each side of the leather shall lie against bark ; and when
Iam done, I immerse this entirely in water. ~*

_ “The first year you had better boil-an ooze in kettles or pots

294

and use that instead of water, and afterward always preserve
your old ooze to use next year instead of water. I let this lie
until the first of August, and put in a second bark precisely as
the first, and let it lie until some time in October or November,
when my leather is fully tanned, if these directions have been
followed. When the leather is well tanned it presents a yellow,
spongy appearance, through and through ; otherwise you will
see a white or hard streak in the centre. When I take it up I
scour the ooze well out of all. That I intend for sole-leather
I straighten and dry; that for upper leather I wash well, then
grease wel! with the cheapest oil I have, and after drying eight
or ten days I moisten it, curry off the spongy, soft part from
the flesh side, and when moist, beat it or break it over some
rough surface until it is comparativeiy soft, and the grain side
is all puckered up or wrinkled into small wrinkles. Then, when
my leather is thoroughly dried and shrunk, it is fit for use.”

We have been reading some accounts of a new business which
we think may become immensely profitable in Virginia, It is
the extracting of the astringent or tanning properties of the oak
bark for the production of leather. The information we have
convinces us that the business will yield very large profits. An
article we have before us on the subject from a Georgia paper
says:

“ Five-sixths of the leather made in the United States is pro-
duced in the New England and Middle States. In the proseeu-
tion of this business, Boston and its immediate vicinity alone are
said to consume about four hundred thousand cords of crude
bark annually, and the enormous consumption which this fact
illustrates, is very rapidly exhausting all the accessible sources
of supply of the crude material, and raising its value, as the
distance from which it must be brought and the difficulties of
gathering it increase.

“These facts suggested the idea of inventing machinery to ex-
tract and condense the tanning properties of the bark in the
original forest; so that a cord of bark is reduced toa single
barrel of forty-five gallons. This extract is worth in the North-
ern cities ten cents a pound or a dollar per gallon—the gallon
weighing ten pounds—and the whole barrel, therefore, worth
forty-five dollars’; and the demand for it in Europe and America
can hardly be met by any probable supply. The manufacture

295

of this bark extract, commencing during the war when the for-
ests of the South were inaccessible, has been confined principally
to the hemlock forests of the North and East, which produce
one thousand barrels daily—about four-fifths of which go to
Kurope and the remainder is used principally by the tanners of
Boston.

“The machinery for manufacturing this extract is very heavy
and effective, and costs from eight to nine thousand dollars. It
is driven by a twenty-five horse power steamengine. The bark
in slabs, as stripped from the tree, is first soaked ina tank, with
water kept at a temperature of one hundred and seventy de-
grees by steam. It is then passed between iron rollers, which
compress it to the thinness of wrapping paper, crushing every
fibre and air and water cell in the bark. In this condition it
falls into another tank, where it is broken up and beaten, and
agitated in warm water by paddle wheels driven at a velocity
of one hundred revolutions a minute, and thereafter treated
until the water has attained the point of saturation. At this
density it is carried to a condenser and further reduced to the
desired point of strength for barreling and shipment.

“Tf all these figures and data are correct, evidently there is an
excellent chance for profit from the oak forests of the South.
More than this—in the spring of the year the tannic acid has
been found by experiments to be much stronger in the young
oak leaves than in the bark, and we see no reason why they,
too, might not be brought into requisition for the manufacture
of this concentrated tanning extract.”

A letter from a gentleman in New York familiar with the
business says: “The tanning properties of a cord of oak bark
reduced to the consistency of ten pounds to the gallon, which
makes it imperishable. weighs four bundred and fifty pounds.
This is worth in Philadelphia ten cents per pound, and in New
York and Boston it commands a ready sale at twelve and a half
cents, while in London and Liverpool it sells at fourteen cents
in gold per pound. The demand abroad for American oak ex-
tract will for many years exceed our ability to supply, while
that for home consumption will test our utmost energy to meet.
Oak extract at ten cents per pound, when bark can be had at
five dollars per cord, will yield to the manufacturer a net profit
of twenty-five dollars per cord ; and as one machine is capable

296°

of making two pounds per hour, or forty-eight pounds every
twenty-four hours, it is easy to compete the returns which may
be realized by running it for a single year. These figures may
seem incredible to your people, but. I challenge any one to show
wherein they are incorrect.”

Wilson’s Rural Cyclopeedia, article “Charcoal,” furnishes a
table of the proportions, color and quality of charcoal furnished
by various trees ; also methods of preparing it at the iron-works,
with the mode of making lampblack. The willow, alder and ~
dogwood are employed for preparing charcoal for the manu-
facture of gunpowder. - See Salix, “ Pinus.”

SPANISH OAK, (Quercus falcata, Mx.) According to Hlliot,
common on the seacoast; collected but sparingly in St. John’s;
Richland; grows also in Georgia; vicinity of Charleston; New-
bern.

Chap. Therap. and Mat. Med. ii, 493; U.S. Disp. 581; Bart.
Essay on the M. Med.; Alibert, Nouy. Eléms. de Thérap. 193;
Phil. Med. Mus. 11; Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. v, 586;
Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 170. This is possessed of the astringent
qualities characterizing the genus; it has not, however, the
purgative property found in the Q. tinctoria. It is employed as
an astringent wash for gangrene. <A decoction is administered
with great success in dysentery, pulmonary and uterine hem-
orrhage, and some have said, in intermittent fever. See Q. tinc-
toria and alba. In domestic practice, where an easily obtained
and efficient astringent is required, this, and the more common
species, the Q. rubra, are of no little value. They are used to a
large extent on the plantations at the South.

This and many other oaks produce an excrescence called gall
nuts, or oak-galls. These contain tannin and are used for
making ink. In a letter from a gentleman residing in Flat
Rock, N. C., lam informed that he obtains the greatest relief
in piles by the application of the fresh oak-gall rubbed up with
mercurial ointment. He found it better than any application
he had ever used. They are used when fresh.

WHITE OAK, (Quercus alba, Li.) Diffused; St. John’s;
vicinity of Charleston; Newbern. Fl. May.

U. S. Disp. 582; Royle, Mat. Med. 659; Griffith, Med. Bot.
586. The bark is officinal, and is generally used in similar
cases with the above, with the exceptions before mentioned.

297

By some it is preferred to the others on account of its not act-
ing on the bowels. The decoction is sometimes employed as an
injection in leucorrheea and gonorrhea. The bark contains tan-
nin, gallic acid, and bitter extractive, the former predominating.
The bark is officinal, the young bark being preferable. The
whiter bark, and the delicate and finely lobed leaves, with the
general neat appearance of the tree, serve to distinguish this
from the other varieties of the oak, than which it is more
acceptable to the stomach. All, however, are valuable for
external application. It is astringent and somewhat tonic.
Powder: dose, from one-half drachm to one drachm. Hxtract:
dose, half that of the powder. Decoction: bark bruised, one
ounce; water, three half-pints; boil to one pint. Dose, one
wineglassful. Surg. McLauglin and others of Lynchburg, re-
port through the Surgeon-General’s office C. S. A. a favorable
notice of the decoctions and syrups of the Quercus alba and
Rubus villosus in chronic diarrheea, stating that the tinctures of
R. V. and of Cornus Florida make an excellent astringent tonic.

This is one of the most valuable of our forest trees, and it is
largely employed for manufacturing purposes, and in the do-
mestic economy of the plantations in the Southern States. The
wood is hard and durable. The following I obtain from a jour-
nal, (1868 :)

A Charleston letter to a Northern paper says: “A singular
flowing back of one of the great currents of trade is indicated
’ by the fact that during the present month eight large vessels
have cleared at this port, loaded with lumber for Maine. This
is ‘carrying coals to Newcastle,’ yet the white oak of South
Carolina is superior for ship timbers to any tree in the forests
of Maine, while the roots of the yellow pine are far better than
those of the tamarack for ships’ knees, both in shape and dura-
bility.”

The following table is the result of the experiments of Bar-
low upon the “Absolute strength of different kinds of wood
drawn in the direction of their fibres.” Wilson’s Rural Cyc. on
the strength of materials may be consulted. Article from Ren-
wick’s Elements of Mechanics:

298

IBORIWODG c2-2 oo daacoseietaase® 20,000 Ibs. | English Oak............:0006 10,000 Ibs.
JME Rep et cece eoeo 0 EC 17,000 Am. ,White Pine............+ 9,900
NM ealkk::..acacc-plsancecmetucnase=a0ek 15,000 Pear Tree...... Baeanesasicheakes 9,800
Norway Wir...........--..-. 12,000 Mah oo any necaacessianeseeeess-aaees 800
BeGelis. gece sc ccsexsreitetemcesls 11,000 Hilti. cenesewermorccnetanestcoceees 5,800
Canada aiins-e pera eee 11,000 Cast-steell was -csse-sceeeees 140,000
Foussia Hines ste. eheceseosoee 10,700 ATIGY Gold cccsccestescseeteets 80,000

Pitch Pine.........sss0s0...-10,400

“ Absolute cohesive strength of wood drawn in a direction at
right angles to the fibres :”

Mea sso: Sdett secceses becne tece eee 818. lbs." Canada Oakcr.c..ccssenecencees 588 Ibs.
Alms Wilate: :im@srsecaeeceesee. 757 Pitch" Pinett. des. wsescee eee 588
Nerway Wir 252i ae 648 AGN eee. taece ube saicch hen -eeseeee 509
BGGGH ta ctl tanlecadcgtues -saceticxe 615 Aish (ee. cdds.dedecce tas tedeeemes 359
Bing lish Oak ose data os scant 598

The following table gives the “respective strength of various
substances :”

Metals. Wood.

Wrought-iron, Swedish...22,000 lbs. | Teak............sceseceeoese covees 4,900 lbs.

Mt English.....18,000 AB isnsiesisedungeiinssaa ttinesapaeteen 4,050

Cast-irOnc..--.2s0ss5-eeseonines 16,000 @anada Oak ....s.:ccs.ccasearee 3,500

Hine lish Oak o os. secstensseeres 3,350

Pitch “Pine. .<2 5. scscde cevcense 3,250

Beech iics.ce.beescccess erere cea 3,100

Norway Wir... .c..tdssesee 2,950

Am. White Pine).<cs.csesersy 2,200

LW ss oven ee ven peace eteeaes 1,013

English oak resisted a greater amount of pressure, by Ren-
nie’s experiments, than many other kinds of wood; three times
as much as elm, for example. See, also, article ‘‘Timber,” in
Rural Cyc., for method of preserving, relative strength, ete.
In England the shipwright considers that three years are re-
quired thoroughly to season timber. Timber is best preserved
by immersion in water for six months, and the exposure to
shade for another six months. The white oak cleaves and splits
readily, and is used in making plantation baskets. I have seen
it used in place of cane in making chair seats. The white oak
lasts longer in weather than hickory.

White Oak Baling.—W hite oak slats, basket fashion, take the
place of gunny bagging, and hoops of the same wood take the
place of rope. With machinery for cutting the slats, two hands
can get out enough for one bale in twenty minutes.

eee ee ee le

299

I will introduce under the genera “ Quercus” and ‘“ Carya,”’
what I have thought useful on the subject of ashes, pearlashes,
potash, soap, etc. Information is required on these invaluable
substances. For processes, see Ure’s Dictionary of Arts. For
“soda,” see ‘“ Salsola,” in this volume.

“A cement for cisterns, as hard as marble, and impenetrable
by water forever,” is made of wood ashes two parts, clay three
parts, sand one part, mixed with oil—all ingredients easily ob-
tained.”

“Concentrated Lye” is a very pure preparation of caustic
soda, or soda ash purified. The following is the method of
making hard soap with this substance, which is preferable to
potash or any of its preparations; it is also very economical:
“One half box of concentrated lye, four pounds of grease, one
pound of rosin, five gallons of water. Boil all together until
the soap is made—a point easily determined; then add a half
pint Of salt dissolved in a quart of water, boil a few minutes
longer, and pour off into tubs to harden. This will yield about
thirty pounds of excellent hard soap, at a cost of about two
and a half cents per pound.”

The following general deduction, which is instructive, is made
in Wilson’s Rural Cyclopeedia, art. ‘“ Ashes:” “Trees, in a gen-
eral way, make~a plentiful yield of potash, somewhat in the
degree of their hardness, their heaviness and the closeness of
their texture; and the chief of them may upon this principle
be distributed into four classes—first, the oak, tbe ash, the yew,
the beech, the chestnut, the pear, the crab, the blackthorn and
the broom ; second, the elm, maple, hornbeam and white-thorn
third, the pines and firs; and fourth, the birch, alder, poplar,
hazel and willow. When six loads of the ashes of the first class
are sufficient for an acre of land, ten or twelve loads of the
ashes of the fourth class may be required.” It will thus be
seen what room there is for selection in using trees for ashes or
for the production of potash. For further information on pot-
ash, ashes, soaps, hickory, consult “ Carya” in this volume.

Table of mean results of experiments of Messrs. Kerwan,
Vauquelin and Pertues, upon ten thousand parts of each plant—
amount of potash in each—(Chaptal:)

MOL ea gave df cwah Sik ac eeman tas 390f potash:i4 \Merny..ccccsdeiecciis seas 62 of potash.
Oni PA ea aa ene ceer 15 “ Cow Thistle.....045..00504 196 *
IBeGG hiss seaceincnenaee sae nace 12 oe Wormwood...............7380 4
NY SURO ocean aeeeeseeseeeees BD Sere WW Gt sec. cen cane eee onas 275 a
IPO PUE teverenantene seeeecena 7 ve Es GAS eceeneesetanesasseanase 200 a
Mistled stecwcce teens cteceees 53 “ SHUT ONVeechewetenecoeens 890 “C

In selecting plants to burn for potash, which can be done on
any plantation, those which are thus seen to yield most should
be chosen. “Grasses, leaves, the stalks of French beans, of
peas, melons, gourds, cabbages, artichokes, potatoes, maize and
garget, are very rich in this alkali.” Thistles, nettles, broom-
heath, brambles, ferns, should all be collected. The fumitory
and wormwood (exceedingly rich in potash) are both grown in
the Southern States. The plants are first dried and then
burned and the ashes leached, which should be repeated. Hot
water is better than cold. The potash can easily be extracted
from the lye by evaporation. “The process,’ says Chaptal,
“may be commenced in a copper boiler, into which a very fine
stream of the lye should flow to replace that which evaporates ;
when the liquor has acquired the consistency of honey it should
be put into iron boilers to complete the operation. As the sub-
stance thickens, care must be taken to remove that portion of
it which adheres to the sides, and to stir the whole carefully
with iron spatulas. When the substance congeals and becomes
solid upon being exposed to the air, it is poured into casks and
and thrown into commerce, under the name of salts. The whole
process is simple, and may be conducted upon our farms without
any-difficulty.” Pearlash may be procured from the potash by
calcination. See treatises on the Arts.

The following observations may be found useful to the soap
manufacturer, even if he be a planter or farmer, which I quote
from Thornton’s Family Herbal: In the large manufactories
the lye for making soap should be made no stronger than to
float a new laid egg when the workmen begin to form the mix-
ture. The oil or tallow is first boiled with a weak lye until the
whole is formed into a saponaceous compound. It is then kept
boiling with a stronger lye until it acquires a considerable con-
sistence, and seems to be separating from the fluid below. This
separation is a very material part of the operation, and to effect
it completely a quantity of common salt is added ; the materials

301

are continually boiled for three or four hours, and then the fire
is withdrawn. The soap will now be found united at the top
of the liquor, or what is called the waste lye, which is of no
further use, and is therefore drawn off. The soap is now melted
for the last time with a lye, or even with water. It is then al-
lowed to cool, and afterward cast into wooden frames. The
last melting is important, as giving compactness. A solution of
sulphate of iron will mottle soap by dispersing it before the
soap hardens throughout the mass.

A most economical mode of washing, which has been em-
ployed by farmers, which reduces the labor of days to that of a few
hours, might be adopted in armies. The washing of an entire
regiment, when in garrison or in cities, might be done syste-
matically and collectively with far less exposure and loss of
time. I obtain the method from some of the journals:

On.the night preceding the day intended to be set apart for
washing, the clothes, white and colored, coarse and fine, are put
in tubs of clear water, where they remain all night. A large
size vessel, the larger the better, is half filled with water, which
is raised to the boiling point. To one containing sixty gallons
put two teaspoonsful of sal soda, one quart of soft soap, and one
quart of lime water, made by pouring three gallons of water on
one quart of lime the night previous, so that it may have had
time to settle, and in proportion if smaller vessels are used ; stir
the water and ingredients well together, when the clothes are
put in, and boiled rapidly for an hour; they are then taken out
and rinsed well. The same lime water may be kept until it is
all consumed. The receipts for making the soap is as follows:
The ingredients for one hundred pounds do not cost more than
one dollar and fifty cents. Take six pounds of potash, four
pounds of lard, one-fourth pound of rosin; beat up the rosin, mix
all together well and set aside for five days ; then put the whole
inaten gallon cask of warm water, and stir twice a day for ten
days; at the expiration of which time, or sooner, you will have
one hundred pounds of excellent soap. Strong lye water or
concentrated lye may perhaps take the place of the potash. A
gill of alcohol added to a gallon of soft soap, applied to clothes
in the usual way, and soaked several hours before washing, fur-
~ nishes an economical method.

Lye from wood ashes added to tallow, eight ounces to two

302

pounds, melted over a fire, it is said, greatly increases the hard-
ness of the candles made from it.

RED OAK, (Quercus rubra.) Diffused; grows in great abun~
dance ; St. John’s; Charleston ; Newbern. Fl. April.

U.S. Disp.; Griffith, Med. Bot. 587. Employed like the others
as an astringent; as adrying astringent powder it may be used
in place of the Cinchona bark. It is easily obtained and con-
veniently prescribed. I have myself found the bark of the tree
of some service among negroes, in several cases where a tonic
astringent injection was required, using it in cases of prolapsus
uteri, where the organ became chafed and painful from exposure.
The decoction of the bark, with sulphate of copper, is employed
on the plantations to dye woollens of a green or black color,
and for tanning leather. Hickory bark, with copperas, fur-
nishes an olive color; maple gives a purple dye, the tea leaf
(Hopea tinctoria) a yellow, and white oak a brown. Walnut
leaves or roots, without copperas, repeatedly boiled, yield a
black dye. Blacksmith’s dust may be used in place of copperas.
The wood is not so durable as that of the Q. alba, but it is much
used for domestic purposes.

The following methods of making ink were furnished to Dr.
Bachman by Mr. E. Ruffin; only native plants are required :

Three different modes to make good Ink.—No. 1. Take one
measure (or one handful of each half pint of ink intended to be
made) of maple bark and as much of pine leaves, both fresh and
previously and separately chopped to pieces of not more than
half an inch long. Put them into an iron vessel and add two
measures of water. Measure the then depth of the water and
mark the height of surface on a pointed stick thrust to the
bottom. Then add six more measures of water, (making eight
in all.) Boil very slowly (or simmer) until three-fourths of the
fluid has evaporated, which may be known by its then surface
reaching the mark on the measuring stick. Then remove the
vessel from the fire, and add, for every half pint of remaining
fluid, one teaspoonful of copperas, as much sugar and a table-
spoonful of vinegar—stir and let stand from twelve to twenty-
four hours. Then strain the fluid (ink) from the solid refuse
through a coarse cloth and bottle for use.

No. 2.—First, make a strong infusion of the inner bark of red
oak, by standing in water twenty-four hours, a handful of

303

chopped bark for each half pint of water. (Or, otherwise, make
a decoction, by boiling an hour and evaporating to the same
quantity of water.) Decant the fluid and add about a tea-
spoonful of copperas for every half pint of fluid and keep for the
use next to be directed.

Take of ripe elder berries four measures, in a washbasin.
Mash them well in the hands. Put the mixture of pulp and
fluid juice into an iron vessel. Measure the depth of the whole
mass, as directed for No.1. Thenadd one measure of the before
prepared infusion of red oak bark, and boil very slowly until
evaporation has reduced the quantity of fluid to what it was at
first of the mashed elder berries alone. Remove the pot from
the fire. Put in a teaspoonful of copperas for every expected
half pint of fluid, and let the mixture stand for twelve or twenty-
four hours. Then strain through a coarse cloth, using strong
pressure. Bottle the fluid for use.

N6. 3.—Fill an iron pot half full of white oak bark, (coarse or
fine,) one-fourth full of red oak bark, and one-fourth full of maple
bark. Fill the pot with water and boil slowly and for a long
time. A teaspoonful of copperas will set it. Strain and bottle
for use.

To dye a Blue Color without Indigo.—Make a strong dye of red
oak bark, another of maple bark, and have in a third vessel a
weak copperas water, and in a fourth vessel a weak lye. Wet
the cotton thoroughly in each vessel of dye and rinse it out in
petawiernn which they are mentioned, having each fluid as hot
as the hand can bear, repeating the process until the color is
sufficiently deep. By making the thread a deep copperas color
first and then going through the process you can have a good
black.

Quercus montana, Willd. Rocky soils in the Alleghany Moun-
tains of South Carolina. Used as a substitute for the above.

LIVEOAK, (Quercus virens, Aiton.) Grows abundantly on
the seacoast, for the space of sixty miles from the ocean; New-
bern. Fl. June.

U. S. Disp. 581; Eberle, Mat. Med. i, 376. This tree is of
quick growth, and attains a large size in South Carolina. Its
great value for manufacturing purposes, ship-building, ete., is
well known. It is often exported for these purposes, to great
advantage. Its branches extend out to some distance, and it

304

affords one of our most venerable, magnificent, and ornamental
shade trees, suited for avenues. The acorns are edible.

Density of Wood—I introduce the following under this
species. Count Chaptal, in his Chemistry applied to Agricul-
ture, makes the following remarks: “Soil, exposure, climate
and season modify in a remarkable manner the fibre of vegeta-
bles of the same kind. Vegetables raised in a dry and arid soil
have a much harder and more compact texture than those of
the same kind raised in a moist and rich soil; they have more
perfume, contain a greater quantity of volatile oil, are decom-
posed with more difficulty, and during the combustion give out
a much more intense heat. Every one knows ‘that thickets
having a southern exposure yield better fuel than those which
lie toward the north; the wood is more solid, and after having
been cut, it will resist for a longer time the action of air and
water. This fact was observed by Pliny, in regard to the
woods of the Appenines.”

The difference between the hardness of trees growing in
swamps and highlands is, I believe, referred to by Boussingault.
The locality and the season of the year should have an influ-
ence upon the tree, upon its structure, and secretions, and they
should be considered, in reference to the growth of timber for
ships, implements, etc. The best time for cutting wood is in
the end of the winter, when the texture is hardened and con-
densed by the cold. Boussingault, in his work on Scientific
Agriculture, describes a French method of preserving timber,
superior to the Kyanized, by the absorption of the salts of iron.
I would refer the curious reader to a paper, giving a most re-
markable account of the enormous size and height of the trees,
and the vegetable wonders of California, in Patent Office Re-
ports, p. 4, 1851, by Wm. A. Williams. Trees sixty-eight feet in
circumference, and three hundred and. eighty feet in height,
without a branch for two hundred and sixty feet; vegetables
relatively large. See Boussingault’s work for similar state-
ments. The general reader will find interesting references to
such matters in Prof. O. W. Holmes’ book, the “ Philosopher at
the Breakfast Table;” also, paper in Patent Office Reports on
Agriculture, p. 655, 1851, by Thomas Eubank, Commissioner,
containing extracts from writings of M. M. Naudin and Lecogq,
(report to the French Academy,) on the taming of plants by

305

cultivation ; they “tamed every individual species of the fierce
family of thistles,” converting them into a savory vegetable.

It is well known, says a writer in the Patent Office Reports,
1852, p. 257, that the most valuable timber is that which has
attained its growth with most light and air. The wagon-
maker takes care to combine toughness and durability by
selecting his wood from trees of second growth, or from trees
of first growth that from infancy have stood alone, or far apart.
I have ascertained, in conversation with machinists and wood-
cutters, that they separate many species of useful trees into two
varieties, and make careful selection in cutting for the shop.

SWAMP CHESTNUT OAK, (Quercus prinus, L.) Vicinity of
Charleston; Newbern. This may be used medicinally as a
substitute for the Q. alba.

CHESTNUT OAK, (Quercus castanea, W.) S. and N. C.

This is said to be the best for tanning as it gives a bright
appearance to the leather. The wood is soft and easy to split.

CORK TREE, (Quercus suber.) Exotic.

The Patent Office has distributed for years past seeds and
plants of the cork tree. See Reports, 1854, p. 32, for mode of
culture and gathering of cork; and article on “ Properties and
Uses of Cork Tree.” Patent Office Reports, 1858, p. 335.

Quercus.

For method of raising acorn-bearing oaks, for feeding of hogs,
varieties, etc., see Wilson’s Rural Cyclop., art. “Acorn,” “ Oak.’
In some portions of England hogs are raised almost entirely
upon acorns, and with but a limited supply of grain just before
killing. “The farmers of Gloucestershire bestow nearly as
much care upon the fruit of their oak trees as upon the produce
of their orchards; they seldom sell their acorns, yet usually
estimate their value at from 1s. 6d. to 2s. per bushel,” etc.
Wilson. See, also, Boutcher’s “thoroughly practical” Treatise
on Forest Trees. See Boussingault’s Agricultural Chemistry,
and Wilson’s Rural Cyc., for method of preserving timber.

BETULACEX. (The Birch Tribe.)

Bark astringent ; sometimes employed as a febrifuge.
SWEET BIRCH; BLACK BIRCH; CHERRY BIRCH,
(Betula lenta, L.) Mountain mahogany. Mountain ridges of
8. and - Carolina.
92

os

306

U. S. Disp. 1233. The bark and leaves possess a very aro-
matic flavor. An infusion of them is useful as an agreeable,
gently stimulant, and diaphoretic drink. The oil, obtained by
distillation from the bark, has been shown by Proctor to be
similar to that of the Gaultheria procumbens. (See index.) It
also affords a saccharine liquor. Am. Journal Pharm. xv, 243;
Ell. Bot. ii, 617. The wood, possessing a fine grain, which is
susceptible of a beautiful polish, is much used by cabinet-
makers. It would be adapted to the fine work on railroad cars.
Is the handsomest of the species, and has the finest timber.
“The timber, when fresh cut, has a rosy tint, and afterward
deepens in color by exposure. It has a fine, close grain, and is
susceptible of a very high polish. It is used for sofas, arm-
chairs, the frames of coach panels, and various other purposes.”
Wilson; Michaux’s Travels, ete.

“The Sap of the Birch tree reddens turnsole intensely. It is
colorless, and has a sweet taste. The water which forms a
greater part of it holds in solution sugar, extractive matter,
acetate of lime, acetate of alumina, and acetate of potash.
When properly concentrated by evaporation, it ferments on the
addition of yeast, and then yields alcohol on distillation. The
presence of the acetate of alumina may appear extraordinary
in the sap for this reason, that alumina has not yet been dis-
covered in the ashes of the birch tree.” Boussingault’s Rural
Econ. p. 65, ed. 1857.

RED BIRCH, (Betula nigra, Linn. B. rubra, Mx.) Vicinity
of Charleston; collected on the Santee River, St. John’s Berke-
ley; Newbern. FI. March.

Ind. Bot. Dr. Green states that a strong decoction of the
bark cured cases of putrid sore throat. It is useful also in
pleurisy. Lindley says that the black birch of North America
is one of the hardest and most valuable we possess. This
might suit the purposes of the engraver, and in the construc-
tion of any implements requiring wood of firm texture. We
have also the yellow and the cherry birch. The shoots and the
twigs of the B. lanulosa, or B. nigra, said by Wilson to grow in
the Carolinas, are used for hoops, and “made into excellent
street brooms.” Its wood is compact, nearly white, and streaked
longitudinally, and useful for varioys econgmical purposes.
Consult “Alnus serrutata,”

307

ALDER, (Alnus serrulata, Aiton.) Grows along rivulets,
Charleston District; Richland; Newbern. FI. April.

U.S. Disp. 1224. The bark is astringent. N. Y. Journal
Med. v,7, 8. It had for a long time been neglected; but in the
article referred to the decoction is spoken highly of as an altera-
tive and astringent in scrofula and cutaneous diseases, and it is
said to have been very successful in hematuria; in these affec-
tions producing beneficial results where all other means had
failed. Shec., in his Flora Carol., spoke of the alder tags as
being of great service on account of their alterative powers; a
decoction of the leaves has also been used to suppress hemorr-
hage, and they have been found effectual in relieving dyspepsia
and bowel complaints. An astringent decoction may be made
of the bark, leaves, or tags—acting also asa diuretic. A tinc-
ture may also be used. Poultices made of them are used as a
local application to tumors, sprains, swellings, etc. The leaves
are applied externally to wounds and ulcers. The inner bark
of the root is emetic, and it has been given in intermittents.
It is used by tanners and dyers; the shoots, cut in March, will
impart a cinnamon color to cloths and flannels. The black
alder is used to color flannels: ‘ Take the bark, boil it well, then
skim or strain it well; wet the cloth in a pretty strong lye and
dip it into the alder liquor; let it remain till cool enough to
wring, and it gives an indelible orange color.” The wood does
not absorb water easily, and is employed in making posts, and
any structure liable to be submerged. The English Alnus (A,
glutinosa)-is planted along the side of water-courses, rivulets
and sand-banks, to prevent the encroachment of water by the
hardening and binding influence of the roots upon the soil, and
also as a border to conceal unsightly or boggy lands. The
wood is suited for pipes, pump-trees, and all kinds of subaque-
ous wood-work, ‘“ where it will harden like a very stone,” says
an old writer; now superseded, says Wilson, “for even these
purposes by the Kyanized wood of more close grained trees.”
The wood of this is also used for various purposes of the
turner, for the cogs of wheels, etc, “Charcoal made of its
timber has long been highly valued for the manufacture of gun-
powder.” Wilson’s Rural Cyclopedia, art. Alnus. I do not
know how closely our A. serrulata and A. viridis resemble the
English tree. The bark of alders is astringent, and is used by

308

tanners and dyers; see Wilson. It is, in other words, rich in
tannin. The-birch, (Betula nigra, L.,) in fact all of our species,
‘no doubt, contain a certain proportion of the gummy, oily sub-
stance peculiar to the B. alba of England. The flowers of the
latter are highly odoriferous, and the oil is collected. The bark
is also used by the tanner. Russia skins are said to be tanned
with it, hence the peculiar odor. Our species of birch may no
doubt be used for similar purposes. I have little doubt, in con-
sideration of the possession of an astringent and oily, resinous
principle, that a tincture of the catkins would serve as an ex-
cellent astringent, stimulating diuretic, to be used in gleet, gon-
orrhea, and in chronic diseases of the genito-urinary apparatus.
Birch wine is also made in England from the sap of the birch.
The papery sheets of birch bark were used as a writing material.

URTICACER. (The Nettle Tribe.)

DWARF STINGING NETTLE, (Urtica urens, Li.) Intro-
duced. Grows around Beaufort; collected in Fairfield District ;
Ell. says at St. Mary’s, Georgia; vicinity of Charleston ; N. C.
Fl]. February.

Murray’s App. Med. iv, 592; Bull. Plantes, Ven. de France,
170. It causes an excessive discharge of urine, and Sérapion
said that thirty grains of it would purge. In the Supplement
to the Dict. de Mat. Méd. by Mer. and de L., 1846, p. 719, we
have an account of the remarkable hemostatic virtues of this
and the U. dioica, also found in South Carolina. It had origi-
nally obtained some favor in this respect, and was used by
Sydenham, but had for a long time fallen into disrepute. It
has been reserved for M. Guinestet to restore the public confi-
dence in it; and it is now spoken favorably of by Chomel, Lange
and Desbois. Guinestet advises it in hemorrhage, and reports
five cases of uterine hemorrhage in which bleeding was in-
stantly arrested; two to four ounces of the juice were given,
taken internally and in the form of injection. It has also been
successfully employed in spitting of blood and epistaxis, and
cases of two months duration were cured.- The objections of
others who were not so successful have been satisfactorily an-
swered, its pretended therapeutic action being denied by Drs.
Kasciakewies and Fiard, who report a case of poisoning from

309

the internal use of two ounces of the concentrated decoction.
The supporters have produced well sustained arguments de-
stroying the force of these statements ; and Mérat himself speaks
favorably of it in an official report made to the Academy, and
published in the Bull. de Thérap.; he furnishes a case of nasal
hemorrhage, occurring in.a girl who was giving birth to a child,
and who was at the same time flooding, both of which he suc-
ceeded in arresting with the juice of this plant, when every-
thing else had failed. Many others have used it with very
favorable results in this and in leucorrhcea. “Spérons,” adds
the author of the Dict. de M. Méd., “que l’expérience con-
firmera ces heureux résultats.” See Amusat’s, Chevalier’s and
Mérat’s Rapport “sur l’emploi du suc d’ortie comme antihém-
orragique,” made in 1846,in the Bull. de l’Acad. Royale de
Med. ix, 1015. Dr. Menicucci, of Rome, introduces into the
vagina a sponge soaked in the juice ; and it may be at the same
time administered internally. See Abeilhé Médicale, Mai, 1846.
M. Guinestet attributes its hemostatic virtues to a constituent
which coagulates milk in the same way that poisons do. Seea
letter of Mérat, relating a case of uterine hemorrhage existing
for two months, which was cured by the juice of the U. dioica
(in French.) Idem. x, 364, 1845; Mér. and de L. vi, 875; Jour-
nal de Méd. vi, 492. By analysis, it contains a carbonate, am-
monia, chlorophyl, mucus, black coloring matter, gallic acid,
tannin and nitrate of potash, less abundant than in the U. dioica,
(which see.)

Induced by these notices to test it myself, I succeeded in ob-
taining a quantity of the U. urens from Fairfield District, S. C.
Assisted by Dr. R. A. Kinloch, of Charleston, I proceeded to ex-
pose and divide the right common carotid arteries of two sheep,
upon the bleeding orifices of which was applied lint covered with
a sponge soaked in the cold infusion and the decoction respect-
ively. The results were as follows: the first died from im-
proper manipulation; in the second, the bleeding ceased en-
tirely—the animal was killed, however,.a short time afterward.
The juice of the plant seemed to have some effect in coagula-
ting fresh blood poured out into the hand. Upon giving the
cold infusion, made with two ounces of the plant to a pint of
water, in doses of a wineglassful four times a day, to a patient
affected with chronic hematuria, who bad used tannin, gallic

310

acid, and the infusion of buchu ineffectually, she confessed
having derived decided relief from it, but complained of its
having brought out an eruption over the body. The experi-
ments in both cases are obviously too meagre to enable me to
pronounce positively as to the amount of power the plant
possesses. Dr. W. B. Johnson, of Marion, Ala., has found this
plant very efficacious in uterine hemorrhage. U.S. Disp. from
N. O. Med. and Surg. J. vi, 452. The irritant effect of the
nettle applied to the skin is said to be owing to the presence of
free formic acid in the sharp hairs. U.S. Disp., 12th Hd., from
Am. J. Pharm. xxii, 181. Celsus employed the Urtica in para-
lysis. De Re Medica, |. iii, 27; Bull. des. Sci. Méd.ix,77. Flag-
ellation with the branches, which, it is well known, contain
stings which produce great irritation, followed by inflammation,
has been recommended for bringing out cutaneous and febrile
eruptions, as in scarlatina, in apoplexy, in insensibility of organs,
in poisoning by opium, in chronic rheumatism, and in fact where-
ever a powerful external stimulating revulsive is required. For
this purpose it has even been employed in the algid period of
incurable cholera morbus. Dr. Marchand, Séance de | Acad.
Roy. de Méd. ii, July, 1832; J. Stevoght, Diss. de Urtica, 1707;
J. Francus, Tractatus Singularis de Urtica Urente, ete. Dilleng,
1726. Both this and the U. dioica are found in the Southern
States, and I would invite further and particular examination
into properties which are of so valuable a description. JIobserve
no notice of these experiments in the American works. The
minute structure of the sting is said to be very curious.
COMMON OR RED DEAD NETTLE, (Urtica dioica, L.)
Grows along roads and fences; vicinity of Charleston. Fl. Aug.
Dém. Elém. de Bot. iii, 338. It is applied extensively as a
stimulating and anti-septic astringent and detersive, the herb
and seed being used; the decoction is also alluded to in this
work as being used in hemorrhage, bloody urine, ete. Urtica-
tion with this also was employed in rheumatism, paralysis,
etc. (See U. urens.) The root is advised in jaundice and
nephritic diseases. Fl. Scotica, 57. A rennet was made witha
strong decoction. One quart of salt was added to three pints of
the decoction, and boiled for use, a spoonful of which was suffi-
cient to coagulate a large quantity of milk. Stearns;in the Am.
Herbal. 136, refers to its usein jaundice, nephritic disorders, and

311

in hemorrhage. “The juice snuffed up the nose stops bleeding,
and a leaf put on the tongue, and pressed against the roof of
the mouth, will answer the same purpose.” Thornton’s Fam.
Herbal. Linnzus, in his Veg. Mat. Med. 511, alludes to its em-
ployment in hemorrhage ; it was considered lithontripic and em-
menagogue, and adapted to those in whom the hemorrhagic
diathesis prevailed; all of which opinions I quote, as coming
from old authors. “Steel dipped in the juice becomes more
flexible.” The seeds produce an oil, which, taken in moderate
quantities, excites the system, especially “les plaisirs de amour.”
Twenty or thirty grains of these induce vomiting, and a few of
them, taken daily, are said to reduce excessive corpulency. Mér.
and de L.-Dict. de. M. Méd. vi, 613. By Salladin’s analysis, in
Journal de Chim. Méd. vi, 492, the plant contains nitrate of
Jime, hydrochlorate of soda, phosph. potash, acetate of lime, lig-
neous matter, with silicate and oxalate ofiron. Pallas, Voyage,
i, 700; Gmélin, Flora Siberica, ii; Mathiole, Comm. 560. It is
said that animals which feed on the plant become both fatter
and stronger. Mém. de Herlem, xxvi. The stalks have a fibre
like hemp, and have been employed for making cordage; the
root boiled in alum will dye a yellow color. See Hooke’s Mi-
croscop. Diss. xxii, 12, and Guettard, Mém. de |’Acad. des Sci. de
Paris, 1751, 350, for a description of the structure of the sting,
and the Petersburg Journal, 1778, 370, for a notice of the value
of the stalks in making ropes and paper. The U.S. Disp., 1303,
barely notices the plant. Late experiments may have escaped
the attention of its indefatigable authors.

The nettle plants are known to be closely allied to those bear-
ing textile fibres, and indeed thread can be made from all the
netules. Experiments may be made in the Southern States upon
the yield of fibre from the Urtica urens and dioica, which grows
spontaneously. Boiling in alkaline solutions and lime water is
used in the preparation of such plants. See next article,
-Ramie ; also, “ Apocynum.”

The common nettle, remarks Mr. Lawson, who ranks it with
flax, hemp, cotton, phormium and other fibre-yielding economical
plants, has been long known as affording a large proportion of
fibre, which has not only been made into ropes and cordage, but
also into sewing thread and beautiful white linen-like cloth of
superior quality. The fibre, he adds, is easily separated from

312

other parts of the stalk, without their undergoing the processes
of watering and bleaching, although by such the labor necessary
for that purpose is considerably lessened. Like those of many
other common plants, the superior merits of this generally ac-
counted troublesome weed have hitherto been much over-
looked—quoted by Wilson in Rural Cyc. It is stated that the
roots possess astringent and diuretic properties, and have been
found serviceable in poultices for tumors and decoctions for
other complaints. The leaves, chopped up with meal or with
boiled potatoes, are used for feeding ducklings, young turkeys
and full grown poultry, especially in winter, and are said to pro-
mote the laying of eggs. Nettles are sometimes boiled and
eaten in the manner of greens. Laborers use the young tops
of nettles as a pleasant, nourishing and mildly aperient potherb,
either in soups or in accompaniment with salt beef or pork.
Rural Cyc.

In China they use the Neilgherry Nettle called, also, “vegeta-
ble wool,” Urtica heterophylla, in the manufacture of coarse, stiff
fabrics. It possesses a bright stiffness like coarse mohair, and is
capable of being dyed. The bark of the young wood steeped in
water, renders easy the separation of the fibre. P. O. Rep.
Agricult., 1867.

RAMIE, CHINA GRASS, (Behmeria tenacissima, Behmeria
nived.)

This, sometimes spoken of as a Mexican plant, is a native of
China and Japan, and belongs to the Nettle family, (order
Urticacee,) which has markedly strong fibres. It has been
highly recommended as a substitute for Cotton, and successfully
used in the manufacture of cambrics and other fine stuffs. No
mention of it is made by Mérat, Griffith or other writers whom
I have consulted.

Some years since a new substitute for cotton was thus referred
to by a Paris correspondent: “Great excitement prevails in
those manufacturing districts of France where cotton is most
used, on account of the discovery of a substitute for it. This is
the China grass or white Urtica, (nettle weed,) which may be
cultivated cheaply in all parts of France. The experiments
with this new textile fibre have been going on fora year or
more under the direction of a competent committee appointed
by the Chumber of Commerce of Rouen. And this committee,

B18 *

with the weed, the raw fibre, and various specimens of woven
and colored and uncolored clothes in hand, have shown to the
Chamber, beyond all question, that the substitute is a genuine
one in every point. They declare, without reservation, that
none of the qualities of cotton are wanting.”

I obtain the following from one of the journals of the day:
“The Mexican plant, which is spoken of of late, as possibly a
rival to the cotton plant, is slowly making itself known to the
world of commerce. In New Orleans the Ramie fibre is begin-
ning to become an article of trade, and a demand for the fibre
is also springing up in the West. Of the merits of Ramie, it is
Stated to be as good as linen cambric or silk.”

Another journal, (1868,) mentions that “at an agricultural
fair recently held in Alabama, it was one of the special features
of the exhibition. Its fibres are said to be much finer and
stronger than the best flax; that they are as fine as sea island
cotton, and that, after cleansing, they become very soft and
white, and take colors as readily as the finest wool or silk.
Several articles of clothing made trom this fabric were exhibited
at the fair referred to, and were particularly noticed for the
strength and beauty of the material. Its cultivation has been
successful on a number of plantations in Alabama.

“Since its introduction into the United States in March,
1867, the Ramie has excited much interest among European
manufacturers. The supply from the Hast is entirely inadequate
to fill the demand, and unequal to the fibre here produced in
quality ; they are, therefore, very desirous of seeing it success-
fully cultivated in some country where the yield will be large
and regular. The soil and climate of the Southern States are
particularly adapted for the cultivation of Ramie, which requires
a loose, sandy soil and temperate climate. In any of the Cotton
States Ramie can be harvested at least three times a year; each
harvest or cutting will produce between nine and twelve hun-
dred pounds, making an average annual crop of about three
thousand pounds of crude unprepared fibre, worth at present in
Kurope ten cents specie per pound; in preparing the fibre for
manufacturing purposes it loses about one-half, and increases in
value to sixty-five cents per pound. The fibre, when prepared
for the spinner, is beautifully white, soft and glossy, closely re-
sembling floss silk in appearance; it is much stronger than the

314

best flax, and readily receives the most difficult dyes without in-
jury to its strength or lustre.”

Mr. F. T. Knapp, who has an extensive plantation of it in St.
Bernard’s Parish, La., thinks it best in its propagation: “ To bed
up the earth in beds of about five or six feet width, and to mat-
lay the stalks, when mature, in two rows, a foot apart, and to
save the roots for sale. The stalks are laid longitudinally, lap-
ping one another part of the way, and, by having two rows, if
some miss in one row, the probability is that others will come up
in the other row, so as to make it continuous in the beds.
When these plants come up and mature, the first growth reach-
ing about two and a half feet, he will layer them down, and
thus have the whole bed grow up thick and high, like that we
have just described.

“Of the productiveness of the Ramie there can be no doubt,
nor of its thorough security and safety in this climate and as
far north as Tennessee. The fibre can be cleansed and prepared
as readily as that of hemp or linen, and as it is equal to the
latter in fineness, and far superior to it in lustre, almost equalling
silk, there can be no doubt that it will soon take the lead of
cotton in the world’s market.”

I obtain a recent account of the Cultivation, etc., of this plant:

The Ramie Plant.—The ramie, standing single, is inclined to
make many side-shoots or laterals, which is especially the case
the first season. Assoon asit has been once or twice cut down,
close to or rather about one inch under the ground, and the
roots have become stronger, a large number of ratoons will
sprout from the roots and bulbouns, and few or no side-shoots
will show themselves. The shoots or ratoons from the roots
will stand close and push each other up. These close standing
shoots contain the best fibre; they are hollow, almost as much
so as cane. As soon as the fibre has the proper strength the
stem begins to color a little darker near the ground. The size
which the plants reach in a certain time varies according to
richness and kind of soil, as well as weather and mode of culti-
vation. Asa general rule it may be said as soon as the stems
have reached a little more than four feet, the fibre will be of
good quality, but does not get hurt if left uncut till it reaches
eight to ten feet in length.

Oulture—It cannot be too much recommended to have the

315

piece of land intended for the ramie deeply cultivated; sub-
soiled to fourteen inches would not be too deep, and this is the
most laborious work in the whole cultivation. The first year
weeds have to be cut out, but this will give but little trouble.
The second year the plant will have so many ratoons that other
plants will have no room to vegetate. From this time the culti-
vation will give very little trouble, except one plowing be-
tween the rows early in the spring and after each cutting, and
manure over the fields during the winter season. The field
ought to be laid off in pieces of about twenty rows in width,
and a passage left for a cart or wagon. The rows ought to be
about four feet apart, and the plants in the rows half that dis-
tance. When the field is ready for planting, a furrow is made
every four feet, about three to four inches deep, and in these
furrows the plants are placed, with little more care than negroes
plant sweet potatoes. The furrows ought to be made so that
the rain will not stand too long, yet all heavy washing ought to
be prevented. Rooted plants as well as layers ought to be
covered with earth nearly to the top; roots ought to be covered
with earth two or three inches deep. In case some plants or
roots should not grow, the vacancies should be filled as soon as
possible, and always the best plants taken for this purpose, so as
to get an even growing field. As soon as the plants have
reached seven to eight inches in height, they should be topped
(as in the nursery) to force out side-shoots. When these latter
are grown to about five or six inches in length, the plant has a
kind of bushy appearance; then the plant is hilled nearly to the
top. It is now left to grow until it has reached nearly the
height of three feet, when it is cut down even with the ground,
or better, one inch below. The fibre of this first growth can be
used, but is not perfect yet, because the roots and bulbs are not
large enough, and there are as yet too many side-shoots.

A few days after this cutting, a great many ratoons will make
their appearance on the surface. The whole work now consists
in keeping out all weeds. The second growth will be, under
similar circumstances, a great deal more rapid than the first
was and can be cut when about four feet high ; each growth
will have fewer side-shoots and soon they will disappear alto-
gether. The planting in the field ought to be done in the spring
but can be continued until the beginning of September. Those

316

which are planted late should be covered in winter with straw
or leaves, because they are too young and tender to resist se-
vere frosts. Those planted early in spring and summer do not
need any protection, as they will make roots eighteen to twenty-
four inches deep. All refuse matter falling off in cleaning the
fibre ought to be fed or cured and put in the barn for winter
use. All the manure coming from the plant ought to be care-
fully gathered and put back on the field. In this way, such a
field will give a rich return for many years without need of
being replanted. The experience in-regard to soil is yet limited,
but it is certain that a rich sandy loam suits the plant very
well. The plant can be grown so far north as the earth does
not freeze more than four inches deep in winter. The best por-
tions of this country will be the southern part of Texas, and the
States of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Caro-
lina and Florida.

Use of the Ramie—The ramie is useful in two ways. It con-
tains, first, a silk-like fibre of uncommon strength and fineness;
and, second, the refuse furnishes an excellent food for stock,
which in quantity compares favorably with clover. The fibre
will not only replace the cotton, but is bound to be a strong
rival to flax. In strength its fibre is nearest to silk, and as soon
as there is a little more experience and intelligence brought
into requisition, by the cultivation and manufacture of the tex-
tile, it will be found to be the best substitute for silk.

Suppose this plant to have none of this useful fibre, its culti-
vation would be of immense value as food for stock, in a great
many portions of the South. Another most important point in
introducing the ramie here, is its easy cultivation. The first
year it requires no more work than sweet potatoes, and then
the main work is in harvesting. The quantity of fibre will be
more and the price double that of cotton.

In case a field should be plowed up after a series of years
for some other purpose, then the roots and bulbs will make ex-
cellent food for hogs, or can be manufactured into a durable
dye.

The fences have to be kept in good order, because if cows and
hogs are once accustomed to it, they will break down a poor
fence to get toit. During the winter cows can be turned into
ramie fields, but hogs and borses should be kept out. So far

317

this plant has no destructive enemies. The so-called nettle
worm makes its appearance some seasons, but never hurts the
fibre ; it is satisfied with the lower leaves of the plant, and is in
this way harmless. Besides, if they were as destructive as the
cotton worm they could not injure the crop very much, as each
cutting is matured in a very short period of time.

The plants attain a height of twelve feet and grow very
thickly together. I have examined specimens of the fibre
which were several feet in length—white, glossy and fine. In
the Patent Office Rep., 244, 1855, is an account of its value for
manufacturing purposes, with a reference to Dr. J. F. Royle and
Dr. Roxburgh’s Treatises on the Oriental Fibres. Dr. Royle
says that the China grass cloth is made from this plant and that
the fibre has sold in England at from £80 to £120 a ton. ©

In an article in P. O. Rep. Agricult., 1867, it is stated that the
B. candicans is also used. The plants have been raised in
Washington from the seeds, which should be protected from the
sun.

LOW NETTLE, (Pitea pumila, Gray. Urtica pumila, L.)
Grows in wet soils, vicinity of Charleston; Richland; Fla. Fl.
Sept.

Griffith, Med. Bot., 572. This is quite smooth; is said to be
an excellent application to inflamed parts, and to relieve the
eruption caused by the Rhus. Griffith invites further investi-
gation.

PELTITORY, (Parietaria Pennsylvanica, Muhl.) Growing
in the upper districts of S. and N. C.; with P, debilis, Forst, and
P. Floridana, Nutt, growing in Fla., should be examined for the
possession of sulphur, as some species are said to contain more
sulphur than any other plants. Planche, Journ. de Pharm. viii,
367 ; Griffith.

HEMP, (Cannabis sativa.) Ex. Nat. Cultivated in the upper
districts.

The value of this plant for manufacturing purposes, for
making ropes and cordage, is well known. It may become a
most important question whether or not we can raise it in the
Atlantic States with as much profit as in Kentucky, or to repay
the labor bestowed upon it. I have not been able to ascertain
whether the juice of the plant, as cultivated here, possesses the

318

intoxicating properties of the East India species, (C. Indica,)
though it has been asserted that “water in which it is soaked
becomes violently poisonous.” See a paper in Patent Office
Reports, 1848, p. 574, from the Louisville Journal, containing a
full description of varieties, mode of production, and prepara-
tion of hemp. Count Chaptal says, in his Chemistry applied
to Agriculture, that M. Proust had determined, after numerous
experiments, that the stalk of hemp furnished the best charcoal
for the manufacture of gunpowder—better than the willow.
From the seeds is extracted an oil, generally employed by
painters. ‘The fine oil obtained from the seeds is peculiarly
adapted for burning in chambers, as it is perfectly limpid, and
possesses no smell. The Russians and Poles, even of the higher
class, bruise or roast the seeds, mix them with salt, and eat
them on bread. It expels vermin from plantations of cabbages
if planted on the borders of fields; if planted with that vege-
table, no caterpillar will infest it. Willich’s Dom. Ene. The:
seeds may be sown in April or May, from two to three bushels
per acre, either broadcast, and hoeing out the plants to a dis-
tance of sixteen or seventeen inches, or by the drill, at a dis-
tance of thirty inches. In the autumn the plants are pulled,
the male plants first, and the female plants six or seven weeks
afterward, when they have ripened their seed. Thus there are
two harvests of the hemp crop. The male plants are readily
known by their faded flowers, and yellowish color. They are
then tied in small bundles and carried to the pool, where they
are to be steeped. Hemp, like flax, poisons the water in which
it is steeped. The same process is followed when the female
plants are pulled; only these, before they are steeped, bave
their seeds beaten out. ‘

The process of steeping commonly lasts four or five days, and
is continued until the outside coat of the hemp readily sepa-
rates. It is then carefully and evenly spread on some grass
turf, where it remains for three or four weeks, being turned
over about twice every week, by which the decomposition of
the woody part of the stem is materially accelerated. It is
next carried to the barn, where it is bruised by the brake, a
machine constructed for the purpose ; it is then bound up into
bundles, and carried to market. (low’s Prac. Agr. p. 348.)
There is a paper on a species of African hemp by Mr. A. Hunter,

319

(Trans. High. Soc. vol. iii, p. 87;) others on the cultivation of:
hemp in America, by Mr. W. Tonge, (Ann. of Agr. vol. xxiii,
p- 1;) in Italy, (ibid. vol. xvi, p. 439, and vol. ii, p. 216,) and in
Catalonia. (Ibid. vol. viii, p. 243.) It seems that 100 parts of
Indian hemp-seed yield 20 to 25 per cent. of oil. (Com. Agr.
Asiat. Soc. 1838, p. 69.) See flax.

Among our native substitutes for hemp are the Apocynum
cannabinum ; the Canada Golden Rod, (Solidago canadensis,) L..,
(S. procera, of Ell.;) the Sunflower (Helianthus) affords single
filaments, which are said to be as thick and as strong as small
packthread; also our dsclepias Syriaca, Urtica dioica aud
Yucca filamentosa or bear-grass. See these plants. Elliott cays
that bear-grass possesses the strongest fibre of any vegetable
whatsoever. Its roots are extensive, and bear transplanting.
See Prep. of Hemp, Farmer’s Encye. See, also, files of the
Kentucky Farmer. Paper is made of waste hemp, whitened.
The seeds afford an oil, which, boiled in milk, is recommended
against coughs, and is also said to be useful in incontinence of
urine. In India an intoxicating liquor is made from the leaves,
resembling opium in its effects.

HOP, (Humulus lupulus, L.) Grows in the mountains of
South Carolina (Dr. McBride) and on the Mississippi, and gen-
erally cultivated in Southern States.

Ed. and Vay. Mat. Méd. 185; Chap. Therap. and Mat. Med.
i, 348, and ii, 455; Eb. M. Med. ii, 55; U. S. Disp. 374; Big.
Am. Med. Bot. ii, 163; Freake, Med. Phys. Journal, xiii, 432;
Thompson’s Lond. Disp. 200; Bigsby, Lond. Med. Repos. v, 97;
Bryorly’s Inaug. Diss. Phil. An. 1803; Ives in Silliman’s Jour-
nal, ii, 302; Thornton’s Fam. Herbal. 820. This plant is cer-
tainly possessed of some narcotic power. According to Dr.
Latham, an infusion of it is a good substitute for laudanum. It
is employed in doses of one and a half drachms in allaying the
distressing symptoms of pbthisis. It augments the secretions,
removes pain and irritability, and induces sleep. Dr. Maton,
Fell. Roy. Soc. Coll. Phys., says that large doses produce head-
ache. It is thought to be a specific in removing asthmatic
pains, without increasing the secretions. Meér. and de L. Dict.
de M. Méd. iii, 544; Pliny, lib. xxi, c. 15; Flore Med. iv, 196.
It is given with good effect as a stomachic, in inappetency and
weakness of the digestive organs. Mat. Med. Indica. 120; Bull.

320

des. Sci. Med. xvi, 145; Journal des Sci. Med. xli, 376; Edinb.
Journal, iv, 23; Diss. Medici de Humuli medici viribus medicis,
Edinb. 1803; Bromelius, “ Lupulogia,” Stockholm, 1687; Obs.
of Freake on the Hop, Lond. Lupulin, obtained from it, is said
to diminish the force of the pulse. See Journal de Chim. Med.
ii, 527; Journal de Pharm. viii, 228 and 330. In the Supplem.
to M. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. 1846, a case is reported of a
girl being poisoned by the hop. Rev. Scientifique, Mars, 1845;
Journal de Pharm. Mars, 1842. Much use is made of the hop
poultice in allaying pain, applied over the part. Its domestic
value in preparing the liquor known as yeast is obvious, as well
as for other purposes where fermentation is to be established
in the manufacture of many alcoholic drinks and malt liquors.
The medicinal properties of the hop are said to depend upon
the lupulin, a peculiar resinous secretion contained in the glands, ~
which is obtained by threshing and sifting the strobiles. By
analysis it consists of volatile oil, bitter principle, or lupulin,
resin, etc.; when administered internally, this has all the good
effects of the hop; given in pill, in doses of six to ten grains,
or in tincture in those of a half to one drachm ; and it may also
be added to poultices, ointments, etc. Ives’ Experiments; Grif-
fifth, Med. Bot. 574. The tincture of lupulin is said to be pref-
erable; dose, one to two fluid drachms. The uses of the hop
pillow and the tincture of hops, as sedatives and mild narcot-
ics, are well known; but for the medicinal application consult
the various works on the Materia Medica.

The Patent Office Rep. 280, 1857, contains a very full treatise
on the hop, condensed from various sources—an analysis of the
plant, the best mode of cultivation, gathering, ete. As the
raising of the hop is of great importance, I would refer culti-
vators to this article. It is said to be one of the very most
exhausting among cultivated plants, both in respect to the or-
ganic and mineral constituents which it extracts from the soil;
s0 that valleys containing the debris of the surrounding country
should be selected. See, also, Wilson’s Rural Cyc., art. “ Hop,”
“ Beer,” “Ale.” His account of cultivation, diseases, etc., of
the hop is full and instructive. The stem of the hop contains a
fibre like hemp, which is used in making a strong white cloth
in Sweden, though it requires long steeping to separate the
fibre. The hop plant is rich in tannin, and has been used for

321

tanning: the ash yields 25. of potash, 15. of lime, magnesia,
salt, etc. The suckers of the hop are said to form an agreeable
vegetable for the table when dressed like asparagus. Honey-
dew is frequent on hop plants from the perforations of the
aphis. It is said to be very abundant on cotton plants.

An article also on the cultivation of the hop can be found in
Patent Office Reports, 1854, p. 354.

I quote from the paper mentioned above as follows, as I con-
sider information on this topic important :

The hop is a perennial plant of easy cultivation, and will
grow in any part of the Western States. Its domestic uses are
so obvious, that no farm or garden should be without one or
more roots. It requires a rich, deep, mellow soil, with a dry,
pervious, or rocky sub-soil. The exposure in a Northern climate
should be toward the south, as on the slope of a hill, or in any
well sheltered valley. It may be propagated by seeds, or by
divisions of the roots; but it is more usual to plant the young
shoots which rise from the bottom of the stems of old plants.
These are laid down in the earth till they strike, when they
are cut off and planted in a nursery bed. Care must be taken
to have only one sort of hops in the same plat or field, in order
that they may all ripen at the same time. The ground having
been prepared for planting, it is divided by parallel lines six
feet apart, and short sticks are inserted into the ground along
the lines at seven feet distance from each other, and so as to
alternate the rows, as is frequently done with fruit trees and
other plants, in what is called the “ Quincunx form.” By this
“method every plant will be just seven feet from each of its
neighbors, although the rows will be only six feet apart, and
consequently about one-eighth of land will be actually saved, as.

indicated in the diagram below:
* * * * *

* *K- * *
* * * * *

At each stick a hole may be dug two feet square and two feet

deep, and iightly filled with the earth dug out, mixed with a

compost prepared with well rotted dung, lime and muck. Fresh

dung should never be applied to hops. Three plants are next

placed in the middle of this hole six inches asunder, forming an

equilateral triangle. A watering with liquid manure will greatly
21

322

assist their taking root, and they will soon begin to show “vines.”
Sticks three or four feet long are then stuck in the middle of
the three plants and the vines are tied to them with twine or
bass, till they lay hold and twine around them. During their
growth the ground should be well boed and forked up around
the roots, and some of the fine mould thrown around the stems.
In favorable seasons a few hops may be picked from these young
plants in autumn, but in general there is nothing the first year.
Late in autumn the ground may be carefully dug with a spade,
and the earth turned toward the plants, to remain during the
winter. Early in spring the second year the hillocks around
the plants should be opened, and the roots examined. The last
year’s shoots are then cut off within an inch of the main stem,
and all the suckers quite close to it. The latter forms an agree-
able vegetable for the table when dressed like asparagus. The
earth is next pressed round the roots, and the parts covered so
as to exclude the air. A pole about twelve feet long is then
firmly stuck into the ground near the plants; to this the vines
are led, and tied as they shoot, until they have taken hold of it.
If by accident a vine leaves the pole it should be carefully
brought back to it, and tied until it takes new hold.

Mr. J. J. Bennett, of New York, says: “The manner in which
I cultivate hops is as follows: After plowing the ground in-
tended for hops, I use about ten loads of leached ashes per acre
for a top-dressing, after which it should be well harrowed. The
rows should be eight feet apart and the hills seven feet apart.
In setting, a line is used with marks indicating the distance be-
tween the hills. After the line is drawn, small sticks are set to
each mark. Roots are to be cut, two joints on each piece, three
pieces to the hill; cover about two inches. The ground may be
planted with corn the first year, as the hops will not run until
the second. It shauld be sown the first of May in drills three
and one-half feet apart; sow with seed-drill. The first year
corn may be raised; plant one foot from the teasel row. I weed
them twice the first year; the second year they are to be culti-
vated and hoed twice. The first of August I cut such as are
ripe, which will be known by the shedding of the blossoms. I
cut at four different times, the stems to be about four inches
long. They are to be spread on shelves about eight inches deep,
one tier above another. There should be a good circulation of

323

air, that they may cure well. I paid for cultivating five acres
forty-two dollars ; paid for harvesting eighty-five dollars.” See
a full description of hops, mode of cultivation, preparations,
adulterations, etc., in Johnson’s Chemistry of Common Life,
vol. ii, p. 36; also Ure’s Dictionary of Arts and Manufactures,
articles “Hop,” “Ale,” “Beer,” ete. Consult Pereira’s Mat.
Medica, Chaptal’s Chemistry applied to Agriculture, Boussin-
gault’s Treatise on Agriculture in its relations with Chemistry,
and Thaér’s Agriculture for mode of planting, preparation, ete.
See, also, Phillips’ History of Cultivated Vegetables.

The great importance of cultivating this plant on a large
scale for manufacture of yeast should be impressed upon the
people. The mode of making hop Beer is as follows: Fora half
barrel of beer, take half a pound of hops, and half a gallon of
molasses. ‘he latter must be poured by itself into the casks.
Boil the hops, adding to them a teacupful of powdered ginger
in about a pailful and a half of water; that is, a quantity suf-
ficient to extract the virtue of the hops. When sufficiently
brewed, put it up warm into the cask, shaking it well in order
to mix it with the molasses. Then fill it up with water quite
up to the bung, which must be left open, to allow it to work.
You must be careful to keep it constantly filled up with water
whenever it works over. When sufficiently worked it may be
bottled, adding a spoonful of molasses to each bottle. Thorn-
ton’s Southern Gardener.

Ale and beer can be made in the Southern States, though not
with thesame advantage as in colder climates. Though without
practical experience, I am forced to the conviction that the de-
sideratum is cool cellars. In the rural districts what are called
dry cellars are constructed in the clay, just above the water-
bearing stratum, the top enclosed or covered with a closed house.
The temperature of these cellars is quite low, and they are used
in keeping milk, butter, melons, cider, etc. I think their tem-
perature would allow the manufacture and preservation of
either wine, ale or beer. Ale has been made near Charleston,
at Mount Pleasant ; but to prevent fermentation, cellars are re-
quired. The reader interested in the subject can find a descrip-
tion of the English method of making malt liquors in Ure’s Die-
tionary of Arts and Manufactures, in Wilson’s Rural Cyclo-
pedia, (art. “Ale,”)in Solly’s Rural Chemistry, p. 178, see art.

324

“Fermentation and Distillation;’ also Thornton’s Family
Herbal. “Mentha,” p. 565, Child. on Brewing, and Combrune’s
Theory and Practice of Brewing. In England they use Gen-
tiana lutea, purpurea and rubra as substitutes for hops. Consult
this volume, art. “ Persimmon,” (Diospyros,) “Sassatras,” (Lau-
rus,) “ Blackberry ” and “Cherry,” (Cerasus,) “ Apple,” (Pyrus,)
for liquors.

MULBERRY, (Morus alba, L.) Nat. Diffused ; vicinity of
Charleston. Fl. March.

Bell’s Pract. Dict. 319; U. S. Disp. 463 ; Dém. Blém. de Bot.
The root is bitter and very astringent, and is useful in relaxed
states of the bowels, diarrhcea, ete. Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 186.
It contains myroxylic acid with lime. Turner, 640. See analysis
in the Joarnal de Chim. Med. x, 676. The bark is a purgative
vermifuge, but is more important on account of “ the leaves being
the favorite food of the silk-worm.” That this plant is easily
cultivated in the Southern States may some day make it a source
of great profit in the production of silk. The mania may again
be revived, under auspices which may deprive the term of the
slight suspicion of reproach which is attached to its objects.
Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd., Supplem. 1846, 496 ; Griffith,
Med. Bot. 579.

As “this is the species upon which the si/k-worm feeds,” the
following brief directions concerning the manufacture of Silk,
from the Rural Cyc., may be useful; and as the production of
the raw silk is in the power of almost any one, if the females of
numerous families throughout the Southern States would devote
their leisure to it, the aggregate amount of silk produced would
contribute still further to render us independent as a people.

After the worm has enveloped itself in the cocoon, seven or
eight days are allowed to elapse before the balls are gathered.
The next process is to destroy the life of the chrysalides, which
is done either by exposure to the sun, or by the heat of an oven,
or of steam. The cocoons are next separated from the floss,
or loose, downy substance which envelopes the compact balls,
and are then ready to be reeled. For this purpose they are
thrown into a boiler of hot water for the purpose of dissolving
the gum, and being gently pressed with a brush, to which the
threads adhere, the reeler is thus enabled to disengage them.
The ends of four or more of the threads thus cleared are passed

325

through holes in an iron bar, after which two of these compound
threads are twisted together, and made fast to the reel. The
length of reeled silk obtained from a single cocoon varies from
three hundred to six hundred yards; and it has been estimated
that twelve pounds of cocoons, the produce of the labors of
two thousand eight hundred worms, which have consumed one
hundred and fifty-two pounds of mulberry leaves, give one
pound of reeled silk, which may be converted into sixteen yards
of gros de Naples. Those cocoons which have been perforated
cannot be reeled, but must be spun on account of the breaks in
the thread. The produce of these balls when worked is called
fleuret. The raw silk, before it can be used in weaving, must be
twisted or thrown, and may be converted into singles, tram, or
organzine. The first is produced merely by twisting the raw silk
to give more firmness to its texture. Tram is formed by twist-
ing together, but not very closely, two or more threads of raw
silk, and usually constitutes the weft or shoot of manufactured
goods. Organzine is principally used in the warp, and is formed
by twisting first each individual thread, and then two or more
of the threads thus twisted, with the throwing-mill. The silk
when thrown is called hard silk, and must be boiled in order to
discharge the gum, which otherwise renders it harsh to the
touch and unfit to receive the dye. After boiling about four
hours in soaped water, it is washed in clear water to discharge
the soap, and is seen to have acquired that glossiness and soft-
ness of texture which forms its principal characteristic. The
yarn is now ready for weaving. Rural Cyc. I saw in Italy
the manufacture of silk going on in most of the large towns,
and many in the country prepare raw silk for the manufacturer
and weaver.

The successful rearing of silk-worms, remarks Wilson, is a
distinct art, and requires peculiar attention. They are subject
to a variety of maladies. In many places it is usual to import
the eggs from some district that has acquired reputation for
their production. These are packed like grain, and are chosen
in the same manner. The eggs are in many places hatched by
the heat of the human body. The silk is contained in the form
of a fluid resembling varnish, in long, cylindrical sacks many
times the length of the animal, and capable of being unfolded
by immersion in water. This fluid is easily forced out, and

326

advantage is sometimes taken of this circumstance to procure
threads much coarser than usual, which are extremely strong
and impervious to water. Rural Cye. At the agricultural
meetings in South Carolina and Georgia, articles of home-made
silk are occasionally presented.

A correspondent from Sumter, S. C., furnishes the following:

“In South Carolina silk growing was successfully and pro-
fitably executed. The mother of the celebrated Pinckneys car-
ried to England some silk produced on her plantation in South
Carolina, and it was there woven into tissues, and the gowns
made of it were presented by her to the mother of young
George the Third, and to the Earl of Chesterfield. As early as
the year 1660, the silk-worms of Virginia furnished the corona-
tion robe of Charles the Second. The mulberry was indige-
nous in the colony, and the success of silk industry was fully
established, until it yielded to the tobacco plant, very probably
because the latter was found more profitable under the unskilled
and careless labor of the imported Africans. In 1732, ma-
chinery, eggs and trees were introduced into Georgia; and in
1735, Queen Caroline, of England, wore on a great State occa-
sion, a beautiful robe of Georgia silk. In 1749, that colony
exported large quantities of cocoons, and one large silk estab-
ment erected in Savannah, received and used annually during
the years 1758 to 1766, from ten to twenty thousand pounds of
cocoons. The war withdrew the fostering care of the parent
government, and reduced the demand for export, and the re-
turn of peace found the silk business suspended by cotton
culture.

“In Cowdin’s recent report to the Department of State, (Cow-
din, U. S. Commissioner to Paris Exposition,) it is said that
‘silk husbandry and manufacturing had almost ceased to exist
in the United States at the commencement of this century.’
Since then they have not kept pace with the advance in kin-
dred pursuits. Nevertheless, they have always been prosecuted
to an encouraging extent in various parts of New England,
New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. As, for example,
Mansfield, already referred to, has done a large business in sew-
ing silks, and produced in 1839 five tons of the raw material.
Washington, Penn., always kept up the business. It was intro-
duced into the State Prison, at Auburn, N. Y., in 1841 ; and, the

327

first year, the product of sewing silk was about $13,000. It
was steadily increasing in the country when, some twenty-five
years ago, its growth was checked by a disastrous speculative
furor in the Morus multicaulis shrub, which, for a few years,
raged throughout the Union like an epidemic.

“The reaction fell heavily upon the whole business, covering
it temporarily with odium and ridicule. It has since been
slowly recovering from this season of delusion and folly.

“In 1840, the product of silk raised in the United States was
estimated at about sixty thousand pounds, valued at $250,000.
In 1844, it had increased to about four hundred thousand pounds,
worth $1,500,000. By the census of 1860, when the effects of
the speculative mania alluded to had culminated, the annual
product was reported at only fourteen thousand seven hundred
and sixty-three pounds. Then it began to revive; and by the
census report of 1860, it appears that the manufacture of sew-
ing silks was carried on extensively in Connecticut, New Jer-
sey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and New York—the States
being named in the order of the value of their products. The
annual production in these States, including tram, organzine,
etc., was placed at upwards of $5,000,000. Ribbons were made
to a small extent, as were also silk stuffs. But, aside from
sewing silks, the chief silk manufacture consisted of ladies’ dress
trimmings, coach laces, etc., of which the cities of Philadelphia
and New York are reported as producing about $2,300,000.

“Since 1860, the business in all its departments has made
steady progress ; and the current period is more favorable than
any previous one for its energetic prosecution. Our country is
specially fitted for silk culture. The experiments in Georgia
and South Carolina proved that their soil and climate were pe-
culiarly suited to it. May we not hope that after the lapse of
eighty-five years it will be resumed.” P

From an Essay on the Culture and Manufacture of Silk. By
H. P. Byram, Brandenburg, Meade County, Ky.—Experience
of past ages has fully proved that the climate of the United
States is as well adapted to the nature and habits of the silk-
worm and the production of silk, as that of any other country.
Several varieties of the mulberry are indigenous in our soil,
and those generally used in the native country of the silk-worm
succeed equally well in our own soil and climate. Hence, from

328

the nature and habits of American people, we must soon be-
come the greatest silk growing nation on the earth. The first
step toward the production of silk is to secure a supply of
suitable food for the silk-worm.

Having tried all the varieties introduced into our country, I
find the Morus multicaulis and the Canton varieties, all things
considered, most suitable for that purpose.

Propagation of the Mulberry—Although the experience of
some years past has rendered this subject familiar to many, yet
those now most likely to engage in the legitimate business of
silk growing may be less acquainted with the propagation of
the tree. I shall give some brief directions on the subject?

Almost any soil that is high and dry, and that will mature
Indian corn, is suitable for the mulberry. That, however, which
is inclined to be light or sandy is the best.

The Morus multicaulis may be propagated by cuttings orlayers,
(or a good variety may be raised from the seed.) Cuttings may ~
be of one or more buds, planted perpendicularly in a light,
mellow bed of good soil. They should be planted when the
spring has fully opened, or about the usual time of planting
corn. They may be planted in the rows, about twelve inches
apart, and the rows at a sufficient distance to admit of thorough
cultivation with a plow or cultivator. The ground should be
kept mellow until past midsummer. Select a suitable piece of
ground for a permanent orchard. It would be well if broken
up in the fall, and again plowed in the spring, and, if followed
with the sub-soil plow, it would be advantageous. After a
thorough harrowing it should be laid off in rows, each way eight
feet by four, with the plow. The trees at one year old from
the nursery should be taken up, the tops cut off near the roots,
and one planted in each of the squares or hills. Having tried
various methods of planting and different distances, I prefer
those here given, This will admit the free use of the plow and
cultivator both ways.

In latitudes north of 38° or 40°, where land is dear, they may ,
be planted much nearer. If a sufficient quantity of cuttings
from old trees cannot at once be procured, the trees from the
nursery should be taken up in the fall and buried in a cellar, or
upon the north side of a bank or hill, in alternate layers of trees
and earth, and the whole protected by a shed from the rains of

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winter, as the plants seldom sufficiently mature the first season
from the cuttings to withstand the winters of a Northern cli-
mate, particularly that portion above the ground. South of 38°
of latitude these precautions may not be necessary.

The Canton mulberry is a more hardy kind, resembling in
some degree the varieties known as the common Italian, pro-
ducing alarge, full, thick leaf. This variety is propagated from
seed and from layers, but does not readily strike root from
cuttings. In 1838 I procured a quantity of this seed from
Canton, which produced a variety of plants. Those producing
the greatest quantity of fruit yield an inferior leaf. They are
now propagating this variety very extensively at the silk
growing establishment at Economy, Pennsylvania, which, in
connection with the Morus multicaulis, constitute the principal
food used at this establishment.

The fruit should be gathered when fully ripe, and the seed
washed out and dried. If south of the 39th parallel of lati-
tude, they may be planted the same season. North of this,
they should be planted in the following spring, in a bed of rich
earth prepared as for beets or onions, and planted in drills about
eighteen inches apart. The young plants should be thinned to
the distance of from one to three inches from each other. They
_ should be well cultivated, when they will attain the height of
three or four feet the first season. In the fall, in a Northern
climate, the young trees should be taken up and protected
during the winter, as directed for the Morus multicaulis. [This
is not necessary in the Southern States. ]

In the following spring the branches may be taken off near
the main stem, the top shortened, and the whole tree planted,
completely covering the roots and main stem from one to two
inches deep. In this way two or more trees may be produced
from each plant. If a full supply can be procured, the roots of
the young plants may at once be removed to the orchard. They
may be allowed to stand much nearer than the multicaulis,
leaving only sufficient room for cultivation. When seed is re-
quired it would be well to plant out a portion from the seed-bed
at once, as standards for this purpose, always selecting those
bearing full heart-shaped leaves. The leaves of the white Italian
produces a good, heavy cocoon, and should always be used in
the last age of the worms when other larger-leaved varieties
cannot be obtained.

330

Oultivation—The mulberry orchard should be annually culti-
vated. The ground kept mellow and free from weeds until the
middle of July. The fields should be divided into three equal
parts, and after the second season from planting, one-third each
year should be cut down near the ground. This will cause a
more vigorous growth, and an abundant crop of foliage.

Feeding apartments.—Various plans have been proposed and
adopted for cocooneries, or feeding-sheds, for the silk-worms,
none of which, I think, are without objection, except a perfect
laboratory, so constructed as to be able to fully control the at-
mosphere and temperature within. This, however, would be
too expensive, and require too much skill and judgment for
general adoption. Open or shed-feeding has been employed
with success of late years, and for general use may be the most
successful for family establishments. This, however, confines
the whole business, particularly in the Northern States, to one
or two crops in the season. South of Ohio more can be success-
fully fed.

These sheds may be cheaply made by setting some durable
posts in the ground, say from six to eight feet high, with a roof
of shingles or boards. The roof should project two feet over
the sides. There should be some temporary protection to the
ends and sides of the shed; perhaps the best and cheapest can
be made of strong cotton cloth, (Osnaburg ;) three or four widths
should be sewed together, with small rods across the bottom,
which will answer as weights, and also as rollers, which, by the
aid of a pulley, may be rolled or let down at pleasure. The
width of the sheds must be governed by the size of the hurdles
or feeding-trays used. The width that I have adopted is from
eighteen to twenty feet. The length according to the extent of
the feeding contemplated.

Where it is designed to carry on an extensive business, a
building should be constructed expressly for the purpose. It
should be on an elevated situation, convenient to the mulberry
orchard. There should be a cellar under the building. Any
material commonly used for building may be employed. If of
wood, weather-boarded and plastered. It would be well to fill
up the space between the two with tan-bark or unburnt brick,
or something of the kind, which will render the temperature
more uniform. The width of the building should be twenty or
twenty-eight feet—the former admitting of two, and the latter

331

A

of three double ranges of hurdles. or trays of suitable size; the
length suited to the extent of the business designed. It should
be two stories high, and so constructed as to be thoroughly
ventilated. There should be two double doors in each end, with
doors, windows and yentilators in the sides. The windows
should extend to near the tops of the rooms. There should be
sliding ventilators near the floor. The windows may be filled
with oiled paper or cloth, which will admit the light and ex-
clude the sun. It would also be important to have under each
tier of hurdles, through the floor, two planks of ten inches
width each, hung with hinges, that they may be raised at
pleasure by a pulley. Also an upright ventilator on the roof,
fitted with blinds, through which a constant draft may be
kept up.

In one end of the building, in each of the two doors, there
should be a ventilating wheel made of thin boards (plank)
much after the form of the wheels applied to the sterns of our
steam-propellers. These wheels should be about two feet in
diameter. They should be put in motion for a few minutes
every hour, or oftener in still weather. Both may be made to
turn ‘by one crank, connecting each by bands and whirls to the
main shaft.

An air-furnace, such as is now employed in heating churches
and ether buildings, should be constructed in the cellar, and so
arranged as to draw from the feeding-rooms all the air neces-
sary to supply the furnace. The air, when heated in the cham-
ber, should be conveyed through the whole length of the rooms,
in a square pipe with openings at short distances from each
other, which should increase in size as they recede from the
furnace. These openings may be so connected as to be all
closed at once, or a valve applied at the air-chamber may be
used to cut off the communication of heated air when the tem-
perature is sufficiently high in the rooms, suffering the hot air
to escape outside of the building. In the last ages of the worms
the furnace will be found of great benefit, even when the heat
is not required in the rooms, for the purpose of drawing off and
consuming the impure air of the cocoonery.

At Economy, they not only make use of air-furnaces, but in
an adjoining building they have a large air-pump constantly in
operation, connected with the cocoonery by a pipe with small

332

openings through the length of the building. This pump is
kept in motion by a steam engine.

With good eggs, when proper means have been employed for
their preservation, and the feeding apartments thoroughly ven-
tilated, I do not know of a single instance where the worms
have proved unhealthy. From the conviction that proper
regard had not generally been paid to the ventilation of cocoon-
eries, in the summer of 1842 I commenced a series of experi-
ments, by which I ascertained that the silk-worm during its last
age consumed nearly its own weight of leaves daily; and that
the amount of exhalations or imperceptible perspiration given
off in proportion to the quantity of food consumed, was about
equal to that ascertained to escape from a healthy man.

I found from the most careful experiments, that the weight
of one hundred thousand silk-worms, about five days before
their time of winding, was four hundred and fifty-eight pounds,
and that they would consume daily three hundred and seventy-
two pounds of leaves,* and that their increased -weight in
twenty-four hours from the food consumed was forty-six pounds,
and that the enormous amount of two hundred and six pounds *
was given off in the same time, in the form of exhalations or
imperceptible perspiration alone. This, then, I think, fully ex-
plains the cause of disease complained of by many, and estab-
tablishes the importance of ventilation in every possible form.

In one corner of the building there should be a hatching-
room, with which the furnace below should be connected, so as
to receive a greater or lesser degree of heat, as may be required,
without reference to the temperature of the feeding-rooms.

Fixtures.—In fitting up the hurdles or feeding shelves for a
building of twenty feet wide, it will require a double range of
posts, two anda half or three inches square, on each side of
the centre of the room, running lengthwise, and the length of
the shelves apart in the ranges, and each two corresponding.
posts, crosswise of the ranges, about the width of the two
shelves apart. On each double range across the posts are
nailed strips, one inch or more in width and about fifteen inches

* Had these worms been fed in the ordinary manner they would have
consumed many more leaves in the same time. But to preserve the greatest
possible accuracy, through the whole experiment they were fed rather spar-

ingly.

333

apart, on which the trays or hurdles rest, which may be drawn
out or slid in as may be found necessary in feeding. The aisles
or passages of a building of the above width will be four feet
each, allowing two feet for the width of each single hurdle.

The hurdles that I have used for many years are of twine
net-work. A frame is first made five feet long and two feet
wide, of boards seven-eighths of an inch thick, and one and a
half inches wide. There should be two braces across the frame
at equal distances of five-cighths by seven-eighths of an inch
square. Ona line, about half an inch from the inner edge of
the frame, are driven tacks nearly down to their heads, at such
distances as will make the meshes of the net about three-quar-
ters of an inch square. Good hemp or flax twine is passed
around these tacks, forming a net by passing the filling double
over and under the warp, or that part of the twine that runs
lengthwise. This twine should be somewhat smaller than that
running lengthwise. On a damp day the twine becomes tight;
I then give the netting two good coats of shellac varnish. This
cements the whole together and renders it firm and durable.
The varnish is made by dissolving a quantity of gum shellac in
alcohol in a tin covered -vessel, and placed near the fire. It
should be reduced, when used, to the consistency of paint.

Another set of frames is made in the same way and of the
same size, and covered with strong cotton or tow cloth; this is
secured with small tacks. Upon these the net frames rest,
which serve to catch the litter that falls through from the worms.
Hurdles made and supported in this manner admit of a more
free circulation of air, and the litter is less liable to mould or
ferment, and can be removed and cleaned at pleasure. With
this kind of hurdle and screen I make use of winding-frames,
constructed in the following manner: a light frame is made of
boards one and a half inches wide, and the length of the hur-
dles, and two feet and four inches wide; this is filled crosswise
with thin laths about one inch apart in the clear. The manner
of using these will be hereafter explained. They answer the
twofold purpose of winding-frames and mounting-ladders.

The care and expense required in fitting up a house on this
plan may prevent its general adoption. The most common
method that has been heretofore employed is permanent shelves;
but the labor required to keep the worms properly cleaned
renders this plan objectionable.

334

At Economy, Penn., the rearing of the silk-worm is now
carried on to a great extent, and more successfully than in any
other part of the United States, or perhaps the world. Their
houses are two stories high. The worms are fed on small trays
about eighteen or twenty inches wide, and about three feet
long. They are supported in the same manner as the hurdles
above described, and are about six inches apart. When the
worms are about ready to wind, they are transferred to the
upper story, to permanent shelves about sixteen inches apart,
where they form their cocoons in bunches of straw placed up-
right between the shelves. The worms are cleaned at least —
once after every moulting, and after the last, every day. For —
this purpose they have nets woven or knit of cotton twine,
something larger than the size of the trays, with meshes of
various sizes suited to the age of the worms. For the last age
they are about three-quarters of an inch square. They are
used without frames. When it is required to remove the worms
from their litter, the nets are laid lightly over them, and then
plentifully fed. When the worms have arisen upon the fresh
leaves, they are removed by two persons taking hold of the
four corners of the net and transferring them to clean trays,
held and carried off by a third person. One hundred thousand
are changed in this manner in two hours.

Description of the Silk»corm.—It will be necessary for the in-
experienced culturist to have some knowledge of the forms,
changes and appearances of the silk-worm before he enters _
upon the duties of his interesting charge. The silk-wormisa —
species of caterpillar, whose life is one continual succession of
changes, which in due time becomes a moth or winged insect,
like others of the genus. The time occupied in going through
its different forms of existence varies in different countries—
governed by climate, temperature and the quality and quantity
of the food upon which it is fed, and the nature of the particu-
lar variety of the insect.

The worm changes or casts its skin (of the common varieties)
four times before it attains its full growth. These changes are
ealled moultings, and the periods intervening between the
several moultings are termed ages. When it is first hatched it
is of a blackish color, which afterward becomes lighter, varying
almost daily to different shades, and in different varieties
through every age, to the close of the last, or near the time of

335

spinning, when it assumes a grayish yellow, semi-transparent
appearance.

Having tried all the varieties that have been introduced into
the United States, those I consider the best are known as the
Chinese Imperial, producing a large, salmon-colored, peanut-
shaped cocoon; and a kind called the Peanut, producing a
mixture of white and salmon-colored cocoons. This variety
produces a larger and more firm cocoon than any of that name
that I have seen.

Time of hatching.—Rearing.—W hen the leaves of the mulberry
have put forth to the size of about an inch in diameter, it may
be generally inferred that the proper time for hatching the
worm has arrived. The papers or cloths containing the eggs
should then be brought out and placed in the hatching-room,
upon a table or trays made for the purpose. When artificial
meansare employed, the temperature should be gradually raised
until the time of hatching, which will be in about ten days, to
75° or 80° of Fahrenheit’s thermometer. But few worms will
make their appearance on the first day, but on the second and
third the most will come out; should there be a few remaining
on the fourth day, they may be thrown away, as they do not
always produce strong and healthy worms. When the worms
begin to make their appearance, young mulberry leaves cut into
narrow strips should be laid over them, to which they will readily
attach themselves; these should be carefully removed, and
placed compactly upon a cloth screen or tray prepared for them,
and other leaves placed upon the eggs for the worms that still
remain, which should be passed off as before. A singular fact
will be observed, that all the worms will hatch between sunrise
and before noon of each day. Care should be taken to keep the
worms of each day’s hatching by themselves, as it is of the
greatest importance to have the moultings and changes of all
the worms as simultaneous as possible. It is also important
that the worms that have been transferred to the trays should
not be fed until the hatching for the day is completed, so that
all may be fed equally. Young and tender leaves should be se-
lected to feed the worms with; these should be cut with a sharp
knife into pieces not exceeding a quarter of an inch square, and
evenly sifted over them. They should be fed in this way six or
eight times in twenty-four hours, as nearly as possible at regular
and stated periods.

336

It will be impossible to lay down any definite rules for the
quantity of leaves necessary for a given number of worms for
each succeeding day through everyage. Aftera little acquaint-
ance with their nature and habits, the intelligence and judg-
ment of the attendant will be the best guide ; they should, how-
ever, have as much as they will eat, but after a few days care
should be taken not to give them more than they will generally
consume, as this will increase the accumulation of litter, which
will endanger the health of the worms. In the last age they
eat voraciously, when they should be wellsupplied. A quantity
of leaves should always be on hand in case of wet weather.

When the average range of the thermometer is between 70°
and 80° the several moultings will take place near the fifth,
ninth, fifteenth and twenty-second days after hatching. It may
be known when the worms are about to cast their skins, as they
cease to eat, and remain stationary, with their heads raised, and
occasionally shaking them. This operation will be more dis-
tinctly observed as they increase in size through their succeed-
ing ages. Assuming the above temperature as the standard, the
quantity of leaves for the first three days of this (the first) age
must be gradually increased at each feeding, after which they
will require less at each succeeding meal until the time of moult-
ing arrives, when for about twenty-four hours they eat nothing.
But as it is seldom the case that all cast their skins at one and
the same time, some will still be disposed to eat, when a few
leaves must be cut fine and sparingly scattered over them, so
that those that remain torpid may be disturbed as little as
possible. They must now be carefully fed in this way until it
is discovered that some have moulted, when the feeding must
cease altogether until the most of them have recovered. This
rule must me particularly regarded through all the succeeding
moultings, otherwise some of the worms will be far in advance
of others; and this want of uniformity will increase through-
out each succeeding age, and to the period of winding, which
will not only result in great inconvenience in gathering the
cocoons, but will materially injure the worms, and consequently
lessen the crop of silk. .

When the greatest portion of the worms have moulted, and ap-
pear active, leaves a little wilted are laid over them, by which
they are passed to clean trays. Ifany still remain that have
moulted, they must be transferred in the same manner, by

a a

337

laying more leaves upon them. The remnant of worms that
have not changed their skins should be left upon the litter and
added to those of the next day’s moulting. By closely regarding
these rules throughout the several ages, the worms will gen-
erally all commence the formation of their cocoons about the
same period.

After having gone through and furnished all the worms with
a quantity of leaves, itis well to go over a second time, and add
more where they seem to require it. Very young and tender
leaves must be given to the worms in the first age, after which
older ones can be given as they advance in age until after the
last moulting, when they should be fed upon sound, full-grown
leaves. After the second moulting the leaves, where large crops
are fed, may be cut by running them twice through a common
rotary hay or straw-cutter, of Hovey’s, or one of a similar
make, ’

The worms will frequently heap together and become too
thick, as they increase in size. When they are fed the leaves
must be spread, and the space enlarged, or they may be removed
by leaves or twigs of the mulberry to places unoccupied. If
they are permitted to be crowded, disease is apt to follow and
the whole crop is endangered. It will sometimes be observed,
when the light falls more directly on one side of the hurdle
than the other, that the worms will incline to leave that side
aud become crowded on the opposite, when the hurdle should
be turned around.

Up to the last moulting it is best to feed the worms entirely
upon the leaves of the multicaulis, after which the Canton or
white Italian should be used if a full supply can be obtained—
the former being consumed with greater avidity, and the accu-
mulation of litter is consequently less. The Canton and Italian
produce the heaviest cocoon, while the multicaulis yields a finer
and stronger fibre. In pursuing this course the advantages of
both are in some degree secured.

The worms should be removed from their litter immediately
after each moulting, and in their fourth age the hurdles should
be cleaned a second time, and after the last moulting they
should be removed at least every second day. Where nets are
not used in the last ages, the worms are changed by laying over

them the small branches of the mulberry, Recently branch-
22

338

feeding, as it is termed, has been introduced with some success,
and with great economy of time ; in the last ages of the worms
care should be taken to lay the branches as evenly as possible,
especially where it is designed to use the twine hurdles, other-
wise it will be difticult for the worms to ascend through the
netting.

When the worms are about to spin they present something of
a yellowish appearance ; they refuse to eat, and wander aboutin
pursuit of a hiding-place, and throw out fibres of silk upon the
leaves. The hurdles should now be thoroughly cleaned for the
last time, and something prepared for them to form their co-
coons in. Various plans have been proposed for this purpose,
The lath frames, before described, I prefer. They are used by
resting the back edge of the frame upon the hurdle, where the
two meet in the double range, and raising the front edge up to
the underside of the hurdle above, which is held to its place by
two small wire hooks attached to the edge of the hurdle, A
covering of paper or cloth should be applied to the lath frames.
In using the hurdles and screens I remove the screen from under
the hurdle, turning the underside up, and letting it down di-
rectly upon the winding-frame. This affords double the room
for the worms to wind in. Lath frames of this description have
advantages that no other fixtures for winding possess that I
have ever seen tried. The frame resting upon the backside of
each hurdle renders this side more dark, which places the worms
instinctively seek when they meet with the ends of the laths,
and immediately ascend to convenient places for the formation
of their cocoons. From these frames the cocoons are gathered
with great facility and free from litter and dirt, and when they
are required they are put up with great expedition.

Where branch-feeding has been adopted by some, no other
accommodation has been provided for the winding of the worms
than that afforded them by the branches from which they have
fed. This is decidedly objectionable, as the worms are always
disposed to rise until their course is obstructed above. When
this is not the case they wander about for hours upon the tops
of the branches, and only descend after their strength becomes
exhausted, and the result is the production of a crop of loose,
inferior cocoons. Next to lath frames, small bunches of straw
afford the best accommodation for this purpose. Rye straw is

339

preferred. Take a small bunch, about the size of the little fin-
ger, and with some strong twine tie it firmly about half an inch
from the butt of the straw; cut the bunch off about half an
inch longer than the distance between the hurdles. They are
thus placed upright with their butt-ends downward, with their
tops spreading out, interlacing each other, and pressing against
the hurdles above. They should be thickly set in double rows
about sixteen inches apart across the hurdles. These may be
preserved for a number of years.

After most of the worms have arisen, the few remaining
may be removed to burdles by themselves. In three or four
days the cocoons may be gathered. While gathering, those
designed for eggs should be selected. Those of firm and fine
texture, with round, hard ends, are the best. The smaller co-
coons most generally produce the male, and those larger and
mor@full at the ends the female insect. Kach healthy female
moth will lay from four to six hundred eggs. But it is not always
safe to calculate on one-half of the cocoons to produce female

moths. Therefore, it is well to save an extra number to insure
a supply of eggs.

The cocoons intended for eggs should be stripped of their
floss or loose tow, which consists of irregular fibres, by which
the worm attaches its work to whatever place it is about to
form its cocoon. These should be placed on hurdles, in a thin
layer, and in about two weeks the moths will come out ; always
in the forepart of the day, and generally before the sun is two
hours high. If laid upon a net hurdle (which is best) they will
immediately fall through the meshes and remain suspended on
the underside where they are not liable to become entangled in
the cocoons. As soon as the male finds the female they become
united. They should be taken carefully by the wings, in pairs,
and placed upon sheets of paper, to remain until near night,
when the female will be anxious to lay her eggs. Then take
each gently by the wings and separate them, placing the fe-
males at regular distances—about two inches from each other—
upon sheets of paper or fine cotton or linen cloth; these should
hang over a line, or be attached to the side of the house. In
two or three nights the moths will complete their laying, when
they should be removed from the papers or cloths. Frequently
the males appear first in the greatest numbers, some of which

340

should be reserved each day in case there should afterward be
an excess of females. They should be shut out from the light,
otherwise they are liable to injure themselves by a constant
fluttering of their wings. The female is largest, and seldom
moves or flutters.

Killing the chrysalides.—After the cocoons have been gathered,
those that are intended for sale or for future reeling should be
submitted to some process by which the moths will be killed,
otherwise they will perforate and spoil the cocoons. This is
done by various methods. The most simple and convenient is
to spread them thinly on boards, and expose them to the direct
rays of the sun. In a hot day many-of them will be killed in a
few hours; but they must be stirred occasionally, or some will
be liable to escape the heat, and afterward come out. At
Economy, they place them in an air-tight box containing about
ten bushels, (tbe box should always be full, or if not, a partition
is fitted down to the cocoon,) sprinkling evenly through the
whole, beginning at the bottom, about three ounces of camphor
slightly moistened with alcohol, and finely pulverized. The
box is then closed, and the seams of the top covered by pasting
strips of paper over them. They remain in this way about
three or four days. They are then spread out thinly in an upper
loft to cure, where they should be occasionally stirred. It will
require some weeks to thoroughly cure them. Before cam-
phoring, the dead and bad cocoons must be taken out, otherwise
they will spoil the good ones.

When it is convenient, it is best to reel as many of the
cocoons as possible immediately after they are gathered, as
they reel much more freely before they are exposed to the sun
or dried. J

Succession of crops.—Preservation of eggs.—Repeated attempts
have been made to feed a succession of crops of worms through-
out the entire season from the same stock of eggs. In most
instances success has failed to attend these efforts. When
proper means are employed, end due care observed, the eggs
may be preserved, and worms successfully raised until the feed
is destroyed by the frost. In many years experience I have
never failed in this respect. In the spring of 1840 I communi-
cated to Miss Rapp, of Economy, my method of preserving
eggs, which she immediately adopted, and has pursued it until

———————— ee

341

the present time with perfect success, feeding from eighteen to
twenty-five crops each year. The following is an extract of a
letter from the Postmaster at Economy, dated January 19,
1843:

“Between May and September we raised near two millions
of worms, in eighteen sets, of near equal numbers, about a
week apart, producing three hundred and seventy-one bushels
of cocoons. The last crop hatched the 9th of September, and
spun the 10th of October. We found no difference in the
health of the different sets. We are of the opinion that the
late keeping of the eggs does not bring disease on the worms if
they are kept right, and gradually brought forward as they
ought to be.”

It may be remarked that the qualities of the mulberry leaf
are such in the latter part of the season that as heavy cocoons
willynot be produced as in the first. A bushel of the first crop
raised at Economy, in the season referred to, produced twenty-
three and a quarter ounces of reeled silk, and the last crop,
wound in October, but nineteen ounces. About one month of
the best part of that season of feeding was lost by the severe
frost that occurred on the 5th of May, which entirely killed the
young leaves, and must have materially injured the crop of the
season.

My method of preserving eggs-is to place them in the ice-
house in February, or early in March, or sooner if the weather
is warm. For this purpose a box or square trunk is made, ex-
tending from within one foot of the bottom of the ice to the
top. This may be made in joints, so that as the ice settles the
upper joints may be removed. The eggs should be placed in a
tin box, and this enclosed in a wood one, and suspended in the
trunk near the ice. The communication of warm air should be
cut off by filling the opening with a bundle of straw or hay.
The eggs should be aired for a few minutes as often as once in
one or two weeks, always choosing a cool, dry morning ; when
selections for succeeding crops may be made these should be
placed in another box, and gradually raised in the trunk for
several days, avoiding a too sudden transition from the ice to
the temperature of the hatching-room.

The ice-house at Economy is connected with the cellar, the
bottom of the former being eighteen inches below that of the

342

latter. A long wooden box, extending into the ice-house, level
with the bottom of the cellar floor, contains all the smaller
boxes of eggs. The door of the box opening in the cellar is
kept well closed to prevent the admission of warm air. They
employ another ice-house, sunk deep in the cellar, with shelves
gradually rising from the ice up to the top of the ground, upon
which the eggs of succeeding crops are placed, and raised one
shelf higher every day until they are taken into the hatching-
room. The past season they have hatched about five ounces of
eggs, or one hundred thousand worms every four days.

Diseases of the Silk-worm.—The silk-worm, like every other
animal or insect, is liable to disease and premature death. Hu-
ropean writers have enumerated and described six particular
diseases to which it is subject. But in our more congenial cli-
mate nothing is wanting to insure a healthy stock of sill-
worms and a profitable return from their labors, but to give
them sufficient room, a regular and full supply of suitable food,
a strict regard to cleanliness and a proper ventilation of their
apartments. In excessively hot, damp or sultry weather, in
the last age, the disease known as the yellows sometimes occurs.
Where open feeding is adopted, some fine air-slaked lime may be
sifted on the worms once or twice a day before feeding, and the
diseased and dead worms picked out and thrown away. Ina
regular cocoonery, properly ventilated and supplied with an
air-furnace, dry air should be made to circulate freely. But if
the temperature is above 80° or 85° the ventilating apparatus
should be constantly employed until a change of weather occurs
or the disease disappears.

A feeding-house should be so arranged as to cut off all com-
munication of rats and mice from the worms and the cocoons.

Reeling—We have now arrived at another branch of the silk
business, which more properly comes under the head of manu-
facturing. Every farmer who engages in the sillk culture, in
order to avail himself of an additional profit should provide his
family with a suitable reel, by the use of which, after a little ex-
perience, he will be enabled to offer his silk in market in a form
that will greatly enhance its value and much reduce the trouble
and expense of transportation. Reels can now be procured in
almost any of the principal cities at a small cost, or they can be
made by any ingenious farmer or carpenter. The reel now
uniformly used is that known as the Piedmontese.

ae

343

All attempts to improve this reel in its general principles, I
believe, have failed. At Economy, however, they have made an
addition which may be found useful. It consists of two pairs of
whirls, made of wire, in the form of an aspel to a reel, about
four inches long, and two and a half inches across from arm to
arm, making the circumference about six inches. These whirls
are set in an iron frame, and run each upon two points or
centres. Hach pair is equidistant on a direct line, about eight
inches apart, between the first guides and those on the traverse
bar, instead of making the usual number of turns around each
thread as they pass between the guides on the reel. With this
arrangement each thread is taken from the basin and passed
through the first guides, then carried over and around the two
whirls, and where they pass each other on the top the turns are
made necessary to give firmness to the thread, then passing di-
rectly through the guides in the traverse bar to the arms of the
reel, making each thread in reeling independent of the other.
This enables the reeler, when a remnant of cocoons are to be
finished on leaving the work, to unite both threads into one,
retaining the necessary size, whereas both would be too fine if
continued on the reel in the ordinary manner.

Directions for Reeling.—In family establishments a common
clay or iron furnace should be procured, to which should be
fitted a sheet-iron top about twelve inches high, with a door on
one side, and a small pipe on the opposite side to convey off the
smoke. This top should retain the same bevel or flare as the
furnace, so as to be about twenty inches in diameter at the top.
The pan should be twenty inches square, and six inches deep,
divided into four apartments, two of which should be one inch
larger one way than the others. They should all communicate
with each other at the bottom. In large filatures a small steam
engine to propel the reels, etc., and to heat the water for reeling
would be necessary.

Before the operation of reeling is commenced the cocoons
must be stripped of their floss, and assorted into three separate
parcels, according to quality or of different degrees of firmness.
The double cocoons, or those formed by two or more worms
spinning together, the fibres crossing each other, and rendering
them difficult to reel, should be laid aside to be manufactured in
a different manner.

344

After the cocoons have been assorted as above directed, the
operation of reeling may be commenced. The basin should be
nearly filled with the softest water, and kept at a proper heat
by burning charcoal, or some other convenient method of keep-
ing up a regular heat. The precise temperature cannot be
ascertained until the reeling is commenced, owing to the differ-
ent qualities of the cocoons. Those of the best quality will re-
quire a greater degree of heat than those of a more loose and
open texture ; hence the importance of assisting them. Cocoons
also require less heat, and reel much better when done before
the chrysalides are killed and the cocoons become dried.

The heat of the water may be raised to near the boiling
point, (it should never be allowed to boil,) when two or three
handsful of cocoons may be thrown into one of the large apart-
ments of the basin, which must be gently pressed under water
for a few minutes with a little brush made of broom-corn, with
the ends shortened. The heat of the water will soon soften the
gum of the silk, and thereby loosen the ends of the filaments ;
the reeler should then gently stir the cocoons with the brush
until the loose fibres adhere to it; they are then separated from
the brush, holding the filaments in the left hand, while the
cocoons are carefully combed down between the fingers of the
right hand as they are raised out of the water. This is con-
tinued until the floss or false ends are all drawn off, and the fine
silk begins to appear; the fibres are then broken off, and laid
over the edge of the basin. The floss is then cleared from the
brush, and laid aside as refuse silk, and the operation continued
until most of the ends are thus collected.

If the silk is designed for sewings, about twenty-five fibres
should compose a thread; if intended for other fabrics, from
eight to fifteen should be reeled together. The finest silks
should always be reeled from the best cocoons. The cocoons
composing the threads are taken up in a small tin skimmer
made for the purpose, and passed from the large apartment of
the basin to those directly under the guides. As the ends
become broken they are passed back into the spare apartment,
where they are again collected to be returned to the reel. The
requisite number of fibres thus collected for two threads are
passed each through the lower guides. They are then wound
around each other two or three times, and each carried through

345

the two guides in the traverse bar, and then attached to the
arms of the reel. The turning should now be commenced with
a slow and steady motion until the threads run freely. While
the reel is turning, the person attending the cocoons must con-
tinually be adding fresh ends as they may be required, not

g waiting until the number she began with is reduced, because

the internal fibres are much finer than those composing the ex-
ternal layers. In adding new ends the reeler must attach them,
by gently pressing them with a little turn between the thumb
and finger, to the threads as they are running. As the silk is
reeled off the chrysalides should be taken out of the basin,
otherwise they obscure and thicken the water, and injure the
color and lustre of the silk. When the water becomes dis-
colored it should always be changed. If in reeling the silk
leaves the cocoon in burrs or bunches, it is evident the water is
too hgt; or when the ends cannot be easily collected with the
brush, or when found not to run freely, the water is too cold.

A pail of cold water should always be at hand, to be added
to the basin as it may be required. When the cocoons yield
their fibres freely, the reel may be turned with a quicker mo-
tion. The quicker the motion the smoother and better will be
the silk. When from four to six ounces have been reeled, the
aspel may be taken off that the silk may dry. The end should
be fastened so as to be readily found. Squeeze the silk together
and loosen it upon the bars, then on the opposite side tie it with
a band of refuse silk or yarn, then slide it off the reel, double
and again tie it near each extremity.

The quality of the silk depends much upon the art and skilful
management of the reeler. All that is required to render one
perfect in the art of reeling is a little practice, accompanied at
the beginning with a degree of patience, and the exercise of
judgment in keeping up the proper temperature of water, and
the threads of a uniform size.

Manufacture of Perforated Cocoons.—The perforated and double
cocoons can be manufactured into various fabrics, such as stock-
ings, gloves, undershirts and the like. Before the cocoons can
be spun they must be put into a clean bag made of some open
cloth, and placed in a pot or kettle, and covered with soft water,
with soap (hard or soft) added sufficient to make a strong suds,
and boiled for about three or four hours. If they are required

346

to be very nice and white, the water may be changed anda
small quantity more of soap added and again boiled for a few
minutes. After they are boiled they may be hung up and
drained; they should then be rinsed while in the bag, in fair
water, and hung out to dry, without disturbing them in the
bag. When completely dry they may be spun on the common
flax-wheel by first taking the cocoon in the fingers and slightly
loosening the fibres that become flattened down by boiling, and
and then spinning off from the pierced end. The silk will run
entirely off, leaving the shell bare. The double cocoons may
be spun in the same manner, but should be boiled separately,

A species of edible mulberry is planted pretty generally for
feeding hogs. I am informed that it continues to bear during
several months, from April to July or August, and is considered
highly advantageous. This is called the Ever-bearing Mulberry.
The following account I obtain from the Southern Field and
Fireside :

Ever-bearing Mulberries—There are now three varieties of
ever-bearing mulberries presented to us for selection or for gen,
eral adoption. Downing’s Ever-bearing is a seedling of the mul-
ticaulis, which it resembles in wood and foliage. It is, therefore,
necessarily somewhat tender, and not suited to a more Northern
climate. Mr. D. has given us an ample description of its fruit
in his Fruit Trees of America, and merits much credit for orig-
inating so excellent a fruit.

Herbemont’s or Hicks’ Ever-bearing is a much hardier variety-
and superior to the preceding in size and quality of its fruit,
which is produced during a considerably larger period of time.
It is a prodigious bearer; the berries are usually nearly two
inches in length, sweet and delicious. At the South the fruit
continues to ripen from the 25th of April until the 15th of
August, and here at the North the crop extends to a late period
in the autumn. This tree has dark red wood and indented
leaves, very distinct from Downing’s.

White Ever-bearing, sweet berries, partakes considerably of
the character of the white Italian. It grows vigorously and
yields immense quantities of fruit.

The first two varieties have been in fruit with us this season.
Of Downing’s, from a young tree, we gathered but a few ber-
ries, of which we preferred the more vinous and decided flavor

BAT

to that of the Hicks. The latter does not materially vary in
quality from the common wild species, of which it is a variety,
differing in its extended period of bearing. Our young tree, of
about twice the age of Downing’s, began to ripen the first of
May, and has just stopped fruiting for the season. The fruit
is worth growing on plantations for poultry and swine, as it is
very prolific. A mulberry orchard of this kind would furnish
the latter a full supply of food for about three months. It is to
be found at all nurseries, and we venture to commend it to our
agricultural friends as a valuable farm crop for the cheap rear-
ing of good hogs.

The juice of the mulberry is used to give a dark tinge to
confections. When properly fermented the fruit yields a pleas-
ant vinous liquor, mulberry wine, and is mixed with apple juice
to form mulberry cider. The bark of the root is a powerful
cathartic. lFarmers’s Encye.

COMMON MULBERRY, (Morus rubra, Li.) Grows along
rivers and swamps; vicinity of Charleston; Richland; Florida.
N.C. Fl. March.

U.S. Disp. 463. The fruit is edible, laxative and cooling, and
a grateful drink and syrups are made from it, adapted to febrile
cases. The bark of the mulberry can be converted into cordage,
ropes and brown paper. The inner bark of the root of the
black mulberry, in doses of from half to a whole teaspoonful of
the powder, is said to act as an excellent purgative. A syrup
of the ripe fruit is an excellent laxative for children. A tincture
of the inner bark of the root is considered a valuable laxative
bitter.

Tartaric acid is obtained from the mulberry, the grape, cur-
rant, etc. It is almost always found in vegetables combined
with potassa, with which it forms a nearly insoluble salt ; it is
the union which occasions it to be so easily precipitated from
the liquors in which it is contained, especially when they fer-
ment. The coats of tartar which are found deposited upon the
sides of casks are a combination of tartaric acid, potassa and
extracted matter. Chaptal. See Pereira, and treatises on
chemistry for mode of formation of Cream of tartar.

Citric acid, also, is found in the skins of the red currant, of
wild plums, cherries, strawberries and raspberries. In these it
is found united with malic acid, The orange and lemon, of

348

course, furnish it in the largest proportion. The process adopted
by Scheele for obtaining and crystallizing citric acid is to satu-
rate the juice with lime, the insoluble salt, thus formed, being
decomposed by sulphuric acid diluted with water. The liquor
is then evaporated, and the acid obtained in a crystalline form.
See*Chaptal, Ure, works on Chemistry and Mat. Medica, Pereira,
U.S. Dispensatory, ete.

The production of citric acids in the warmer portions of the
Southern States is quite practicable, as the lemon grows abun-
dantly. Citric acid supplies the place of lemon juice for domestic
purposes, and in the arts, by its being freed from mucilage,
which renders the juice liable to undergo speedy change, and
from a diminution of its bulk by concentration. Chaptal.

To give a flavor to food, citric acid is preferable to vinegar,
on account of the aromatic principle it contains. Dissolved in
water, it forms a very wholesome drink; “about thirty grains
of the acid, dissolved in a pint of water, and sweetened with
sugar, composes an excellent lemonade.” From its refreshing
and anti-putrescent properties, it is invaluable during the hot
months, and especially as an article for sea stores of vessels in
warm latitudes, Chaptal ; and particularly for the prevention of
scurvy. “Citric acid is also particularly useful in the arts ;”
like oxalie acid, “it is employed in forming reserves in printed
goods, and in removing spots of ink or rust.” Chaptal. See,
also, acetic acid, vinegar, etc., and Orange, “ Citrus,” in this
volume.

Ell., in his Sketches of the Botany of S. C., says the wood is
preferred, in the building of boats, to that of any other tree,
except the red cedar, (Juniperus Virginiana.) The other woods
suitable for ship-building found with us are, the live-oak for the
timbers and knees, and the cypress, cedar, willow and several
species of pine for the timbers as well as the spars—being pre-
ferred on account of their strength, lightness, or peculiarity of
growtb.

Wilson says of this tree that the wood is fine grained, com-
pact, strong and solid, and by many persons is esteemed fully
equal.to the locust. It is employed in naval architecture at
Philadelphia and Baltimore, for the upper and lower parts of
the frame, for knees and floor timbers, and for tree-nails; it is
hardly inferior to the locust, but is scarce in the ship-yards.

-—

349

For posts it is considered nearly as lasting as the locust, but it
grows more slowly, and requires a richer soil. From experi-
ments made in France it was ascertained that the leaves were
not as good for the silk-worm as those of the M.alba. A much
less quantity was obtained than from worms fed on the white
mulberry, and there was a greater mortality. Rural Cyc. See,
also, my article in August number, 1861, of DeBow’s Review.

Broussonetia papyrifera, the paper mulberry of our yards, be-
longs to this family, (Chapman.) Fustic is also got from the
same family. As the paper mulberry is planted in this country,
I will insert the account given by Wilson of its uses. The
islanders of the Pacific make a kind of clothing from this tree,
in the following manner: twigs of about an inch in diameter
are cut and deprived of their bark, which is divided into strips,
and left to macerate for some time in running water; after the
epidermis has been scraped off, and while yet moist, the strips
are laid out upon a plank in such a manner that they touch at
their edges, and two or three layers of the same are placed
upon them, taking care to preserve an equal thickness through-
out. At the end of twenty-four hours the whole mass is adhe-
rent, when it is removed to a large flat, and perfectly smooth
table, and is beaten with little wooden clubs till it has attained
the requisite thickness. It is easily torn, and requires to be
washed and beaten many times before it acquires its full sup-
pleness and whiteness. The paper which is used in Japan, and
many other countries in the East Indies, is made from this
plant; for this purpose the annual shoots are cut off after the
fall of the leaves, tied in bundles, and boiled in water mixed
with ashes; after which the bark is stripped off by longitudinal
incisions, and deprived of the brown epidermis. The bark of
the more tender shoots furnishes a very white paper for
writing. Hair pencils must be used in writing on this paper.
Silk-worms eat the leaves of this tree also. Rural Cye.

FIG, (Ficus carica.) Ex. Cult. Flourishes in South Caro-
lina; Norfolk, Va. In the garden of Mr. T. Farr Capers,

' Charleston, the Fig trees are thirty feet in height and three in

circumference. They are trimmed to the height of ten feet.
Shee. Flora Carol, The milky juice of many plants of the

Family Moraceze contains much caoutchone. We have three

native species growing in S. Fla. The fruit is well known; the

350

juice has been substituted for sympathetic ink, as the characters
written with it are not visible till exposed to the sun. The
decoction of the green branches and leaves imparts a deep gold
color, of a brown shade, to cloth prepared with a solution of
bismuth. I have heard it stated as a curious fact, that there is
but one male fig in America, which grows in Louisiana! Some
botanists describe the plant as containing both stamens and
pistils within the fruit or pericarp.

Figs are excellent pabulum for vinegar, which may be con-
stantly replenished with the over-ripened fruit.

The following easy process of making white vinegar from
honey may not be amiss, even in a work of this kind, which
professes to teach economical modes of becoming independent
of foreign supplies. It is obtained from Wilson’s Rural Cye.
The materials can be easily obtained. Four very good kinds of
household vinegar, perfectly suitable for pickling, and for other
domestic purposes, may easily be made from respectively—
honey, brown sugar, British wines, and sour ale. First, as to
honey or white vinegar: dissolve three-quarters of a pound of
honey in rain water, and put it into a seven-gallon cask, with a
quart of malt spirit; shake it well, then fill up the cask with
rain water ; shake it well, and keep near the kitchen fire, where
it must stand without being moved or shaken. Let it remain
five months in this place, and the vinegar will be made. Draw
it off by piercing the lower part of the cask, and let it run till
the concretion which is formed at the top, and is termed
“mother of vinegar,” begins to appear. You may then begin
the process again without cleaning the cask. Properly toasted
bread, saturated with yeast, would take the place of the malt
spirit referred to above. See article “ Vinegar,” in Rural Cyc.,
for other methods.

The fruit is well known, and when properly prepared for
market in the warmer portion of the Southern States, might con-
stitutes an article both for export and for home consumption.
Many persons believe implicitly in the power of the atmosphere
about this tree to render meat tender. Our “Southern matrons”
now put up this fruit in a most palatable shape for winter use,
dried in the sun, after being boiledin a syrup. The celestial fig
is the best for this purpose. Molasses can also be made from —
the fig and watermelon. Mr. C. H. Owen, of Charleston, made

351

it from the white fig. One peck yielded three pints. From a
’ bushel he obtained seven quarts, according to the following di-
rections :

“ Wash the figs, then put them in a porcelain vessel; cover
with pure water, boil carefully one hour. When cool, strain
through a muslin cloth; then boil again until it is boiled down
to a proper consistency, which you can easily tell by dipping up
a spoonful and cooling. The above is all the preparation neces-
sary. In boiling for the last time, take the scum off.”

“FF. J.S.,” a correspondent of the Charleston Mercury, writes
as follows on “our resources:” “ You spoke, in the article above
alluded to, of different coloring substances. The juice of the
skin of our blue fig is abundant, and of a deep, brilliant red color ;
a half page written with it a few days since bad the appearance
of having been done with red ink. The pomegranate, which
grows in great abundance in Southern Georgia, furnishes, in the
rind of the fruit, a jet black fluid, which writes very smoothly,
and retains its jetty hue. The metallic pen used may darken
its color.”

Ihave seen blue cakes resembling indigo, intended for dyeing
and marked fig blue—probably extracted from the skins of the
fig. Since the war the stems of the fig and titi (Cliftonia) have
formed favorite materials for pipe stems. I have ascertained
that the ashes of the leaves of the fig are useful in polishing
metal-utensils, etc.

ULMACE. (The Elm Tribe.)

SLIPPERY ELM, (Ulmus fulva.) [have observed it in Fair-
field District. It is sometimes found im the lower districts ;
pz. €.

Am. Herbal. 139; Frost’s Elems. Mat. Med. and Therap. 228 ;
U. S. Disp. 727; Dr. McDowell’s Med. Exam. 244; West Jour.
Med. and Phys. Se.; Michaux, Fl. Americana, i, 172; and N. Am.
Sylva, iii, 89 ; Griffith, Med. Bot. 563. A decoction of the bark
was much used by the Indians in the cure of leprosy. Itis an
excellent demulecent employed as an emollient application, and
internally is especially recommended in supression of urine, in-
flammation of the bladder, dysentery and diarrhea. A decoc-
tion made of this, combined with the root of the sassafras, and
' guaiac, is esteemed as a valuable drink to increase cutaneous

392

transpiration, and to improve the tone of the digestive organs.
Griffith considers it a good substitute for acacia, and he has wit-
nessed its beneficial effects, externally applied, in obstinate cases
of herpetic and syphilitic eruptions; he is inclined to ascribe
higher curative powers to it than are generally admitted. It
forms a good vehicle for enemata, where a mucilaginous fluid is
_ required. The bark, cut in the form of a bougie, has been used
in dilating sinuses and contractions of the urethra. The sub-
stance exuding from the bark is called ulmin. It could be
largely collected for the use of soldiers—suitable wherever
a highly mucilaginous substance is required. See Bené “Ses-
amum.” This is the best wood we have for blocks, and is ex-
cellent for rails, as it splits easily, and is of long duration. It is
more durable than the white elm.

LTappend the following to the second edition :

Dr. C. W. Wright, of Cincinnati, states (Western Lancet) that
slippery elm bark has the property of preserving fatty sub-
stances from rancidity ; a fact derived originally from the In-
dians who prepared bear’s fat by melting it with the bark in the
proportion of a drachm of the latter to a pound of the former,
keeping them heated together for a few minutes, and then
straining off the fat. Dr. Wright tried the same process with
butter and lard and found them to remain perfectly sweet fora
long time. (Am. J. Pharm. xxiv, 180,) U. 8. Disp. 12th Ed. Dr.
McDowel, of Virginia, used the bark for the dilatation of fistulas
and strictures, (Med. Exam. i, 244,) and Dr. H. R. Storer, of
Boston, subsequently for dilating the os uteri. (Bost. Med. and
Surg. J. liii, 300.) See U.S. Disp.

WHITE ELM, (Ulmus Americana, Mx.) Vicinity of Charles-
tons Nai.
Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. vi, 799; Coxe, Am. Disp.

611; Phil. Med. Mus. 11. The U. fulva probably referred to.

The wood of the white elm, like that of the common Huro-
pean elm, is of a dark brown; and cut transversely, or obliquely
to the longitudinal fibres, it exhibits the same numerous and
fine undulations, but it splits more easily and has less compact-
ness. It is, however, used at the North for the naves of coach-
wheels, because it is difficult to procure the black gum. In .
Maine it is used for the keels of vessels. Its bark is said to be
easily detached during eight months of the year; soaked in

353

_water and suppled by pounding, it is used in the Northern
_ States for the bottoms of common chairs. Michaux.

WAHOO, (Ulmus alata, Mx.) Rich soils; Florida; South
and North Carolina.

The wood is fine grained, more compact, heavier and stronger
than that of the American white elm. It is employed for coach-
wheels, and is even preferred to the black gum, as being more
hard and tough. Michaux. Farmer’s Encyce.

The following statement has been published :

“‘ Wahoo Rope-—We have seen a specimen of rope made of
wahoo bark, by Mr. T. J. Howard, of this county. He has
used the wahoo rope with great success in bagging cotton, and
we can safely recommend his contrivance to the attention of
planters. The common impression is that the bark is not in
good condition, except in the spring of the year. This is a
mistake. It can be used to great advantage at this season in
bagging cotton. The manner of using the rope made of wahoo
nie is engaaeane similar to that which has been in ordinary
use.’

SUGAR-BERRY ; HACKBERRY, (Celtis occidentalis, L.) A
noble tree, growing ‘aloes the margin of streams and in damp
lands ; iaitenkan in St. John’s; vicinity of Charleston ; Newbern.
Fl. June.

Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. ii, 170; Fl. Med. i, 90; Grif-
fifth, Med. Bot. 563. It yields a gum resembling that of the
cherry tree; the root and leaves are somewhat aromatic, and
were used by the Indians in syphilis. The berries have a sweet
and pleasant taste.

The wood of this tree resembles closely, says Wilson, that of
the C. australis. The timber of the latter is exceedingly dura-
ble, and was formerly employed by British coach-makers for
making the frames of their vehicles; and by the Italian musical
instrument-makers for making flutes and pipes. Rural Cyc.

ee (The Gale Tribe.)

_ Aromatic and sometimes astringent.
WAX MYRTLE; BAYBERRY, (Myrica cerifera, L.) Grows
_oneeneiean in the ewamipy of. me lower country; Newbern.

Fl. May.
23

354

Ell. Bot. Med. Notes, ii, 278; Matson’s Veg. Pract. 198; U.S.
Disp. 200; Pe. Mat. Med. and Therap, 786; Big. Am. Med. Bot.
iii, 32; Am. Journal Med. Sci. ii, 313; Bergii, Mat. Med. ii, 541;
Nicholson’s Journal, iv, 187; Kalm’s Travels, i, 129; Dana in
Silliman’s Journal 1; Thacher’s U. 8. Disp. 288; Mér. and de
L. Dict. de M. Méd. iv, 531; De Cand. Essai, 772; Lind. Nat.
Syst. Bot. 180. The root is a powerful astringent, and a decoe-
tion is employed in diarrhea, dysentery, hemorrhage from the
uterus, in dropsies which succeed fevers, and as a gargle in sore
throat. It is also given to some extent by the vegetable prac-
titioners. Griffith states (Med. Bot. 583) that the bark of the
root is also stimulant and acrid, and in doses of a drachm causes
a sensation of heat in the stomach. followed by vomiting and
sometimes diuresis. The powder is an active errhine, and the
leaves have some celebrity in domestic practice, as being anti-
spasmodic, anti-scorbutic and astringent. Dr. Dana found the
powdered root powerfully sternutatory. Bigelow says that the
bark and leaves contain gallie acid, tannin, resin and a small
quantity of mucilage. The berries afford a large amount of
wax, which rises to the surface when they are boiled, not re-
markable for adhesiveness or unctuosity. Dr. Bostock consid-
ers it a fixed, vegetable oil, rendered concrete by oxygen; and
by the experiments of Dr. Dana, it constitutes one-third of the
whole berry. It is employed for candles, emitting a fragrant
odor, and it also forms the basis of a fine soap. It appears to
possess some astringent and slightly narcotic properties, and
has been administered by Dr. Fahnestock in an epidemic of
typhoid dysentery. He gave it in doses of one to two drachms,
and he is of opinion that its active principle resides in the green
eoloring matter. Am. Journal Med. Sci. ii, 313. Rafinesque states
that a tincture of the berries, with heracleum, is beneficial in
flatulent colic. De Cand., Essay upon the Louisiana Myrtle, (in
French ;) see Ann. de Chim. xliv, 141, and xlvi, 77; C. L. Cadet,
Mem. on the Myrtle of Louisiana and Pennsylvania, Paris ;
Thiebault de Bernaud, Mem. sur le cirier, ou abre a cire, Paris,
1810. See my own experiments upon the applicability of the

leaves as a substitute for oak bark, under “ Liguidambar,” sweet _

gum. . "
Dr, Wood, U.S. Disp., 12th Ed., says that a volatile oil might
probably be collected from the leaves by distillation, and used

sj

. BBD

for similar purposes to those to which oil of pimento is applied,
The powder of the bark has a peculiar aromatic odor and irri-
tates the nostrils and throat when inhaled. It yield» its virtues
to water and alcohol, Chemically examined by Mr. G. M.
Hambright it was found to contain volatile oil, starch, lignin,
gum, albumen, extractive, a red coloring substance, tannie and
gallic acids, an acrid resin soluble in alcohol and not in ether,
and a peculiar acrid principle having acid properties, analagous
to saponin, for which the name of myricinic acid is proposed.
(Am, J. Pharm., May, 1863.) The Eclectics use the bark in
diarrhea, jaundice, scrofula, ete, and an alcoholic extract
appropriately called myricin, is given in doses of about five
grains. ‘The dose of the powder is about thirty grains, of a
decoction made with an ounce of the powdered bark to a pint
of water; the dose is one or two fluid ounces, U.S. Disp.

“The northern nations formerly employed this plant in place
of hops, and it is still in use for that purpose in some of the
western isles; unless it is boiled a long time it is reported to
occasion headache.” Nicholson also says, in his Ency clopeedia,
of the M. cerifera, that “it is used in tanning calf-skins; gath-
ered in autumn, it will dye wool yellow, for which purpose it is
used both in Sweden and in Wales; the Welsh lay branches of
it upon and under their beds to keep off fieas and moths.”
Boussingault, in his Rural Chemistry applied to Agriculture,
1859, says of the wax-bearing myrtle: “The fruit yields as
much as twenty-five per cent. of wax, and a single shrub will
yield from twenty-four to thirty pounds of berries. The crude
wax is green and brittle, and to be made into candles requires
the addition of a certain quantity of grease.” Proust discov-
ered that vegetable wax formed part of the green fecula of
many plants. In the common cabbage it occurs in large quan-
tity. Oleine is said to predominate in the fluid vegetable oils.
See, on this subject, Queen’s Delight, (Styllingia sebifera.) The
berries of the Pride of India (Melia) also yield an oil when dried
and boiled. Wax has also been collected by scraping the stalk
of the sugar-cane. See “ Sorghum,” in this volume,

I have repeatedly seen the wax produced from the myrtle in
large amounts. The berries are boiled, and the wax rises on
the surface of the water. The boiling should be continued a
long time, and the berries stirred and bruised. The wax may

356

be remelted to purify it. Four pounds of this will make forty
pounds of soap. The candles made of it are dark green in
color. Candles and soap were made in considerable amounts
during the war by those residing in the low country of South ~
Carolina.

Wilson, in his Rural Cyc., quotes Hamilton, who says that
the wax, after being skimmed off the water, should be strained
through a coarse cloth to free it from foreign matter. When no
more wax rises, the berries are removed with a skimmer and a
fresh supply put into the same water, taking care to add boiling
water to supply the place of that evaporated during the pro-
cess. The wax should be dried, and melted again to free it
from impurity. See Charles Louis Cader’s Memoir, inserted
in the Annales de Chimie, who said that the myrtle had been
successfully cultivated near Berlin, and Hamilton recommends
its cultivation in England for its wax-producing properties.

In F. S. Holmes’ Southern Farmer, p. 236, is the following:

Large amount of Soap produced from Myrtle Wax.—I find the
following recipe for making soap from myrtle wax (Myrica
cerifera) in an old number of the Southern Agriculturist. As
one of the complaints of soap-makers is the difficulty and ex-
pense of obtaining the grease, it will be well for us to avail
ourselves of a production of nature, found abundantly in our
lower country. The fruit is now matured, and may be had in
abundance for the picking. I have seen very good candles
made of myrtle wax. I trust our planters, residing in the
vicinity of the myrtle, will profit by these advantages before
the season for picking has passed :

“To three bushels and a half of common wood ashes add half
a bushel of unslaked lime. This being well mixed together, put
into a cask capable of containing sixty gallons and fill up with
water. In forty-eight hours the lye will be strong enough to
float an egg, Then draw off, and put from six to eight gallons
of it into a copper kettle capable of containing twenty-five gal-
lons. To this add only four pounds of myrtle wax. Keep con-
stantly boiling for six hours. For the first three or four hours
pour in occasionally a supply of strong lye, the whole frequently
well stirred with a ladle, After six hours boiling, throw two
quarts of common large grain salt into the kettle; leave one
hour more to simmer over a slow fire, The liquor must be

357

placed in tubs to cool for twenty-four hours. Take out the soap,
wipe it clean; putit to dry.

“The produce of this soap when it was weighed the next
. day was found to be forty-nine pounds of good, solid soap, from
the materials and by the process above mentioned. At the end
of six weeks the soap had only lost a few pounds from the
evaporation of its watery particles.

“Tn many parts of our State the myrtle tree is abundant,
and from three pecks to a bushel may be gathered from a hand
per day.”

There have been recent orders from the North for several
thousand pounds of the wax, (1868.)

Since my examination and recommendation of the myrtle
leaves as a tanniniferous agent, I see that it has been used by
Mr. J. Commins, of Charleston, in tanning leather. He states
that he used it extensively during the war and found it to
answer all the purposes required.

I had observed, also, an unusual amount of astringency ir
the berries of the myrtle. The water in which they are boiled,
with copperas, is used as a dye. I have seen an excellent dark
brown obtained with very little copperas. If walnut leaves,
bark, or the rind of the fruit is added the color is very black.
I am informed in St. John’s Berkeley, 8. C., that a blue dye is
obtained without a mordant, by using the same water repeated-
ly in boiling the berries for the extraction of the wax! This
seems an unexpected result.

Myrica Carolinensis. Grows in dry soils; Richland; collected
in St. John’s; Newbern.

Griffith’s Med. Bot. 583. Supposed to possess similar prop-
erties with the above. It can scarcely be distinguished from
the others.

FERN BUSH; SWEET FERN, (Comptonia asplenifolia, Ait.)
Mts. of North Carolina and northward. An aromatic astringent
used by Barton and others as a pleasant drink in the summer
complaints of children. Shoepf says on the authority of Colden,
that chewing the root will check a spitting of blood, and that it
is useful in rachitis and the debility following fevers. Griffith.

JUGLANDACEA. (The Walnut Tribe.)
BUTTERNUT; OIL-NUT, (Juglans cinerea, Li.) Grows in
the mountains of South and North Carolina. Fl. April.

308

U.S. Disp. 710; Archives Gén. 3e séric, x, 399, and xi, 40;
Frost’s Elems. Mat. Med. 131. “The inner bark of the root af-
fords one of the most mild and efficient laxatives we possess.”
The extract was a favorite remedy in General Marion’s camp
during the Revolutionary war. It is very efficacious in hab-
itual constipation, in doses of ten to thirty grains; the first
acting as a laxative, the maximum purging. Big. Am. Med
Bot. ii, 115; Mx. N. Am. Sylva, 160; where it is spoken of as a
mild cathartic, operating without pain or irritation, and re-
sembling rhubarb in its property of evacuating without debili-
tating the alimentary canal. Dr. Rush employed it during the
war. Wood says it is highly esteemed in dysentery ; Lind. Nat,
Syst. 181. The rind of the fruit and the skin of the kernel are
exiremely astringent, anthelmintic and cathartic; the oil ex-
tracted from the fruit is of a very drying nature. Mér. and de
L. Dict. de M. Méd. iii, 687, (J. cathartica.) He remarks that
the inner bark of the root is acrid and caustic, and purges, but
occasions neither heat nor irritation ; adapted to bilious consti-
tutions and to dysentery ; often combined with calomel. It is
given to animals in a disease called “yellow water ;” Bull. des
Sci. Méd. Fér. xii, 338. To extract the cathartic principle, the
bark is boiled in water for several hours; remove the extraneous
matter and boil down the decoction to the consistence of honey
or molasses—pills may be made of this. A syrup may also be
made. The bark is strongest in the early summer. The pow-
dered leaves are rubefacient, and act as a substitute for can-
tharides. Coxe, Am. Disp. 365. The bark of the branches af-
fords a large quantity of soluble matter, chiefly of the extractive
kind, water seeming to bea solvent. Wetherill found in it fixed
oil, resin, saccharine matter, lime, potash, a peculiar principle,
and tannin. Dr. B.S. Barton, in his Collections, 23, 32, thinks
it is possessed of some anodyne property. Dr. Gray ascertained
that four trees, eight to ten inches in diameter, produced in one
day nine quarts of sap, from which was made one pound and a
quarter of sugar, equal, if not superior to that produced from
the maple. This plant is always given in the form of extract or
decoction. Griffith’s Med. Bot. 589; Thacher’s Disp. 245; Rush’s
Med. Obs. i, 112; Pe. Mat. Med.and Therap. ii, 767 ; Lind. Med.
Fl. 387. The wood of the butternut is used for the sleepers and
posts of frame houses and barns, for posts and rail fences,
troughs for cattle, etc. For corn-shovels and wooden dishes it

309

is preferred tothe red flowering maples, because it is lighter and
less liable to split ; consequently, hollow-ware and other articles
made of it sell at higher prices. In Vermont the wood is used
for the panels of coaches and chaises, being well adapted for this
purpose, not only for its lightness, but because it is not liable to
split. It receives paint in a superior manner, its pores being
very open, more so than poplar and basswood. Mx. Am. Sylva;
Farmer's Encyc.

BLACK WALNOT, (Juglans nigra, L.) Diffused in lower
and upper country of South and North Carolina; Newbern. FI.
June.

Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. iii, 687; Griffith, Med. Bot. vi,
89. The bark is styptic and acrid; the rind of the unripe fruit
is said to remove ring-worms and tetter; and the decoction is
given with success as a vermifuge. “A kind of bread is ob-
tained from the fruit.” In a communication received from J.
Douglas, M. D., of Chester District, South Carolina, bis corres-
pondent, Mr. McKeown, informs me that a bit of lint, dipped
in the oil of the walnut kernel and applied to an aching tooth,
is an effectual palliative; he has employed it for thirty years
with great satisfaction.

The following appeared in one of the journals during the year
1861:

Walnut leaves in the treatment of Diseases.—Dr. Negries, phy-
sician at Angiers, France, has published a statement of his suc-
cess in the treatment of scrofulous disease in different forms by
preparations of walnut leaves. He has tried walnut leaves for
ten years, and of fifty six patients, afflicted in different forms,
thirty-one were completely cured, and there were only four who
appeared to have obtained no advantage. The infusion of the
walnut tree leaves is made by cutting them and infusing a good
pinch between the thumb and forefinger in halfa pint of boiling
water, and then sweetening it with sugar. Toa grown person,
M. Negries prescribed from two to three teacupsful of this
daily. This medicine is a slightly aromatic bitter; its efficiency
is nearly uniform in scrofulous disorders, and it is stated never
to have caused any unpleasant effects. It augments the activity
of the circulation and digestion, and to the functions imparts
muchenergy. It is supposed to act upon the lymphatic system,
as under its influence the muscles become firm, and the skin ac-
quires a ruddier hue.

360

Dry leaves may be used throughout the winter, but a syrup
made of green leaves is more aromatic. A salve made of a
strong extract of the leaves mixed alone with clean lard and a
few drops of the oil of bergamot is most excellent for sores. A
strong decoction of the leaves is excellent for washing them.
The salutary effects of this medicine do not appear on a sud-
den—no visible effect may be noticed for twenty days, but per-.
severance in it will effect a cure. As walnut tree leaves are
abundant in America, and as the extract of them is not dan-
gerous or unpleasant to use, and scrofula not uncommon, a trial
of this simple medicine should be made. In directing attention
to it good results may be expected.

A gray dye may be prepared with young, unripe walnuts. The
walnuts should be beaten in a mortar, boiled with water—the
yarn is previously prepared with lye water. See “ Rhus.”

I obtain the following from a journal, (1862 :)

To Dye Wool Yarn a Durable Black without Copperas.—Place
in a kettle a layer of walnut leaves, then a layer of yarn, then
a layer of leaves and another of yarn, and so on till the kettle
is full; pour on water till all is covered, and boil all day. The
next morning pour off the liquor into another vessel, and put
fresh leaves with the yarn in layers as before, and pour the
same liquor over it and boil again all day. Then hang the yarn
in the air a few days, after which wash it and it will be a fine
black.

The walnut leaves should be gathered in the autumn just as
they begin to fall from the trees.

Both the black and white walnut possess a durable wood, and
are secure from the annoyance of worms. The stem of the
black walnut is easily perforated, and like the titi (Cliftonia) is
much used for pipe-stems among the soldiers in camp. The fig
is also used for the same purpose.

At a Convention of Gunsmiths, held at Atlanta, Ga., August
29, 1861, some facts were elicited which are interesting in this
connection :

Mr. Hodgkins, a gunsmith, stated “that the greatest diffi-
culty was to get wood for the stocks ; that wood of one or two
years was not sufficiently seasoned. It ought to be cut twenty
years. The bark should be taken off the tree at once. Some
thought it best to cut the timber in the summer, others in the

361

fall or winter.” Gen. Wayne read the following from the Ord-
nance Manual :

“The most suitable season for felling timber is that in which
vegetation is at rest, which is the case in midwinter or mid-
summer. Recent experiments incline to give the preference to
the latter season—say the month of July; but the usual prac-
tice is to fell trees for timber between the first of December
and the middle of March.”

““Gen. Wayne, on being inquired of, gave it as his opinion
that there was no artificial process of seasoning wood that
would answer for making gunstocks.

“ Mr. Esther said that maple timber could be seasoned rapidly
by being boiled in oil. It prevented its cracking. It soon sea-
soned thoroughly, and would not spring.

“Mr. Lamb stated that walnut was the best for stocking
guns,"but harder to season. It required a great number of
years—say twenty years, or nearly so. Maple was next, and
persimmon the next. These could be seasoned by artificial
process.”

The reader will find some information on the felling of timber
in Wilson’s Rural Cyc. The fruit is edible, and pleasant to the
taste. The wood is very compact and durable, with a black,
fine grain, susceptible of a high polish, and forming a valuable
substitute for mahogany, from which, when seasoned and var-
nished, it can scarcely be distinguished. It is much used in the
South in the manufacture of tables, stair-railings and the inner
work of houses. The writer has seen as beautiful book-cases,
_ tables, stair-railings and cabinet-work made from the wood pre-
pared on our Southern plantations, when well seasoned, as any
imported from elsewhere. The roots, particularly those of old
trees which have died, have a peculiarly rich black color, and
are useful in making furniture and gunstocks.

The trunk of a walnut tree, tapped on the 11th February,
yielded a sap containing some cane sugar. The saps of the
sycamore, of the Acer negundo, and of the lilac tree, contained
the same species of sugar; but that of the birch tree held in
solution some grape sugar. In the sycamore and birch tree M. ©
Biot observed an extremely interesting fact. He ascertained,
on felling these trees, that the greater portion of the descending
sap was accumulated toward the middle of the trunk. That of

302

the birch tree was acid and saccharine; the sap of that portion
of the trunk which was buried in the ground contained no
sugar, but a substance possessing the principal characters of
gum. (Annales du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle, t.ii.) It was
probably an effect of the season, for Knight states that he
never could discover the least trace of saccharine matter during
winter in the alburnum either of the stem or of the roots of the
sycamore. Boussingault’s Rural Econ. in its relation to Chem-
istry, ete., Law’s edition, 1857.

Walnut leaves soaked in water for some hours, then boiled
and applied to the skins of horses and other animals, will pre-
vent their being bitten or worried by flies.

In Patent Office Reports, 1855, is a paper on the Persian wal-
nut, or Madeira nut, (Juglans regia,) which appears to be well
adapted to the climate of the Middle or Southern States. It
produces an immense amount of oil and cake. It is preferred

to linseed oil, and gives an excellent light. The husk of the »

walnut is used in dyeing woollen stuffs.

HICKORY, (Carya amara, porcina, alba, etc.) Ell. Sk. The
barks are astringent. Mr. Fred. Stearns, of Detroit, has called
attention to the bark of the several species of Hickory, in his
paper on the medical plants of Michigan, published in the
Proc. Am. Pharm. Assoc., 1859, p. 249. Mr. Chaffinbury, of the
same State, had found great advantage from chewing the inner
bark in dyspepsia, and has used a tincture made from the same
bark in intermittent fever. Many in the neighborhood used it,
the infusion also being found equally effectual. U.S. Disp., 12th
Ed.

A dye for woollens used on the plantation is made from that
of most of the species. The fruit of many of the hickory trees
is pleasant to the taste, particularly the C. alba, shell-bark
hickory, which is an article of trade. It should be spared in
clearing land.

To color yellow —* Take three-fourths of hickory bark, with
the outside shaved off, and one-fourth of black oak bark done
in the same manner; boil them well together in a bell metal
kettle until the color is deep; then add alum sufficient to make
it foam when stirred up, then put the yarn in and let it simmer
a little while; take it out and air it two or three times, having
a pole over the kettle to hang it on, so that it may drain in the

363

kettle; when dry rinse it in cold water.” Thornton’s Southern
Gardener, p. 182. Hickory bark with sugar makes a good yel-
low dye for wool without copperas. The writer has seen negro
clothes and other stuffs dyed on the plantations with either
hickory or oak barks, either alum or commercial copperas being
used. The crab-apple dyes a canary color. The hickory bark,
with copperas, dyes yarus an olive color—with alum, a green—
the yarns must be put in hot. The wood of the hickory yields
a very fine lye when reduced to ashes, and I will include much
that is said of soap under this genus. The wood is also valuable
for many purposes in the mechanical arts on account of its
weight, pliability, toughness and durability. In Georgia and
the Carolinas split hickory is used in making chair bottoms and
plantation baskets. In Pennsylvania an oil is extracted from
the nuts of the C. amara, butternut hickory, which is used for
the lamp, and for other inferior purposes. I would suggest that
the nuts of any species would serve, if broken and boiled, for
the manufacture of soap; subjected to the test of experiment,
however, 1863, I could not extract the oil after boiling the broken
nuts several hours. I insert the following from Michaux: -

“ Properties and uses of hickory wood.—The wood of all the
species of hickory bears a striking resemblance, both as to fibre
and the uniform reddish color of the heart. It possesses great
weight, strength and unusual pliability and toughness. When
exposed to heat and moisture it is subject to rapid decay, and
is peculiarly liable to injury from worms.

“Throughout the Middle States it is selected for the axle-trees
of carriages, for the handles of axes and other carpenters’ tools,
and for large screws, particularly those of book-binders’ presses.
The cogs of mill-wheels are made of hickory heart, thoroughly
seasoned ; but it is proper only for such wheels as are not ex-
posed to moisture; and for this reason some other wood is by
many millwrights preferred. The rods which form the backs
of Windsor chairs, coach-whip handles, musket-stocks, rake-
teeth, flails for threshing grain, the bows of yokes, or the ellip-
tical picces which pass under the necks of cattle: all these are
objects customarily made of hickory. At Baltimore it is used
for the hoops of sieves, and is more esteemed than the white-
oak, which is equally elastic, but more apt to peel off in small
shreds into the substance sifted. In the country near Augusta,

364

in Georgia, I have remarked that the common chairs are of
hickory wood. In New Jersey it is employed for shoeing
sledges—that is, for.covering the runners or parts which slide
upon the snow; but to be proper for this use it must have been
cut long enough to have become perfectly dry.

“ Of the numerous trees of North America east of the Alle-
ghany Mountains, none except the hickory is perfectly adapted
to the making of hoops for casks and boxes. For this purpose
vast quantities of it are consumed at home and exported to
the West India Islands. The hoops are made of young hicko-
ries from six to twelve feet high, without choice as to the spe-
cies. The largest hoop-poles sold at Philadelphia and New
York in February, 1808, at three dollars a hundred. Each pole
is split in two parts, and the hoop is crossed and confined by
notches, instead of being bound at the end with twigs, like
those made of chestnut. From the solidity of the wood, this
method appears sufficiently secure.

“When it is considered how large a part of the productions
of the United States is packed for exportation in barrels, an
estimate may be formed of the necessary consumption of hoops.
In consequence of it, young trees proper for this object have
become scarce in all parts of the country which have been long
settled. The evil is greater, as they do not sprout a second
time from the same root, and as their growth is slow. The
cooper_cannot lay up a store of them for future use, for unless
employed within a year, and often within six months after being
cut, they are attacked by two species of insect, one of which
eats within the wood and commits the greatest ravages.

“The defects which unfit the hickory for use in the building
of houses equally exclude it from the construction of vessels.
At New York and Philadelphia, the shell-bark and pignut hick-
ories have been taken for keels, and are found to last as long as
those of other wood, owing to their being always in the water.
Of the two species, the pignut would be preferable, as being
less liable to split, but it is rarely found of as large dimensions
as the other.

“In sloops and schooners the rings by which the sails are
hoisted and confined to the mast are always of hickory. I have
also been assured that for attaching the cordage it makes excel-
lent pegs, which are stronger than those of oak; but they

;
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365

should be set loosely in the holes, as otherwise, for want of
speedily seasoning, they soon decay. For handspikes the hick-
ory is particularly esteemed on account of its strength; it is
accordingly employed in most American vessels, and is ex-
ported for the same purpose to England, where it sells from
50 to 100 per cent. higher than ash, which is brought also from
the north of the United States. The hickories are cut without
distinction for this use, but the pignut, I believe, is the best.

“ All the hickories are very heavy, and in a given volume
contain a great quantity of combustible matter. They produce
an ardent heat, and leave a heavy, compact and long-lived coal.
In this respect no wood of the same latitude in Europe or
_ America can be compared to them; such, at least, is the opinion
of all Europeans who have resided in the United States.

“Tt has been seen by what precedes that though hickory wood
has essential defects, they are compensated by good properties
which render it valuable in the arts.”

In concluding this article, Michaux recommends particularly
for propagation in European forests the shell-bark hickory and
the pignut hickory, whose wood unites in the highest degree the
valuable properties of the group. He thinks, also, that the
pecannut merits attention from promoters of useful culture, not
so much for its wood as for its fruit, which is excellent, and more
delicate than that of the European walnut. It might probably
be doubled in size, if the practice was successfully adopted of
grafting this species upon the black walnut, or upon the common
European walnut.

Oak and hickory bands for cotton bales.—A tie dispensing with
the use of iron or rope bands in bailing cotton has been patented.
The editor of the Southern Field and Fireside says on this sub-
ject: “Precisely such ‘ties’ have been used to fasten strong
- hoops on tubs in distilleries and breweries a longer time than any
living man canremember. Thirty years ago we made a score of
large tubs for tanning leather, and tied the staves together (made
of two-inch plank) as above described, save the teeth on the iron
rings or bands. The fastening is very simple and perfectly
reliable. A small iron ring, formed like the capital letter D, is
used. It should hold both ends of a hoop two inches wide,
each end being a half-inch in thickness ; and also a wedge three-
fourths of an inch thick. Such a hoop, made of oak, ash or

366

hickory, will have more than four times the strength of the
rope usually employed in baling cotton. Green or sound wood
is hard to break when pulled lengthwise. On our Southern
plantations oak, hickory, ash and grape-vines are much used in
place ef rope in baling hay, fodder,” ete.

The following practical remarks on the manufacture of pot-
ash and soap, I introduce here in connection with the hickory,
from an editorial by Dr. Lee, in the Southern Field and Fire-
side, January 18, 1862. (For “Soda,” see “ Sialsola,” in this
book, and “ Quercus.”) The ashes we may obtain by burning
corn-cobs yield more potash than any other available substance ;
and the alkali from this source is rapidly converted into salera-
tus or good soap. Corn-cobs are mentioned because we often
see them wasted in quantities where hogs are fed and where
much corn is shelled. Soap-makers at the North buy all kinds
of wood-ashes, and find no difficulty in making soap from them ;
but many Southern negroes, who make a little soap, do not un-
derstand the art under consideration. They require ashes from
hickory, walnut, poplar, or some other wood rich in potash to
succeed in producing good soap. The quantity of lime named in
the directions given in the article we copied is two or three
times larger than it need be. <A peck of recently slaked lime is
abundant for a barrel of ashes. Lime that has been long slaked
and exposed to the air will not answer. The object of the lime
is to decompose all the carbonate of potash dissolved out of the
ashes, so that the pure alkali will combine, with grease or oil,
to form soap. When the amount of potash in wood is small, as
in pines and decayed, wood the whole of the alkali unites with
carbonic acid, or some other, if free, when the wood is burnt.
When ashes are kept some time, if partly caustic when first
burnt from wood they part with their causticity by imbibing
carbonic acid from the atmosphere, as freshly burnt lime will
do. Hence, recently burnt ashes will often make soap with-
out lime, but will not do if kept several months. As caustic

lime has a stronger affinity for carbonic acid than potash or
soda has, soap-makers find no trouble whatever in making soap
from old ashes, or any ashes that have not been wet and washed.
Having stated the reason why lime is used, we will give the
simplest and best practice in the art of combining potash with
an animal or vegetable oil or fat, which chemical compound. is

—s

367

‘soap—soft if potash is used, and hard if soda is used. Refuse

barrels and hogsheads are often used to drip and leach ashes in,
and should stand on boards or plank, so as not to waste the
lye. This done, a few inches of clean broom-straw should be
placed over all the bottom of the barrel and pressed down. For
a hogshead of ashes, a good bushel of recently slaked lime
should be spread evenly over all the straw; but a peck of lime
will do for a barrel of ashes. More lime will do no harm, and
some ashes may require a little more. Now fill up the barrel of
ashes, pound them down moderately and pour on boiling water,
or that which is hot, until the lye runs out at the bottom. If
the ashes are good, this lye will make soap with very little
boiling; but if the potash is too diluted, some of the water
must be evaporated before the chemical union between the
alkali and grease will take place. If too little grease is put
in the,pot or kettle, more must be added; and if there is too
much for all to combine with the potash, the excess must be
removed after the soap is cold. Where salt is cheap, it is
largely used in the manufacture of bar soap. Turpentine and
rosin are also used in this branch of business. The explana-
tions in reference to soda and turpentine soap will be given -
elsewhere. Sult is at times too expensive to be used in soap-
making.

In an article on Soap and Potash from the Atlanta Common-
wealth, in the Southern Field and Fireside for October, 1861,
great stress is laid upon the ease with which we can manufac-
tnre potash in large quantity within the limits of the Southern
States, and the consequent production of soap: “ But whether
we make our soap or establish manufactures, we need lye or
potash in large quantities. To have this we must burn the light
kind of wood, for some wood is better than other sorts, and we
must save all the ashes and take good care of them. The ashes
should not only be saved for this purpose, but to be used as ma-
nure. It is ashame that we have been so long and so willingly
dependent on the North for so large a catalogue of the com-
monest articles, and even for the article of soap.”

The following on the same subject is from the Richmond Dis-
patch, which I condense: “The great scarcity of Soap at the
present time arises from the want of potash and soda ash.
Hither will make soap. The latter is found in its natural state

368

(natron) in Egypt and South America, but the principal supply
has been obtained from Great Britain, procured by the burning
of sea-weeds. The former (potash) is supplied mostly from
Canada and the State of New York. There is in the Southern
States any quantity of material to make potash, and I would
call the attention of farmers to its production. It requires but
a simple process in its manufacture—a few large iron pans and a
half dozen whiskey barrels, with heads out, and an iron ladle,
being all the apparatus required.

“Most weeds furnish potash, in a greater or less degree, to
every one hundred pounds. The following plants will furnish
of potash :

OUR WOOUsyac2sarsetesesdceottinee=va 24 Ibs.| Potato stem........ccsssceooessenees 55 lbs.
Wheat straw... i re 4} 6.) Corn-stalks....:..des<-saseaeueemeneme Lis
IBarleyastra wicccaccees ee-cesseniven<ne 5 ‘¢|Oak bark and elm leaves......... 24%

“These articles can be obtained by the farmers at little cost.
Select a shaded position, gather in a large heap, set fire to it,
keeping the fire up until several bushels of ashes are obtained ;
fill each barrel about one-quarter full of slaked lime; fill it then
with water, stirring the ashes well; let it stand over night, or
for about twelve hours, stirring frequently ; strain off the lye as
clear as possible; pour in the kettles and evaporate over a wood
fire. The kettle should be kept constantly full for two days, (a
little experience will soon teach the quantity ofdlye it will re-
quire to make them half full with potash.) The evaporation
should be continued until the mass obtains the consistency of
brown sugar ; then increase the fire, by which it will be fused ;
continue it until quiescent and looks like melted iron; witha
ladle transfer it to iron pans or baking ovens, and allow it to
cool; it may be then broken in pieces and packed in tight boxes
or barrels. The experiment will pay well any enterprising
farmer. The article cannot now be obtained at any cost, and
can be sold at a high rate. We hope this may induce some to
try it. The expense of fixtures is small. Pine wood furnishes
but little potash.”

Ure, in his Dictionary of Science and Manufactures, art.
Potash, p. 457, says: In America where timber isin many places
an incumbrance upon the soil, it is felled, piled up-in pyramids
and burned, solely with a view to the manufacture of potashes.
The ashes are put into wooden cisterns having a plug at the

369

bottom of one of the sides under a false bottom; a moderate
quantity of water is then poured on the mass, and some quick-
lime is stirred in; after standing for a few hours, so as to take
up the soluble matter, the clear liquor is drawn off, evaporated
to dryness in iron pots, and finally fused at a red heat into com-
pact masses, which are gray on the outside, and pink-colored
within. All kinds of vegetables do not yield, he adds, the same
proportions of potassa. The more succulent the plant, the
more does it afford; for it is only in the juices that the vege-
table salts reside, which are converted by incineration into al-
kaline matter. Herbaceous weeds are more productive of pot-
ash than the graminiferous species, or shrubs, and these than
trees ; and fora like reason twigs and leaves are more produc-
tive than timber. But plants in all cases are richest in alkaline
salts when they have arrived at maturity. ‘The soil in which
they grow, also, influences the quantity of saline matter. The
following table exhibits the average product in potassa of sev-
eral plants, according to the researches of Vauquelin, Pertuis,
Kirwan and DeSaussure:

In 1000 parts In‘ 1000 parts In 1000 parts
: Potassa. Potassa. Potassa.
EATOOP MET. 2 0c ceceseeae 0.45) Thistles........,.........5.00/ Bastard chamomile—
Poplar.......0+sesessees- 0.75|Flag stems..........00.. 5.00; Anthemis cotula, L.19:06
PENGLOI carececes'cvecnseee 0.75|Small rushes...........5.08/Sunflower stalks.....20.00
Beechwood..........+++ 1.45] Vine roots..........00+ 5.50|Common nettle......25.03
DEG etudee bosasstess0.0). 05), DALTLCY StIAW....sse00sd 5.80! Vetch plant........... 27.50
’ Boxwood.............-.2.26|Dry beech bark.......6.00/Thistles, full gro’th.35.37
PMT W caspavesnewasen ose ANON cas ietite s eduvaeie to 6.26 Dry straw of wheat
Elm and maple..... 3.90) Large rush...........0. 7.22) before earing...... 47.00
Wheat straw.......... 3.90|/Stalk of maize...... 17.15) Wormwood........... 73.00
Bark of oak twigs...4.20| Bean stalks........... 20.00|Fumitory ........... -79.00

Stalks of tobacco, potatoes, chestnut-husks, broom-heath,
furze, tansy, sorrel, vine leaves, beet leaves, orach and many
other plants abound in potash salts. In Burgundy the well
known cendres gravelees are made by incinerating the lees of
wine pressed into cakes and dried in the sun; the ashes contain
fully sixteen per cent. of potassa. To manufacture carbonate of
potassa, chlorate, etc., from ashes, see, also, Ure’s Dictionary.
The corn-shuck and cob contain potash, and an economical soap
is made from corn-shucks. See “Zea,” in this volume.

Count Chaptal, “Chemistry applied to Agriculture,” p. 290,
refers to the method of using economy in washing and bleach-
ing cloths, linen, cte., by a soapy liquor, a solution of oil and

24

370

soda, in place of ordinary soap. He also introduces and de-
scribes a plan for washing and cleansing household linen and
cotton yarn by steam from alkaline solutions. The expense is
three-sevenths of the expense of the common method.

I introduce the following from Chaptal’s Chemistry applied
to Agriculture, as it shows the very different composition of
different plants—the potato, for example :

“Tt appears that the three earths which form the basis of the
most fertile soil enter into the composition of plants. Berg-
mann has proved this by an analysis of several kinds of grain,
and Ruckert, by the results of his experiments upon a variety
of vegetable productions, in a way to put it beyond doubt.
About one hundred parts of ashes well leached, and conse-
quently disengaged of all their salts, yielded :

; Silica. Lime. Alumina.
IABWOS OL SWHEAtccceccccicesssvseieliccs ssanuiecsancsssinan Boey 48 37 15
“ OATS eeadsnCedusscodvab is sncedsegeesser catesonenss 68 26 6
- Darley....c.cceccocescsesscoeccssccsece ccecee aes 69 16 15
a FY Csdcssacssnccccnesanbencs- qgencanensasuisnese snd 63 21 16
f POLALOES ...00cceseaevcssceee cecceeses cosesrecace 4 66 30
ve TOG! Clover.ccrescouvecctestesctasel Po iaicesseee 387 33 30”

“ Soft soaps,” says Ure, “are usually made in this country
with whale, seal, olive and linseed oils, and a certain quantity
of tallow; on the Continent, with the oils of hemp-seed, sesame
(bené, which is planted in the Southern States,) rapeseed, lin-
seed, poppy-seed and colza, or with mixtures of several of these
oils. When tallow is added, as in Great Britain, the objeet is
to produce white and somewhat solid grains of stearic soap in
the transparent mass, called figging, because the soap then re-
sembles the granular texture of a ‘fig.’” “The potash lyes
should be made perfectly caustic, and of at least two different
strengths,” etc. See Ure, p. 668, for method. Any of the seeds
of our oily plants, the cultivation of which I have so often rec-
ommended, can be pressed in a flannel bag in an ordinary cotton
press. If the pressure is exercised in a warm room heated by
a stove, the escape of the oil will be much facilitated.

A lye made of wood ashes will stop the rust in wheat, if the
seeds are soaked in it before being planted for two or three
hours. It is a useful substitute at this time for the brine which
is usually made of sulphate of copper or salt.

371

As the Concentrated Lye may be made from ashes, I am in-
duced to insert the following on this all-important subject.
Resin is abundant in the Southern States, and vegetable wax
and oils can be obtained. See “ Myrica” and bené, (“ Sesamum.’”)
See method of preparing concentrated lye under white oak,
“ Quercus alba,” in this volume.

Yellow or Rosin Soap.—Dissolve one pound of concentrated
_ lye in one half gallon of water and set it aside ; heat in a kettle
one gallon of water and three and a half pounds of fat or tal-
low, and commence to make the soap just as above for hard
soap, with small quantities of lye and a very small fire, until
the soap is ready for salt, but add no salt. Put in now one and
three-fourth pound of powdered rosin, and let it boil down by
constantly stirring until the soap sticks on the kettle and gets
very thick. It is now finished, and may be put into a mould.

Hgrd Fancy Soap—Dissolve one pound of the concentrated
lye in two and a half pounds of hot water and let it cool; then
melt by a low heat five pounds of clear fat or tallow, pour in
the lye in avery small stream and stir it rapidly; keep stirring
until all has assumed the appearance of thick honey, and falls
off the stirrer in large drops., It is then finished. Cover it up
and set the batch in a warm place; or better, cover it with a
woollen blanket to keep in the heat and let it stand for twenty-
four hours, when it will have set in a fine, hard soap, which
may be perfumed and variegated with colors by stirring the
desired colors or perfumes into the mixture just before cover-
ing. If lard or olive oil is used, no heating ‘of the same is
required.

Soft Soap.—To one pound of the concentrated lye add three
gallons of soft water, and four and one-half to five pounds of
fat or tallow; boil until the mass gets transparent and all the
fat has disappeared. Now add fifteen gallons of water, boil a
few minutes and the soap will be ready for use. As soon as
cold, it will be a perfect jelly. If too thick, add more water,
which can be done to make the soap to any consistency desired.
Twenty-five gallons of good soft soap can be made in this way
out of one pound of the concentrated lye.

Pump water is softened and made fit for washing as follows:
dissolve one cake of the concentrated lye in one gallon of water,
and keep it for use in a well-corked demijohn or jug. To a

372

tub full of pump.or hard spring water add.from one-eighth of a
gill to a pint of the clear solution ; the quantity of course varies
according to the size of the tub and the nature of the water,
some taking more and some less. <A _ tablespoonful will gener-
ally be found enough to make three to five gallons of water fit
for washing. In all the above operations, it should be remem-
bered to replenish the water which may evaporate while dis-
solving the concentrated lye, or while boiling.

Consult “ Salsola kali” for soda and soda soaps from ashes ;
also “oak,” (Quercus alba,) for additional information.

To make twenty pounds of cheap Soap from four pounds —The
Southern Field and Fireside directs: four pounds of turpentine
soap, one-half pound of soda, add two gallons water, boil ten
minutes, add a spoonful of salt and boil ten minutes more.

Economy in the Use of Salt—I insert the following for its
utility in the periods of exigency: “Green wood contains some
forty per cent. of its weight of moisture, which forms a watery
vapor when burning; and even dry wood has over forty per
cent. of the elements of water, oxygen and hydrogen that
forms vapor when such wood is burnt. Coal consists mainly of
the carbon in wood, which in burning forms a very drying heat.
Most of our readers are familiar with the usual process of bar-
becuing large pieces of meat over coals. If such meat were too
high above the coal fire to roast, it would soon dry. When dry,
avery little salt and smoking will keep it indefinitely. Like
cured bacon, it should be packed in tight casks, and kept in a
dry room.

“After one kills his hogs, if he is short of salt, let him get
the water out of the meat by drying it over burning coals as
soon as possible, first rubbing it in a little salt. Shade trees
around a meat-house are injurious by creating dampness. Dry
meat with a coal fire after it is smoked. You may dislike to
have meat so dry as is suggested, but your own observation will
tell you that the dryest hams generally keep the best. Cer-
tainly, sweet, dry bacon is far better than moist, tainted bacon,
and our aim is simply to show how meat may be cured and long
kept with a trifle of salt, when war has rendered -the latter
scarce and expensive.” As this is an important question in
every point of view, I will also cite on the manufacture of salt an
elaborate article in the P. O, Reports, 1855, p. 143, by W. C.

373

Dennis, of Key West, Florida; also P. O. Reports, 1857, p. 133,
The mode of crystallizing, etc., is explained in a plain, practical
manner, with wood-cuts of machinery. Evaporation through
thorns, wood-shavings, etc., is described.

PECAN; MISSISSIPPI NUT, (Carya oliveformis.) Culti-
vated in the Atlantic States.

I have observed it growing wild in Ward’s swamp, St. John’s
Berkeley, S.C., in company with the C. myristiceformis or nut-
meg hickory of Mx. No doubt the fruit was disseminated from
neighboring plantations, where it is cultivated. The fruit of
the plants of this order are favorite articles for table use in the
Southern States. The pecannut is rich and nutritious, and the
tree might be planted as a source of profit, as it is a rapid
bearer, attaining a large size.

Michaux advises that the shoots should, for the purposes of
fruifing, be grafted on stalks of the common walnut tree. The
tree abounds in upper Louisiana and Illinois. A swamp of
eight hundred acres is said to exist on the right bank of the
Ohio, opposite the Cumberland River. The wood is coarse
grained, heavy and compact. Michaux.

SAURURACES.

SWAMP-DRAGON; LIZZARD’S TAIL, (Saururus Cernuus,
L.) Grows in inundated soils; Richland; vicinity of Charles-
ton; Newbern; and collected in St. John’s, where the root is
used, in the form of a poultice, in discussing tumors, and as an
application in abscess of the breasts occurring after labor. It
is thought by many to possess great value in this respect. In
a note to Ell. Bot., 505, it is also said that the fresh root is
applied with advantage as an emollient and discutient to in-
flamed surfaces. After the frequent employment of the boiled
roots of this plant beaten up and used as an economical material
for poultices, I would particularly recommend it, as the roots
can be abundantly and easily obtained in almost every swamp
along the seaboard. Whether it is endowed or not with medici-
nal properties it is a pleasant, soothing application, adapted to
the wants of large bodies of soldiers in camp, or negroes on our
plantations. I have employed it to promote suppuration in
mammary abscess. Grease may be added to the mass.

374
SALICACEH. (The Willow Tribe.)

Bark generally astringent, tonic and stomachic.

BLACK OR SWAMP WILLOW, (Salix nigra, L.) Grows
along streams; Richland; vicinity of Charleston; collected in
St. John’s; Newbern. Fl. May.

Bell’s Pract. Dict. 403; U. S. Disp. 622. See work of younger
Michaux, Ball. and Gar. Mat. Med. 337; Mer. and de L. Dict.
de M. Méd. vi, 185; Griffith, Med. Bot. 583 ; Schepf, Mat. Med.
43; Ell. Bot. Med. Notes, ii, 671. The willow is supposed to
furnish us with one of the best substitutes for Peruvian bark ;
the S. alba, which may be included among the many varieties ©
found in the Southern States, and which are not yet accurately
distinguished, seems to be held in high estimation. But this
species, also, is considered valuable; the bark possessing some
power as a purgative, anti-intermittent and vermifuge. It also
furnishes the principle called salicin, which, from the results of
late experiments, is found to be much less valuable than quinia,
but is a good bitter tonic. See Journal Phil. Coll. Pharm. for
the mode of preparation. The bark of the root and branches
is officinal It is tonic and somewhat astringent. The decoc-
tion made with one ounce of bark to one pint of boiling water,
of which the dose is two fiuid ounces, should be boiled ten
minutes, and strained while hot. Dose of salicin from two to
eight grains and increased. It might well attract attention as
a substitute for quinine. The large stems of this tree are light
and durable, and are used for the timbers of boats.

There are several other species in the Southern States. The
willow—osier willow, (see article in J‘armer and Planter, Sept.,
1861,) is cultivated extensively in Germany, France and Bel-
gium for making baskets, hats, screens, etc., etc. After most
careful experiment it has been found that the best species to
introduce into the Southern States for the purpose, are the
Salix forbeyana, Salix purpurea, purple willow and Salix triandra,
long-leaved willow. Forbes’ willow is very productive and hardy,
one of the most valuable species for common work, where un-
peeled rods are used. It does not whiten well.

Purple Willow—kExperiments have shown that this species
is the most valuable and profitable for osiers in this country.
With good ordinary culture its shoots will average ten feet in

375

length; will thrive best in deep, moist soil, where it will easily
yield from four to five tons per acre of the most excellent rods,
well qualified for the finest work. The purple willow, aside
from being the most valuable for manufacturing all the finest
kinds of willow-ware, is the best species for hedges, and is most
extensively used for that purpose in Germany and Holland.
The leaves and the bark being so very bitter will not be touched
by cattle, while the shoots may be formed into any shape, and
the hedge thereby made impregnable. Fine hedges or screens
of twenty-five feet in height may be grown from willow cut-
tings of this species in five years, thus affording almost imme-
diate shelter, so indispensable at all seasons of the year. We
-have seen, the writer adds, screens in Russia, of the willow,
forty-feet high, surrounding parks from three to four hundred
acres in extent, affording the most perfect shelter against the
sweeping winds and storms. Its soft, green and glossy foliage
will make it an object of great beauty and attraction.

The last mentioned, the Salix triandra, long-leaved willow,
will grow with almost equal vigor in any soil of depth; ripens
its shoots very early and whitens beautifully ; is tough and
pliable, and a general favorite with our German basket-makers
for split-work. This willow is most extensively cultivated in
Germany by the thousands of acres. Its cultivation is highly
esteemed by the people and much encouraged by the govern-
ment.

Salix caprea, though not valued as an osier, is deserving of
attention, as it will grow in wet situations where other trees
will hardly exist. It furnishes food for bees at a time when it
is most needed. In early spring, before other flowers appear,
this tree is a mass of dazzling bloom, most eagerly sought after
by bees. This willow is also valuable for hoops.

The cuttings, in our climate, should be prepared in fall or
early winter, and if planted at that time the ends will form the
callosity preparatory to sending out roots. In setting the cut-
tings in the ground prepared for them, care should be taken to
have them set deep enough; a small portion only should re-
main above ground, the strongest roots always start from the
lower end of the cutting or set; by doing so the most vigorous
growth will be obtained.

In establishing a willow plantation, cuttings of vigorous up-

376 ?
land growth, that have had an abundance of room, should only be
purchased and used, and, if obtainable, select wood of one year’s
growth, with a portion of two years wood from the lower ex-
tremity. Deep soils, free from standing water, but yet so soft
that plowing is impracticable, will grow enormous growths of
S. triandra, requiring no further cultivation but keeping the
weeds down for the first year or two, after which time the wil-
lows will be of sufficient strength to take care of themselves,
and provide for their own shade and well-being. We have in the
Southern States large districts of deep alluvium, often inclining
to swamps, which are so much drained as to do away with their
swampy character, and with no other preparation than remov-
ing the trees, may make excellent willow plantations. Sir J.
W. Hooker observes: “The many important uses rendered to
men by the different species of willow serve to rank them
among the first in the list of our economical plants.” The edi-
tor of the Southern Farmer and Planter then quotes a state-
ment by W. P. Rupert, of Geneva, N. Y., showing a net profit
of $533 per acre from planting the osier willow.

See, also, Chaptal’s Chemistry applied to Agriculture for the
method of planting willow along borders of land liable to inun-
dation, to lessen the force of the water, to strengthen the soil,
and reclaim the land. A border of willow and poplar is planted
over the banks or along the sides of the watercourses, and the
plants are cropped at the tops so as to increase the thickness of
their growth.

In a paper in Patent Office Reports on Agriculture, p. 46,
1851, by W. G. Haynes, of Putnam County, N. Y., it is stated
that four or five million dollars worth of willow were imported
annually into the United States from France and Germany.
The prices ranged from $1 to $1 30 per ton weight. The writer
confines his attention to the “three kinds best adapted for
basket-making, farming, tanning and fencing.” He says: “The
Salix viminalis is that specimen of all others best adapted for
basket-makers. An acre of this properly planted, and culti-
vated upon suitable soil, will yield at least two tons weight per
year.” See the paper cited for yield.. The people of England,
till 1808, relied entirely for their supply upon Continental Hu-
rope. The Salix alba, or Bedford willow, is much planted by
the Duke of Bedford. “The bark is held in high estimation

377

for tanning, the wood for shoemakers’ lasts, boot-trees, cutting-
boards, gun and pistol stocks, and house timber ; the wood being
fine grained, and susceptible of as fine a polish as rosewood or
mahogany. An agre of this kind of wood, ten years old, has
sold in England for £155.” The “Salix alba is extensively
used by retired tradesmen who build in the country for the
purpose of securing shade in a short time, and by the nobility
around their fish-ponds and mill-dams, and along their water-
courses and avenues. This is the principal wood used in the
manufacture of gunpowder in England.” It requires twelve
thousand cuttings to plant one acre. Much land worth for little
else might be planted in willow.

The next species is the Huntingdon willow, (S. caprea,)
“which is a good basket willow, and is used extensively in
England by the farmers for hoop-poles and fencing. Their
manwer of planting for fencing is by placing the ends of the
cuttings in the ground, and then working them into a kind of
trellis-work, and passing a willow withe around the tops or
ends, so as to keep in shape for the first two years. They cut
the tops off yearly, and sell them to the basket-makers, thus
having a fence and crop from the same ground.” Another de-
scription of fence is also made from the Salix caprea, “known
in England by the name of hurdle fences, which may be re-
moved at the pleasure or discretion of the proprietor.”

In England, Wilson says, an acre of osier will yield greater
profit than one of wheat. The Salix purpurea, as was stated, is
also valuable. “The cutting of a basket twig should be made
slopingly within three buds of the point whence the shoot
issued; and the cutting of a hoop willow may be made so low
as to leave only the swell at the bottom of the shoot. Basket,
twigs are commonly sorted into three sizes, and tied into bun-
dles of each two feet in circumference; and when they are to
be peeled, they are set on their thick end, a few inches deep in
standing water, and left there till commonly the latter part of
the following May. The apparatus for peeling is simply two
round rods of iron, nearly half an inch thick, sixteen inches
long, and tapering a little upward, welded together a little at
one end, which is sharpened, so that it may be easily thrust
down into the ground. When thus placed in a piece of firm
ground, the peeler sits down opposite to it, and takes the willow

378

in the right hand by the small end, and puts a foot or more of
the great end into the instrument, the prongs of which he
presses together with the left hand, and with the right draws
the willow toward him, by which operation the bark will at
once be separated from the wood; the small end is then treated
in the same manner, and the peeling is completed. After being
peeled they will keep in a good condition for a long time, till a
proper market be found. Rural Cye.

Charcoal made of willow or oak is a useful anti-septic agent,
possessing the power of absorbing gases, and useful in dyspep-
sia and ill-conditioned states of the gastro-intestinal mucous
membranes. It is also used as a mechanical laxative, in doses
of ten to fifteen grains. It is supposed to act as a prophylactic
in yellow fever, and to prevent the acetous fermentation when
added to casks of wine, cider, etc. In preparing it, the com-
mon charcoal from green wood is reduced to powder. This is
reheated and burned to ignition in a tightly covered vessel. It
is then kept for use in closely stopped bottles, as it will absorb
moisture and gases from the atmosphere. It is used also as a
general purifyer. Brackish water strained through a layer of
sand and powdered charcoal is made sweet and pure.

For making gunpowder charcoal, the lighter woods, such as
the willow, dogwood and alder, answer best; and in their ear-
bonization care should be taken to let the vapors freely escape,
especially toward the end of the operation, for when they
are re-absorbed, they greatly impair the combustibility of the
charcoal. The charcoal of some wood contains silica, and is,
therefore, used for polishing metals. Dr. Mushet published the
following table of the quantity of charcoal yielded by different
woods:

Chestnut......ecereceee 23.2 of charcoal—glossy, black, compact, firm.
oe RAY Re .22.6 black, close, very firm.

TVR INU b caccecessecccene 20.6 dull black, close, firm.

HL y ... 200 cccecseees ace 19.9 dull black, loose and bulky.

TROGC Rise. cencne sata see= 19.9 dull black, spongy, firm.
Sycamore......ceeceee 19.7 fine black, bulky, moderately firm.

IMs. .cndocn cco canan sets 19.5 fine black, moderately firm.

Norway pine......... 19.2 shining black, bulky, very soft.

Sallow or willow....18.4 velvet black, bulky, loose, soft.

ENGI cece watatevenacteont 17.9 shining black, spongy, firm.

Birch. ..................17.4 velvet black, bulky, firm. [Am. Farmer's Ene

379

On the subject of Nitre, and the materials for gunpowder, I
will introduce the following from Chaptal’s Chemistry, applied
to Agriculture, p. 153, and refer the reader to Prof. Leconte’s
paper on nitre beds, published in Columbia, 1862. Different
kinds of wood, he says, yield coal of very different quality ; the
best coal is heavy and sonorous, and is produced from wood of
very compact fibre. The heat it affords is quick and strong,
and its combustion, though vigorous, lasts a long time. The
charcoal of the green oak of the South burns at least twice as
long as that of the white oak of the North, and the effects pro-
duced by the heat it affords are great in the same proportion.

The light, porous, white woods afford a brittle, spongy coal,
of less weight, and which may be easily reduced to powder;
this coal consumes quickly in our fireplaces, but is useful for some
purposes, particularly in the manufacture of gunpowder, for
whichsuse it is prepared by the following process: a ditch of
five or six feet square and of about four in depth is dug ina
dry soil; the ditch is heated by means of a fire made of split
wood; the shoots and leaves are stripped from the long branches
of elders, poplars, hazels and willows, of which the coal is to be
made, and as soon as the ditch is sufficiently heated the branches
are thrown gradually in ; when carbonization is at its height the
pit is covered over with wet woollen cloths. This charcoal is
more light and inflammable than that of the denser woods, and
is susceptible of being more easily and completely pulverized.
M. Proust, who has made numerous experiments to ascertain
the kinds of plants which furnish the best coal for powder,
found that procured from the stalk of hemp to be preferable to
any other.

The most perfect process of carbonization is by means of
a close apparatus; for this purpose a stone or-brick building
is constructed of eighteen to twenty-five feet square; this is
matted over and the inside of it lined with a brick wall; through
the extent of it cast-iron cylinders are laid in such a manner
that one of the two ends shall have an external communica-
tion, while the other carries the smoke into one of the chim-
neys. As soon as the building is filled with the wood for
carbonization the cylinders may be heated. The vapor which
is distilled from the wood is received into sheet-iron pipes,
placed in the top, which convey it into tubs where it is con-

380

densed, Count Chaptal esteems this to be the best and most
economical apparatus for making charcoal; besides, it allows
the preservation of the pyroligneous acid, which brings a good
price, and may also be puritied and converted into vinegar,

In England, charcoal is prepared in two different ways. In
one, billets of wood are formed into a heap, which is covered
with turf, and a few small openings only lett for the admission
of the air requisite to maintain it in a state of low combustion |
atter it is lighted. When the whole heap is on fire, the holes
are stopped, and after the mass has cooled the residue is char.
coal, ‘This is substantially the method adopted on our planta-
tations. In the other mode, the wood is distilled in iron eylin-
ders, in which case the products are pyroligneous acids and
empyreumatic oil; and what remains in the retort is charcoal.
The quantity of the distilled products, as well as of the charcoal,
depends on the kind of wood employed. One hundred parts of
dried oak yields of pyroligneous acid, 43. parts; carbonate of
potassa, 4.5 parts; empyreumatic oil, 9.06 parts; charcoal, 26.2
parts. Farmer's Eneye., Ure’s Dict. of Arts and Rural Cye.
See, also, “ Quercus” and “ Pinus,” in this volume,

Five hundred cords willow was contracted for, to be delivered
on the line of the canal, at the government powder factory, at
Augusta, Ga, during the recent war. “The willow may be of
any size, the smaller branches being preferred ; the larger sticks
must be split into parts not larger than the arm. It must be
cut into uniform lengths of three feet, and each cord will mea-
sure fourteen feet long, three feet high and three feet broad,
containing one hundred and twenty-six cubic feet. The bark
must be carefully peeled off at the time of cutting.”

Puriyication of Water by Charcoal.—The reader is referred to
Chaptal’s “Chemistry applied to Agriculture” for much that
is practical in the domestic economy of our plantations in the
South on the manufacture of wine, brandy, ete. In his chapter
on the “means of preparing wholesome ‘drinks for the use of
country people,” he gives the following method for rendering im-
pure water pure. It would be found of great service at the pres-
ent time, and our generals in the field might thus, at little cost,
purify water for the use of their camps, for want of which sim-
ple expedient, moves, possibly disastrous, have often to be made
in face of an enemy. “The water made use of is often muddy,

381

or has a bad smell, cither of which faults may be corrected by
filtering it through charcoal; the process may be performed in
the following manner: place a large cask upright, in the coolest
situation you can command, knock out the head, and form in
the bottom of it a bed of clean sand upon which place one of
charcoal, and above these fasten securely a double head pierced
with holes. When this is done the cask may be immediately
filled with the water which is to be purified. The filtrated
fluid may be drawn off by means of a stop cock placed at the
bottom of the bed of sand; it will be found to have become
clear and inodorous in its passage through the sand and char-
coal. The preservation of this apparatus requires but little
care ; when the charcoal ceases to produce the desired effect, it
must be either well washed or replaced by a new portion.”
This plan can be put in practice by any one, and at any time.

WEEPING WILLOW, (Salix Babilonica.) Completely natu-
ralized. 4

It forms one of our most beautiful and graceful ornamental
trees. Only the pistillate plant is found here; and hence it
does not mature its fruit as the others do.

WHITE POPLAR, (Populus alba.) Introduced.

This is an aquatic plant, yet will grow on dry soils. It is
easily propagated by suckers, grows rapidly, is very tenacious
of life, and is one of the trees planted to prevent the encroach-
ment of the sea or rivers, by being planted with willows on the
margin. See, also, willow, (Saliz.)

The poplar has a very white, light wood, very suitable for
flooring; also eminently suited, on account of its lightness, for
the manufacture of trays, bowls, etc. “It is excellently adapted
for the purposes of the bellows-maker, and of the manufac-
turer of wooden soles of shoes; it is good for light carts; excel-
lent also for laths and packing-cases; very superior for wooden
constructions under water; and in fact as available for an
almost innumerable variety of purposes, from the mean ones of
fuel and poles to the noble ones of tools and furniture. Pontey
even asserts it to be perfectly suitable for almost every article
usually made of mahogany, and quite capable of being stained
and doctored into a very close imitation of that valuable wood.”
Wilson. The wood of our wild, tulip-bearing poplar (Lirioden-
dron) is adapted to similar purposes, being light, and easily

382

worked, and used by the cabinet-maker for many purposes. It
is stated in the Farmer’s Encyclopedia that by splitting the
wood of the white poplar into thin shavings like tape or braid,
the stuff called sparterie, used for hats, is manufactured. These
shavings are always made from green wood. One workman
can, with the aid of a child to carry off the shavings, keep
several plaiters employed. This might be made a source of
successful industry in the Southern States.

Paper from Wood Pulp.—A company of two hundred gentle-
men, representing the newspaper and book publishers of New
York, Boston and this city, paid a visit (1866) to the Manayunk
Wood Paper Pulp Works, and witnessed the entire process of
converting cord wood into paper pulp, and its manufacture into
paper. The pulp works are very extensive, buildings and
machinery having cost $500,000. The great feature of the
works is the economy in the use of chemicals, which disin-
tegrate the wood and bleach the pulp, the refuse being carried
to the evaporating house, where the chemicals are rendered fit
for using again, only twenty per cent. of fresh stock being
added to make it equal to its former strength. <A poplar tree
was taken from the hill-side for their benefit, and converted into
clear, white, soft paper, in the space of five hours. At the ad-
joining, Great Rock Paper Mills, excellent printing paper is
made with eighty per cent. of wood pulp and twenty per cent.
of straw pulp. From ten to fifteen tons of wood pulp are
turned out daily. The works have but recently gone into ope-
ration, and already the price of paper is reduced three cénts
per pound.

Upon examining the excrescences caused by an insect in
large numbers on the leaves of the cotton-wood tree, (P. hetero-
phylla, L.,) I find them possessed of great bitterness, and sug-
gest an examination into their tonic properties.

BALSAMACE.

SWERT GUM, (Liquidambar styracijflua, L.) Diffused from
Fla. to Maryland. Fl. March.

U. S. Disp. 273; Pe. Mat. Med. and Therap. ii, 184; Hd. and
Vav. Mat. Med. 303 ; Journal Phil. Coll. Pharm. vi, 190; Royle,
Mat. Med. 562; Bergii, Mat. Med. ii, 798; Linn. Veg. M. Med.
In former times the resin was used in scabies; and it is said

383

(Am. Herbal. by J. Stearns) to be useful in resolving hard
tumors in the uterus. The Indians esteemed it an excellent
febrifuge, and employed it in healing wounds. Mér. and de L.
Dict. de M. Méd. iv, 128, and the Supplem. 1846; Ann. de Mont-
pellier, 1805, 327; Journal de Pharm. vii, 339, and vii, 568; Bull.
de Thérap., October, 1833, where D. L’Héritier proposes to treat
blennorrhagias and leucorrhcas with liquid styrax. A kind of
oil, called copalm, is extracted from it in Mexico, which, when
solidified, is called copalm resin; this is an excitant of the
mucous system, and it is given in chronic catarrhs, and in affee-
tions of the lungs, intestines and urinary passages. This is
cordial and stomachic; it excites both perspiration and urine;
it is also used in perfumery.. In South Carolina and Georgia
the temperature is not high enough for this tree to furnish
much gum. Dr. Griffith experimented with it in the latitude of
Baltimore, and obtained a small quantity by boiling the twigs
and branches; he found that it exists in greatest abundance in
the young trees just before the appearance of the leaves. It is
about the consistence of honey, of a yellow color, and of a
pleasant, balsamic odor and taste. The acid obtained from the
gum is not benzoic, as the English assert, but cynamic. See
Am. J. Pharm. The tree is of rapid growth, and is orna-
mental—frequently assuming the appearance of a sugar-loaf.
The wood is soft, but not durable. A decoction of the inner
bark of the gum in a quart of milk, or a tea made with boiling
water is one of the most valuable and useful mucilaginous
astringents that we possess. It can be employed with advan-
tage in cases of diarrhoea and dysentery. Dr. C. W. Wright, of
Louisville, Ky., states that the bark of the tree is used with
great advantage in the Western States in the diarrhoea and
dysentery of summer, especially in children. A syrup from the
bark is prepared in the same manner as the syrup of wild
cherry bark. The dose is a fluid ounce for an adult, repeated
after each stool. Am. J. Med. Sc. N.S. xxxii,126. The editor
of the Va. Med. J., August, 1856, says that the use of a decoc-
tion of the bark in milk is common in many parts of Virginia
as a remedy in the diarrhcea of children. U.S. Disp., 12th
Ed. In Georgia, also, a common domestic remedy for diar-
rhoeas is made by boiling in water equal parts of the barks of
the red oak and sweet gum—a small proportion of spirits may

384

often be added with advantage. Dr. Wright claims that the
syrup is retained by an irritable stomach when almost every
other form of astringent medicine is rejected. See, also, Par-
rish Pract. Pharm., p. 230.

Leaves of native trees for Tanning Leather recommended in
place of Oak bark.—During the months of October and Novem-
ber, 1861, I had the leisure to make some experiments upon the
relative amount of the astringent principles in the leaves of
several of our most abundant native trees. The reputed power
of the dogfennel and other plants for the rapid tanning of
leather attracted my attention to the subject. I publish the
following, that the green leaves may be collected and used
before they fall. They can be much more readily obtained than
oak bark. I made two series of experiments, with a solution of
each leaf in boiling water, in separate test-glasses. After they
had remained a sufficient time for the coloring matters and the
astringent principles to be extracted, 1 subjected each to the
appropriate reagents. Solutions of iron as well as gelatine
were employed, which responded perfectly, and gave delicate
shades of difference. The leaf, well chewed and tasted, also
gives a very good idea of its astringency, and consequently
affords an approximation to the tannin and gallic acid it con-
tains. It will be seen that the leaves of the sumach, sweet-gum,
myrtle, blackberry, Clethra tomentosa and Andromeda _nitida,
(both abundant in our damp pine barrens, along the margin of
ponds,) and the fruit of the unripe persimmon, contain the
largest amounts of tannin, and perhaps gallic acid.

I took special care to select trees, for the most part, which
grew plentifully, and I particularly recommend those just men-
tioned to be used in lieu of oak bark for tanning leather, on
account of their abundance and the ease with which the fresh
leaves can be gathered, and because of the scarcity of the oak,
and the injury to these valuable timber trees. If the oak is
deprived of its bark the wood should always be converted into
ashes.

The dogfennel, (Hupatorium feniculaceum(?) see Hupato-
rium,) occupied a very inferior position as a tanniniferous plant,
and I have since learned that its reputed value was only illu-
sory.

385
FIRST SERIES.

(Relative amount of Astringency (tannin) expressed by numerals.)

1. Clethra alnifolia, L. (C. tomentosa, Lam.) Diffused in
damp pine lands.

1. Andromeda nitida.

1. Fruit of unripe Persimmon, (Diospyros Virginiana; ) color
of solution, bluish black.

2. Sweet-Gum, (Liquidambar styraciflua.)

23. Swamp Myrtle, (Myrica cerifera.)

3. Sweet Swamp Bay, or Laurel, (Magnolia glauca.) All the
above rich in tannin.

4, Oak Leaves, Black Jack, (Quercus nigra, L.)

5. Leaves of Persimmon.

6. Sassafras, (Laurus Sassafras,) a trace.

7. Prinos Glaber, (ink-berry.) Tannin not very evident.

SECOND SERIES.

1. Sumach, (Rhus copallina, L. and R. Glabra.)

2. Blackberry, (Rubus villosus and trivialis,) both very rich in
tannin.

3. Sweet leaf, (Hopea tinctoria,) tannin slightly present.

4. Dogfennel, (Hupatorium feeniculaceum,) a trace.

5. Sassafras, a trace.

6. Gall of the earth, (Hrenanthes alba,) very bitter; tannin,
none.

Both the leaves and the excrescences on the leaves of the
smooth Sumach, (Aus glabra,) growing along streams in the
upper districts, are very rich in tannin and should be used.
The Alder, (Alnus serrulata,) abundant along watercourses, is
also astringent. The reader can find a list of the plants and
trees yielding tannin in Ure’s “ Dictionary of Arts, Manufac-
ture and Mines.” See, also, Oak (“ Quercus’’) and Sumach
(‘ Rhus’) in this volume.

M. Dussauce, in “his New and Complete Treatise on the Arts
of Tanning, Currying and Leather Dressing, Philadelphia and
London, 1847,” states that the foliage of very few trees are
employed in the manufacture of leather. He does not refer
to the Carolina myrtle or gum as tanniniferous plants. I will
include under this section a list of those trees, the leaves of

25

386

which he mentions as being used for tanning. Very few of the
species cited by him grow in the South, but the plants belong
to the genera Salix, Sorbus, (aucuparia,) Punica, Fagus, Cornus,
Betula, Rumex, Quercus, Prunus, Amygdalus, (Persica,) Geranium,
(Hnothera, (biennis,) Tilia, Arbutus and Rubus.

He cites the following, the flowers and flower tops of which
may be used for tanning. I select only those which are in-
digenous or naturalized within the limits I have prescribed to
eel

Agrimonia eupatoria, Hypericum perforatum, (St. John’ swort,)
Polygonum persicaria, Plantago major, (Plantain,) Humulus lupu-
lus, (Hop.) The seeds of the grape and the roots of Statice
Caroliniana, (Marsh Rosemary,) also contain tannin.

CALLITRICHACHA.

STAR-WORT; WATER CHICKWEED, (Callitriche verna,
W.., Callatriche heterophylla, Ell. Sk.) Grows in shallow water ;
collected in St. John’s; vicinity of Charleston. Fl. May.

Shee. Flora Carol. 326. It is considered by the planters a
valuable diuretic remedy in dropsy. The tincture of the whole
plant in spirits is employed. A decoction is given to horses ~
when diuresis is desired.

SANTALALES.

BLACK-GUM; NARROW LEAVED TUPELO; SOUR-
GUM, (Wyssa aquatica, L. The roots are immersed in inun-
dated soils; collected in St. John’s; observed in Fairfield Dis-
trict ; vicinity of Charleston; Newbern.

The roots are white, spongy and light, and are sometimes
used in the Southern States as a substitute for cork; I am in-
formed by a friend who has had bottle corks cut from them
that they answer perfectly, and the floats for the nets of fisher-
men are generally made of the tupelo.

The genus exhibits a constant peculiarity of organization,
(‘the fibres are united in bundles and interwoven like a braided
cord,”) hence the wood is extremely difficult to split, unless cut
into billets—much used for hubs of wheels; also preferred for
the sideboards of carts. Am. Sylva. Trays, bowls, dippers,

387

mortars, and other utensils are manufactured from it. I had
recommended it as a suitable material during the war for shoes
in my article in DeBow’s Review, August, 1861, and have since
had a number made from the wood of the roots for negroes
residing on plantations in South Carolina. It is recommended
that only the sole of the shoe be made of wood, an inch in
thickness, cowskin, with the hair turned inside, being nailed on
this over a last; the hardness of this which is an objection,
may be diminished by soaking in salt and water. I have used
sheepskin, though canvas is next best to leather. The wood
should be well seasoned, or it will crack; boiling will prevent
this if the fresh wood is used. It is advised that when the
black-gum is used in the manufacture of shoes, “for complete
protection against moisture, a slip or inner sole and lining of
any water-proof material may be added.”

I introduce the following from the “Farmer and Planter,” as
not inappropriate. Every one who has visited Europe has seen
the sabot worn by the peasantry :

It cannot be denied that a number of diseases must result
from the wearing of leather shoes by laborers, when engaged
in out-door operations during cold weather, or in wet situations.
In Germany, Belgium and France, in order to prevent those
evils, at least to some extent, the use of wooden shoes has long
since been introduced, and they are extensively worn by the
whole farming and laboring population. ;

The governments of Kurope have very much encouraged the
manufacture of the same, and their preference over leather
shoes is much recommended by all boards of agriculture and of
health. There is hardly an operation on the farm and about the
farm-houses, the garden, etc., in which they could not be most
profitably used. They are perfectly secure against the pene-
tration of water, and being always dry, will keep the feet warm
and thereby prevent many diseases. They are light and easy
to wear, of a pleasant appearance, may be blackened or var-
nished. They can be worn with or without stockings; and,
with many other advantages, they combine such durability as
to last almost a lifetime, at a cost of from twenty-five to thirty-
seven cents. They are certainly entitled to the attention of
the farmers and laboring population of the South. The wood

388

for their manufacture is to be had in great abundance in most
of our Southern States.

The following is on the same subject:

Shoes without Leather—Messrs. Howes, Hyatt & Co., shoe and
leather dealers, in the City of New York, manufacture a planta-
tion brogan, differing from the old shoe, in having soles of some
light, tough wood—probably the root of the swamp poplar.
They patented the invention and warrant the brogan to outlast
the best of the leather-soled. Planters on the Mississippi had
tried them, and found that they were warmer, more durable,
and more impervious to water than the leather-soled. The soles
were made by machinery. The upper leather was first securely
tacked to the inner sole, and the under sole securely fastened to
the upper by about a dozen iron screws, securing the upper
leather between the two soles. With soles of wood and uppers
of canvas we can be independent of leather in times of war and
blockade.

Mr. W. Gilmore Simms suggests to me the use of the tupelo,
on account of its lightness, for making cartridge boxes. Surg.
Carrington, Med. Director late C. S. A., Richmond, Va., em-
ployed the tupelo to test its advantages as a material for the
manufacture of artificial limbs, and Gen. Walker informs me,
1866, that he uses a leg made of the white tupelo, and that it
surpasses every other for lightness.

It is necessary to distinguish between the wood of these trees.
The roots of the white tupelo furnishes a material so light as to
resemble cork very closely. The body of the tree also furnishes
a very light wood. It always grows in ponds. The Black tu-
pelo or black gum, sometimes grows on highlands—the wood is
also very light, but it possesses a firmer texture, by the inter-
lacement of the fibres, as I have observed—hence the adapta-
bility of the wood of the root for making bowls, shoes, naves of
carts, ete. The wood of the root is in each lighter than that of
the body of the tree.

The JV. capitata, of Walt., the Ogeechee Lime, growing in the
swamps of Florida and Georgia, near the coast, has a fruit which
is agreeably acid. Dr. J.H. Mellichamp writes me; “A very
delightful acid preserve is made from the large drupes of this
tree.”

Birds are fond of the fruit of this genus,

389

THYMELACEA. (The Mezereum Tribe.)

According to Lindley, the great feature of this tribe is the
causticity of the bark, which acts upon the skin as a vesicatory
and causes excessive pain in the mouth when chewed.

CANADA LEATHERWOOD; ROPE BARK, (Dirca pa-
-lustris, L.) Diffused; grows near Augusta at Colleton’s Neck,
(Ell.) Bartram found it near Savannah; N.C. FI. Feb.

Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. ii, 659; U.S. Disp. 1253;
Coxe’s Am. Disp. 259; Shec. Flora Carol. 513; Big. Am. Med.
Bot. ii, 157; Barton’s Collec. 32; Griffith, Med. Bot. 563 ; Raf.
Med. Fl. i, 158. The berries are said to be narcotic and poi-
sonous, and the bark has a nauseous odor and acrid taste,
yielding its virtues to alcohol; eight grains of the powdered
bark will produce violent vomiting, followed by purging. When
applied to the skin, it blisters like mezereon. The juice has been
applied®to the nerve of a painful tooth with relief, and in dis-
eases where acrid masticatories are serviceable. Bigelow says
the decoction is sudorific and expectorant, and he considers it a
good substitute for senega. The bark is also uncommonly tough,
and was used by the Indians for cordage; the wood is very
hard and pliant.

Its twigs are remarkable for toughness, are as strong and pli-
able as those of the lime tree, and are employed in America for
the manufacture of various small articles. Its bark, also, has a
homogeneous character with the twigs, and is used for making
ropes and baskets ; and both, but especially the twigs, occasion
the plant to be popularly called in Canada leatherwood. This
plant is an excessive favorite with snails! Wilson’s Rural Cyc.

LAURACE. (The Cinnamon Tribe.)

The qualities of the species of this order are uniform, being
universally aromatic, warm and stomachie.

SASSAFRAS, (Sassafras officinale, Nees. Laurus sassafras of
Ell. Sk.) Diffused. Fl. March.

Bell’s Pract. Dict. 411; Eberle, Mat. Med. ii, 320; Drayton’s
View, 68; Ed. and Vav. Mat. Méd. 341; U.S. Disp. 640; Royle,
Mat. Med. 518; Pe. Mat. Med. and Therap. ii, 253; Cullen’s
Mat. Med. ii, 200 and 579; Big. Am. Med. Bot. ii, 142; Murray’s
Apparat. iv, 835; Kalm’s Travels, 11; Hoffman’s Obs. Phys.
Chem. 31; Clayton’s Phil. Trans. viii, 332; Bremaine, “Sassa-

390

fralogia,” in 1627; Woodv. Med. Bot.; Griffith’s Med. Bot. 552 ;
Thornton’s Fam. Herb. The plant contains an essential oil, ob-
tained by distillation, which is heating, sudorific and diuretic,
and which is used to disguise the taste of medicines. In the
Supplem. to Dict. de M. Méd. 426, 1846, it is reported that the
essential oil, when placed in a temperature of 40° Fabr., will
form crystals, which, being exposed to heat, return to pure oil:
- from the Report in the Lond. Med. Journal vii, 2501, 831; Re-
searches on the Ess. Oil of Sassafras, in the Comptes Rendus
Hebd. des Se. de |’Acad. des Se. xviii, 705. After the conquest
made by the Spaniards in Florida sassafras was used in the
treatment of syphilis, the warm infusion being applicable in cu-
taneous disease, by acting on the emunctories. The root is em-
ployed in the Carolinas in combination with guaiac, sarsaparilla,
and China briar, (Smilax,) in the formation of diet drinks. It is
diaphoretic and diuretic, useful in rheumatism, and Alibert
speaks highly of it in gout. The pith of the young branches,
according to Eberle, contains a great deal of mucilage; which is
“an exceedingly good application in acute ophthalmia, and no
less useful in catarrhal and dysenteric affections;” it is not af-
fected by alcohol; Griffith (Med. Bot. 552) also speaks favorably
of it as an application to inflamed eyes, being effectual in the re-
moval of the irritation so constant.in this complaint. It is ad-
vantageously given as a demulcent drink in disorders of the res-
piratory organs, bowels and bladder ; being more efficacious than
that prepared from the leaves of Bene, (Sesamum Indicum.) It
might be used as a substitute for acacia. The oil extracted from
this plant is one of the heaviest of the volatile oils. Dr. B.S.
Barton states that it has been found an efficacious application to
wens. Coll.i, 19. G. Velsch, “ Lignum sassafras et radice di-
versum,” Miscel. Cur. Nat. 332, 1670; C.J. Trew, Brevis Hist.
Nat.; Arboris Sassafras dicte, (Nova acta Acad. Nat. Cur. ii,
271;) G. D. Ebret de Arboribus Sassafras dictis et Londini cultis,
(Nova acta ii, 236;) Obs. on the Sassafras, in Obs. sur la Phy-
sique, xxiv, 63; Bonastre, Mem. sur |’Huile volatile de Sass.
(Journal de Pharm. xiv. 645.) And, also, A. Buchner upon the
Crystallization of the Oil of Sassafras,

The roots yield a drab color with copperas; no doubt a much
lighter shade may be obtained by alum or vinegar as a mordant.
I believe that any of our plants containing either tannin or

391

colored juices may be used as dyes. Iron increases the shade
by forming tannate or gallate of iron. See “ Rhus,” ete.

The leaves of sassafras contain an unusual proportion of mu-
cilage, and two or three leaves, dissolved in water, yield a mu-
cilaginous drink. I made great use of the tea prepared with
sassafras root, gathered extemporaneously, while surgeon to the
Holcombe Legion, 8. C. Vols. It was given whenever a warm,
aromatic, mucilaginous tea was required, in fever, pneumonia,
bronchitis, catarrhs, mumps, etc. The nurse detailed for each
company procured the materials upon the spot where the com-
pany or regiment was posted. It served every purpose of the
articles usually supplied by the medical purveyors of the army.
I have also used it in lieu of gum arabic and flaxseed, so largely
required on our plantations.. The cotton seed is said to make
an equally economical demulcent tea.

In camp sassafras tea was often drunk daily by many of the
officers and soldiers as a favorite substitute for green tea. It is
thought to purify the blood, but the impression that it tends to
impair the health and intellect if persisted in‘must be erroneous.
The oil it contains is,diuretic.

The Farmer’s Encyclopcedia says of the sassafras :

“The wood stripped of its bark is very durable, strong and
resists worms, etc. It forms excellent posts for gates. Bed-
steads made of it are never infested with bugs. It is, however,
only occasionally employed for any useful purpose, and never
found in the lumber-yards of large towns. The pith and dried
leaves of the young branches of the sassafras contain much mu-
cilage, resembling that of the okra plant, and are extensively
used in New Orleans to thicken pottage, and make the cele-
brated gumbo soup.” .

A cheap and wholesome Beer for the use of soldiers, or as a
table beer, is prepared from the sassafras, the ingredients being
easily obtained. To eight bottles of water are added one quart
of molasses, one pint of yeast, one tablespoonful of ginger, one
and a half tablespoonful of cream of tartar, these ingredients
being well stirred and mixed in an open vessel; after standing
twenty-four hours the beer may be bottled, and used immedi-
ately. The reader interested in the manufacture of beer, ale,
porter, ete., will find the methods detailed in Solly’s Rural
Chemistry, Ure’s Dictionary of Arts and Manufactures, and in
Wilson’s Rural Cyclopeedia.

392

I add the method of preparing

The French Army Beer —The following is the recipe of the
beer that has been introduced into the French Army upon the
recommendation of the Medical Board. It is described asa
very wholesome beverage, of pleasant and refreshing taste, and
promoting digestion in a remarkable degree. It may prove an
‘agreeable beverage both in and outside of the army:

DWidiercseiecs-cedtos series onciecnasssneieeees MOOPIGKES S.J. -e-ecens week about 100 quarts.
Mio ass ea a < diea's sassiane seueisy otcszunieledes> 500 grammes....... sere about 1 pound.
ERO pS\scectaesesens Ses aonnecomnonecee SoD staat 100 grammes.............about 3 ounces.
Marshmallow root........scsccecsseessee 50 PTAMMES.......+.0000 about 1} ounce.
pig 312 PY ARB Sap toh Shae A 60" erammes. ...5.-...00- about 1} ounce.

Make an infusion of the hops and marshmallow root with
about twenty times their weight of the boiling water. Another
part of the water is used to dilute the molasses, and another to
dilute the yeast. All the fluids are then mixed, and put into a
vessel for fermentation. After five or six days it will be ready
for use.

The following modification of the recipe may sometimes be
preferable:

"WHALEY ssn scnen moRG tear concent esrstseserer 100 litres........ O ansnaxaeeeen 100 quarts.
IONIC js creeesoeiesc oun eebe cesses s(scceeees ers SOO) erammes\.2s..0..- ecssonssceee 1 lb. 10 oz.
BLOW (SULA tecesteteeteess nese tacceters SOOr STAMIMES ceds-decssaseeeseeees 1 Ib. 10 oz.
HET OFIS a. aetsawencasssscnbinchu metas sanccotareae 300 STAMMES I... :.c.csscccscascssesutess settee OMe
DIG apercporeces condo a's. b aeodentisaoeds 50. GrAMMES «.. 2)s.sk sabe scnmesseeanerteetl ee ROD

I have no doubt the mucilaginous leaves of the sassafras or
the Bené would serve as a substitute for the marshmallow. See,
also, ‘ Persimmon,” (Diospyros,) “Apple” and “ Hop,” in this
volume for manufacture of domestic liquors.

SPICE BUSH; FEVER BUSH; WILD ALLSPICKH, (Ben-
zoin odoriferum, Nees V. Ess. Laurus benzoin, L., Ell. Sk.) Grows
along rivulets.

Collected in St. John’s, Charleston District; Richland ; New-
bern. Fl. April.

Mer. and de L. Dict de M. Meéd. iv, 51; U. S. Disp. 1233 ;
Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 201; Griffith’s Med. Bot.553; Barton, 295.
This is another of our highly aromatic, indigenous shrubs; the
bark is, besides, stimulant and tonic; “extensively used, in
North America, in intermittent fevers.” *

This tree contains a remarkable amount of aromatic property
in every portion of it; it-yields benzoin. Benzoin is also found
in our grasses Anthoxanthum odoratum, (sweet scented vernal

393

grass,) Holcus odoratus and Mellilotus officinalis—the principle
which appears to give fragrance to hay and pasture land, and
which is communicated undecomposed to the urine of the cow.
Wilson’s Rural Cyc. The berries contain an aromatic oil, which
is esteemed in some parts of the country as an application to
bruises, rheumatic limbs, etc. It is said to have been employed
during the Revolutionary war, as a substitute for allspice. B.
8. Barton states that an infusion of the twigs has been found
efficacious as a vermifuge; the flowers are employed in the
place of those of the sassafras.

A decoction of the plant forms an excellent diaphoretic drink
in pneumonias, colds, coughs, etc., and as such may be largely
used among soldiers in service.

The soldiers of the upper country of South Carolina, serving
in the Holcombe Legion, of which I was Surgeon, came into
campefully supplied with the spice bush for making a fragrant,
aromatic, diaphoretic tea. This, and a tea prepared from the
sassafras, I used entirely as a substitute for gum arabic and
flaxseed in colds, coughs, pneumonias, etc. Soldiers may supply
themselves with these, as they move camp, in any locality.

POND SPICE, (Laurus, Walter. Tetranthera geniculata,
Nees.) Grows around ponds; vicinity of Charleston; Newbern ;
Fla. This, also, is aromatic. A species growing in China af-
fords much tallow.

ARISTOLOCHIACE. (The Birthwort Tribe.) .

SERPENTARIA ; SNAKEROOT, (Aristolochia serpentaria,
L.) Diffused. Richland; vicinity of Charleston; Newbern. FI.
June.

Bell’s Pract. Dict. Mat. Med. 420; Trous. et Pid. Mat. Méd. i,
336; Ed. and Vav. Mat. Méd. 249; Eberle, Mat. Med. i, 280;
Le. Mat. Med. i, 163; Frost’s Elems. Mat. Med. 520; Royle, Mat.
Med. 532; U.S. Disp. 658; Pe. Mat. Med. and Therap. i, 231;
Journal de Pharmacie, vi, 365; Journal de Chim. Méd. vii, 493 ;
Sydenham, Peechey’s Trans. 4th edition, 33; Ball and Gar. Mat.
Med. 375; Cullen, Mat. Med. ii, 85; Bergii, Mat. Med. ii, 765;
Mer. and de L. Dict de M. Méd. i, 415; Big. Am. Med. Bot. iii,
82; Murray, Apparat. Med. i, 348; Chap. Therap. and Mat. Med.
ii, 411; Lind. on Hot Climates, 104, 254; Shec. Flora Carol.
203; Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 206; Bart. M. Bot. 251; Woodv.

394

Med. Bot.; Griffith’s Med: Bot. 829; Linn. Veg. M. Med. 166 ;_
Bull Plantes Vén de France, 83; Thornton’s Fam. Herb. This
plant, which yields a volatile oil, camphor, malate and phosphate
of lime, is well known as a tonic, diuretic and diaphoretic, of
great value in the low stages of fever, and in typhus, after re-
mittent, in chlorosis, and in atonic affections of the intestinal
canal; indicated where we wish to stimulate and excite at the
same time a free diaphoresis and diuresis. It is also useful in
promoting the cutaneous excretions in exanthematous diseases,
where the eruptions are tardy. Dr. Chapman recommended it
in “bilious pleurisy.” The infusion is serviceable in restraining
vomiting; much use is made of this plant among the negroes
in the South, particularly in the low stages of pneumonia, to
which they are particularly liable. I have repeatedly observed
the good effects of both this and the senega snakeroot, (Polygala
senega,) in this affection. The dose of the powdered root is ten
to thirty grains; of the infusion, of one ounce to one pint of
boiling water, two ounces may be taken as often as occasion re-
quires. Its effects are increased by combining it with camphor.
Dr. Thornton, (Fam. Herb. cit. sup.,) used it in typhus fever ;
two drachms of the tincture, combined with ten grains of the
powder and five drachms of the tincture of opium, may be
given every hour. It is said to add much to the efficacy of
bark ; and it forms an ingredient of Huxam’s Tr. of bark.

Several vegetable infusions surpass even sea Salt in anti-septic
power. Sir John Pringle says that several bitters, such as ser-
pentaria, chamomile, or Peruvian bark, exceed salt, he inferred,
one hundred and twenty times—‘ flesh remaining long untainted
when immersed in their infusions; camphor is more powerful
than anything else.” Wilson’s Rural Cyclop. This anti-septic
power of certain vegetable substances should be compared with
their medicinal effects when prescribed internally. All the arti-
cles just mentioned are, it will be remembered, employed in ty-
phoid and low fevers. Among vegetable products, vinegar is
also anti-septic, and in the latter stages of low forms of fever,
dysentery, etc., is highly useful. Among the astringents pos-
sessed of anti-septic properties, the tannin may be the potent
agent, on account of its affinity for albumen and gelatine.

Aristolochia hastata. Rich, shaded soils. Fl. June.

395.

U.S. Disp. 658; Am. Journal Pharm. xiv, 121. It is said to
be similar in properties to the A. serpentaria,

DUTCHMAN’S PIPH, (Aristolochia sipho.) Shee. Fl. Carol.
205. Similar in properties to the others.

Aristolochia tomentosa, Sims. Fla. to Mts. of N. C. Similar
in properties to the other species.

WILD GINGER; COLT’S FOOT; CANADA SNAKE-

ROOT, (Asarum Canadensis, L.) Rich soil; collected in St.
John’s. Fl. April.
U.S. Disp. 125; Pe. Mat. Med. and Therap. ii, 243; Frost's
Elems. 220; Med. Journal Pharm. x, 186; Dict. Univ. des
Drogues Simples, Ann. 1733 ; Cullen Mat. Med. ii, 473, 553 ;
Mer. and de L. Dict de M. Méd. i, 463; Big. Am. Med. Bot. i, 149;
Schepf, Mat. Med. 72,in op. cit.; Barton’s Collection, 26, 48;
Coxe, Am. Disp. 368; Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 206 ; Griffith’s Med.
Bot. 827. An aromatic, stimulant tonic and diaphoretic, “ ap-
plicable in similar cases with serpentaria,’ It is employed in
cases requiring a medicine of this class, and is used in cholic
where no inflammation exists. It is valuable in colds, coughs
and female obstructions as a warm, diffusible stimulant and dia-
phoretic; sometimes combined with snakeroot and puccoon
root, (Sanguinaria.) Dr. Firth gave it with benefit in the
tetanus of children arising from cold. The leaves, dried and
powdered, have powerful errhine properties. They were once
considered actively emetic, (Shec. Fl. Carol. 219;) but this has
been denied by Bigelow and Barton, op. cit. Dr. J. R. Black, of
Indiana, has ascribed active diuretic properties to it, and has
used it with extraordinary success in-two cases of dropsy, con-
nected with albuminous urine. He used a decoction made by
boiling four ounces of the root in two pints of water for thirty
minutes, and gave two tablespoonsful every four hours. N. Y.
Journal Med. xxxii, 289; U.S. Disp., 12th Ed. The root is often
used as a substitute for ginger, to which it is said to be fully
equal. According to Bigelow’s examination, it contains a pun-
gent, volatile oil, and a resin which communicate to alcohol the
virtues of the plant, fecula, a gum, mucus, etc., op. cit. 153, 1.
By the Anal. of Mr. Rushton, quoted in Griffith’s work from the
Am. Journal Pharm. x, 81,and more recently of Mr. Proctor,
ibid, xii, 177, it is shown that the active principle is an aromatic
essential oil, aud that it contains neither asarin nor camphor.

396

This plant may be given either in powder, tincture or infu-
sion ; dose of the powder, thirty grains. It may be boiled in
milk and drunk freely. A syrup may also be made.

HEART SNAKEROOT, (Asarum Virginicum.) Grows in
rocky soils. Fl. July.

Shee. Flora Carol. 218; Frost’s Elems. Mat. Med. 219; “a
stimulating diaphoretic, fully equal to the Arist. Serp.” Proba-
bly possessed of similar properties to the other. Milne, in his
Ind. Bot. 73, alludes to this species as one of the strongest of
the vegetable errhines—the roots and leaves being used. “The
fresh leaves applied to the nostrils speedily terminate attacks of
slight cold by the discharge which they induce.” Those who
snuff find it a valuable addition to tobacco—the dried leaves
being powdered and mixed with it. The decoction and infusion
of this were considered emetic, and great relief was said to have
been afforded by it in periodical headaches, vertigo, etc.; one
scruple of the fresh or one drachm of the dried root and leaves
was employed as an emetic and cathartic.

Asarum arifolium, Mich. Grows in shaded, rich soils; col-
lected in St. John’s Berkeley, near Whitehall Pl.; vicinity of
Charleston. Fl. May.

Shee. Flora Carol. 217. This, no doubt, partakes of the prop-
erties of the others, if it is not identical; Linnzeus proposes it
as a substitute for ipecac; and Dr. Cutler says that the
powdered root, in moderate doses, acts as a gentle emetic, one
and a half drachm given in substance. ‘The “tincture possesses
both emetic and cathartic virtues.” This, like the former, is a
very powerful sternutatory ; when the powdered leaves are used,
the discharge from the nose will sometimes last for three days,
hence it has been applied in this way with great advantage in
stubborn disorders of the head, palsies, etc. “A case in which
there was paralysis of the mouth and tongue was cured by one
application of it.”

AMARANTACEA, (The Amaranth ,Tribe.)

The leaves of many of the species are wholesome and mucila-
ginous.

FORTY-KNOT, (Achyranthes repens, Ell.) Diffused; grows
in the streets of Charleston.

Hill. Bot. Med. Notes, i, 311. It is possessed of well marked

; ae

diuretic properties, and is employed in ischury and dysury, and
in the gravelly complaints of old persons. In Fairfield District,
8.C.,it has lately been employed with decided success in several
cases of dropsy, but sharing the fate of all other diuretics in
being sometimes inefficient in cases depending upon organic
changes, or produced by causes other than those connected with
the circulation. It is given in decoction—a handful of the herb
to a pint of water—of which a wineglassful is taken three times
aday. I have used this plant as a diuretic in the City Hospi-
tal, Charleston, under my care 1867, and find it to be possessed
of decidedly diuretic properties.

SALTWORT, (Salsola kali.) Sandy shores; Georgia and
northward.

Among the plants used in procuring soda in Spain, are “ the
different species of Salsola, Salicornia, and Batis maritima. The
Zostera maritima is burnt in some places on the borders of the
Baltic. In this country (Scotland, see Thornton’s Fam. Her-
bal.) we burn the various species of fuci, and in France they
burn the Chenopodium maritimum. In order to obtain it the
carbonate must be treated like potash of commerce, with lime
and ardent spirits as described before.” Within the limits of
the Southern States we have all the above plants, save C. mari-
timum. little doubt, however, exists in my mind that our
several species of worm seed, (Chenopodium,) will be found to
contain potash or soda in large amount. Some plants, “ which
in their native soil yield only potash, afford also soda if they
are cultivated in the neighborhood of the sea.” “The soda is
more or less pure according to the nature of the particular
plant from which it is obtained,’ (Thornton.) The species of
Salicornia are found on the coast of Florida and northward.
Batis maritima, L. “Salt marshes, Apalachicola, and north-
ward.” Zostera marina, L. West Florida and northward.
(Chapman’s So. Flora.) See “ Sapindus” and “ Saponaria,” in
this volume, p. 159, where the salsola has been treated of in
connection with the “soap wort.”

Wilson says also of the Salsola kali that it is the best of our
native plants for yielding “kelp, barilla, potash and soda, and
was formerly collected in considerable quantities on our western
coasts, and burned to yield soda for the manufacture of glass,
and for other purposes. It grows freely from seed, and does

398

not require any great nicety of management, yet never has, been
carefully cultivated.” Rural Cyc. See, also, “ Fucus,” in this
volume, for method of preparing barilla and soda from sea
weeds.

I introduce the following brief process for the manufacture of
soda, as we have several plants in the Southern States which
furnish it: Far the best mode now adopted is to procure it
from sea water, but this may not always be attainable. “ For
the manufacture of soda, the marine plants are gathered at the
season when their vegetation has terminated, and they are left
to dry. <A pit four feet square and three feet deep is dug in the
earth ; this is heated with split wood, and the saline plants are
afterward thrown gradually in. Combustion is continued dur-
ing seven or eight days; the ashes become fused in the pit, and
remain in this state till the end of the process, when the com-
bustion is completed ; the whole is allowed to cool, and then the
block of soda is divided into large pieces for the market.” “In
order that soda may possess all the requisite strength, it is

necessary to separate it from the carbonic acid with which it is_

always united, and by which its properties are weakened. This
is easily done by mixing quick-lime with a solution of soda; the
acid has so strong an affinity for lime as to quit the soda to
combine with it. The lye procured from this mixture is caustic,
and leaves a burning impression upon the tongue; the soda thus
purified acts more readily upon the bodies with which it com-
bines. This mode of preparation is indispensable when soda is
to be employed with oil in the manufacture of hard soap; it is
useless when it is to be combined at a strong heat with earthy
bodies, as is the case in glass works.” Chaptal also copies from
M. DeSaussure’s Treatise on Vegetation a very extensive table,
giving the constituents of a great many plants, trees, ete., which

the reader may consult. Among the plants used in preparing |

soda on the Mediterranean are the Salicornia Europea, the Sal-
sola tragus, the Statice limonium, the Atriplex portulacoides, the
Salsola kali. We have growing in South Carolina and Georgia
the Salsola kali, and the Statice Carolinana, Walt., which should
be tested, the Atriplex hastata, and the two species of Salicornia,
mentioned above, which also grow on our coast. ‘To show the
alliance of the natural families in physical resemblances and
natural properties, I find Chenopodium, Atriplex, Salicornia and

399

Salsola all in one tribe, and each rich in potash or soda. The
fumitory (/umaria) is one of the plants richer in potash than
the wormwood, ( Chenopodium.)

GLASSWORT, (Salicornia herbacea, L.) Salt marshes along
the coast of Georgia and Carolina.

We have two species of this genus, which is celebrated, com-
mercially, for the production of alkaline salts. Wilson states of
S. herbacea that the whole plant abounds in saline juices, and
possesses a saline taste; and that it was formerly burned in
common with the richly alkaline fuci in the manufacture of
kelp; that it is greedily eaten by sheep and cattle, and that it is
sometimes gathered and used as a substitute for rock samphire
in Scotland. See “ Salsola.”

CHENOPODIACEAH. (The Goose-foot Tribe.)

Some are wholesome, others possess an essential oil, which is
tonic and anti-spasmodic. The beet and spinach, cultivated in
the Southern States, belong to this order.

JAGGED SEA-ORACH, (Atriplex laciniata, L.) Grows along
salt streams. Fl. July.

Shee. Flora Carol. 247. The expressed juice, in doses of four
to eight grains, is said to act asa powerful purgative. Accord-
ing to Schepf, it is used as a substitute for gamboge in dropsy
and asthma.

JERUSALEM OAK; WORMSEED, (Chenopodium anthel-
minticum, L.) Diffused; collected in St. John’s; vicinity of
Charleston ; Newbern. Fl. July.

Linneus, Veg. M. Med.; Pe. Mat. Med. and Therap. ii, 274;
Eberle, Mat. Med. 218; Ell. Bot. i, 331; Chap. Therap. and Mat.
Med. ii, 71; Drayton’s View of South Carolina; 65; Frost's
Klems. Mat. Met. 191; U. 8S. Disp. 206; Bart. M. Bot. ii, 183;
Am. Journal Pharm. v, 180; Bergii, Mat. Med. i, 183; Griffith’s
Med. Bot. 538. It is well known as “one of our most efficient
indigenous anthelmintics,” adapted to the expulsion of lumbrici
in children. Eberle employed the oil of the seeds with success
in these cases, after every other remedy had failed. The dose
to a child under five years is two drops; to an adult thirty
drops, given on sugar grated in water. The expressed juice may
be used, or a decoction of the leaves in milk, a wineglassful at a
dose, for the oil impregnates the whole plant. The dose of the

400

seed, for a child two years old, is from one to two scruples,
mixed with syrup or bruised in castor oil. The distilled water
may also be used. These plants are much employed on the
plantations in South Carolina and Georgia for their anthelmin-
tic properties, the seeds being collected in the fall. Dr. Wood
states that the plant is cultivated in Maryland.

The wormwood, (Artemisia,) of which there is a species (A.
caudata) growing in West Florida and northward, is said to be
rich in potash. This plant should also be examined for the
active principle santonine, and for an essential oil. The Chenopo-
dium, of which we have several species, although not belonging
to the same natural family, is perhaps equally rich in potash.
The “ wormwood is highly recommended to be converted into
charcoal, to be used in the manufacture of gunpowder.” See
“ Salix.” In fact, all the Chenopodiums are also rich in alkaline
salts, potash, ete., and may be used for its manufacture. The
Persian insect powder, a species of Pyrethrum, (or Persian cham-
omile,) destroys insects with great certainty. I think it likely
that some of the plants just mentioned, the milfoil, (Achillea
millefolium,) the tansy, (Tanacetum vulgare,) or ox-eye daisy,
(Leucanthemum vulgare, L.,) all growing in the Southern States,
may possibly be found to answer the purpose of destroying
insects, caterpillars, etc., on plantsand animals. They contain a
pungent oil. There is a notice of the Pyrethrum (roseum, pur-
pureum and carneum) in Patent Office Reports, 1857, 129.

See, also, Dasistoma for plant hostile to insects.

I have several times stated that the allied Artemisia, worm-
wood, was exceedingly rich in potash. The natural affinities
are here borne out, for the family Chenipodiacee contains many
plants furnishing soda in large proportion. Such are Salsola,
Salicornia, Atriplex and salt-marsh Chenopodiums; a notice of
species of all these genera is included in this volume. They
should receive the attention of the nitre manufacturers. Nitrate
of potash “is found in the common horseradish, in the nettle,
and the sunflower.” Farmer’s Encyc.

JERUSALEM OAK OF SOME, (Chenopodium botrys, Ph.)
Grows near Columbia. Fl. August.

U.S. Disp. 206; Le. Mat. Med. 235; Ed. and Vav. Mat. Med.
304; Bergii, Mat. Med. i, 181; Mér. and de Ll. Dict. de M. Méd.
ii, 225; Shee. Flora. Carol. 388; Dém. Elém. de Bot. 250. The

401

juice of this is also carminative, pectoral, emmenagogue and
vermifuge ; the essential oil is anti-spasmodic, tonic and vermi-
fuge. An infusion, as a tea, is resolutive and expectorant, and
is useful in flatulent colic, spasmodic cough, humoral asthma,
and in hysteria. The expressed juice of this species is given
in doses of a tablespoonful, in molasses, to children affected
with worms, or the seeds are reduced to a powder, and made
into an electuary with syrup. See Milne, Ind. Bot. 76; Linn.
Veg. M. Med. 41. “It is asserted ,” observes Shec. Flora. Carol.
389, “that the whole seeds produce worms in the stomach, and
if a parcel be baked in a loaf of bread they will generate worms.
Such is the belief; what credit may be due to it, I leave to the
determination of those who either have, or may hereafter, put
it to the trial !”

Chenopodium ambrosioides, Ph. Vicinity of Charleston ; grows
in Georgia, according to Pursh; Newbern. Fi. July.

Lind. Nat. Syst, Bot. The aang) oil of this is also tonic
and anti-spasmodic. U.S. Disp. 206. Plenk reports five cases
of chorea cured by the infusion made with two drachms to one
ounce of water, of which a cup full is to be taken morning and
night. Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd, ii, 222. M. Mack used
it, with equal success, in the hospital at Vienna, in this and in
other nervous affections; see, also, the supplement to the work
last mentioned, 1846, p. 165. It is employed by M. Martius in
the “injection of the mucous membrane of the lungs.” MM.
Rilliet and Barthez used it in the chorea of infants particularly.
Ann. des Sci. Nat. xii, 220 ; Bouchardat, Ann. de Thérap. 1844;
Gazette de Méd. de Saltzburg, Bill Med. xii, 516. It is found,
by chemical analysis, to possess various products, the most im-
portant of which are gluten and a volatile oil. Bull. des Se.
Méd. de Feérus, vii, 225. The infusion emits a very strong,
aromatic odor, and is used in parts of this country in the place
of tea.

LAMB’S QUARTER, (Chenopodium album, L.) Richland ;
vicinity.of Charleston; N.C.

Mér, and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. ii, 223; Phys. Med. Trans.,
Calcutta, ii, 40. It is a sedative and diuretic; used in hemor-
rhoids. Chevallier remarks the singular fact that the C. vulva-
ria, a foreign species, exhales pure ammonia during its whole
existence. This is the only observation on record of a gaseous

26

402

exhalation of azote by perfect vegetables, and the facility with
which this principle is abandoned by ammonia may, perhaps,
explain the presence of azotic products in the vegetable king-
dom. Ann. des Sci. Nat. i, 444; Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 209. It
might be interesting to observe whether anything of this kind
takes place in our species.

The above was printed by me in 1849. Worm-seed plant is
said to be very rich in potash—and wormwood has been planted
for the manufacture of glass—if so, the note on the subject of
the (C. vulvaria exbaling, ammonia is corroborated by the above
observation. I have learned, June, 1862, that an enterprise was
set on foot several years since near Columbia, 8. C., to cultivate
the wormwood on a large scale for the production of potash.
See “Poke weed.” The sugar-maple is very rich in potash,
probably the other maples also. See Salsola, Quercus, Zea,
Phytolacca, etc., in this volume. The young shoots of the
Lamb’s quarter have been used for making soup.

SANTALACEA.

OIL NUT, (Pyrularia oleifera, Gray. Hamiltonia oleifera,
Muhl.) Mts. Ga. and northward.

The nut of this plant affords a great deal of oil, which should
be examined.

PHYTOLACCACEA. (The Virginia Poke Tribe.)

POKE WEED; JEW POKE, (Phytolacca decandra, Li.) Dif-
fused in rich spots; Newbern. Fl. July.
U.S. Disp. 537; Big. Am. Med. Bot. 135; Bell’s Pract. Dict.

355; Bart. M. Bot. ii, 213; Am. Journal Pharm. xv, 169; Mur-.

ray’s App. Med. iv, 335; Kalm, Travels in N. Am. p. 197; Graf-
fenreid, Mem. Berne, iii, 185; Schepf, M. Med. 71; Browne,
Hist. Jamaica, 232; Amen. Acad. iv; Miller’s Dict., art. Phyt.
Dec.; Sprogel, Diss. Cirven. 24; Beckman, Com. 1764, 9; Alli-
oni, Flora Ped. ii, 132; Franklin’s Works, i; Cutler, Mém. Am.
Acad. i, 447; Rush, i, 259; Thacher’s U. S. Disp. 300; Shultz’s
Inaug. Diss. N. Am. Journal, vi; Journal de Méd. de Corvisart
Leroux, xvi, 137; Ann. de Chim. Ixii, 71; Mer. and de L. Dict.
de M. Med. v, 298; Coxe, Am. Dis. 486; Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot.
210. The juice of the leaves or berries, inspissated in the sun

EE eae

403 ”

to the consistence of an extract, will, it is said, discuss hard
tumors if applied to the part, “and destroy cancers by eating
them out by the roots!” (Am. Herbal. by J. Stearns.) Mixed
with brandy, it is extolled in the cure of rheumatism, easing
pain and producing discharge of the cutaneous and urinary
secretions. One ounce of the dried root infused in a pint of
wine is said to act kindly as an emetic, in doses of two table-
spoonsful. Bigelow also was of the opinion that it resembled
ipecacuanha in its mode of operation ; but later experimenters
give an unfavorable report, as it is sometimes uncertain, acting
too powerfully by accumulation. The pulverized root is also
emetic in doses of one to two drachms. “The tincture of the
ripe berries seems to have acquired a well-founded reputation as
a remedy in chronic and syphilitic rheumatism, and for allaying
syphilitic pains.” By some thought to be more useful than
guaiac.. The decoction has been used in scrofula also. A spirit
distilled from the berries killed a dog in a few moments by its
violent emetic effect; and, according to De Candolle, it is a
powerful purgative. The French and Portuguese mixed it with
their wine, to give it color, and this was prohibited by royal
ordinance of Louis XIV, “on pain of death, as it injured the
flavor!” Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 210; Mér. and de L. Dict. de M.
Meéd. states that two spoonsful of the juice of the old plant,
which is acrid, will purge violently ; applied externally, it will
irritate the skin, and it is used in the cure of sanious ulcers,
cutaneous eruptions, itch and hemorrhoids; for the latter affec-
tion, an infusion is injected per rectum. Drs. Jones and Kol-
lock, of Georgia, assure us (adds Merat) that they cure syphilis
with it, in all its stages, without the use of mercury. Dr. Minge,
of Norfolk, Va., I am informed, has found a tincture very bene-
ficial in secondary syphilis, made with an ounce of the bruised
root added to a pint of equal parts of whiskey and water—a
dessert spoonful of which is given three times a day and grad-
ually increased. Dr. Rush relates that several students of Yale
College were severely purged from eating the flesh of pigeons
which had fed on the berries. From the analysis in Annal. de
Chimie, lxii, 71, it isshown to contain an enormous quantity of
potash, 42 in 100 parts, and it is proposed to cultivate it for the
manufacture of this article. From later examinations of Dr. E.
Donnelly, (Am. Jour. Pharm. ix, 168,) it appears to contain gum

404

resin 262, starch 20, potash 2, a small quantity of fixed oil and

,

66.5 of woody fibre. According to the U. S. Disp., it is also*

somewhat narcotic, and, as an emetic, is considered very slow
in its operation, sometimes not acting for several hours, and
then frequently upon the bowels; but the vomiting produced
by it is not attended with pain or spasm. In over doses, its
effects are quite dangerous. As an alterative, the dose is from
one to five grains; as an emetic, ten to thirty grains of the pow-
dered root. Dr. Griffith has also used it with success in syphi-
litic rheumatism. (Med. Bot. 535.) In the supplement to the
Dict. Univ. de M. Méd. 1846, 557, it is said to have been used
with good effect in paralysis of the intestines. Précis des Tra-
vaux de l’Acad. de Rouen, 188, 1838; Comptes Rendus Heb-
dom. des Sci. iv, 12, January, 1837. The ointment, prepared by
mixing one drachm of the powdered root or leaves with one
ounce of lard, has been applied with advantage in diseases affect-
ing the scalp, as psora, tinea capitis, etc. Dr. Bigelow was suc-
cessful with it, and Dr. Haynard cured cases in which sulphur
had failed. A gentleman informs me that he has frequently
seen the sores of secondary syphilis heal up by the application
of a strong decoction of the roots. Dr. Braconnot considers the
yellow liquor produced by the juice of the berries one of the
most delicate tests of the presence of acids. Dr. Shultz pro-
cured from a half bushel of the berries six pints of spirits,
sufficiently strong to take fire and burn with readiness; if this
is correct, it might be used as a local application in place of
alcohol. The root of the plant should be dug in autumn, sliced,
dried and kept in close-stopped bottles.

Dr. J. H. Claiborne, of Petersburg, Va., reports in the Con-
federate S. Med. J. March, 1864, the successful use in camp itch
of a decoction of this plant and the Broom sedge or broom straw,

(Eupatorium?) He uses the strong decoction of the former as _

a bath, followed by the application of soap and water. If it
causes pain the decoction of the broom straw is substituted.
He has also used the saturated tincture of the berries of P. de-
candra in teaspoonful doses, three times a day, as a laxative
and aiterative.

Dr. R. Moore, of Sumter District, S. C., informs me that the
berries of the poke in alcohol or whiskey, a dessert spoonful re-
peatedly given, has been found one of the most efficient remedies

r
4

405

we possess in rheumatism. Dr. Ballard, of the same district,
' has used it with satisfactory results for fifty years. It is very
generally employed in this way by many. The root is com-
monly used, applied externally, to cure mange in dogs. The
root should be dug late in autumn, or during the winter, and
the powder kept in close-stopped bottles, as it deteriorates.

A friendin Powhattan County, Va., informs me that they use
the decoction of the poke root applied externally to cure fistula,
and sores often occurring on the legs of horses which are very
difficult to heal. The following was very generally used in the
hog cholera which prevailed so extensively during the years
63-4: “Equal proportions of pine tops and poke root boiled
down to a strong tea. A tablespoonful of copperas anda balf
pint of salt are added to every five gallons of the tea given in-
ternally.” Dr. €..S, Fenner has found it highly useful as an in-
ternal remedy in granular conjunctivitis, especially in preventing
the relapses to which the affection is so liable. A saturated tinc-
ture of the berries may be given in rheumatic cases in the doses
of a fluid drachm three times a day. Dr. Fenner uses a saturated
decoction, of which he gives a wineglassful every two or three
hours. Dr. H.E. Carey, of Ohio, has cured three cases of sycosis
and one of favus by the local use of a decoction of the root.
(Va. Med. Journal, Aug., 1856,) U. S. Disp. See Stethoscope
March, 1856, for case of poisoning caused in a woman by eating
a double handful of the berries. There was free purgation fol-
lowed by coma and prostration—death did not result until after
the sixth day.

An excellent crimson dye is thus prepared, (Thornton’s So.
Gardener :) to two gallons of the juice of pokeberries, when they
are quite ripe, add half a gallon of strong vinegar made of the
wild crab-apple, (ordinary vinegar will do, as the writer has
seen,) to dye one pound of wool, which must be washed very
clean with hard soap; the wool when wrung dry is to be put
into the vinegar and pokeberry juice and simmered in a copper
vessel for one hour, then take out the wool and let it drip awhile,
and spread it in the sun. The vessel must be free from grease
of any kind.

The writer has seen articles dyed successfully with this plant.
The “Solferino” color is obtained from it; see p. 218. With
alum to fix the color, I have used the juice of the pokeberry as

406

a red ink. The directions to the printer for this volume were
written with this ; before adding alum I found that the red color
was fugitive. The berries boiled with sugar for a few minutes so
as not to burn, with the addition ofa little aleohol and alum,
make an excellent red ink and may also be used to color cus-
tards, creams, ete. The young shoots of the poke are often used
as a spinach.

The juice of the leaf of the garden Tanya makes an indelible
dark brown dye. I would suggest that the addition of nitrate
of silver, sulphate of iron, or alum would make an indelible ink
for marking linen.

POLYGONACEM. (The Buckwheat Tribe.)

The leaves and roots are generally acrid and agreeable.

DOCK, (Rumex crispus, L.) Grows around buildings ; diffused ;
collected in St. John’s; Newbern. Fl. June.

Ril. Bot. 414; U. S. Disp. 606. The decoction is astringent,
alterative and tonic, uniting a laxative power with these, and
resembling rhubarb in its mode of operation. It has been used
with success as an alterative in itch and syphilis; the powdered
root with milk, or as an ointment, or the expressed juice is ap-
plied externally in scabies, ring-worm and in eruptive diseases.

Dr. N.S. Davis, “is satisfied from his experiments and ob-
servations that the chief value of dockroot ” consists in its alte-
rative and gently laxative qualities, no doubt on account of the
saline constituents of this genus. As an alterative he esteems it
to be “fully equal to the far-famed sarsaparilla.” It might prove
a useful drink in serofulous habits.

Dr. J. H. Salisbury has published a paper upon this plant N.
Y. J. Med., March, 1855. The petioles contain nearly one per
cent. of oxalie acid. The root yields its virtues to water and
alcohol, but is injured by long boiling. U. 8S. Disp.

It is recommended as a dentrifice, especially where the gums
are spongy.

It is supposed that our species possess all the virtues of the
officinal; two ounces of the fresh root, or one ounce of the dried
may be boiled in a pint of water, of which two ounces can be
taken at a dose.

SORREL; SHEEP’S SORREL, (Rumex acetosella, Walt.
Flora Carol.) Abundant in sandy pastures; collected in St.
John’s; Richland; Newbern. Fl. June.

407

U. 8. Disp. 605; Pe. Mat. Med. ii, 279; Ed. and Vav. Mat.
Méd. 536; Bergii, Mat. Med. i, 300; Griffith Med. Bot. 546. This
is also considered one of the most valuable of the species. It is
refrigerant and diuretic, and is employed as an article of diet in
scorbutic complaints ; the young shoots may be eaten as a salad ;
but it is said to prove injurious in large quantities, on account
of the oxalic acid existing in it. The bruised plant is often ap-
plied to sores, and it is thought to be very active in allaying in-
flammation—doubtless owing to its saline constituents.

Plants containing Vegetable Acids.—The acids vary during the
several stages of vegetation—these are the oxalic, citric, malic,
tartaric, gallic, acetic, Prussic, etc. Oxalie acid has been found
by M. Deyeux free in the hulls of the chickpea, and it has been
extracted from the expressed juice of the plant; also found in
the stalks and leaves of sorrel, and in the juice of all the varie-
ties oferhubarb, (Chaptal.) It is used in detecting the presence
of lime, and its power of dissolving rapidly the oxide of iron
makes it useful in stamping cotton cloths. “In this process the
whole fabric is covered with a mordant of iron, which is after-
ward removed by means of this acid combined with gum—
80 that the color applied adheres firmly only to those parts where
the mordant has not been destroyed,” It is also used in re-
moving ink spots from cloth. When under the tuition of M.
Robin, in Paris, I have frequently examined the peculiar crys-
tals in the several plants put under the microscope.

The astringency of the root of the dock is due to tannic acid,
and the acidulousness of the leaves to tartaric acid and the bin-
oxalate of potash. This is almost destroyed by drying.

Wilson observes of the Aumesx acetosa, the “common dock ” of
England, which is closely related to our &. acetosella, that it has
been celebrated from very ancient times for its cooling, anti-
scorbutic, diuretic and gratefully esculent properties. The ex-
pressed juice of its leaves, or a decoction of them in whey,
affords a useful drink in cases of inflammatory fever, and the
leaves themselves, eaten freely as a salad, cool the blood, and
act as either a cure or a preventive of scurvy. It is also much
used asa salad, and as a season for soups, broths, etc. Rural
Cyc. Now that we know the composition of the juices of the
sorrel we can well understand to what to ascribe its cooling and
diuretic properties. There is an Italian proverb which says

408

that the “sorrel always grows with the thistle "—the leaves of
the first being particularly grateful when applied over parts irri-
tated by the stings of the last. Our plant is not so useful as the
English one.

Mills, in his Statistics of S. C., states of the narrow leaved
dock “that the roots give to cloth, previously bleached, from a
straw to a pretty fine olive and deep green color. The salt of
lemon is prepared from the juice of the sorrel, dock or common
sorrel.

COMMON DOCK, (Rumex obtusifolius, L. Rumex divaricatus,
Ell.) Diffused; around buildings; introduced.

“A decoction of its root is highly efficacious in obstinate
cases of the kind of skin diseases called ichthyosis, and when
taken in large quantity—as well, indeed, as the decoction of
any of the fusiform dockroots—it acts as a purgative, in the
same manner as the powder or the tincture of Turkey rhubarb.”
Wilson’s Rural Cye. According to Riegel, this plant contains a
peculiar principle called rumicin. The leaves of most of the
species are edible when young, and are occasionally used as
spinach. They are somewhat laxative, and form an excellent
diet in scorbutic cases. U.S. Disp. Our various species of
Rumex may, upon examination, be found to be capable of sup-
plying the place of cathartics, when difficult to be obtained.

DRAGON’S BLOOD, (Rumea" sanguineus, Walt.) Flora
Carol. Grows around Charleston; Newbern. Fl. July.

Dém. Elem. de Bot. 240. The root is astringent, stomachie —
and eccoprotic. Linn. Veg. Mat. Med. 65. This and the seeds
are used in dysentery and in wounds; referred to in Mér. and de
L. Dict. de M. Méd. vi, 136, as a mild astringent. Journal de
Méd., xxiii, 415. Dr. Wood, in the U.S. Disp. 606, says that it
may be used indiscriminately with the officinal.

Rumex Britannicus, Walt. Swamps and along streams. Fi.
May. U.S. Disp. 606.

P. persicaria, L. Introduced. Fla. and northward. The leaves
are very acrid and pungent, and will vesicate the skin when ap-
plied in a fresh state. It was considered by eminent authorities
to be an admirable astringent, vulnerary and febrifuge; and
Baglivi states that it is a specific in diseases of the kidneys and
bladder—seldom prescribed. Griffith. The flowers and flower

409

tops may be used for tanning. See M. Dussauce’s Treatise on
Tanning, 1867.

WATER PEPPER; SMARTWEED; BITING KNOTWEED,
(Polygonum hydropiperoides, Mx. Polygonum mite, Ph.) Grows
in damp, rich soils; collected in St. John’s, where it grows
abundantly, observed in Charleston; Richland; Newbern. Fl.
July. The P. acre of Kunth is P. punctatum of Ell. Sk.

Eb. Mat. Med i, 441; U. S. Disp. 559; Ed. and Vav. Mat.
Méd. 128; Le. Mat. Med. ii, 193; Ogier, in So. Journal Med. and
Pharm. 1846; Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. v, 433. In the
Bull. Plantes Vén. de France, 140, the young leaves are said to
ease the pain of gout, and the decoction is used with great suc-
cess for dissipating old ulcers. Dém. Elem. de Bot. iii, 267. The
expressed juice is an excellent diuretic and is applied to putrid
ulcers® “aqua hujus stillatitia efficax est ad comminuendum caleu-
lum etiam vesice.” See Ray’s Catalogus Plantarum, 230. This
plant is, however, more remarkable for its power in amenorr-
hea. Eberle asserts that he employed it in twenty cases, and
was never more successful. Dr. Ogier, of Charleston, 8. C., has
published cases in the journal alluded to above, confirming its
value. One to two ounces of the strong infusion are given two
or three times a day, or a tincture may be used. The juice of
this plant is very acrid and caustic to the taste, and it is said
to blister the skin. A friend informs me that he has repeat-
edly found an ointment made with the leaves give immediate
relief when applied to piles in an irritable and painful condition.
Dr. Wilcox, of Elmira, N. Y., reports in the Am. J. Med. Se. N.
S. xvi, 248, that he derived advantage from using a decoction
of the dried leaves, made in the proportion of an ounce to the
pint, and applied locally in mercurial salivation and the sore
mouth of nursing children. U.S. Disp., 12th Ed. It is stated
in the Flora Scotica, 207, that it is found a convenient and use-
ful application for driving off flies from wounds, occurring on
cattle for instance ; the decoction will dye a yellow color. Linn.
Veg. Mat. Med. 71; Boyle, de Util. Philosoph. Nat. pt. ii, 69.
This plant should be selected with care, as it differs but slightly
from the P. mite and others, which possess no value. It may
be distinguished by its burning taste, by the sharp, pellucid
leaves and simple flower-stalk, with the stamens and pistil of

410

equal length. The stipules are long, truncated and fringed,
with the margin and midrib of the leaves slightly scabrous.

A writer from Manchester, S. C., 1862, recommends the use of
this plant in camp dysentery, thus: “Draw a strong tea and
uso instead of water, with or without sugar, hot or cold, as the
patient may prefer. It may be drunk freely, having no un-
pleasant effect. It may be gathered and dried in the shade or
used fresh. I am informed that this plant stupefies fish.

KNOTGRASS, (Polygonum aviculare, L.) Diffused; grows
in pastures and yards; Richland; collected in St. John’s; ob-
served in the streets of Charleston; Newbern. Fl. July.

Lind. Nat. Syst. 211; Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. v, 440;
U.S. Disp. 558. According to the Encyclopedia the root is
powerfully astringent, and is used in diarrhea and in uterine
hemorrhage. Dem. de Bot. iii, 268; Linn. Veg. M. Med. 72;
Am. Herbal. 164. It is stated in the Supplem. to the Dict. de
M. Med. 1846, 578, that, Dr. Bourgoies announced, in 1840, that
this plant was an excellent febrifuge, and was used in middle
Africa and Algeria as a substitute for quinine, and furthermore,
that the assertion was not doubted. Dr. Levat. Perroton, of
Lyons, gives it as an excellent remedy for chronic diarrhea,
using a strong decoction for a month or more; he reports nine
cases cured which had resisted other plans of treatment. See
Révue Médicale, Nov., 1845; Flor. Med. ii, 107. It has also
been administered in hematemesis. This plant had some repu-
tation in these diseases in former times. It was said to be
emetic and purgative, useful in hernia, and in arresting the
vomiting of blood, and was regarded as an excellent vulnerary
in moderating fluxes, diarrhcea and dysentery. Griffith, in his
Med. Bot. 546, observes that the emetic property so unusual in
this genus is thought by De Candole to reside in the testa.
Thunberg, in his “ Voyage,” mentions that in Japan they ob-
tain a color from it similar to that from indigo. As the leaves
of P. hispidum are said by Humboldt to be substituted in 8.
America for tobacco, the leaves of some of our species should
be tested with this view.

Polygonum polygama, Vent. and Malt. Polygonum parvifolia,
Mx. Grows in sandy pine barrens; Richland District.

Big. Am. Med. Bot. iii, 129; U.S. Disp. 558. In small doses it

lS

411

is tonic; in Jarge laxative and diaphoretic. Bigelow says the
infusion is useful in imparting tone to the digestive organs.
Polygonum convolvulus and scandens, L. Grow in dry soil and
pastures ; collected in St. John’s; vicinity of Charleston. FI.
August. j
Griffith’s Med. Bot. 547. “The seeds closely resemble buck-
wheat, and may be substituted for them.”

BUCKWHEAT, (Polygonum fagopyrum.) Cultivated in the
Southern States.

RHUBARB, (Rheum palmatum and emodii.) Six.

I insert this plant and Beta here, I hope correctly, being un-
able at this time to assure myself of their place in the Natural
system. The cultivation of rhubarb, rosemary, sage, rue, cham-
omile and many otber medicinal plants, is briefly described in
the Patent Office Reports, 1854. See, also, seven articles in the
“Bath papers, vol. 1,” giving an account of the mode of culture
in England. The superiority of foreign rhubarb is by some as-
cribed to a better mode of drying. Rural Cyc. See a paper
translated by E.G.Smith, in Patent Office Reports, 1848, p. 604,
for varieties, mode of cultivation and relative value, also, med-
ical authors.

In Patent Office Reports, 1855, p. 25, is an article on the culti-
vation of the medicinal rhubarb, (#. palmatum.) “ In the middle
and cooler parts of the United States the seeds may be sown in
March in a gentle hot-bed, and when the roots are an eighth of
an inch in diameter they may be carefully drawn up, preserving
the tap-root, and planted in a fine, rich and deep soil,” ete., ete.
In the Middle and Southern States, if planted in the spring,
they thrive in the open air. They should be shaded from very
hot weather, and continually watered. They are, however, in-
jured by a superabundance of moisture. In the month of Au-
gust, or before, the seed-stalks should be cut off, which ought
always to be done on the withering of the radical leaves and
the crowns of the plants should then be covered with mould in
the form of a hillock. The largest specimens of this drug have
generally been allowed to grow six or seven years. The roots
are then very large, sometimes weighing from thirty to fifty
pounds. The Chinese take up their rhubarb in winter, as they
then contain the entire juice and virtue of the plant. They are

eut transversely into pieces of moderate size, and this should
not be delayed. These are then placed on long tables or boards,
and turned three or four times a day, in order that the yellow,
viscid juice may incorporate with the substance of the root.
They are then hung up to dry, exposed to the air and wind,
but sheltered from the sun. Thus in about two months the
roots are completely cured. Much loss in weight occurs in
drying.

Those interested in the culture of rhubarb will find an excel-
lent account of the success with which it was raised in England,
of good quality, in Thornton’s Family Herbal. Consult Pereira’s
Materia Medica, and other treatises on the subject. The impor-
tation of rhubarb into the Confederate States during the war
was enormous, and it commanded a very high price. The
greatest difference exists in the quality of the roots. Turkey
rhubarb imported from Russia is the best. I will state in pass-
ing that the Report for 1855 also contains notices of the best
mode of cultivating many other medicinal plants—such as the
rhatany, gall-nut oak, Iceland moss, liquorice, quassia, senna,
gum arabic, ete.

BEET; MANGEL-WURZEL, (Beta vulgaris.) Introduced.

Vinegar having been quite important to us in the recent war,
I inserted the following method which will enable us to supply
the place of imported vinegar: The juice of one bushel of beet,
which is easily obtained, will make from five to six gallons of
vinegar, equal to the best made of elder wine. Wash and grate
the beets and express the juice in a cheese-press, or in any other
way which a little ingenuity can suggest; put the liquor into a
barrel, cover the bung with gauze and set it in the sun and in
fifteen or twenty days it will be fit for use. The best vinegar is
thus made. Boston Cultivator. The saccharine matter of course
soon takes on the acid fermentation. So the ripe fig, the skins,
ete., added to vinegar, increases largely the amount, and large
quantities can thus be easily made with the refuse or over-ripe
figs, which are ready to be converted into vinegar. The juice
of the watermelon can no doubt be as easily converted into
vinegar or boiled down into a syrup like molasses.

The following is the ordinary process of extracting Sugar
from the beet: the roots are reduced to a pulp by pressing
them between two rough cylinders. ‘The pulp is then put into

413

bags, and the sap it contains is pressed out. The liquor is then
boiled, and the saccharine matter precipitated by quick-lime.
The liquor is now poured off, and to the residuum is added a
solution of sulphuric acid, and again boiled. The lime united
with the acid is got rid of by straining, and the liquor is then
gently evaporated, or left to granulate slowly, after which it is
ready for undergoing the common process of refining raw
sugars. The french manufacturers have acquired so much ex-
perience, adds Wilson, that from every one hundred pounds of
beet they extract twelve pounds of sugar in the short space of
twelve hours.

The Silesian or white beet is said to be the most profitable.
The reader interested in preparation of sugar from cane or
beet may consult Boussingault’s Rural Chemistry, Law’s Ed.
123, 1857, Ure’s Dict. of Arts and Manufactures, Wilson’s’
Rural Cyclopedia, and Chaptal’s Chemistry applied to Agri-
culture. In France the same land from which the beet has
been cut is planted in wheat with advantage to the latter.

As the cultivation of the beet may be undertaken at no dis-
tant day, I insert this brief plan by a correspondent of the
Southern Field and Fireside: I will give you my plan of plant-
ing and culture of beets. In the first place I have my ground
broken up deeply; then I have the ground covered over with
stable manure; have it plowed in tolerably deep; level the
ground with a hoe or rake; hen-house manure is scattered over
the ground ; hoe it in deep with a grubbing-hoe ; level it again;
lay off the rows eighteen inches apart, and the hills one foot
apart; and then they will grow without any trouble. In cul-
tivating them I have the grass and weeds cut up between the
rows. I have raised beets on the above plan that weighed five
and six pounds apiece.

It has been observed that beets containing sugar frequently
underwent a change during winter, by which the sugar entirely
disappeared, and “was replaced by saltpetre.” Chaptal.

SEA-GRAPE, (Coccoloba wvifera, Jacq.) South Florida, along
the coast. Chapman. This and C. Floridana furnish an as-
tringent gum resin similar to kino, called JamaicaeKino. M.
Dussauce, in his “Treatise on the Arts of Tanning, Currying
and Leather Dressing,” Philada. and London, 1867, states that
the S. American, Caraccas or Columbia kino is derived from

414

this plant which also grows in S. America. The juices or sap of
the beet, maple and oak also afford tannin.

CO. Floridana also grows in Florida. The fruit of some,

though very astringent, is eaten by the natives; and the wood
of the tallest and bullkiest is used as timber. Wilson’s Rural
Cye.

MENISPERMACE®. (The Cocculus Tribe.)

MOON-SEED; YELLOW PARILLA; YELLOW SARSA-
PARILLA, (Menispermum Canadense, L.) Ell. never saw it,
but thinks that it grows in the mountains. Dr. Gray determines
a specimen sent from St. John’s, Charleston District, by H. W.
Ravenel, Esq., to be this. Fl. July.

U.S. Disp. 1275. It is said to be much used in Virginia by
physicians; ang in domestic practice, as a substitute for sarsa-
parilla, in scrofulous and cutaneous affections. Ryddel, in his
Synops. West. States, says that the roots are tonic, alterative
and diuretic. Griffith, Med. Bot. 103. It is also employed by
the vegetable practitioners. See Howard's Imp. Syst. Bot. Med.
334. Said to be laxative and tonic, and used in debility and in
giving tone to the stomach and nervous system. It is closely
allied to Columbo. Mr. Maisch has determined that berberina
and a colorless alkaloid are among its constituents. Am. J.
Pharm., July, 1863; U.S. Disp., 12th Ed.

-

PYROLACEAR. (The Winter-green Tribe.)

SPOTTED WINTER-GREEN, (Chimaphila maculata, Pursh ;
Pyrola maculata, Linn.) Shaded soils; diffused; collected in
St. Jehn’s; vicinity of Charleston; Newbern.

Chap. Therap. and Mat. Med. i, 313; Eberle, Mat. Med. ii,
321; Ell. Bot. Med. Notes, 505; Eat. Man. Bot. 240; Bell’s
Pract. Dict. 128; Mitchell’s Inaug. Thesis, 1803; Ed. and Vav.
Mat. Méd. 320; Pe. Mat. Med. and Therap. ii, 380; U.S. Disp.
208; Bart. Collec. ii, 21; Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 219; U.S. Disp.
207; Frost’s Elems. Mat. Med. 281. See C. umbellata. ‘“ Kvery
part of the plant is possessed of considerable activity ;” and it
is very valuable as a diuretic in dropsy. See Mitchell’s Thesis,
and Dr. Summerville’s paper in Lond. Med. Chirurg. Trans. vol.
v. It is particularly useful in those cases attended with disor-
dered digestion and general debility, for in these its tonic prop-

:
:
{

415

erties and general acceptability to the stomach prove highly
useful auxiliaries to its diuretic powers. It has been success-
fully administered in ascites, in dysuria and ischuria, gravel,
stangury, hematuria, acute rheumatism, and in various inter-
mittent disorders. The Indians considered it of universal
efficacy ; but employed it particularly in nephritic, scrofulous
and rheumatic disorders. Dr. Wood, in the U.S. Disp., states
that it does prove of benefit in obstinate, ill-conditioned ulcers,
and cutaneous eruptions supposed to be connected with a
strumous diathesis: used both internally and locally as a wash.
The decoction and watery extract are employed. A popular
prejudice has existed against this plant; it has received the
name of poison pipsissewa; and Mitchell considered it inert ;
but its resemblance to the winter-green, Griffith thinks, should
make us question the correctness of this opinion.

Iy times of war when there is need for tonics and diuretics,
in dropsy, or swelling following low and protracted fevers
among our soldiers, no plant will be found more serviceable
than the pipsissewa. It is aromatic, tonic and diuretic. It can
be easily collected in shady woods, in almost every part of our
Southern country.

The black alder (Alnus serrulata) is also an astringent diuretic.
The catkins or flowerets, dissolved in whiskey, is a domestic
remedy in South Carolina—relied on by many, Dr. R. Moore
informs me, in gonorrbeea in place of copaiba. Pills of pine
gum are given together with it.

PIPSISSEWA; WINTER-GREEN; GROUND HOLLY,
(Chimaphila umbellata, Nutt.) North Carolina and northward.

Both the C. umbellata and maculata are used. Dr. Thompson
says of the P. umbellata: “It is diuretic and tonic. It has
been given successfully in ascites, after digitalis and other diur-
etics had failed; and has also proved serviceable in acute rheu-
matism and intermittents. It produces an agreeable sensation
in the stomach soon after it is swallowed; increases the appe-
tite, and acts powerfully on the kidneys.” The whole plant is
decocted.

One of these plants may be used extemporancously among
troops for its combined tonic and diuretic properties, associated
with astringency. Its uses consequently are obvious in the

convalescence from fevers. It can be found in high woods near

416

almost every locality where a regiment is pitched. See “ Hupa-
torium,”’ “ Persimmon,” “ Dogwood,” ete.

In a pamphlet issued from the Surgeon-General’s office it is
stated that the C. maculata “is not to be gathered, as it is infe-
rior.” The decoction of either plant is made with the bruised
herb one ounce, water three half pints; boil to one pint; one
pint to be given in the twenty-four hours, in divided doses.
Pereira refers to both species as being useful.

The decoction has been much used in scrofula. I have found
the pipsissewa particularly serviceable as a tonic diuretic in the
convalescence from scarlet fever, having used it largely in an
epidemic which prevailed among a large number of negroes,
(1862.) They were treated with chlorate of potash, Tincture
of Bark and Mur. Tinct. of Iron, followed by the decoction of
the plant with tincture of bark as a stimulant. I have also
found it to act most beneficially in that pallid, anemic, quasi
dropsical state, particularly as it occurs in delicate children after
they have passed through an attack of malarial fever—where
this condition is met with in those with the strumous diathesis
this plant will be found to act remarkably well. This plant has
also been employed as a substitute for uva ursi. See Chemical
Analysis in Journ. of Med. Coll. Pharm. March, 1860, Prof.
Proctor prepares a syrup and he suggests a fluid extract. See
U.S. Disp., 12th Ed.

Pyrola rotundifolia. Grows in South Carolina. See Chima-
phila.

MONOTROPACE.

FIT-ROOT, (Monotropa uniflora.) Grows in roads; attached
to roots; collected in St. John’s; Newbern.

This is used by the steam practitioners. See Howard’s Impr.
Syst. Bot. Med. 339.

ERICACEH. (The Heath Tribe.)

Generally astringent and diuretic.

Andromeda mariana, L. Dry soils. Richland; vicinity of
Charleston. Fl. May and July.

U.S. Disp. 1238; Mér and de L. Dict de M. Méd. i, 289; Coxe,
Am. Disp. 84; Shec. Flora Carol. 156. It is employed in do-
mestic practice; a remedy for herpes. The decoction is used

:

ee

SS eee

417

as a stimulating wash for ulcers and ground itch, to which ne-
groes are liable. The honey which bees extract from this is
slightly poisonous. See Nicholson’s Journal, 163.

TELTTER BUSH, (Andromeda nitida, Walt.) Growsin damp,
pine land, bogs; collected in St. John’s ; vicinity of Charleston ;
eC.) El. April.

Ell. Bot. Med. Notes, i, 483. A decoction of the leaves of
this also is used in the cure of itch. The young branches, de-
prived of their pith, form good pipe-stems, see Oliftonia; and
the bark, with copperas, yields a purple dye. Upon examina-
tion I find that the leaves contain a great deal of tannin. See
“ Liquidambar,” sweet-gum, for detail of experiments.

SOUR-WOOD; SORREL TREE, (Andromeda arborea, UL.
Oxydendron arboreum, D. C.) Diffused; grows in upper districts,
S.andN. C. I collectedit in St. John’s, and Spartanburg Dis-
trict, S. C.

U®S. Disp. 1227. The leaves, when chewed, allay thirst. A
decoction of the bark and leaves is also given as a tonic.

Leucothea acuminata, Andromeda acuminata. Fla. BlackSwamp,
8. C.; very ornamental.

Dr. J. H. Mellichamp, of Blufton, writes me: “This is the true
‘Titi’ The best pipe stems are made fromthisshrub.” See
Cliftonia.

Andromeda speciosa, Mich. Vicinity of Charleston. Bach.

U. S. Disp. 1228. It is said to be a powerful errhine. Mr.
Curtis in his catalogue applies the name “ pepper bush ” to A.
ligustrina.

Andromeda angustifolia, Ph. Vicinity of Charleston.

Griffith, Med. Bot. 223. This and the A. mariana are said to
be poisonous to sheep. These should be examined for narcotic
properties.

WHITE ALDER, (Clethra alnifolia, L. C. tomentosa, Lam.)
Abundant in wet pine lands and swamps throughout the South-
ern States,

Upon careful examination with reagents of the leaves of the
plant, I find tannin in great amount. JIrecommend it with the
leaves of sweet-gum, myrtle, etc., as a substitute for oak bark in
tanning leather. See “ Liguidambar” for detail of experiments.

TRAILING ARBUTUS; GROUND LAUREL; MAY-
FLOWER, (Hpigea repens, L.) Fla. and northward, Chap,

27

418

The flowers are fragrant. Dr. Darlington (Flora Cestr.) states
that the plant has been supposed to be injurious to cattle when
eaten by them. Dr. Eli Ives, of Connecticut, furnishes Dr. Wood
with the following account: It has been freely used for some
years in diseases of the urinary organs and of the pelvic viscera
generally, particularly of irritated action in cases in which the

uva ursi and buchu are indicated. The leaves and stemsare ad- ~

ministered in the same doses. It has given relief where the
others have failed. U.S. Disp., 12th Ed. Prof. Gross in his work
on the urinary organs, p. 172, ascribes the same properties to
this plant. Hesays: “The best form of exhibition is a strong
decoction prepared with one ounce of the dried leaves to a pint
of water, of which a large wineglassful may be taken every three
or four hours.”

SPICY WINTER-GREEN ; PARTRIDGE-BERRY ; MOUN-
TAIN-BERRY, (Gaultheria procumbens, Ph.) Grows in the
mountains of South and North Carolina, Dr. MacBride; New-
bern. Fl. May.

U. S. Disp. 345; Big. Am. Med. Bot. ii, 29; Lind. Nat. Syst,
Bot. 221; Bart. M. Bot. i, 178; Kalm, Ameen. Acad. iii, 14; Bart.
Collec. i, 19; Raf. Med. Fl. i, 202; Griffith Med, Bot. 425. The
whole plant is aromatic. It possesses stimulant aromatic prop-
erties, united with astringency ; hence used with advantage in
some forms of chronic dysentery. It is said to have also some
anodyne power The infusion of the leaves has been found bene-
ficial in amenorrhcea attended with debility, and in promoting
the mammary secretion when deficient. In the Revolutionry
war it was used as a substitute for tea. The berries, which are
aromatic and pleasant, are employed to flavor spirituous liquors.
An infusion of them in brandy is a convenient and useful sub-
stitute for the ordinary bitters. An essential oil is obtained
from the leaves by distillation. From Mr. Proctor’s examina-
tion, (Am. Journal Pharm. viii, 211; and ix, 241,) it is shown to

possess acid properties, and to have the same composition as the

salicilate of methylene. It is one of the heaviest of the essential
oils, having a specific gravity 1.173, with a burning, aromatic
taste, mixing with alcohol or ether in all proportions. This is
found also in the Betula lenta, some of the Spircas, in the Poly-
gala lutea, ete. It is applied with good effect to diminish the
sensibility of nerves affected by carious teeth, and to disguise
the taste and smell of nauseous medicines.

— ns

419

MOUNTAIN LAUREL; WILD ROSEBAY, (Rhododendron
maximum, L.) Grows among the mountains. Fl. July.

Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 221. “It is well known to be possessed
of poisonous properties.” Mér.and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. vi, 75
Employed with success in chronic rheumatism, gout, and glan-
dular enlargements. The petiolesact as asternutatory. Coxe,
Am. Disp. 526; Big. Am. Med. Bot. iii, 103. It is a resinous as-
tringent, the leaves containing tannin; but its supposed poisonous,
narcotic power is doubted by some, as Bigelow swallowed an
entire leaf, and no bad effects resulted. B.S. Barton, however,
in his Collections, i, 18, says it is certainly poisonous. The brown
powder attached to the foot-stalks possesses considerable power
as an errhine. The purple varicty, one of the most beautiful,
grows in South Carolina.

A writer under the signature of “Cunio,” communicates the
following to the “ Atlanta Commonwealth,” 1861:

“ Wood for Engraving—Upon the authority of Mr. Charles
Foster, long known as a wood engraver at Nashville, Tennessee,
many years since, I can state that the wood of the R. maximum,
or mountain laurel, as well as its confrére, Kalmia latifolia,
known by every farmer as poison ivy, are equalled only by the
best boxwood, the former of which abounds on every mountain
from Mason and Dixon’s line to North Georgia that has a rocky
branch.” I had reported the K. latifolia in my Sketch of the
Medical Botany of South Carolina, as “ possessing a wood much
used for mechanical purposes, being hard and dense.” See Ame-
lanchier for substitutes for boxwood, which is costly.

Rhododendron punctatum, L. and Ph. Grows at the head
branches of rivers in South Carolina and Georgia; “Tugoloo
branches of the Savannah.” Fl. July.

Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. vi, 75; Griffith, Med. Bot.
428. <A stimulant and astringent. Michaux says it furnishes
to bees a deleterious honey.

CALICO BUSH; IVY BUSH, (Kalmia latifolia, L.) Grows
along rivers in upper districts; S. and N. C.; Richland, Gibbes;
at Sister’s Ferry; Savannah River; Aiken, S.C. Fl. July.

Drayton’s View of South Carolina, 69; Ell. Bot. i, 481; U.
S. Disp. 1269; Big. Am. Med. Bot. i, 133; Kalm’s Travels, i,
335 ; Barton’s Coll. i, 18, 48; and ii, 26; Thacher’s Disp. 247;
Thomas’ Inaug. Diss., Raf. ii, 16; Griffith, Med. Bot. 528. The

420

leaves are poisonous and narcotic, and animals have been poi-
soned by eating them. It is said that death has been occasioned
by eating the flesh of partridges and pheasants that had fed on
them. Dr. Shoemaker publishes two cases, (see N. Am. Med.
and Surg. Journal, see U. S. Disp.,) which resulted from eating
a pheasant, in the craw of which laurel leaves were found. The
symptoms are nausea, temporary blindness, pain in the head,
dyspnoea, cold extremities and a very feeble pulse, which in one
case was for some time absent at the wrist; in the other, beat
only forty strokes in the minute. In both cases relief was
afforded by vomiting produced by a tablespoonful of flour of
mustard mixed with warm water. A case of similar poisoning
is related in the Edinburgh Med. J., May, 1856, in which epi-
gastric tension and uneasiness, glowing heat of the bead, loss
of sight, coldness of the extremities, general prostration and
twitchings of the muscles were the prominent symptoms, fol-
lowed by nausea and full vomiting, which afforded some relief.
But feelings of formication and weakness of the limbs, with
great prostration of the circulation, remained for several hours
requiring the use of stimulants. See U.S. Disp., 12th Ed.

* Thomas, in Inaug. Diss. Phil. 1802, reports cases of obstinate
diarrhoea cured by a decoction, thirty drops being taken four
times a day. The leaves have been advantageously used in
syphilis, and extensively applied in tinea, psora and cutaneous
affections. Dr. Barton states that nervous symptoms have re-
sulted from the external use of the strong decoction, thirty
drops taken internally six times a day producing vertigo. Dr.
Bigelow detected in the leaves tannin, a resinous matter and
gum. Besides these, Dr. Stabler finds a volatile oil of a nar-
cotic odor and nauseous smell, supposed to be the active princi-
ple: see Am. Journal of Pharm. x, 241; Griffith, Med. Bot. 428.
From these experiments of Dr. 8. he determines it to be a direct
arterial sedative, without any acrid or narcotic property; hence
he supposes it suitable to cases of hypertrophy of heart and
other diseases, when it is necessary to decrease the action of
that organ; and from the tannin present that it is peculiarly
fitted for cases of hemorrhage, dysentery, etc. He proposes
that two ounces of the leaves be macerated in a pint of alcobol
for a week and then strained, the dose of which for an adult
is thirty drops every two or three hours. If these observations

> ne. ot ide

—— eee ee

421

are confirmed it will give the plant a high reputation as a seda-
tive, and attention is invited to it. The wood is much used for
mechanical purposes, being bard and dense.

Kalmia hirsuta, Walt. Grows in wet pine barrens; vicinity
of Charleston. Fl. July.

Ell. Bot. Med. Notes, i, 483. The leaves are used by negroes,
and the poor white people, as a cure for itch, and for the mange
in dogs. A strong decoction is applied warm to the eruptions,
which occasions much smarting; and it seldom requires more
than one application to effect a cure.

SHEEP LAUREL, (Kalmia angustifolia, L.) Barren hills;
upper districts N. and 8.C. Chapman.

The leaves of the Kalmia (angustifolia?) exude a sweet, honey-
like juice, which is said when swallowed to bring on a mental
intoxication both formidable in its symptoms and long in its
duration, (Torrey.) In this it appears closely to resemble the
Armenian azalea, (Johnston’s Chemistry of Common Life, vol. ii,
p- 157.) About Long Island the K. angustifolia is believed to
kill sheep, and is known by the name of sheep poison. The
Azalea pontica, a kindred shrub, is said to be the source of the
narcotic quality for which the Trebizond honey is famous.

VACCINACEM. (The Bilberry Tribe.)

Bark and leaves are astringent, slightly tonic and stimulating

AMERICAN CRANBERRY, (Vaccinium macrocarpon, Ait.
Oxycoccos.) Grows in swamps of North Carolina and north-
ward.

The cranberry, useful for their ascescént, cooling properties,
for making pies, etc., are now exported to Europe, and they are
said to bring eight dollars a bushel in the London market, as
they are easily transported without suffering from the voyage.
They are cultivated on boggy or swampy land, sand being
thrown over it to kill the grass. There is a communication in
the Patent Office Reports, 1857, on the mode of cultivation of
the plant. Cranberries may be preserved perfect for several
- years merely by drying them a little in the sun, and then put-
ting them up closely in clean bottles. They also keep well in
fresh water. The red-fruited variety yields a juice which has
been employed to stain paper or linen purple.

422

FARCLE-BERRY ; SPARKLEBERRY, ( Vaccinium arboreum,
Marsh.) Grows in damp soils; diffused; collected in St. John’s;
vicinity of Charleston; N.C. Fl. May.

Ell. Bot. Med. Notes, i, 496 ; Griffith Med. Bot. 431. The bark
of the root is very stringent, and is employed in diarrhoea and
bowel complaints. The leaves also are astringent, and a decoe-
tion, as tea, is given in diarrhoea and dysentery, and as a wash
in sore mouth ; the fruit is more palatable and equally as effica-
cious. The bark is also used for tanning. The root and bark
are very much used as an astringent in Sumter District, S. C.,
given in the form of tea to children affected with diarrhea from
teething, simply because it contains tannin, I suppose, like the
chinquapin, oak bark, ete. It is very much relied upon. The
_ root is sometimes stewed in milk and given the same way.
Most of the species possess qualities similar to this one. Some
of those at the South bear fruit which are very pleasant to the
taste, and commonly known as huckleberries. I regard the
wood as uncommonly hard and close.

A cordial is made from “ Whirtleberries,” says a writer, 1863;
“to one quart of berries add half a pint of water, boil until
tender and strain. To one quart of juice add half a pint of
brandy. It must be well sweetened with loaf sugar.”

PRIMULACE. (The Primrose Tribe.)

More remarkable for beauty and fragrance than for their sen-
sible properties.

RED CHICKWEED; SCARLET PIMPERNEL, (Anagallis
arvensis, L.) Nat. on Sullivan’s Island. Collected in St. John’s ;
Nu. ORL July:

U.S. Disp. 1227; Le. Mat. Med. i, 80; Mér. and de L. Dict.
de M. Méd. i, 276; Orfila, Toxicologie, ii, 275; Woodv. Med.
Bot. Mém. Acad. Royal de Méd. 18 Mars, ann. 1226. The flow-
ers close at the approach of rain, and occasions the plant to be
called the “ poor-man’s weather-glass.” Rural Cye.

This plant enjoyed great reputation at one time, and was said
to possess sudorific, vulnerary, anti-epilectic and anti-hydro-
phobic virtues. Woodville states that it is acrid and poisonous.
It was considered very valuable for the bite of serpents, but
more particularly in hydrophobia, given in the form of powder

423

in doses of two drachms. See the reports to the Econ. Soc.,
Berne; Dém. Elém. de Bot. ii, 124. Milne, in his Ind. Bot. 260,
asserts that it was frequently successful even after dangerous
symptoms had supervened; and the great Hoffman yielded
to this opinion. It “really possesses highly energetic powers,
for Orfila destroyed a dog by making him drink three drachms
_ of the extract.” Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 224. It is used as a local
application in ill-conditioned ulcers, and internally in visceral
obstructions, dropsy, epilepsy and mania. Mr. J. A. Heinzelman
obtained a small quantity of volatile oil from the dried herb,
four drops of which produced intense headache and nausea,
which continued for twenty-four hours with pains throughout
the body. U.S. Disp., 12th Ed.

BROOKWEED, (Samolus valerandi, L.) Vicinity of Charles-
ton; grows in morasses; collected in St, John’s, Charleston Dis-
trict” Fl. June.

Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. vi, 201; Journal Gén. de Med.
lii, 413; Dém. Elém. de Bot. ii, 121. emery says it is an anti-
scorbutic, aperient and vulnerary.

SAPOTACEA. (The Sapotilla Tribe.)

IRONWOOD, (Bumelia lycioides, Ell. Sk.) Vicinity of Charles-
ton; very rarein St. John’s Berkeley; N.C. Fl. June.

Griffith Med. Bot. 441. The bark is said to be austere,
and to be useful in bowel complaints. The tree is classed by
some, with the persimmon, under the “ ebony tribe’—the wood
being characterized by great density and hardness.

Mimusops Sieberi, A. De. 8S. Fla. Chap.

This tree or shrub should be examined. The East Indian
species yield a gum from the bark and an oil from the seeds,
the latter used in painting and in facilitating parturition.

EBENACEA. (The Ebony Tribe.)

Wood generally hard and black.

PERSIMMON, (Diospyros Virginiana.) Diffused ; grows abun-
dantly in both upper and lower districts. Fl. March.

Coxe, Am. Disp. 259; U. S. Disp. 302; Ed. and Vav. Mat.
Med. 135; Am. Journal Med. Se., N.S. iv, 297; Mér. and de L.
Dict. de M. Med. ii, 657; Ann. Chim. de Montp. xxiv, 247 ; Shee.
Flora Carol. 510; Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 227; Griffith Med. Bot.

424 2

436. An astringent and styptic. The inner bark is used in in-
termittent fever, in diarrhea, and with alum as a garele in ul-
cerated sore throat. The powdered bark can be used wherever
an astringent is required. The unripe fruit is exceedingly as-
tringent; employed while fresh, or dried in the sun and pow-
dered, it is very valuable in diarrhcea, chronic dysentery and
uterine hemorrhage. It forms a convenient and useful prescrip-
tion for those residing in the country, made into pills or in the
shape of a spirituous tincture. Mr. B. Smith found that the
green fruit contained tannin, sugar, malic acid, and woody fibre ;
the first disappears and the others increase as it ripens. (Am.
Journal Pharm. xii, 157.) The juice, in the unripe state, is said
to be preferable to oak bark for tanning; and a black dye may
be extracted from it. The fruit, when matured, is very sweet
and pleasant to the taste and yields on distillation after fermen-
tation a quantity of spirits; a beeris made of it, and mixed with
flour, a pleasant bread. I have used the wood for engraving.
Every tree of slow growth seems to me have a dense and hard
wood, because the rings are close together, though the consis
tence of the interspaces varies in different plants. See ‘‘ Ame-
lanchier.” Persimmon bark with iron yields a dye, the color
depending on the mordant used. See “ Rhus ;” also Treatises on
Calico printing and on Dyeing, Ure’s Dict. of Arts and Manu-
factures and Wilson’s Rural Cyc. Processes are there described.
Upon testing for tannin the leaves of the persimmon I find very
little, but a great deal in the unripe fruit. See detail of experi-
ments under sweet-gum, “ Liguidambar.” The tannic acid in
the unripe fruit has been ascertained by Mr. J. E. Bryan, (Am.
J. Ph. xxx, 215,) not to be of the kind existing in galls and oak
bark. The fact that tannin is a glucoside, observes Dr. Wood,
may throw some light on the rapid and complete change which
the fruit undergoes from astringency to sweetness during ma-
turation. U. 8. Disp., 12th Ed. Dr. Mettaner used the infus.
syrup and vinous tincture of the bruised unripe fruit in diarr-
hoea, chronic dysentery and uterine hemorrhage. U. S. Disp.

A variety of persimmons are occasionally met with in Sumter
District, S. C., with fruit almost twice the ordinary size. They -
were found near Claremont and the river. I have known of a
large fruited variety from Cooper River also. Ale can be made
with the different species of gentian also, and in England they

425

use G. lutea and purpurea as substitutes for hops. The persim-
mon should be used in camps as an astringent. See ‘ Cas-
tanea.”

To Make Persimmon Beer.—Guther the persimmons perfectly
ripe and free from any roughness. Work them into large loaves
with bran enough to make them consistent; bake them so
thoroughly that the cake may be brown and dry throughout,
but not burned. They are then fit for use. But if you keep
them any time it will be necessary to dry them frequently in an
oven moderately warm. Of these loaves broken into a coarse
powder, take eight bushels. Pour on them forty gallons of cold
water, and after two or three days draw it off; boil it as other

‘beer, adding a little hops. This makes a very strong beer. See

Thornton’s Southern Gardener, p. 138. W. Gilmore Simms,
Esq., writes me word that the persimmon beer manufactured in
Orar@eburg District, 8. C., by the Hon. J. M. Felder, equalled
the best sparkling “Jersey Champagne.” The latter is gene-
rally made of apples, and is a species of carbonated cider. See
“ Apples,” “Hops,” “ Sassafras,’ for method of manufacturing
useful liquors.

The following is from the Southern Cultivator and was pub-
lished during the war: ;

Persimmon Beer—The best persimmons ripen soft and sweet,
having a clear, thin, transparent skin, without any rongh taste.
Most animals fatten on them; the chicken, duck, turkey, goose,
dog, hog, sheep and cowall eat them greedily. The fruit, when
mashed and strained through a coarse wire sieve, makes de-
lightful bread, pies and pudding. When kneaded with wheat
bran, and well baked in an oven, the bread may be put away
for winter use in making beer, and used when wanted.

The following is one of the very best receipts for making the
beer: Sweet ripe persimmons, mashed and strained, one bushel ;
wheat bran, one half bushel. Mix well together and bake in
loaves of convenient size ; break them in a clean barrel, and add
twelve gallons of water and two or three ounces of hops. Keep
the barrel in a warm room. As soon as fermentation subsides,
bottle off the beer, having good long corks, and place the bottles
in a low temperature, and it will keep and improve for twelve
months. This beer, when properly made, in a warm room, isan
exquisitely delightful beverage, containing no alcohol, and is to

426

the connoisseur of temperate taste not inferior to the fermented
juice of the vine.

The ordinary way of making it is more simple, and the drink
is relished heartily by most persons: a layer of straw is put in
the bottom ofthe cask, on which a sufficient quantity of fruit,
well mashed, is laid, and the cask then filled with water. It
should stand in a warm room, and if the weather is cold, fer-
mentation will be promoted by occasionally putting a warm
brick or stone in the barrel. The addition of a few honey lo-
custs, roasted sweet potatoes, or apple peelings, will make the
beer more brisk. Wheat bran always improves the quality.

A syrup made with unripe persimmons boiled in sugar is ree-
ommended as a portable and useful astringent to be used by
soldiers in camp to prevent dysenteries and diarrheeas. I ap-
pend the following which appeared during the war in the jour-
nals of the day :

“We find in an old magazine an account of an experiment in
distilling brandy from persimmons, which may be interesting.
The writer prepared the persimmons in the same way as peaches
are usually prepared for the still, and the result of the experi-
ment was an average of one gallon of proof spirits, of an agree-
able flavor, for each bushel of the persimmons.”

Palatable syrup is made of the persimmon. The persimmons
are mixed with wheat bran, baked in pones, next crushed and
put in vessels, water poured on, and all allowed to stand twelve
hours. Strain and boil to the consistency of molasses.

A writer says: “I have been using persimmon syrup for ten
years past, for dysentery, and am persuaded that it has no equal
as a remedy for that troublesome disease. It is a simple, harm-
less and effective astringent. It is made of persimmons before
they are quite ripe. They should be mashed up, put into boiling
water, and then strained through a coarse cloth. This rough
juice may be preserved in sugar or syrup. If soldiers in camp
would adopt this remedy, many long cases of chronic dysentery
might be prevented.”

The ripe fruit of the persimmon, May-apples, figs, ete., are
also useful with a basis of molasses or honey in making vinegar.

A good vinegar, very much like, and equal to, white wine
vinegar, is made as follows:

Three bushels of ripe persimmons, three gallons of whiskey,

427

and twenty-seven gallons of water. To those who cau get the
persimmons, the vinegar thus produced will be relatively cheap,
even at any price which the most elastic conscience can ask for
the spirits.

Indelible Ink.—Green persimmons, say twelve of them, mash
them, pour on water enough to cover them. Boil over a slow
fire but not too much, add in a small piece of copperas. This

ink will not change color and cannot be washed or rubbed out.
The bloom of the persimmon and chinquapin is said to be de-
structive to hogs.

SWEET-LEAF, (Hopea tinctoria, L.) Diffused ; grows spar-
ingly in the low country ; vicinity of Charleston, collected in St.
John’s Berkeley; Ward swamp; Newbern. Fl. May.

Griffith Med. Bot.437. The root is esteemed a valuable sto-
machic. Ell. Bot. Med. Notes, ii,177. Its leaves afford a yel-
low dye; they are sweet and pleasant to the taste, and are
eaten by cattle. Major J. Le Conte informs me that the leaves
and root are much used in Georgia, in syphilitic and scrofulous
affections.

Mills, in his Statistics of South Carolina, states that Captain
Felder, of Orangeburg, S. C., procured a paste from this plant,
and those of the yellow Indigo, “a species of Cassia,” for which
he obtained one guinea per pound during the Revolutionary war
Dr. Edward Jenkins informs me that he has used a decoction of
the root in diseases of the kidney, with advantage. It appears to
possess a narcotic property, and is serviceable in painful and ir-
ritable conditions, where the renal organs are involved.

This does not seem to be the genus Hopea belonging to the
order Dipteracee, which furnishes such valuable resins.

STYRACACEX. (Styrax Tribe.)

Styrax. Several species grow in the Southern States, but
none are medicinal, so far as I can ascertain. It is well known
that storax and benzoin are furnished by some of them.

Symplocos tinctoria, L’Her. Low woods and benks of streams.
Florida to North Carolina and westward. (Chap.)

The dyer’s or laurel-leaved species, under the name of yellow
wood or sweet-leaf, is used for yielding a yellow dye. Rural
Cyc. See “ Hopea.”

428
AQUIFOLIACEM. (The Holly Tribe.)

These are generally astringent.

BLACK ALDER; WINTER-BERRY, (Jlez verticillata, Gray.
Prinos verticillatus, L.) Damp soils. Fl. May.

U.S. Disp. 874; Wild Spec. Plantarum, 275; Mér. and de L.
Dict. de M. Méd. v, 15; Barton’s Med. Bot. i, 203. The berries
and bark are tonic and astringent, and are used in intermittent
fevers, diarrhceas, and diseases connected with a debilitated
state of the system, especially gangrene and mortification. It
is a popular remedy in ill-conditioned ulcers, chronic cutaneous
diseases, administered internally and locally as a wash. Lind.
Nat. Syst. Bot. 229. “The bark and berries possess in an emi-
nent degree the properties of the vegetable astringents and
tonics, combined with anti-septic powers highly spoken of.”
They are extensively prescribed in some parts of the country
in diarrhcea, and as a corroborant in dropsy. The leaves are
employed as a substitute for tea. The plant was used by the
Indians. It may be taken in substance, in doses of thirty grains
to a drachm, to be repeated, or a decoction made with two
ounces of the bark to three pints of water, of which three
ounces may be taken several times aday. A saturated tincture
of the bark and berries has also been used. Bigelow did not
speak highly of this plant, but W. P. C. Barton extols it and
recommends it to the profession, having employed it on several
occasions. Dr. Meara, in the Phil. Med. Museum; Griffith
Med. Bot. 434; Coxe’s Am. Disp. 500.

INKBERRY, (llex glaber, Gray. Prinos glaber, L.) Grows
in damp soils, along bays; Richland District; collected in St.
John’s. Fl. May.

Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 229; Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Med.
vi, 53. The leaves are employed asa tea. The plant probably
possesses properties similar to those of the other. Upon chemi-
cal examination I find very little tannin in the leaves. See
sweet-gum (Liquidambar) for detail of experiments. I am in-
formed that the “lex, or Prinos glaber,’ was much used in
Wilmington, N. C., during the war in cases of intermittent fever.

HOLLY, (Ilex opaca, L.) Diffused; in rich soils; Newbern.
Fl. May.

Griffith Med. Bot. 432; U.S. Disp. 1263. 1 am informed by

>

:

429

gentlemen who have used this plant that the decoction of the
bark of the root has been found very serviceable as a demulcent
in colds, coughs and incipient phthisis; and by Dr. Joseph
Johnson, of Charleston, that the berries are serviceable as an
emetic. The bark of the holly root chewed is a most excellent
demulcent and tonic for chronic colds and coughs, as I have
frequently experienced in my own case and in that of a number
of my friends who rely upon it greatly in these cases. It has a
pleasant bitter taste, improves the appetite and promotes expec-
toration. It is asserted by some to possess properties fully
equal to those of the ZL. aquifolium of Europe, the inner bark of
which also yields a viscid ‘substance called birdlime ; its leaves
are esteemed as a diaphoretic in the form of infusion; employed
in catarrh, pleurisy, small-pox, etc. Its febrifuge virtues are
supposed to depend on a bitter principle, i/licin, and the berries
are considered purgative, diuretic and emetic. The good effects
resulting from the use of this plant in diseases affecting the
mucous passages, may be owing to the substances contained in
the inner bark. Some declare that they find it fully as efficient
in intermittent fevers as the Peruvian bark. As an emetic, the
berries are said to be more active than the leaves. Dr. Tully
says, Mat. Med. p. 1368, that he has been informed that it has a
high popular reputation in Sonth Carolina as an ecbolic, it being
considered capable of producing an abortion or miscarriage at
any stage of pregnancy. A strong infusion or decoction of the
leaves is employed, and this is drank freely.

Birdlime can be made from holly and misletoe ; also from elder.
The bark and juice are used. See process described in Ure’s
Dictionary of Arts and Manufactures, article “ Birdlime.’ The
leaves of this plant, like I. dahoon and J. cassina are used as
substitutes for green tea. See Llex cassina.

I condense the following from Wilson’s Rural Cyc. :

“ Birdlime for catching birds, mice and other vermin, is gen-
erally made from the middle bark of the holly, which is boiled
in water seven or eight hours, till it becomes soft and tender.
After the water has been strained off it is laid in masses in the
earth, covered with stones, and left to ferment during a fort-
night or three weeks. When thus changed into a kind of mu-
cilage it is taken from the pit, poanded in mortars until reduced
to a paste, washed and kneaded in river water until freed from

430

all extraneous matter. It is left in earthen vessels four or five
days to purify itself by fermentation, and it is then put up for
use or commerce. In every kingdom or district there is a
different mode of preparing this substance. The mode em-
ployed by M. Bouillon Lagrange is to take a sufficient quantity
of the second bark of the green prickly holly, to bruise it well,
and boil it in water four or five hours; to pour off the water,
to deposit the bark in pits in earthen pans, to moisten it from
time to time with a little water, to let it remain until it becomes
viscous, and to cleanse it by washing when it has attained a
proper degree of fermentation.”

Birdlime may be procured from the young shoots of the com-
mon elder tree, from a number of plants, from slugs, snails, and
from the pods of certain caterpillars. The common kind of
birdlime readily loses its tenacious quality when long exposed
to the air, and particularly when subjected to moisture; but it
may be rendered capable of sustaining the action of water by
the following process: take a pound of common birdlime and
wash it thoroughly with spring water till its hardness be de-
stroyed ; then pound it completely that its water may be entirely
separated, and when it is well dried put it into an earthen pot
with as much goose or capon’s grease as will make it run. Add
two spoonsful of strong vinegar, one of oil, and a small quan-
tity of Venice turpentine, and let the whole boil for a few mo-
ments over a moderate fire, stirring it all the time. It is then
ready for use ; and this is the only kind that can be successfully
used for snipes and other birds which frequent wet situations.
When birdlime is to be applied for use it should be made hot,
and the rods or twigs should be warmed a little before they are
dipped in it. When straws or cords are to be limed it should
be very hot, and after they are prepared they should be kept in
a leather bag till used. In order to prevent birdlime from being
congealed by cold it should be mixed with a little oil of petro-
leum ; and, indeed, before the common kind can be used at all
it must be melted over the fire with a third part of nut-oil or
any thin grease, if that has not been added in the preparation.
It has been found to resemble gluten in many particulars, but
differs from it essentially in the acetous acid which it contains;
in being very slightly animalized; in the mucilage and extract-
ive matter which may be obtained from it ; in the great quantity

431

of resin which it yields by means of nitric acrid, and in its
solubility in ether. See, also, Wilson’s article on “ Bird-catch-
ing” for the various methods of ensnaring game. See “ Viscus”’
in this volume.

Our Ilex opaca is said to resemble closely the English holly,
CL, aquifolium.) It has a hard, white wood, with a fine grain.
Among many trees and plants which I have examined, with a
view to testing their relative hardness, I do not rank the holly
so high as others. The English holly is said by Wilson to be
very retentive of its sap, which renders it very liable to warp
unless well dried; to be susceptible of a high degree of polish,
which renders it well adapted to many purposes in the arts. It
readily takes a durable color of any shade, hence used by cabi-
net-makers, in forming what are technically called “strings and
borders” in ornamental works. When properly stained black,
its, color and lustre are little inferior to ebony. 1t may be
turned to a great number of purposes by turners, engineers,
cabinet-makers, philosophical instrument-makers and others.
Next to boxwood, the pear tree is the best wood, says Wilson,
for engraving upon, as it is compact and stands the tool well.
Rural Cyc. I do not think that I found our LZ. opaca equal to
the dogwood for the purposes of the engraver; certainly when
green it yielded to the graver’s tools more readily and was not
so hard. ,

The berries of the English holly are said to be purgative, and
six or eight of them swallowed will produce violent vomiting ;
the bark is said to be febrifugal. Op. cit.

YAUPON; CASSINA; EMETIC-HOLLY, (Iles cassine, L.
lex vomitoria, L. and Ait.) Grows near the seacoast ; Newbern.
Fl. March.

Mer and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. iii, 591; see I. vomitoria. Linn.
Veg. Mat. Med.; U.S. Disp. 1263, App.; Griffith Med. Bot.; Ell.
Sk. of Bot. of South Carolina, ii, 682. The leaves act asa pow-
erful diuretic, and are employed in calculous, nephritic diseases,
diabetes, gout and small-pox. This plant is said also to act as a
mild emetic. (Mér. and de L.) The Indians used the cold infu-
sion, which was called the black drink, and which was said to
enliven them, in the place of opium. The Creeks employed it,
according to Elliott, at the opening of their councils, sending to
the seacoast for asupply. They considered it one of their most

432

powerful diuretics. (Bart. Coll. 38.) The inhabitants of North
Carolina purify brackish water by boiling in it Cassina leaves.

In North and South Carolina much use is made of the leaves
of cassina for making tea. I would refer the reader to the Cean-
othus Americana, New Jersey tea tree. The leaves of the com-
mon holly (ller opaca) are also recommended by some as a
substitute for tea; and I would call attention to the fact that the
famous plant used so extensively in Paraguay, Mate or Paraguay
tea, isan Ilex (I. Paraguaiensis) plants of which have been in-
troduced by Lieut. Page, and distributed. See a notice of it in
Patent Office Reports, 1854, p. 34, and 1859, p. 15. até is uni-
versally drunk in many of the South American States, and
almost fabulous properties are attributed to it. “It is unques-
tionably aperient and diuretic, and produces effects very similar
to opium. * * * [ike that drug, however, it excites the
torpid and languid, while it calms the restless and indneces
sleep.” I have little doubt but that great resemblance does exist
between this and the kindred plant, the cassina, from which
also was prepared a “black drink,” which was used by the In-
dians of North America in their ceremonials. The mode of
preparation may be lost to us.

In a letter from Mr. Simms, April,. 1863, he says: “I think
there is some mistake among the authorities you quote when
they assert this to be the material out of which the Indians
manufacture the famous “ Black Drink” used at their most
solemn festivals, and which I have always understood, while
travelling among them forty years ago, to be compounded of va-
rious roots, by decoction, and acting as a powerful emetic. The
leaves used moderately as we use tea, have never as I believe
acted thus upon the system.”

The Yaupon is sometimes referred to as L. vomitoria. The
Indians drank it very strong, and in copious draughts, at a cer-
tain period of the year, in order to purify themselves. It acted
asan emetic. The Maté of Paraguay is not identical, says a re-

cent writer, with our J. cassina. Lawson, in his account of this _

plant, in his Travels in Carolina, (pp. 90, 91, London, 1709,) cele-
brates the virtues of the tea, and gives a particular account of
the mode of preparing it. “This plant, (the Yaupon, ealled by
the South Carolina Indians Cassina,) is the Indian tea, used and
approved by all the savages on the coast of Carolina, and from

q
4
]
‘

433

them sent to the westward Indians, and sold at a considerable
price.” “The savages of Carolina bore this tea in veneration
above all the plants they are acquainted withal,” p. 221. “As
for purgings and emetics they never apply themselves to, unless
in drinking vast quantities of their Yaupon or tea, and vomiting
it up again, as clear as they drink it.” Croom, in quoting the
above, adds that in North Carolina it is still esteemed a useful
diaphoretic. Notes to his Catalogue, p. 45, referred to as J. cas-
sina, of Walter.

The preparation of Maté is very simple. It can be gathered
during the whole year It is collected in the woods—“a process
of kiln-drying is resorted to upon the spot, and afterward the
branches and leaves are transported to some rude mill and
powdered in mortars. The substance, after this operation, is
almost a powder, though small stems, denuded of their bark, are
always permitted to remain.” A small quantity of the leaf, either
with or without sugar, is placed in a common bowl, upon which
cold water is poured ; after standing a short time, boiling water
is added, and it is at once ready for use. It must be imbibed
through a tube on account of the particles of leaf and stem
which float upon the surface of the liquid. The plant is not cul-
tivated. See, also, Ceanothus and Thea viridis.

Ilex dahoon, Walt. Also called cassina. Grows in swamps ;
- it is said to possess properties similar to those of the J. cassina,

Ilex myrtifolia, Walt. This is a variety of I. dahoon. Grows
around ponds, in flat, pine barrens, forty miles from Charleston ;
Newbern.

Dr. Joseph Johnson, of €liviccloeser. informs me that this is
used to some extent in domestic practice in South Carolina, as a
diuretic in dropsy.

CUSCUTACEA.

LOVE-VINE, (Cuscuta Americana, Linn.) Dr. Engleman, of
St. Louis, has determined that we have not the C. Am. of Linn.,
and he has substituted three distinct species which are found
in South Carolina, the C. compacta and cornuti of Choisey, and
C. vulgivaga, Engl. Grows in damp soils ; collected in St. John’s;
Newbern. Fl. June.

Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. ii, 527; Flora Méd. des
Antilles, ii, 334; Shec. Flora Carol, 485,

28

434

This is said to be laxative and hydragogue. It imparts a
yellow dye to cloth. The vine may be snapped in pieces, and
the divisions will retain a separate existence, throwing out new
tendrils, and reattaching themselves to surrounding objects.

CONVOLVULACEM. (The Bindweed Tribe.)

An acrid, milky juice is found in their roots, which is strongly
purgative, this quality depending upon a peculiar resin, which
is the active principle of the jalap, the scammony, ete., plants
belonging to this order.

Pharbitis nil, Chois. Jpomea nil, Pursh. Convolvulus, Spren-
gel. Grows in dry soils; vicinity of Charleston; St. John’s ;
Newbern. Fl. July.

Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. iv, 409. The root was em-
ployed by the ancients as a purgative.

WILD POTATO VINE, (Convolvulus, Ell. Sk. Jpomea pan-
duratas, of late bot.) Found in dry pine barrens; collected in
St. John’s, Charleston District, where it grows abundantly ;
Newbern.

Coxe, Am. Dis. 226; Barton’s Collec. ii, 49; Ell. Bot. Med.
Notes, i, 254; U.S. Disp. 269; Meér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd.
ii, 409; Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. i, 252; Griffith’s Med. Bot. 477.
The root is diuretic, and in the form of infusion is said to be
very serviceable in calculous complaints. It is employed with
great success by Dr. Harris, of New Jersey, in these and in
other affections as a substitute for jalap and rhubarb; Dr. B. 8.
Barton says that an extract from one of our native species is
little inferior to seammony. The powder of the decoction may
be used.

cm Convolvulus macrorrhizus, Ell. IJpomea of Michaux. Vicinity
of Charleston; dry soils.

U.S. Disp. 408; Ell. Bot. Med. Notes, i, 253; Mér. and de
L. Dict. de M. Méd. ii, 406; Frost’s Elems. Mat. Med. 140.
This is thought to resemble jalap. De Candolle mentions the
root aS possessing purgative properties, (Essai;) and the ex-
pressed juice was said to be very active. Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot.
231; Flore Méd. des Antillus, ii, 288. Dr. Baldwin, however,
was of the opinion that it possessed very little purgative power.

| It is said to contain a great deal of saccharine with a consid-
) erable quantity of farinaceous matter.
‘

435

Ipomea sinnata, Ort. Convolvulus dissectus, Mx. The C. dis-
sectus abounds in prussic acid, and is said to be used in the
manufacture of Noyau. Bot. Mag. 3141; Griffith.

JALAP, (Convolvulus Jalap.)

It has been supposed by some that the officinal jalap may be
obtained from plants growing within the limits of the Southern
States, but late researches have almost disproved it. See U.S.
Disp.; Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd.

SWEET POTATO, (Batatas edulic, Chois. Convolvulus bat-
atas, Cult.) Several varieties are cultivated.

This valuable plant is cultivated to a large extent in the
Southern States, and great use is made of the root as an article
of food. It may, therefore, not be out of place to furnish some
references to the various sources of information concerning it
that have come in my way. A large quantity of sago, called
“ Bowen’s patent sago,” was made in Georgia from the potato,
particularly by Dr. Bancroft, near Savannah. The roots were
scraped and grated, the pulp was then mashed through sieves,
and the deposited flour collected and dried in pans either by
fire or sunlight. See Shec. Flora Carol. The root is used as an
article of food prepared in various forms. They may be grated
_ when raw and the pulp made into a pudding ; they are some-
times eaten roasted or boiled, in which state, with wheat flour,
a very pleasant bread is made of them. On the plantations
they furnish a large proportion of the food of animals. Mér. and
de L. Dict. de Méd. Supplém. 1846, 205. See Depuy’s Mémoire
sur la culture de la patate, Bordeaux, 1801; Lelieur de Ville-
sur Arce, Mém. sur la culture de la patate et du mais, Paris;
Gosse, Culture de la patate, (Biblioth. Univ. de Genéve, iii,
1818 ;) Roberts’ Note on the culture of the potato in the Mém.
de la Soc. Roy. d’Agric. 1841; Southern Agriculturist, Charles-
ton, passim.

In Patent Office Reports, 1854, p. 169, is an illustrated paper
on the Chinese yam, Dioscorea batatas, recommended as a substi-
tute for the potato. See Dioscorea villosa in this volume.

The Cantharis vittata, or blistering fly, can be found on the
potato, and I have produced blistering by applying them to the
hand. I collected the flies from vines growing on Daniel’s
Island, near Charleston. Mr. Townsend Glover, in a valuable
paper illustrated with wood-cuts in Patent Office Reports, 1854,

436

page 59, states that he found a species of cantharis, C. strigosa,
in large numbers on the cotton plants near Columbia, S. C., in
the month of September. I have little doubt that the Southern
States could be easily supplied with blistering ointment from
these flies.

The reader interested in the appearance, nature and history
of the ‘ Insects injurious and beneficial” to plants and vegeta-
bles, is referred to the paper cited. Those infesting the cotton
plant, the peach, the vine, garden vegetables, etc., are all de-
scribed. I am indebted to Mr. Glover for drawings of these.
See, also, Patent Office Reports, p. 88, 1855, in which the PADRES
are continued.

A Substitute for Spanish Flies—The scarcity of Spanish flies
for medicinal use in blister plasters makes a proper sub-
stitute a desideratum. A writer in the Savannah Republican
says we have in this country many representatives of the same
genus, and enumerates the blistering beetle, or potato fly, so
prevalent in our gardens, and so injurious to vegetation, as effi-
cacious. He says:

“The blistering plaster and Cantharides of medicine are pre-
pared from the Spanish flies, Cantharis vesicatoria, which are
collected in Spain and Italy in large quantities for exportation.
We have in North America many representatives of the same
genus. Several species have been used for the same purpose,
and in this immediate neighborhood the Cantharis vitiata, var,
striped blistering beetle, commonly called the potato fly. The
blistering beetles have been enumerated among the insects di-
rectly beneficial to man, on account of the important use made
of them in medical practice ; yet the gardeners in our neighbor-
hood will testify that the insect in question is very injurious to
vegetation, appearing in large numbers on the Irish potato,
tomato, egg-plant, and beet, which they will strip of every leaf.
I have, however, remarked that they will give the preference to
a common weed, if.in close proximity—an Amarantus—a kind
of prince’s feather. The insect is of a dull, tawny, or light
yellowish color, with two black spots on the head, two black
stripes on the thorax, and three broad ones on each wing cover.
The underside of the-body, the legs, (excepting the first joint,
which is yellowish,) the antenne or feelers, are black. Its length
is from five to eight lines, its breadth of body two lines. The

437

body is quite soft. These beetles are very shy, timid insects,
and whenever disturbed fall immediately from the leaves, and
attempt to conceal themselves among the grass, or draw up their
long, slender legs and feign themselves dead. In the night and
in rainy weather they descend from the plants and burrow in
the ground, or under leaves and tufts of grass. It is, therefore,

‘during clear weather, in the morning and evening that they

feed, and are to be collected. They should be killed by throw-
ing them into scalding water for one or two minutes, after |
which they should be spread upon cloth or paper to dry, and
may be made profitable by selling them to the apothecaries for
medical use.”

Dunglison, in his Therapeutics, says that the Cantharis vittata,
Lytta vittata, potato fly, is somewhat smaller than the Spanish
fly, (Cantharis vesicatoria,) its length being about six lines. The
headis of a light red color, with dark spots on the top; the
feelers are black; the elytra, or wing-cases, black, with a yellow
longitudinal stripe in the centre, and a yellow margin; the
thorax is black, with three yellow lines; and the abdomen and
legs, which are of the same color, are covered with an ash-
colored down, (Wood and Bache.) They are first observed
about the end of July or the beginning of August. They are
found in the morning and evening, and are collected by shaking
them from the plant in hot water, after which they are care-
fully dried in the sun. It resembles the Spanish fly in all its
properties. Other species are found in the United States, viz:
C. cinerea, a native of the Northern and Middle States; C. mar-
ginata ; C. atrata, common in Northern and Middle States; but
C. vittata is the only one that is officinal, op. cit. sup. In Eng-
land, according to Pereira, the blistering beetle is found on
species of the Oleacew, as the ash, privet, and lilac, and upon
the elder and lonicera. Cloths are spread under the trees, and
the flies shaken upon them or beaten with long poles; the flies
are then killed by being exposed to the vapor of vinegar, hot
water, or oil of turpentine. Dr. W. A. Patterson, of Virginia,
in a letter to the Richmond Sentinel, 1863, states that he col-
lected a number of the potato flies which produced blistering
very readily, when toasted, powdered and mixed with cerate.
They may be mixed with two or three parts their weight of a
cerate, made of equal parts of resin, wax and lard.

438

Potato Coffee.—I have seen this used on several plantations in
lower Carolina as a substitute for coffee. It is one of the best
when carefully made. The following is given as the mode of
preparing and using: the sweet potato is peeled and cut to the
size of coffee berries, spread in the sun until perfectly dry, then
parched in an oven or pan until thoroughly brown before being
ground. As much as is intended to be used is then put into a
cup with a little hot or cold water; it is mixed well until all is
wet; boiling water is added, and it is settled like coffee.

The mucilaginous liquor prepared from potatoes washed and
grated, the fecula being allowed to remain at the bottom of the
vessel, is used for cleansing silk, woollen and cotton goods, with-
out damage to the color. The coarse pulp which does not pass
the sieve is of use in cleansing worsted curtains, carpets,
tapestry, and other coarse goods; also in cleansing oil paint-
ings. See Ivy.

Among the plants for supplying starch, none is superior to
the sweet potato—the red-skin variety, white within, is pre-
ferred. Large supplies are made upon our plantations by
grating and washing out the starch granules, then drying. See
Maranta arundinacea in this volume for mode of making starch ;
also, Ure’s Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures, cte., vol. 2, p. 462,
New York, 1853, for a paper on the manufacture of sugar from
the potato, with a table of the amount of starch in the several
varieties of the potato.

Calystegia sepium, R. Br. Fla. and northward.
The decoction of the leaves is a mild purgative. Griffith.

HYDROLEACEA.

Hydrolea quadrivalvis, Walt. Immersed in ponds; collected
in St. John’s; N.C. FI. July.
A bitter principle exists in this genus.

LOBELIACEA.

Lindley states that all are dangerous or suspicious, in conse-
quence of the excessive acridity of their milk.

INDIAN TOBACCO; LOBELIA; EMETIC-ROOT, (Lo-
belia inflata, L.) Grows in Spartanburg and Abbeville Districts,
and in Georgia. Fl. August.

439

Ell. Bot. Med. Notes, ii, 219; U.S. Disp. 434; Barton’s Collec.
36, 56 ; Thacher’s U. S. Disp. 267; Frost’s Elems.; Mat. Méd. 83.
This is one of the most valuable of our indigenous plants, well
known as a nauseating diaphoretic and expectorant, possessing
some narcotic power, and acting particularly on the bronchial
mucous membranes. The infusion of the flowers promotes urine,
diaphoresis and the discharge of the lochia ; used also in convul-
sions and palpitations of the heart. The juice which exudes
from the plant is of a penetrating and diffusible nature; from its
effects upon the eye it is called “eye-bright.” The tincture, in
small doses, just sufficient to produce slight nausea, is used to
prevent colic and croup in infants. The plant in spirits is
given largely in the bite of serpents, and the tincture ap-
plied externally is said to relieve the pain caused by the stings
of spiders and insects. See the “ Cherokee Physician.” The in-
fusion of the plant is stimulating to the throat, and is largely
employed in asthma, as it occasions a copious secretion of saliva
and of mucous fluid: “It, however, sometimes operates vehe-
mently and speedily on the stomach.” Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 237;
Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. iv, 137. Chapman, Bigelow and
Barton spoke of it as a very active and dangerous plant. Sup-
plem. to Mér, and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. 1846, 438. Dr. Noach,
of Leipsic, says that it acts specifically on the “pneumogastrice
nervous system,” and consequently possesses such a remarkable
influence on the bronchial mucous membrane. In Geneva, also,
it has acquired great reputation in spasmodic asthma. See the
12th series of the Journal de Chim. et de Pharmacie, i, 454. Dr
Elliotson cured two cases in four days with thealcoholic tincture
in a sufficient quantity of distilled water. It has been found in
Europe very useful in chronic bronchitis, aphony, and nervous
affections of the bronchia and in laryngitis and hooping cough.
It has been administered in convulsions, tetanus and dance of
St. Guy. Mer. Supplém. See, also, Lancet, February 23, 1833.
The Indians use it as tobacco, and this is a convenient way of
administering it. Rufz, d’empoisonnement practiqué par les Né-
gres, 139; Sigmond on the properties of L. inflata and syphili-
tica, in Journal de Chim. Méd. ix, 587, 1833; Glasgow Med.
Journal, May, 1828; Bidault de Villiers, notice sur l’emploi du
Lob. inflat. dans l’asthme et comme émétique, Nouv. Biblioth.
Méd. v, 226. Lobeline has been extracted from it: Phil. Journal

440

Pharm. 1834. Dr. Proctor found it also to contain an odorous
volatile principle, a peculiar acid, lobelic, gum, resin, fixed oil,
lignin, salts of lime, potassa, oxide of iron, ete. Am, Journal
Pharm. ix, 106, xiii, i. It has been used as an enemain the same
way as tobacco, and, in small doses, to produce relaxation of the
os uteri. Eberle employed it with success in a case of strangu-
lated hernia; he considers the root and inflated capsule the
most powerful parts of the plant. Am. Journal Med. Se. xvii,
248. Some bave doubted whether it produces its effects in the
same way as tobacco. Dr. Cutler, who introduced it, says if the
leaves be held in the mouth, they induce giddiness and pain in
the head, with agitation, and finally nausea. Both Dr. Randall
and himself found it very efficacious in asthma, and employed it
as a speedy expectorant in catarrh; the latter did not observe
any narcotic effect ensue from it in moderate doses. In New
England the infusion has been used advantageously in leucorr-
hea. The active principle is extracted by water and alcohol;
hot water is said to impair its emetic power ; ten to twenty grains
of the powdered leaves will act as an emetic, a moiety less as an
expectorant; two ounces of the dried plant are added to one
pint of diluted alcohol, of which one teaspoonful given to an
adult will generally bring on nausea and sometimes vomiting.
This is the form in which it is usually prescribed in astbma, re-
peating it several times a day, and desisting when headache or
nausea ensues. Coxe, Am. Disp. 373; Big. Am. Med. Bot. i, 179;
Cutler, Mem. Am. Acad. i, 484; Schcepf, 128; Mass. Report. vi;
Griffith’s Med. Bot. 419; Raf. Med. Fl. ii, 22. Dr. Livezey ina
paper in the Bost. Med. and Surg. J., v, 35, 110, advises the
tincture or infusion in the catarrhal affections of children, and
the saturated tinct. to be applied externally in erysipelas. Great
use is made of the lobelia in South Carolina and Georgia—the
steam and vegetable practitioners relying on it. Obstinate and
very violent cases of flatulent colic, which the tinctures of car-
damom,-ete., fail to relieve, we know to be immediately dissi-
pated by preparations of this plant. See Matson’s Veg. Pract.
and Howard’s Imp. Syst. Bot. Med. 334. I have generally
selected the tincture or powder of lobelia wherever I thought
relaxation was required, and where there was a tendency to spas-
modic action. Some physicians use the powder habitually as an
emetic; others consider it too depressing for ordinary cases, and

441

prefer ipecacuanha. The habit of giving an agent like this re-
peatedly, almost daily, throughout a long attack of pneumonia,
must certainly be injurious; itis, nevertheless, adopted by some
practitioners. I saw a patient recover to whom it had been
given in emetic doses every day for three weeks. Dr. Gaston,
of Columbia, used the tincture successfully in Tetanus. Dr.
Proctor has prepared a fluid extract—each teaspoonful of this
represents thirty grains of the powder. U.S. Disp., 1866.

Lobelia syphilitica, L. Mountains of Carolina and Georgia ;_
Newbern. Fl. September.

Bart. M. Bot.; Ell. Bot. Med. Notes, i, 268. In the Dém.
Elém. de Bot. ii, 92, it is spoken of as an acrid and purgative
plant: “Se guérissont de la vérole en buvant une decoction de
cing a six racines.” Am. Herbal, 208. The Indians employed
the decoction internally and topically for lues ; they communi-
cated their opinion of its virtues in this respect to Sir W.
Johnson, who published it in the April number of the Amen.
Acad.; Woodv. Med. Bot. 177; Kalm. L. C.; Linn. Veg. M.
Med.; Thornton’s Fam. Herbal. 727. Dr. Wood, in the U. S.
Disp. 436, allows it emetic, diuretic and cathartic properties,
but denies it any value in syphilis. Dr. Chapman states that it
is beneficial in dropsy. It is less powerful than the L. inflata,
but more diuretic and diaphoretic ; its diuretic effects are pro-
duced by free doses, purging or vomiting as it. is augmented.
From an analysis by M, Boissel, it is found to contain a fatty,
butyraceous matter, sugar, mucilage, a volatile bitter substance,
some salts, etc. Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. iv, 138; Des
Bois de Rochefort, Mat. Med. ii, 212; Dict. des Drogues, iii, 378.
For analysis, see Journal de Pharm, x, 623; Kalm. Description
du Spécifique contre le Mal. Vénerien, in the Mem. de l’Acad. de
Storck, xii, 1750.

CARDINAL FLOWER, (Lobelia cardinalis, L.) Grows in in-
undated soils, roots often immersed; vicinity of Charleston ; col-
lected_in St. John’s Berkeley, Charleston District ; Richland ;
Newbern. Fi. July.

Ell. Bott. Méd. Notes, i, 268; Drayton’s Views, 77; U. S.
Disp. 436; Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Med. iv, 137; DeCan-
dolle’s Essai, 189; Journal de Pharm. iii, 470; Bart. M. Bot. ii,
186; Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 236 ; Griffith’s Med. Bot. 421. This
plant is used by the Indians as an anthelmintic—some say quite

442

as efficient as the pinkroot. (Spigel. Maryland.) Merat says it
is employed as a poison by the negroes at the Cape of Good
Hope. It is well known for its beautiful scarlet flowers.

CINCHONACEA. (The Coffee Tribe.)

The grand features of this order are powerful febrifugal prop-
erties in the bark and emetic in the root. Quinquina represents
the first, and ipecacuanha the second.

JAMAICA BARK, (Zxostemma Caribeum, R. and $.) South
Fla. Chap.

The capsules, before they are quite ripe, are very bitter, and
their juice causes a burning itching on the lips; Jaquin’s Amer.
The bark is febrifugal, and often causes vomiting, especially if
it be fresh; it is in convex fragments, at first sweetish and mu-
cilaginous to the taste, afterwards bitter and disagreeable. It
is also known as Quinquina Caraibe. Griffith. Other plants
belonging to the Cinchona family, and growing in this country,
should be examined; such, for instance, as the two species of
the genus Randia, growing in 8. Fla.; also Borreria, for emetic
properties.

GEORGIA BARK, (Pinckneya pubens, Mich.) “ Found from
New River, South Carolina, along the seacoast to Florida.”
Vicinity of Charleston. Plants sent to me by Dr. F. P. Pope
from Blufton, 8. C.; abundant in Liberty County, Ga.; Jones.
Fl. June.

Ell. Bot. Med. Notes, i, 267; Coxe, Am. Disp. 1830; U. S.
Disp. 128; Frost’s Elems. Mat. Med. 519; Griffith Med. Bot.
366. It was said by Michaux in his N. Am. Sylva to be very
useful in intermittent fever. Dr. Law, of Georgia, cured six
out of seven cases with it. It did not distress the stomach,
though to two patients one ounce was given at a dose; one
drachm is the usual quantity in which it is administered. Dr.
Farr detected a considerable amount of cinchonine in it, but was
prevented from completing his examination. The attention of
those residing where it may be found is invited to it as a substi-
tute for quinine. In Georgia a handful of the bark is boiled in
a quart of water till the liquid is reduced to one-half; the
infusion is given. The powdered bark may also be given in
doses of a drachm.

443

Surg. A. M. Fauntleroi, of Va., reports in Confed. S. Med. J.
for April and Sept., 1864, the results of his experience with the
extract given generally in six to ten grain doses every second
hour.. He concludes thus: From a careful study of the cases,
I believe “that the extract has undoubted anti-periodic proper-
ties, still it is too slow in its action to be-used as a substitute
for quinia. It has, with one exception, always produced dia-
phoresis. Its therapeutical action is principally that of a tonic,
and it deserves a position in the front rank of vegetable tonics.

From the tardiness of its action, and its effect upon the vascu-
lar system, together with its manifest invigoration of the diges-
tive organs, 1 am induced to think its energy as an agent is
displayed through the organic nervous system.”

MITCHELLA; PARTRIDE-BERRY, (Mitchella repens, L.)
Vicinity of Charleston; grows in shady swampy lands; col-
lected fn St. John’s. FI. May.

Ell. Bot. Med. Notes, 199. An infusion of the stems and
leaves is used in dysuria, its diuretic powers, however, not being
of any importance. A decoction of this plant is esteemed a
good emetic, and has obtained, says Mills in his Statistics of 8. C.,
avery general use. The “Cherokee Doctor” declares that the
“decoction taken freely is an excellent article to facilitate child-
birth. It should be used daily for two or three weeks before
that period!” The fruit is slightly acid and is edible. It re-
sembles the pipsissewa and may be used in the same manner
as that plant, being diuretic, tonic and astringent. U.S. Disp.

BUTTON-BUSH, (Cephalanthus occidentalis.) Grows along
rivulets in damp soils; collected in St. John’s; specimens from
Aiken ; vicinity of Charleston. Fl. July.

Ell. Bot. Med. Notes, 487; Drayton’s View, 62; Mer. and de
L. Dict. de Méd. ii, 176 ; Shec. Flora Carol. 376. The decoction
has been used in palsy. LElliott states that the inner bark of
the root is frequently employed in obstinate coughs. Merat
notices it as an anti-venereal. A writer in the “Mercury”
says: “The root of the buttonwood or crane willow, a shrub
which is conspicuous in our swamps in the spring, when boiled
with honey and cumfrey, makes a pleasant syrup, which is the
most effective remedy known to me in diseases of the lungs. It
is thought by many intelligent persons to bea radical cure for
consumption |”

444 7

Psychotria lanceolata, Nutt., and P. undata, Jacq., both grow- é
ing in South Fla., should be ae as this genus is closely 4
allied with the Ipecacuanha, and the S. American species P.—
emetica are the same as those of Ipecacuanha.

COFFEE, (Coffea Aribica, L.) Exotic.

Should the culture of coffee be attempted in the Southern
States, I would refer the reader to Patent Office Reports, Agri-
culture, 1858, p. 313, for an instructive condensed report on the
mode of cultivation in Jamaica, Central America and other
countries, with the mode of planting, harvesting, curing, ete., —
etc. See “Potato,” “Okra” .and “Rye” for substitutes for
cottee.

RUBIACER. (The Madder Tribe.)

MADDER, (Rubia tinctorium.) Exotic,

Any one interested in ascertaining what amount of any plant,
vegetable or agricultural product was exported from or imported
into the United States, can obtain a list of quantities and value
in Patent Office Reports, 1858. It serves to show the consump-
tion of certain articles, the demand for them, and the conse-
quent necessity for their cultivation. I find upon consulting
these tables, that madder, for example, was imported to an
enormous amount, twenty million pounds, for calico-printing,
dyeing, etc ; a plant which might be cultivated within our lim-
its. See method, Patent Office Reports, 1855. So, also, soda,
barilla, coffee, and numerous other articles which we are or
were in the habit of importing. We may find among the genus
Galium, some plants yielding dyes—Galium trifidum, L. and his-
pidulum, (Rubia Brownii, Mx.,) grows from Florida to North
Carolina. G. verum, found in England, contains so much pig-
ment as to have been cultivated in place of madder. “Its
flowering tops boiled in alum dye a bright yellow color, its roots
yield a red dye equal to that of madder, and the whole of the
plant when bruised has the property of curdling milk, and is
sometimes employed both for coloring and flavoring milk in-
tended for cheeses ;’ hence called cheese-rennet. Rural Cyc.

Since writing the above, I see it stated by Pursh that the
Indians use our G. trifidum, L. (G. tinctorium) for dyeing their
porcupine quills, feathers, leather, etc., of a beautiful red color.

_ Oldenlandia, Houstonia, Hedyotis——These plants, growing

445

~

abundantly in the Southern States, and belonging to the mad-

_ der tribe, should be experimented with for tinctorial purposes.

CAHINCA OR CAINCA, (Chiococca racemosa, Jacq.) South

_ Florida. Chap.

The C. racemosa of L. is supposed to furnish the root called
Cainca which was much used in Brazil as a tonic, diuretic, pur-
gative and emetic. The bark yields cahincic acid which is be-

_ lieved to be the active principle.

Dr. Wood (U. 8. Disp., 12th Ed.) makes the following state-
ments respecting the plant. In moderate doses it gently ex-
cites the circulation, increases the discharge of urine and pro-
duces evacuations from ‘he bowels; but is rather slow in its
operation. It may be made to act also as a diaphoretic by
keeping the skin warm, using warm drinks and counteracting
its purgative tendency. In some patients it occasions nausea
and griping, and in very large doses always acts powerfully
both as an emetic and cathartic. The bark of the fresh root
rubbed with water was used in the bite of serpents—given in
quantity sufficient to excite vomiting and purging. Patrick
Brown, Dr. W. adds, speaks of the root of C. racemosa as very
useful in obstinate rheumatism. The virtues of Cabinca in
dropsy were made known to the European public in 1826. A.
Richard and M. Frangois, of Paris, published accounts of it, the
latter considering it superior to all others as a remedy in dropsy;
but this estimate has not been sustained by the experience of all
who have used it. It was employed in substance, decoction, ex-
tract and tincture. The powdered bark of the root was given
as a diuretic and purgative in a dose varying from a scruple to
a drachm ; but ten to twenty grains of the spirituous extract was
preferred. In dropsy Dr. F. advised that the full impression of
the medicine should be produced at once, which should be main-
tained by smaller doses, repeated three or four times aday. U.
S. Disp.

CAPRIFOLIACEAM. (The Honeysuckle Tribe.)

Independently of the fragrance and beauty of these plants,
astringent and purgative properties are possessed by some of
them.

446

FEVER-ROOT; WILD IPECACUANHA; WILD COF-
FEE; HORSE GENTIAN, (Triosteum perfoliatum, Linn.)

Bart. M. Bot. i, 59; Barton’s Collec. 29; Ell. Bot. Med. Notes,
i, 271; Big. Am. Med. Bot. i, 91; Raf’ Med. Fl. i, 59; Griffith
Med. Bot. 353. This plant acts as a gentle but certain cathartic,
particularly when combined with calomel, when its operation is
almost as marked as that of jalap. The bark of the root is also
emetic, the leaves and stalks proving less powerful. To produce
its cathartic effect Bigelow finds a somewhat larger dose than
that of aloes or jalap necessary, though it is supposed to be in-
fluenced by age. MRafinesque says the leaves are also diapho-
retic ; and it is stated by Dr. Muhlenberg that the hard seeds,
properly prepared, are a good substitute for coffee. Randall, in
his communication to the Linnean society, asserts that water
extracts its virtues best; but it is now recommended to be
treated with alcohol. The decoction is said to be used by the
Cherokee Indians in the cure of fevers; also given hot in colds
and female obstructions. The dose as a purge is from ten to
fifteen grains of the extract, and twenty to thirty grains of the
powdered root. Dose of the extract from ten to twenty grains.

DR. TINKER’S WEED, (Triostewm angustifolium, Linn.)
Grows in South Carolina.

Griffith Med. Bot. 353. Possesses properties similar to those
of the 7. perfoliatum.

WOODBINE, (Lonicera sempervirens, Ait.and T. and G. Cap-
rifolium, Ell. Sk. Grows in wet swamps; more abundant in
lower country; vicinity of Charleston ; collected in St. John’s,
TV]. May.

Mér. and de L. Dict. de M, Méd. iv, 143. The plant is not
much used in medicine. The syrup made of the leaves is given
in asthma, and in angina tonsillaris. The leaves and bark of
the ZL. caprifolium of Linn. are styptic and acrid; the flowers
diuretic ; the latter in decoction calm the pain of colic (coliques
ou tranchées) following childbirth.

BUSH HONEY-SUCKULE, (Diervilla trifida, Mcench. and T.
and G. Diervilla Canadensis, Ell. Sk. Muhl. Lonicera diervilla,
Linn.) Grows in the mountains of South Carolina and Georgia.
Fl. June.

Dem. Elem. de Bot. iii, 554. The leaves possess.a narcotic
principle, inducing nausea, and are recommended as a gargle in

447

catarrhal angina. The decoction calms the pain attending the
disease ; taken largely it causes stupor and catalepsy.

BLACK HAW, (Virburnum prunifolium, L.) Fruit edible.

Dr. Phares, of Newtonia, Miss., calls attention in the Atlanta
Med. and Surg. Journ. (1847) to the medical properties of this
plant. He regards it as a nervine, anti-spasmodie, astringent,
diuretic and tonic, and claims that in the nervous disorders of
pregnancy and uterine diseases, it isa valuable remedial agent.
He says: “It is particularly valuable in preventing abortion
and miscarriage, whether habitual or otherwise ; whether threat-
ened from accidental cause or criminal drugging.” The editor
of the same journal adds his testimony in favor of the same
remedy, and details several cases when threatened miscarriage
was promptly arrested by its use. It is given in the form of in-
fusion or decoction of the bark, in doses of from one to two
ounées, repeated every two or three hours, until the pains
cease ; then lessen the dose and lengthen the interval according
to circumstances. Where there is a.tendency to abortion, it
may be used as a preventive three or four times daily, for a
great length of time. (Richmond Med. J. Jan., 1868, p. 77.) See
Hamamelis Virginica, for which the same virtues are claimed.
The Black Haw may probably contain viburnic acid, which was
thought to be yielded by the Elder, which is closely related to it.

ELDER, (Sambucus Canadensis, Linn.) Grows abundantly
along fences and in rich, damp soils; diffused; Newbern. FI.
June.

Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 248; Bell’s Pract. Dict. 404; Drayton’s
View, 55; Le Mat. Med. ii, 325; U.S. Disp. 625; Royle, Mat.
Med. 423; Cullen, Mat. Med. ii, 534; Mér. and de L. Dict. de M.
Méd. vi, 196; Griffith Med. Bot. 354. “The leaves are fetid,
emetic and a drastic purgative;”’ the plant acting in the same
way as the European species, the S. nigra; the leaf-buds also
operating as a powerful purgative. The bark yields valerianic
acid. The juice of the root has been highly recommended in
dropsy as a hydragogue cathartic, sometimes acting as an
emetic, in the dose of a tablespoonful, repeated every day with
less frequency if it act with violence. Dr. Stratton, of New
Jersey, uses a syrup in place of Sarsaparilla, made with the juice
of the berries. New Jersey Med. Rep., vii, 466. U.S. Disp.
The flowers are excitant and sudorific, and are used in the form

448

ofan ointment asa discutient. Theinner bark is a hydragogue
cathartic and emetic, acting well in dropsy, and as an alterative
in various chronic diseases. The purgation which results from
its employment is sometimes, however, too severe. The berries
are diaphoretic and aperient, and are used as a remedy in rheu-
matic gout and syphilitic affections. The juice of these diluted
with water furnishes a cooling and valuable laxative drink.
This plant is employed to some extent in domestic practice for
the purposes severally referred to above. A decoction made by
pouring boiling water over the leaves, flowers or berries of the
elder is recommended as a wash for wounds to prevent injury
from flies. An ointment used for the same purpose is prepared
by stirring the elder or mixing the juice into lard while boiling,
and straining through a coarse sieve. Beeswax may be added.

Surg. S. R. Chambers reports in the Confed. States Med.
Journal, Jan., 1865, that he has used the following ointment
with complete success in at least one hundred cases of camp
itch. In ordinary cases it will cure in one week. ‘The patient
is first made to wash well with soap and water, to dry the parts
affected, and then to rub the ointment on the parts affected
with the hand until it is absorbed. One pound of the inner
bark of the elder, in two and a half pints of water is boiled
down to one quarter of a pint. Then one pound of lard and
four ounces of sweet gum are added, evaporate the water and
at the same time skim whatever filth may rise to the top of the
vessel, after which set it aside to cool. When thoroughly cool
add two ounces of basilicon ointment, three of olive oil and half
an ounce of flour of sulphur. See, also, Phylotacca decandra,
Poke. According to Mr. Cozzens, the ripe berries afford a deli-
cate test for acids and alkalies. The elder berry stewed with
copperas, vinegar and alum, makes, as I have seen, an excellent
ink and a dye.

Recipe for Blacking.—Boil elder berries well, mashing the
pulpy matter. Then strain through a colander and bottle for
use. The liquid sours somewhat by age, but retains its qualities.

Another.—Simmer ripe elder berries over a slow fire in an iron
kettle for one hour, and let the mass cool, and you will have
good blacking.

The juice may be pressed out and put away for use as you
may need it, and the pulp or mass may also be used.

449

' The leaves of the English elder (S. nigra) are noxious to in-
sects, moles, etc. The flowers are used in fomentations and
cooling ointments. “The leaves boiled in lard make one of the
most emollient and suppling unguents known to the farmer.
The flowers are used for making a perfumed, distilled water.
The berries, according to experiments of M. Wehrle, of Vienna,
_ produce a comparatively much larger quantity of spirits than
can be obtained from the malt of the best wheat. The juice in
these experiments was expressed from the berries, treated in
the same manner as the must of grapes, and afterwards dis-
tilled.” Wilson’s Rural Cyc. It would be interesting to ascer-
tain to what extent our species share the above properties.
The following is from the Lynchburg Republican, 1863: “Excel-
lent brandy. is distilled from the berries of the common elder
bush. The sample shown us contains 70 per cent. of alcohol,
which is about 30 per cent. more than is contained in pane
liquor. The taste is fully equal to the best apple brandy, which
it resembled so closely as to be undistinguishable except by a
good judge. The process of manufacture is exactly similar to
that of apple or peach brandy.”

COMPOSIT A.

*

These embrace four orders, all of which are distinguished by
bitterness, which in the different sections is variously combined.
In the order AsTERACE# it assumes a particular character, being
united with a resinous principle ; in the CyNARACE# this bitter-
ness depends upon the mixture of extractive with a gum, which
is sometimes yielded in great abundance ; the CH1cHORACE# are
characterized by a juice, which is milky, bitter, astringent and
, narcotic.

Vernonia angustifolia, Mx. Grows in the pine lands in lower
country ; collected in St. John’s Berkeley. Fl. July.

The root is used by the negroes in South Carolina as a remedy
for the bite of serpents. It is also considered by them to be
aphrodisiac.

WILD VANILLA, (Liatris odoratissima, Walt.) St. John’s
Berkeley, 8S. C.; Wassamasaw swamp; North Carolina, near sea-
coast, (Croom. )

Very aromatic. Used for scenting cigars and tobacco. The

29

450

aroma is abundantly given out when trodden upon by horses’
feet.

The crystallizable odorous principle cowmarin, found in the
Tonka bean and common to the Trifolium melilotus, Anthoxan-
thum odoratum, ete, Mr. Proctor has ascertained to constitute
also the exudation upon the leaves of this species of Liatris.
Mr. W. H. Lippit, of Wilmington, N. C., had sent him speci-
mens of it which had been collected for the purpose of protect-
ing woollens from moths. U. S. Disp. 12th Ed. and Am. J.
Pharm., November, 1859. The chemists now manufacture
many of the flavoring fruit essences, vegetable perfumes, cou-
marin, ete,

BLAZING STAR; BUTTON SNAKEROOT; RATTLE-
SNAKE'S MASTER, (ZLitatris sguarrossa, W.) Grows in pine
lands ; collected in St. John’s Berkeley; Richland District ;
vicinity of Charleston.

U.S. Disp. 1273; Journal de Chim. Méd. v, 419. “Ts sont
usitées contre la morsure des serpens.” Mér and de L. Dict. de
M. Méd. iv, 97. The root is acrid, bitterish pungent, and yields
a balsamic substance in alcohol.

Liatris seariosa, W. Grows in pine lands ; vicinity of Charles-
ton. Fi. July. e

U.S. Disp. 1273, Appendix. It is employed in gonorrhea,
and as a gargle in sore throat. It has a great reputation
throughout the South for the bite of serpents. Pursh.

Liatris spicata, W. Grows in wet pine lands; collected in
St. John’s Berkeley, Charleston District ; vicinity of Charleston;
Newbern. Fl. July.

U.S. Disp. 1272. One of the “rattlesnake’s masters.” Dr.
Barton said that all the tuberous-rooted Liatres were active
plants.

This plant, called “button-snakeroot ” by some, is reported to
be a stimulant, diuretic and expectorant ; also possessing powers
as an anodyne ; it is consequently given as a remedy in colic,
the tincture or the decoction of the root being employed—said
to resemble senega snakeroot, and to excite a flow of saliva
when chewed. These plants are used by the Thomsonians.
Riddel Syn. Fl. West. States.

Mikania. An infusion and tincture of a species (Guaco) grow-

— ar.’ =
vil < ?
Ps

ing in South America; are much used for the relief of gouty
paroxysms. Our plant (M. scandens) should be examined.

THOROUGHWORT; BONESET, (Lupatorium perfoliatum,
Linn.) Grows in damp soils; diffused ; Richland District ; com-
mon in low country. FI. July.

Chap. Therap. and Mat. Med. i, 387, and ii, 435; Bell’s Pract.
Dict. 197; Ell. Bot. Med. Notes, ii, 303; Pe. Mat. Med. and
Therap. 389; Frost’s Elems. Mat. Med. 216; Eberle, Mat. Med.
ii, 216; Royle, Mat. Med. 445; U. 8. Disp. 319; Ed. and Vav.
Mat. Méd. 197; Big. Am. Med. Bot. i, 34; Thacher’s Am. Disp.
217; Am. Med. Record, iii, 331; Barton’s Essay to Mat. Med.
28; Ball. and Gar. Mat. Med. 315; Schepf, Mat. Med. 121;
Guthrie, in Annal. of Med. iii, 403; Anderson’s Inaug. Thesis,
‘New York; Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. iii, 177 ; Coxe, Am.
Digp. 271; Shee. Flora Carol, 549; Bart. M. Bot. ii, 132 ; Lind.
Nat, Syst. Bot. 253.

A warm infusion of this plant is emetic, sudorific and diapho-
retic; employed cold as a tonic and febrifuge. The hot decoc-
tion may be given in the hot stages of fevers without exciting
the system. Small quantities of the cold infusion, repeatedly
given will, it is said, purge, and are prescribed in constipation.
The leaves and flowers, in powders, also purge, even in doses of
ten to twenty grains. ‘The discharge of bile is promoted by it.
It has been repeatedly prescribed with advantage in rheumatism,
typhoid pneumonia, catarrhs, dropsy, and in the inflaenza which
prevailed at the North, and which was described by Dr. Rush;
he also used it with great success in the yellow fever of 1798;
and Dr. Chapman found it one of the most effectual remedies in
the epidemic “ break-bone fever.” Graves, of Dublin, has made
much use of it in the ship, or typhus fever. See note to Graves
and Gerhard, Am. ed.

This plant is extensively employed among the negroes on the
plantations in South Carolina as a tonic and diaphoretic in colds
and fevers, and in the typhoid pneumonia so prevalent among
them. In cases of this disease which have come under my
observation, 1 have found this and the senega snakeroot
(Polygala senega) convenient and useful prescriptions; the latter,
with tartar emetic solution, to promote expectoration ; and the
former, with flaxseed tea, as a stimulant diaphoretic, combining
them with spirits of turpentine when it has assumed the typhoid

451

452

form. From its action on the capillaries, it has been recom-
mended in chronic cutaneous diseases. Barton said it possessed
no power in this respect; but in the hands of Dr. Zollickoffer it
has proved eminently successful in tinea capitis, given in com-
bination with cremor tartar. See Griffith Med. Bot. 391. In
the Supplem. to the Dict. de M. Méd. 1846, it is reported to have
been given with benefit in asthma. Echo du Monde Savant, 16 ;
Janvier, 1845. The infusion of the roots and leaves is usually
preferred, of which one to three ounces may be taken several
times a day; of the root, in powder, the dose is thirty grains.
As an emetic and cathartic a strong decoction is used, made by
boiling an ounce of the herb in three half pints of water to one
pint; given in doses of one or two gills or more. Given hot, it
acts as a diaphoretic ; cold, as a tonic.

Thoroughwort or boneset tea used hot, in the cold stages of
malarial fever, and cold in the hot stages, is believed by many
physicians in South Carolina, who have used it since the begin-
ning of the war, to be the very best of our indigenous anti-perio-
dics as a substitute for quinine. It is thought to be superior in
this respect to either poplar bark, (Liriodendron tulipifera,) wil-
low, (Salix,) or dogwood. It is also an excellent, stimulating
diaphoretic in low fevers. The “Indian doctors” make a pill to
act upon the liver, which they call the “ hepatic pill,” by boiling
thoroughwort leaves until their strength is extracted, then
strain the decoction and continue boiling till it becomes thick—
an extract in other words. It is made up with starch into pills,
and three are given at a dose. See “Indian Guide to Health.”

The extensive diffusion of this plant, and the variety of
powers possessed by it, being a sudorific and anti-periodic and a
tonic, makes it peculiarly valuable to the people of the Southern
States. In the discharge of my duties as surgeon of the City
Hospital, Charleston, 1866-7, I have repeatedly made use of the
following formula, recommended by Gerhard, in the treatment
of bronchitis and pneumonia, and always with satisfactory re-
sults: Recipe, eupatorum leaves, one ounce; senega roots, two
drachms ; roots of sanguinaria, one drachm, (or two of the tinc-
ture,) infused in a pint of boiling water, a wineglassful every
three hours. This alone is sufficient in most cases of bronchitis.
In pneumonia and pleurisy | usually associate with it alterative
doses of mercury, ipecac and soda, with revulsives to the skin,

"7 —

/

453

and Dover’s powder at night, using supportive treatment also,
and stimulants when necessary. Surgeon M. B. Beck reports
in the Confed. S. Med. J., September, 1864, excellent effects re-
sulting from the use of a decoction of eupatorium and serpen-
taria, a half ounce of each to a pint of water, a wineglassful
every three or four hours, in cases of typhoid fever, a mild
mercurial being premised.

The plants just mentioned, the blackberry, chinquapin,
(Castanea) and dogwood to be used as astringents, the gentians,
pipsissewa, Sabbatia, etc., as bitter tonics, can easily be ob-
tained by our soldiers while in camp, and they will be found to
fulfil all the indications required in most cases of fever, dysentery,
diarrhea, catarrhs, etc. In the formation of demulcent drinks,
as substitutes for flaxseed and gum-arabic, the roots and leaves
of the sassafras, and the leaves of the Bené (Sesamum) will
suffice. The Podophyllum (wild jalap) will supply the purga-
tive; therefore, with the possession of opium and calomel, the
surgeon in the field can himself obtain almost everything
desired, and with comparatively little aid from the Medical
Purveyors. Our chief desiderata were the preparations of pot-
ash, viz: nitrate, chlorate and bicarbonate, and sup. carb. of
soda. We may procure soda from our Salsola kali.

The winter-green (Chimaphila umbellata) is both tonic and
diuretic, and may be given with advantage in dropsy. In ex-
amining (1862) the excrescences produced by an insect on
nearly all the leaves of the cotton-wood tree (Populus hete-
rophylla, lu.) 1 find them possessed of an intensely bitter prin-
ciple, which may be made useful as a tonic given in spirits.
The cinquefoil (Potentilla) is mucilaginous, and I am informed
that in Sumter District, S. C., it is used with great advantage
as a remedy in affections of the lungs, chronic colds, etc.

PURPLE THOROUGHWORT ; GRAVEL ROOT, (Eupa-
torium purpureum, Li.) I have a specimen from Abbeville Dis-
trict from Mr. Reed; Richland District; collected in St. John’s,
Charleston District ; grows in damp or inundated soils ; vicinity
of Charleston. Fl. July.

U.S. Disp. 319; Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. iii, 177. It
is said to operate as a diuretic; and it is one of the popular
remedies for calculus, probably possessing properties somewhat
similar to those of the Lup. perf.

454

WILD HOREHOUND, (Lupatorium teucrifolium, W. and T.
and G. Hupatorium verbenefolium, Ell. Sk.) Grows in damp
soils; collected in St. John’s. Fl. August.

Michaux, Flora Amer. ii, 98; U. 8. Disp. 319. This is tonie,
diaphoretic, diuretic and aperient. A popular remedy in inter-
mittents, and in fevers and colds. See observations of Dr. Geo.
Jones, of Georgia. It may be substituted in some cases for the
Eup. perfol. Dr. Jos. Jones speaks of this as H. rotundifolium.
See S. M. and S. Jour., October, 1861.

Eupatorium rotundifolium, L. Grows in dry pine barrens;
collected in St. John’s Berkeley ; vicinity of Charleston; Rich-
land District. Fl. July and August. F

Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. iii, 177; Journal Gén. de
Méd. xxxvi, 111. The infusion is said to be useful in consump-
tion. See Dr. Mitchell’s letter.

Dr. Jos. Jones, Ga., has employed this by itself and with dog-
wood bark, with “very good success” in intermittent fevers.
S. M. and Surg. Journal, October, 1861.

DOGFENNEL, (Hupatorium feeniculaceum, Willd.) Dr. M.
Moore, of Statesburg, informs me that the fresh juice of the
dogfennel will relieve pain caused by the bites of spiders and
insects. The leaves may be beaten in a cloth and the juice
expressed. It is believed by some that the presence of this
plant indicates the existence of the cause of malarial fevers.
It is used to keep off insegts and bugs by strewing on the floors
of cellars and dairies.

This plant is said to tan leather in an extraordinarily short
space of time, by a process which attracted much ‘attention
during the fall of 1861. Strange that in my examination of
this plant, with that of others, I found that it contained scarcely”
a trace of tannin. But the common name of dogfennel has
been applied to the ox-eyed daisy, (Leucanthemum vulgare,
Lam.,) and to the wild chamomile, (/aruta cotula,) or stinking
Mayweed.

The Tallahassee Floridian (1861) says:

“ Leather tanned by the new process—We have seen a specimen
of kip leather said to be tanned by Isaac Bierfield, of New-
berry, S. C., in twenty days, with his dogfennel preparation.
The sample was soft and pliable, and had all the appearance of

455

being equal to the best French leather. We understand that
our shoemakers so pronounce it.

“Kverybody knows what dogfennel is, and will be glad to
learn that it is of some account after all. The weed grows in
great abundance and perfection in all parts of Florida. Mr.
Bierfield says that now is the time to gather it, and that it
should be put under shelter. Planters would do well to lay by
a goodly portion of it, as it may prove highly valuable in the
manufacture of their leather.”

I have not been able to procure, by application made to Mr.
Bierfield, any specimens of the plant he uses. I have reason to
believe (1867) that my estimate of the want of value in this
plant, based purely upon a scientific examination of it, has been
amply confirmed and that it never was of any real utility.
The dogfennel was only used as an aid, and Mr. J. Commins
who'tested it alone, found it useless. It may assist in opening
the pores of the skin.

MOUSE-EAR, (Aster tortifolius, Mx.) Vicinity of Charleston ;
grows in dry pine barrens ; collected in St. John’s.

This plant has some reputation in domestic practice in South
Carolina as a diuretic. I have noticed the summit generally
covered with little insects.

Aster cordifolius. Grows in rich lands. Fl. August.

Griffith Med. Bot. 387. This and A. puniceus possess anti-
spasmodic properties. A small species (Diplopappus linarifolius,
Hooker, Aster, Ell. Sk.) grows in pine barrens, St. John’s
Berkeley, S. C., the leaves of which contain an unusual amount
of silica; they are employed to polish horns, and as a substi-
tute for ihind: -paper.

COLT’S-TAIL ; FLEA-BANE, (Erigeron Gaitadenss L.) Com-
mon in damp, daisy soils; collected in St. John’s Berkeley ;
vicinity of Charleston ; Richland ; Newbern. FI. July.

Royle, Mat. Med. 447; Matson’s Veg. Prac. 368; U.S. Disp.
316; Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. iii, 140; Journal de Bot.
448; et des Pharm. 214; Coxe, Am. Disp. 268; Griffith Med.
Bot. 395; Dém. Elem. de Bot. 200; Raf. Med. FI.

This is a stimulant tonic, diuretic and astringent, employed
with marked success in dropsy and diarrhcea; it is much used
by the vegetable practitioners in the latter disease; they givea
tea cupful of the infusion of the herb in hot water every two

456

hours; when chewed it relieves cholera morbus. Dr. Depuz
found it useful in these diseases. See his observations quoted
in the U.S. Disp. 316. He found tannin, gallic acid, and vola-
tile oil among its constituents, from whence its beneficial action
in the diseases specified may be inferred. An infusion of the
powdered flowers is anti-spasmodic, and is employed in hysteri-
cal and nervous affections. The oil obtained from the plant
possesses extraordinary styptic properties. The dose of the
powder is thirty grains to one drachm.

In the Am. Journal M. Sc., 1866, I find the following,
signed J. S. P.:

A New Remedy in Gonorrhea.—In July, 1859, while narrowly
observing the effects of oil of erigeron administered in a fearful
hemoptysis, I was led to suspect that it would prove a useful
remedy in the treatment of gonorrhea. Acting upon this pre-
sumption, I immediately commenced giving it to a patient then
under my care, in whose case all the vaunted specifics had
most signally failed. He improved at once, and was speedily
cured. Since that date I have prescribed it in about fifty cases,
with unvarying success. It arrests the discharge in about
seventy-two hours, and effects a cure in from six to eight days.
I do not recommend it as a specific in all cases, but design
merely to bring it to the notice of the profession as an exceed-
ingly valuable medicine in this disease. When, in recent cases,
the urethral inflammation is severe, my plan is to precede the
remedy with a full dose of some active hydragogue, A formula
is: R.—Pulv. senne scruples ij; pulv. jalap. scruples j., pulv.
aromatici grs.x.m. Add a gill of boiling water and a tea-
spoonful of sugar, and, when sufficiently cool, agitate and
swallow at a dose. As soon as this operates, give ten drops of
the oil on sugar, and three hours later a full dose of spts. ether.
nit. in infus. althea, and so on every three hours alternately
until the urethral irritation is allayed. Then leave off the
latter, and continue the oil until the cure is complete. If the
case is not recent, or there is but little urethral irritation, the
oil alone is sufficient. I have used it also in combination with
copaba and other articles, and found such preparations to
answer a good purpose, but no better than the oil alone.

The oil which I use is reputed to be that ‘of the Erigeron

457

Canadense; but I presume that from the Philadelphicum is
equal, if not superior, for this purpose.

The oil of Flea-bane, reported by Dr. Wilson, of Philadelphia,
as having been used by Dr. Bourvonville and himself in doses of
five drops every two hours, with great success in uterine hemorr-
hage, (Trans. Coll. Phys. N.S. ii, 330,) Dr. Wood says must
have been that obtained from H. Canadense ; U.S. Disp., 12th Ed.

FROST-ROOT, (Erigeron Philadelphicum, L. Non. Ell.) Com-
mon in pastures; collected in St. John’s Berkeley ; vicinity of
Charleston. Fl. May.

Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 253; Shee. Flora Carol. 537; Boyle,
Mat. Med. 447; Bart. M. Bot. i, 234; U. S. Disp. 317. It is
diuretic, without being offensive to the stomach. [r. Elems. 81.
In great repute as a remedy in calculus and in nephritic dis-
eases. It was a favorite prescription in Philadelphiain dropsy,
and Dr. Wistar recommends it in hydrothorax complicated with
gout. Dr. F. L. John, of Philadelphia, obtained from forty-five
pounds of the herb only half a drachm of the oil. U.S. Disp.,
12th Ed. The plant is officinal. One ounce of the plant to be
administered in infusion or decoction of one pint in twenty-four
hours.

Erigeron strigosum, Muh]. Grows in sandy soils; vicinity of
Charleston.

Griffith Med. Bot. 396. It is similar in properties to the #.
annuum, a favorite diuretic in the dysuria of children—used by
Physick and Dewees in painful micturition dependent on neph-
ritis. This also yields a styptic oil similar to that afforded by
the #. Canadense.

Erigeron pusilum. Grows in pastures and cultivated soils;
collected in St. John’s Berkeley. Fl. June.

U.S. Disp. 316.

SNEEZE-WORT ; SWAMP SUN-FLOWER, (Helenium
autumnale, Li.) Fla. and northward.

It possesses a bitter, pungent or acrid taste. It appears to
be tonic and diaphoretic, and is also powerfully errhine. Clay-
ton and Schepf have noticed it as useful in intermittent, but it
is principally known for its power to produce running from the
nose, the whole plant acting thus, but principally the flowers
and the central florets. Rafinesque states that Dr. Barton con-
sidered it a highly useful substitute for the more acrid articles

458

of this class, though it is not equal in power to the wild ginger,
(Asarum,) or the brown powder of the leaves of the Kalmia.
Griffith ; Barton Flo. Am. Sept.

GOLDEN. ROD, (Solidago odora, Ait.) Grows in rich Bes
among the mountains, and in the upper districts, according to
Ell. Collected in St. John’s Berkeley also; Newbern; Fla.
Fl. October.

Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Med. 437; U.S. Disp: 679; Big.
Am. Med. Bot. i, 189. An aromatic, aod stimulant, and
like other pabeeiete of the same class, diaphoretic in warm
infusion. It is used to allay pain from flatulence, lessen nausea,
and cover the taste or correct the operation of irritating or un-
pleasant medicines. Mérat states that the infusion is also em-
ployed as an astringent in dysentery, and in ulceration of the
intestines. Journal Gén. de Med. xxxvi, 3. When the leaves
are subjected to distillation a very aromatic, volatile oil collects,
and an essence may be made by dissolving this in proof spirits.
This will also stop vomiting and correct the taste of medicines,
even laudanum and castor oil; Griffith Med. Bot. 397, observes
that it is valuable in allaying the pain from headache, externally
applied. It is much used in the Eastern States, and Bigelow
thinks it will entirely supplant more expensive articles. Ac-
cording to Pursh, the dried flowers are a pleasant and whole-
some substitute for tea.

CANADA GOLDEN-ROD, (Solidago Canadensis, L. Solidago
procera, Ell.) Margin of fields. Used in Canada as a most
valuable dye.

The leaves and flowers of the English species are used for
making a yellow dye; said to be as good as woad. Eng. Flora,
v, iii, Farm. Encyc. Its stalks are numerous, straight, and grow
almost five feet in height; they afford very strong fibres if
treated in the same manner as hemp.

NARROW LEAF GOLDEN-ROD, (Solidago sempervirens, L.)
Grows in wet lands ; vicinity of Charleston. Fl]. September.

Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. vi, 437. Very efficacious in
the cure of wounds. |

ELECAMPANE; HORSEHEAL; SCABWORT, (Inula he-
lenium.) Mountains of North Carolina. Chap. Introduced.

Inuline, a vegetable substance of closely kindred nature to
starch and dextrine, was discovered by Rose in Hlecampane,

459

and takes its name from the old botanical designation of that
plant, (J. helenium.) It is spontaneously deposited from a de-
coction of the roots of Hlecampane, and it constitutes the greater
part of the solid matter of the tubes, both of the dahlia and
the Jerusalem artichoke. It is a white powder, and consists
by analysis of Payen of 46.6 per cent. of carbon, 6.1 of hydrogen
and 49.3 of oxygen. It is soluble in hot water, being distinct
from both gum and starch by its insolubility in cold water.
But when exposed to a temperature of three hundred and seven
degrees, it completely melts, acquires new properties, and be-
comes soluble both in cold water and in alcohol. Boussingault
showed that it is not colored by iodine, while acetic acid, which
is without action on starch, produces with inuline precisely the
same effects as the sulphuric and other acids; finally, diastase,
whose reaction upon starch is so peculiar, s0 prompt and so
powerful, does not cause any change in inuline. It is, there-
fore, easy to separate these two substances when they are
mingled, by heating the mixture either with acetic acid, which
dissolves the inuline, or with diastase, which dissolves the starch.
I insert the above from Wilson’s Rural Cyc. and Boussingault’s
treatise, on account of the interesting nature of the product.
See, also, works on chemistry. The roots should be dug in
autumn, and in the second year of their growth, as when older
they are apt to be stringy and woody. The dried root has a
very peculiar and agreeable aromatic odor, slightly camphor-
ous. The taste at first is glutinous and somewhat similar to
that of rancid soap; upon chewing it becomes warm, aromatic
and bitter. In its medicinal properties, elecampane is tonic and
gently stimulant and resembles calamus. By the ancients used
in diseases of females; in the United States mostly confined to
diseases of the lungs. It has also been extolled when applied
externally for the cure of itch, tetter and other diseases of the
skin. Farmer’s Encye. Dose of the powder a scruple to a
drachm, of the decoction one to two ounces.

SEA MYRTLE; CONSUMPTION WEED, (Baccharis ha-
limifolia, L.) Grows along the seacoast; collected it St. John’s,
where it is found in abundance; vicinity of Charleston; New-
bern. FI. October.

Shee. Flora. Carol. 256. This plant is of undoubted value,
and of very general use in popular practice in South Carolina,

460

as a palliative and demulcent in consumption and cough ; I have ~
frequently seen it used with advantage, and have often heard
those employing it confess the benefit derived from it. A strong
decoction of the root may be drank several times a day. It is
slightly bitter and mucilaginous to the taste. No analysis has
yet been made, so far as I can learn. Shecut states that the
“bark is said to exude a gum so much resembling honey as to
attract bees in great numbers.” This, like many others of our
indigenous plants possessed of unequivocal utility, is unnoticed
in the dispensatories and other works.

BLACK-ROOT, (Pterocaulon pyenostachyum.) Grows abun-
dantly in dry pine barrens ; collected in St. John’s Berkeley. Fi.
July.

Ell. Bot. Med. Notes, ii, 324. Much use is made of this plant
in St. John’s Berkeley, as an alterative ; it is supposed to be pos-
sessed of decided value. It is well known as the black-root of
the negroes. A decoction of the root is given several times a
day.

ROSIN WEED, (Silphium laciniatum, L. Qummiferum, Ell.)
Prairies of Ala.; said to grow in Fla.

From Dr. H. D. Garrison’s paper in the Eclectic Med. Review,
we learn that this plant is brought forward as a new remedy in
asthma. It had been used for the heaves or asthma in horses,
(see the Am. Horse and Cattle Doctor, by Dr. J. H. Dodd.)
Asthma or heaves in horses is said not to exist in the prairies
where this plant grows. Dr. King, in the Am. Disp. p. 871,
ascribes to the S perfoliatum, L., which grows in Ga., tonic,
diaphoretic and alterative properties, and alludes to its success-
ful employment in enlarged spleen, liver complaint, miasmatic
fevers, etc. He recommends both species in “dry obstinate
coughs.” The rosin weed, which is sometimes called the polar
or compass plant, because. its leaves are said to point north and
south, is said to be powerfully diuretic. An aleoholic fluid
extract is reeommended in doses of twenty to forty drops. The
dose for a horse is two fluid ounces morning and evening. (Til-
den’s Journ. Mat. Med. Nov., 1867.)

BURR; BURDOCK, (Yanthium strumarium, L.) Grows
abundantly in cultivated lands ; collected in St. John’s Berkeley ;
vicinity of Charleston; Richland. Fl. August.

Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Med. vi, 970; Dioscorides, lib. iv,

461

133. It has been used in scrofula. The only works in which I
_ have been able to find any account of it are the Dém. Elém. de
_ Bot. iii, 91, where the leaves are said to be astringent, the seeds
diuretic, and the expressed juice used in affections of the blad-
_ der, and as an auxiliary remedy in the treatment of ring-worm ;
also in Linneus, Vegetable Mat. Med. 172, according to which
it is found beneficial in herpes and in erysipelas ; hence, we may
infer that it has at any rate some power as an alterative. Its
leaves afford a yellow dye. No use is made of it in the South,
so far as I can ascertain. The plant is considered a nuisance
by farmers, as the burrs get entangled in the wool of sheep,
from which they are with difficulty removed.

Verbesina Virginica, Linn. Grows along fences; collected in
St. John’s; Richland District. Fl. July.

Griffith Med. Bot. 380, The root, in decoction, is said to be a
powerful sudorific.

SPANISH NEEDLES, (Bidens bipinnata, L.) Common. The
roots and seeds, as well as those of other species of the same
genus, have a popular reputation as emmenagogues, and are
given by the “ Eclectics,” says Dr. Wood, in lJaryngial and
bronchial diseases as expectorants. U.S. Disp.

RAG-WEED, (Ambrosia Artemisiefolia, W.) Grows in culti-
vated lands and pastures; collected in St. John’s.

Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. i, 227. The plant is used in
fevers in Maryland as a substitute for quinine; a tincture is
made, or the juice is given with whiskey. It is very bitter

- and is thought to be useful. It is also used by some as a styp-
tic, as I am informed.

Ambrosia trifida, Linn.

Griffith Med. Bot. 387. A plant has been noticed by Dr.
Robertson, (Am. Journal Med. Sci. xii, 382, new series,) which
appears to be this, which is highly beneficial in arresting ex-
cessive salivation.

Parthenium integrifolium, L. Dry soils among Mts. Ala. and
northward. Chap.

Recommended by Dr. Mason Houlton as a powerful anti-pe-
riodic. The flowering tops, which have an intensely bitter
taste are the parts used, and two ounces of them in the dried

state, given in the form of infusion, are thought by Dr. Houlton
to be equivalent to twenty grains of sulphate of quinine. Thirty

462

successive cases of periodic fever were cured by this remedy
without any unpleasant effect upon the nervous system. Med.
Exam. N.S. ix, 719; from Memphis Med. Record. and Pharm.
J. xii, 602; from N. Y. J. Pharm.; U.S. Disp., 12th Ed.

Eclipta erecta, Linn. T. and Gray. Lelipta procumbens, Hill.
Sk. Collected in St. John’s; dry soils; vicinity of Charleston.
Fl. July.

Griffith Med. Bot. 387. It is said to stain the hair black.

JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE, (Helianthus tuberosus.) Cul-
tivated at the South.

Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. Supplem. 1846, p. 351. The
root washed in water and given to animals, will, it is said, pro-
duce meteorism, (“meétéorizations mortelles.”) Nouv. Biblioth.
Méd. viii, 426.

In Patent Office Reports, p. 578, 1848, a paper on the culture
of the artichoke, translated from the French, is published. This
contains a full description of its various uses as an article of
food, ete. I will enumerate some of them:

The tubers are regarded in Alsatia and near Strasburg, as
an excellent nutriment for milch cows; equally good food for
horses, which are thus kept in a good condition and sustain hard
labor. With the addition of salt, they are also useful in feeding
sheep. The tubers compare very well with the potato in the
amount of dry matter they contain, and its relative value as a
root-plant used for fodder is maintained. “The stalks are of
nearly as great use as the tubers; and here is the advantage
which it has over the potato.” Even if the stalk is cut early
in September, which diminishes the size of the tubers, it is
compensated for by the supply of green food at that early
period. According to Schwertz’s experiments, one hundred
kilogrammes of the green stalks equal, as regards nutritious
qualities, 31.250 kilogrammes of our hay. The stalks of the
artichoke can be employed even should they be allowed to
remain till the tubers are ripe, when they are readily eaten by
all domestic animals. “Finally, the stalks of artichokes have
for fuel a value which no other product of field culture has.
To prepare them for use, they are cut in two and made into
faggots. This fuel is especially adapted for heating ovens or
furnaces.”

It bears a great amount of cold. It can be left in the ground

463

all-winter, and does not easily suffer from heat. It is well
adapted even to dry and poor soils. The article which I con-
dense contains full information as to the best mode of planting,
gathering,etc. “Kade, an Alsatian, saw the same soil produce
every year for thirty years a tolerable crop of stalks and tubers
of this plant, though it had not for a long time received either
.culture or manure.” lLHarly in April is the best time to plant,
but even in winter they can be put in the ground. Withered
tubers may be used as seed if soaked; but planting of pieces or
cuttings has not the same success as with the potato. Unless
the season is too moist the tubers may be left in the ground all
winter. To preserve them when gathered “it is sufficient to
make a heap and cover them with earth, for they are not af-
fected by cold unless when exposed to the openair. The stalks
intended to serve as fodder in place of hay are cut with a sickle,
and carefully dried by leaning them up in heaps.” M. Vilmerne,
of the Agricultural Society of Lyons, remarks that the arti-
choke was known as an esculent plant by the Romans, but neg-
lected in the dark ages, till it again came into notice in the six-
teenth century. Almost all parts of this plant, he says, may be
rendered useful. The leaves yield an extract which may be sub-
stituted for quinine. The leaves themselves may be cooked and
eaten after the fruit is gathered, or used as fodder mixed with
certain grasses. They may be substituted for hops in making
beer, and they contain a great proportion of potash.

The Jerusalem artichoke contains a very large proportion of
starch. It is used for making pickles, and eaten as a vegetable.
It is easily cultivated, gives less trouble than almost any other
plant, reproduces with scarcely any attention, and is a most
valuable food for cattle, hogs, ete. See Ure’s Dictionary of Arts;
Manufactures, etc.; Thaér’s Science of Agriculture.

Among our best plants which may be cultivated for starch may
be mentioned the potato, wheat, rice, arrowroot, (Maranta arun-
dinacea,) corn, etc. For methods, see Ure, and domestic receipt
books.

SUNFLOWER, (Helianthus annuus.) Cult.

Evaporation takes place in plants to an inconceivable degree
under certain circumstances. It is known by the experiments
of Dr. Hales that a sunflower plant will lose as much as one
pound fourteen ounces by perspiration in twelve hours, “Taking

464

all things into account, a sunflower perspires seventeen times
more than a man.”

The French make a moxa out of the pith of the sunflower.
The English use for this purpose cotton dipped in a solution of
saltpetre.

Commander Maury recommended the sunflower to be planted
around exposed residences, as a barrier against malaria.

The seeds are used for fattening poultry, as they are highly
nutritious. One hundred pounds of the seed of the sunflower
are said to yield forty pounds of oil. The refuse after expres-
sion furnishes excellent food for cattle. “From the leaves of
the plant cigars are manufactured, of singular pectoral quali-
ties. The stalk affords a superior alkali.”

The following I extract from the Farmer’s Encyclopedia:

“Anacre of land will contain twenty-five thourand sunflower
plants, twelve inches distant from each other. The produce
will be according to the nature of the soil and mode of cultiva-
tion ; but the average has been found to be fifty bushels of the
seed per acre, which will yield fifty gallons of oil. The oil is
excellent for table use, burning in lamps, and for the manufac-
ture of soaps. The mare, or refuse of the seeds after the oil
has been expressed, made into cake, will produce fifteen hun-
dred pounds, and the stalks when burnt for alkali will give ten
per cent. of potassa. The green leaves of the sunflower when
dried and burnt to powder make an excellent fodder for milch
cows, mixed with bran. From the ease with which sunflowers
are produced in gardens, (for they seem to flourish in any soil,
and to require no particular care,) we may safely say that an
acre of land will yield a considerable return. Poultry are very
fond of the seeds.”

The following appeared in the “Atlanta Commonwealth,”
1862:

“ Sunflower seed and groundnut oil—The fact has been known
for some time that the crop of linseed oil was short, and that
there would, in consequence, be a greut scarcity of linseed oil.
Very naturally those interested began to look around for a sub-
stitute, and the oils of cotton seed, sunflowers and peanuts have
been favorably mentioned. How far either will serve as a sub-
stitute we do not know; but certainly the oil extracted from
some one or all of them might subserve some useful end.

g

”

465

“Some years ago the cultivation of the sunflower was strongly
urged in an agricultural periodical for various useful purposes ;
first, for a bee pasture; secondly, the seeds were good for
poultry, or the manufacture of oil; and then, after the oil was
expressed, to be compressed into oil-cake for cow-food and fat-
tening hogs; the leaves for fodder and the stalk for wrapping
paper. In the present condition of the country, these sugges-
tions may not be without value.

“The manufacture of oil from cotton seed, we believe, has
been carried on for some time in New Orleans, and the expressed
seed made into oil-cake for cow-food. We see no reason why
this oil should not be made in any desirable quantity and with
great profit, as well as serve most of the purposes for which
oil is used.”

Anthemis. See Maruta.

WILD CHAMOMILE; MAY-WEED, (Maruta cotula, D. C.,
T. and G. Anthemis, L. and Ell. Sk.) Grows in dry soils; col-
lected in St. John’s; vicinity of Charleston; Newbern. FI.
July.

Bergii, Mat. Med. i, 741; Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. i,
741; Ed. and Vav. Mat. Méd. 263; U. S. Disp. 278; Shee. Flora
Carol. 171; Griffith Med. Bot. 398. <A tonic, diaphoretic and
emetic; resembling chamomile in its effects, to which it is fully
equal, but more nauseous. It is one of our most useful domestic
remedies, and is given in numerous diseases. It is also pos-
sessed of some power as an anti-spasmodic. A decoction acts
as a sudorific and anodyne, and is given in colds and hysterical
attacks. By Warner’s analysis (Am. J. Pharm., 1858, 390) it
contains oxalic and valerianic acid. Mérat mentions it as a
substitute for assafoetida, that it is employed as an anti-hysteric,
and is recommended in rebellious bilious fever. Dr. Ashby
speaks of it as a prompt and powerful vesicant when bruised
and applied to the surface as a poultice. Barton and Rafinesque
had conveyed a different impression concerning it. Dr. Ashby
adds that unlike blisters caused by other vegetable irritants,
the vesications readily heal. Journal Phil. Coll. Pharm. Every
part of the plant is fetid and acrid, has minute resinous dots
upon its surface, and when much handled blisters the skin.
Rural Cye. The flowers of the medicinal chamomile are pow-

30

466

erfully anti-septic—one hundred and twenty times superior to
salt.

See “Calamus” for Heberden’s estimate of the value of
chamomile in rebellious intermittents. A decoction of the
leaves of “common chamomile” will destroy all species of in-
sects, and “nothing contributes so much to the health of a
garden as these plants dispersed throngh it.”

I would suggest that the Wild Chamomile, the Milfoil, Tansy,
( Tanacetum vulgare,) be sown with cotton alternately or in the
furrows to prevent the caterpillars. These all possess a pungent
aromatic oil, and they are more or less noxious to animals, in-
sects, etc. The Hemp might also prove serviceable. See Can-
nabis sativa in this volume.

MILFOIL; YARROW, (Achillea millefolium, L.) Grows in
damp, rich soils; collected in St. John’s; vicinity of Charles-
ton; Newbern, Fl. July.

U. 8. Disp. 1225, Appendix; Le Mat. Med. ii, 108; Ed. and
Vav. Mat. Méd. 267; Bergii, Mat. Med. 738; Hoffmann, “De
Preestantia Remed. Domest.;’ Matson’s Veg. Pract. 299; Mer.
and de L. Dict. de Mat. Méd. i, 22; Shee. Flora Carol. 91;
Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 253; Woodv. Med. Bot. 180. This is an
astringent; employed in the suppression of hemorrhages. The
Highlanders made an ointment of it to dry up wounds. Lin-
neus informs us that the inhabitants of Delecarnia mix it with
ale in place of hops, and think it imparts to the liquor an intoxi-
eating quality. Lightfoot’s Flora Scotica, 486; Thornton’s
Fam. Herb. A tablespoonful of the expressed juice will arrest
spitting of blood ; and it is also valuable as an astringent in
dysentery. Dr. Buckwald says he experienced great benefit
from the plant in the bleeding piles. Stahl boasted of it as a
specific; and the great Haller asserts that the infusion, taken
inwardly, with the outward application of the leaves, cut fine,
will dissipate dreadful wounds—cicatrizing them rapidly.
Stahl, Diss, de Thérap.; Hoffmann, “De Prestant. Remed.” 18 ;
Linnzus, Flora Shec, 299, Besides the astringent, it possesses
a mild, anti-spasmodic, tonic power, which renders it beneficial
in hysterical affections and in leucorrhea. The flowers are
stronger than the leaves, being somewhat similar to chamomile,
and yielding by distillation a small quantity of essential oil of
a blue color. Dr, Grew says it resembles contrayerva in its

467

effects. Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. Supplem. 1846, p. 5.
See Analysis in Bull. des. Sci. Méd. de Férus, xxii, 119, and
xxvi, 253; Soc. de Méd. Botanique de Londres, 1830. It is
asserted that this plant has a marked tonic power upon the
bladder ; it is employed in debility of that organ, and is
especially useful in correcting the involuntary discharge of
urine in children. A handful of the leaves is infused in a pint
of boiling water, and three ounces may be taken by an adult
three times a day. See Culverwell’s treatment. It has been
highly recommended as an emmenagogue, and in painful men-
struation, in colic, to bring out the eruption in low forms of
éxanthematous fevers and in infantile convulsions. Its virtue
is no doubt owing to the volatile oil. It contains an acid
called achilleic acid. Dose of volatile oil, twenty drops. This
plang might be found of great service by practitioners residing
in the country. The leaves of yarrow, or milfoil, are said by
Johnson, in his Chemistry of Common Life, to “have the
property of producing intoxication. These are also used in the
north of Sweden by the Delecarnians to give headiness to their
beer.”

TANSY, (Tanacetum vulgare, 11.) Sparingly nat. in North
Carolina. Chap.

The plant emits a strong but not unpleasant odor, and has a
bitter taste; said to possess tonic, cordial, and anthelmintic
properties. Rural Cyc. See, also, medical authors. The plant
yields an oil, and is culinary and medicinal.

QX-EYED DAISY; WHITE WEED, (Leucanthemum vul-
gare, Lam. and T. and G. Chrysanthemum leucanthemum, L.)
Natural. In upper districts; collected in St. John’s Berkeley ;
vicinity of Charleston. Fl. July.

Shec. Flora Carol, 394; Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. ii,
271; Nouv. Journal de Méd. v, 208; Griffith Med. Bot. 387. It
is vulnerary and detergent. Dém. Elem. de Bot. iii, 212. In
Siberia, according to Dr. Rehmann, they employ the plant in
leucorrhea. It is not used in this country. Nouv. Journal de
Méd. v, 208. Contraine states that it is a certain safeguard
against fleas, destroying or driving them off in a short time.
Bull. Acad. Brux. viii, 234,

CUD-WEED, (Antennaria margaritacea, R. B. T. and G.

468

Gnaphalium margaritaceum, L. Ell. Sk.) Grows among the
mountains of South Carolina; vicinity of Charleston. Fl. Sept.

U.S. Disp. 1258. It is employed in popular practice in dis-
eases of the chest and bowels, and is externally applied as a
fomentation to wounds and bruises. Schepf says it possesses
anodyne properties.

CAT-FOOT;. SWEET-SCENTED LIFE-EVERLASTING,
(Gnaphalium polycephalum, Mx.) Diffused in upper and lower
country. Grows in pastures; collected in St. John’s Berkeley ;
vicinity of Charleston; Newbern. Fl]. August.

U.S. Disp. 1258; Matson’s Veg. Pract. 275. “It probably
possesses little medicinal virtue.” A popular remedy in hemorr-
hagic affections, and as a fomentation in bruises and languid
tumors. The infusion is employed by the vegetable practi-
tioners in fever, influenza, fluor albus, and consumption ; acting
probably as a warm sudorific. It has a pleasant, aromatic, and
slightly bitter taste when dry, and the leaves are pleasant when
chewed. I employed the leaves, flowers and stems largely as a
substitute for hops whilst in charge of the S. C. Hospital,
Petersburg, Va., during the late war, by direction of the Sur-
geon-General.

Arnica nudicaulis, Ell. Grows in damp, pine barrens; vicinity
of Charleston; St. John’s Berkeley, 8. C.; Florida; Richland.

Griffith Med. Bot. 409. It is supposed that this may be used
as a substitute for the European species, the A. montana, which
is well known as a powerful plant, possessing stimulant proper
ties; directed with peculiar energy to the brain and nervous
system. It produces an emetic and cathartic effect, and is much
used by the Germans in paralysis, amaurosis, and other nervous
diseases. Very useful, also, as a febrifuge, and to relieve pain
locally applied in the form of tincture.

RAGWORT, (Senecio aureus, Ell. Sk.) Mountains of South
Carolina. Fl. July.

U.S. Disp. 1295. It is said by Schcepf to have been a favorite
vulnerary with the Indians; the juice of the plant in honey, or
the seeds in substance, are employed.

FIREWEED, (Erecthites hieracifolia, Raf. Senecio hieracifolia,
L.) Common.

It possesses a rank odor, and yields its virtues to water. It has
been particularly recommended in dysentery ; U.S. Disp.

469

THISTLE, (Cnicus benedictus, T. and G. Centaurea benedicta,
L.) Nat. along the seacoast, near Beaufort; collected in St.
John’s Berkeley ; vicinity of Charleston. Fl. August.

Trous. et Pid. Traité de Thérap, etc., i, 253; Pe. Mat. Med.
ii, 408; Ed. and Vay. Mat. Méd. 179; U.S. Disp. 196; Le. Mat.
Med, i, 202; Woodv. Med. Bot. 34, i, 14; Ann. de Thérap. 1843,
206; Bergii, Mat. Méd. i, 747; Mér and de L. Dict. de M. Méd.
ii, 171; Thompson’s Steam Pract.

The plant is emetic, tonic and febrifugal; one drachm of the
powder of the flowers in wine, with a decoction of the leaves, is
said to be invaluable in anorexia, weak stomach, impaired by
irregularities of diet, atony, jaundice and tertian fevers; Thorn.
Fam. Herbal, 725 ; Dém. Elém. de Bot. iii, 115. It is used, also,
in chronic diarrhcea and in gout. Woodv. loc. cit. A decoction
“possesses marked tonic properties ;” a large dose acting as an
emetic, and occasioning a plentiful discharge from the cutaneous
surface. It is employed as a febrifuge, in dyspepsia, pleurisy,
and chronic peripneumony. Woodville says the extract is
strongly recommended in the catarrh of children ; the seeds are
very bitter, and may be used with the same intention as the
leaves. Rectified spirits extract the virtues of the plant. The
watery extract appears, also, to possess the emetic principle.
By keeping, a salt is produced upon the surface resembling
nitre. See Hist. des Se. de Berlin, 79; and Duncan’s Edinb.
New Dispensatory.

This plant is intensely bitter, and the opinions I have derived
from many persons residing in the lower portions of South
Carolina, particularly in the neighborhood of Summerville, are
highly favorable to its use as a remedy in intermittent fever. A
strong infusion given warm is used to promote perspiration, and
cold to act as a tonic.

The plant possesses a peculiar volatile oil and a principle
called enicin, and it is stated by Dr. Wood, also, (U.S. Disp.,)
from the Ann. de Therap. 1843, 206, that in four grain doses it
produces vomiting, and, in doses of eight grains, that it was
useful in intermittent fever. It should be experimented with
more fully by physicians.

BURDOCK; CLOT BURR; BAT WEED, (Lappa major,
Gert.) Intr. waste places N. C.

The roots and seeds are officinal ; odor weak, but unpleasant ;

470

taste mucilaginous and sweetish, with a little bitterness and
astringency. The roots contain a gummy extractive matter,
sugar, a large quantity of inuline, some salts, etc. The roots
are diaphoretic and diuretic, formerly much used in syphilis,
rheumatism and gout, its principal power, however, being depu-
ratory—given like sarsaparilla in diseases of the skin also.
According to Gmelin, it was employed in hysteria. The seeds
are said to be more diuretic than the roots, and, according to
Linneus, they are purgative. The leaves are applied exter-
nally in tinea, the decoction being used internally. Baron used
the juice of the leaves mixed with oil as a favorite application
to obstinate ulcers. The decoction of the root is made by boil-
ing two ounces of the recent root with three pints of water
down to two pints, of which one-half is given daily. Dose of
the seeds about a drachm; Griffith. See, also, Getner and
Woodville. A fluid extract, of which a fluid drachm, repre-
senting eighty grains of the root is the dose, is prepared by Mr.
T. J. Graham, (Am. J. Pharm., March, 1860.) U.S. Disp., note
to 12th Ed.

BURR ARTICHOKE, (Cynara scolymus.) Ex. Calt.

I call attention to this plant, as it grows luxuriantly in the
Southern States.

Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. Supplem. 1846, 234. “ Dr.
Montaine, of Lyons, assures us,” remarks Mérat, “that each
year he treats with success a large number of fever patients
with the extract of the leaves in the form of pills.” Great use
is made of it on the plantations in South Carolina as a toni¢
and diuretic in dropsy; the leaves are steeped in rum, of which
a wineglassful is administered three times in a day; I have fre-
quently seen it prescribed with advantage in this way. It is
employed also in jaundice, the expressed juice or the infusion
being used ; of the former two or three spoonsful may be given;
large doses purge. We also use the corollas for curdling milk.
The medern Arabians consider the root aperient, and class the
gum among their emetics. Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 284; Ainslie,
Mat. Med. Ind. i, 22. Dr. Copeman, pharmaceutist to the hos-
pital at Norfolk, makes a favorable report on the value of the
leaves in the form of tincture and extract, in rheumatism. See
London Med. Gazette, 1833, from extracts in Gazette Méd. de
Paris, 13th April, 1833. Dr. Barry first employed the leaves in

471

chronic jaundice, and Perroton, of Lyons, also administered it
frequently in the same disease. Revue Méd., Nov., 1845. M.
Dussauce, in his work on Tanning, 1867, states that the leaves
are used in the preparation of leather.

DANDELION, (Taraxacum dens-leonis, Desf.,T. and Gray.
Leontodon taraxacum, Ell. Sk.) Collected in St. John’s; I have
observed it growing in the streets of Charleston and New
York ; Newbern.

Watson’s Pract. Physic, 39; Ed. and Vav. Mat. Méd. 184;
Wilson Philip, Diss. Abdom. Viscera; Bell’s Pract. Dict. M. M.
445; Royle, Mat. Med. 453; Pe. Mat. Med. ii, 401; U.S. Disp.
706; Le. Mat. Med. i, 396 ; Brande, Dict. Mat. Med. and Pharm.
v, 632; Woodv. Med. Bot. 39, t. 16; De Cand. Prodromus, vii,
45; Ball. Gar. M. M. 319; Bergii, Mat. Med. ii, 687; Mér. and
de L, Dict. de Mat. Méd. iv, 87; English Physician, by Nich.
Culpepper, gent., “Student in Physic and Astrology,” p. 109.

The root is deobstruent, cathartic and diuretic. “Good in
obstructions of the viscera, scirrhosites of the liver, stone in the
gall-bladder, ascites, jaundice,” ete. A decoction of the root is
also useful in impetigo and itch; the doses are one drachm of
the juice and two ounces of the decoction. Thornton’s Fam.
Herbal. 677; Dém. Elém. de Botanique, iii, 169. At Gottingen
the roots are washed and substituted for coffee by the poorer in-
habitants ; they say the difference between this and the im-
ported article can scarcely be distinguished. It is roasted,
powdered and prepared in the same manner. Murray’s Ap-
parat. Med. Withering mentions than when a swarm of locusts
destroyed vegetation on the Isle of Minorca the inhabitants
subsisted on this plant. The great Boerhaave entertained a fa-
vorable opinion of it; and Bergius found it useful in derange-
ment of the biliary apparatus from gall-stones, etc. Mat.
Medica. Delius, de taraxaco presertim aque, ete. Dr. Men-
delstaed cured black jaundice (Vlictére noir) with it. Van
Swieten, in his Comment., Zimmermann, and Storck spoke of it
in jaundice and hypochondriacal affections. Later writers have
confirmed these opinions expressed by those living at an earlier
period.

Dr. Wood, in the U. 8. Disp., says that his experience in de-
rangements of the biliary secretions has been decidedly in its
favor, it being particularly valuable in chronic hepatitis. Eberle

472

recommends it in chronic cases of infantile jaundice: ‘“ Diseases
of Children.” Griffith in his Med. Bot. 415, alludes to its use in
deranged conditions of the digestive organs, connected with an
abnormal state of the liver, and in dropsical effusions arising
from the same cause. In habitual costiveness, dependent on a
want of due biliary secretion, it acts witb peculiar benefit ; and,
as an adjuvant to more active remedies, where the liver is indu-
rated, it has been prescribed with advantage. It has been em-
ployed, likewise, in affections of the spleen, uterine obstructions,
chronic cutaneous disorders, etc. When its diuretic effect is
desired, it is advised that it be given in combination with super-
tartrate of potash. This plant is supposed to be possessed of
valuable properties as an alterative, and much use is made of it
among patients of a strumous diathesis, and those affected with
diseases of the skin. I have seen it employed to some extent
in New York for these purposes, constituting an important in-
gredient of diet drinks. It may be easily obtained, and might
be found of much service to practitioners residing in the coun-
try. The young shoots are eaten as salad. It has been
observed that the flowers possess a certain degree of sensibility ;
for when under the influence of the direct rays of the sun on a
summer morning an evident motion of the filaments is percep-
tible. See MSS. Lect. of Dr. Hope. I have never been able to
observe-this movement. The plant should be gathered in the
summer and early in the autumn. An analysis of it is found to
contain gum, gluten, albumen, an odorous principle, extractive,
caoutchouc, » peculiar bitter crystallizable principle, by M. Pollex
who has named it taraxacin, some salts, ete. The decoction
made with two ounces of the root of a whole plant to two pints
of water, boiled to one-half, may be given in doses of a wine-
glassful ; of the extract, the dose is ten grains to a half drachm ;
the latter should be of a brown color, and entirely soluble in
water.

The young shoots are edible, and produce in children a diu-
retic effect. The leaves and roots of this plant are bitter and
contain a bitter milky juice. I have given the extract largely
during many years attendance at the Marine and City Hospi-
tals, Charleston. I ascertain that it certainly produces a laxative
effect given in from ten to thirty grains—the same, or a much
larger quantity dissolved in water, proved diuretic. In this way

473

I account for the different qualities ascribed to it. There was
always a tendency to ascribe a power in the dandelion to act
upon the portal system. “ The roots of the plant were esteemed
to be diuretic, saponaceous and resolvent, and to be powerful
remedies for removing obstructions of the liver, and of the other
viscera.” Their purified, expressed juice has been given, from
two to six ounces, twice, thrice, or oftener in the day; and in-
fusions and decoctions of the herb and root have been used for
the same purpose. Boerhaave had such a great opinion of the
continued use of the juice, or of the infusions of the plant, that
he believed they were capable of removing most obstructions of
the viscera that were to be relieved by medicines. Beryius,
likewise, as was stated, speaks much in the praise of this simple,
and says “that he has often seen it prove of service after other
remedies had failed; and that he had seen hardness of the liver
removed by patients eating daily, for some months, of a broth
made with dandelion root, the leaves of sorrel and the yolk of
an egg with water, while they took at the same time cream of
turtar to keep their bodies open;” and he adds “that he has
seen a similar course of service in ascites, and in cases of
gall-stones.” (Thornton’s Herbal. 677.) The yolk and white
of raw eggs undoubtedly produce a laxative effect; so does the
dandelion in the fresh state, or in the form of the extract. It is
a useful vegetable laxative in place of calomel.

WILD ENDIVE; CHICCORY, (Cichorium intybus.) Intro-
duced. As this plant is cultivated to some extent in the South-
ern States, and will probably be largely required in the future,
I insert the following, which I find in Dickens’ “ Household
Words :”

Chiccory is in truth, however, one of the most harmless sub-
stances that ever has been used for the purpose of the adultera-
tion of coffee, not excepting even water—as it is obtained in
London. In the case of all low-priced coffee—of all coffee pur-
chased by the poor—adulteration with chiccory yields profit to
the grocer simply because it yields pleasure to the customer.
Good chiccory and middling coffee dexterously mixed can be
sold at the price of bad coffee, and will make a beverage at
least twice as good, and possibly more, certainly not less whole-
some. Coffee that chiccory would spoil is bought by none of
the poor, and by a portion only of the middle classes. We do

474

not advocate secret adulteration, but we would have the adul-
teration to be made open, and all people to understand distinctly
that since chiccory is altogether wholesome, it is a matter that
depends upon the taste and the pocket whether they will buy
coffee pure or mixed. Take away all fraud from the use of
chiccory, and we shall be glad to see its use fairly promoted.
Let us look a little more closely into the subject.

Chiccory is better known to many of us when growing wild
in many parts of England on dry, chalky soils under the name
of the wild endive; it belongs to a tribe of composite plants
called “the Cichoracee,”’ in which are included, also, dandelion
and the garden lettuce. It shoots above the soil a tuft of
leaves, and when it runs to flower, sends up a stem from one to
three feet high, rigid, rough, branched, clothed with leaves and
blue flowers. It has a long root like that of a carrot, which
becomes enlarged by proper cultivation, and is the part used
for the manufacture of a substitute for coffee. Every part of
the plant is perfectly wholesome—the root when fresh is tonic,
and in large doses slightly aperient. Chiccory is cultivated
extensively in Belgium, Holland and Germany. It is cultivated
in France for its leaves, as herbage and pasturage; in Germany
and Flanders for its roots. It was first cultivated in England
about 1780 by the well known agriculturist, Arthur Young. It
is a most valuable article of farm produce. On blowing, poor
and sandy land it yields more sheep food than any plant in cul-
tivation; it will thrive on fen, and bog, and peat; it is good
fodder for cattle ; it is good for pigs. It grows only too readily,
if that can be an objection, for if not carefully extirpated, it is
apt to become a vivacious weed. For herbage chiccory is sown
precisely in the same way as clover; for the roots it is sown
and thinned in the same way as carrots, and taken up, as car-
rots are, in the first autumn after sowing.

The great demand for chiccory has led to its very extensive
cultivation in this country ; considerable sums of money have
been expended on the kiln and machinery required to prepare
it for the markets, and a large amount of capital is at the pres-
ent time profitably employed upon this new branch of English
agriculture. It is not unimportant to notice that the cultiva-
tion of chiccory requires and remunerates the use of lands
worth from five pounds to eight pounds per acre; that so far

=
.

475

from exhausting the soil, wheat may be grown upon it after
chiccory with the greatest advantage; that it furnishes occupa-
tion for a very large number of laborers, including women and
children, and at a time of year when the fields afford but little
other employment; and that, consequently, in some parishes,
the poor’s rate has been diminished by one-half since chiccory
was introduced.

The blanched leaves of chiccory are sometimes used as a sub-
stitute for endive, and are commonly sold as an early salad in
the Netherlands. If the roots, after being taken up be packed
in sand, in a dark cellar, with their crowns exposed, they will
push out shoots, and provide through the winter a very delicate
blanched salad, known in France as Barbe de Capucin. When
chiccory is to be used for coffee the roots taken up by the
grower are partly dried, and then sold to the manufacturer, by
whom they are cut into slices, roasted and ground. The ground
chiccory thus made is used by many poor upon the Continent
as a substitute for coffee by itself. It has not, of course, the
true coffee flavor, but it makes a rich and wholesome vegetable
infusion of a dark color, with a bitterish sweet taste, which
would probably be preferred by a rude palate to the compara-
tively thin and weak, and at the same time not very palatable
infusion of pure coffee of the second or third quality.

By the combination of a little chiccory with coffee the flavor
of the coffee is not destroyed, but there is added to the infusion
a richness of flavor, and a depth of color—a body, which ren-
ders it to very many people much more welcome as a beverage.
The cheapness of chiccory enables a grocer, by the combination
of chiccory powder with good coffee, to sell a compound which
will yield a cup of infinitely better stuff than any pure coffee
that can be had at the same price. Any one with a sensitive
taste, and a sufficient purse, would of course buy coffee of the
finest quality, and never think of bettering with chiccory the
enjoyment of its delicate aroma. The majority of the people,
however, are by no means in this position. Coffee, with an
admixture of genuine chiccory, (which we take care to pro-
cure by purchasing the article in its raw state, and having it
roasted the same as coffee,) was preferred to coffee in its pure
state. The reason of this we can clearly understand, and will
explicitly state. We can afford to sell, and do sell a finer coffee

476

when mixed with chiccory than we can sell in its pure state at
the same price; and the superiority of the coffee in conjanc-
tion with the fulness of the chiccory, in our opinion, decidedly
gives greater satisfaction to the public.

It is, however, a rule that will bear harshly on the comforts
of the poor if coffee is to be sold only in its pure state, and chic-
cory cannot be obtained in any less quantity than a two-ounce
packet. Two ounces of chiccory would go in mixture to about
a pound of coffee, and there are thousands who buy coffee itself
by ounces. Moreover, the chiccory coffee sold by the grocer is
made with coffee of a higher price and better quality than the
poor man would dare to give for coffee bought pure, when he
has to make another outlay upon chiccory for mixing. The
necessity of two purchases would suggest the idea of greater
cost, lead to a desire for more economy; so in the buying the
poor man would be a loser. Certainly, also, he would lose by
having to make at home, in his own clumsy way, the mixture
which it had been before the interest of the grocer so to pro-
portion that he might bring custom to his shop by issuing an
article as good and palatable as any that could be contrived by
his competing neighbors.

“Of all the plants,” says Thaér, in his Principles of Agricul-
ture, ““which have been proposed as substitutes for coffee, and
which when roasted and steeped in boiling water yield an in-
fusion resembling coffee, chiccory is the only one which has
maintained its ground. It has been used in this manner for
thirty years, even when the price of coffee has been low ; and
has always yielded considerable profits, both to manufacturers
who prepare it in large quantities and those who cultivate it in
their neighborhood. It has also been cultivated as a fodder-
plant, and highly recommended by Arthur Young in England.
A plentiful supply of fodder is obtained without injury to the
roots.” See Thaér for method of cultivation, ete.

In Patent Office Reports, 1854, p. 348, is a brief notice of the
mode of cultivating chiccory. A variety which the French call
Chicorée sauvage a café, has long fleshy roots like the white
carrot, which are used for making coffee. ‘In the Middle and
Southern States the roots may remain in the ground during -
winter without injury from frost.”

Among the substitutes for coffee employed in the Southern

F
States during its great scarcity, | may mention rye, raw yam
potato, cut into small fragments, roasted and parched, okra
seed, and corn flour parched and ground, cotton seed, the ground-
nut, Bené, etc., which have all been tried. The okra seed is
particularly deserving of attention: alone or with a slight ad-
mixture of coffee it forms an admirable material, the aroma
resembling that of coffee very closely. It is very probable that
coffee can and will be cultivated as successfully in Florida as in
the West Indies.

WILD LETTUCE, (Lactuca elongata, Muhl. Lactuca longi-
folia, Mx.) Damp soils; collected in Charleston District; New-
bern; Fla. Fl. June.

U.S. Disp. 421; Ann. de Thérap. Ann. 1843; Woodv. Med.
Bot. 75-31; see LZ. virosa, Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. iv, 10.

It possesses a millxy juice ; it is said to act as an anodyne, and
to produce discharge by the kidneys and skin, being similar in
its effects to the L. virosa of Europe; according to others, it is
destitute of narcotic power; see M. Aubergier’s experiments.
It should be examined for the presence of lactucarium, the pro-
duce of the garden lettuce.

GALL OF THE EARTH, (Nabalus fraseri, D. C. and T. and
G. Prenanthes alba, Ell. Sk.) Grows in damp pine lands ; collected
in St. John’s; Richland; vicinity of Charleston; Newbern.

The root is excessively bitter; it is used in domestic practice
in South Carolina as a tonic. I would invite further examina-
tion. Dr.N.J. Pitman, of North Carolina, in a communication
to Dr. Wood, reports the successful use of the P. serpentaria of
Pursh, in twelve cases of the bite of the rattlesnake. He gave
internally a decoction of the root. U.S. Disp. 12th Ed.

COMMON SOW-THISTLE, (Sonchus oleraceus, L.) Diffused ;
collected in St. John’s; vicinity of Charleston; Newbern. Fl.
July. :

Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. vi, 439. It is said to be useful
in stagnation of the portal circulation; according to some, it in
creases the secretion of milk. Fl. Scotica, 428; Dém. Elém. de™
Bot. iii, 177. The tender leaves are boiled and eaten in some
countries as greens; they are of a cooling nature, are applied
outwardly as an emollient cataplasm, and are found serviceable
in inflammatory swellings, carbuncle, etc. The flowers open at
6, A. M., and close at 12, M. The roots are milky and bitter,
but have occasionally been converted into bread. Rural Cye.

477

478

PLANTAGINACEA. (The Rib-grass Tribe.)

The herbage slightly bitter and astringent.

PLANTAIN, (Plantago major.) Nat. Collected in St. John’s,
near the Santee River; I have also observed it in the streets of
Charleston ; Richland District; Newbern. FI. June.

Bergii, Mat. Med. i, 71; Le. Mat. Med. ii, 232; U. S. Disp.
1289, App.; Ed. and Vav. Mat. Méd. 135; Mer. and de L. Dict.
de M. Med. v, 358; Journal Univ. des Sc. Med. xix, 127.

The leaves, when chewed, tinge the saliva red. This plant
was a popular vulnerary and astringent once in great repute.
It was also highly valued for its efficacy in fevers. Bergius,
however, tested it with unfavorable results. We are informed
that “the seeds in milk will stop a dysentery.” Boerhaave states,
from his own experience, that the fresh leaves applied to the
feet will ease the pain and fatigue occasioned by walking, and
that the whole plant was esteemed useful in healing and con-
solidating ulcers and recent wounds, and as a dressing for blis-
ters and sores. The leaves no doubt make a soothing application
to inflamed surfaces. A decoction of the leaves in milk was
employed as a gargle in inflammation of the fauces, and a colly-
rium was made with a decoction ofthe seeds. ‘Thornton’s Fam,
Herb.; Woody. Med. Bot.; Dem. Elém. de Bot. 85; Milne, Ind.
Bot. 102. It was looked upon as a panacea by the ancients;
see Pliny, 1. 26, c. 11; Celsus, lib. iii, c. 22; Scultz, Mat. Med.
i, 112; Boylé de Util. Phil. Nat. ii, 150; Petzolat, Eph. Nat. cur,
cen’. vii, Obs. x, 25. It was formerly carried as an amulet.
« En fin,” remarks Mérat, “on a porté la racine des plantains en
amulet pour guérir ou prevenir une multitude des maladies,”
See the Dict. de M. Med. Supplem. 1846, 567; Rev. Med. Juin,
1837, 399. Dr. Perret communicated to the se des Se. Med.
de Lausanne a report on the beneficial effects derived from the
root in various maladies: Journal Univ. des Sc. Méd. xix, 127 ;
and Desbois says he has seen the good effect resulting from ae
use of the leaves in scrofulous ulcers and in indolent tumors.
Mat. Med. ii, 254. The authors of the U.S. Disp., however,
refer to it as a plant of feeble power, allowing it to be refrige-
rant, diuretic, deobstruent, and somewhat astringent. A chem-
ical analysis would be desirable, as it is probable that a narcotic
principle exists in it. M. Dussauce, in his Treatise on Tanning

F i
:

and Leather Dressing, 1867, cites it among the plants whose
ai and flower tops contain tannin.
_ RIBWORT; SNAKE PLANTAIN, (Plantago lanceolata,
Ph.) Grows around Charleston and Savannah; collected in
damp meadows in St. John’s; Newbern. Fl. July.

Fl. Scotica, ii, 1089. It possesses properties very similar to
the above. The Highlanders attribute great virtue to the
leaves as an ointment for healing up fresh wounds.

PLUMBAGINACEA. (The Leadwort Tribe.)

_ This order embraces plants possessed of very opposite quali-
ties; part are tonic and astringent, and part acrid and caustic
in the highest degree.
_ MARSH ROSEMARY; INK ROOT, (Statice limonium, Tor-
rey. Statice Caroliniana, Walt. Fl. Carol.) Grows on the sea-
‘shore. Fl. Sept.
U.S. Disp. 680; Big. Am. Med. Bot. 251; Coxe, Am. Disp.
568. This is one of our “most intense and powerful astring-
ents; much used in New England for all the purposes to
which catechu and kino are applied. A large dose acts as an
emetic, and in smaller quantities as a powerful expectorant; it
also possesses considerable anti-septic power. Its chief popular
application is to aphthous and ulcerative affections of the mouth
and fauces. Dr. Balies, of Massachusets, found it highly ser-
viceable in cynanche maligna: he used a decoction of the roots
both internally and locally, and these beneficial results have
been corroborated by others. It is also given with advantage
in S. anginosa, and in aphthous fever attendant on dysentery,
where bark is inadmissible. From the experiments of Prof. V.
Mott, in an inaugural thesis spoken favorably of by Dr. Bige-
low, it proved serviceable in chronic dysentery after the inflam-
matory symptoms had subsided. From his observations, as
well as from those of Dr. Edward Parrish, the cold infusion was
the best form. Dr. P. found it to contain twelve per cent. of
tannin, also gum, extract, alkali, etc., but no gallic acid. Am.
Journal Pharm. xiv, 116; Griffith Med. Bot. 525; Am. Journal
by John Stearnes, 281; see S. limonium; Mer. and de L. Dict.
de M. Méd. vi, 524. It was regarded as an astringent in the
time of Pliny; lib. xxvi, 28. The root is employed in infusion,

480)

decoction, or tincture. Alcohol is a better solvent of the prop-,
erties of the root than water. The infusion with cold water is
preferable to that with hot. According to Dr. Parrish, the roots |
of this plant contain tweve per cent. of tannin. M. Dussauce’s
Treatise on Tanning, p. 78, 1867. It also contains caoutchoue.
Plumbago scandens, L. So. Fla. Chap. |
This plant, a native of the W. Indies and So. America, is ex-
tremely active, and is known in the French Islands under the
name “herbe du diable.” Pison speaks of it as a good emetic
in cases of the ingestion of poisons; but, according to Descour- |
tilz, it is too energetic to be given with impunity. Flor. Med.
Antill. iii, 94. Brown also speaks of it as extremely corrosive, |
Hort. Jour. ii, 235; Griffith.

EHRETIACEA.

TURNSOLE, (Heliotropium Indicum.) Michaux found it at
the Eutaw battle-ground, St. John’s Berkeley ; and Mr. Oemler
in the Dutch Fork, in Richland District. Fl. July. F

Ell. Bot.; Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. iii, 462. It has
been employed in the cure of headache. See Walkenaer, “ Voy-
age,” xii, 469. It is used in Guinea and in India. The juice is
applied to eruptive surfaces, opthalmias, etc. Ainslie, Mat. Med.
Ind. ii, 414. Rottboll, after Sprengel, says it is a vulnerary,
employed in some countries to arrest flooding. Hist. de la Med.
iv, 467; Abbet, Guyane, i, 117.

BORAGINACEA. (The Borage Tribe.)

Characterized by soft, mucilaginous, and emollient properties.
Some are said to contain nitre, a proof of which is shown by
their frequent decrepitation when thrown on the fire. Lindley.

BASTARD ALKANET, (Lithospermum arvense, L.) Intro-
duced. Waste places, Florida and northward.

Wilson states that the red bark of the root stains paper, linen,
oily substances, and the human skin; and that it is sometimes
used as a rustic substitute for rouge, and as a coloring matter of
ointments. Rural Cyc.

HOUND’S TONGUE; WILD COMFREY, (Cynoglossum am-
pleaicaule, Mx. Cynoglossum Virginicum, L.) Grows in shady
spots ; Richland and Charleston Districts. Fl. June.

481

The root is mucilaginous, and much employed in domestie
practice for complaints of the lungs, and externally for poul-
tices in sprains, bruises, etc. Farmer’s Encyc.

Shee. Flora Carol, 489. According to Clayton, the root is
astringent, and is administered in diarrhcea. The leaves intoxi-
cate when smoked as tobacco. According to Griffith, it is stated
that the root may be used as a substitute for comfrey. Med.
Bot. 500.

HOUND’S TONGUE, (Cynoglossum officinale, L.) Intro-

duced. Waste grounds; North Carolina and northward.
_ Chapman.
- The leaves, when touched, emit a pungent and disagreeable
odor, like that of mice in a trap. It is supposed to be narcotic,
demulcent and astringent, being most active in the recent state ;
but authorities disagree in their statements, some ascribing
poisonous properties to the leaves. Griffith thinks it is probably
unjustly neglected. The plant is eaten by goats, but is dis-
liked by all other domestic animals. Its roots have astringent
and narcotic properties—regarded as anti-scorbutic. Wilson’s
Rural Cyc.

Mertensia Virginica, D.C. Pulmonaria, L. River banks and
mountain streams ; 8. C. to Tenn. and northward.

Said to be astringent and demulcent, (Riddell,) and is much
used in some parts of the country in catarrhs and other diseases
of the respiratory organs ; Griffith.

LAMIACEH OR LABIATA. (The Mint Tribe.)

These do not contain a single unwholesome or even sus-
picious species ; their tonic, cordial and stomachic qualities are
due, according to Lindley, to the presence of an aromatic, vola-
tile oil, and a bitter principle.

AMERICAN SPEARMINT; MINT, (Mentha viridis, L.
M. tenuis, Mx.) Cult.

It is an anti-spasmodic, with a bitter, aromatic taste; con-
tains a volatile oil, much used as a flavoring ingredient, and is
said by Culpepper to be also an aphrodisiac. English Physi-
cian, by Nich. Culpepper, gent., “Student of Physic and
_ Astrology,” p. 214. It is considered by the steam and vegeta-
ble practitioners a specific in allaying nausea and vomiting.
Thompson’s Practice, and Matson’s Veg. Pract. 286.

31

482

PEPPERMINT, (Mentha piperita, L.) Introduced.

We have also the round-leaved mint, (M. rotundifolia)—intro-
duced, and often used as a substitute for the above.

They abound in resinous dots, which contain an essential oil.
The pleasant, aromatic, stimulant, and anti-spasmodie proper-
ties of these labiate plants are well known. They flourish
within the Southern States, and the essence and mint water can
be extracted in any quantity. See “Gilseminum” and “Sesa-
mum” for extraction of essences, oils, ete. Immense planta-
tions of Peppermint for the production of the oil exists, says
Parrish in his Pract. Pharmacy, in St. Joseph’s County, in the
southern part of Michigan, and in Ohio and Western New York.
These are estimated to comprise an area exceeding 3,000 acres,
and to yield in oil of Peppermint over $63,000 per annum. For
an account by F. Stearnes, see Proc. Am. Pharm. Assoc., 1858.
In Patent Office Reports, 1854, the mode of culture of a number
of medicinal herbs is described, particularly the aromatic plants,
viz: sage, mint, rosemary, mustard, etc., pp. 367 to 380. Nearly
all the native and introduced plants containing aromatic oils
can be raised at the South in sufficient quantities to supply all
demands. An establishment such as that at New Lebanon,
New York, and at other localities, for the cultivation of medi-
cinal and useful plants on an extensive scale, should now re-
ceive consideration. See my paper in De Bow’s Review,
August, 1861.

BAM, (Melissa officinalis.) Introduced.

The balm, sage, mint, and other aromatic plants, for the most
part cultivated in our gardens, need scarcely more than a refer-
ence. The melissa is cultivated for bees. The reader is re-
ferred to an article on “Secretion in plants,” in Wilson’s Cyc.,
showing the deposits of aromatic and other properties at the
base of plants, with the theories of De Candolle, Macaire and
others.

WATER HOREHOUND; GIPSY WORT, (Lycopus Huro-
peus, Hat. M. Lycopus angustifolius and Lycopus sinuatus, Ell.
Sk.) Nat. in damp soils; collected in St. John’s Berkeley ;
vicinity of Charleston. Fl. July.

Ell. Bot. Med. Notes, 25; U.S. Disp. 437; Mer. and de L.
Dict. de M. Méd. ii, 168; Matson’s Veg. Pract. 250; Milne, Ind.
Bot. 34. This is reputed to give an indelible stain to whatever

483

it touches. Hoffmann says the gypsies use it to disguise them-
selves. It has been highly spoken of on the Continent of
Kurope in intermittent fevers; Prof, Re, of Turin, declares that
in doses of two drachms of the dried plant the most obstinate
intermittents were removed. Broffiero says it is astringent.
See letter (in French) on the properties of L. Huropeus in allay-
ing fever. Dr. Broffiero’s note in the Repertorio Medico Chi-
rurg. 832, and Griffith’s Med. Bot. 505. It is employed by the
vegetable practitioners in diarrhcea, atonic conditions of the
digestive organs, and as a cleansing wash for sores. I would
invite attention to this and the following, which are easily ob-
tained. Mills states that the juice gives a fixed black dye.

BUGLE-WEED; VIRGINIAN LYCOPUS, (Lycopus Vir-
ginicus, Mich.) Diffused; collected in St. John’s; vicinity of
Charleston; Richland District. Fl. August.

Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. ii, 168. It has been admin-
istered internally with great success in hemorrhage and hemop-
tysis ; and in phthisis it lessens the force of the circulation. In
the diseases first mentioned, Dr. Silliman verifies the results ob-
tained by Linstey—twenty persons having tried it with benefit
in internal hemorrhage. Drs. Porter and Winkoop also report
cases in which they have employed it with success. See Jour-
nal des Se. Méd. 154. According to Dr. Ives, of New Haven, it
is a mild narcotic. Drs. Pendleton and Rogers, of New York,
obtained favorable effects from it in incipient phthisis and hem-
orrhage from the lungs. See New York Med. and Phys. Jour-
nal, i, 179; U.S. Disp. 436; Raf. Med. Fl. 11. As a direct seda-
tive, it is useful in diminishing the frequency of the pulse,
quieting irritation and allaying cough. Practitioners, observes
Griffith, (Med. Bot. 505,) are unanimous in declaring that it is
an important addition to the Mat. Med. It appears to act like
digitalis in abating the frequency of the pulse ; its use, however,
not being attended with the disagreeable symptoms sometimes
accompanying the employment of the latter. An infusion may
be given ad libitum, made with one ounce of the herb macerated
in a pint of boiling water. See, also, Trans. Am. Med. Assoc.
i, 347. It imparts a black color to linen, woollen and silk. This
plant grows abundantly in the lower country of South Caro-
lina, and its power as a sedative should be examined into.

CANCER-WEED, (Salvia lyrata, L.) Grows in shady, rich

484

lands; collected in St. John’s Berkeley ; vicinity of Charleston ;
Richland District; Newbern. FI. June.

Ell. Bot. Med. Notes, i, 31. “ The fresh radical leaves of the
plants, when bruised and applied to warts, generally destroy
them ;” continue the application for a day or two, and renew it
every twelve hours. The leaves of the Hieracium gronovii are
also applied in this way.

RATTLESNAKE WEED; HAWK-WEED; BLOOD-WORT,
(Hieracium venosum, lL.) Upper districts.

This plant enjoys the greatest reputation as an antidote for
the bite of snakes. The case is related by Dr. Harlan of a
person who allowed himself to be bitten by a rattlesnake, the
bite from which subsequently killed a puppy, and he was com-
pletely revived after taking a few ounces of the decoction of
this plant. See Relation in the 3d vol. Tr. Am. Phil. Soe. U.S.
Griffith, Pursh. Fl. ii, 499, and Tech. Repos. ii, 258. Used, also,
as an astringent and expectorant in spitting of blood and
chronic catarrhs. The dose of the infusion, made with two
ounces of the leaves and roots to a pint of water, is a wine-
glassful.

SAGE, (Salvia officinalis, Kx.) Cult.

Ed. and Vay. Mat. Méd. 268; Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Med,
vi, 191. This isa warm Hamat: and, according to the experi-
ments of Ellinger, is possessed of marked anti-spasmodic power:
it strengthens the circulatory, cutaneous and digestive func-
tions; stimulates the action of the nerves, and has a decided
effect upon the cephalic organs, (see Mérat and authors ;) pre-
scribed as a stomachic, and in catarrhal and cellular infiltration,
and used as a gargle in mucous angina and fungous ulcers.
“Cur moriatur homo cui salvia crescit in horto ?” became an adage,
so much confidence was formerly reposed in the plant. Its
reputation is most extensive in domestic practice, the warm in-
fusions being given as a sudorific, and in promoting the mens-
trual discharge. The plant is said to have great power in
resisting the putrefaction of animal substances. Van Swieten,
Com. ii, 370; Woodv. Med. Bot. It is thought to have a
remarkable efficacy in stopping night sweats, infused in wine
or spirits, and this opinion was sustained by Quarin, Methodus
Medend. 37. Baron Van Swieten also found it efficacious in
restraining the inordinate flow of milk after weaning children.

485

In the English Physician, p. 295, the quaint author, Nich. Cul-
pepper, gent., “Student in Physic and Astrology,” mentions it
as an aphrodisiac: “Helpeth conception and hinders miscar-
riage.” “Jupiter claims this, and bids me tell you it is good
for the liver and to breed blood!” The essential oil deposits
camphor in abundance, hence employed as a friction in rheuma-
tism, paralysis, etc. Journal de Pharm. xvi, 574.

I introduce the following on the cultivation of

Sage.—The cultivation of this herb is among the most profit-
able of the market gardener’s products. Large quantities of
it are sold while green during the season, as every housekeeper
uses it in the cooking of game, or water-fowl, and it is essential
as a component of sausages, so that tons of it are used in the
winter season. At the price it is usually retailed in the markets
of our larger cities, an acre of sage plants will yield a return of
over, seven hundred dollars; and at the wholesale price, it will
give a return of over three hundred dollars to the acre. The
seed can be had of most seedsmen. It should be sown in any
light, loamy soil, covered about half an inch deep; and when the
plants are about two inches high, should be picked out and re-
planted at distances of about one foot each way. As soon as it
has grown so as to begin to show forms of flower buds, cut it off
to within two inches of the ground, and so on, again and again,
throughout the season. If planted on land thoroughly drained
the plant will stand many years ; but plants not over two years
old produce the best flavored leaves.

DOTTED MONARDA; HORSEMINT; ORIGANUM, (M-
narda punctata, L.) Grows in rich and damp soils; collected in
St. John’s, where it is found abundantly ; vicinity of Charleston ;
Richland District ; Spartanburg. Fl. August.

Chap. Therap. and Mat. Med. ii, 302; Ell. Bot. Med. Notes, 30.
U.S. Disp. 462; Am. Med. Record. ii, 496; Ball. and Gar. Mat.
Med. 360; Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. iv, 444; Bull des Sci.
Méd. de Feérus, xi, 302. This is another of our very aromatic
indigenous plants, possessing stimulant and carminative powers
and regarded as a very popular emmenagogue among those re-
siding in this country. The French authorities speak favorably
of it; an aromatic oil is obtained from this; and the infusion of
the leaves, recent or dried, is very. efficient in allaying nausea

486

and vomiting in bilious fevers. Dr. Chapman mentions cases of
long standing deafness cured by the oil rubbed on the head as a |
counter-irritant. It was used in cases of this deseription, and in
many diseases, by Dr. Atlee, of Philadelphia; see his essay ;
among other affections in hemiplegia and paralytic diseases, in
the sinking state of epidemic typhus, in cholera infantum,
where there is prostration of strength, and in mania a potu ;
sometimes employing a liniment, (see Chap, Therap. and Mat.
Med. ii, 305;) and sometimes the undiluted oil rubbed on the
parts. The oil is of an amber color approaching to red, and if
exposed to a great degree of heat, leaves a beautiful straw-
colored camphor !

THYME, (Thymus vulgaris.) Hx. Cultivated at the South.
A well known warm aromatic.

GRAVEL ROOT; HORSEWEED; KNOTWEED, (Collin-
sonia Canadensis.) Grows in the mountains of the Carolinas.
Fl. September.

The root is used in colic from lochial discharge. Linn. Veg.
M. Med. 9. ‘The infusion of the bruised root in cider cured
several alarming cases of dropsy.” Shee. Flora Carol. 482, and
Mease’s Domestic Encye. ii, 177. Dr. Wood says it possesses
tonic, astringent, diuretic and diaphoretic powers; the root in
substance, even in small doses, is said to irritate the stomach,
and produces vomiting ; the active principle is volatile, so that
it is best employed in the fresh state. The decoction is effica-
cious in catarrh of the bladder, leucorrhea, gravel, dropsy, ete.,
and as a cataplasm to internal abdominal pains. U. 8. Disp.,
1248. Meérat says, Dict. de M. Med. ii, 364, that in America it
merits the name all heal, (guérit tout,) having the properties re-
ferred to above. Drs. A. French and Beers speak highly of it
in pains of the bladder, in ascites, and dropsy of the ovaries ;
given, also, as a powerful tonic in putrid and malignant fevers,
and in leucorrhcea ; the contused leaves are applied to bruises,
lividities, (les meurtrisseurs,) pains in the stomach, and as an ap-
plication to eruptions produced by the poisonous sumachs. (See
Rhus.) The plant, by chemical analysis, contains tannin, gallic
acid, extractive matter, and acoloring principle. Op. cit. See,
also, Ann. de la Soc. Linn. de Paris, v. 508. In his late work,
Griffith (Med. Bot. 513) states that externally it has been em-
ployed as a friction in rheumatism. See account of it by Dr.

487

Hooker, of New Haven, Ann. Linn. Soc. Dr. H. thinks the
infusion should be made with a gentle heat, in a close vessel.
The best preparation is supposed to be the essential oil, which
is said to be an excellent tonic, given with benefit in low fevers,
exhaustion of the forces, etc. This plant certainly merits fur-
ther notice.

Collinsonia anisata. Griffith’s Med. Bot. 515.

It possesses an odor somewhat similar to that of aniseseed,
having the properties of the C. Canaden.

ROUGH-LEAVED COLLINSONIA, (Oollinsonia scabra.)
Collected in St. John’s, in shaded soils. Fl. June.

Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. ii, 364. It is possessed of
properties similar to those of the C. Canaden. Tonic, astrin-
gent and diuretic. See 0. Canaden.

DITTANY; MARYLAND CUNILA, (Cunila mariana, Mx.)
Grows in the mountains of South Carolina; Richland; I find it
abundant in Spartanburg District, S. C.

Bart. M. Bot. ii, 175; Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. ii, 517;
Lind, Nat. Syst. Bot. 276; Ell. Bot. Med. Notes, 127. The in-
fusion forms a pleasant and refreshing drink; it is diaphoretic,
and is employed in fevers and colds. A gentleman in Spartan-
burg District, S. C., tells me that in his day “everybody cured
everything with dittany.” Doubtless they took less mercury
and drastic purgatives in consequence.

PENNYROYAL; TICK WEED, ( Hedeoma pulegioides, Pursh.)
Grows in the upper districts, and among the mountains of the
Carolinas; abundant in Spartanburg, S. C.

U. S. Disp. 365; Bart. M. Bot. ii, 165; Lind. Nat. Syst. 276,
and Flora Med. 491; Griffith’s Med. Bot. 508; Raf. Med. FI. i,
231; Bart. Veg. Mat. Med. ii, 165. A gently stimulant aro-
matic, given in flatulent colic, and sick stomach; also as a
stimulant diaphoretic in catarrhs and rheumatism. The warm
infusion is a convenient and useful prescription, which is largely
employed in popular practice in promoting the menstrual dis-
charge. It is said that the plant, or the oil extracted from it,
is an effectual remedy against the attacks of ticks, fleas and
mosquitoes.

HEAL-ALL, (Prunella vulgaris.) Grows in dry soils; col-
lected in St. John’s. Fl. July.

Le. M. Med. ii, 245; Med. Dict. by Carr, art. Brunella; U.S.

488

Disp. 1291; Ed. and Vav. Mat. Med. 276; Meér. and de L. Dict.
de M. Méd. v, 520, This plant, though possessing some power
as a stimulant, has fallen into disrepute. It was also used as an
astringent in affections of the throat.

MAD-DOG SCULLCAP; HOODWORT, (Scutellaria lateri-
flora.) Grows along ditches ; Richland ; collected in St. John’s;
Elliott says it is found in the mountainous districts.

Watson’s Pract. Physic, 386; U. 8. Disp. 1294, Appendix;
Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. vi, 274; Bulletin de la Faculte,
vii, 191, ann. 1820, where Spalding’s (of Geo.) report concerning
its anti-hydrophobic virtues is referred to. Youatt spoke in
favorable terms of this remedy as enjoying the reputation for
some time of being the only one for this disease. See Watson,
loc. cit.

The above meagre account was all that I could collect with
reference to this plant when the first edition of this work was
prepared. To show the increased attention which it has re-
ceived I add the following contained in the 12th Ed. of the U.
8. Disp.

It is thought by some practitioners to have valuable thera-
peutic properties. Drs. Ariel Hunton and C. H. Cleveland, of
Vermont, speak in strong terms of its efficacy as a nervine.
They have employed it in neuralgic and convulsive affections,
chorea, delirium tremens and nervous exhaustion from fatigue
or over excitement, and have found it highly advantageous.
Dr. Cleveland says that he prefers it to all other nervines or
anti-spasmodics except where an immediate effect is desirable.
He prefers the form of infusion, which he prepares by adding
half an ounce of the dried leaves to a tea cupful of water, and
allows the patient to drink ad libitum, (Am. J. Pharm., xxiii,
370; N. Jersey Med. Report, v, 13.) Two preparations are
now used, scutellarine, though erroneously, adds Dr. Wood, as it
has no claim to be considered a true proximate principle; the
other a fluid extract. Dr. C. gives the scutellarine in a dose
varying from one to three or four grains and finds very happy
effects from it in quieting nervous disorders, (N. Jersey Med.
Report, viii, 121.) The fluid extract prepared by Messrs. Tilden
is used in the dose of one or two fluid drachms. Dr. Jos. Bates
speaks highly of it as a nervine, (Bost. Med. and Surg. Journal
lii, 337 ;) U. S. Disp.

489

EUROPEAN SCULLCAP, (Scutellaria galericulata, I.)
Wet places, N. C. and northward.

It has been employed in intermittents. Dr. H. W. Evans, of
Canada West, uses an infusion of two ounces of the herb to
eight of water, of which he gives in epilepsy a fluid ounce
every eight hours, doubling the quantity after a week. To
effect a cure he says it must be continued for six months, (Am.
J. Med. Se. xvii, 495;) U.S. Disp., 12th Kd.

Scutellaria integrifolia, L. Diffused in swampy soils ; collected
in St. John’s; vicinity of Charleston. FI. June.

Intensely bitter, probably useful as a tonic. U.S. Disp. 1294.

CATNIP; CATMINT, (Nepeta cataria, L.) Nat. in upper
districts; collected also in St. John’s; vicinity of Charleston.
Fl. July.

Le. Mat. Med. ii, 180; U. S. Disp, 191; Ed. and Vav. Mat.
Méd. 216; Bergii, Mat. Med. ii, 540; Mér. and de L. Dict. de
M. Med. iv, 592; Dém. Elém. de Bot. 248; Am. Herbal. 26.
This plant is possessed of stimulant, tonic and warm aromatic
virtues. Employed in popular practice in colds, asthma, ame-
norrhcea, chlorosis, hysteria and the flatulent colic of infants;
in the latter condition this herb is universally employed. It
was used in yellow fever, and, like many others, enjoyed an
ephemeral reputation as a remedy in hydrophobia. An infusion
of the flowers was said. to open obstructions of the liver and
spleen. In the Supplement to the Dict. Univ. de M. Méd. 1846,
509, it is stated that’ Dr. Gustamachia had used the J. cataria
with great advantage in toothache, caused by cold or carious
bone, mashing the leaves in the decayed tooth; this produces
an abundant flow of saliva, and causes the pain to cease in a
few moments. See, also, Journal de Chim. Med. vii, 2d series.
The dose of the powder is a drachm and a half. This plant is
used by the vegetable practitioners. Cats roll in it with the
same avidity that they do in valerian, and cover it with their
urine.

Dracocephalum variegatum. Vent. Growsininundated swamps;
roots frequently immersed. Collected in St. John’s; vicinity of
Charleston. Fl. July.

Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. ii, 682. The organization of
the peduncle is peculiar. See observations on certain phe-
nomena attending the plant called the D. Americanum. Acad.

490

des. Sci. 276, 1702. It is supposed to possess a “cataleptic
powers.” ‘ Pourvues de cette singuliére faculté,” namely : “la
propriété, de la cataleptique, c’est-adire, de garder la position
dans laquelle on place la fleur.” Supplemen. to Dict. Univ. de
M. Med. 252, 1846.

Dracocephalum Virginianum, L. Grows in the mountains of
the Carolinas.

Its properties are similar to those possessed by the preceding.

MOTHERWORT, (Leonorus cardiaca, L.) Nat. Grows
around buildings; vicinity of Charleston. Fl. July.

“The leaves are deobstruent, laxative, diaphoretic, emmena-
gogue, anti-hysteric and anthelmintic.” Am. Herbal. 230; Linn.
Veg. M. Med. 168. L. states that the herb, drunk as a tea, is
useful in hysteria and hypochondriacal affections. Griffith, in
his work on Med. Bot. 515, supposes it to be tonic, and to
relieve palpitation of the heart. It is extolled in Russia as a
preservative against hydrophobia. In the “Indian Materia
Medica” it is stated that “an infusion of the plant is a stimu-
lant, cordial bitter, and when taken at bedtime it procures a
quiet, refreshing sleep, even where opium and laudanum have
failed.” It is probably useful as an ingredient for a soothing
tea. See Linden, “Tilia.”

HOREHOUND, (Marrubium vulgare.) Ex. Nat.

Pe. Mat. Med. and Therap. ii, 284; Watson’s Pract. Physic,
118 and 332; Ed. and Vav. Mat. Méd. 273; Trous. et Pid. Mat.
Med.; Traite de Therap. 308; Royle, Mat. Med. 470; Le. Mat.
Med. ii, 89; U.S. Disp. 452; Ball. and Gar. Mat. Med. 358;
Matson’s Veg. Pract.; Cullen, Mat, Med. ii, 154; Bergii, Mat.
Med. ii, 558; Woody. Med. Bot. In the United States, it is
used only as a warm, aromatic stimulant. The leaves are tonic
and somewhat laxative, and are employed in colds, asthma, hys-
teria and menorrhagic diseases. The warm infusion acts as a
sudorific, and is applicable as a palliative in phthisis and pneu-
monia, but itis not allowed the possession of any very decided
powers. In the Supplem., however, to the Dict. Univ. de M.
Méd., 457, 1846, it is said to be certainly useful in chronic rheu-
matism, one ounce and a half of the infusion being given morn-
ing and evening. See, also, the Journal des Connaissances
Medic. Dee. 10, 1836. Ferrein notices the root as an excellent
vermifuge. Mat. Med. i, 279, iii, 312; and Desbois de Rochefort

\

} 491 :

=,

says the decoction of three or four ounces is a good remedy in

_tape-worm. Dr. Cutler asserted that the infusion was a very

useful application in salivation. Am. Herbal. by J. Stearns,
LL.D. Griffith states that obstinate catarrbs are much bene-
fited by the expressed juice taken in milk. Dose, one drachm
of the powder, or one ounce to two ounces of the infusion made
with an ounce of the dried herb to one pint of boiling water.
From this plant it is well known the candy so much used in
pectoral affections is made.

The horehound has a bitter taste and an aromatic odor. “It
possesses tonic, diuretic and laxative properties, and it seems to
owe all its powers to a bitter extractive, a volatile oil and gallic
acid.” Used in coughs, colds, asthma, etc., on account of the
combination of moderate qualities just described. From the
very fact of its simplicity, I consider it one of the very best
remedies for infants and children suffering with colds and
cough’. Given during the day with opiates, and nitre at night,
it restores appetite through its bitter principle, it is expectorant
and diuretic, and thus removes the slight remains of cold and
fever so frequent with children. If the fever is a prominent
symptom ipecacuanha should also be used. Besides, it may per-
form a most important role in taking the place of more active
and injurious drugs. I know of no better remedy for colds and
coughs than the juice or tea of horehound sweetened and given
during the day.

VERBENACEA. (The Vervain Tribe.)

FRENCH MULBERRY, (Callicarpa Americana, Mx.) Col-
lected in St. Jobn’s, in dry soils; vicinity of Charleston ; Rich-
land District; Newbern.

Drayton’s View of S. C. 62. This is said to be useful in drop-
sical complaints. It bears very pretty red berries, growing in
whorls around the stem, which are slightly sweetish to the taste.
I could not extract much coloring matter from their skins with
vinegar or alum.

NETTLE-LEAF VERVAIN, (Verbena urticifolia, L.) Com-
mon in damp soils; collected in St. John’s ; vicinity of Charles-
ton. Fl. July.

U. S. Disp. 1304. Boiled in milk and water, and combined
with the inner bark of the white oak, it is advantageously used

492

in poisoning from the sumachs, (Rhus.) Mér. and de L. Dict. de
M. Meéd. vi, 868; Journal de Med. Ixx, 529.

»VERVAIN; SIMPLER’S JOY, ( Verbena hastada, L.) Mid.
dle districts of South Carolina, and in Georgia; vicinity of
Charleston; Newbern. Fl. Aug.

U.S. Disp. 1304. This is more bitter than the European
species, and it is said to be emetic. This plant is described by
the “ Cherokee Physician ” as an emetic inferior to the “Indian
Physic ;’ a decoction of the dry or green herb or a powder is
prescribed like lobelia. A decoction of the root is used to check
fevers when given in the early stage. The plant should be ex-
amined.

Verbena aubletia, L. Grows in the middle districts of South
Carolina and in Georgia. Fl. Sept.

Mér and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. vi, 865. It is said to contain
a very acrid mucilage. Dic. des. Sci. Nat. x, 426.

PEDALIACE®. (The Oil Seed Tribe.)

BENE, (Sesamum Indicum., Sesamum Orientale.) Introduced
by the Africans. Fl. July.

This is the Sesame of the Anabasis, mentioned also by Dios-
corides, Theophrastus and others. The seeds contain an abun-
dance of fixed oil as tasteless as olive, and for which it may be
substituted; it is said to be used extensively in Egypt and
Arabia. Lind. Nat. Syst. 280; U.S. Disp. 661. Mérat says that
in Egypt they drink large quantities of the oil morning and
evening, to give them embonpoint. It is also used medicinally as
a laxative, and is by some preferred to castor oil; also as an ap-
plication to furfuraceous eruptions. In India it is regarded as
an emmenagogue and as provocative of abortion ; employed in
cutaneous affections and ophthalmia; a solutionis given in colie
and dysentery, and used as an application for softening the
skin. Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. vi, 332, and the Sup-
plem. 1846, 657, according to which it is also becoming an
object of considerable commercial importance, being substituted
for olive oil in the manufacture of Marseilles soap. See Essay
of M. Hardy, Révue Agricole, Avril, 1845, 177. In’the Trans.
Phil. Soc., it is said that one hundred parts of the seed yield
ninety of oil. Coxe, Am. Disp., art. Sesam. orient., states that

g 493

‘it was found beneficial in a dysentery which prevailed in 1803.
Ihave seen it given to some extent, and with great advantage,
in New York, in diarrhea and dysentery, particularly in these
affections as they occur in children; two or three of the leaves,
thrown in water, are sufficient to render it very mucilaginous.
This is taken internally. It also serves as a convenient vehicle
for enemata, gargles, collyria, ete. In South Carolina the seeds
are largely used by the negroes in making broths. They are
also eaten parched, and are often candied with sugar or mo-
lasses. It might be made a source of profit to raise the plant in
the Southern States, as it grows well and the seeds bring a high
price.

The above was contained in my report on the Med. Bot. of
South Carolina, published in 1849.

The oil pressed from the seed will keep many years without
acquiring any rancid taste, but in two years becomes quite mild,
so that*the warm taste of the oil when first drawn is worn off,
and it can be used for salads and all the ordinary purposes of
sweet oil. In some countries it is used for frying fish, as a
varnish, and for some medicinal purposes. Nine pounds of seed
are said to yield upward of two pounds of fine oil. The oil
may be extracted by bruising the seed and immersing them in
hot water, when the oil rises on the surface and may be
skimmed off. But the usual mode of extraction is similar to
that practiced in the expression of linseed oil. The plant is
generally sowed in drills about four feet apart, in the month of
April. Am. Farm. Encyc. I consider, after examination, that
the sassafras leaf contains more mucilage than the Bene, and
that both should be gathered and cured for winter use in
making mucilaginous teas to be used in dysenteries, pulmonary
diseases, etc.

From a statement of H. M. Bry, of Louisiana, P. O. Rep.
1854, p. 225, sixteen bushels of seed of Bene plant (S. orientale)
was sent to a mill in Cincinnati to be manufactured into oil. It
yielded thirty-nine gallons of clear oil and about five quarts of
refuse oil, or about two and a half gallons to the bushel. In
consequence of the mill imparting the flavor of flaxseed he
could not use it as a salad oil, for which purpose he was confi-
dent it would be superior, when pure, to the adulterated im-
ported olive oil. It was used, however, as a substitute for

494

eastor oil. All who used it praised it for its gently purgative
effect, and because it was free from the nauseous taste peculiar
to castor oil. Twenty bushels is believed to be a moderate esti-
mate of the amount of the seed produced by anacre. It yields
a gallon of oil to the bushel more than flaxseed.

The excellent effect of the leaves steeped in water as a mu-
cilage to be used in diarrhcea and dysentery is testified to by all
persons who have used it. For this purpose two or three
leaves are soaked in a tumbler of water and administered re-
peatedly. This plant will act as a substitute for gum-arabic
on account of the mucilage it yields. It should be used in the
bowel affections of children and among soldiers in camp.
Planters should collect and cure all the leaves at their disposal.
At page 338 of the same volume another paper on the Bene is
to be found. It is there stated that the plant will throw out a
profusion of leaves by breaking off the top when it is half
grown. The cotton seed also yields a mucilaginous tea, useful
as a substitute for flaxseed.

Nelson quotes Miller on the Bené, as cultivated by the Afri-
can negroes in South Carolina: “The inhabitants of that
country make an oil from the seed which will keep many years
and not take any rancid smell or taste, but in two years be-
comes quite mild; so that when the warm taste of the seed
which is in the oil, when first drawn, is worn off, they use it as
a salad oil and for all the purposes of sweet oil. The seed are
also used by the negroes for food—which seed they parch over
the fire and then mix with water and stew other ingredients
with them, which makes a hearty food.” Rural Cyc. Mr.
Carlisle ascertained from the Gazette of 1735 that Mr.
Garcia established the manufacture of this oil in Charleston
as a salad oil; his death in 1738 put an end to the enterprise.

The seeds of the Bené, the myrtle, and the tallow tree, with
the fruit of the groundnut, (Arachis,) might afford useful mate-
rial to the soap manufacturers within the Southern States. I
will insert here what I have upon the oleiferous plants most
useful to us in the present exigency. In Boussingault’s treatise
on the subject of oils, pages 135 and 139, he says:

“The following sums may be taken as a pretty accurate esti-
mate of the average quantity of oil yielded by the different
oleaginous seeds: colewort, winter rape, and other specimens of

495

- eruciferous plants, from 30 to 36 and 40 per cent.; sunflower
_ about 15 per cent.; linseed (flax) from 11 to 22; poppy from 34
to 63; hemp-seed from 14 to 26; olives from 9 to 11; walnuts
40 to 70; Brazil nuts 60; castor oil beans 62; sweet almonds
40 to 54; bitter almonds 25 to 46; Modiva sativa 26 to 28 per
cent.” I would refer the reader to a more extensive table than
this in Ure’s Dictionary of Arts. I have little doubt that the
Chinese tallow tree, (Stillingia sebifera,) introduced and growing
around Charleston, is richer than any above mentioned. Hick-
ory nuts, when bearing abundantly, broken and thrown in a
vessel of boiling water, would no doubt yield oil abundantly
and cheaply for soap. I have, however, upon experiment, found
it difficult to extract the oil.

The plants most commonly cultivated for the production of
oil belong to the genus Brassica; all plants of this genus pro-
duce seeds containing considerable quantities of oil, and are
sometimes used for obtaining it. All the species are biennial,
save the spring colza, or field cabbage, (Brassica campestris.) It
is not, as some suppose, a degenerated variety of autumnal rape
or cole seed, but really a distinct species. “Thaér’s Principle
of Agriculture,” p. 449. In the description by this author of
colza and rape, (autumnal varieties,) he lays great stress upon
the great value of the colza, (Brassica oleracea lacineata, a
variety of the garden cabbage,) as perhaps one of the most
abundant in the oil it gives out. The rape, a variety of the
Brassica napus, is less productive. The colza (Brassica campes-
tris) requires a dry soil. I introduce this information here
because the plant might be cultivated to great advantage at the
South for supplying oil, and because Thaér adds at the conclu-
sion of his paper that the seeds of the ruta baga, or Swedish
turnip, which is already grown extensively here, are equally
rich in oil. For the method of culture and gathering, see
Thaér’s work, published in New York, 1857. It is also an excel-
lent forage plant. The seed does not mature well in this lati-
tude. The oil is obtained by a press or oil mill. Even the
spring rape (Brassica campestris) yields more than twenty pounds
of oil per bushel. Mr. Sanders informs me that the rape is
grown and produces well in Clarendon District, S. C., and that
it will produce seed.

I would particularly advise the extensive introduction and

496

cultivation of the rape, both because it grows and matures
well, and because of the amount of oil the seeds afford, which
would supply whatever is necessary in making soap, (for pro
cesses, see Ure’s “ Dictionary of Arts and Manufactures,”) and
also because it would allow the Southern planter to devote the
tallow, grease, etc., which has been economized for this purpose,
to other objects. The Bené probably yields as much oil as any
plant we possess, as I am informed by a practical gardener.
See, also, flaxseed, Chinese tallow tree, ete.

Mustard seed oil concretes when cooled a little below 32°
Fah. The white or yellow seed (Ure’s Dictionary of Arts and
Sciences, p. 285) afford thirty-six per cent. of oil, and the black
seed eighteen per cent. I would refer the inquirer to Ure’s Dic-
tionary for paper on the subject of the oils, mode of obtaining,
ete.; and to Kurten’s work on the “Art of manufacturing
Soaps, including the most recent discoveries—with receipts for
making camphene oil, candles, etc. Phil.: Lindsay & Blakiston,
1854.” This treatise gives very plain directions concerning the
articles necessary.

In Ure’s Dictionary a plan of an oil mill is given, and infor-
mation on “seed crushing ” and extraction of all oils. He says
that the oil of colza is obtained from the seeds of the Brassica
campestris to the amount of thirty-nine per cent. of their
weight, “It forms an excellent lamp oil, and is much em-
ployed in France.” Hemp-seed oil resembles the preceding,
but has a disagreeable smell and a mouldish taste. It is used
extensively for making both soaps and varnishes. Linseed oil
is obtained in greatest purity by cold pressure, but by a steam
heat of 200° Fahr. a very good oil may be procured in larger
quantity. ‘The proportion of oil,” Ure adds, “usually stated
by authors is twenty-two per cent. of the weight of the seed,
but Mr. Blundell informs me that by his plan of hydraulic
pressure he obtained from twenty-six to twenty-seven.” In
the Eneye. Metropolitana, under “ Oil-press,” a quarter of seed
(whose average weight is four hundred pounds) is said to yield
twenty gallons of oil. Now, as the gallon of linseed oil weighs
9.3 pounds, the total product will be one hundred and eighty-
six pounds, which amounts to more than forty-five per cent., an
extravagant statement, about double the ordinary product in
oil mills, etc., ete. When kept long cool, in a cask partly open,

497

it deposits masses of white stearine along with a brownish
powder. This stearine is very difficult of saponification. The
reader is referred to the last paragraph of p. 297 of Ure’s Dic-
tionary, vol. ii, and all of p. 298, ending at word “ Dutch plan,’’
p- 299; and on the subject of oils, soap, candles, starch and
sugar, I would refer to the same work, where many of the best
processes are described.

Chaptal, in his Chemistry applied to Agriculture, makes the
following practical remarks on oils: “The oils are fat, unctuous
bodies, of various degrees of fluidity, insoluble in water, form-
ing soap with the alkalies, and burning and evaporating at
different temperatures. It is the last characteristic particularly
which establishes that difference among them by which they
are divided into fixed and volatile oils. The fixed oils are con-
tained in seeds and fruits, from which they are extracted by
pressure. The first portion which is expressed is the purest,
and is*known by the name of virgin oil; that which follows is
rendered more or less impure by the mixture of other princi-
ples contained in the fruit submitted to compression. It is par-
ticularly by the mucilage, which is found in greater or less
quantity in all vegetables, that the purity of oil is affected.
After all the oil which can be extracted by pressure has been
drawn off, it is customary to moisten the mash with boiling
water and to subject it to another and more powerful pressure ;
but the oil thus obtained carries with it a large portion of
mucilage, and is usually employed only in some of the trades.
In some countries it is customary to collect the fruits into heaps
and to subject them to a degree of fermentation before press-
ure; by this means the extraction of the oil is rendered easier
and the quantity of it is increased, but the quality of it is
much injured. Similar results are obtained by breaking the
fruit previous to expressing the oil. It would be hardly right
to condemn these last methods as erroneous, because in the
numerous soap-works, dye-houses, cloth manufactories, etc.,
this quality of oil is preferred to that which is purer. The
learned will do well to condemn the processes now employed
for procuring the fine oils, and to present others by which we
may obtain them purer and of a better taste; but the grand
consumption of the oils is in the manufactories, and there the
fine oils would but imperfectly replace those of a coarser kind;

32

498

thus, by perfecting the produce the usefulness of it would be
lessened. When oil is to be extracted for domestic purposes it
is without doubt desirable that it be obtained as pure as possi-
ble, but that which is destined to be employed in the trades
and in manufactures, as in that of soaps for example, is the
better for being combined with a portion of mucilage. The
great art of manufacturing consists in appropriating the pro-
ducts to the wants and tastes of consumers. When mucilage
is so abundant in an oily seed that it yields upon expression
only a pasty combination of mucilage and oil, the seed is dried
by fire; when the mucilage is thus deprived of fluidity the oil
flows off pure. In this manner the seeds of flax, of poppies, of
henbane, etc., are prepared for expression. Nearly all the oils
are colored, and contain some of the principles of the fruits
from which they are procured; these are in some of their
effects injurious to the oil, and great pains have been taken to
find some means of freeing it from them. Oil is clarified to a
certain degree merely by standing in a cool place in open
earthen vessels; it forms a deposit, and is thus rendered purer,
clearer and better. If oil is exposed to the sun it gradually
loses its color. In order to clarify the oil of mustard one per
cent. of sulphuric acid is put into a large earthen pan into
which the oil is thrown and carefully stirred; the oil becomes
green, and upon being allowed to remain at rest forms upon
the sides and bottom of the pan a blackish deposit, which is
principally composed of carbon ; the process must be repeated
after a few days if the oil has not acquired the wished for clear-
ness. But before using the oil it is necessary that it be allowed
to remain for some time undisturbed. In this operation the
mucilage appears to be precipitated and consumed by the acid.
Most fixed oils contain some mucilage, and most of them be-
come rancid.

“ Most fixed oils have but in a very slight degree the property
of drying, but some of them acquire it by being combined with
some metallic oxide, and this greatly increases the use of them,
as they can in this way be employed as varnishes for covering
bodies which it is necessary to preserve from air and water, or
as the recipents of colors to be used in painting upon cloth,
wood or metal. The best drying oils are those of flaxseed,
nuts and poppies. Linseed oil will dissolve at boiling tempera-

499

ture one-quarter of its weight of that oxide of lead known in
commerce by the name of litharge. It becomes brown in pro-
portion as the oxide is dissolved ; when saturated with the oxide
it thickens by cooling, and it is necessary to render it liquid by
heat at the time of using it. In consequence of the numerous
purposes to which the fixed oils are applied the consumption of
them is immense; they form the basis of the soaps, both soft
and hard, according as they are combined with potash or soda;
they are used to fix in the most durable manner upon cotton
the colors obtained from madder; they are employed to facili-
tate the operations in all establishments for carding and spin-
ning wool. It is by the use of oil that the play of all machinery
is rendered more regular and easy, and that friction is mod-
erated, and by it metals are preserved from rusting, The most
important use to which oil has been applied is that of lighting
buildings, the defects of the light being remedied by argands
and other lamps which aid in the consumption of the carbon
by admitting more air to the wick.

“The volatile oils do not belong exclusively to any one part
of plants; in some, as in the Bohemian angelica, the oil is dis-
tributed throughout the whole plant; sometimes, as in balm,
mint and wormwood, it is found in the leaves and stalks; the
elecampane, Florence iris and bennet contain it in their roots;
thyme and rosemary in their leaves and flower buds; lavender
and the rose in their calyces; chamomile, lemon and orange
plants in their flowers; the petals and the rind of the fruit of
the two last abound in oil; that of the indigo and fennel is
contained in vessels forming the raised lines which may be per-
ceived on the bark. Volatile oils vary in color, consistency and
weight; there are some, as those of sassafras and the clove, for
instance, which are heavier than water; and there are some, as
those of the rose and parsley, that remain in a concrete state
at the usual temperature of the air, ete.

“The volatile oils are extracted either by distillation or ex-
pression. When the oil is contained in vesicles upon the surface
of the rind, as in those of the lemon and bergamot, the cells
may be broken and the oil caused to flow out by merely rubbing
the rinds together; or the rinds may be taken off by grating,
and the oil separated from the pulp by a light pressure, or by
allowing the whole to remain undisturbed for a few days, when

500

the pulp will settle at the bottom and the oil remain floating
above it. When these rinds are scraped with a bit of sugar,
the oil combines with it, forming an oleo-saccharum, useful in
giving a pleasant flavor to liquors.”

Count Chaptal gives this simple process for extraction of oils:
“With the exception of the oils of which I have just spoken,
all the volatile oils are extracted by distillation ; in this process
the plant is put into the boiler of the alembic and covered with
water; when the water boils the oil rises with the steam, and
is condensed with that in the worm of the still, whence they
flow together into the receiver; the oil which swims upon the
top is separated from the water, and this water, which has a
milky appearance, is again employed from preference in new
distillations. It is customary to make use of a narrow straight-
necked vessel as a receiver; the oil collects in the upper part
of this, while the water passes off through a siphon in the side
about four inches below the neck. In the south of Kurope
where great quantities of the volatile oils are prepared, the dis-
tillers place their portable apparatus in the open air, in those
places which offer a plentiful harvest of aromatic plants ; when
these are exhausted they remove elsewhere.

“The aromatic ‘oils are employed particularly as perfumes,
and for this purpose are often combined with other substances.
They are likewise used in the manufacture of varnishes, from
the readiness with which they dissolve colors, and from their
quick evaporation after being applied.”

At Cannes, in the south of France, I have witnessed the
operations for extraction of essence of roses, which are planted
in great abundance. On the plantations in South Carolina rose-
water is distilled from the petals of the sweet rose by a simple
process. M. Dussauce, chemist to Tilden & Co.’s establishment
at N. Lebanon, N. Y., has published, 1868, a Practical Work on
the Manufacture of Perfumery, Oils, ete.

BIGNONIACEM. (The Trumpet-flower Tribe.)

TRUMPET FLOWER, (Bignonia crucigera, Walt., N. A. F.
Bignonia capreolata, L. and Ell. Sk.) Rich, shaded soils; col-
lected in St. John’s; vicinity of Charleston. Fl. March.

Shee, Flora Carol. 278. See B. crucigera,. Walt. The root

501

and vine, in infusion or decoction, answer the purpose of sarsa-
parilla. It is detergent and alterative, aperient, diuretic and
sudorific, used in syphilis, chronic rheumatism, and in de-
rangements arising from impurities of the blood. The pith is
said to be divided longitudinally into four equal parts, so that
when the stem is cut transversely it exhibits the appearance of
a cross, and hence Walter’s name. This vine appears to be
possessed of instinct ; it shoots up to the highest tops of trees
before sending out a branch.

CATALPA, (Catalpa bignonioides, Walt. Bignonia catalpa,
Mx. Catalpa cordifolia, Ell. Sk.) Grows in the upper and lower
country of South Carolina; collected in St. John’s. Fl. May.

Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. Supplem. 1846, 107. The
physicians at Naples, after the favorable report of Thunberg
and Kempher, as well as those of Brera, have given incontesta-
ble evidence of the advantages resulting from its use in asthma,
The decoction of the fruit is also employed. See Gazette Médi-
cale, 8, 1834 ; Journal de Chim. Méd. x, 164. Kempher says
he also applied the leaves, which are emollient and anodyne, to
the painful part. A decoction of the pods has been recom-
mended in pectoral complaints, and the dried seeds smoked like
tobacco, have proved useful in asthma. The bark is said to be
vermifuge and the wood emetic. Griffith. Poultry are said to
thrive on and to be fond of the seeds. The timber makes dura-
ble posts. The honey collected from the flowers is somewhat
poisonous—resembling, though less active, that collected from
the yellow jessamine; and an unpleasant and poisonous gas is
said to be emitted from the wounded bark.

YELLOW JESSAMINE, (Gelseminum sempervirens, Juss.)
Grows in swamps ; diffused through the alluvial regions. It is
observed that it is gradually gaining ground in the upper
country. I have noticed it just beyond Columbia, and near
Norfolk, Va.

Ell. Bot. Med. Notes, 312; Frost’s Elems. Mat. Med. 490.
“ Possessed of narcotic peoperties to a very considerable de-
gree.” A spirituous tincture of the root is used with success in
rheumatism. It is also employed in gonorrhea; ninety drops
of the bark of the root in tincture, taken in three doses, produce
vertigo, perverted vision, etc. Its marked effect on the nervous
system has been repeatedly observed. It also acts as an arte-

502

rial sedative without producing nausea or purgation, and
though causing insensibility to pain, when taken in large doses,
it does not induce stupor or delirium.

The root of the jessamine has been much more freely used
since the publication of my report on the Med. Bot. of South
Carolina, made to the Am. Med. Association, 1849. Special
articles can be found descriptive of its uses in the Charleston
Medical Journal. Dr. Mayes, of South Carolina, has contributed
one of these, March, 1857. Dr. Nash, of Norfolk, has also used
it in many cases of fever with the most desirable results. Four
ounces of the fresh root are added by Dr. Mayes to one pint of
diluted alcohol; dose, twenty to fifty drops repeated every two
or three hours. Drs. Ford and White used the tincture of the
root as they did that of the Veratrum viride in yellow fever, for
its depressing influence upon the circulation ; see Ch. Journal.
Many employ the tincture of the root in fevers; it acts in a
manner similar to digitalis and JV. viride, with the addition of
some narcotic property. It has to be used with caution on
these accounts, and because it induces delirium in overdose.
Stillé’s Therap. and Dunglison’s New Remedies may be con-
sulted. My venerable friend, Dr. John Douglass, of Chester, S.
C., writes me that he has used it repeatedly with advantage in
gonorrheea; see his letter published in Ch. Med. Journal. The
tincture forms a valuable ingredient in cough mixtures, particu-
larly in those cases where a nervous sedative is required. It
has been repeatedly prescribed in these cases by Dr. O. A.
White and others during the war. Dr. Edward Porcher, of Mars
bluff, S. C., prescribes the tincture in doses of twenty drops
with much success in neuralgia.

In the Med. Press. and Circular, 1867, Dr. R. P. Davis, of Vir-
ginia, reports two cases of poisoning by overdoses of the fluid
extract of gelseminum ; one died two hours and a half after
taking the poison, having had widely dilated pupils, spasmodic
breathing, a cold and congested surface, pulse almost impercep-
tible, and being totally unconscious. The other a gentleman
who had also taken about a tablespoonful of Tilden’s ex-
tract, had an emetic administered to him more promptly and
recovered. The emetic was followed by one drachm of quinine
in four ounces of wine. When first seen this patient was found
in the following condition: He was lying on his left side, face

503

_ somewhat congested, pupils dilated but responding to the
different degrees of light, eye-lids half closed with apparent in-
ability to move them, and lower jaw drooping, and his tongue,
to use his own expression, so thick that he could hardly speak ;
his skin was warm and moist, pulse small and feeble, and res-
piration somewhat diminished in number. He had neither
purging nor vomiting. Dr. Parker gave quinine, and in a large
dose, because it was a cerebral stimulant, and he thinks it was
useful because the patient had taken the Gelseminum nearly ten
hours before he took the emetic, giving the system time to
come under its influence.

The tincture or extract of this plant would, no doubt, be
found useful in most cases of fever and inflammations, to reduce
arterial action. In Tilden’s Jour. of Mat. Med. July, 1867,
Dr. R. W. Slaughter communicates the following antidote: “A
gentleman who had resided in Brazil, where the natives use the

* gelsetfinum as a specific for fever, asserts that the symptoms
caused by an overdose will immediately pass off if a teaspoonful
or two of the expressed juice of the Thuja occidentalis, arbor-
vitae, be given.” cM

In reply to some queries addressed to Dr. J. A. Mayes, of 8.

_ C., 1868, who has extensively used the Veratrum and Gelsemi-
num, I received the following statements :

“JT used the gelseminum in form of tincture very much as a
sedative to an excited nervous system, and locally for relief of
neuralgia, in situations where it could be properly applied.

“ For trismus nascentium, I found the tincture of gelseminum
more successful than any remedy I ever used. I never lost a
case in which it was freely used. Had a case of tetanus been
met, 1 should have prescribed it with much confidence. For the
former, I gave it in doses of three drops every half hour or an
hour, according to the frequency of the spasms, and continued
it with gradually lengthening intervals until the spasms ceased
altogether. For tetanus 1 had long made up my mind to test
it fairly by giving thirty to fifty drops every hour, until blind-
ness was superinduced, hoping to see the disease overcome
when the system was fairly saturated with the gelseminum.

“ A poultice, made by boiling a quantity of gelseminum roots
until a strong decoction was obtained, and then adding corn
meal to give it consistency, applied warm to acute, painful

504

swellings, to the jaws for neuralgia or rheumatic toothache, and
for various local pains, was found, during the war, to be a valu-
able substitute for opiate applications. I have seen very great
relief obtained in a few minutes in severe neuralgic pains of the
side of the face.” . ,

For reference to authorities see U.S. Disp., 12th Ed.; Charles-
ton Med. Jour. March, 1854, and xii, 180; also an abstract of
the various papers by Dr. J. Bell, in N. Am. Med. Chir. Rev.
September, 1858.

‘The active principle, gelseminine, is much used latterly by a
school of practitioners at the North and West, with other sub-
stances of similar nomenclature.

I give the following statement of the method of extracting
the perfumed oil of flowers, as it may enable those living where

the jessamine, rose, violet and other flowers bloom in such

abundance, to prepare it: “ The essence of rose, of jessamine,
violet, etc., are possessed of a more feeble odor, and being
obtained from the flowers of their respective plants, require
much care in their preparation. This is done by spreading
upon white wool, impregnated with olive oil, the petals of the
flowers, and leaving them for some time covered over with a
woollen cloth, upon which flowers are also scattered. The
flowers are renewed-from time to time, until the olive oil em-
ployed appears to be saturated with the oil of the flowers, when
this last is separated by digesting the wool in alcohol.” Wil-
son’s Rural Cyc.; consult, also, Ure’s Dictionary of Arts, and
Chaptal’s Chemistry applied to Agriculture; also Bené (Sesa-
mum) in this volume. I have seen in the south of France young
girls manufacturing the essences of rose and orange flowers.
Our Southern matrons do not lack jessamine flowers or rose
petals for making perfumes, essences, rose-water, etc.

VALERIANACEA. (Valerian Tribe.)

Valeriana scandens, L. East Florida. Chap.

We have also V. pauciflora, Mx. Growing on mountains of
Tennessee. They should be examined on account of their re=
lations with the officinal valerian, and as nervous stimulants.

ACANTHACEA. (The Justicia Tribe.)

Ruellia strepens, L. Grows in pine barrens; collected in St.
John’s ; vicinity of Charleston. Fl. July.

505

Ainslie, ii, 153; Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. '285. The leaves are
‘said to be subacrid.

OROBANCHACEA. (The Broom-rape Tribe.)

SQUAW-ROOT ; CANCER-ROOT ; BROOM-RAPH, (Oro-
banche unifora, L.) Grows in pine barrens in the middle dis-
tricts.

U.S. Disp. 1282. It is said to possess properties similar to
the following :

BEECH-DROP, (Orobanche Virginiana, L. Epiphegus Ameri-
cana, Nuttall.) Grows on beech trees exclusively; vicinity of
Charleston; Newbern. Fl. August.

U.S, Disp. 128. It has a bitter, nauseous, astringent taste,
diminished by drying ; it is given°internally in bowel affections.
Dr. Barton thought it was one of the ingredients of a secret
remedy for cancer, known as Martin’s cancer powder. This is
supposed to possess some of the powerful astringency belong-
ing to the O. major. Michaux says that in Virginia they use
the powder in inveterate ulcers and cancers. Lind. Nat. Syst.
288; Bart. Med. Bot. ii, 38; Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd.
iv, 102.

Orobanche Americana, L. Collected in St. John’s in rich soils;
vicinity of Charleston. Fl. July.

This has been also used as a remedy in carcinomatous affec-
tions, ulcers, etc.

SCROPHULARIACEAR. (The Fiqwort Tribe.)

Generally acrid and bitterish, sometimes dangerous in their
properties.

MULLEIN, (Verbascum thapsus, Walt.) Diffused; grows in
pastures, upper and lower districts. Fl. July.

Le. Mat. Med. ii, 446; Pe. Mat. Med. ii, 295; U.S. Disp. 735 ;
Watson’s Pract. Physic,.202 ; Royle, Mat. Med. 493; Journal de
Chim. Med. ii, 223; Home, Clin. Experiments and Hist.; Bergii,
Mat. Med. i, 118; Mér. and de L. Dict. de. M. Méd. vi, 864; Bull.
des Se. Méd. de Férus, xvi, 341. The leaves of the flowers con-
tain a narcotic principle ; a decoction of the flowers and leaves
as tea, is beneficial in dysentery and tenesmus; it calms pain in
the fundament caused by hemorrhoids; and it is used in the

506

convulsions of infants, in ardor uring, and wherever the indica-
tion is to moderate spasm or irritation. A large quantity of
the flowers will even induce sleep, so active is the narcotic
principle it contains. Dém. Elém. de Bot. ii, 135; Milne, Ind.
Bot. 293. The leaves of mullein, warmed and applied to the
feet, have given relief to those affected with gout; and the dis-
tilled water of the flowers has been used effectually in diseases
of the skin; Mérat says in erysipelas and colics. Scopoli re-
lates that in Carolina mullein is esteemed valuable in the pul-
monary complaints affecting cattle, (hence called cow’s lung-
wort.) “The roots, both recent and dried, have the property
of fattening poultry, even to obesity.” Thornton’s Fam. Her-
bal. 238. It is useful in stopping or diminishing diarrhceas of
long standing, and often in easing pain of the intestines, which
is accounted for by the anodyne, emollient and gently astringent
qualities of the plant. Woodv. Med. Bot. ii, 343. Linnzeus
states, in his Veg. Mat. Med. 31, that fish will become so stupe-
fied by eating the seeds as to allow themselves to be taken.
See, also, the 4sculus pavia, which possesses similar powers.
Dr. Wood refers to its value in pectoral diseases, coughs, ete.
U.S. Disp. 736. The leaves, steeped in hot water, are applied
externally as a feebly anodyne emollient dressing for sores, for
the relief of headache and frontal pains, used as an injection in
tenesmus and applied locally in pains, and are much used by
the poorer class. An ointment may be made by boiling the
leaves in Jard. A friend informs me that the mullein leaves
dried and smoked as tobacco relieve asthmatic paroxysms,
which is not unlikely in view of their narcotic properties.
The down serves for tinder; no animal will eat it. Equal parts
of mullein leaves and the bark of the root of sassafras boiled
in water and concentrated, then mixed with powdered sassafras
bark to form pills, are reputed valuable in the treatment of
agues by the herbalists. See “Indian Guide to Health.”

Surg. Hinckley has reported several cases in which the par-
oxysms of intermittent fever were completely prevented by the
administration of the warm infusion of the fresh root. Four
ounces of the fresh root to one pint of water reduced one-half
by boiling, of which two ounces were given every hour, com-
mencing four hours previous to the expected chill. Confed. 8.
Med. J., January, 1864. Dr. N. R. Newkirk, of N. Jersey, in-

.

4 - 507
a
formed Prof. Wood that he had found the smoking of dried

mullein leaves useful in aphonia from irritation of the larynx.
Taken internally, the dose is four ounces, one ounce of the
leaves being added to one pint of water. It would be desira-
ble to obtain an analysis of this plant, and it should be more
carefully examined.

Verbascum lychnitis, L. Grows in South Carolina, according
to Dr. Muhlenberg. FI. July.

Dém. Elém. de Bot.; Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. vi, 863.
The root has been used in jaundice. Durand gave an extract of
the leaves in this disease, in pectoral affections, and in colics ;
no doubt beneficial, from its sharing the possession of the nar-
cotic principle ascribed to the V. thapsus.

Griffith states that the flowers are said to destroy mice.
Med. Bot. 517.

MOTH MULLEIN, (Verbascum blattaria.) Grows abun-
dantly, according to Elliott, in the middle and upper districts ;
sparingly in the lower; collected in St. John’s, at the Big
Camp, on the Santee Canal. Fl. March.

’ Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. vi, 863.

FIGWORT, (Scrophularia nodosa, Linn. Prodrom. Scroph-
ularia Marylandica, Ell. Sk.) Vicinity of Charleston.

The leaves have a rank fetid smell, and a disagreeable, bitter
taste. The root has also a nauseous odor. They yield their
properties to water and alcohol, and contain a bitter resin, an
extractive having the odor of benzoic acid, with gum, starch,
inuline, etc. Pereira, ii, 306; Griffith Med. Bot. 518. It is vul-
nerary and soothing, when applied as a poultice to ulcers, burns,
piles, itch, ete. An ointment of the leaves was officinal in the
Dublin Pharmacopeia, and was found useful by Stokes and
Montgomery in skin diseases.

SNAKE-HEAD, (Chelone glabra, L.) Grows in damp soils;
Richland District ; collected in St. John’s Berkeley ; vicinity of
Charleston; Newbern. FI. July.

Griffith Med. Bot. 520. in small doses it is laxative; large
quantities purge. It acts on the liver; one drachm of the
powder may be given at once. It is administered by the vege-
table practitioners as an anthelmintic ; also in jaundice, in
hepatic disorders generally, and in constipation. It is pre-

508

scribed as an alterative and tonic in impure conditions of the
blood—the decoction, powder, or tincture used.

DIGITALIS ; FOXGLOVE, (Digitalis purpurea.)

It is stated in one of the gazettes that this plant grows na-
tive around Charleston. See Shee. Flora Carol. 305. Elliott
makes no mention of it; neither does Bachman in his Cata-
logue. The power this remarkable species possesses of dimin-
ishing the force of the circulation is well known. It sometimes
proves violently emetic and purgative. See authors.

HEDGE HYSSOP, (Gratiola officinalis. Gratiola Virginica
of Mx. and Ell. Sk.) Natural. Abundant along the margins of
ditches ; vicinity of Charleston. Fl. April.

Bull. Plantes Vén de France, 118. It is purgative and
emetic; like the Arum, however, it loses much of its virtue
when dried ; a small quantity of the fresh root will purge exces-
sively, (des superpurgations extrémement dangereuses.) It was
used, says Lieutaud, as a hydragogue cathartic, sixty grains of
the dried root being given in dropsy and intermittent fever.
Thornton’s Fam. Herbal. 23. It is also said to be powerfully
anthelmintic, and was highly spoken of by the celebrated Boer-
haave, by Hoffmann, and Dureau. “Relieves dropsy in the
chest.” Lind. Nat. Syst. 291. According to Vauquelin, the
purgative property depends upon a peculiar substance analo-
gous to resin, but differing from it in being soluble in hot water.
Dr. Whiting has announced the existence of veratria in it, which
accounts for its active properties. It formed an ingredient of
the celebrated eau medicinale for gout. Dose of powder fifteen
to thirty grains; of the vinous tincture, forty to fifty drops; of
the infusion of an ounce of dried plant to a pint of boiling
water, half an ounce to an ounce.

GOLDEN GRATIOLA, (Gratiola aurea, Muhl.) Vicinity of
Charleston.

Griffith Med. Bot. 519. It is said to be fully as powerful as
the above, as a substitute for which it is employed; attention is
called to it.

Herpestis monnieria, Kunth. Herpestis cuneifolia, Ph. Ditches,
Fla. to N. C. and westward.

The juice is considered a good embrocation when mixed with
petroleum, in rheumatic complaints. Griffith.

509

YELLOW GERARDIA, (Dasystoma pubescens, Benth. Ge-
rardia Flava, L. and Ell. Sk.) Abundant in rich, dry woods.
This plant, it is said, will prevent the attacks of yellow and
other flies upon horses ; probably owing to its great viscidity.
See “Juglans.’ It is pubescent and highly viscous. It has
very little taste, unless chewed for some time. Upon a subse-
quent examination (1862) of the G. Flava, I find that the hairs
with which the plant is covered secrete from the gland at their
summits a tenacious, gummy substance, to which insects may
adhere. Under the microscope it is an interesting object. The
leaves of the English elder (Sambucus nigra) “kill several species
of noxious insects, offend and banish moles, and are greedily
eaten by sheep.” Our Lysimachias should be examined, as the
leaves and flowers of DL. nummularia, steeped in oil, have the
power of destroying insects and worms which infest granaries.

PURPLE GERARDIA, (Gerardia purpurea.) Common in
wet places.

A wineglassful of the decoction repeated is said to be highly
serviceable in “diseases of the kidneys ;” largely used in some
portions of 8. Carolina. It is said to give great relief.

SPEEDWELL, (Veronica officinalis.) Grows in South Caro-
lina, according to Pursh. Fl. May.

Linn. Veg. Mat. Med. 1. This is tonic and pectoral; used in
asthma and coughs, four spoonsful of the expressed juice being
given in the form of tea. Indig. Bot. 18. The infusion of the
leaves is employed on the west coast of Africa as a drink in
gravelly complaints. Drs. Frank and Scopoli wrote mono-
graphs on it ; the latter affirms that he cured a very violent
case, where suffocation arose from catarrhal affection, by intro-
ducing through the mouth, by a funnel, the vapor of a decoction
of Veronica, mixed with vinegar. It contains tannin. Meér.
and de L. Dict. de M. Med. vi, 875; Flore Méd. vi, 345. It is
alluded to in the U.S. Disp. as a diaphoretic, diuretic and
expectorant, which had passed out of use. Griffith refers to it
as a mild astringent. Many of these plants only require exami-
nation to regain the confidence once placed in them; all being
liable to the fluctuations which have characterized some that
are now considered our most valuable agents.

To the above, published in the first edition of this volume,
Tadd the following from the 12th Edition U.S. Disp.: Exam-

510

ined by Euz, this plant is found to contain in the fresh juice
and an extract from the herb, a bitter principle, soluble in aleo-
hol, but scarcely so in ether; an acrid principle, red coloring
matter; a variety of tannic acid, a crystallizable fatty acid,.
with malic, tartaric, citric, acetic and lactic acids; a soft, dark,
green, bitter resin and mannite. Prof. Mayer, of New York,
found evidence of the existence of an alkaloid and a small
quantity of a saponaceous principle. (Am. J. Pharm., July,
1863.)

NECK WEED, (Veronica peregrina, Mx.) Vicinity of Charles-
ton; Newbern.

Griffith’s Med. Bot. 517. In some portions of the United
States it is supposed to be very efficacious; and is used inter-
nally and externally as a wash in scrofulous tumors on the neck.

VIRGINIAN VERONICA; CULVER’S ROOT, (Veronica
Virginica, L. Leptandra, Nutt.) Grows in the mountain val-
leys. Fl. August.

U.S. Disp. 772; Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Med. vi, 816.
The root is bitter and nauseous, yielding its active properties
to boiling water. In the recent state it is said to act violently,
sometimes as a cathartic and sometimes as an emetic.

Under the name Blackroot, Culver’s root, and the probably
erroneous botanical name, (Leptandra alba,) the author of a
work professing to describe the Indian mode of treating dis-
eases, entitled the ‘““Cherokee Physician,” recommends the plant
as an efficient purge, “operating with mildness and certainty ;”
peculiarly adapted to typhoid and bilious fevers. Dose, a large
teaspoonful of the root in a gill of boiling water, repeated in
three hours. It is said to be also diaphoretic. The root may
be given in any shape, and is thought to have a slow, alterative
action. An extract is also used in making cathartic pills by
concentrating the decoction, and using starch or liquorice root
powder, or a syrup is made by adding molasses or sugar. It is
laxative in tablespoonful doses. A principle called leptandrine,
from the Leptandra, is much used in the Western States. An
emetic decoction is made by the vegetable practitioners with the
Leptandra root: half a pound American ipecacuanha, or the
Indian physic one pound, put into a gallon of water and boiled
down to a pint, of which the dose is an ounce every twenty
minutes till vomiting is induced; or two teaspoonsful of the

511

powder may be given in an ounce of boiling water, to be re-
peated.

Since the above was written the value of the plant has been
more fully recognized, and it has been placed in the primary
list of the U.S. Pharmaccepia. I obtained additional information
(1868) from the U.S. Disp., 12th Ed. Water and alcohol ex-
tract the virtues of the root. According to Mr. E. 8. Wayne,
of Cincin., it contains volatile oil, extractive, tannin, gum, resin,
and a Sepilint crystalline pple to which the virtues of the
plant may be ascribed. ‘To this, says Dr. Wood, the name lep-
tandrin properly belongs. The resinous matter obtained by
making a tincture of the root precipitated with water has been
improperly called leptandrin. (Proc. of the Am. Pharm. Assoc.)
Dr. Wayne also obtained a principle having the properties of
mannite. (Am. J. Pharm., 1859, 557.) The root acts both as
an emetic and cathartic. The “Kclectics” use it as a cholo-
gogue,"and the impure resin, which they call leptandrin, and
the root itself, they employ as a substitute for mercurials. ‘The
The dose of the powder is from twenty grains to a drachm;
that of the impure resin is from two to four grains. Prof.
Proctor, adds Dr. Wood, has prepared a fluid extract which,
probably, contains all its virtues, and may be given as an ape-
rient chologogue in the dose of from twenty to sixty minims.
(Am. J. Pharm., March, 1863.)

BROOK PIMPERNEL; LONG-LEAVED BROOK-LIME,
(Veronica anagallis, Mich.) Grows in South Carolina, according
to Pursh. Nat. Fl. July.

Dém. Elém. de Bot. ii, 130. The infusion is diuretic, anti-
scorbutic and vulnerary.

Scoparia dulcis, L. S. Fla. Chap.

An infusion is used in S. America as a febrifuge and in he-
morrhoidal affections. Griffith.

SOLANACEAM,. (The Nightshade Tribe.)

Leaves are narcotic and exciting—tubers generally whole-
some.

PEPPER, (Capsicum annuum.) Cultivated.

Its properties are well known. Cayenne and other peppers
may be used as external irritants in place of mustard. Our

512

Capsicum frutescens, L., growing in S. Fla., should be examined,
for the most active of these plants are either this identical spe-
cies or varieties of it. They contain capsicin and are used to
produce revulsion to the surface or as excitants of the stomach,
also in fevers and affections of the throat. C. baccatum and C.
Frutescens are said to yield most of the Cayenne pepper brought
from the West Indies and S. America, and Ainslie informs us
that the latter is chiefly employed in the East Indies. U.S,
Disp.

DEADLY NIGHTSHADE, (Solanum nigrum, L.) Grows in
rich soils; collected in St. John’s; vicinity,of Charleston ; New- .
bern. Fl. July.

Trous. et Pid. Mat. Méd. i, 206; U.S. Disp. 304; Eberle, Mav.
Med, ii, 89; Ed. and Vav. Mat. Méd. 348; Royle, Mat. Med.
495; Pe. Mat. Med. and Therap. ii, 326; Le. Mat. Med. ii, 272;
Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. vi, 417; Journal de, Chim.
Méd. iii, 422 and 541; Nouv. Journal de Méd. x, 67; Alibert,
Nouv. Eléms. de Thérap. i, 417. The berries are an active nar-
cotic poison; one grain of these, in augmented doses, is used as
a remedy for increased flow of urine. It is indicated in dis-
eases affecting the bladder, rebellious ulcers, etc. Milne, Ind.
Bot. 315; Bull. Plantes Vén. de France, 155; Dém. Elém. de
Bot. ii, 139. When swallowed, headache, violent distortion of
limbs and delirium supervene. Rucke mentions a case of a
family having eaten the leaves, and being attacked with swel-
ling of the face, accompanied with burning heat, followed by
gangrene. Forskall, in his Flora Hgypt. Arabica, says that an
application of the bruised leaves acts as a specific in the disease
termed by the Arabs bulla, and, applied with hog’s lard, cures
whitlows. Cesalpinus states that the juice, or a decoction,
proved useful in inflammation of the stomach. Gataker, in his
“ Observations on the Use of the Solanum,” commenced by giv-
ing a grain, which acted gently as an evacuant by sweat, urine
and stool; if the dose was too large, it produced vomiting, pro-
fuse perspiration, or too copious a discharge by the kidneys, or
diarrhea, and sometimes dimness of sight, vertigo, etc. He
used it frequently in nervous affections, obscure pains and
dropsy. Stearns’ Am. Herb.; Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Med.
The leaves, beat up into a poultice, are applied to painful parts,
hemorrhoids, etc., and as a cataplasm in spasmodic retention of

513

urine, and in catarrh of the bladder, no doubt producing bene-
ficial results by its narcotic properties. Combined with bread,
or bruised and applied alone, it eases headache and pain in the
ears, helps inflammation of a venereal kind, pains from can-
cerous tumors, and is applied with advantage in herpetic,
syphilitic and scorbutic eruptions. Given internally, one half-
grain infused in one ounce of boiling water may be used. See,
also, Linnzeus, Veg. Mat. Med. 34; Flore Méd. v, 239. It was
mentioned by Dioscorides, iv, 56. By the analysis of Desfosses,
the berries furnish an alkaloid called solanine, possessed of
marked properties. Nouv. Journal de Méd. x, 67; Journal de
Chim. Med. iii, 541. Dunal says it induces dilation of the pupil
by friction, as completely as it is accomplished by belladonna.
Ane. Journal de Méd. vi, 150; Hist. Méd. des Solane, by Dunal.
It has been doubted whether it produces any impression upon
epileptic patients. Botanique Méd. 292. The fumes arising
from thé burning of the fresh fruit are valuable in curing tooth-
ache. Gazette of Health, May, 1824. The juice furnishes a
reactive agent, which indicates at the same time acids and alka-
lies, according to S. Boullay, Bull. des Pharm. ii, 576; and in
the Observs. on different English species by Broomsfield. See,
also, Desfosses, Chem. Anal. of the narcotic principle, followed
by some cases illustrating the action of that principle; Révue
Med. iv, 463. Griffith Med. Bot. 482, says that it appears to
possess the same properties as the S. dulcamara, but in a greater
degree ; accounted for by the fact that solanina exists in it in
larger proportion. Orfila found the extract equal in power and
energy to that of lactuarium. Toxicol. Gén. ii, 190. It may
be employed in the same description of cases as the bitter-
sweet. Eberle thinks it is by far too much neglected.
M. Dunal, of Montpelier, states as the result of numerous
experiments, that the berries are not poisonous to man or the
inferior animals; and the leaves are said to be consumed in
large quantities in the Isle of France as food, having been pre-,
viously boiled in water. U.S. Disp., 12th Ed.
HORSE-NETTLE, (Solanum Carolinense, Michaux.) _ Dif-
fused ; collected in St. John’s Berkeley, in pine barrens ; vicinity
of Charleston ; Newbern. Fl. August.
’ Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Med. vi, 410. Valentine employed
it in tetanus, (non traumatique.) The juice of five or six
33

514

berries was used, augmenting the dose from day to day. See
“A notice of the different methods of treating tetanus in
America, with observations on the good effects of S. Caro-
linense,” (in French.) Journal Gen. de Med. xl, 13. They did
not have it in sufficient quantities to repeat the experiment ;
with us it is abundant. It possesses some reputation among the
negroes in South Carolina as an aphrodisiac. |

Salanum mammosum, Pursh. Fla.; Ga.; vicinity of Charleston.

Lind. Nat. Syst. 295. The decoction of the root is bitter, and
is esteemed a valuable diuretic. Ainslie, M. Med. 291; Griffith
Med. Bot. 483. It bears a large and poisonous fruit, which is
said to contain malate of solanina. Its extract, in small doses,
has been given in cardialgia, lepra, etc. Flore Méd. Antill. iii,
159.

Solanum Virginianum, Pursh. Grows in sandy soils ; vicinity
of Charleston. Fl. July.

Stearns’ Am. Herbal. 154. The leaves are anodyne; the
juice of the whole plant is sharp and corrosive, and inspissated
in the sun to the consistence of an ointment, is applied to
cancers and ulcers. “ The plant is good in rheumatic affections,
and in those proceeding from venereal taint—surpassing
opium.” It has also been found serviceable in itch and herpes.
From this statement, it appears to resemble in its properties the
S. nigrum, of which it is considered a variety.

IRISH POTATO, (Solanum tuberosum.) Cult. It is said to
have been originally carried to Europe from Virginia. Baldwin
found it growing wild in Peru.

Dem. Elem. de Bot. ii, 142. The juice of the leaves is said to
be an excellent diuretic. “ Nous avons remarqué que les enfans
de nos provinces, nourris avec ces racines, ont le ventre gros,
dur, et sont sujets 4 des glandes tuméfiées!”’ Lind. Nat. Syst.
Bot. 295, where it is mentioned that the root, in a state of putre-
faction, is affirmed to give out a light sufficient to read by.
Macculloch said potash could not be obtained from the stalks,
though it exists largely in the plant. Griffith’s Med. Bot. 483.
An extract of the leaves is highly spoken of by Mr. Dyer in
chronic rheumatism, and in painful affections of the stomach
and bowels; he thinks it ranks between conium and belladonna.
Pharm. Journal, i, 590. The leaves, stalks, and unripe berries
are asserted to be narcotic; and an extract from the leaves is.

515

used in coughs and spasmodic affections, in which it is said to
act like opium. From a half grain to two grains is the dose.
Geiger; U.S. Disp. Dr. Worsham’s experiments in Philadel-
phia did not support Dr. Latham’s, of London, with regard to
its influence on the nervous system. Phil. Journ. M. and Phys.
Se. vi, 22. Otto found solania in the germs of the potato. The
water in which potatoes are boiled contain solanina. The stalks
contain a large quantity of potash, “and it is said that if the
stalks were appropriated to this manufacture that they would
supply most that is required in commerce.” They also afford a
bright yellow dye by bruising and pressing when in flower.
Griffith, Jour. Sc. and Arts, v. Hating the unripe fruit has
caused death.

The Irish as well as the sweet potato, rice, etc., contain starch
in large amount, and it is easily obtained. See “Maranta,”
Arrow-root, in this volume.

The following is a method of cleaning silks with potatoes:
three potatoes are pared into thin slices and well washed ; pour
on them a half pint of boiling water, and add to it an equal
quantity of alcohol; sponge the silk on the right side, and when
half dry iron it on the wrong side. The most delicate colored
silks may be cleansed by this process, which is equally applica-
ble to cloth, velvet, or crape. See “Ivy.”

TOMATO, (Solanum lycopersicum. Ex.) Cult.

The fruit of this plant is well known as an article of food ; it
is slightly acid, and has a constipating effect, which renders it
so appropriate as an article of food during the warm months of
summer. The leaves are said to produce vomiting, from an
alkaline principle which exists in them; they also contain cal-
careous sulphates, extractive, and a coloring matter, combined
with a volatile oil. See analysis in Journal de Pharm. xviii,
106 ; Griffith’s Med. Bot. 483. The alkaloid principle contained
in the leaves is analagous to, if not identical with, solanina. A
peculiar oil and an animalized extractive are also ascribed to it
by other observers. Journal Phil. Coll. Pharm. iv, 224. The
fruit contains a peculiar acid, and a brown, tarry, odorous,
resinous matter, with some indications of the presence of an
alkaloid. It is said to act on the biliary functions.

Tomatoes may be preserved for winter use in a portable form
suitable for distribution to soldiers in camp as well as for fami-

516

lies, in the following manner: mash tho fruit, strain the juice
through a coarse towel, season with salt, boil in a pewter or tin
vessel until one-third is evaporated ; then spread on a flat sur.
face and expose to the sun till it looks like a paste. When
ready to store away put writing paper over the paste, wet in
vinegar, The watery parts are all evaporated, and a small por-
tion is enough to season soup, broths, ete, The economical
value of the plant is well known. The seeds are irritant to the
mucous coat of the digestive organs, but the laxative effect is
corrected by the juice, which darkens the excreta as if a salt of
iron had been taken. The use of the fruit tends to promote
constipation and prevent diarrhea, The juice will take out the
stain of iron rust from linen and woollen by adding a little salt
to it.

Physatis pubescens, Grows in sandy soils; collected in St.
John’s, Fl. July.

Mér. and de L. Diet. de M. Méd. v, 296; Journal de Chim.
Méd, vi, 210. It is supposed that the species bearing this name
in Europe and America are different, The former is interest-
ing. Our native species of physalis have been prescribed as
diuretics and sedatives. The fruit of all are edible, Griffith,
— G@ROUND-CHERRY, (Physalis viscosa, L. Physatis obseura,
Mich. Physalis pudescens, L.) Diffused; grows along roads;
collected in St. John’s Berkeley; vicinity of Charleston, Fl.
August,

This is said by Clayton to be actively diuretic,

Nicandra physaloides, Gaert. Atropa, L. Grows around build-
ings; in rich soils, Fl. August.

This plant would probably be found upon examination to be
possessed of some medicinal qualities, either narcotic or seda-
tive.

TOBACCO, (Vicotiana tabacum, W.) Introduced. I have
seen it naturalized in Fairfield District, S.C. This well known
plant, the use of which every day increases throughout the
civilixed world, and which adds so much to the income of States,
is extensively cultivated in Virginia and N, Carolina and to a
lesser degree in the other Southern States. In the lower por
tions of Georgia it is planted as an article of trade, Its prop-
erties are well known, See medical authors.

Tobacce should be more extensively cultivated for home use,

% 517

——

particularly for the comfort of our working class in Carolina,
Georgia and Alabama. I have seen it springing up, and bearing
abundantly near Stateburg, also in St. John’s Berkeley, South
‘Carolina ; it was flourishing without culture.

The seed of the Virginia or Kentucky plants when grown in
§. C., produces a fine light colored leaf when dried, but upon
smoking it is found to be strong and heady. Florida and Cuba
seed are easily procured, and they produce a much milder
variety. Cigars made of Florida tobacco are well known for
their mildness.

The following statement accords with my experience, with
the exception of the variety grown in France :

“Smokers who are susceptible to the effects of nicotine
should be careful in their choice of tobacco, the different kinds
of which have widely different amounts of nicotine. In that
of Turkey, Greece and Hungary there is scarcely a trace of the
poisof. In that of Brazil, Havana and Paraguay the amount
is two per cent. In that of Maryland 2.29; of Alsace 3.21 ; of
Kentucky 6; of Virginia 6.87, and of France 7.30 per cent.”

The use of coffee is said to be an antidote for that of tobacco,
and its value in that way is sustained by my own experience.
Consult Johnson’s Chemistry of Common Life, vol. ii, p. 32, for
an interesting account of tobacco; the papers in the Lancet
during the controversy on the subject of the use of tobacco ;
also the British and Foreign Med. Chirurg. Review. As a local
application to produce relaxation tobacco leaves are a valuable
agent cautiously used, and discontinued when nausea or vomit-
ing ensue. I have found a poultice made with it particularly
serviceable in orchitis. In the manufacture of Killickinick to-
bacco in Virginia they add sumach leaves, which lessens the
strength. See a paper on the “Cultivation of Cuba 'Tobacco,”

_ by J. M. Hernandez, of St. Augustine, Florida, in Patent Office

Reports, 1854, p. 212; the best mode of preparing it is also
treated of. The ashes of tobacco contain a large proportion of
potash, and are given with gin as a diuretic in dropsy; burning
may certainly temper the great activity of the plant. The
residuum of ash after burning is very great, as any one can
observe by noticing what remains when a cigar is consumed.
The plant also yields ammoniacal salts. A full account of the
amount of tobacco produced in the several States, and of the

518

culture and mode of preparation may be found in the Farmer’s
Encye. from the Farm Register. In planting tobacco the seeds
are raised upon earth where logs have been burned, the plants
being afterward transplanted. It would be presumptuous if
the writer to describe in detail the cultivation of our staple
products, though many desire information concerning those
with the culture of which they are unacquainted. This plant
not being eaten by animals may be planted on a small scale in
stable and other yards. I have seen it growing luxuriantly in
these situations. Mr. Gilmore Simms informs me that a neigh-
bor of his in Edgefield District made $150 from two, acres in
1868.

I have thought it advisable in this, the 2d Edition, to repub-
lish one or two practical articles on the method of planting and
rearing and preparing the tobacco plant, which received prizes
from the “American Agriculturist,” that those residing in sec-
tions of country where the plant is not generally cultivated
may obtain the necessary information. I select two of the
papers from a pamphlet entitled “Tobacco Culture ; practical
details from the selection and preparation of the seed and the
soil to harvesting, curing and marketing the crop. Plain direc-
tions as given by fourteen experienced cultivators residing in
different parts of the U. States. N. York, Orange Judd & Co.”
I regret that there are none written from localities in Virginia,
though numerous essays have appeared in that State. Allow-
ances must be made for difference of climate. The first is by
Judson Popenoe, of Montgomery Co., Ohio:

I commenced the cultivation of tobacco about fifteen years
ago; I therefore write from experience, and shall try to give
that experience in a short and plain way.

Varieties—I have cultivated various kinds of tobacco, but
have come to the conclusion that what we call the Ohio seed-
leaf is the best and most profitable kind for general cultivation.
There are other kinds of tobacco that sometimes are profitable,
and do well, but most of these do not cure out so well, nor color
so evenly, nor are they so fine and saleable as the seed-leaf.
The Havana tobacco is too small and has not the fine flavor of
the imported. The Connecticut seed-leaf I believe to be identi-
cal with our Ohio seed-leaf; the difference in the climate may
make a slight variation in the quality, but we plant the Con-

; 519

necticut seed-leaf here in Ohio, and I don’t think they can be
told apart. The most of the tobacco raised in this district is
the seed-leaf, which is strong evidence that it is the best and
most profitable kind to raise here.

Seed.—At topping-time a few of the most thrifty stalks should
be left to grow without topping, for seed. When the crop is cut
let the seed-stalks stand, stripping off the leaves and suckers.
As soon as the seed-pods are black, the seed is matured; then
cut off the seed-heads below the forks of the plant, and hang
them in a dry place, out of the reach of mice, to cure. At leis-
ure time, during the winter, strip the seed-pods from off the
stalk, rub them in the hands until the seed is rubbed out, sift
through a fine sifter, put in a dry place, secure from vermin of
all kinds, and it is ready to sow. I have sowed seed six years
old which grew as well as new seed. I think it is a good plan
to raise seed enough at any time to sow for ten years, as it is
thoughf to deteriorate by constant raising without changing.
If seed snaps or pops when it is thrown on a hot stove, it will
grow.

Preparing Seed-Beds.—There are two plans of preparing beds
for sowing seed; the first, and best, is to spade or plow a bedin
rich, dry ground, with a southern exposure ; the south end ofa
barn is a good place, as the reflection helps to warm the ground.
Where you have tobacco stalks, as you make a furrow with the
plow or spade, fill one-third full with the stalks and turn the
next furrow over them, and so continue until the bed is broken
up. The stalks hold moisture,make the bed warm, and help to
drain it. Take well rotted hog manure and spread over the
bed, to the depth of about two inches, then harrow or rake until
the manure is thoroughly mixed with the surface of the bed, and
all is well pulverized, and as fine as garden mold. For a bed
one rod wide and four rods long take two common sized table-
spoonsful (as much as will lie on conveniently) of seed and mix
it with four quarts of ashes, or slacked lime, and sow broadcast ;
the ashes will enable the seed to be sowed evenly; then take a
hand roller and roll the bed evenly, or place a board on one end
of the bed and walk on it to press the ground to the seed, move
it over and repeat this until the bed is all pressed over. Another
plan is to burn a large brush-heap in a clearing or on any new
ground in the evening; in the morning dig the ground up with

520

the ashes on; while warm, rake the bed fine and sow the seed as
above directed. Very little weeding is required where the
ground is burned, as the fire destroys the weed and grass-seeds.

If the weather is dry the plants will need watering after they
are sprouted, (which will be in about three weeks ;) in fact, the
surface of the bed should be kept constantly moist; the beds
should be kept clear of weeds; do not let the weeds get a start
of your plants or they will soon choke them out. If the plants
grow well and evenly, the above-sized bed will plant four or five
acres, but it is always safe to have two or three such beds, to
guard against a failure, and to supply your neighbors. The
usual time to sow is from the middle of March to the tenth of
April, or as soon as the ground admits of working in the spring.
I have known seed sown in the fall make good plants, but do
not recommend it.

Soil.—A rich, sandy, second bottom, I believe to be the best
for raising tobacco, although our chocolate-colored uplands,
when very rich and highly manured, will grow an excellent
quality of tobacco, but will not yield as much to the acre.
Black river bottoms will yield more to the acre than any other
kind of land, but the tobacco is not of so fine a quality ; it grows
larger, has coarser stems and heavier body, and consequently,
in my opinion, is not so good for wrappers or fine cut as the
second bottom or upland tobacco.

Manuring and Preparing for Planting—Tobacco is a gross
feeder and grows rapidly when once started, therefore needs
plenty of food to make it grow well. There should be a good
coat of clover to plow under; if the ground is naturally rich,
this alone will make a good crop, but hog and stable manure,
well rotted, is what the tobacco, as well as any other crop, de-
lights in, and the more manure the better the tobacco. The
plan that I am now experimenting on is, as soon as I cut my
tobacco in the fall I give the ground a good harrowing, and
then drill in wheat ; the ground being well cultivated all the
fall, is clear of weeds and mellow and needs no plowing. In the
spring I sow clover, after the wheat is off; I keep the stock off
until about September, to give the clover a chance to harden
and spread. I then let the stock eat as low as they want to,
which drives the clover to root and causes the crown to spread ;
I do not suffer stock to run on the clover during winter or

521

spring ; about the last of May or first of June I plow the clover
under, which is now in blossom, and so [ alternately keep two
fields in tobacco and wheat, at the same time feeding the ground
a crop of clover every two years; in this way I expect my land
to increase in fertility all the time. The clover turned under
makes food for the cut-worms, and they trouble the tobacco
plants but little. We now harrow thoroughly, following in the
Same way that we plow, to make the sod lie flat and not drag
up; next the roller is put on, and after the ground is well rolled
it should be again harrowed, and, if cloddy, rolled again. Make
the ground in the best condition possible, so that the roots of
the tobacco will have no difficulty in penetrating the soil and
searching for food. My plan is to furrow east and west three
feet apart, north and south three and a half feet. I plow the
tobacco both ways, but do all the hoeing, suckering, ete., north
and south. Some mark out the ground three feet each way,
but I think it is too close. If the tobacco is large, three feet
does not give room to work among it conveniently. I mark out
the ground with a small one-horse plow, going east and west
first, finishing the way that I make my hills. The usual way
to make the hills is with the hoe, making the hill where the
furrows cross each other, drawing the dirt into a hill about as
large as for covering corn or potatoes. With the flat part or
back of the hoe press or flatten the hill down to the level of the
surface of the ground, taking care to have it clear of clods or
rubbish. I generally make my hills with what we call a jump-
ing-shovel—the frame of a single shovel-plow, made light, with
a shovel about eight inches square, put on in the place of the
common shovel. Hitch a steady horse to this, start him in the
furrows, dip the shovel in the middle of the furrows, and raise
it, depositing the dirt at the cross of the furrows. ~Havea hand
following to level and pat down the hills, and take out clods.
In this way I made, with the assistance of a boy fifteen years
old, about fifteen thousand hills in a day, while with the hoe
alone three or four thousand is a good day’s work.

Setting out Plants.—From the first to the fifteenth of June is
the proper time, although, if it is seasonable, up to the fourth of
July will do, but the sooner after the first of June the better.
By this time, with proper care and attention, the plants are
large enough. The ground should be well saturated with rain,

522

and a cloudy day is much the best. Immediately after a rain,
or between showers, call out all the force, for the work is
pressing ; the success of the crop depends on getting it out at
the right time; all hands go to the plant beds, pull the largest
plants one at a time; don’t let two stick together, or the boys
will drop them together and the plant will be lost. After the
baskets are full, let one hand continue to pull plants. Put the
little boys and girls to dropping one plant on the side of each
hill; let those who stick take an extra plant in the hand, draw-
ing the leaves together in the left hand, and with the forefinger
of the right hand make a hole in the centre of the hill deep
enough to receive the full length of the roots without the top
root bending up; insert the plant up to the collar with the left
hand, stick the forefinger of the right hand one or two inches
from the plant, and press the dirt well up against the roots,
taking care that the dirt is pressed so as to fill up the hole.
Pick up the plant on the side of the hill, and as you step to the
next hill, arrange it for sticking ; in this way you always stick
the plant that you pick from one hill in the next, thereby
greatly facilitating the work. Sometimes the ground is not
sufficiently wet, and the sun, coming on the plant, is apt to in-
jure it; at such times take a small clod and lay it on the heart
of the plant to keep the sun off, removing the clod in the even-
ing. As soon as the plants have started, the first time the
ground is wet enough replant where they have died out.
Cultivation.—As soon as the plants have taken root and com-
menced to grow, begin to use a double shovel-plow, having the
shovel next the tobacco, about three inches wide and six or
eight inches long; do not go too close to the hill, or you may
displace the plant; follow with a hoe, removing all grass and
weeds, leaving the tobacco master of the situation. Dig gently
the surface of the hill, and draw alittle fine dirt around the
plant, and strive to keep the soil around the hill as mellow as
possible without disturbing the plant. After going over in this
manner, plow the opposite way, going twice in arow. Some
prefer the cultivator for going over the first two times, and, I
think, perhaps it would be preferable, as it pulverizes the ground
better than the shovel-plow. After going over the field twice,
in the above manner, commence again with the double shovel-
plow, the way the tobacco was planted, following with the hoe,

523

giving it a good hoeing as before. Use your judgment about
the amount of tillage needed; keep clear of weeds; keep the

ground mellow, and when the plants have spread so that they
_ are bruised by the hoe and plow, stop cultivating.

Worms.—As soon as worms appear, which is generally when
the leaves are as big as « man’s hand, go over the tobacco, look-
ing carefully at every plant. The worms usually stay on the
underside of the leat; if you see a hole in the leaf, no matter
how small, raise it up and you will generally find a worm under
it. Worming cannot be done too carefully. Miss one or two
worms on a plant, and before you are aware of it the plant is
nearly eaten up. When you find a worm, take hold of it with
the thumb and forefinger, giving your thumb that peculiar twist
which none but those who are practiced in it know how to do,
and put the proper amount of pressure on, and my word for it
you will render his wormship harmless. Worming has to be
coptintled until the tobacco is cut; the last worming to be im.

- mediately preceding cutting and housing.

Topping.—The tobacco is ready to top when the button (as
the blossom or top of the stalk is called) has put out sufficiently
to be taken hold of, without injury to the top leaves. As to-
bacco is not regular in coming into blossom, it is the usual
practice to let those stalks that blossom first, run a little be-
yond their time of topping, and then top all that is in button as
you go. There is no particular height to top at, but as a gen-
eral thing sixteen to eighteen leaves are left; judgment is nec-
essary to determine where to top; if topped too high, two or
three of the top leaves are so small as not to amount to much ;
if topped low, the tobacco spreads better ; if just coming out in
top, reach down among the top leaves, and with thumb and
forefinger pinch the top or button off below two or three leaves ;
if well out in top, break off several inches down from the button
and four or five leaves below it.

Suckering.—As soon as the tobacco is topped the suckers begin
to grow; one shoots out from the stalk at the root of each leaf,
on the upper side. When the top suckers are from three to
four inches long, the suckering should be done; with the right
hand take hold of the top sucker, with the left take hold of the
next, close to the stalk, and break them off, and so proceed,
using both hands, stooping over the stalk, taking care not to

524

injure the leaf. Break the suckers about half-way down the
stalk, the balance being too short to need removing until the
second suckering. In* about two weeks from topping, the to-
bacco is ready to cut; now give it the last worming and suck- |
ering, breaking all suckers off down to the ground, and remove
every worm, if you don’t want your tobacco eaten in the sheds.

Cutting and Housing.—As a general rule tobacco should be cut
in about two weeks from topping, at which time the leaves as-
sume a spotted appearance and appear to have fulled up thicker;
double up the leaf and press it together with thumb and finger,
and, if ready to cut, the leaf where pressed will break crisp and
short. Do not let your tobacco get over-ripe or it will cure up
yellow and spotted; it is better to cut too soon than too late.
Take a hatchet or short corn knife, grasp the stalk with the
left hand, bend it well to the’ left, so as to expose the lower part
of the stalk, strike with the knife just at the surface of the
ground, let the stalk drop over on the ground without doubling
the leaves under, and leave it to wilt. The usual practice is to
worm and sucker while the dew is on in the morning, and as
soon as the dew is off to commence cutting. There are some
who advocate cutting in the afternoon, say three o’clock; let it
wilt and lie out until the dew is off next day, and take it in be-
fore the sun gets hot enough to burn it. I prefer the first plan,
because a heavy dew may fall on the tobacco, and next day be
cloudy, leaving the tobacco wet and unpleasant to handle. After
cutting allow the tobacco to wilt long enough to make the
leaves tough, so that they can be handled without tearing.
Great care is now necessary to keep the tobacco from sun-burn-
ing; cutting should be commenced as soon as the dew is off,
and all that is cut should be housed by eleven o’clock, unless it
is cloudy ; from eleven to two o’clock the direct rays of the sun
on the tobacco, after it is cut, will burn the leaves in twenty
minutes; after two, as a general thing, there is no danger of
such burning, the sun’s rays not striking direct on the tobacco.
Have a wagon at hand, with stiff boards, twelve feet long, laid
on the running gears; as soon as the tobacco is wilted so that it
can be handled without breaking, commence loading on both
sides of the wagor on the front end, lapping the tobacco the
same as loading fodder, keeping the butts out on both sides—
build about two feet high, and so on until loaded.

“ §25

Tobacco Barn.—Mine is fifty by thirty-three feet, with eighteen

feet posts ; the tiers are four and a half feet apart. I hang four
full tiers of tobacco, and hang between the purline plates in the
comb, a half tier; the bents of the frame are sixteen and two-
eighths feet apart. I hang on four feet sticks made of hickory,
rived one-half inch by one and a quarter inches, shaved and
tapered at one end to receive an iron socket; I have sawed
sugar-tree scantlings sixteen and two-eighths feet long, three by
four inches thick, for the ends of the sticks to rest on and meet
in the centre of the rail, one and a half inches resting on it.
Some use sawed lath to hang on, but the split and shaved are
far preferable. Hanging on fence-rails with twine is going out
of use, as it should. I use my barn to store wheat and barley,
doing the threshing just before tobacco-hanging. My barn will
hang about seven acres of good tobacco.

Housing Tobacco.—The tobacco being brought to the barn,
should “be unloaded on a platform or bench convenient for han-

dling. An iron socket, about six inches long, three-quarters by
one and a quarter inches at the big end, tapering to a sharp
point is necessary ; the sticks should be shaved so as to fit the
socket as near as possible, but do not bring the stick to a sharp
point, or it will not lie firmly on the rail. Have a one and a half
inch hole bored three inches deep in the barn-post, three feet
from the ground or floor ; let the hole be bored slanting down
a little, so that the socket end of the lath may be the highest;
put the end of the stick that is not tapered into this hole and
the socket on the lath; take hold of a stalk with the right hand,
about one foot from the butt end, bring it against the point of
the socket, six inches from the butt of the stalk, grasp the butt
with the left hand, and give the right hand a firm, quick jerk to
start the stalk to split; then, with both hands, pull it back
against the post, and so on until you have the stick full. The
stalks should not be crowded on the sticks, four or five inches
apart is close enough ; eight or nine large stalks are enough for
a four-foot stick. Having filled the stick, remove the socket,
lay your stick of tobacco on the floor, and go on sticking until
the load is all stuck; or it is a good plan to have rails laid on
the lower tie and hang for the present as you stick. While one
or two hands are hanging one load, another may be in the field
bringing in another. In hanging, have a single block and half-

7

526

inch rope, with a hook atone end; secure the block near where
you hang, place the hook in the centre of the stick of tobacco,
and let the man on the floor draw it up to the one who hangs.
There should be a stout pine board, two inches thick, fifteen
inches wide, and long enough to reach from tie to tie ; this should
be placed under where you hang, to walk on. When the to-
bacco is hoisted up, take it off the hook, and walk to the farther
end of the board; have your rails placed to receive the stick,
and so continue until your rails are full, then move your board
and block to another place, and so continue. A sixteen-foot rail
will hang about twenty-four laths; eight inches apart is about
the distance to place the laths of tobacco on the rails; if too
much crowded the tobacco will house-burn. Care should be
used never to let a load of tobacco lie long on the wagon or in a
pile, as it sweats and heats and is soon ruined. Always keep
the tobacco cool. After it is housed, keep the doors open day
and night, so that it may have the benefit of the warm and dry air
for the purpose of curing, closing the doors against high winds
and beating rains. When cured keep the doors closed.
Stripping—When the tobacco is sufficiently cured to strip,

which will be after it has been well frozen and dried out, you~

will have to watch for it to get “in case” for handling; whena
warm, wet, misty spell of weather comes, throw open the doors
to allow the tobacco to take the damp. When the stems of the
leaves are so limber that they will not snap, and the leaves are
pliable, but not too wet, take down a sufficient quantity to strip
for two or three days; take it off the sticks, make a temporary
crib of boards about four feet wide, and bulk the tobacco in it,
laying the tops in, butts out, next the boards. After you have
made your bulk, cover with an old carpet, boards, or anything
else handy, to keep it from getting too damp or from drying
out. Care should be taken that the bulk does not heat; if the
stalks are wet or there is any uncured tobacco, forty eight
hours is sufficient to spoil the tobacco. During the winter there
are generally several tobacco seasons, and by improving them
the stripping can all be done before March. Having the bulk
down we now proceed to strip for market; lay a pile of the to-
bacco on a bench or platform about two feet high, and let the
most careful and handy man take a stalk in his left hand, give
it a shake to make the leaves hang out free, then pick off four or

527

five of the bottom or ground leaves, and any badly torn or dis-
eased leaves, and all such as are not considered prime ; do not
put any frosted or “fat” leaves in, as it spoils the tobacco ; pass
the stalk that is primed to the stripper, and let him take off the
prime leaves. Take off one leaf at a time, keeping them straight
in the hand; when a sufficient number are taken off to make
what is called a hand of tebacco, take a leaf in the right hand,
put the thumb of the left hand on the end of the leaf about one
inch from the butt of the hand or bunch, and pass the leaf
around once or twice; an inch is wide enough for the hand;
~ open the hand of tobacco in the centre, pass the end of the leaf
through and draw it tight, then squeeze the hand together and
lay it down, keeping the leaves straight. An inch and a halfin
diameter is large enough for ahand. Whena sufficient quantity
is stripped to commence bulking, make two places to bulk in,

one for prime and one for ground leaf; let the space be Setinaat
to the quantity of tobacco to bulk. A bulk three and a half feet
high and twenty feet long will hold ten boxes or about four
thousand pounds of prime tobacco ; the sides of the bulk must
not be inclosed, but left open, so that the butts can dry out; at
each end of the bulk put a bulkhead of boards to build against,
about three feet wide and four feet high; secure this upright
and firm; donot build on the ground, but on a platform or floor.
Commence at one end against the bulkhead, take one hand of
tobacco at a time, straighten and smooth it, and lay it on the
floor at one side of the bulk; take another as above, press it
against the first, and so proceed to lay the length of the bulk ;
then turn and lay down the other side of the bulk, letting the
ends of the tobacco lap over the first row about four inches, and
so repeat, keeping the butts even. After one or two rounds are
laid, get on the bulk on the knees, and as you lay a hand put
your knee on it, and thus pack as close and compact as possible.
When not bulking down have boards laid on the tobacco and
weights put on to keep the tobacco level. Keep the ground leaf
separate from the prime.

Boxing.— Boxes should be made 30 inches square by 42 inches
in length outside; saw the end-boards 28 inches long, nail them
to two 1} inch square slats so that the head will pe 28. inches
square; when two heads are made, nail the sides of the box to
the heads so as to come even with the outside of the head, the

528

sides being 28 inches wide; then nail the bottom on firmly ; the.
top can be nailed slightly until after the tobacco is packed,
when it can be nailed firm. Set your box by the side of the
bulk, and let one hand get in the box and another pass the to-
bacco to him, one hand at a time, taking care not to shake it
out, but put in the box as it comes from bulk, with the butt of
the hand next the end of the box. Place close and press with
the knee firmly; lay alternate courses at each end, and if the
tobacco is not long enough to lap sufficiently to fill the centre,
put a few hands crosswise in the centre. When the box is full,
place it under a lever; have a follower, which is a cover made
of inch boards, nailed to two pieces of scantling and made to fit
inside of the box; lay this on the tobacco, and build with
blocks of scantling on it of a sufficient height for the lever to
be clear of the box when pressed. Press down firmly with a
strong lever, and, while kneeling in another box full, let the
lever remain, so that the tobacco gets set in the box. When
ready take the lever off and fill up as before, about six inches
higher than the box ; press it below the top of the box, take off
your lever and nail on the top as quickly as possible. Some
use tobacco-presses for packing, which are perhaps more conve-
nient; they are of various patterns, but a lever saves the
expense of a press, and is in the reach of all. If tobacco is sold
at the shed, it should be sold before packing, being easier exam-
ined in bulk than box.

No. two is by W. W. W. Bowie, Prince George’s County, Md.

Seed-Beds.—A rich loam is the soil for tobacco plants. The
spot for a bed should be the south side of a gentle elevation, as
well protected as possible by woods or shrubbery. After a
thorough burning of brush, dig deep, and continue to dig, rake
and chop, until every clod, root and stone be removed; then
level and pulverize nicely with a rake. As to the variety to
plant, I think the Cuba is a very good kind for our climate.
The Connecticut seed-leaf is the best, but culture has more than
anything else to do with the quality. Mix one gill of seed for
every ten square yards with a quart of plaster or sifted ashes,
and sow it regularly in the same manner that gardeners sow ~
small seeds, only with a heavier hand; roll with a hand-roller
or tramp it with the feet. If the bed is sown early, it ought to
be covered with brush free from leaves; but it is not necessary

529

to cover it after the middle of March. Tobacco-beds may be
sown at any time during the winter if the ground be not too
wet or frozen. The best time for sowing is from the 10th to the
20th of March, though it is safest to sow at intervals, whenever
the land is in fine order for working. Never sow unless the
land is in good order, for the work will be thrown away if the
land be too moist or be not perfectly prepared. The beds must
be kept free from grass or weeds, which must be picked out one
at a time by the fingers. It is a tedious and troublesome opera-
tion, therefore you should be very careful not to use any
manures on your beds which have grass or weed-seeds in them.
After the plants are up they should receive a slight top-dress-
ing of manure once a week, sown broadcast by the hand. This
manure should be composed of half a bushel of unleached
ashes, (or one bushel of burnt turf,) one bushel of fresh virgin
woods-earth, one gallon of plaster, half a gallon of soot, one
quart of salt dissolved in two gallons of liquid from barnyard,
and four pounds of pulverized sulphur, the whole well inter-
mixed. Let a large quantity be put together early in the
spring, or winter rather, and put away in barrels for use when
wanted. This, and other such mixtures, have been found eftica-
cious in arresting the ravages of the fly—both from the frequent
dusting of the plants and the increased vigor which it imparts
to them, thereby enabling the plant the sooner to get out of the
tender state in which the fly is most destructive to it. The fly
is a small black insect, somewhat like the flea, and delights in
cold, dry, harsh weather, but disappears with the mild showers
and hot suns of opening summer. If possible, the plants should
stand in the bed from half an inch to one-inch apart, and if
they are too thick they must be raked when they have gener-
ally become as large as five or ten-cent pieces. The rake
proper for the purpose should be a small common rake, with
iron teeth three inches long, curved at the points, teeth flat,
and three-cighths of an inch wide, and set half an inch apart.
After-Culture.—The soil best adapted to the growth of tobacco
is light, friable soil, or what is commonly called a sandy loam,
not too flat, but rolling, undulating land—not liable to drown in
excessive rains. New land is far better than old. Ashes are
decidedly superior to any other fertilizer for tobacco. Theory
and practice unite in sustaining this assertion. The land in-
34

530

tended for tobacco should be well plowed in April, taking care
to turn the turf completely under, and sub-soiling any portions
that may be very stiff and hold to water near the surface; and
let the land be well harrowed directly after breaking it up. It
should then be kept clean, light, and well pulverized by occa-
sional working with cultivators and large harrows, so as not to
disturb the turf beneath the surface. When the plants are of
good size for transplanting, and the ground in good order for
their reception, the land, or so much as can be planted in a
‘‘season,” should be “scraped,” which is done by running par-
allel furrows, with a small seeding-plow, two and a half feet
apart, and then crossing these again at right angles, preserving
the same distance, which leaves the ground divided in checks or
squares of two and a half or three feet each way. The hoes
are then put to work and the hill is formed by drawing the two
front angles of the square into the hollow or middle, and then
smoothed on top and patted by one blow of the hoe. The fur-
rows should be run shallow, for the hills should be low and well
levelled off on the top, and, if possible, a slight depression near
the centre, so as to collect the water near the plant. The first
fine rain thereafter the plants should be removed from the seed-
beds, and one carefully planted in each hill. A brisk man can
plant from five to six thousand plants per day. The smaller or
weaker hands, with baskets filled with plants, precede the
planters, and drop the plants on the hill. In drawing the plants
from the bed, and carrying them to the ground, great care
should be taken not to bruise or mash them. They ought to be
put in baskets or barrels, if removed in carts, so that not many
will be in a heap together. The plants should never be planted
deeper than when they stood in the bed. Planting is done
thus; Seize the plants dropped on the hill with the left hand ;
with one finger of the right hand make a hole in the centre of
the hill, and with the left put in the root of the plant. The dirt
is well closed about the roots of the plants, (put in with the
left,) by pressing the forefinger and thumb of the right hand
on each side of the plant, taking care to close the earth well
about the bottom of the root. If sticks are used to plant with,
they should be short, and the planter should be careful not to
make the hole too deep. The plants should be very carefully
planted, for if the roots are put in crooked and bent up, the

531

plant may live but never flourish, and, perhaps, when too late
to replant, it will die, and then all the labor will be wasted. In
three or four days it may be weeded out—that is, the hoes are
passed near the plants, and the hard crust formed on the hills
pulled away, and the edges of the hill pulled down in the fur-
rows ; this is easily done if performed soon after planting, but
if delayed, and the ground gets grassy, it will then be found a
very troublesome operation. After weeding out, put a gill of
equal parts of plaster and ashes, well mixed, upon each plant.
In a few days, say a week or less time, run a small plow through
it, going twice ina row. This is a delicate operation, and re-
quires a steady horse and skilful plowman, for without great
care the plants will be knocked up or be killed by the working.
In a week after, the tobacco cultivator or plow must be used.
Hither implement is valuable at this stage of the crop. But
once in a row is often enough for either cultivator or shovel-
plow to pass. The crop can now be made with their use by
working the tobacco once a week for four or five weeks, going
each time across the former working. Any grass growing near
the root of the plants should be pulled out by hand. As soon as
the tobacco has become too large to work without injuring the
leaves by the single-trees, the hoes should pass through it,
drawing a little earth to the plants when required, and levelling
the furrows made by the cultivator and shovel. Let this hoe-
ing be well done, and the crop wants no more working. Care
should be taken to leave the land as level as possible, for level
culture is best.

Topping.—When it blossoms the best plants ought to be
selected; one hundred plants being enough to save for seed to
sow a crop of forty thousand pounds. All the rest should be
topped before blossoming—indeed, as soon as the blossom bud
is fairly formed. It should be topped down to the leaves that
are six inches long, if carly in the season, but if late, top still
lower. If the season is favorable, in two weeks after a plant
has been topped it will be fit for cutting, yet it will not suffer
by standing longer in the field. From this stage of the crop
until it is in the house, it is a source of solicitude and vexation
to the planter. He is fearful of storms, of frost, and worms, his
worst enemy—they come in crowds, “their name is legion ”—
and the suckers are to be pulled off when they get three or four

532

inches long; they spring out abundantly from the bottom of
the plant or leaf where it joins the stalk. Ground leaves are
those at the bottom of the plant which become dry on the
stalk; gather them early in the morning, when they will not
crumble.

Worms.—These ought to be pulled off and killed as fast as
they appear, or they will destroy the crop. Turkeys are of
great assistance in destroying these insects ; they eat them and
kill thousands which they do not eat, for it seems to be a cher-
ished amusement to them to kill worms on tobacco ; they grow
passionately fond of it—they kill for the love of killing. There
are every year two “gluts,” as they are called by planters; the
first attacking the plants about the time that they are about
one-third or half grown, the other comes on when the tobacco
is ready for cutting. The first can be easily subdued by a good
supply of turkeys, and if then they are effectually destroyed,
the second glut will be very easy to manage; for it is the
opinion of many intelligent and experienced planters that the
greater portion of the first glut reappears the same year, as
horn-blowers and breed myriads. When the second army of
worms makes it appearance, the tobacco is so large that the
turkeys do but little good. The only method, then, to destroy
them, is to begin in time. Start when they are being hatched,
and keep up a strict watch upon them, going over the whole
field, plant by plant, and breaking the eggs, killing such as may

be seen; and by constant attention during each morning and ,

evening to this business alone, with the whole force of the
farm, they may be prevented from doing much harm. When
they disappear the second time there is no more cause of
trouble.

Cutting and Housing—When the plant begins to yellow, it is
time to put itaway. It is cut off close to the ground by turn-
ing up the bottom leaves and striking with a tobacco-knife,
formed of an old seythe—such knives as are often used for cut-
ting corn. Let it lie on the ground for a short time to wilt,
and then carry it to the tobacco-house, when it may be put
away in three different modes, by “ pegging,” “spearing,” and
“splitting.” Pegging tobacco is the neatest way and best, yet
the slowest. It is done by driving pegs about six inches long
and half an inch or less square into the stalk, about four inches

ee

533

from the big end of the stalk; and these pegs are driven in with
a mallet, in a slanting direction, so as to hook on to the sticks
in the house. It is then put on to a “horse,” which, by a rope
fixed to one corner, is pulled up in the house and there hung
upon the sticks, which are regulated at proper distances. A
“ tobacco-horse” is nothing more than three small sticks nailed
together so as to form a triangle, each side being three or four
feet long. Spearing is the plan I pursue; because it is neat
enough and decidedly the quickest plan. A rough block, with
a bole morticed in it, and a little fork a few inches from the
hole for the tobacco-stick to rest upon, one end being in the hole
and a spear on the other end of the stick, is all the apparatus
required ; the plant is then, with both hands, run over the
spear and thus strung upon the sticks, which, when full, are
taken to the house and hung up at once. There are “ dart-
spears,” like the Indian dart, and “round spears.’ Lither
will do.

“Splitting” tobacco is admired by many who contend that it
cures brighter, quicker, and is less likely to house-burn or injure
from too thick hanging. This mode is pursued easily by simply
splitting, with a knife made for the purpose, the plant from the
top to within a few inches of the bottom, before it is cut down
for housing. Care should be taken not to break the leaves
while splitting the stalk. The knife for splitting may be fully
described by saying it is a miniature spade. It can be easily
made out of an old scythe-blade inserted in a cleft white oak
handle, with its edges bevelled off to the blade, so that it acts
like a wedge to the descending knife. After the tobacco is split,
cut down and carried to the house, it is straddled across the
sticks and hung up. The sticks are generally supported by
forks driven into the ground near the heap of tobacco, for
greater convenience to the person putting on the plants. To-
bacco sticks are small round sticks, or are split out like laths,
and are about one-inch square at one end, or one and a half
inches square, usually larger at one end than the other, and
they should be about eight or ten inches longer than the dis-
tance between joists of the tobacco-house. As the tobacco cures
they may be pushed up closer. After the house is filled, some put
large fires under it, as soon as it has turned yellow, and by hot
fires it dries at once and does not change color, unless to increase

534

the brightness; but “firing” gives it a smoky smell and taste
that is not much liked by buyers. The cost of labor and loss
of wood, and the risk of losing tobacco and house too, are great
objections well urged against firing. The better plan is to have
sufficient house-room, and hang it thin in houses not too large,
which have windows and doors so as to admit light and air, and
by closing them in bad weather, exclude the rain and damp-
ness, which materially damage the tobacco, besides injuring the
color of it.

Stripping—After becoming dry and well cured, the stems
of the leaves being free from sap, the first mild damp spell
of weather it will become pliant and may then be stripped off
the stalk. It is first pulled or taken off the sticks and put in
piles, then the leaves are stripped off, tied and put in bundles
of about one-fifth or sixth of a pound in each. The bundles
are formed by wrapping a leaf around the upper part of the
handful of leaves for about four inches, and tucking the end in
the middle of the handle to confine it. There ought, if the
crop will permit, to be four kinds of tobacco, “yellow,” “ bright,”
“ dull,’ and “second.” When the tobacco is taken down, the
“eullers” take each plant and pull off the defective leaves that
are next to the big end of the stalk, and then throw the plant
to the next person, who strips off all of the bright leaves, (and
if there are any yellow leaves, he lays them on one side until
he has got enough to make a bundle,) and throws the plant to
the next person, who takes off all the rest, being the ‘‘dull ;”
and the respective strippers, as they get enough leaves in hand
to make a bundle, throw one side for convenience sake to bulk.
Stripping never should be done in dry or harsh weather, unless
the tobacco is bulked up almost as fast as stripped. The best
‘plan is not to take down more than you can conveniently tie
up in a few hours; but if the planter chooses, he may take
down a large quantity and put it in large bulk, stalk and all,
and cover it with tobacco-stalks, and it will keep for many days,
so that no matter how the weather be, he can strip out of the
bulk. However, this is a very bad and wasteful way. ‘Tobacco
should not be too moist or “Aigh,” as it is termed, when put in
stalk bulk, or it will get warm, the leaves stick to the stalk,
get a bad smell and change color ; besides, if left too long, it
will rot.

535

Bulking and Conditioning.—To bulk tobacco requires judgment
and neatness. Two logs should be laid parallel to each other,
about thirty inches apart, and the space between them filled with
sticks for the purpose of keeping the tobacco from the damp-
ness of the ground. The bundles are then taken one at a time,
spread out and smoothed down, which is most conveniently
done by putting it against the breast and stroking the leaves
downward smooth and straight with the right hand. It is then
passed, two bundles at a time, to the man bulking. He takes
them and lays them down and presses them with his hands;
they are laid, two at a time, in a straight line—the broad part
of the bundles slightly projecting over the next two—and two
rows of bundles are put in a bulk, both rows carried on together,
the heads being on the outside, and the tails just lapping one
over the other in regular succession. The bulk, when carried
up to a convenient height, should have a few sticks laid across
to keep it in place. It must often be examined, and if getting
warm it ought to be immediately changed and laid down in
another bulk of less height, and not pressed as it is laid down;
this is called ‘ wind-rowing ;” being loose and open, it admits
the air between the rows of bundles, hence the term. The next
process in this troublesome, but beautiful crop, is to “ condi-
tion” it for “packing.” The bright, yellow, and second tobacco
will condition, but most generally in such bulbs as I have just
described, but it is best to hang up the dull as soon almost as
stripped. If the bright or second do not dry thoroughly in the
bulks, that should also be hung up in the house to become well
dried. To properly hang up tobacco to condition, small-sized
sticks should be procured, and each one nicely smoothed with
the drawing-knife, and kept for that purpose. After it bas once
been perfectly dry, either banging up or in bulks—so dry that
the heads are easily knocked off, and the shoulders of the bun-
dles crack upon pressure like pipe-stems—it should be taken
down, or if in bulks, removed, the first soft, moist spell of
weather, as soon as it is soft and yielding enough, as it will
become too dry to handle without crumbling or breaking, and
it must be put in four or six-row bulks of any convenient length
and height, the higher the better, laid down close, so that as
little of the leaves or shoulders as possible be exposed on the
outside of the bulk. When completed put sticks and logs of

536

wood, etc., on the top so as to weigh it down. Here it will
keep sweet and in nice order for packing at any time, no mat-
ter what the weather be; if it was conditioned properly, it will
not change a particle while in the condition-bulk.

Packing.—Mild, soft, pleasant weather is the best to pack
tobacco in the hogshead. The size of the hogsheads is fixed
by law, forty inches in the head and fifty-two in the length.
Almost any wood will answer to saw into hogshead stuff; the
best, of course, is that which is strong but weighs light, such
as gum, or beech, or birch, or poplar. No hogshead ought to
weigh over one hundred pounds, and staves drawn ont of red
oak, or other, which make the best, but are too costly, ought
not to weigh over ninety pounds.

Having got our tobacco in good order, our hogshead ready,
etc., the first mild day that we can spare, we proceed to pack-
ing. Let me observe that while putting the tobacco in condi-
tion-bulks, all of the bundles that were soft or had an ill smell
ought to have been laid one side to be made sweet and dry by
a few hours in the sun. The same precaution must be observed
while packing. In putting tobacco into the hogshead for pack-
ing, 2 man gets in with shoes off, and lays one bundle at a time
in a circle, beginning in the middle, and each circle is extended
until the outer circle reaches the staves of the hogshead; a
single row of bundles is then laid all round the edge of the
heads of the last circle, then across the hogsheads in parallels
with the former, always keeping the middle the bighest; this
is called a course. These courses are continued until the hogs-
head is filled. The man who packs, presses with his knees each
bundle in each course, and often stands upon his feet and tramps
heavily, but cautiously, all around and across, so as to get in as
much as possible.

This concludes the almost ceaseless round of labor that is
necessary to prepare for market this important staple of our
country.

The following is by Christian Schneider, Madison County,
Ill. (Translated by Ferdinand Schlueter.)

Introduction —As in other kinds of farming, the culture of
tobacco varies in different localities, and every cultivator must
modify the hints here given to suit his own particular soil and
location. The principal thing is, to understand the nature of

537

the plant, that is, the necessary requirements of soil, climate
and culture, and the reason why all the work connected with its
culture is done; for this must be adapted to the end aimed at ;
and not only may be different under other circumstances, but
often must be so. I have, therefore, tried to explain why the
work is done, and how, in my location, (Central Illinois,) I have
most succeeded in growing the crop.

1. Raising Plants from Seed.—Raising tobacco plants from
seed is somewhat similar to raising cabbage-plants, but is dif-
ferent in two important things: It takes considerably more
time for the seed to sprout, (six weeks,) and, on account of dis-
turbing the roots, cannot well stand weeding. Therefore the
principal care in providing the seed-bed is, to prepare for the
early starting of the seed, and to have the bed free from all
weed-seeds. In the West we prepare the seed-bed in the fol-
lowing manner: we take a plot of land—newly cleared land
is preferred—sloping southward and protected against winds.
The bed should be four feet broad and eight long; on this we
pile brush, wood and heavy logs, sufficient to keep up a strong
fire for at least one hour and burn it. When the coals begin to
die out, or before the soil is cold, the bed is cleared off, and only
the fine ashes are left, then it is hoed thoroughly and as deep
as the strongest heat has penetrated, after which it is raked
cross and lengthwise, until the soil is entirely pulverized. Every
thing that might hinder the growing of the plants, and their
taking out afterwards, is carefully removed. On this bed a
thimbleful of seed, well mixed with a few handsful of ashes or
earth, is sown broadcast, and tramped in with the feet, or
slapped with the underside of the spade or any other suitable
instrument. After this, the bed is thoroughly wetted with a
weak manure-water, twelve pounds of hen-droppings, or one
pound of soot in ten gallons of water and lightly covered with
straw. The seed-bed does not need much attention at first, if
the weather remains mild; but if there is danger of night-
frosts, a layer of brush must be made, and on this a layer of
straw two to four inches thick, according to the degree of frost.
The straw is removed in the morning and put on again at
evening, leaving it off entirely when the nights are mild. Al-
though the seed-bed is ready now, it must not be left to itself,
and requires some care. The plants must always have sufficient

538

moisture, and if timely rains do not fall, they must be watered
with weak liquid manure as often as needed. Should weeds
appear, notwithstanding all precautions, they must be removed
with the utmost care. The above mentioned quantity of seed
is sufficient to raise plants for one acre.

Whoever is in possession of a hot-bed can raise the plants
much easier; he can sow later and have plants earlier and
with more certainty. But even the common bed may be made
into a kind of hot-bed. The burned and hoed surface-soil is re-
moved and put on one side, then one foot of fresh horse-dung is
laid on the sub-soil, and the surface soil put back again.
Boards may be placed around, cross pieces laid over them, and
the straw covering put on these.

The earlier the young plants are ready for transplanting the surer
the tobacco crop will be. March is the latest to make the seed-bed
in the open air, and June the latest for transplanting. Some
time may be gained by keeping the seed in damp earth in the
room, and sow it in the seed-bed just before it commences to
sprout.

For seed I recommend the following varieties: 1. Connecti-
cut seed-leaf, principally for cigar wrappers ; 2. Cuba, for fillers
and wrappers; 3. Maryland; 4. Virginia, the last two princi-
pally for smoking and chewing tobacco. For snuff everything
may be used, the refuse and even the stems. The Connecticut,
Maryland and Virginia yield the largest crops, the Cuba the
smallest but best. The first varieties yield about one thousand
pounds, the latter five hundred pounds. In very favorable
seasons double the amount may be raised. All tobacco seed,
which is removed from its native clime and soil, will deteriorate,
and the seed must be renewed from its native place, although
the seed may, when it finds favorable soil, ete., yield just as .
good, if not a better variety.

To raise seed, leave the best and strongest plants for this pur-
pose. The suckers only are removed, and the leaves left on the
plant, until the seed is ripe.

_ 2. The Soil andits Preparation.—In a suitable climate tobacco
may be raised in every good cultivated soil. But what is “suit-
able climate?” Which are the northern and southern boun-
daries of its culture? We consider only the practical side of
the question, and answer, tobacco can be raised as far north as

a

539

corn, and as far south as the sugar-cane, Wherever corn ma-
tures fully, tobacco will also mature, if properly cultivated. For
us in the West, and for all the localities that have not an over-
amount of heat, experience has proved, that a dry, warm soil,
(loam or sandy loam,) rich, deep and containing lime, is most suit-
able for tobacco. ‘The more sandy, to a certain degree, the soil
is, the better will be the quality of the tobacco ; the nearer the
soil is to clay, the poorer will be the crop under similar circum-
stances, although the yield may yet be satisfactory. Clayey
soil will hardly produce tobacco suitable for cigars. Wet and
tough clay soils are under no circumstances suitable to tobacco.

Tobacco lands require also: 1st. Protection against winds.
Where this is not done by nature, it may be artificially done by
planting several rows of pole-beans a few steps apart. 2d. There
must be no standing water. This is best prevented by deep
plowing, by which the water will sink into the soil, where it
belongs.

The land must be plowed deep, eight to twelve inches, and
harrowed thoroughly until it is as fine as good garden soil. This
is best done by plowing in the fall, exposing the hard and rough
furrows to the frost; after the soil is dry in spring, it should be
harrowed thoroughly, and then plowed and harrowed again for
a second, and if necessary, for a third time, and rolled before
planting. The different plowings, etc., should of course be done
at intervals long enough to allow the land tosettle. This is the
treatment of soil that has been cultivated with the plow before
tobacco is grown on it. It is somewhat different with newly
turned (virgin) soil, or a clover-field, or a meadow, which the to-
bacco particularly likes. Deep and thorough working is the
rule here also, but it is done in somewhat different way. In the
virgin soil, all the roots must be picked up, because they would
make the soil too loose for the secure insertion of the plant, and
then they would hinder the cultivation with the hoe and the
plow to a great degree. Meadows and clover-fields are broken
up about three weeks before planting, eight to ten inches deep,
taking care that the furrow is entirely turned, so that the grass
is brought to the bottom. After eight to fourteen days, when
the soil has settled, it is thoroughly harrowed in the direction of
the furrows, to prevent the sod being turned up again, which
must remain below undisturbed. Shortly before planting the

540

soil is harrowed again, and if necessary it is rolled and har-
rowed once more. This time it may be done crosswise. This
treatment of meadows and clover-fields has these advantages:
the newly turned sod prevents the weeds from coming up, and
the underturned grass acts aS a manure, and if the seed-bed
should fail, (which may be the case,) the work of breaking up
the soil is not lost, as other crops may be raised.

“ Tobacco makes the land poor.” —This is experienced wherever
tobacco is grown, and not only individuals, but whole countries
have ruined their soil with this crop so thoroughly, that it re-
mained barren for a long time after. Whoever, therefore, cul-
tivates this hungry plant for more than a mere plaything, must
be careful that he does not exhaust his land. He must not only
possess a naturally rich soil, but must have plenty of manure at
his disposition, and must follow a system of rotation. The
writer of this is of the opinion, that the tobacco itself does not
require much manure, if planted for the first time on other-
wise good and rich soil, and that even animal manure will in-
jure the tobacco for making cigars, and for smoking; but he
does believe, that for the crop following the tobacco, manuring
cannot be done too early, and too heavily. The manures are
very different, and equally useful for the different kinds of to-
bacco. We may classify them as follows:

To be applied shortly before planting, and in equal quantities,
for all kinds of tobacco: 1. Guano, 200 to 300 pounds on the
acre; 2. Poultry-droppings, 400 to 500 pounds; 3. Green ma-
nure in any quantity; 4. Sheep-dung, 6 two-horse loads; 5.
Cattle manure, 10 two-horse loads.

For chewing tobacco and snuff: 1. Sheep-dung, 10 to 12 loads
per acre; 2, Cattle manure, 20 to 30 loads; 3. Horse-dung, 15 to
25 loads; 4. Hog manure, 20 to 30 loads. The last two are use-
less for smoking tobacco, or for that to be used for cigars.

The first three manures (guano, poultry-droppings, and green
manure) must be followed after the tobacco crop, by a plentiful
supply of stable-manure. The tobacco-stalks themselves, rotted
or burned to ashes, sown over the field before the transplanting,
or in the planting-furrows, will act as a good manure, but are
not sufficient. In highly-worked farms, that is, where the soil
is valuable, and cannot remain idle, it will pay every way, to
sow rye for fodder on the tobacco land in the fall; this may be

541

made into hay, or turned under as manure at the beginning of
July, just as may seem most profitable. Deep plowing for the
rye, and afterward for the tobacco, must not be forgotten.

As a rotation for tobacco, I would recommend: first year,
corn, potatoes, cabbage, or any hoed crop; second year, spring
barley, with clover; third year, clover; fourth year, the clover
plowed under at the beginning of June, and tobacco ; fifth year,
wheat, Nos. 1 and 4 to be manured. Or, if the richness of the
clover is intended for wheat, which also pays well for this extra
care, and if green rye is to be plowed under for tobacco; first
and second year, as above; third, clover; the third growth
plowed under, and wheat harrowed in; fourth, wheat; in the
fall the field is plowed, and rye sown; fifth, green rye plowed
under, and tobacco. Nos. 1 and 5 to be manured.

Or, if more wheat is desired, first, second, third, fourth and
fifth years as above, and wheat the sixth year. Nos. 1 and 5,
and if any way possible, No. 6 to be manured. I consider the
last rotation the best. It will give, in six years, three straw-
crops, which are much needed for manure. The grain-crop of
barley and wheat is sure, and it don’t happen as in the second,
that a hoed crop follows the tobacco, which is also a hoed crop.
Tobacco is planted on the same field again in seven years, an
interval long enough not to ruin the soil. The benefit for to-
bacco in this rotation, consists in the lasting qualities of the
green clover and rye, plowed under.

3. Transplanting.—As soon as the seedlings are of the size of
cabbage plants, that is, having four leaves, and being four to six
inches high, they are ready for transplanting. The first thing
is, to lay out the land in planting-rows with the one-horse plow,
as for corn, and from north to south, if a steep slope does not
make another way necessary. These rows are either furrows
or ridges, according to whether there is little or much rain ex-
pected, or as the soil is porous or not. The furrows give the
plants shadow, and protect the soil from drouth by the sun or
winds; the ridges allow all the sun, and protect from dampness,
In this respect the planter must be governed by experience.
Ridges and furrows may be omitted, especially in small planta-
tions. A strong cord is stretched over the whole width of the
field, by stakes at each side, and one in the middle; along this
cord the plants are inserted at regular distances, which are

542

4
shown by some mark on the cord. When one row is planted, —
the cord is removed to the next, and the planting done in the |
same manner, and so on, until the field is done. This method
has the advantage, that the soil may be made fine with the
hoe shortly before the inserting of the plant, if it has not been —
done sufficiently with horse-labor. However the rows may be —
made, they must be equally far apart, and so with the plants in —
the rows. The distance of the rows and of the plants depends
upon the room which the plant occupies when fully grown, and
is, therefore, different with the several varieties of tobacco. Cuba
is satisfied with the smallest space, while the other varieties
need more. The distance apart also depends somewhat upon
the richness of the soil, for very rich sail will grow larger leaves
than poor soil; and then it must be considered whether the after
cultivation is to be done entirely by human labor, or partly by
horse-power. The farthest distance for Maryland, Virginia,
and Connecticut, is with the rows four feet, and the plants three
feet in the row; for Cuba, the rows three feet, and the plants
two feet. In Central Illinois, we do best by making the rows
three and a half feet, and the plants three feet apart in the rows
for the first three varieties—so we get seven thousand Cuba,
and four thousand two hundred plants of the other kinds, on
the acre.

It is handy in large plantations, and even necessary, when
the work is to be done with horse-power, to have a wagon-road
around the field and through the centre, this makes the work
at harvest-time much easier.

When the rows are made and the plants are large enough,
then the planter must watch for a mild rain and one or two
cloudy days. Ifthe weather is favorable, he must lose no time,
but go to work with all the hands at his disposal. Notwith-—
standing the hurry, everything must be done methodically and
in proper order; for all carelessness in transplanting tobacco is
severely punished by the necessity of renewing plants that
don’t grow, and up to its maturity the same care must be ob-
served, even in selling the yield. The seed-bed is thoroughly
wetted, so that the roots will not be hurt while pulling up the
plants, and the earth not disturbed around remaining ones.
The largest plants are taken out at first, and only as many as
can be planted in half a day. As soon as taken up they are

543

tied in bundles of one hundred, laid in a basket and covered.
They are inserted, not deeper than they stood in the bed, in a
hole, made with the fingers or with a trowel, and the soil then
squeezed around the plant again. This work is continued the
whole day, in cloudy weather, until completed. But if there is
no rain and no cloudy days, and the transplanting cannot be
postponed any longer, then the grower must water the plants
at transplanting, and cover them immediately after. This re-
quires the additional help of three workmen, namely, one who
waters, one that puts dry earth around the watered plant, so
that no lumps will form there, and the third to cover the plants.
Transplanting under these circumstances can only be done
mornings and evenings, and should even be done only towards
evening. If the weather has been cloudy at the time of trans-
planting, and hot. weather sets in the next or the second day,
then also the plants must be covered. Covering is done with
hight, dry leaves or straw. After the transplanting is done,
care must always be taken that the plants, until they are rooted,
are not suffering from moisture, and it may be necessary that
they be watered a second time. Dead or weak plants must be
removed and replaced by healthy ones.

4. Work until Harvesting—This work is done partly for the
benefit of the soil and for that of the plants themselves. The
working of the soil is for keeping it open to the influences of
the atmosphere and to destroy the weeds, and will forward the
growth of the plant, for experience has proved that only soil
that is open and free of weeds will secure the full development
of the plants. Loosening and stirring the soil from time to
time is, therefore, not only beneficial, but necessary, especially
when the soil is hardened by heavy rains, or a crust has formed
through other influences, or when weeds appear. For the first
loosening, which should be done shortly after the plants have
rooted, a furrow-harrow, a one-horse harrow with teeth slant-
ing forward and the cross-beams so arranged that they can be
set two to three and a half feet apart, is the best implement ;
for the second and third, the cultivator, or if the soil gets
hardened below the surface, or when many seeds are in their
way, the common corn-plow should be used. This is the work-
ing between the rows. In the rows between the plants, where
the working is even more important, it must be done with the

544

hand-hoe. Care must always be taken not to damage the roots,
and at the second and especially at the third hoeing, the soil
must be drawn toward the plants, partly to protect them
against storms and give them a stronger hold, and partly to
absorb excessive moisture.

The soil must never be worked while wet. Where help is
plenty, it is better to dispense with all horse-work ; the plants
can be put closer together, a larger crop is gained, less damage
is done to the plants, and in closing up the account the culti-
vator, with human labor, will not be the loser. The working of
the soil, it will be seen, is not what makes the tobacco culture
so laborious and expensive. It is the care of the plants, of
which I shall now speak.

From the first starting of the tobacco plant, it has its ene-
mies. First appears a cut-worm that works in the soil and eats
the roots off. Then comes a little caterpillar which enjoys
itself on the young leaves, and lastly the beautiful and large
tobacco-worm, which eats into the leaf, and in a short time
leaves nothing but the leaf-stems and stalk. The only remedies
against these enemies are the vigilance and industry of the
planter—looking after them, digging up, picking and destroying
once or twice a day, or often as there are any traces of them.
Children, to whom premiums are offered, will be very success-
ful in destroying them. (Premiums are a very good thing all
over, and are the reason why this treatise is written.) A herd
of turkeys, if given access to the tobacco-field, are a very val-
uable help. A negro from South Carolina told me a few days
ago, that a solution of blue vitriol in water, sprinkled over the
plants, will kill the worms. The remedy may be worth trying.
Of course the solution must be made weak enough, so that it,
will not destroy the plants as well as the worms.

Priming.—The object of priming is to break off the leaves
that come out too near the ground, which when large lie flat on
it, and, therefore, rot or get dirty. This work should be done
early, the sooner the better, so that the plant does not lose.
much strength by their growing. The leaves must not be torn
off, especially not downward, because the plant would be in-
jured, and instead of throwing the strength gained into the
other leaves, it would be thrown away to heal the wound. The
distance from the ground this priming should be done, depends

545

upon the variety grown and upon the time at which the work
is done: four to six inches is the right distance. This priming
is not done by every one. One farmer may practice it, while
his neighbor does not; but sorts the lower leaves separately,
and sells them as so-called “lugs,” for which he gets a little over
half the price of the good upper leaves. Those who do not
prime, must generally top lower, or they must risk that the
whole plant, or at least the upper leaves, will not mature fully.

Topping is done to throw the strength, which would go to
develop seeds, into the leaves. It must, therefore, be done as
early as the seed-buds show themselves, if not earlier. This
work must be done, and the question is, how to doit. If there
are but few leaves on the plant, even these will not ripen, if it
is not topped; if there are many, then the grower. has the
choice either to break off the flower-stalk only or to take off
one or more leaves also. This should be done in answer to the
questions: Ist. Is there time enough to ripen even the upper
leaves fully? and 2d. Are the plant and the soil strong enough
to ripen all leaves, even the upper ones? The answers to these
queries will decide the way of topping. If yes, he takes off
the flower-stalk only; if no, he tops to eight, ten, twelve, four-
teen or sixteen leaves, according to his judgment, that is, he
allows so many leaves to remain on the plant. Here will be
seen the importance and benefit of starting the plants early
from seed. This alone may increase the yield one-half.

Suckering follows shortly after topping, and is done for the
same reason—to concentrate the strength of the plant in the
leaves. A sucker isa little branch appearing at the place where
the stem of the tobacco-leaf joins the stalk. They draw off
nutriment, while they will never be good for anything, and,
therefore, must be removed. This is one of the tiresome opera-
tions in tobacco culture, for these suckers do not all appear at
the same time; they first appear on the lower leaves, and then
on the middle, and lastly at the top leaves. They even push
out again sometimes after they have been removed. They de-
mand the planter’s whole attention, and he has no rest on
account of them, until the plant is fully matured.

Priming, topping and suckering must not be done during a
rain, or when the dew is on the plants, or they will get rust-

35

546

spots, which will get larger every day and at last destroy the
whole leaf.

Harvesting —The maturity of tobacco is seen, if the leaves,
which were green up to now, when held against the sun, show
yellowish, reddish or brownish spots, feel sticky, and when bent
break off short and clean. Before this period sets in, the dry-
ing-house should be in good order. The house is built to give
room for the free hanging up of the tobacco, so that it is pro-

_—

tected from the sun, wind and rain, and is allowed to dry by —

the free circulation of the air. Any building, therefore, will
answer which has a good roof, boarded sides, and enough win-

dows and air-holes (which can be closed at will) to keep up a |

mild circulation of air inside, and also to keep out strong and
too quick drying winds. If the tobacco is grown on a large

scale, the house should have large doorways to drive a wagon ~

in and out. There must be sticks all over the house, either
cross or lengthwise, and these sticks must be ready and in their
places. Now the work of harvesting the crop is commenced
on aclear or cloudy but not rainy day. The mature plants

(those not ripe are left longer on the field if not too late in the —
season) are cut off near the ground, two of them tied together

by the butt-ends and hung up in the field on riders, which rest
on two forks fastened in the ground, and they are left there
until evening to wilt;.then they are brought to the drying-
house and hung up. The tobacco is hung up on the upper
sticks first, and the work continued downward; care is taken
that the sticks are six to eight inches apart, also that the plants
are not too near together on the sticks, because the air should
have free passage among the plants, and when they touch or
rub against each other, unsightly spots are produced. The
sticks must be pretty wide, so that the two plants which are
tied together, and one of which hangs on each side, are held
well apart. Later, when the tobacco has dried off somewhat,
the sticks and plants may be moved a little nearer to each
other; but the plants on the upper sticks must not touch those
on the lower; they should be so arranged that one lower stick
is just in the middle of the space between two upper ones.
Another method of harvesting may be followed by those
who cultivate tobacco on a small scale, or who have hands and

—

547

time enough. As all the leaves on the plant do not ripen at the
same time, but the under leaves are always a little earlier than
the upper ones, they may gather the crop in the leaf, that is,
taking only the matured leaves from the stalk; this must be
done daily, and so long as there are leaves on the stalk. In
this way the crop will be harvested slower, and it will cost

-more, but the tobacco will be of more even quality and better.

The leaves are strung on strings instead of being hung up on
sticks, with the same care and precautions as recommended for
hanging up the whole plants. After the leaves are off, the
stalks must be cut off or pulled up, for they would still vegetate,
and needlessly take away nourishment from the soil.

‘No more tobacco leaves or plants should be cut than can be
taken to the drying-house and hung up the same day. Mild,
clear weather will be beneficial for drying; strong and rough
winds will do it too quick, and wet, damp weather will hinder
it altogether. Should the latter continue for some time, the
place of the sticks or strings must be changed, and if, notwith-
standing this, the tobacco gets mouldy, it must be “fired.” A
fire is built in one or more excavations in the ground of the
house, and the heat and smoke are allowed to go as evenly as
possible through the plants. Care must be taken that the fire
does not get too near the tobacco, so that it gets singed or
burned. The place directly above the fire should, therefore, be
free of tobacco. Stoves, with pipes to convey the smoke (which
is of no value in drying) outside of the house are still better.
The heat in the house may be kept up to eighty or ninety
degrees.

The best arrangements for drying will not be of much avail
unless the tobacco has been fully matured before harvesting,
for if this has not been the case it will never lose the well
known “green taste,” and no after manipulation, no drying or
sweating, will free it.

Curing—When the leaves are dry, which is seen when the
stems become of a brown color, and break when bent, the next
work is to make tobacco out of them, for up to now we have
nothing but a tasteless, dry weed. Its hidden qualities must
be developed. This is done by a process of fermentation, the
sweating of the tobacco.

The leaves are broken one by one from the stalks, in damp

548

weather, (otherwise they would break,) stretched out nice and
even, and, with the ends in the same direction, put up in heaps.
These heaps, of which every workman makes one, are after-
wards put into one or more large conical heaps, from four to six
feet in diameter at the base, and from one and a half to two
feet at the top. These are covered with woollen blankets, straw
mats, or anything that will press the heap lightly and shut out
the air. In twenty-four to thirty hours a fermentation sets in,
the heap gets warm, and when it is so hot inside that the hand
cannot bear it very well, the heap is broken up and packed over
again, pulling the tobacco that had been outside upon the inside,
and vice versa, and treating the same way as at first. In such
heaps the tobacco remains twenty to forty days, until all the
heat is gone; then the heaps are again broken up in damp
weather, the leaves tied up in bundles of one-half to one pound
in weight, stretched even and packed in boxes or hogsheads,
pressed tightly and covered. Now the tobacco is done—is a
saleable article.

The process of sweating must be conducted with every pos-
sible care, for on this depends the color of the tobacco, and in a
large degree its fine flavor. If the fermentation is too strong,
the tobacco gets black and the flavor is driven out ; if too little
fermented, the color remains green and whitish yellow, and the
flavor is not developed.

Those who raise the plant principally to get wrappers for
cigars will need to sort it. °

Sorting is done right after the last breaking up of the heaps,
and consists in laying the damaged leaves apart from the whole
ones ; and these again are separated, according to color or other
qualities, for wrappers, into two, three, or four different kinds,
so that every variety is of the same quality and color.

First quality—Color, dark brown; even over the whole leaf.

Second quality—Color, light brown; even.

Third quality—Color, dark yellow ; even.

Fourth quality—Color, light yellow ; even.

Fifth quality—Color, green, black, whitish yellow, spotted.

The first four kinds include the larger leaves, while the smaller
ones go into the fifth quality.

Every kind is bundled by itself. This work is not difficult,
and increases the price considerably. The first three sorts, and

549

even the fourth, may be sold as wrappers, which bring the
highest price. The fifth’is mixed with the damaged leaves to-
gether, and sold for fillers, or chewing tobacco and snuff.

An excellent article on Tobacco Culture in Maryland is
printed in P. O. Rep. Agric. for 1867, by Mr. Walter Bowie.
Bibb & Co. “Patent Tobacco ‘firing and curing’ apparatus” is
highly recommended.

JAMESTOWN WEED; THORNAPPLE; STRAMONIUM,
(Datura stramonium, Linn.) Diffused; grows abundantly in
upper and lower districts; Newbern. Fl. July.

Trous. et Pid. Traité de Thérap. et de M. Méd. i, 230; Orfila,
Traite de Toxicol. Journ. Univ. des Sci. Méd. 47, 227; Ell. Bot.
276; Drayton’s View, 63; Edin. Med. and Surg. Journal, vii and
viii, 1812; Trans. Med. Chirurg. Soc. Edin. i, 285; Archives
Générales de Méd. iv, 373 ; Méd. Chirurg. Trans. Lond. vii, ann.
1806; Bell’s Pract. Dict. 434; Eberle, Mat. Med. ii, 80; Ed. and
Vav. Mat. Méd. 438; Pe. Mat. Med. and Therap. ii, 308; Frost’s
Elems. Mat. Med. 460; U.S. Disp. 688; Watson’s Pract. Phy-
sic, 197; De Cand. Phys. Veg. i, 354; Bayle, Bill. Therap. ii;
Big. Am. Med. Bot, i, 17; Woodv. Med. Bot. 74, 197; Traité de
Chimie, 81, 319; Paris’s Pharm.; Bart. Essay Form. Mat. Med.
48; New England Med. and Surg. Journ. iv, 226; Med. Chir-
urg. Trans. vii, 2; Ball. and Gar. Mat. Med. 346; Cullen. Mat.
Med. ii, 281; Bergii, Mat. Med. i, 122; Mer. and de L. Dict. de
M. Med. ii, 593; Bull. des Sci. Méd. de Feérus, xi, 197; Linden-
stolpe, de Venenis, 531, op. cit.; Sauvage, Nosol. ii, 430; Gred-
ing, in Ludwig’s Adversaria, i, 345; Murray’s Apparat. Med.
i, 670; Fowler, in Med. Comment. v, 161; Adhelius, cit. in Med.
Com. Phil. Trans. Abridg. vi, 53; Rush, in Phil. Trans. i, 384;
Schepf, Mat. Med. 25; Wedinburg, Med. Comment. iii, 18;
Beverly’s Hist. Virginia, 121; Med. and Phys. Journal, xxv,
xxvi; Cooper, in Caldwell’s Thesis, vol. i; Shee. Flora Carol.
497; New York Med. Repos. ii, 27; Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 294.

A well known narcotic and anti-spasmodic, employed in
mania, epilepsy, chorea, tetanus and palsy.

Bergius frequently saw maniacs restored to perfect saneness
of mind, which they never afterward lost, by the continued use
of the extract of our common stramonium; and by the same
means he effectually cured the delirium so often attendant upon
childbirth, where every other remedy had proved abortive.

550

Bull. des Plantes Vén. et Suspect. de France, i, 38; Dém. Elém.
de Bot. ii, 75; Milne, Ind. Bot. 285. *Adhelius states that of
fourteen patients who suffered under epilepsy and nervous affec-
tions in a hospital at Stockholm, eight were completely cured,
five relieved, and only one received no benefit. Thornton’s
Fam. Herb. 188; Woodv. Med. Bot. ii, 339; Storck, i, c. 5;
Kames in Comm. Nov. 1733, p. 251; Lobsten, Epistle ad Gur-
ren, Plantes Vén. Alsat. Eph. Nat. Cur. cent. ix, obs. 94; Huckel
in Comm. Noy. 1744, 14; Barrex, Essai sur |’Hist. Nat. de la
France, 48; Buchner, Misc. Phys. Mat. 122. The seeds are
soporific, and are said to induce delirium and a partial forget-
fulness, and to be used by women in the East for purposes
herein stated, viz: “Ab India alia inebriantia et aromatica in
electuarium recipitur semen, ad grata phantasmata cienda, et, ut
quidem volunt, quo ad celera patranda, tanto audaciores evadant.”
Kempher, Exotic, 650. “Somnum facit adeo profundum ut im-
pune pudicitia puelle violari possit, que hoc toxicum sumserit.”
Haller, t. c. “A mulieribus infidis Turcis gyneceis inclusis, ad
consopiendos et dementandos maritos, quo aliorum majis desidera-
torum amplexibus satientur, usurpari, et Hamburgi a vetula sie
honestam feminam, quo se inscia maechum, admitteret, intoxicatum
narratur.” See Lindenstolpe, de Venenis, 531; Mér. and de L.
Supplem. to Dict. de M. Méd. 238, 1846. Dr. Begbie has given
the extract with great success, in doses of one-quarter to one-
half grain every four hours, in many cases of neuralgia. Revue
Méd. iii, 57, and iv, 414. Dr. Fott relates the case of a young
lady who-was cured in six weeks of the tic douloureux by using
eight to fifteen drachms of the tincture. Gazette de Santé Jan-
vier, 1830, p. 8; Emploi du Stramonium dans |’Asthme Nerveux,
Paris, 1835. Series cf observations in relation to the use of the
dried leaves as a purgative in the treatment of asthma, (in
French.) Bull. de Thérap. vi, 12, 336. Ducros’ Observations
on the efficacy of the leaves of Dat. stramonium in a case of
angina pectoris, from the Bull. de Thérap. vii, 93. Serres’ Ob-
servations on the employment of extract of Stramonium in
facial Neuralgia. Bull. de Thérap. xiv, 51. F. Moreau, Mém.
on treatment of Hallucination by Stramonium in Gazette Meédi-
cale, 373, 1841; see, also, Bibliothéque de Therap. by M. Bayle,
ii, 249. Lindley, in his Natural System, says it is more particu-
larly applicable in “mania without fever.” The remedies for

551

poisoning by this plant are a speedy emetic, the free use of vege-
table acids, strong coffee, etc. Dr. Fisher, President of the Mas-
sachusetts Medical Society, found stramonium useful, remarks
Bigelow, in those cases of epilepsy which are diurnal or have
regular returns. It was unsuccessful in those which did not
observe any regular period. In tic douloureux of long standing
it is advised that it be taken in large doses, and that the system
be kept under its influence. The leaf, prepared and smoked as
tobacco, has been found to act as a palliative in asthma; the
root being useful in this respect. The remedy should never be
used in plethoric cases, unless preceded by ample depletion.
(U. S. Disp.) From the observations of Dr. Marcet, Phys.
Guy’s Hosp., taken internally it had proved very effectual in
removing acute pains, and in those arising from chronic dis-
eases, acute uterine affections, for instance. Decided benefit was
obtained from it in four cases of sciatica, and in two others
complicated with syphilitic pains. Eberle used it in this dis-
ease with entire success; and he states that his trials with
it in rheumatism were exceedingly flattering. Dr. Chapman
administered it in dysmenorrhea. The employment of the
ointment in allaying pain was known as far back as the time
of Gerarde, 1507. It is efficacious in changing the condition
and promoting cicatrization; acetate of lead being employed
with the ointment as an application to painful and irritable
ulcers and hemorrhoidal tumors. Preparations of stramonium
applied to the eye, it is well known, diminish sensibility and
dilate the pupil. I have seen the extract employed to a large
extent in the New York Eye Infirmary, in which institution it
had entirely taken the place of belladonna as an application for
dilating the pupil. Its virtues reside in an extractive princi-
ple, which is dissolved by water. The powder should be kept
in closely stopped bottles; the juice may be pressed out of the
leaves with a bag. The ointment may be made with a pound
of the fresh leaves simmered in three of lard until the leaves
become crisp, then strained and cooled gradually. Griffith
Med. Bot. 461. It is often applied in inflammation of the
breasts. The fresh leaves are often used as a dressing for
wounds.

An ointment made by stewing the seeds of the plant in lard
and straining it, has a most soothing effect upon piles and in

552

irritable or inflamed conditions of the fundament accompanied
with pain. I have known several cases in which it has given
entire relief. It may be injected or the parts anointed with it.
I make frequent use of the leaves in the formations of poultices
for abdominal and other pains, where soothing applications are
required,

The peculiar properties of this plant depend upon a principle
called daturia, very analogous to hyoscyamia, slowly dilating the
pupil and exercising a poisonous influence. Mr. Morries, in Ed.
Med. and Surgical Journal, xxxix, 379, has deseribed an empy-
reumatic oil obiained from it, closely allied to that from the
foxglove. Stramonium is stated to be an acro-narcotic, very
similar to belladonna, but acting in a more marked manner
upon the secretory functions. Chapman says it is considered
useful rather in allaying the excessive mobility of the system
’ than in tending to the absolute cure of the complaint; referring
to its effects in mania and epilepsy. Dr. Marcet regards its
operation on the bowels as relaxing rather than astringent.
The ointment has been recommended in nymphomania, to lessen
venereal excitement. The dose of the powdered leaves is one
grain, of the seeds half a grain; of the extract of the seeds
one-quarter of a grain, from the leaves one grain; of the tinc-
ture ten drops, to be increased if necessary. The tincture is
made with four ounces of the bruised seed to two pints of
diluted aleohol—macerate for fourteen days. In dilating the
pupil with the extract, preliminary to examination of a diseased
eye by the catopric test, I have repeatedly found it to allay
supra-orbital pains. To relieve the latter, so often a distressing
concomitant, we frequently prescribe it, with equal parts of
mercurial ointment and thirty grains of mur. morphia, as a
local application. The plant while young and tender is readily
collected, and eaten as a salad by soldiers in camp.

I offer no apology for inserting the following relation which
appeared during the war, for it only confirms statements ex-
pressed above:

It is not generally known that the Jamestown or Jimson
Weed possesses almost the narcotic and soporiferous effects of
the gum opium or the celebrated Egyptian “hash-heesh ;” but
such, we are assured, is the fact. A gentleman of undoubted
veracity gives his experience in experimenting on its soporifer-
ous qualities as follows:

553

“T was,” says he, “tormented with toothache; and having
tried every known remedy available without experiencing any
relief, [ was one day advised by an acquaintance to try the
effects of the Jimson weed, which he said he had never known
to fail. His manner of application was, to gather up the seed
from the pod, and smoke them in a common tobacco pipe.
Eager to do something to alleviate my misery, I did as he
directed, and the result will show that it came near being the
last act of my life.

“] procured the seed and proceeded to smoke, and soon found
that my misery was almost visibly abating, and that the effects
of smoking were pleasant in the extreme, and momentarily
growing more so. Without knowing the properties of the
weed, and being so much elated at the calm that had succeeded,
I continued to smoke on, momentarily growing more etherial,
as I imagined, until finally I lost all terrestrial feelings and
sympathies. Though possessing my faculties of understanding
unimpaired, I was possessed of feelings whose incomparable
happiness might have been envied by a houri. Visions, whose
magnificent splendor surpassed the most vivid Oriental imagi-
nation, were mine; stars, the most brilliant yet discovered,
within my sight ; and music, the most delicious that ever syren
sung, or that ever emanated from the harps of the muses,
greeted my ears. My organs of sight were increased to such
an extent that I could comprehend objects millions of miles
distant. The machinery of the universe was laid open to my
sight, and I could see the myriads of planets as they trod the
measured distances of their orbits, all in swift but mechanical
regularity.

“There was nothing my imagination could conjecture which
was not almost tangibly visible. Rainbows of the most mag-
nificent dyes were before me; chariots of the most precious
metals were constantly passing and repassing before my vision,
and, amidst all the wild confusion of beauty and grandeur,
came measuredly the sublimest harmony of sweet sounds that
made my soul swell within me.

“ All the time I was perfectly conscious of surrounding ob-
jects and events, but requested to be left alone to the enjoyment
of my translation, when my wife, seeing the deadly palor which
was overspreading my countenance, sent immediately for a

5d4

physician, who arrived while I was yet in my revery of the
beautiful and sublime.

“Finally, the vision faded from my view, and most unwil-
lingly I began to return to dull mortality ; but with nerves out
of order, and my whole system relaxed and unstrung. It was
days before I recovered finally from the effects of it; but my
tooth was cured, and has never ached since. I would advise all
who may read this not to let their curiosity prompt them to
try the experiment, as it is attended with unknown danger.”

This plant being found so abundantly, and being possessed of
such decided narcotic and sedative properties, much more use
should be made of it in the composition of poultices, and where
soothing and hot applications are required. It is believed by
many to prevent tetanus and spasm when applied locally to
painful wounds, ulcers, etc. It is largely used as a domestic
remedy on our plantations, and with advantage.

PURPLE THORN-APPLE, (Datura tatula, L.) Grows
around Charleston. Fl. July and September.

U.S. Disp. 690. “It possesses very much the same proper-
ties as the D. stramonium,” of which it is classed in Chapman’s
Bot. as a variety. Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Med. 599. The
decoction of the leaves is employed in leprosy. Dict. des
Drogues, ii, 56. Said to be aphrodisiac.

Datura Metel, L. Int. N.and8&.C. Curtis.

D. metel, an Indian species, has long been known for its
soporific and intoxicating powers, and has frequently been em-
ployed with criminal intention ; Fleming Cat. Med. Pl. Belou,
in his “ Singularities,” 460, refers quaintly to it. He says that
it gives sleep to the restless, makes people joyful, and removes
the remembrance of things which cause melancholy and low
spirits. See the original in French, in Griffith’s Med. Bot. The
seeds of the plant were considered to be aphrodisiac, and are
said to have been used by courtesans in India and Turkey.
Op. cit.

GENTIANACEM. (The Gentian Tribe.)

Characterized by intense bitterness.

SAMPSON’S SNAKEROOT; BLUE GENTIAN, (Gentiana
Alliotii, Chap. Fl. Gentiana Catesbei, Ell.) Damp soils along
rivulets ; collected in St. John’s Berkeley; vicinity of Charles-
ton ; grows in Georgia also; Newbern. FI. September.

555

Big. Am. Med. Bot. ii, 138; U. S. Disp. 348; Bell’s Pract.
Dict. 218; Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. iii, 361; Coxe, Am.
Disp. 304; Frost’s Elems. Mat. Med. 359; Griffith Med. Bot.
461. An excellent bitter tonic, “little inferior to the European
gentian,” introduced to notice by Dr. McBride, of St. John’s
Berkeley, South Carolina. It is frequently prescribed with ad-
vantage in pneumonia, attended with typhoid symptoms, and
in dyspepsia. The virtues reside in a bitter extractive principle,
soluble in water and alcohol. It may be advantageously com-
bined with chalybeates. It is employed to some extent in
popular practice at the South, and is found of much service as
a substitute for bitters; I have frequently prepared and used it
as such. The decoction is the form prescribed in pneumonia.
The saturated spirituous tincture is advised in dyspepsia and in
debility of stomach, in doses of one-quarter to one-half of a
fluid ounce. The root is officinal; dose of the powder from
fifteen to thirty grains. The compound infusion is made with
one-half ounce of the root, orange peel and coriander, each, one
drachm, cold water twelve fluid ounces, macerate for twelve
hours; dose, one fluid ounce. Dose of extract, ten to thirty
grains. Given before meals it invigorates the stomach, increases
the appetite, and prevents acidification of the food. In a fresh
state these plants are said to prove cathartic in large doses.

For extraction of “bitter principle” in plants, see Rural Cyc.
435, vol. i. It is believed by many that the use of bitters in
spring and autumn will counteract the action of malaria. They
certainly prevent debility, and increase the digestive and nutri-
tive powers, and thus indirectly act as prophylactics, even
when they possess no positive virtue as anti-periodic agents.
The various species of gentian, thoroughwort, sabbatia, dog-
wood, poplar bark, willow, pipsissewa, or winter-green, wild
cherry bark, sarracenia, etc., supply useful bitters. They may
be collected and prepared by any one. Cold water extracts
bitters, and alcohol may be added to preserve the infusion. I
have prepared and used a tincture of the wild gentian since
the war as an economical substitute for the tincture of bark.

Gentiana purpurea, rubra, and lutea are used in England as
substitutes for hops. No doubt our species would serve the
same purpose; at any rate, they will give a bitter tonic property
when used in the manufacture of ale, beer, etc.

556

Gentiana ochroleuca, W. Grows in damp soils; collected in
St. John’s; vicinity of Charleston. Fl. September.

Hil. Bot. Med. Notes, 340. It possesses properties somewhat
similar to the above.

Gentiana saponaria, L. G. catesbei, Walt. Vicinity of
Charleston.

Griffith Med. Bot. 461.

INDIAN QUININE; AGUE WEED, (Gentiana quinquefiora,
Frl.) This and the G. sap. are esteemed fully equal to the im-
ported gentian. In large doses they are said to be laxative.
Dr. E. P. Wood, of Wisconsin, has given this plant with success
in intermittent fever. Trans. Ill. State Med. Soc. 1857.

AM. CENTAURY, (Sabbatia angularis, Pursh. Chironia,
Linn.) Grows in low soils along rivulets; collected in St. John’s;
vicinity of Charleston.

Ell. Bot. Med. Notes, i, 385; Chap. Therap. and Mat. Med.
438; ii, 417; U. S. Disp. 611; Pe. Mat. Med. and Therap. ii,
344; Royle Mat. Med. 475; Eberle, Mat. Med. i, 307. See Chi-
ronia, Big. Am. Med. Bot. iii, 147; Bart. M. Bot. 1255; Ed. and
Vav. Mat. Méd. 1176; Barton’s Collec. i, 15; Lind. Nat. Syst.
Bot. 297; Griffith’s Med. Bot. 459; Frost’s Elems. Mat. Med.
529. “This is a pure bitter, with tonic and stomachic proper-
ties.” Bigelow does not hesitate to attest its utility ; and Eberle
considers it one of the most valuable of our indigenous remedies
of this class; employed in domestic practice in intermittent
fever, but principally to invigorate the stomach and alimentary
canal. Barton says it was given with success in certain stages
of the yellow fever. The cold infusion of one ounce of the herb
to one pint of boiling water, taken in doses of a wineglassful
every two hours, may be used, or thirty grains to sixty grains
of the powder, which also acts as a vermifuge. The decoction,
extract and tincture may be used.

Sabbatia stellaris, Ph. (Prodrom.) Sabbatia gracilis, Mich. Ell,
Sk. Grows in damp soils; Newbern; vicinity of Charleston ;
collected in St. John’s; sent to me from Abbeville by Mr. Reed.
It possesses properties similar to the above.

INDIAN LETTUCE; AM. COLOMBO, (Frasera Carolinen-
sis, Walt. Frasera Walteri, Mich.) Found in Fairfield and Ab-
beville Districts; Newbern.

557

This genus was named after his friend Fraser, by Mr. Thomas
Walter, who resided on the Santee, where she cultivated many
of the plants described in Latin in his ‘“ Flora Caroliniana ;”
London, 1788. The writer will be pardoned for making this
reference to a maternal ancestor, one of the earliest contributors
to the Botany of the South, from whom has been derived a par-
tiality for similar pursuits. A translation of this volume in
English, in MSS., by Governor John Drayton, is preserved in
the Charleston Library.

Ell. Bot. McBride’s Note, i, 205; Drake’s Cincinnati, 86; Bart.
Veg. Mat. Med. iii, 107; Raf. Med. Fl. i, 196; Coxe, Am. Disp.
297 ; Frost’s Elems. Mat. Med. 534; Mér. and de L. Dict. de M.
Méd. iii, 291; Griffith’s Med. Bot. 463. ‘A pure, powerful and
excellent bitter, destitute of aroma.” Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. In
the recent state it is said to possess considerable emetic and ¢a-
thartic power; the root is employed as a tonic and febrifuge,
and is substituted for the officinal colombo with equal advan-
tage, given during the convalescence from fevers. By the anal-
ysis of Mr. Douglass, Am. Journal Pharm. vi, 157, it contains
bitter extractive, gum, tannin, gallic acid, resin, fatty matter,
sugar, ete. Griffith, in Journal Phil. Coll. Pharm. iii, 269. In
the recent state it is employed as a substitute for rhubarb, in
doses of thirty grains to one drachm of the infusion of one
ounce of'the root to one pint of boiling water, of which a wine-
glassful may be taken three times a day. It should be collected ©
in the autumn of the second or spring of the third year. The
root before being dried should be cut in transverse slices. An
infusion is made with one ounce of the bruised root to one pint
of boiling water ; dose, one or two fluid ounces. It is also useful
prescribed as a tonic. This plant holds a deservedly high rank
among our native tonics, and I would recommend its employ-
ment to those residing in localities where it may be found. The
tincture is given as a tonic, and the powdered plant applied ex-
ternally to ulcers in the form of a poultice for its anti-septic
powers.

SPIGELIACEA. (The Wormseed Tribe.)

CAROLINA PINK-ROOT, (Spigelia Marylandica, Walter.)
Abundant in the lower portions of Carolina; collected in St.
John’s; vicinity of Charleston. Fl. May.

558

Lining, Essays and Obs. Phys. Lit. South Carolina, i, 386 ;
Garden’s Essay Phys. and Lit. iii, 145; HII. Bot. Med. Notes,
237; Eberle, Mat. Med. ii, 376; Chalmers on the Weather and
Diseases of South Carolina, i, 67; Frost’s Elems. Mat. Med. 187;
Le. Mat. Med. ii, 377; Big. Am. Med. Bot. i, 142; Home, Chim.
Exper. 420; Murray’s App. Med. i, 548; Royle, Mat. Med. 469;
Thompson’s Inaug. Diss. Fenella, Journal de Pharm. ix, 197;
Griffith, Phil. Journal Pharm. 1833 ; Bell’s Pract. Dict. 433 ; Hd.
and Vav. Mat. Méd. 595; Pe. Mat. Med. and Therap. ii, 344;
U.S. Disp. 680; Ball. and Gar. Mat. Med. 334; Bergii, Mat. Med.
i, 96; Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. vi, 502; Coxe, Am. Disp.
128 and 558; Bull. des Sci. Méd. de Férus, xi, 301; Lind. Nat.
Syst. Bot. 299; Bart. Am. Med. Bot. ii, 80; Woody. Med. Bot. ii,
289. See Dr. Brocklesby’s Obs. Med. 282 ; Griffith’s Med. Bot.
466. This plant is a well known indigenous anthelmintic, pos-
sessed of narcotic and cathartic powers. Dr. Barton found it
also useful in the fevers of children not proceeding from vermi-
nous irritation, as from those, for instance, consequent upon
hydrocephalus. The root contains a heavy, gross and volatile
oil, a small quantity of resin, a peculiar bitter substance, spige-
line, albumen, gallic acid, salts, ete. See Anal. Journal de Pharm.
ix, 197. According to Feneuille, spigeline is bitter, nauseant
and purgative, and produces a sort of intoxication (ivresse.)
The root is much more active in the recent state. With senna,
it forms the well known and efficacious remedy called worm-
tea: composed of spig. half an ounce; senna two drachms;
savin half a drachm, and manna two drachms—to be infused ina
pint of water and strained, of which one to two ounces may be
given toa child. This dose does not excite narcotic symptoms.
Chalmers’ Hist. of South Carolina. Dr. Lining, of South Caro-
lina, gave twelve grains of the root of this plant to an infant
morning and evening; ten to twenty grains may be given to
one of seven, and one drachm to an adult, repeated two or three
times a day; or an ounce of the root infused in one pint of water,
of which a half may be taken by an adult, and oneor two spoons-
ful by a child. When a full dose is given at night, it is well to
follow it by a purge in the morning. Dr. J. P. Thomas informs
me that his children drink the pink-root tea habitually as a bev-
erage, and prefer it to the hyson; and in this way it proves
prophylactic against worms.

.

4

559
APOCYNACE.

It contains species with purgative, acrid, and febrifugal
properties.

Forsteronia difformis, D. C. Prodrom. Echites difformis, Walter
and Ell. Sk. A vine found sparingly in South Carolina; col-
lected in St. John’s, on Sarrazin Pl. (Mrs. I. S. Porcher’s;)
found also in the vicinity of Charleston.

Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. iii, 51. With milk, it is used
as a wash for freckles, The juice is said to be sufficiently caustic
to destroy worts and scirrhous excrescences. Any portion of
the plant will coagulate milk.

The juice of our species of Hehites and Forsteronia (E. dif-
formis, Ell. and Walt.) should be examined, for from this genus
is obtained the highly poisonous Woorari (from LE. suberecta)
growing in Jamaica.

INDIAN HEMP; DOG’S-BANE; AMY-ROOT, (Apocynum
cannabinum, L. A. pubescens, Ell. Sk.) Grows along fences in
wet soils; collected in St. John’s; vicinity of Charleston; New-
bern. FI. July.

Bell’s Pract. Dict. 61; Pe. Mat. Med. and Therap. ii, 365;
Journal Phil. Coll. Pharm. v, 136; Am. Journal Med. Sci. xii, 55;
Dr. Griscom, in op. cit.; U.S. Disp. 108; Am. Med. Rev. iii, 197;
Ball. and Gar. Mat. Med. 338; Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd.
i, 368. This is a powerful emeto-cathartic, producing diapho-
resis, and expectoration, inducing also a tendency to sleep, in-
dependent of the exhaustion consequent upon vomiting. The
evacuations brought on by it are large, feculent and watery ;
and they are succeeded by perspiration. Am. Journal Med. Sci.
loc cit: “It diminishes the frequency of the pulse and induces
drowsiness,” This plant is one of our most powerful hydra-
gogue cathartics and diuretics, and has frequently cured ag-
gravated cases of ascites. It acts so decidedly in draining the
system that Dr. Rush called it the “vegetable trocar.” I have
seen it used with advantage in dropsy by Dr. V. Mott among
his clinical patients; he employs it in cases of tonic dropsy,
being too active for those of an atonic character, where iron
would have been advisable. Dr. Knapp states, in his Inaug.
Thesis, that fifteen to twenty grains of the powdered root would
induce vomiting; he gave it in intermittent fever, in pneumonic

560

affections, in dysentery, and as an alterative in enteritis. Dr.
Jos. Parrish cured an aggravated case of ascites by the decoc-
tion of the plant, and Drs. Knapp and Griscom have found great
service from its use in this disease. Am. Jour. Med. Sc., xii, 55.
Dr. R. S. Cauthorn, of Rd., Va., has employed the bark of the
powdered root in six grain doses, increased to three times the
quantity, with success in the treatment of intermittent fever.
' Va. Med. Jour., ix, 425; U.S. Disp., 12th Edition. I had reported
its use in this class of fevers in my Report on Med. Bot. of S. C.,
1849. It acts as a sternutatory, and the fresh juice has been
employed as an external application in some cutaneous affec-
tions. By chemical analysis, it is shown to contain tannin,
gallic acid, gum-resin, wax, fecula, caoutchouc, and a bitter
principle, apocynin. Meérat states, in the Supplem. to the Dict.
de M. Méd. 52, 1846, that the preparation called apocyne com-
bines all its valuable constituents. Revue Méd. Oct. 1833, and
Journal de Chim. Med. x, 95 et 567 ; see, also, Griffith Med. Bot.
449. For its hydragogue or diuretic effect the decoction, made
with one ounce of the root in one pint of boiling water, is given
in doses of a wineglassful three times a day. The bark furnishes
a fibre resembling hemp, of a whiter color, and superior in du-
rability; and the decoction affords a permanent dye, brown or
black, according to the mordant used.

“This plant has been proved by Prof. Thouin, of Paris, to
possess a stronger fibre than that of hemp; andit is used by the
American Indians for making cordage, fishing nets, and coarse
cloth. The name alludes to the noxiousness of the juice to
dogs.” Rural Cyc. See Urtica, Linum, Asclepias, for plants
containing textile fibres.

In St. John’s Berkeley, S. C., this plant is knowa as “ Amy
root, or General Marion’s weed,” from its having been a favorite
remedial agent in the camp of the partisan leader, and is es-
teemed to possess great virtues in arresting intermittent fevers ;
used as a substitute for quinine. It is generally given steeped
in whiskey, or a decoction may be drunk as a tea. As the plant
is also purgative, it affords a singular example of a bitter and a
purgative united, hence its applicability as a stomachie in con-
stipation, dyspepsia, and depraved conditions of the nutritive
organs. A subject of violent asthma assures me that the decoc-
tion gives her more relief than any other agent tried, possibly

vv

by promoting digestion. I have used it repeatedly since and
always with benefit, no doubt dependent upon the nausea relax-
ation and catharsis following its use. I have had detailed to
me a very aggravated case of dropsy cured by the use of this
plant in decoction, and I have seen it relieve two very aggra-
vated cases under my own care. A patient with dropsy in the
City Hospital, August, 1857, was purged and vomited violently
by one wineglassful of a strong decoction which I ordered him,
and I have seen it act upon delicate persons with entirely too
much activity, so that it should not be used in too large doses.
Dose of powdered root, fifteen to thirty grains. See next
species.

Dr. J. G. Goss in a paper in Tilden’s Journ. of Mat. Med. pb.
1868, recommends the combination of three to five grains each
of cannabinum and nitrate of potash as u diuretic to be given
every two or three hours; or that the infusion should be com-
bined with that of pipsissewa, one ounce of the former to two of
the latter given every three hours. I have no doubt from my
own experience with both agents that such combinations would
be serviceable in ascites and anasarca.

Dr. Goss states that a few grains of the apocynum given twice
a day will remove ascarides. The active principle, the apocynin,
is recommended by some recent writers in doses of fractional
parts of a grain several times a day for its influence as a cata-
lytic agent in hastening the disintegration and discharge from
the system of the nitrogenous element, urates, phosphates, etc,
hence useful in fevers, rheumatism and blood diseases.

DOG’S-BANE; BITTER ROOT; MILK WEED, (Apocy-
num androsemifolium, L.) Grows in damp rich soils; vicinity of
Charleston.

Big. Am. Med. Bot. ii, 148; Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. i,
368; Coxe, Am. Disp. 85; Kalm’s Travels, 326; Griffith Med.
Bot. 450. Thirty grains of the powder ot the recently dried
root is emetic and diaphoretic, causing scarcely any previous
nausea; so that it is suitable for evacuating the contents of
the stomach without producing exhaustion or relaxation of
the muscular system. It operates in this way as effectually as
two-thirds of the quantity of ipecacuanha. The active property
is diminished by keeping. As a diaphoretic, it is best com-
bined with one grain of opium. Dr. Zollickoffer considers it a

36

562

useful tonic in doses of ten to twenty grains. The Indians use
it in lues venerea. Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. It is also
employed by the vegetable practitioners. See Howard’s Imp.
Syst. Bot. Med. 291. It is supposed to contain a bitter extrac-
tive principle, a coloring principle, soluble in water, caoutchouc,
and a volatile oil. The wounded plant emits a copious milky
juice. Dose as an emetic forty grains; as a diaphoretic, the same
quantity, with one grain of opium; as a tonic or alterant from
ten to twenty grains.

The properties mentioned above closely resemble those as-
cribed to the “ Amy root” (A. cannabinum) by residents of St.
John’s, South Carolina, viz: a laxative united with a bitter
principle

The Eelectics use the active principle apocynin, extracted
from both of our native species, in doses of two grains, two or
three times a day. (See New Remedies by Wm. Paine.) It is
stated that administered in half grain doses every hour, nausea
may be kept up for a considerable time. They use it as a depu-
ratory agent, as an aperient alterative and tonic in secondary
syphilis, jaundice, constipation and dropsies, and often combine
it with podophyllin, asclepin, hydrastin, etc. The dose of Til-
den’s Fluid Extract of A. andros. is ten to twenty drops, of the
solid extract two to eight grains. The analogous preparations
from the A. cann. are given in somewhat smaller doses.

ASCLEPIADACEA.

Roots generally acrid and stimulating. Some of them emetic.

Gonolobus macrophyllus, Mich. Variety a and 6. Collected
in St. John’s; vicinity of Charleston. Fl. July.

Ell. Bot. Med. Notes, i, 328; Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd.
iii, 409; Ann. du Museum, xiv, 464. It is one of the substitutes
for colocynth. Mérat says: “Cette apocynée des Etats Unis
passe pour fournir le suc avec lequel les sauvages de ce pays
empoisonnent leurs fléches.”

PLEURISY ROOT; BU'TTERFLY-WEED, (Aselepias tube-
rosa, W. Asclepias decumbens, of some Bot.)- Grows abun-
dantly in pine barrens; collected in St. John’s Berkeley ; New-
bern. Fl. July.

U. S. Disp. 127; Pe. Mat. Med. and Therap. ii, 347; Chap.
Therap. and Mat. Med.i, 351; Ed.and Vay. Mat. Med. 345; Eberle ,

963

‘Mat. Med. ii, 219 ; Ell. Bot. Med. Notes, i, 326; Big. Am. Med.
Bot. ii, 65 ; Thacher’s U.S. Disp. Bart.; M. Bot. i, 244; Lind. Nat.
Syst. Bot. 304; Am. Med. Record, iii, 334; Frost’s Elems. Mat.
Med. 217; Bell’s Pract. Dict. 82; Cullen, Mat. Med. i, 6; Mer.
and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. i, 467; De Cand. Prodromus, 458 ;
Shee. Flora Carol. 220; Barton’s Collec. 48; Lind. Nat. Syst.
Bot. 304. This plant is actively diaphoretic and expectorant,
without being stimulant. “It has the singular property of
exciting general perspiration without increasing in any percep-
tible degree the heat of the body.” (Lindley, see A. decumbens.)
In large doses it is purgative. It has been advantageously used
in rheumatism, in most pectoral affections, catarrh, subacute
pneumonia, and in phthisis, as a palliative. It has also been
favorably employed in dysentery. Shecut says that thirty
grains of the powdered root at a dose was much esteemed in
this disease. Dr. McBride, of St. John’s, South Carolina, ex-
perimented largely with it in pleurisy, generally finding it to
act with advantage. Eberle used it; and Dr. Parker employed
it for twenty years with continued confidence. It is sometimes
called wind root, on account of the relief it gives in flatulence.
Dr. Pawling, of Pa., says that when freely given it diminishes
the volume and activity of the pulse, while it aevoeee copious
diaphoresis. Am. J. Pharm. xxxiii, 496; U.S. Disp., 12th Ed.
In a communication from Dr. John Tidasians: of Chester Dis-
trict, South Carolina, we have the results of the experiments of
Mr. McKeown, who believes it expectorant, tonic, diaphoretic
and sudorific, and who has employed it with benefit in pectoral
affections; he considers that a teaspoonful of the powdered
root in hot water, often repeated, acts as a safe and useful sub-
stitute for the preparations of antimony; he has also observed
that the same quantity of the root, with half the amount of
snakeroot, (Aristoloch serp.,) given several times a day for several
days, will induce soreness of the mouth, with free and copious
salivation ; this soon subsides, without any of those disagreeable
results which follow the administration of the mercurial prep-
arations. Should this effect be constant, it might be made of
great service. A medical friend informs me that he employed
the decoction in two cases of pneumonia, and that the action
on the lungs was most decided and rapid. There seems to be
no question as to its utility. It may act by disgorging the

564

portal system, besides increasing the excretion from the mucous

membrane of the lungs. It should be more extensively em-
ployed by physicians. The powdered root has been used as an
escharotic for restraining the growth of fungous flesh in ulcers.
When the diaphoretic effect is desired the decoction of one
ounce of the root to one quart of water is best, given in doses
of a tea cupful every two hours. Dose of powdered root,
twenty grains to one drachm several times a day.

In the neighborhood of Camden, South Carolina, the root of
silk-weed (pleurisy root) is much relied on in rheumatism. The
root is macerated in brandy. It is believed by many that it
has a marked influence in promoting the excretion of bile, and
the tincture is said by those who use it to have a laxative
effect. It is used as a substitute for calomel. This testimony,
recently obtained, will be found to correspond with what was
written by me long since of the pleurisy root, (A. tuberosa,) in
my Report on Med. Bot. S. C. 1849. A fluid extract has been
made,

From a work reputed to contain the practice of physic
among the Cherokee Indians, entitled the “Indian Guide to
Health,” I quote the following, which adds little to our previous
knowledge: “Few articles in the Indian materia medica main-
tain a higher standing than pleurisy root. It acts as a mild
purgative on the bowels, but it is more particularly and inesti-
mably valuable in producing expectoration, or throwing off
mucus from the throat and lungs, and in causing perspiration
or sweating when other remedies fail. This root possesses one
remarkable power—given in proper quantities it affects the
skin and produces perspiration without heating the body or in-
creasing circulation. It is a valuable article in diseases of the
lungs generally. Its use in a strong decoetion often gives re-
lief to pain in the chest, stomach and intestines, by promoting
perspiration and assisting digestion.”

The milky juice exuding from Asclepias, Leontodon, Lactuca
and the Huphorbiacee yield caoutchouc. I would suppose that
the queen’s delight, (Stillingia,) which is abundant, would also
furnish it. It might be procured from those which give a large
exudation of milk when cut. I have collected and dried the
juice of Asclepias. “When any of these plants are incised
there exudes a milky juice which by exposure to the air grad-

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565

ually lets fall concrete caoutchoue. The juice is pale yellow,
thick, and similar to cream. When spread in thin layers on a
solid body it soon becomes solid caoutchouc, amounting to
forty-five per cent. of the weight of juice. The black color is
owing to the method of drying it after it has been spread upon
moulds.” Wilson’s Rural Cye., art. “ Caoutchoue.” Ure's Dict.
of Arts contains full descriptions of processes, adaptability,
ete. Caoutchoue is insoluble in water, alcohol, acids, or alka-
lies. By long boiling in water it softens and swells up. It is
slightly soluble in ether.

The downy substance attached to the seed of the silk-weeds
may be used for many purposes—for stuffing beds, cushions,
ete.

Asclepias incarnata, W. “Grows in the valleys among the
mountains of South Carolina,” Elliott ; vicinity of Charleston ;
Newbern. Fl. July.

U. §, Disp. 126; Journal Phil. Coll. Pharm. iv, 283; Griffith
Med. Bot. 455. Dr. Griffith speaks of it as a useful emetic and
cathartic ; and Dr. Tully says it may be given advantageously
in asthma, catarrh and syphilis ; no doubt very similar in prop-
erties to the A. decumbens.

DWARF MILK-WEED, (Aselepias verticillata, L.) Collected
in St. John’s; Newbern.

This is a domestic remedy in repute for the bite of snakes.
It is said by those who have used itin the upper districts of
South Carolina to be very deservedly celebrated. See, also, Va.
Med. J., December, 1858. These plants emit a milky juice
when bruised; with the aigrette of the seeds, a fleecy down
one or two inches in length, somewhat resembling silk, it has
been proposed to make cloth. Upon experiment, 1863, I find
the fibre of A. obtus/folia of Mx. uncommonly strong, and easily

-separated. A few strands resist every effort to break them,

but they do not bear knotting well. They can be drawn from
the plant and used as sewing thread without further prepara-
tion. The cohesion and tenacity of even the finest fibres is
something extraordinary. Upon examining the fibre of the
A. variegata, L., I find it if not stronger more easily separable.

VIRGINIAN SWALLOW-WORT; VIRGINIAN SILK,
(Asclepias cornuti. Decaisne. A. syriaca, LL.) Fields and road-
sides; Newbern. Chap. and Croom’s Cat.

~ 566

The flowers are highly fragrant, especially in the morning
and the evening, and “are gathered in their native country
while the dew is on them, for the purpose of making sugar.
The young shoots in spring are a very good substitute for
asparagus ; the down of the pods serves well for stuffing pillows
and cushions, for making thread and cloth, and for some other
purposes; the fibrous matter of the stems is abundant in quan-
tity, excellent in flax-like quality, and is used and highly appre-
ciated in some parts of North America for making thread,
cordage, fishing nets and cloth. It has been successfully ex-
perimented with as an agricultural plant in France and Ger-
many. It may be propagated either by transplanting roots in
rows about two feet apart or by sowing seeds.” Wilson’s Ru-
ral Cyc. Many of the Silk-weeds have strong fibres. The
above only confirms a note in Prof. Gibbes’ “Catalogue” as fol-
lows: the cortical fibres of many possess great strength, as is
easily proved by the attempt to break theirstems. From those
of the A. syriaca a number of articles have lately been manu-
factured at Salem, Mass.—such as thread, netting, bags and
purses, tapes, socks, knotting for fringes, etc. The silk from
the pods forms an excellent article for stuffing cushions, pillows,
mattresses, etc. Mixed with cotton it may be spun into yarn
for gloves and socks. It is used in making artificial feathers
and flowers. Bonnets, capes and tippets of very handsome
appearance are made by sewing the tufts in overlapping rows
on cotton or silk. In Germany, in 1785, the cultivation of the
A. syriaca was begun with six plants, and in eight years there
was a plantation of thirty thousand, which yielded eight hun-
dred pounds of silk the first crop, three hundred and fifty-five
the second, and six hundred the third. In the same country a
paper was made from the cortical fibres which was distinguished
with difficulty from that made from rags. See Silliman’s Jour.,
vol. xxviii, p. 380, and an article in the Horticultural Register,
by Dearborn, in which he also gives an account of his mode of
cultivation of the same plant for its young shoots, which he
considers nearly equal to asparagus. oc. cit. sup. From
nearly all the species of Silk-weed the down from the seeds may
be collected. They abound in almost every portion of the
Southern States.

The Indian doctors use the root of the silk-weed as a diuretic

567

decoction in gonorrhea. The root is said to be emetic and
cathartic, and is used in dropsy. Dr. R. 8. Cauthorn, of Rich-
mond, Va., has given the powdered root in three grain doses
with success in six cases of intermittent fever ; Stethoscope,
1858. Dr. Richardson, of Mass., found the root possessed of
anodyne properties, giving a drachm of the powdered root in
divided doses, and employing a strong infusion in cases of
asthma and catarrh. Dr. A. EH. Thomas, of Miss., and Dr.
McLean, of Ky., in letters to the editors of the U. S. Disp.,
speak of the success attending the employmert of the root in
scrofula, for which it has been long used. The latter found it
useful as an alterative in hepatic affections, but was doubtful of
the species. U.S. Disp., 12th Ed.

BASTARD IPECAC; BLOOD WEED; CURASOA, (A.
curassavica, L.) Grows in South Florida, (Chap.;) is possessed
of emetic and sudorific qualities, and by Dr. W. Hamilton is
used in arresting hemorrhages. Dr. Barham found it very
efficient in obstinate gonorrhea. Am. J. Pharm. xix, 19.

OLEACEA, (The Olive Tribe.)

This order is said by Lindley to offer one of the few instances
of oil being contained in the pericarp, it being in most other
plants yielded by the seeds.

EUROPEAN OLIVE, (Olea Europea.) Introduced.

This well known plant, of which it has been said “Olea prima
omnium arborum est,” is cultivated in Charleston as a garden
plant, and matures its fruit. A tree in Lamboll street bears
fruit of good size, which I have seen made into excellent
“olives” for table use; also pickled. Repeated attempts have
been made to cultivate the olive, and little doubt exists that
with greater efforts it may become a valuable oil-bearing plant.
In Patent Office Reports, 1854, p. 28, is a brief statement of
several efforts to introduce the olive into South Carolina,
Georgia, and other Southern States. A paper was also pub-
lished on this subject by Judge M. King, of Charleston. In
1755 Mr. Henry Laurens imported and planted olives, capers,
limes, ginger, etc. The latter is still easily raised in our gardens
in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. In 1785 the olive was
successfully grown in South Carolina. It is not easily propa-
gated from seeds. A colony of Greeks, settled at Hast Florida,

568

had planted the olive, and sixty years ago it is said there were .

large trees marking the site of that settlement. ‘The tree was
also cultivated by Mr. Cooper, of St. Simons, and Mr. Spalding,
of Georgia. See a paper in Southern Cultivator, p. 7, vol. iii;
also, Jefferson’s letter to Drayton, in his Memoirs.

As this plant is an important one, and experience concerning
its propagation in the Southern States is difficult to obtain, I
add the following statement of Mr. R. Chisolm, Beaufort Dis-
trict, S. C.:

“My olive trees were imported from the neighborhood of
Florence, by the way of Leghorn, in 1833,*and consist of two
kinds—the small, round, esteemed best for oil, and a much
larger and more oval-fruited sort, which turns white before it
becomes purple, the latter having been sent as stalks to engraft
the other upon. The winter of 1834-5 was an excessively cold
one, and injured to the roots all the orange trees of the South,
and some of them so severely that they never afterward
sprouted ; yet I do not recollect that my olive trees suffered at
all—certainly, none were killed. No cold which we have expe-
rienced since has caused them to shed a leaf, whereas our
orange trees have suffered much, and about four years since
barely escaped being killed to the ground. My olive trees are
planted in a rather flat, clayey piece of land, quite-near the salt
water, and but little elevated above high tides. In Italy, I be-
lieve, it is generally thought that this tree does not thrive well
far from the sea, but does best on what they call a fat soil,
which contains more or less clay. From what I have seen of
it on sandy soils in this vicinity it has proved not very fruitful.
Finding that my trees grew very slowly, and not expecting to
derive profit enough from them to pay for their culture, the
idea occurred to me of trying to cultivate the sweet potato,
field and cow-peas among them, hoping that the expense of cul-
tivating the olive might be covered by these means. The land
was well manured every year in June, and cultivated with one
or the other of these crops, in such a manner as the other oper-
ations of the plantation would render convenient, generally,
however, with sweet potatoes, irrespective of rotation. The
result has much more than answered my expectations, as I very
seldom failed to make a fair crop of potatoes, and the trees
have grown vigorously, and rapidly come into bearing, and

569

have continued to bear good crops of fruit every year, occa-
sionally abundant ones; while in Europe the habit of almost
every variety of this tree is to bear only in alternate years. As
the olive ripens during the months of October and November,
at a time when we are straining every nerve to save most of
our other crops, no attempt has been made to gather all the
fruit ; but one year enough was gathered, pounded in a mortar
and the oil pressed out, to justify me in saying that I produced
a very clear and good looking article, which was exhibited
about two years since at the Fair at the South Carolina Insti-
tute. The only use that has yet been made of the olives is to
pickle them while green, in a full grown state, in August or
September, for which purpose they seem admirably adapted. A
few may now be found on sale, which are preferred to those im-
ported. The recipe for pickling was obtained from France, and
is as follows: ‘For each pound of the fruit take a pound of
strong ashes (those of the hickory wood are the best we have)
and an ounce of good slacked lime; mix the lime and ashes
with water until a soft paste or mortar is formed, into which
stir or imbed the olives, and finish by covering the whole mass
with a layer of dry ashes. Let them lie in this state until all
the bitumen is extracted, which may be known by the stones
slipping readily out of the pulp when squeezed between the
forefinger and thumb, for which purpose a few may be tried
once an hour, or oftener if desired. The length of time re-
quired for this will depend entirely upon the quality of the
ashes and lime, and may vary from two to three hours to as
many days. As soon as the olives have been deprived of their
bitterness they must be washed clean and put to soak in fresh
water, which must be changed about once an hour for twenty-
four hours, when the taste of potash will have been removed
and the water cease to be discolored. The olives must then be
put into bottles or jars, and a strong brine put over them made
from good rock or alum salt. This brine will generally require
to be changed several times, in consequence of becoming ash-
colored, after which the bottles must be sealed air-tight, and if
kept in a cool, dry, dark place, the olives will keep good for
years. Olives carefully cured after this plan will be found less
salty than those pickled in France which are usually sold in
this country, and will retain much of the nutty flavor of pure

570

olive oil. Ido not think that the making of oil from the olive
will be likely to prove sufficiently profitable to be pursued in
this country for many years, as labor is expensive, and other
crops will necessarily take the lead, unless the price of labor or
soil in Europe should be increased, when there will, conse-
quently, become a greater demand.”

The oil is obtained of two or three qualities. The virgin oil
is that which spontaneously separates from the paste of crushed
olives. This is purified for watchmakers by placing in a vial
containing in it a slip of sheet lead. In Sicily the olives are
beaten from the tree. It is allowed to ferment in bins or re-
ceptacles. It is then conveyed to a mill, ground into a paste
under heavy stones, and chaff or small straw occasionally
thrown in to retain the oil. The pulp is) then rammed into
round, flat baskets, made of a strong kind of rush, and sub-
mitted to a press. When the oil ceases to run from a first
pressin«, the baskets are removed, their contents again pressed
under the mill, returned to the baskets, submitted to the press
again. Hot water is sometimes thrown over the mass to in-
crease the flow of oil, the latter being subsequently skimmed
from the surface. What is finally left in the baskets, after the
third pressure, is refuse material, used for lamps by curriers and
tanners. To procure the best oil no fermentation should be
used. Consult Ure’s Dictionary of Arts, Patent Office Reports,
1859, p. 114.

DEVIL-WOOD; AMERICAN OLIVE, (Olea Americana.) I
have collected it near Charleston, Rutledge’s farm and in St.
John’s, 8. C. Rare and ornamental.

The wood has a fine and compact grain, and when perfectly
dry it is excessively hard and very difficult to cut or split;
hence is derived the name of devil-wood. On laying bare the
cellular integuments of the bark its natural yellow hue changes
instantaneously to a deep red, and the wood, by contact with
the air, assumes a rosy complexion. I have not been able to
verify this after repeated trials. Michaux suggests that experi-
ments be made to test the nature of this active principle. Am.
Sylva; Farmer’s Encye.

OLD-MAN’S BEARD; POISON ASH; FRINGE TREE,
(Chionanthus Virginica, Walter.) A very ornamental plant ;
collected in the swamps of St. John’s Berkeley ; vicinity of
Charleston; Newbern. Fl. April.

571

Ell. Bot. Med. Notes, i, 6. An infusion of the roots is given

in long standing intermittents, It is tonic and febrifugal, with

some acro-narcotic properties ; used in the form of cataplasm as
an application to wounds and ulcers. Griffith Med. Bot, 44. I
have been told that it is a useful diuretic, prescribed with sul-
phate of iron and spirits in dropsy. Gen. L. M. Ayer informs me
that his father was in the habit of using the ‘‘ white ash, or
old man’s beard, in the case of native born Africans who suf-
fered from yaws or ulcers and sores, which were often rapidly
fatal. The decoction given internally and used as a wash gave
relief, when everything else failed. Mills, also, in his Statistics
of §. C., states that the bark of the root bruised and applied to
fresh wounds is accounted a specific in healing them without
suppuration.

Frazinus acuminata, La. M. Grows in rich swamps; St.
John’s; Newbern.

Ell. Bot. Med. Notes, ii, 673. The wood is light, elastic and
strong ; used by carriage and cabinet-makers and wheelwrights.

WHITE ASH, (Fraxinus Americana, L.)

In the Southern States we have the white, red, green, blue
and waterash. Wilson says that J. Americana differs in few re-
spects from the English ash, F. excelsior, which in England is
used for every conceivable purpose by the farmer, turner, cab-
inet-maker, wheelwright, and for firewood. ‘The bark of the
tree is used for tanning calfskins, and for dyeing green, blue
and black; the ashes of the trunk, root or branches are com-
paratively rich in potash.” Coal was also made from it. The
leaves of the /. Americana “are said to be so highly offensive to
the rattlesnake that that formidable reptile is never found on
land where it grows ; and it is the practice of hunters and others
having occasion to traverse the woods in the summer months to
stuff their boots or shoes with white ash leaves as a preventa-
tive of the bite of the rattlesnake.”

572
Cuass II. GYMNOSPERMS.
CYCADACEA.

WILD COONTIE; TUCKAHOE, (Zamia integrifolia.) S.
Fla.; Chap.

The large succulent, fleshy roots, when properly treated, —
yield a large quantity of arrowroot, equal to the best Bermuda.
Carson in Pereira. The fruit has a coating of an orange-col-
ored pulp, which Rafinesque states forms a rich edible food.
Griffith. Japan sago is also obtained from a Cycas, the pith of
which is very nourishing. See “Arrowroot,” “ Maranta.”

CONIFER OR PINACEAR. (The Fir Tribe.)

One of the most important orders, whether we view it in ref-
erence to its timber or its secretions.

LONG-LEAVED PINE, (Pinus palustris, L. Pinus australis,
Mich.) The specific name is a misnomer, as it grows on high
land. Grows along the seacoast in the tertiary region, and
within one hundred and twenty miles of the ocean. I have
observed it in the lower part of Fairfi:ld District ; a strip of it
is found in Powhattan County, Va.; Newbern. Fl. May.

Bell’s Pract. Dict. 359; U. 8. Disp. 709; Pe. Mat. Med. ii,
167; Ball, Gar. M. Med. 309; Royle, Mat. Med. 564. This is
the most valuable of the pine trees, and from it the largest
amount of tar, pitch and turpentine is obtained.

This tree shoots up into a straight shaft, devoid of branches
sometimes for fifty or sixty feet; the heart is very durable, and
the wood is employed for almost every purpose. It is, indeed,
one of the great gifts of God to man, for it furnishes to every
one an abundant material for fuel, fire, warmth and light.

The forests of pine are not only useful but beautiful. The
characteristic moan of the winds through their branches, their
funereal aspect, almost limitless extent, and the health-giving
influences which attend their presence, all contribute to make
the pine an object of peculiar interest to the people of the
Southern States. The terebinthinate odor of the tree, some
electrical influence of its long, spear-like leaves, a certain modi-
fication of “ozone,” (an allotropic condition of oxygen, accord-
ing to Faraday,) are severally esteemed to modify the atmos-

573

phere and diminish the effects of malaria. They also create a
mechanical barrier to the ingress of malaria, and hence the
pine land residences, though condemned for their sterile aspect,
have proved a blessing to the Southern planters in affording a
comparatively safe refuge from the unhealthy emanations of
the neighboring plantations.

I need not describe the processes for making Tar. Itisa
very compound substance, (see Rural Cyc.,) and contains mod-
ified resin, oil of turpentine, empyreumatic oil, acetic acid,
charcoal and water, and when inspissated by boiling is converted
into pitch. It is extensively used in the cordage, caulking and
sheathing of ships, to preserve them from the weather. It is of
great service in many of the arts and medicinal usages con-
nected with agriculture. I will add what Wilson states of its
economical employment, as it may be made of great service on
our plantations and in veterinary medicine. It serves well as a
paint t© coarse kinds of boarding and paling, but is improved in
its use by the addition of tallow or other coarse fat. It is
applied as a covering to cuts on animals, and to parts affected
by the fly. It serves, either alone or in combination with some
fatty substance, to defend the sore or diseased feet of cattle
from being further injured by wet or abrasion; when spread
upon coarse cloth it is a prime covering for broken horns, and
makes an excellent application to various kinds of wounds and
punctures in cattle. It is given internally to horses as a remedy
for cough; also as a detergent and local remedy for scaly and
eruptive diseases. Rural Cyc. It is used to cover the lower
surface of posts to prevent their rotting, and grain soaked in it
is not eaten by birds. Tar water was formerly much used in
medicine, but at present wood naphtha and pyroligneous acid,
etc., are commonly employed.

The buds of the pine or the inside barks steeped in water is
a favorite domestic remedy on our plantations for colds and
coughs. Bits of fat pine steeped in gin are also used. A de-
coction of the inside bark is given daily as a remedy in chronic
diarrhea. Pills of resin are often employed as a simple
diuretic. Resin also enters into the composition of strengthen-
ing plasters.

Wilson, in his Rural Cyc., articles “Fuel” and “Charcoal,”
gives the best mode of preparation, including the quality and

574.

yield of several trees. See Salix, in this volume, for manufac-
ture of charcoal.

The chief consumption of charcoal is as fuel. It is also em-
ployed as a tooth powder and to purify tainted meat. No
mode of preparation for the first of these objects is at all nec-
essary, and for the two last it must merely be reduced toa
fine powder. It forms a part of all reducing fluxes. It is the
basis of most black paints and varnishes. It is used to polish
brass and copper, and is an excellent clarifier. It is used in
farriery, in combination with linseed meal, as an anti-septic
cataplasm for foul and fetid ulcers. Powdered charcoal must
be heated to redness in a covered crucible, with an opening in
the middle of the cover, and kept in that state till no flame
issues out; it must then be withdrawn, allowed to cool, and
then put into close vessels. Whenever either wine, vinegar, or
other fluid is to be clarified it is simply to be mixed with the
liquor; a froth appears at the surface, and after filtration it
is pure and colorless. Charcoal is also used as a valuable ma-
nure, fully described in Wilson’s Rural Cyc. Charcoal and
sand placed in the bottom of a barrel or hogshead will purify
water passed through it. (See Salix.) It is generally believed
that it will prevent contagion, yellow fever, etc., if taken during
the prevalence of an epidemic. It is also used as a mild me-
chanical laxative in dyspepsia with foul stomach. See medical
authors. Its power of absorbing gases and vapors is well known.

Lamp-black is obtained by the turpentine manufacturers
“from the combustion of the refuse of their operations in fur-
naces appropriated to that purpose. The smoke deposits itself
on the sacking which is hung up; it is swept off and sold for
common use without further preparation. The lamp-black in
this state contains some oil, which is separated by being heated
to redness in a close vessel.” This may be easily made in our
large turpentine distilleries throughout the Southern States.

Creosote, also a product of the pine, is obtained from “crude
pyroligneous acid and the heavy portion of the oil of wood tar,
sometimes called the essence of tar, and used in the preserva-
tion of meat, the flavoring of hams, and as a remedial agent for
its constringing effect.” It coagulates albumen. Fresh meat
suspended over creosote will be preserved. Wilson’s Rural
Cye.; Ure’s Dict.; and medical authors. Pyroligneous acid, ob-

575

tained from the pine, is used in preserving meat rapidly in lieu,
of the slow process of “smoking.” This acid, naphtha, creosote
and other products of the distillation of wood, might be advan-
tageously combined in the same process.

Vinegar and acetic acid, obtained from pyroligneous acid, is
purified by converting it into acetate of soda and decomposing
that salt by means of sulphuric acid. The acetic acid, after
being distilled, is lowered by water, colored, and used as vinegar.

Since writing the above I find the following in the Norfolk
Day Book, 1856:

J. A. Mattock, Esq., of Onslow County, N. C., has invented
and patented a machine known as the “J. A. Mattock’s Im-
proved Apparatus for the distillation of pine wood.” This
valuable invention has been in successful operation, and is likely
to come into general use in the piney regions of North Carolina.
The machine runs out from a load of pine wood, seventy-five
gallongof crude spirits of turpentine, which is clarified at a small
expense, at a cost of less than twenty per cent. Besides this
product of the machine’s manipulation, fifty-four pounds of acid,
after being purified, are produced, which is worth $1.50 per
pound, ormore. In addition, there are produced four barrels of
pitch. The machine is capable of manipulating two cords of
wood per day. There may be other material or residuum
which may be put to some use and yield a profit.

It will be seen, therefore, that the machine can turn out daily
the following articles of North Carolina staples:

120 gallons pure spirits at 72 cents per gallon............4.. $86 40
108 pounds acid at $1 50 per pound.................ceecseeeeees 162 00
Peimemole Piel. at S6.a G10... ..iésciesaevasnsindesccscocedecenas ase 48 00

We are not informed as to the cost of the machine, nor of the
expense of running it. Two cords of wood would cost here
$3 50 to $4; andin North Carolina, upon the spot, about 50 a 75
cents. Here is an operation which would require small capital,
and is a field for the idle or enterprising:

Machinery for the distillation and separation of all the pro-
ducts furnished by the pine is being erected, 1867, in South
Carolina also. By the process fresh and dry pine wood are used,
and turpentine, tar, charcoal, resin, pyroligneous and acetic
acid, I believe, are procured.

The Wilmington, N. C., Dispatch, for February, 1867, states

576

that discoveries have been recently made in the distillation of
resinous wood, which, tested by experiment, promise to work
great changes in the manufacture of naval stores, etc., with the
promise also of increased pecuniary results. We are not pre-
pared to describe the modus operandi of this new process for dis-
tillation ; but have been assured by parties who have engaged
in it in the Counties of Cumberland and Robeson, that the pro-
cess is a simple one, and the results highly satisfactory.

In New Jersey, this process has been lately introduced with
the following results: From a single cord of pitch pine distilled
by chemical apparatus, and by the processes employed, the fol-
lowing substances in the quantities stated are obtained :

Spirits Turpentine........... Sea cheedly. dll RS eee 20 gallons.
Illuminating Oil and Tar......... roth deies SA ebOR Le 50 gallons.
Pyroligrioous Acid si.si.2.. BAW RE LR tee 100 gallons.
Wood Spirit. ccic8. oie. beastie th aah Re eee 5 gallons.
PitehiOFAROsiBies wise de. Os ie Re ee 14 barrels.
Daan euliliollos. bat apha bond sss foo A tats ot SESE ts eS 1 barrel

Hinminating Gass k wie Aiea e about 6,000 cubic feet.
Ghareoal . 226555. Gis Apache ass ee. Whats. 50 bushels.

These results are those derived from eight separate charges,
aud are selected from many others, not as presenting the most
favorable exhibits as regards quantities, (which they do not,)
but as showing the value of the several kinds of wood and the
best manner of working. There are works now in use in New
Jersey capable of distilling five cords of wood per day, and the
products, at present prices, will yield the following daily in-
come:

100 gallons Spirits Turpentine at 85 cents per gallon...... $85 00
250 gallons Illuminating Oil and Tar at 50 cents per
eallOmiee. Gee dis steel as Se Caate das debs ctecn ede eh ee a a 125 00
500 gallons Pyroligneous Acid at 12 cents per gallon...... 60 00
25 gallons Wood Spirit at 20 cents per gallon.................. 40 00
30,000 feet Illiuminating Gas at $1 60 per M.......... ....... 48 00
7% barrels Pitch or Rosin at $5 per barrel................scse00 37 50
5 barrels Tar. ati$4 per barrel....02i..2..6602..4.5..00 sine 20 00
250 bushels Charcoal at 25 cents per bushel..................4 62 50
$478 00
Cost of: production and lossés..22 22.1. ec.b ccs anldb ti oedaineee $159 00

Leaving a balance of net profits per day............cecsee36 $319 00

577

_ The census of 1860 shows that the proportion of spirits of
turpentine in the United States by ordinary process, for the
year 1859, was equal to the production from 1,600 cords of wood
distilled daily by this process.

The gas produced by this process, it is said, has great supe-
riority over ordinary coal gas. It has no offensive odor, and is
free from the sulphur present in coal gas. The charcoal, also,
has great superiority, and though made from resinous wood,
has as great specific gravity as that made from the harder
woods.

Carbolic Acid, discovered by Runge in 1834 in the tar of coal,
and known also as Phenic acid, Phenylic acid and Hydrated
oxide of Phenyl, bears so close a resemblance to creosote from
wood that the two have been considered identical... For this
reason and on account of its application to numerous important
purposes as a disinfectant, as a dressing to wounds, etc., I refer
to it inthis connection. In the 12th Ed. U.S. D., Dr. Wood
states of it that “its aqueous solution coagulates albumen, ar-
rests fermentation, instantly destroys the lowest forms of vege-
table and animal life, and in very small proportions prevents
moldiness in vegetable juices, and prevents animal substances
from putrefaction.” For the latter purpose the bisulphide of
carbon is now being experimented with for the preservation of
meat. C. acid has also what may prove to usa very important
property first suggested by M. Lemaire, namely, “that of de-
stroying miasms and even of modifying the action of malaria.”
I give prominence to this as I am possessed of statements from
parties in South Carolina by which it appears that the vapor of
a solution of carlolic acid, diffused in sleeping apartments, has
apparently prevented the effects of malaria. It was used among
the residents of a number of houses. I hope that this will be
farther tested as there is great plausibility in the suggestion that
it will be serviceable, assuming that malaria is taken into the
system at night. It is also said to drive away mosquitos and
“predatory ” insects generally. I have employed it extensively
in hospital practice, and regard its solution in glycerine, one
part to four, as specially valuable as a disinfectant, particularly
in uterine diseases with offensive discharges. As an applica-
tion to wounds and as a dressing after amputation, etc., I pre-
fer Labaraque’s Sol. of Chloride of Soda. As an application to

37

578

mucus surfaces, the throat for example, the strength used is one
to thirty or stronger. It may be combined with tinct. of
iodine.

The Spirits or Oil of Turpentine obtained from this pine is
now one of the most universally employed of remedial agents ;
it is quite surprising to how great a diversity of conditions
it is applicable; all these depend, however, upon its natural
properties. See Trousseau’s “ Therapeutique,” Stille’s Mat. Med.
and recent authors. As an external rubefacient, a diffusible
stimulant, an astringent, a stimulating diuretic, anthelmintic
and laxative, Turpentine admits of frequent applications.

In Confed. S. Med. J. Jan., 1864, is an article on the external
application of oil of turpentine as a substitute for quinine in
intermittent fever. Surg. Styles Kennedy had called the atten-
tion of the Medical Bureau to this method. A bandage wet
with turpentine is applied around the body half an hour before
the expected paroxysm. Surg. K. reports the successful trial
of this in over thirty cases. It was also tried at the Gen. Hosp.,
Guyton, Ga., 1862. The applications should be repeated, parti-
cularly on the seventh and fourteenth days. See, also, an edito-
rial notice in the number for Aug., 1864, where seventy returns
are received involving a trial of this remedy in over four hun-
dred cases. It is considered useful only as an adjuvant and not
as a specific. In the arts, also, and as a material in the manu-
facture of soap, as a resin, and for the production of light, it is
equally worthy of attention. The fumes of turpentine inhaled
will cause irritability of the kidney if breathed. I have been
called to attend several negroes with dysuria and bloody urine
from sleeping aboard a boat laden with resin and turpentine in
defective barrels.

Wilson says: “Turpentine is one of the best means of chasing
away fleas whether from place or animal, and a bed of very
fine shavings of some wood which abounds in turpentine is one
of the easiest and most effectual means of banishing them from
dogs, and that the oil of turpentine is almost a specific for
spasm in the bowels.” Rural Cyc. See, also, “Juglans.”

That variety of long-leaved pine which acquires a reddish
hue frow growing in certain soils, and is known by the name
of red pine, is most esteemed, and in the opinion of some ship-
wrights is as solid and durable on the sides of vessels as the

‘
; 579

white oak, but is said to form less perfect joints at stem and
stern. It is also in great request at the North for flooring
boards. The long-leaved pine supplies what is known as naval
stores both to the United States and Europe. Rural Cye.

Pyroligneous acid, obtained from the pine, is used in presery-
ing meat rapidly in lieu of the slow process of “smoking.”

A preparation with rosin, to preserve leather and shoes, is
recommended by Col. Macerone, in the Mechanic’s Magazine,
1848. It will be found useful to soldiers on the march, and
others who are exposed to the weather :

A pound of tallow and a half pound of rosin are put in a
vessel on the fire, and when melted and mixed it is applied
while hot, with a brush, to the leather previously warmed.
This must be done thoroughly and repeatedly. If it is desired
that the leather should receive polish, dissolve an ounce of
beeswax with an ounce of turpentine, to which add a teaspoon-
ful of lamp-black; a day or two after the leather has been
treated with the tallow and rosin rub. over it the wax and tur-
pentine, but not before the fire. Tallow or any other grease
becomes rancid and rots the stitching as well as the leather,
but the rosin gives it an anti-septic quality which preserves the
whole. Boots or shoes for the soldier, as well as for all who go
much in the wet, should be so large as to admit of wearing in
them cork soles—cork being a bad conductor of heat.

Turpentine and rosin are both abundant within our limits,
An excellent English “mixture to render leather water-proof” is
made with turpentine. During the scarcity of leather and
exposure of our soldiers, I thought its introduction not inappro-
priate. It is used by the punt-shooters in the fenny parts of
England: melt together in an earthen pipkin half a pound of
tallow, four ounces of hog’s lard, two ounces of turpentine and
as much beeswax; make the boots thoroughly dry and warm,
and rub in the mixture well with a little tow as hot as the hand
can bear, or else hold the leather over a very gentle fire till it
has thoroughly imbibed the mixture. Another mixture for the
same purpose, and used by fishermen, soldiers and others, is
made thus: Burgundy pitch (rosin?) and turpentine each two
ounces, tallow four ounces; or half a pound of beeswax, a quar-
ter of a pound of rosin, and a quarter of a pound of beef suet.
The leather must be dry and the mixture warm. Oil of laven-
der also prevents leather from moulding.

580

To make Cloth water-proof with Turpentine—In making cloth
water-proof for negroes for picking cotton when the weed is
wet from rains or dews, and also for tents, the following method
is adopted: “To every gallon of spirits of turpentine put two
and a half pounds of beeswax, boil well in a pot, remove the
fire, and while it is hot put in the goods; move it about until it
is well saturated, then hang it up to dry. It will require one
gallon of turpentine to every eight yards of goods.” It is more
pliant than India-rubber.

Candles for war times made with Rosin.—*‘ A model economical
candle, sixty yards long, for use of soldiers in camp, which will
burn six hours each night for six months, and all that light at
a cost of a few cents, is made as follows: Take one pound of
beeswax, and three-fourths of a pound of rosin, melt them
together, then take about four threads of slack-twisted cotton
for a wick, and draw it about three times through the melted
wax and rosin, and wind it in a ball; pull the end and you have
a good candle.” Coarse cotton threads, sixteen to twenty inches
in length, dipped in melted rosin, and when dry supported in a
vessel of sand or earth, were largely employed during the war
as an economical substitute for candles. I have made great
numbers of them.

A preparation of turpentine, probably turpentine redistilled,
called Terebene, was manufactured at Camden, South Carolina,
and largely used as a burning fluid since the blockade. The
price is moderate ; it gives a good light, but requires a modifi-
cation of the old kerosene chimney. ‘ Palmetto oil,” so-called,
is probably pure turpentine. Prof. F. A. Porcher used and rec-
ommended turpentine during the war, and I have known others
who have employed it for months as a burning fluid; it is not
explosive. In using these highly carbonaceous agents an abun-
dance of air must be admitted to the wick to consume the
excess of carbon, which would otherwise be thrown off as
smoke or deposited as lamp-black ; an extra amount of oxygen
is of course required to increase the combustion. I have used
turpentine purchased at a distiliery in an ordinary terebene
lamp with a burner of an inch in diameter. The light was as
good as that afforded by palmetto oil or terebene, giving no
trouble. Lamp-black is prepared from the imperfect destruction
of turpentine in large burners with suitable apparatus to collect
it; it may be made in the Southern States with profit.

ewe = Bete. |
a
*

581

An economical ‘“ Soap without grease” is made with rosin: to
four gallons of strong lye add ten pounds of distilled rosin, or
eight pounds of pure gum not distilled and free from trash, boil
steadily until there is no rosin to be seen, and if the quantity of
lye is not sufficient add more, and continue to add until the
rosin disappears, boiling until it makes a brown jelly soap.
This soap has been extensively made in South Carolina during
the past year, (1862,) and is stated to be “equal to the best
soap made with grease.” I am induced to insert here the fol-
lowing, also, which has been successfully repeated in the coun-
try parishes of South Carolina since the blockade: Tallow
candles equal to sperm.—To two pounds of tallow add one tea
cupful of good strong lye from wood ashes. Let it simmer over
a slow fire, when a greasy scum collects on the top, which
should be skimmed off and used in making soap, with which it
is closely related. A pure tallow candle with a small wick may
then be moulded, which is said to equal sperm candles. A little
of the juice of the prickly pear or beeswax will render the tal-
low harder, and the wicks steeped in a little spirits of turpentine
will make them burn brighter.

The following preparation of coal tar I append on account of
its utility in camps and hospitals. Pyroligneous acid is itself a
well known disinfectant :

Anii-septic Powder.—To correct the offensive odors of wounds,
mix one hundred parts of calcined plaster of Paris and two
parts of coal tar. Rub well together. Sprinkle this upon the
wound once or twice daily. This has been fully tested for
years in the Bellevue hospital.

Decoction of the leaves of the pine tree sweetened, to be
freely drunk warm when going to bed at night or cold during
the day, is very much used as a domestic remedy for colds and
coughs. The holly root (Jlex opaca) chewed, and a tea made of
the blade of the Indian corn, are also given for colds ; the latter
also in intermittent fevers, it is said, with much success.

Duration of wood impregnated with sulphate of copper.—A paper
upon this subject, translated from the bulletin of the Horticul-
tural Society of the Seine, is published in the Farmer and
Planter, p. 306, October, 1861. It is impregnated with sulphate
of copper by M. Boucherie’s process, which consists in causing
a solution of the sulphate of copper to penetrate to the interior

582

of freshly cut woods, which preserves them indefinitely from
decay. All woods do not permit penetration equally. ‘ The
beech, elm and fir readily admit all kinds of salts into their
tissue. The oak impregnates completely its sap wood, while
the heart of the tree absorbs absolutely nothing,” so that that
part of the tree which was thrown away may with this process
be made useful. Sulphate of copper was found to be superior
to corrosive sublimate. “The process of the injection of wood
with the salts of copper is as simple as easy. For those woods
intended for rods, it consists in plunging the base of a branch
furnished with leaves into a tub containing the solution. The
liquid ascends into the branches by the action of the leaves, and
the wood is impregnated with the preservative salt. As for
logs, the operation consists in cutting down the tree to be ope-
rated upon ; fixing at its base a plank which is fixed by means
of a screw placed in the centre, and which can be tightened at
will when placed in the centre of the tree. This plank has on
the side to be applied to the bottom of the tree a rather thick
shield of leather, cloth, pasteboard, or some other substance,
intended to establish a space between it and the wood, sufficient
for the preserving fluid to keep in contact with the freshly cut
surface of the tree. The liquid is brought there from a tub or
other reservoir by the help of a slanting pole made on the upper
side of the tree, and in which is put a tube adapted at its other
extremity to a spigot in the upper reservoir, which contains the
solution. A pressure of five metres suffices, so that the instant
the sap of the tree is drawn away it escapes and is replaced by
the liquid saturated with sulphate of copper. As soon as the
operation terminates, and it lasts for some hours for the most
difficult logs, the wood can be sold and put to any use.” M.
Decaisne enumerates the immense advantage which this process
would procure to horticulture. Boxes, frames, greenhouses,
supports, ete., submitted to the deleterious action of all the
exterior agents which destroy them so rapidly, all can acquire
an almost indefinite duration, and thus furnish a very great —
economy of time and money. M. Decaisne opposes the process —
by simple immersion. M. Audry asserts that even cloths, cur-
tains, etc., exposed to the weather, “last eight years after being
immersed in a solution of one kilogramme of the salt to eight
litres of water.” See “ Kyan,” Rural Cyc., for mode of preser-

583

vation of timber; also Boussingault’s Rural Econ. and Agricult.
Chemistry.

A very good composition for preserving wood which is to be
placed in the ground, and subjected to rapid decay, is made
with coal tar, quick lime and ground charcoal. The tar is first
heated in an iron vessel; then about a pound each of quick
lime and charcoal to every five gallons, stirred among it until
the whole has become thoroughly mixed. It is applied hot
with a brush, or the wood may be dipped into it. This prepa-
ration resists the attacks of insects.

To economize manures, etc., during non-importation of
guano: “ Weeds, leaves of trees, and all the succulent plants
which grow so abundantly in ditches and waste lands, under
hedges and by the roadside, if cut or pulled when in flower,
and slightly fermented, furnish from twenty to twenty-five
times more manure than straw does. These plants, carefully
collected, furnish to the agriculturist an immense resource for
enriching his lands. Besides the advantages arising from the
manure furnished by these plants, the agriculturist will find his
account in preventing the dissemination of their seeds, which,
by propagating in the fields, deprive the crops of the nourish-
ment of the soil. The turf that borders fields and highways
may be made to answer the same purpose by cutting it up with
all the roots and the earth adhering to them, rotting the whole
in a heap and carrying the mass upon the field ; or, what is still
better, by burning it and dressing the land with the product of
the combustion.” The alkaline salts are most abundant, it will
be remembered, in green, herbaceous plants. M. DeSaussure
has observed that the ashes of young plants that grew upon a
poor soil contained at least three-fourths of their weight of
alkaline salts, and that those of leaves of trees which grew
from their beds contained at least one-half. The ashes of the
seeds contain a greater proportion of alkaline salts than those
of the plants that produced them. M. Pertuis found that the
trunks of trees afford less ashes than the branches. Chaptal’s
Chemistry, p. 97. The scrub oak (V. catesbe7) is said to yield
ashes very rich in potash. A curious suggestion has been
recently made to the writer, namely, to compress pine leaves
by machinery where it exists so abundantly, and employ it asa
combustible substance like peat.

584

The seeds of the long leaf pine are edible and nutritious, and
‘are largely consumed by hogs—the roots likewise.

PITCH PINE, (Pinus rigida, L.) Vicinity of Charleston.

U.S. Disp. 207. From the P. palustris and from this species
tar is extracted, which contains two principles valuable in medi-
cine, viz: picromar and creosote. It is used in chronic cough and
bronchial inflammation. Tar water had great reputation at
one time, and is really not devoid of some value. The vapor
also is employed in bronchial diseases, and the ointment in tinea
capitis and psoriasis. The resin from these species is frequently
made into pills, and taken for colds by those residing in the
country—among whom, also, it is frequently employed with
success in chronic blennorrhagia. A medical friend informs
me that in one individual who took the pine gum in large
quantities it produced an irritation of the urethral mucous
membrane, similar to that resulting from the use of the spirit
when improperly given.

BLACK SPRUCE; FIR, (Pinus nigra, Aiton.) Confined to
the high ridges of the Alleghany Mountains. Fl. May.

U.S. Disp. 710; Ell, Bot. ii, 641. From this species the
essential oil of spruce is obtained; prepared by boiling the
young branches and evaporating the decoction ; it has a bitter-
ish, astringent, acidulous taste. The tall, slender bodies of this
tree are used for the spars of vessels.

WHITE OR WEYMOUTH PINE; NORTHERN PINE,
(Pinus strobus, L.) Found in the declivities of the mountains of
the Carolinas, in the dark, sphagnous swamps along rivulets.
Fl. May.

The wood is soft, fine grained and light, and free from-tur-
pentine. It is used for the inner work of houses, for boxes,
cabinets, ete. “Preferred for the masts of vessels to all other
wood.”

The wood has little strength, gives a feeble hold to nails, and
is liable to swell from humidity in the atmosphere; but, on the
other hand, it is soft, light, easily wrought. In ornamental
work and carving of every description the white pine is used ;
in fact, wherever a light wood is required. Masts are also made
of it, and are exported to Liverpool, though not fully equal to
those from Riga. The bowsprits and spars are made of white
pine. Rural Cye. In Eaton’s Botany, a work published at the

585

North, it is stated that “perhaps nine-tenths of the boards used
in America are of this species.” This, however, is incorrect, as
a large quantity of timber is obtained from our long-leaved
pine.

WALTER'S PINE; SPRUCE PINE, (Pinus glabra.) St.
John’s, 8S. C.; Bull’s place, Ashley River; (H. W. R.) Not
unfrequent in Furgusson’s swamp, near Santee Canal.

It is comparatively light and soft, and might serve as a sub-
stitute for northern pine, so much in demand for the manufuc-
ture of the inner work of houses, cabinets, presses, cases, etc.,
and particularly as a light material for boxes for the transpor-
tation of merchandise. The loblolly pine (P. teda) is also
useful for making tables, presses, etc., containing little turpen-
tine. A decoction of the inner bark of the spruce pine acts on
the skin, and is used in rheumatism, coughs, colds, ete. It is
also employed as a fomentation in swellings and sprains.
Pinus inops, which I collected at Reidville, Spartanburg, S. C.,
resembles somewhat our lower country spruce, and is sometimes
so called. It never attains the same height.

Pinus teda, L. Abundant along the seacoast; collected in
St. John’s; grows in Georgia; Newbern. FI. April.

Pe. Mat. Med. ii, 161; U.S. Disp. 709. This also yields tur-
pentine. Frankincense is said to be got from this species. The
inner bark of the short-leaved pine will dye cotton goods
a brown color without the aid of copperas. After boiling in the
solution dip in strong lye. Sce, also, “Sumach” and “ Hickory.”

AMERICAN SILVER FIR, OR BALM OF GILEAD
TREE, (Abies balsamea, Abies balsamifera, Mich. Pinus balsamea,
Willd.) Grows on the summits of the mountains of Va. and
the Carolinas. Fl. April.

Griffith Med. Bot. 605; U. S. Disp. 710. From this elegant
species the Canada balsam is obtained; receiving this name,
though containing no benzoic acid. Mér. and de L. Dict. de M.
Med. v. It is used as an external application to wounds.

HEMLOCK SPRUCE, (Abies Canadensis, Pinus, Linn.) Con-
fined to the highest mountains.

Ell. Bot. ii, 641. The bark is valuable for tanning, though
inferior to that of the oak. It affords the “ hemlock, gum, or
pitch.”

586

BLACK SPRUCE, (Abies nigra, Poir.) High mountains of |
North Carolina and northward.

The tops of its branches yield the best kinds of essence of
spruce for the manufacture of spruce beer. Its young stems
and the upper parts of its old stems are light, strong and elas-
tic, and are much used in America for the spars and topmasts
of ships. Its large roots and the lower parts of its old stems
are sometimes employed as substitutes for oak in making the
knees and other bent parts of ships. Its timbers are exported to
the West India Islands and to Britain for making packing
boxes, herring barrels and other similar articles. Its resin is
comparatively scarce and poor, and does not suffice for yielding
turpentine or fine pitch. Wilson’s R. Cye.

WHITE SPRUCE, (Abies alba, Mx.) High mountains of
North Carolina and northward.

The root fibres are macerated, stripped, and made into cord-
age by the North American Indians. Wilson’s R. Cyc.

FLORIDA YEW, (Taxus Floridana, Nutt.) Apalachicola
River, Middle Fla. Chap.

This tree should be examined for a resinous substance in the
leaves, which may be poisonous, and to see if they will dimin-
ish the circulation, a property ascribed to the 7. baccata. Wood
durable.

AMERICAN ARBOR VITA, (Thuja occidentalis, L.) Con-
fined to the mountain districts, along streams. Fl. May.

U. S. Disp. 1301; Griffith Med. Bot. 609. The leaves and
twigs have a balsamic odor; the decoction was used in inter-
mittent fevers, and, according to Schcepf, in cough, scurvy and
rheumatism ; Boerhaave employed the distilled water in dropsy.
The leaves are said to form an excellent irritating ointment,
which has proved useful in rheumatism, and the oil has been
given with success as a vermifuge. Dr. J. R. Leaming, of N. Y.,
(U.S. Disp., 12th Ed., from N. Y. Journ. Med. N.S. xiv, 406,
and Nov., 1856, p. 395,) has employed a tincture of the leaves
internally with supposed advantage in affections believed to be
cancerous; and the same remedy has been used locally with
prompt effect in venereal excrescences. Dr. Benedict has found
a saturated tincture useful as an emmenagogue, given in the
dose of a teaspoonful three times a day. The wood is said
by Michaux to be the most durable which our forests pro-

587

duce; fences for enclosures, rail posts, etc., are made of it. Said
to be indigenous and to grow abundantly on the banks of the
Hudson; “rocky banks on mountains of Carolina.” Chapman.
Prof. L. R. Gibbes expresses to me his doubts of its being found
in the mountains of Carolina.

“Jt makes the finest ornamental hedge known to the climate.
It requires pruning every year, attains any required height, and
is very compact and beautiful.” A writer, B. F. Maurice, of
King’s County, N. Y., (in Patent Office Reports, 1855, p. 316,
see papers on “live fences,’) states that he has hedges from
two to fourteen years growth, from one to ten feet high, that
will compare favorably with any in this country or in England.
It is easily and readily cultivated by layers. If the hedge is
for ornament, considerable care is required in trimming. A
hedge should be pruned every year. “See, also, “ Wild orange,”
(Cerasus Caroliniana,) in this volume. The arbor vite, when it
can be grown large enough, as in Canada, furnishes one of the
hardest and most durable of woods, adapted to all the purposes
of the turner and machinist, for the construction of posts,
fences, etc. ‘“ Fences made of it last three or four times longer
than those constructed of any other wood. Wilson. The leaves
are employed like the savin (Juniperus) in making a stimulating
ointment. If the grain is close and compact it may be found
to suit the purposes of the wood engraver. See “ Amelanchier”
for wood for engraving. In Canada, the thin, narrow pieces of
wood which form both the ribs and the bottom of the bark
boats are taken from this wood, because it is pliant enough for
the purpose when fresh, and also because it is very light. The
wood is considered one of the best for the use of lime-kilns.
Its branches are used in Canada for brooms, which leave their
peculiar scent in all the houses where they are used. Farmer’s
Encye.

BALD CYPRKSS, (Taxodium dietichum, Rich. Cupressus
disticha, L. and Ell. Sk.) Grows in swamps in the lower por-
tion of South Carolina and Georgia.

Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. Supplem. 229, 652; see the
Cultivateur, ii, 668, for an article upon the cypress. Recherches
sur histoire du Cyprés, Ann. de Hortic. xv, 37; Strauss, Mém.
sur le Cyprés, Montpellier, 1841; Mirbel, Abridg. des Voyages,
xiii, 396; S. T. Cubieres Mem. on the Cypress of Louisiana, (in

588

French,) Paris, 1809. This remarkable tree, lifting its giant
form above the others, gives a striking feature to our swamps.
They seem like watch-towers for the feathered race.

For a description see Michaux, N. Am. Sylva, Shee. Flora
Carol. 484. The seeds are said to possess an odoriferous prin-
ciple ; a rich balsam of a deep red, inclining to black, is obtained
by boxing the tree, and from the nuts and fruit by distillation.
It is applied to cuts and wounds, and is possessed of valuable
balsamic properties; the cones are also balsamic, and the resin
from them is diuretic and carminative. This is undoubtedly
one of the most valuable timber trees that we possess. The
wood is soft, and rather fine grained, resisting the action of
weather and the changes of temperature remarkably well;
hence used for making the interior work of houses, posts,
shingles, staves, etc. Barton mentions that boats from eight to
twelve feet diameter and eighty feet straight shaft are made out
of a, single trunk. See, also, Ell. Bot. for a description ; and
also an elaborate paper in the April number of the Am. Journal
of Science for 1848, by Drs. Dickeson and Brown, a committee
from Louisiana, appointed by the Association of Geologists and
Naturalists. Cypress leaves boiled during several hours afford
a fine, durable, cinnamon color. The tree should be felled in
winter. Woodsmen in cutting cypress in our river swamps re-
cognize two varieties, the black which does not float in water
and the white which is easily transported on account of its
greater lightness The grain also differs.

WHITE CEDAR, (Cupressus thyoides, L.) Said to grow
around the savannas in Horry and Williamsburg Districts ;
Newbern.

Ell. Bot. ii, 644; Griffith Med. Bot. 610. The infusion is re-
puted to be stomachic, and in the warm state diaphoretic. The
wood is soft, fine grained, light and durable, and is adapted for
purposes similar to the above. The young trees are easily
handled and transported, and are particularly suited for tele-
graph poles. Shingles from this, sometimes called juniper
shingles, last for forty years.

CEDAR, (Juniperus Virginiana, Linn.) Grows in upper and
lower districts; Newbern. Fl. March.

Big. Am. Med. Bot. iii, 49; Pe. Mat. Med. ii, 184; Fr. Elems,
195; U.S. Disp. 413; Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Med. iii, 698;

589

Mich. N. Am. Sylva, iii, 221; Am. Journal Pharm. xiv, 235;
Thacher’s Disp. 247; Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 316 ; Griffith Med.
Bot. 607; Supplem. to the Dict. de M. Méd. 1846, 406; Bull. de
PAcad. Roy. de Méd. vi, 478; S. Cubieres’ Mem. on the Red
Cedar of Virginia, in French, Paris, 1805; Nicolet’s Essai on the
Physiol. and Chemistry of genus Juniperus; see Journal de
Pharm. xxvii, 309, and Bonastie’s note on a volatile oil from
the Virginia cedar, in Journal de Pharm. xxi, 177, 1834.

The bark is employed in Abyssinia, under the name of Bisenna.
The expressed oil is very useful as an application to rheumatic
pains and swellings of the joints. One bushel of the dried
shavings, heated in an inverted iron vessel, will yield a half pint
of oil. A decoction of the berries promotes diaphoresis, and is
also beneficial in rheumatic pains, stiff joints, etc. The leaves
act Very much as savin, being stimulant and emmenagogue, and
are employed in catamenial obstructions.

The cedar berry is used in a popular remedy for dropsy, which
is claimed by some to be highly efficacious. We can readily un-
derstand the reason that it may prove useful when we remember
its close alliance with the juniper berry. It is as follows: take
one handful of the seed of the cedar, the same of mullein, the
same of the root of dogwood; put into two quarts and a pint of
water, boil down to one quart, and add one gill of whiskey.
Dose, a wineglassful night and morning. A cerate is made for
keeping up the irritation and discharge from blisters ; this is
quite serviceable, and is prepared by boiling the fresh leaves in
twice their weight of lard, with the addition of a little wax.
The fungoid excrescences on this tree are thought to be anthel-
mintic.

The wood of the tree is well known. It is sometimes dug up
in the mud of our swamps in a perfect state of preservation.
It is aromatic, light, soft, bearing exposure to water and
weather, and suitable for all kinds of cabinet work, in the con-
struction of posts, staves, buckets, the inner work of houses,
and particularly in the building of boats. Cedar boxes are not
infested by insects, moths, etc., and are used for storing away
woollens. The leaves also prevent the attacks of insects when
spread over cloth. The roots make a beautiful purple dye.

590
Crass III. ENDOGENS, OR MONOCOTYLEDONS.
MARANTACEA. (The Arrowroot Tribe.) '

BERMUDA ARROWROOT, (Maranta Arundinacea.) Culti-
vated at the South for domestic use.

U.S. Disp. 449; Royle, Mat. Med. 585 ; Bell’s Pract. Dict. 48.
See authors. The root is grated, washed, and then dried in the
sun on flat dishes. I have seen arrowroot flower beautifully
prepared by ladies, who employ it for dietetic purposes, and
also for starching muslins.

In a report to the Patent Office by Robert Gamble, of
Florida, published in volume of 1851, p. 326, he says:

“The Bermuda arrowroot flourishes throughout South Flo-
rida, producing even in the pine lands, from 200 to 300 bushels
to the acre, the quantity being largely increased when planted
on rich lands. The yield of merchantable arrowroot flour ob-
tained by very imperfect mills is from six to eight pounds to
the bushel—worth from 25 to 30 cents per pound. Along our
Atlantic coast south of 27° the Cumpti, or Indian arrowroot,
grows spontaneously, giving results nearly equal to that of
Bermuda, with the advantage that it requires no cultivation.
The sole labor consists in bringing it from the forest lands and
conveying it to the mill, the simple stirring occasioned by the
digging being sufficient to secure a better crop than the one just
removed. The Sisal hemp grows readily and luxuriantly, even
upon our pine lands, and will eventually become a valuable
staple; but in the multitude of others it is at present over-
looked. So, also, the Palma Christi, which becomes a tree, and
is perennial.” See “Jerusalem Aiciotaed ” (Cynara) and “ Po-
tato,” (Convolvulus), for substances yielding starch. P. O. Re-
ports on Agriculture, p. 324, 1858, contain a condensation of a
report before the Am. Pharm. Assoc. by R. M. Batty, of Rome,
Ga., on the “ Production and Manufacture of Arrowroot in the
South,” with an account of the apparatus used in rasping. Itis
made a staple crop by one or two gentlemen near St. Mary’s,
and 2,900 pounds of Georgia arrowroot was sold in Savannah
in one year. It can be raised by any farmer or planter.
“Costing no actual money expended, the consumption of it as
a dietetic article is unrestrained, and it supplies the place in

\

591

great measure of corn starch, farina, Irish moss, gelatine, and
even rice and flour, in the preparation of delicacies for the
table as well as the invalid’s chamber.” The yield of roots of
all sizes to the acre is about 150 bushels. Col. Hallows, St.
Mary’s, Ga., has gone largely into the field culture, and has
erected extensive buildings and machinery. Another species of
plant grows wild also in South Florida, from which Florida
arrowroot is made. It is called Coonti, and is described in the
New Am. Enc. as a species of sago palm, (Zamia integrifolia.)
See Florida arrowroot, Zamia, in this volume. A fecula was
formerly prepared and used by the Florida Indians from the
Chameerops serrulata, or saw palmetto.

The cultivation of the arrowroot is precisely that of the sweet
potato. A rich, fresh, sandy soil, a large, full bed, the seed
(root8) placed six inches deep and a foot apart, careful hoeing
and keeping the bed up, constitute the culture. The seed roots
should be planted as soon as the spring is confirmed—with us
about the middle of March. The smaller tubers or roots are to
be selected for seed, and are best preserved by placing ten to
fifteen bushels in a conical heap, stacking closely around them
a layer of corn-stalks, and placing over the whole a coating of
two or three inches of earth. The object is to keep up a uni-
form temperature, and to avoid dampness and the extremes of
heat and cold. The plants are allowed to grow until the leaves
and stems are slightly affected by the frost ; the roots are then
to be dug as potatoes, the larger selected for manufacture and
the smaller for seed. Those intended for manufacture are to be
stacked in heaps of twenty to twenty-five bushels in the same
way as directed fur the seed roots. They must be carefully
protected from the cold, as the fecula is changed by freezing.

The following is the mode of manufacturing for family use:
The roots are washed, the scales on the outside removed by
hand with a knife, and then again washed and placed in a tub
of pure water. The next operation is to rasp down the roots
by pressing them endwise against the circumference of the
rasping machine. (P. O. Reports, 1858, see plate vi.) This
machine consists of two wooden discs, framed as large pulleys,
about three and a half feet in diameter, placed six inches apart
and covered with strong tinned iron, punched from within like
a coarse nutmeg grater, It revolves around a central axis of

592

wood with as great a velocity as can be given without throwing
off the water from its circumference. A large trough is placed
under the wheel, which is kept nearly full of water, the wheel
dipping into the trough about six inches. As the wheel re-
volves the grated pulp is washed off into the trough, and when
it becomes too thick the mass is passed into a large tub and the
trough refilled with fresh water. The pulp ccllected in the tub
is then pressed by hand until the fecula is separated from the
fibre, and after removing the latter the fecula is allowed to
settle to the bottom. The next and most important operation
is to pour off the water from the sediment, and when the latter
has become pretty firm, to break it carefully into cakes and
with a large knife blade to remove from the bottom all sand
and other impurities. The cleansed portion is then to be re-
suspended in a tub of pure water, allowed again to settle, again
dried and cleansed. This operation must be repeated until the
fecula settles in a perfectly white and clean cake. On the care-
ful performance of this part of the manufacture depends the
excellence of the article. The cakes are next to be broken up
and placed upon cotton cloth stretchers until thoroughly dry
and pulverulent, when the powder should be firmly packed in
boxes or barrels. Air-drying in the shade is preferable to sun-
drying, and dust must be sedulously avoided. Whatever the
scale of manufacture and the machinery used, the essential
points are: 1st, maturity of the roots; 2d, cleansing the roots
before rasping; 3d, rasping so as completely to separate the
fecula from the fibre; 4th, separating the fecula from sand and
all other impurities by frequent agitation and subsidence ; 5th,
thorough and careful drying to avoid mustiness or mildew ; 6th,
packing so as effectually to exclude the air.

The principle of separating fecula being the same, any labor-
saving machinery adapted to the manufacture of potato starch
may be applied to arrowroot. On a large scale there would be
great economy in driving several rasping machines by an
engine, agitating the feculent mass from the rasper in large vats,
filtering. through cloths, drying by hot air in large buildings
furnished with cloth stretchers, etc. Tinned iron is used for
the rasping part of the mill, and wooden vessels for washing
and precipitation. The reader will consult the article cited for
the best mode of cultivation. !

593

The writer quotes from Mr. Hamilton Cooper or Col. Hal-
lowes, I believe, as follows: “There is no secret in making
arrowroot. The great requisition, after the roots have been
well washed and reduced to a fine pulp, is an abundance of
water together with great cleanliness, and until the hands are
well trained, the constant vigilance of the master. The latter
is more or less necessary at all times. The pulp is passed at
one operation through three sets of sieves of different degrees
of fineness, put into motion by machinery, and using an abun-
dance of water. As it is strained the fluid runs into vats,
where it is allowed to settle, the water drawn off and fresh
water added, stirring up the sediment thoroughly. This pro-
cess is repeated a second time, and it is then strained through
sieves of the finest bolting cloth, again washed with successive
portions of water, allowed to settle in tubs, water decanted,
and the tubs removed to the drying-house, where the feeula,
when settled into a solid mass, is broken up and placed on
frames of convenient size, covered with cotton shirting, which
are carried into the drying-room, heated artificially, and al-
lowed to remain eighteen to twenty-four hours, taken out,
allowed to cool,and put into bins ready for packing. I use
boxes containing about one hundred pounds each. In the
course of the process of the manufacture I have attempted to
describe, three thousand gallons of water are used daily, all of
which is furnished by a well of the purest water, not exceeding
twelve feet in depth. The use of tank water, it is thought,
may be the cause of the pearly appearance of Bermuda arrow-
root, or the greater maturity of the plant. Ure says it re-
quires eleven months to mature in the Island of St. Vincent.”
What is called Portland sago is made from the Arum maculatum ;
we have two species in the Southern States. See “Arwm,” in
this volume.

I have seen the plant cultivated and,the arrowroot prepared
on the plantations in St. John’s Berkeley, S.C. The great value
of arrowroot as an article of food for the sick and convales-
cent, and its consequent great utility to armies in the field,
make it particularly desirable that its culture should be ex-
tended. I therefore introduce the following directions by the
late Governor Seabrook of South Carolina. The method of cul-
ture is simple, and is as follows: upon a piece of ground moder-

38

594

ately high, and of a loose soil, make small beds three feet
asunder, and at the distance of every two feet drop one seed,
which should be covered about two inches deep. The middle
of March is the proper season for planting, and no care or atten-
tion is subsequently required but to keep the plants free from
grass and weeds. After the first frost they should be dug, and
when you have selected the seed it is necessary for their preser-
vation that they should be buried at least one foot in some dry
and warm spot. The preparation of the root for food is tedious,
and in consequence of the toughness of the outer coat it would
be advisable to perform the operation as speedily as possible
after digging. As soon as this is effected, grate the roots in a
clean vessel of water, then pass the contents thereof through a
sieve ; this must be repeated, taking care to change the water at
every successive operation so long as any coarse particles re-
main inthe sieve. The water is then allowed to settle, and if it
exhibits a clear and natural appearance the sediment is in a fit
state to be dried, which should be done, if possible, in the sun,
and in a confined situation, where no dust can reach it. Toa
tablespoonful thus prepared pour on a pint of boiling water,
stirring it at the same time briskly, to which add a little sugar
and nutmeg, and you will then have a jelly as pleasant as it is
healthful. Boiled with milk it is excellent.

When Starch is obtained from any other plant than one of
the grains, as from potatoes, corn, flag, bryony, horse-chestnut,
wild orchis, dogbane, burdock, iris, henbane, patience, ranun-
eulus, etc., it is known by the name of fecula. Chaptal describes
two processes for extracting starch, by washing with cold water
and by fermentation, the latter being more efficient.

When starch is to be extracted by cold water, the substance
must either be reduced to the state of flour or be broken so that
the pulp can be acted upon by the water. In the first place the
flour of wheat is kneaded with water till it takes the consis-
tency of a stiff paste; this is placed on a cloth stretched tightly
over a tub and cold water thrown upon it; the kneading with
the hand is continued till the water runs off clear; the fecula is
carried off by the water and deposited at the bottom of the
tubs; the water retains in solution the sugar and the extractive
matter of the farina, while the insoluble gluten alone remains
upon the filter ; the deposit is washed to free it from any foreign

595

substance and then dried. When it is not wished that the sub-
stance containing the fecula should be reduced to flour, it may
be broken in a mortar or under a millstone, or it may be grated ;
the pulp is then to be placed upon a very fine horse-hair sieve
and water thrown upon it till it runs off clear, care being taken
to stir the pulp constantly with the hand and to squeeze it hard.
When the substance from which the fecula is to be extracted is
fleshy and of a loose, spongy texture, it can be reduced to a
pulp by means of a press; the juice thus expressed deposits the
fecula, which must be carefully washed in order that the noxious
principles contained in it may be perfectly separated. The
whiteness and excellence of the fecula depends upon its being
thoroughly washed.

Fermentation is the means most commonly employed for
extracting starch from grain, but this operation will produce
only alcohol if care be not taken in mixing the acid with the
grain to prevent the spirituous fermentation. This acid is made
by mixing with a bucket of hot water two pounds of baker’s
yeast, to which is added two days after several buckets of hot
water; in forty-eight hours from that time the acid will be
sufficiently developed. This acid, which is called by the starch
manufacturers sure water, is thrown into a hogshead having one
end taken out. The hogshead is then filled half full of common
water, into which flour is stirred till it is full ; the whole is then
left to macerate during ten days in summer and fourteen in
winter. The sufficiently advanced state of the maceration may
be known by a deposit being formed and the liquor above it
remaining clear, while the surface is covered with foam or fat
water. The water and foam are drawn off, and the deposit is
thrown into a sack of haircloth, which is placed in a tub and
water thrown over it till it runs off without any cloudiness,
The substance remaining in the bag, which is only the coarsest
part, serves as a food for cattle. At the end of two or three
days the water floating above the deposit formed in the tub is
drawn off, and a part of it preserved to serve as sure water for
succeeding operations.

In order to have good starch, the water must be washed in a
great deal of water and well mixed; two or three days after
the water for the remaining washings may be thrown on,
The deposit which forms presents three layers, differing widely

596

in their quality ; the first is principally composed of fragments,
and is taken off as food for cattle or to fatten hogs with. The
second layer is generally formed of the mealy part of the vege-
table mixed with some other substances ; the product of this
layer is known under the name of common starch. The third
layer contains the purest and heaviest starch, but in order to
give it all the qualities it ought to possess it must be washed
with water, and the water afterward separated from it by fil-
tration through a sieve of sill, so as to free it from all impurities.
With these precautions starch may be obtained fitted for any
use. As soon as the starch has been well washed it is put into
baskets lined with linen to be well drained. It is afterward
divided into loaves, and the drying finished by exposing it in
the open air upon laths. Before packing for sale, the surface of
the loaves, which is lightly colored, is scraped, and the drying
of them is completed in the sun or in a stove. Starch acted
upon by sulphuric acid is converted into sugar, and in this state
may be made to undergo the vinous fermentation; a few years
since extensive establishments were formed in France for supply-
ing numerous distilleries with the fecula of the potato which
had been treated in this manner.

AMARILLIDACEA®. (The Narcissus Tribe.)

Some of these are poisonous, and Lindley says that it is one
of the few of the monocotyledonous orders in which any poi-
sonous properties are found,

SISAL HEMP, (Agave Sisalana.)

This gigantic plant has been introduced into Florida by Dr.
Henry Perrine, who was consul at Yucatan. It is said by W.
C. Dennis, of Key West, (P. O. Reports, 1855, p. 243,) to de-
light in arid, rocky land, which contains a superabundance of
lime. It is adapted probably only to the south of Florida, where
it can be cultivated during the absence of frost. It does not
require a great deal of culture, but grows on arid, rocky soil
around Key West unfitted for any other purpose. “In fact,
the land on these keys and much of it on the southern point of
the peninsula is nearly worthless for every other agricultural
purpose, so far as known, yet there are thousands of acres in
this region where a ton of clean Sisal hemp can be made to the

597

acre yearly, after the plant has arrived at such an advanced
state of maturity as will allow the lower leaves to be cut from
it, which takes in this climate from three to five years to grow,
according to the goodness of the soil. Nor is there any longer
a doubt as to the goodness of the fibre, a number of tons hav-
ing already been collected and sent to market, where it readily
brought within a half cent to a cent per pound as much as the
best kind of Manilla hemp; that is, in the neighborhood of two
hundred and fifty dollars per ton.” See article cited for method
of planting and preparing. “ About a thousand plants should
be set on an acre, and from young ones coming up from the
long lateral roots; if these be kept at proper distances it will
be seen that the same land requires no replanting if coarse
vegetable manure be applied from time to time. After the plant
is of Sufficient growth the lower leaves are cut off at proper
times, leaving enough on the top to keep it healthy. These
leaves are composed of a soft, watery pulp, and are from two
to six feet long, and in the middle from four to six inches wide,
being frequently three inches thick at the butt, but having the
general shape of the head of a lance. They contain a gum, which
is the chief cause of their being rather troublesome in sepa-
rating the fibres from the pulp. Neither the epidermis nor this
pulp is more than a powder after becoming dry if the gum be
entirely crushed and washed out.”

“This is a most important fact in relation to the manner to be
adopted to cleanse the fibres from the pulp. As these are con-
tinuous, and parallel, and imbedded in it, I feel certain that a
system of passing the leaves through a series of heavy iron
rollers firmly set, something after those used in crushing sugar-
cane, and throwing water on the crushed leaves, in jets or other-
wise, in sufficient quantities to wash out the gum, (which is per-
fectly soluble in it,) will thoroughly clean out the fibres, without
any loss, so that after they are dry, and have been beaten to
get out the dust, they will be fit for market; at any rate, the
right plan for separating the fibres has not yet been discovered,
although there has been enough done at it to show that they
can be got at a profit.”

I obtain the following statements from the Patent Office Re-
ports, 1856, p. 252, by W. C. Dennis: “ The plant evidently re-
quires dry, hot weather, as well as a dry soil; for since I have

598

observed its growth I have never seen it suffer from drouth in
the driest and hottest weather and in the most arid spots, pro-
vided its roots could find a plenty of the right kind of soil.
The meteorological record for the last twenty-five years shows
that this plant is well adapted to these keys and the southern
extremity of the peninsula, for such winters as the two desig-
nated are evidently rare.

“Tt would seem that there are lands enough in Florida, south
of the limit where the frost would injure this plant, to grow
it in sufficient quantities for the present and prospective wants
of the country, and that, too, in a frontier region which it is of
national importance to settle. As far as known, these lands are
not well adapted to an extended range of agricultural products,
yet Iam certain that the tropical Agaves in all their varieties
will flourish here in the greatest perfection.

“Mr. Hermonds, of Indian River, Florida, says that Sisal
hemp grows well there, and has continued to thrive well for
years. He thinks that my last year’s estimate of the product
per acre is too low for that region. The experiments I have
made within the past year in getting out a number of tons of
this fibre convince me there are but few difficulties in accom-
plishing this work cheaply. These experiments prove that if
all the vesicles of the leaves are ruptured by crushing or rolling,
the pulp and gum are easily washed out either by salt water or
fresh. The plan which I found most successful was to roll the
leaves, being careful to rupture all the vessels, then contine these
crushed leaves in an open-work wooden frame or box, which I
placed in such a manner that the tides forced the sea-water
through them both at the ebb and flow. In this manner the
gum and pulp were so far washed out in from three to six days
(according to the temperature of the air and water) that by
beating the fibres a little after they were dry they were fit for
market.*

‘“‘Mr. Hermonds mentioned as a tested fact that steeping the
crushed leaves in boiling water, even for a few minutes, at once
dissolved the gum and cleaned the fibre. This renders it almost
certain that where a steam engine is used to propel rollers and
crush the leaves the waste steam can be rendered effective to

*Would not this method be objectionable on account of the difficulty of
drying the fibre or the materials manufactured therefrom ? dS be

599

clean this hemp by blowing it off between the rollers, aided by a
little water in a jet, while the leaves are passing through.

“The amount of the imports and consumption in this country
of fibres similar to Sisal hemp in 1854, was over $2,500,000, of
which more than $1,500,000 was for Manilla and Indian hemps,
and over $1,000,000 for gunny bags and cloth, jutes, ete.

“T am of opinion that this hemp can be cleaned, and cheaply,
by running the leaves through a series of powerful rollers,
having water dashed on them during the operation ; and this
plan would be much facilitated in this region from the fact that
the gum of the leaves seems equally soluble in salt water as in
fresh. But experiment must decide which of the methods
would be the best. Care must be taken not to allow the leaves
or fibres to come in contact with the mud or other substances
which will stain them while they are in a damp state; and it
will be well to have them in the sun, or strong light, while
under the process of cleaning and drying; for the juice of the
plant is both a saponaceous and a bleaching fluid.

“Last year I spoke of the fact that the celebrated pulque
plant (Agave pulque) was introduced by Dr. Perrine. It grows
enormously large here where there is sufficient depth of soil,
and although I presume that the mean temperature is too high
to make from it the Mexican drink, yet alcohol could be dis-
tilled from its juice, and probably the leaf can be made to yield
a cheap and abundant material for paper. The ancient Aztec
made much of the paper on which his picture-writing was trans-
cribed out of the leaves of one or more of the varieties of the
Agave ; and this pulque plant most likely is one of the kinds ;
for its thick, fleshy leaves, containing very fine fibres, are some-
times eight feet long, and from seven to eight inches broad.”

Agave Virginica, L. Called by negroes rattlesnake’s master.
Grows in damp soils; collected in Wassamasaw, St. John’s;
vicinity of Charleston.

Ell. Bot. i, 402. A domestic remedy for flatulent colic ; used
in Charleston District for the bite of the rattlesnake.

ATAMASCO LILY, (Amaryllis atamasco, L.) Growsin damp
soils; collected in St. John’s ; vicinity of Charleston.

Ell. Bot. i, 384. This is supposed to produce the disease in
cattle called “ staggers.”

600

Pancratium maritimum, Walt. Pancratium Carolinianum, L.
“Seen by Catesby in the Parachucla savanna, St. Peter’s Parish,”
Ell.; collected on Cooper River, St. John’s.

Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. v, 179; Dioscorides, lib. ii, e.
168. Pliny also speaks of it, lib. xvii, ¢. 12. The bulbs are
bitter and emetic, and are useful in dropsy. Loiseleur, Manuel
des Plantes Indigénes, 10. In the experience of one writer forty
grains of the powder produced vomiting five times.

HAEMODORACEA. (The Blood-root tribe.)

Dilatris tinctoria, Ph. Lachnanthes, Bll.Sk. Newbern; Florida.

Griffith Med. Bot. 622. The root is astringent and tonic. It
is distinguished, says Wilson, for yielding a beautiful dye:
hence the name. Rur. Cyc.

BURMANMACEA.

BLUE TRIPTERELLA, (Tripterella cerulia, L.) Grows
near Savannah and Purysberg; collected in St. John’s, near
Pinopolis ; vicinity of Charleston. Fl. Nov.

Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 331; Nuttall, in Acta, Philad. 723. A
flavor like that of green tea is discernible in this plant.

IRIDACEM. (The Corn-flag Tribe.)

BLUE FLAG, (Iris versicolor, L.) Var. a and 6. Grows in
bogs, morasses and inundated lands; collected in St. John’s;
vicinity of Charleston; Newbern. Fl. July.

Coxe, Am. Disp. 354; Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 333; U.S. Disp.
405; Big. Am. Med. Bot. 105 ; Bartram’s Travels, 451; Cutler’s
Mem. Am. Acad. 405, 6; Ell. Bot. 146; Mer. and de L. Dict. de
M. Méd. iii, 659; Frost’s Elems, 279.!

The expressed juice is acrid, and has been employed as a
local application ; it is also purgative, and sometimes occasions
distressing nausea like sea-sickness, accompanied with prostra-
tion of strength. The plant is, however, more remarkable for
its diuretic powers. It was prescribed by Dr. McBride with
great success in dropsy, combining it with the button snake-
root, (Eryngium yuccefolium.) The proportions are as follows:
root of blue flag one ounce; button snakeroot two drachms;
water half a pound; which is to be boiled down to one pint

601

and taken in divided doses. See Bigelow. This does not dis-
turb the stomach, and was used with success in cases of hydro-
thorax combined with anasarca. Bartram said the root was
considered by the Indians a very powerful cathartic, and it was
found in artificial ponds made for the purpose near their vil-
lages. See his Voyage dans la partie sud de |’Amérique Sep-
tentrionale, ii, 322, and the Supplem. to Mér. and de L. 1846.
According to Bigelow its active chemical constituent seems to
be resin, which separates as a white precipitate when water is
added to the alcoholic tincture. This plant is much employed
in domestic practice in St. John’s in dropsy.

Dr. H. M. Andrews, of Michigan, has employed it frequently
as a cathartic, and found it when combined with a grain of
Cayenne pepper, or two grains of ginger, not less easy and
effectual in its operation than the ordinary or more active ca-
thartics, and preferable on account of its less disagreeable taste.
N. Y. J. Med. ix, 129. It may be given in substance, decoction
or tincture. The dose of the dried root is from ten to twenty ©
grains. Under the unscientific name of iridin or irisin, which
Dr. Wood says should be reserved for the pure, active principle
when discovered, the ‘ Eclectics” have for some time used an
oleo-resin, obtained by precipitating a tincture of the root with
water, and mixing the precipitate with an equal weight of some
absorbent powder, for which purpose powdered liquorice root
would probably answer well. This may be given in the form
of pill in the dose of three or four grains. It is thought to
unite, he adds, chologogue and diuretic with aperient properties ;
and a writer in the London Lancet states that he has found it
to produce similar effects to those caused by a mixture of blue
pill, rhubarb and aloes, (Aug. 30, 1862,) U.S. Disp., 12th Hd.
See, also, publications of the “ Eclectics.”

Tris Virginica and I. verna.

Griffith Med. Bot. 625. They are said to possess properties
similar to those of the J. versicolor.

BLUE-EYED GRASS, (Sisyrinchium Bermudiana, L. Sisy-
rinchium mucronatum, Mx.) Fla. and northward.

The roots of our native species are acrid, and a decoction of
them is said to be purgative.

Dr. J. H. Mellichamp writes me that “a tea from the root is
used by the people about Orangeburg, S. C.,as an emetic, which
was said not to act harshly yet very promptly and efficiently.”

602
BROMELIACEM, (The Pineapple Tribe.)

LONG MOSS, (Tillandsia usneoides, Linn.) Grows within
the tertiary districts of South Carolina; I have observed it as
high up as Columbia; Newbern.

Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. vi, 743; Journal de Pharma-
cien, ili, 185. It is stomachic, purgative, and even diuretic.
Employed in hemorrhoids. Op. cit. I see no notice of it in the
American works. Great use is made in South Carolina of this
plant when dried in stuffing chair cushions, mattresses, ete. It
is stated in a journal, 1863, that Messrs. Segur & Bryars, of
Union Springs, Ala., are preparing to enter largely on the manu-
facture of rope from moss. It can be obtained in abundance. It
gives to the trees in winter quite a venerable and pleasing
aspect, and is an indication of great moisture.

ORCHIDACEA. (The Orchis Tribe.)

Some species of orchis are said to possess aphrodisiac prop-
erties. The roots when boiled are farinaceous and eatable,
furnishing an article of food. Attention is invited to those
growing in the Southern States, among which are severel beau-
tiful species. They may yield salep.

Bletia verecunda, N. Elliott is doubtful whether it grows in
South Carolina. Mich. cultivated it near Charleston ; Hast Fla.
Chap. Fl. Aug.

Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 239. The cormus is said to be stom-
achie and tonic; see Browne’s Jamaica.

Platanthera cristata, Lindl. Orchis cristata, Mx. Fla. and
northward.

Dr. W. T. Grant reports in the Confed. S. Med. J., June, 1864,
that the P. stricta has great reputation in Ga.in the cure of
snake bites.

Bletia aphylla, Nutt. Fla. and N.C.

The tuberous root, as well as the whole plant, contains a
great deal of gum and starch. It has a gummy taste, and is .
closely related with Aplectrum hiemale, (Oorallorrhiza of HIl.,)
which has the name putty-root, probably from the same prop-
erty of gumminess and adhesiveness. The granules of the
first named can be seen with the microscope. I have ascer-
tained that it forms an excellent gum in place of Spalding’s

603

glue or gum-arabic. Paper united by means of it tears before
it will separate. It should be well broken up in a little water.
The putty-root is said to be a good cement for glass or China.

CORAL ROOT, (Corallorrhiza odontorhiza, Nutt.) Fla. and
northward.

The root has a strong peculiar odor, and is said to hold a
high place in the Materia Medica of the “Kclectics” as an
energetic diaphoretic, as it is destitute of general stimulating
properties, being given in fever and inflammatory affections.
Thirty grains of the powder are given every two hours. U.S.
Disp., 12th Ed.

Arethusa bulbosa, L. Bogs on Mts. of Carolina. Mx.

Schepf says that the bulbs are useful in toothache and for
maturating boils.

YELLOW LADY’S SLIPPER; YELLOW MOCCASIN,
(Cypripedium pubescens, W.) Newbern.

Griffith Med. Bot. 640. It is employed by the Indians, and
held in high estimation in domestic practice as a sedative and —
anti-spasmodic, acting like valerian in alleviating nervous
symptoms; said to have proved useful in hysteria, and even in
chorea. A teaspoonful of the powder is taken at a dose. Op.
cit., and Raf. Med. Fl. 140. More use might be made of this
tea as a quieting agent in place of paregoric; see “Tilia.”

My friend, Dr. Miles Starke, of Va., has the highest opinion
of the virtues of a strong decoction of this plant, (two ounces
to a pint of water,) in secondary syphilis. He used it exclu-
sively in a number of cases and with success, preferring it to
Iodide of Potash. It is slightly diuretic.

Our other species, C. spectabile and C. acaule, are said to pos-
sess similar properties. R. P. Stevens, of Ceres, Pa., states
that he has found the two last, especially when growing in
dark swamps, to be possessed of narcotic properties, and to be
less safe than the C. parviflorum, which is gently stimulant with
a tendency to the nervous system and is quite equal to valerian.
N. Y. Journal of Med. iv, 359, and U.S. D., 12th Ed. Dr. Ives
considers C. pubescens the most powerful. Trans. Am. Med.
Assoc. iii, 312.

The Eclectics use a substance called cypripedin “by precipi-
tating with water a concentrated tincture of the roots” a com-
plex substance, which, Dr. Wood says, has no right to the
name, which should be reserved for the active principle.

604

Dr. E. Ives has employed the C. pubescens “in a variety of
nervous diseases with advantage, and has known it even to
cure epilepsy. The other complaints mentioned by him are
hypochondriasis, neuralgia and morbid sensitiveness of the
nervous system generally, and especially of the eye.” Powder,
infusion or tincture used; U.S. D.

Epidendrum. Our two species should be examined as they
are closely related to the vanilla.

Goodyera pubescens, R. Br. Fla. and northward.

The leaves have been used by empirics in scrofula, both in-
ternally in decoction, and externally as a cataplasm, with some
success. Griffith.

PALMACEA. (The Palm Tribe.)

SAW PALMETTO, (Chamerops serrulata, L.) Grows on the
coast of South Carolina, and at Blythe’s Island, in Georgia.
Mr. Elliott says that it extends also through the pine lands of
that State.

Shee. Fl. Carol. 435. The pulp is very sweet, but is pos-

sessed of a purgative property, often producing a copious

evacuation attended with griping.

A correspondent, “FF. I, 8., of Charleston “Mercury,” from —
Waresboro’, Ga., writes as follows in adding to our “resources:”

“You speak of black moss for mattresses. ‘Our common saw
palmetto leaves, when split into shreds with a fork or hackle,
boiled and dried in the sun one or two days, make a light, clean,
healthy and durable mattress. Let me suggest that palmetto
pillows would be cheap and comfortable for our soldiers on the
coast ; their corn and flour sacks would in the absence of any-
thing better furnish ready-made pillow ticks. Our negroes are
busily employed in making light, durable and handsome pal-
metto hats. A bed made from a downy swamp plant, which
our people call cat’s tail, took a premium at the late Agricul-
tural Fair in Carolina.”

TALL PALMETTO; CABBAGE TREE, (Chamerops pal-
metto, Mich. Corypha palmetto, Walter.) Grows along the sea-
coast; vicinity of Charleston.

Ell. Bot. Med. Notes, i, 482.

From this noble and characteristic tree is derived the well
known armorial emblem on the escutcheon of the State of

605

South Carolina. It scarcely needs any description at my hands.
It has been carried in the fore-front of battle by every regi-
ment in the service of the State from Mexico to Manassas.
The leaves are employed in the manufacture of hats, baskets,
mats, etc. Forts, wharves, conduits and structures under ©
water are made of the logs, which do not splinter. The cab-
bage, or expanded embryo, may be classed among the “most
delicious vegetables produced for our tables.” The tree, how-
ever, perishes when deprived of these. State enactments should
forbid their destruction, for ere long when the supply is ex-
hausted the tree will still be absolutely required. ‘Griffith says
(Med. Bot. 614) that the bark contains tannin. I am informed
by persons living in Beaufort, S. C., that the root is used for
tanning leather. The juice when fermented makes a palatable
palm wine, which is a property of the East India species of
corypha. Our “Blue Palmetto” (C. hystrix) has thorns like
porcupine quills.

Pieces of the spongy part of the stem afford a very good
substitute for scrubbing brushes, and are much used in Caro-
lina and Georgia. The leaves of the smaller species afford ex-
-eellent and durable thatch for covering barns and out-houses ;
and the younger leaves of the cabbage tree are manufactured
into beautiful light and durable hats. The leaves are whitened
by brushing a solution of oxalic acid over them once or twice
and then exposing them to the fumes of burning sulphur.
During the recent war the tree has been highly useful for this
purpose. The repent caudex of the saw palmetto, (Farmer's
Encye.,) being torn from the surface of the earth, cut into
_ proper lengths, dried and burned to ashes, produces the greatest
quantity of potash of any known vegetable. The drupes, or
large berries of this species, which are of the size and figure of
dates, and as sweet, afford good and nourishing food to the
Indians and hunters. They are not palatable to white people
till they become accustomed to them. Op. cit.

DWARF PALMETTO, (Sabal Adansonii, Guerns. Sabal pu-
mila, Ell.) Swamps in lower districts.

Excellent fans may be made of the leaves. The “bane and
antidote” are both present in abundance in the same locality—
innumerable mosquitos and the palm-like leaves of the dwarf
palmetto!

606
MELANTHACE®. (The Colchicum Tribe.)

“ Poisonous in every species.”

Melanthium Virginicum, W. Grows in wet soils.

Griffith Med. 641. In infusion it is an effectual anthelmintic.
It will operate as an active poison. The decoction, used as a
wash, is a certain but somewhat dangerous cure for the itch.

COMMON BLAZING STAR; DEVIL'S BIT, (Chamelirium
luteum, Gray. Chameelirium Carolinianum, Willd. (K’th’s En. Pl.)
Helonias dioica, Ph. and Ell. Sk.) Grows in damp pine barrens;
collected in St. John’s, Charleston District, near Pinopolis; vi-
cinity of Charleston; Newbern. FI. July.

Lind. Nat. Syst. 348; Ell. Bot. i, 423; De Cand. and Dubug.
472, an. 1828; Matson’s Veg. Pract. 218. The infusion is an-
thelmintic and the tincture tonic. Prof. lves recommends it as
efficient in checking nausea and vomiting. The Indian women
employed this plant in preventing abortion. It is used by the
vegetable practitioners in debility of the digestive organs, given
in doses of a half teaspoonful of the powder in warm water
three times a day. The root when chewed relieves cough.

FLY POISON; FALL POISON, (Amianthium muscetoxicum,
Gray in K’th’s En. Pl. Helonias erythrosperma, Mx. and Ell SK.)
Grows in rich, shaded soils; collected in St. John’s; vicinity of
Charleston; Fla. Fl. May.

Ell. Bot. 421. “A narcotic poison, employed in some families
to destroy the house-fly. The bulbs are triturated and mixed
with molasses. The flies, if not swept in the fire, or otherwise
destroyed, revive in the course of twenty-four hours.” Its
foliage poisons cattle which feed upon it in autumn. I would
invite others to an examination of this plant as a remedial agent,
as well as the allied genus Xerophyllum and others.

ITCH-WEED; INDIAN POKE; WHITE HELLEBORE;
CROW POISON, ( Veratrum viride, Veratrum album, Mich.) Ab-
beville District, S. C.; grows in mountain streams.

Lind. Nat. Syst. 348. An acrid emetic and powerful stim-
ulant, followed by sedative effects.” Big. Med. Bot. ii, 125. Dr.
Tully also says it is a deobstruent or alterative, an acrid nar-
cotic, an emetic, an epispastic and an errhine ; found very useful
in gout, rheumatism, diseases of lungs, and some complaints of
the bowels. Osgood, in the Am. Journal. Med. Science, states

607

that it is perfectly certain in its operation and is, in all respects,
analogous to colchicum, which it should supersede. Bigelow
mentions that in his hands it has arrested the paroxysm of gout,
and has given relief in some cases of protracted rheumatism.
It has been externally employed, in the form of ointment, in
many cutaneous affections. Mr. Worthington, who made a full
analysis, found veratria, gallic acid, extractive, etc. See Am.
Journal Pharm. N. S. iii; Dr. Osgood’s examination, Am.
Journal Med. Sci. 1835, and Am. Journal Pharm. i, 202, N. §.;
Griffith Med. Bot. 644; Am. Journal Pharm. N. S. iv, 89; Raf.
Med. Fl. 585. The tincture or the extract is the best form of
administration ; the dose of the first is thirty drops, of the latter
one-third of a grain, gradually increased. Kalm says that corn
soaked in a strong decoction will be protected against the en-
croachment of birds; those that eat of it becoming giddy fall
to the ground, and thus deter others. ‘The plant is considered
eminently deserving the attention of the profession.

The above was written in my Report printed in 1849. The
great value of this plant is now (1863) fully recognized as a de-
pressor of the heart’s action. It is also emetic and expectorant.
As it is scarce, our other species, V. intermedium, growing in
Florida, and V. parviflorum of Mx., found in the mountains of
North Carolina, should be examined. Many of the recent
journals and medical treatises contain full descriptions of the
application of the V. viride to the treatment of typhoid and
yellow fevers, pneumonia, etc. See Charleston Medical Journal
for Drs. Ford and White’s paper on the treatment of yellow
fever with this agent. The same journal (vii, 768) contains
papers by Norwood, J. A. Mayes and others on the employment
of this powerful sedative. See, also, a full account of the prop-
erties and uses of this plant by Dr. J. Bell in the N. A. Med.
Chirurg. Rev. ii, 914. Its discovery is encouraging to those
who believe that the same perseverance and enlightened skill
which gave us quinine, morphia and chloroform, may add still
more conquests, as greater familiarity is attained with the veg-
etable wealth of our country. Dr. C. R. Harris reports in the
Confed. S. Med. J. Aug., 1864, a violent case of maniacal ex-
citement from drink which was relieved by eight drops repeated |
of Dr. Norwood’s Tincture. He also recommended it in acute
inflammations of the brain or its membranes. I have used it

608

repeatedly in pneumonia and typhoid fever, both in private
practice and whilst in charge of military hospitals at Norfolk
and Petersburg, and have found it often advisable to give stim-
ulants and supportive treatment at the same time. I have also
seen it relieve violent coughs coming on suddenly and depen-
dent upon nervous irritation. The dose of the tincture of V.
viride is three to four drops, cautiously increased. The remedy
for an overdose is alcoholic stimulants. Dr. Norwood, of South
Carolina, deserves great credit for establishing the method of
using the V. viride. His tincture is made by macerating eight
ounces of the dried root in sixteen ounces of alcohol for two
weeks ; dose, from six to eight drops, repeated cautiously every
three hours, gradually increasing till its effects are produced.
The roots should be collected in autumn ; they deteriorate.

Veratrum parvijlorum and angustifolium. Both are found at
the South; they are probably active, and should be examined.

INDIAN CUCUMBER; VIRGINIAN MEDEOLA, (Gyro-
mia Virginica, Medeola Virginica, Linn. and Ell. Sk.) Grows in
moist soils; generally found under beech trees; Newbern. FI.
June.

U.S. Disp. 274. Pursh states that the root was eaten by the
Indians. Dr. Barton thought it useful in dropsies. Bart. M.
Bot.; Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 318. It enjoys some reputation asa .
hydragogue. Mér. andde L. Dict. de M. Méd. iv, 270; according
to which it is esteemed a very active diuretic. De Cand. Es-
sai, 293.

BIRTHWORT, (Trillium sessile, L.) Rare; grows in: rich
shaded soil; collected in St. John’s, near Wantoot Pl.; vicinity
of Charleston; I have observed it on the Ashley road. FI.
May. It belongs to the Smilax family.

Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 348. ‘Roots generally violently
emetic.” The species are astringent, tonic and alterative, used
by the Indians in diseases of females, and as preparatory to par-
turition. Riddell, Griffith. We have several species in the
Southern States.

Trillium erectum. Dr. Wood states (U. S. Disp., 12th Ed.)
that the roots of the plants of the genus Trillium were noticed
as medicinal in Henry’s Herbal. published in 1812; and that
Dr. H.S. Williams published papers concerning them in the N.
Eng. Journ. of Med. and Surg. in 1820, and in N. Y. Journ.

609

Med. viii, 94. The following account is furnished by Dr. Wood:
The roots have a somewhat balsamic odor and taste, and pro-
duce, when chewed, a sense of heat and irritation, with an in-
creased flow of saliva. A root received by Mr. E. S. Wayne, of
Cincinnati, was found by him to give a deep blue with tincture
of iodine. He found in it an acrid principle, analagous to sen-
egin and saponin in the property of frothing with water; half a
grain in two ounces of water being sufficient to show this prop-
erty, (Proc. Am. Pharm. Assoc. 1856, and Am. J. Pharm. xxviii,
512.) Besides this acrid principle the Trillia roots are said to
contain volatile oil, gum, starch, extractive, resin, and tannic
acid. They are astringent; and tonic, expectorant and altera-
tive properties have been ascribed to them. The complaints in
which they are said to have proved most advantageous are the
hemofrhages ; but they have also been used in cutaneous affec-
tions, and externally in obstinate ulcers. Dr. Williams gave a
drachm of the powdered root three times a day. Of the different
species 7’. erectum is generally esteemed most active. T. pendu-
lum (not included by Chapman in his So. Flora) is referred to in
the Peninsular and Independent Med. Journ., Jan., 1859, 187, as
_ among the most valued medicinal plants of Michigan, being
used especially in menorrhagia. U.S. Disp.

LILIACEA. (The Lily Tribve.)

DOG’S TOOTH VIOLET; ADDER’S TONGUE, (Erythro-
nium Americanum, L. Erythronium lanceolatum, Ph.) Grows in
the upper districts and in Georgia; sent to me from Abbeville
by Mr. Reed. Fl. April.

U.S. Disp. 318; Big. Am. Med. Bot. iii, 151; Mér. and de L.
Dict. de Mat. Méd. iii, 147; Coxe, Am. Disp. 269; Bart. Flora
N. Am. 133; Griffith Med. Bot. The recent bulbs are emetic
when powdered and given in doses of twenty to forty grains.
When dried or cooked they become eatable. The berries are
said to be more active and certain in their operation than the
root.

BEAR-GRASS; ADAM’S NEEDLE, (Yucca filamentosa, L.)
Diffused ; I have collected it in Sumter District, S. C.

A tincture of the roots is much employed in rheumatism. I
am told by correspondents in Statesburg, S. C., that in large

39

610

doses it produces giddiness. This statement should excite fur-
ther attention to the plant. The “Cherokee doctors” use it in
the form of a poultice of the roots, or a salve, as a local applica-
tion in allaying inflammation.

The fibre is uncommonly strong, and is used for various pur-
poses on our plantations: for making thongs for hanging up the
heaviest hams, bacon, etc. I do not know whether it has been
tried as a substitute for hemp and cordage, as Mr. W. G. Simms
suggests in a letter to me. ;

I have since (July, 1862) seen an article in the Charleston
Courier, entitled “Confederate Flax,” in which it is stated that
Mr. D. Ewart, of Florida, had presented for exhibition “speci-
mens of scutched fibre, and of cordage and twine of different
sizes, made from the very common plant familiarly known as
bear-grass, or Adam’s needles.” He also communicated the
processes employed in reducing it to cordage. The Columbus
(Ga.) Sun, of a later date, reports a coil of rope made by Mr.
Jas. Torrey, which was pronounced by competent authority to
be equal to Kentucky rope. The plants in the above instance
were rotted and prepared by negroes.

Gov. Call, (see Southern Cultivator, p. 27, vol. 5, 1847,) in ,
stating that the Bear-grass is an evergreen, says that it may be
prepared for use at any season, as it sustains no loss or depre-
ciation by remaining in the ground. Six months’ growth will
give a plant of good size, and the hemp made from such a
plant will be as long and possess quite as much strength as that
made from plants of older growth. But it will have fewer
leaves, and consequently produce less fibre. It will require
planting but once in a lifetime, and with but little culture will
produce abundant crops of five or six tons per acre. “After
boiling the leaves and putting them up in small bundles of con-
venient size for the purpose, I have passed them through an
ordinary wooden sugar mill, dipping them in water at each
passage until the surplus matter has been removed, leaving the
fibres perfectly cleansed, unimpaired, and ready for use.” It
can be propagated by cutting the roots, like the sweet potato.
The same number contains a report from the Secretary of War
upon the same subject.’ Congress allowed Dr. Perrine a grant
of land in Florida for the purpose of raising Sisal and other
hemp plants. His death defeated the enterprise,

611

ONION-TREK; MEADOW GARLIC, (Allium Canadense,
W.) Grows in damp soils; Newbern; Fla. and northward.

Griffith Med. Bot. 653. It is employed as a substitute for the
common garlic, and it is said to be fully as efficient. Its top
bulbs are greatly prized for pickling, being considered of supe-
rior flavor to the common onion for that purpose. For cultiva-
tion, see Farm. Encye.,G. W. Johnson. Most of the exotic
alliaceous plants, the leek, onion, garlic, etc., are cultivated in
the Southern States. Cotton or wool wet with the juice of
garlic, and applied to the ear, is said to relieve deafness. The
juice or syrup is given to infants with colic; a few drops being
used in place of paregoric. Said to be both stimulant and car-
minative.

WILD GARLIC, (Allium Carolinianum.)

Several species of alliaceous plants grow within the Southern
States. The juice of garlic acts medicinally as an expectorant.
It is a strong cement for broken glass and China. Preparations
of garlic will expel snails, grubs, moles, worms, etc., placed
near their‘haunts. Wilson’s Rural Cyc.

Schoenolirion Michauxii, Torr. Swamps and pine barrens;
Florida and westward. Chap.

The bulbous roots of this and the Wolina Georgiana, Mx., are
allied to the squill, and should be examined.

STAR-GRASS ; BLAZING STAR; AGUE ROOT; UNI-
CORN ROOT, (Aletris farinosa, L.) Diffused in damp pine
lands; collected in St. John’s; vicinity of Charleston; New-
bern. Fl. July.

Big. Am. Med. Bot. iii, 92; Pe. Mat. Med. and Therap. ii,
121; Frost’s Elems. 283; Mer. and de L. Dict. de Mat. Méd. i,
161; Lind. Nat Syst. Bot. 353; Clayton’s Phil. Trans. Ab. viii,
333; Cutler, Am. Acad. i, 435; Griffith Med. Bot. 623. “The
root is tonic and stomachic in small doses, but one of twenty
grains occasions nausea, with a tendency to vomit.” Lind.
Nat. Syst. Bigelow knew of no plant exceeding this in
genuine, intense and permanent bitter. Pursh says it is an
excellent remedy in colic; Cullen, in chronic rheumatism; and
Dr. Thacher, in dropsical affections. Infused in vinegar, it is
given in intermittent fever attended with dropsical accumula-
tions, The decoction of the root and leaves in liberal doses is
much employed in popular practice in the lower portions of

612

South Carolina. The root is quite resinous, and is supposed to
contain a portion of extractive matter, hence its use in coughs
and colds, as it does not at the same time impair the tone of
the digestive organs. It is said to produce soreness of the
mouth. Ten grains act asa tonic. The tincture is the strong-
est preparation. It is employed also by the vegetable practi-
tioners. See Howard’s Imp. Syst. Bot. Med. 285.

YELLOW STAR-GRASS, (Aletris aurea, Walter.) Grows in
similar situations ; collected in St. John’s Berkeley, near Pinop-
olis; vicinity of Charleston. Fl. July.

Ell. Bot. Med. Notes, i, 39; Frost’s Elems. 283; U. S. Disp.
67. It is purgative and nauseating in large doses, probably
possessed of properties similar to the above.

LILY OF THE VALLEY, (Convallaria majalis.) According
to Elliott, grows on the highest mountains of South Carolina.

Bull. Plantes Vén. de France, 164. The power of the leaves
is said to be a very active sternutatory. Dém. Elém. de Bot. by
Gillibert, ii, 6. Some practitioners order the powder of the
leaves in epileptic affections, depending upon verminous influ-
ence. The flowers furnish a good deal of essential oil. “We
have tried with success a powder of the flowers in inveterate
pain of the head.” Trans. from op. cit. This was taken in the
nostrils as snuff. Dr. Wood, in the U. 8S. Disp. 1249, confirms
the assertion in reference to the power the flowers possess of
exciting sneezing. They have a delightful odor, resembling
that of musk, and when dried and powdered are much em-
ployed as a sternutatory, acting sometimes quite violently.
According to Mérat they are esteemed in nervous headaches
and vertigo; and when pulverized are emetic and purgative.
See Diss. Botanico Med. Inaug. de Lilium. Conval. 1718, Al
Torfii; Diss. Inaug. at Gottingen, 1757; one by Misdorf, in
1742 ; and another by Schultze, in the same year. Shee., in his
Flora Carol. 431, states that the dried flowers are narcotic.
“The extract of the root and flowers possesses purgative prop-
erties similar to aloes.” The poultice of the root enjoys some
celebrity for taking away the marks of bruises, ete. With the
addition of lime to the leaves a beautiful green color is obtained.
The dose of the simple distillation of the flowers is four ounces ;
when powdered sixty grains; of extract two to three grains.
The berries are large, and scarlet colored, The plant is much

613

admired and cultivated throughout Europe. The dried flowers
have a narcotic odor, and when pulverized they provoke
sneezing, and may be used as a sternutatory. Rural Cye.

G. F. Walz, by a chemical analysis, has discovered two prin-
ciples, convallarin and convallamarin, (Am. J. Pharm., Nov.,
1859.) Taken internally the flowers are said to be emetic and
cathartic, and their extract purges actively in the dose of half
adrachm. U.S. Disp., 12th Ed.

SOLOMON’S SEAL, (Convallaria multiflora, Polygonatum mul-
tiflorum, Desfont. and Ell. Sk.) Grows in damp soils.

U. S. Disp. 1249. This is used in similar cases with the
European species, (the Con. polygonatum,) the root of which was
employed as a cosmetic, and which, according to Hermann, is a
gooderemedy in gout and rheumatism. See Nouv. Journal de
Med. v, 209. Thirty grains of the dried root is given in Russia
as a preventive against plague. Bull des Sc. Méd. v, 209. Dr.
G. M. Maclean considers the C. polygonatum one of the best
diuretics he has used when given in infusion. N. Y. J, Med. x,
375; U. S. Disp., 12th Ed. Mills, in his Statistics of 8. C.,
states that from the leaves a beautiful and durable green color
can be obtained.

Polygonatum biflorum, L. P. pubescens, Pursh. This, Conval-
laria majalis, (lily of the valley,) and species of the genus Smi-
lacina, (Solomon’s seal,) growing in the Southern States, yield
starch from their roots. I have often noticed the tuberous roots
of Convallaria biflora. Starch is abundant in them.

Uvularia perfoliata, L, Grows in damp soils; collected in St.
John’s. Fl. June.

Griffith’s Med. Bot. 641. The roots of the different species
are subacid and mucilaginous when fresh; and a decoction of
them has been employed as a domestic remedy in sore mouth
and in affections of the throat; also considered as alexipharmic
in snake bites. The roots are, however, edible when cooked,
and the young shoots are a very good substitute for asparagus.
See, also, Smilax.

Uvularia sessilifiora, L. Collected in St. Stephen’s Parish, S.
C.; in damp soils. Fl. July. Similar in properties to the above.

ASPARAGUS, (Asparagus officinalis, L.) Ex. Nat. on banks
of Cooper River; vicinity of Charleston, Bach. Fl. May.

614

Mér. and de L. Dict. de M, Méd. Supplem. 1846, p. 73. A
preparation in the shape of a syrup was much in vogue as a
powerful sedative in palpitation of the heart, used by Broussais.
Journal de Pharm. xix, 667. Its diuretic property is well
known. Révue Méd. 1838, p. 409. See M. Lodiberts on its
culture, and an account of the alcoholic fermentation from the
branches, in the Journal de Med. Militaire. Mannite is said to
exist in the celery, melon and asparagus.

Asparagus for Coffee.—Liebig states that asparagus contains,
in common with tea and coffee, a principle which he calls tau-
rine, and which he considers essential to the health of those
who do not take strong exercise. By this a writer in the
London Gardener’s Chronicle was led to test asparagus as a
substitute for Coffee. He says: “The young shoots were not
agreeable, having an alkaline taste. I then tried ripe seeds,
and they, roasted and ground, make a full flavored coffee, not
easily distinguished from fine Mocha. The seeds are easily
freed from the berries by drying them in a cool (warm, I sup-
pose he means) oven, and then rubbing them onasieve. There
is in Berlin, Prussia, a large establishment for the manufacture
of coffee from acorns and chiccory, the articles being made
separately. The chiccory is mixed with an equal weight of
turnips to render it sweeter. The acorn coffee, which is made
from roasted and ground acorns, is sold in large quantities, and
frequently with rather a medicinal than an economical view, as
it is thought to have a wholesome effect upon the blood. Acorn
coffee is, however, made and used in many parts of Germany
for the sole purpose of adulterating genuine coffee.” Annual of
Scientific Discovery. See ‘“ Okra.”

COMMELINACE. (The Spiderwort Tribe.)

Commelina communis, Pursh. Grows in pine barrens; col-
lected in St. John’s; vicinity of Charleston; Newbern. FI.
July.

Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. ii, 272. In Cochin China it
is said to be employed as a refrigerant and relaxant; pre-
scribed in constipation and strangury. The flower is of a
beautiful blue, and Kempher says that a color like ultramarine
might be obtained from it.

615
ALISMACEA. (The Water Plantain Tribe.)

All are aquatic plants, and many contain a fleshy rhizome
which is eatable.

ARROW-HEAD, (Sagittaria sagittifolia, Mich. Sagittaria
latifolia, W.) Grows in rice fields; collected on Cooper River ;
I have specimens from Sumter District ; vicinity of Charleston ;
Newbern. FI. July.

Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. vi, 153; Journal Comp. des
Se. Med. xix, 143. The leaves are acrid, and it is proposed to
employ them in dispersing scrofulous ulcers. Dém. Elem. de
Bot. ii, 416. The Chinese are said to cultivate it on account of
the bulbous roots, which are eaten. It was employed as food
by the Indians. Wade's Pl. Rariores, 80. It is said that the
leaves, applied to the breasts of nursing women, will tend to
dispel the milk. Griffith’s Med. Bot. 619. The fecula is like
arrowroot, (Maranta arund.,) and has been used for similar
purposes.

The root of this plant is often of great length. No doubt it
contains starch. Our Canna, (C. flacida,) growing in Fla. and
8. C., very probably yields starch, for the arrowroot, “tous les
mois,” from C. coccinea, makes a stiffer jelly than that from the
Maranta or Florida arrowroot.

WATER PLANTAIN, (Alisma plantago, L. A. trivialis and
parviflora of Pursh.) Ditches and ponds; Georgia and north-
ward.

It is used by the vegetable practitioners as a demulcent
astringent in affections of the bowels, and by the “Cherokee
doctors ” as an external application to “sores, wounds, bruises,
swellings,” etc., being employed as a poultice and wash. The
juice will vesicate the skin. The roots cooked may be used as
food. When fresh they have an odor like that of Florentine
orris, but lose it when dried. The root in the dose of eight or
ten grains, largely increased, have recently been used in chorea
and epilepsy with asserted advantage. See U. S. Disp., 12th
Ed.

HYDROCHARIDACEM. (Frogs-bit Tribe.)

TAPE GRASS, (Valisneria spiralis, Micheli.) Ponds and
stagnant water. Fla. and northward.

‘616

The fertilization of this aquatic species, as well as that of
Anacharis Canadensis, found at Cherokee, N. C., is very remarka-
ble. The sterile flowers break away from the stem, and, ex-
panding at the surface of the water, go as it were in quest of
the female florets by which their stigmas are impregnated.

JUNCEM. (The Rush Tribe.)

SOFT RUSH ; BULRUSH, (Juncus communis, Mey, in K’th’s
En. Pl. Juncus effusus, Linn. and Ell. Sk.) Grows in bogs and
morasses; Newbern. Fl. May. oe

Lind. Nat. Syst. 531. Cultivated in Japan for making floor
mats, chair bottoms, etc. It is sometimes employed at the
South for similar purposes. The pith, when dried and oiled,
will serve as a wick. A decoction of the plant is said to be
diuretic.

SMILACEA. (The Smilax Tribe.)
~ : { L

CHINA-BRIAR, (Smilax pseudo-China,L.) Grows in swamps,
along streams; collected in St. John’s; Newbern. Fl. May.

Ell. Bot. Med. Notes, ii, 700; U.S. Disp. 634; Pe. Mat. Med.
and Therap. 133; De Cand. Prodrom. i, 351; Frost’s Elems.
Mat. Med. 228. The decoction is alterative ; in large doses,
emetic. It is much used in portions of the Southern States in
the composition of diet drinks, and it is considered one of the
best substitutes for Sarsaparilla. Griffith Med. Bot. 660, states
that the Indians employed the fecula of this, as well.as that of
the S.caduea; laurifolia and tamnoides, “all of which ‘are indige-
nous.

The roots of this plant contain a sabia deal of Starch. They
are, consequently, to a certain extent light and porous, and are
used to make pipes: ‘with, also by our polaiees in camp in the
manufacture of an extemporaneously prepared beer. The root
is mixed with molasses and water in an open tub, a few seeds
of parched corn or rice are added, and after a slight fermenta-
tation it is seasoned with sassafras. The young shoots of the
China-briar are eaten as asparagus, with which they are closely
allied. They impart the same odor to the urine, and probably
contain asparagine. f

617

Lawson, in his “Travels in Carolina,” says: “The root is a
round ball, which the Indians boil and eat.” Croom states in
the notes to his “Catalogue,” p. 48, that these roots become in
time of scarcity an important article of food to the Southern
Indians. The Seminoles, of Florida, obtain from them by ,
maceration in water, their red meal, and from the roots of
Zamia integrifolia their white meal, “which have subsisted
them in part during their late campaign.”

Mr. W. G. Simms informs me that a rich brown dye is

~ made from the roots with copperas.

As

The seeds of the berries are exceedingly hard, and are used
as beads. I have seen a necklace made with them resembling
coral, which may well be called “Indian coral.”

WIED SARSAPARILLA, (Smilax sarsaparilla, L. Smilax
glauca, Walt.) Rich soils; Abbeville District; Fla. Fl. July.

U.S. Disp. 634; Woodv. Med. Bot. 161. This does not ap-
pear to be the officinal Sarsaparilla, though it probably shares

_the alterative virtues belonging to the genus. Thornton’s Fam.

Herbal. 241; Journal de Pharm. xvi, 38; Frost’s Elems. Mat.

= Med. 223. it is supposed to be possessed of undoubted efficacy,

given in diet drinks and alterative mixtures combined with the
China-briar, and used in syphilis and chronic rheumatism. Meér.
and de L. Dict. de M. Med. iii, 79; Humboldt’s Voyage, viii,
378; Analysis in Journal de Chim. Med, i, 215. A principle has
been derived from it, called smilacine. Journal de Pharm. xvi,
501, and xviii, 324. From Bartley’s examination in the Edin.
Med. Journal, xvi, 473, the virtues appear to reside in the cor-
tical part; hence, it is best extracted by the cold infusion.
Biblioth. Méd. xxvi, 119. According to these writers it is con-
sidered a powerful sudorific and alterative, indicated when you
wish to produce diaphoresis, as in rheumatism of the joints;
and this agrees with the experience of those who have tried it
in the Southern States. J. Pope, Recherches upon the different
species of Sarsaparilla Gen. de Méd. xci, 300, and Thumberg’s
Mem. on the quantity of extractive matter furnished by the
species. The S. glauca of Walt. is the S. caduca of Willd.

— Smilax caduca, LL. Around ponds and in rich shaded soils;

collected in St. John’s; vicinity of Charleston; Newbern. FI.
June. The S. caduca of Ell.is the S§. Walteri of Pursh. |
Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. vi, 375. Some have asserted

618

that it furnishes caoutchouc. See Hist. Nat. Pharm. ii, 590.
The root affords a fecula.

Smilax ovata, Ph. and Ell. Sk. Grows on the seashore, EIl.;
vicinity of Charleston. Fl. June. | >

Ell. Bot. Med. Notes, ii,698. Remarkable fhe the tage of
its flowers.

Smilax tamnoides, L. Grows in dry soils in rich woods; col-
lected in St. John’s; vicinity of Charleston. Fl. June.

Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. vi, 384. The root of this
also, says Merat, is employed in the form of decoction to purify
the blood. It affords a fecula.

Coprosmanthus herbaceus, Kunth. Smilax herbacea, L. Grows
in rich wooded soils ; collected in St. John’s; vicinity of Charles-
ton. Fl. June.

This species has been used for its alterative properties.

The father of the writer, an ardent cultivator of Botany, had
invited his attention years since to a plant called the “Carrion
plant.” It escaped all inquiries till very recently, when a close
examination of the C. Aerbacea again revealed to him the re-
markable fetor which it exhales, and which closely resembles
the smell of decayed flesh. A recent examination of Darling-
ton’s Flora Cestrica has established the correctness of his sus-
picions, for he speaks of the S. herbacea as the “ Carrion plant.”
The plant is a very pretty one, and Prof. Torrey in forming a
new genus has given it a very appropriate name. The C. pe-
duncularis, K., growing in the upper districts, also possesses
fetid flowers. The attention of the curious is invited to these
plants.

DIOSCOREACE®. (The Yam Tribe.)

WILD YAM, (Dioscorea villosa, L.) Grows in damp soils;
collected in St. John’s; vicinity of Charleston. Fl. July. ~

Griffith’s Med. Bot. 659. The decoction of the root, according
to Riddell, in a late paper, Synops. Flo. West. St. 93, is emi-
nently beneficial in bilious colic ; one ounce is added to one pint
of water, and half of this is taken at a dose. He says it acts
with great promptitude, and that Dr. Neville places much reli-
ance on the tincture as an expectorant; it is likewise diapho-
retic, and in large doses emetic. Attention is invited to its
employment.

619

Prof. Wood, in the recently published edition of the U. S.
Disp., states that the ‘“‘Eclectics” use a principle called dioscorein
in doses of one to four grains, which “is only the tincture pre-
cipitated.”

See illustrated papers in Patent Office Reports, p. 169, 1854,
and p. 250, 1856, on the Chinese yam (Dioscorea batatas) which
bears a large tuber, like the potato, and yields starch, sugar,
etc. The roots do not require to be stored in cellars, though
this may be done; they are dug in the fall. I have seen it
growing at Col. J. B. Moore’s, near Stateburg, S.C. The root
is said to be “voluminous, rich in nutritive matter, and can be
cooked in every respect like the common potato, and even be
eaten in the raw state.” The yam cultivated at the South is
Dioscorea sativa; another species raised here, D. alata, weighs
sometimes thirty pounds.

ARACEM. (The Arum Tribe.)

An acrid principle generally pervades this tribe, existing in
some of them to a high degree.

WAKE ROBIN; INDIAN TURNIP; DRAGON-ROOT,
(Arisema triphyllum, Torr. Arisema atroreubens, Blum. in K’th’s
En. Pl. Arum triphyllum, L. Ell. Sk.) Grows in rich soils;
collected in St. John’s ; vicinity of Charleston; Newbern. FI.
June.

Eberle, Mat. Med. ii, 437; Chap. Therap. and Mat. Med. ii,
41; U.S. Disp. 123; Pe. Mat. Med. and Therap. ii, 78; Big. Am.
Med. Bot. i, 52; Am. Journal Pharm. xv, 83; Thacher’s U. S.
Disp., art. A. triphyllum, 153; Cullen, Mat. Med. ii, 211 and
554; Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Med. i, 460; Coxe, Am. Disp.
121; Schepf, Mat. Med. 133; Rush, ii, 301; Barton’s Collec. 29;
Shee. Flora Carol. 273; McCall, in Phil. Med. Journal, ii, 84 ;
Cutler, Am. Acad. i, 487; Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 364; Matson’s
Veg. Pract. 295, and Thompson’s Steam. Pract. It is said
to be similar in its action to the A. maculatum. Dr. Meara af-
firms that it does not act on the general circulatory, but only on
the glandular system, which it stimulates greatly, and the se-
cretions of which it augments. Dr. Wood says it stimulates
the secretions of the skin and lungs also. It is used advanta-
geously in diseases of the mucous membranes, particularly in
hooping cough and asthma. “In the chronic asthmatic affec-

620

tions of old people it isa remedy of very considerable value.”
The powder of the fresh root, made into a paste with honey or
syrup, and placed in small quantities upon the tongue so as to
be gradually diffused over the mouth and throat, is said to have
proved useful in the aphthous sore throat of children. Dr.
Thacher employed it in this affection, and adds that it is of ap-
proved efficacy in rheumatism. ‘“ Milk in which the acrid prin-
ciple of the A. triphyl. bas been boiled has been known to cure
consumption!” De Cand. cit. in Lind. The sliced root has been
used as an application for poisoning by the ivy, (Rhus.) Lindley
remarks of some of this class that “the spadixes disengage a
sensible quantity of heat when they are about to open.” An
ointment, made by stewing the fresh root in lard, is applied in
seald-head, in ring-worm, and other eruptions and cutaneous
diseases, acting as a stimulant. The root is a decided expecto-
rant. Agardh considers that the acrid principle, which, not-
withstanding its fugacity, has lately been obtained pure, is of
great power as a stimulant. In corroboration, I would mention
my having produced vesication merely by rubbing the stem of
the Arum Walteri (a South Carolina species) in contact with
the unbroken skin; and I observe that both species are very
irritating to the fauces. By chemical analysis (Am. Journal
Pharm. xv, 83) it contains, besides the acrid principle, from ten
to seventeen per cent. of starch, which may be obtained from
it as white and as delicate as from the potato ; also albumen,
gum, sugar, extractive, lignin, and salts of potassa and lime.
Bigelow states (i, 59) that the starch is prepared by pouring re-
peatedly portions of water over the fresh reot reduced to a pulp
by grating, and placed on a strainer, the farinaceous part being
earried through, and leaving the fibrous behind. Dr. McCall,
of Georgia, found it to yield one-fourth part its weight of pure
amylaceous matter, which is white, delicate and nutritive. See,
also, the experiments of Bigelow to extract the acrimonious
principle of the fresh root. The root may be preserved if kept
buried in the sand. Dose of recently dried root, ten grains
mixed with gum-arabic, sugar and water, in the form of emul-
sion, repeated and increased.

During scarcity of food almost any substance that contains
starch, even though it be associated with bitter or noxious
principles, may furnish material for bread. “From the acorn

621

a kind of meal is produced which makes excellent bread, pro-
vided that a little barley meal be mingled with it to counteract
its astringent qualities. M. Parmentier extracted the farina or
starch of the bryony, the iris, gladiolus, ranunculus, fumaria,
arum, dracunculus, mandragora, colchicum, filipendula and helle-
bores, etc. It is only necessary to cleanse these roots, to scrape
and pound them, and then to soak the pulp in a considerable
quantity of water; a white sediment is deposited, which when
washed and dried is a real starch. M. Parmentier converted
these different starches into bread by mingling them with an
equal portion of potatoes reduced into the pulp, and the ordi-
nary dose of wheaten leaven; the bread had no bad taste, and
its quality was excellent.” Wilson’s Rural Cyc. We have in
the Soythern States several species of the genera mentioned
above. See index to this volume; also, “Zizania,”’ or Canada
rice. A knowledge of these plants may prove serviceable in
case of an emergency.

Peltandra Virginica, Raf.(Kunth, En. Pl.) Arum Virginicum,
L. Common in swamps ; collected in St. John’s; vicinity of
Charleston. Fl. May.

Stearns’ Am. Herbal. 133. Property probably similar to
those of the above. “Powerfully stimulant, diuretic and
diaphoretic. Stimulates the solids, promotes the secretion of
perspiration, urine, etc.; good in languid, phlegmonous habits,
in relaxation and weakness of the stomach, loss of appetite, in
jaundice, hysterical and hypochondriacal complaints, rheuma-
tism, pains and obstinate headaches unattended with fever.”
Dose, ten grains, with sixty grains of gum-arabic, twenty of
spermaceti, and eight of sugar. The corm is esculent when
cooked.

Arum maculatum. I find that this species is not a native of
the Southern States; but the indigenous A. triphyllum is said to
possess precisely the same properties ; so I will allow it to re-
main.

Bull. Plantes Ven. de France 83. ‘The leaves, being eaten
by three children, produced horrible convulsions,” swelling of
the tongue, etc. One author mentions that he uses the root
with great success in rheumatic pains, in doses of six to twerty
grains of the fresh root, three times a day. The emulsion is
more sedative. The dry root is quite nutritious, serving as an

622

article of food. Catalogus Plantarum, 28. The decoction of
the root with honey is a powerful expectorant, and is useful in
asthma. (Hxpectorat enim validissime crassas lentasque excrea-
tiones.) The Catalogus Plantarum of Ray, furthermore, ex-
presses this high opinion: “Remedium est prestantissimum et
minime fallax adversus venenum et pestem, asthmaticos maxime
juvat, hernias curat et urinam ciet.” See, also, the Historia Plan-
tarium Raii, p. 1208. ‘he root, dried and powdered, has been
sold as a cosmetic, under the name of cypress powder; said,
also, to possess a soporific quality, and to be used in washing
linen. Linn. Veg. Mat. Med. 168; Woodv. Med. Bot. 75. The
recent root, according to Orfila, will cause the death of a dog
in thirty-six hours. Toxicol. 298; Ancien. Journal de Méd.
xxxiv, 529. See Dict. des Drogues, i, 355, for chemical analysis.
Portland sago is made from the root. Encycl. Plants, 800. The
bad effects resulting from the use of the Arum are alleviated by
the administration of buttermilk and oily liquors. Shecut, in
his Flora Carol., speaks of its great reputation as an effectual
remedy in cachecti¢ cases, in weakness of stomach, and fixed
rheumatic pains. The fresh root, externally applied, is a good
substitute for Spanish flies. Dr. Lewis, in the Fam. Herbal.
751, asserts that neither water nor spirit extracts its virtues, the
fresh root being best administered in substance in the form of a
bolus or emulsion, or by beating it up with resin or gum, and
keeping in pill. Geoffroi alludes to it as a valuable stomachic
for restoring lost appetite; useful in chlorosis, jaundice and
hysterical affections. He says that by boiling the root in
vinegar it becomes powerfully diuretic. Bergius reports the
root as of great service, mixed with an alkaline aromatic, in
cases of obstinate periodical headache, when the pulse is slower
than natural without fever. Journal de Pharm. xii, 158. Merat,
in the Dict. de Mat. Méd., endorses the opinions generally ex-
pressed above. U.S. Disp. 123; Big. Am. Med. Bot. i, 52. Sir
J. E. Smith, in his Introd, to Botany, says that it is asserted by
that at the period of inflorescence, between 4 and 10
o’clock, P. M., the flower is actually “hot,” causing the ther-
mometer to rise several degrees.

SKUNK CABBAGE; POLE CAT WEED, (Symplocarpus
fetidus, Dracontium fetidum.) Pothos of Mx.

A fetid plant, the root and seed supposed to possess some

623

anti-spasmodic and narcotic power. It has been employed by
Bigelow and Heintzelman and others in hooping cough,
catarrhs, phthisis, hysteria and dropsy. The Rev. Dr. Culter
introduced it into notice, and employed it in asthma. N. J.
Med. Rep. 410; U. S. Disp. The root, chewed, produces a
prickling sensation in the mouth. The leaves are used to dress
blisters to keep up a discharge. ‘The roots occasion vomiting
and dimness of sight. Bigelow; Griffith. Dose of powdered root,
ten to twenty grains, repeated. The seeds contain 20 per cent.
of fixed oil, which is acrid. Am. Jour. Pharm. ii, 1. A strong
infusion of the plant is also used.

GOLDEN-CLUB, (Orontium aquaticum, Mx.) Roots often
immersed ; common in lower country ; collected in St. John’s.
Fl. May.

Lind. Nat. Syst. 365. “The root is acrid, but becomes eata-
ble by roasting.” Both the seeds and roots were eaten by the
Indians. The stem just beneath the infloresence is of the most
beautiful white ; a section of it I have observed to be admirably
suited for microscopical inspection.

TYPHACEAM. (The Bulrush Tribe.)

CAT-TAIL; REED MACH, (Typha latifolia, L.) Morasses
and stagnant waters, often immersed; collected in St. John’s;
vicinity of Charleston; Newbern.

Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. t. vi, 795; Journal de Chim.
Med. iv, 179; Journal de Pharm. xii, 564. This plant receives
an extended notice in European works. The root is eaten as a
salad. See, also, Lightfoot’s Fl. Scotica, ii, 339. A jelly also is
extracted from it. Aublet assures us it is good in gonorrhea
and chronic dysentery. See an analysis in Journal de Pharm.
xii, 564, and xiv, 221. Little crystals of phosphate of lime are
found in the stems. It is said also to be abundant in fecula.
Decouv. des Russes. iii, 450; Gmélin, Flora Siberica, i, 25-139.
See Vignal’s Essay on the treatment of wounds with the pollen
or aigrettes of the Typha, which it is proposed to use a substi-
tute for cotton, (in French.) Paris, 1803. The bark has been
employed in the fabrication of hats, and with cotton in making
gloves ; and some have recommended it in making China paper.
See the Dict. de M. Méd, “Paper made from the swamp flag,

624

called cat-tails, was manufactured in 1863 upon an extensive
scale in New York. This product appears to be well adapted
for card boards and paper-hangings.” The down has been used
to stuff mattresses. Linneus informs us that the coopers in
Sweden employ the stalks to bind their casks with. In Eng-
land they use the Scirpus lacustris, and in Italy the Carex acuta,
(all Southern species, which see,) to fasten the timber in the
joints. The stalks are opened longitudinally, and placed be-
tween the interstices, so as effectually to prevent the escape of
fluids. Those who manufacture turpentine and rice barrels
might find these plants of much service in this respect—serving
the purpose much better than the strips of wood shaving gen-
erally employed to render the seams tighter, I would invite
further attention to the Typha for the several purposes
alluded. to.

“ESPARTO” GRASS.

This Grass, which is being grown in Spain, Portugal and the
French Algerian Colonies, is attracting great attention as a ma-
terial for making paper. It requires a warm, dry climate, and
it is proposed to raise it at the South where it seems that every
element is favorable to the success of the enterprise. It is quite
as easily cultivated as rice or hay, and it yields much larger re-
turns—as it readily brings in market seventy dollars of our cur-
rency per ton.

I insert the following communication from a gentleman in
Charleston who is thoroughly acquainted with the wants of the
paper manufacturer, and with everything which relates to print-
ing and book-making:

“4 New Crop for our Rice Fields ——The Esparto grass of which
we speak is already the successful rival of rags, as a material for
the manufacture of paper. The production of the grass has in-
creased with great rapidity, and it is now consumed to the value
of about one million of dollars monthly on the continent and in
Great Britain. New mills are being erected and fitted with
machinery exclusively adapted to its use, while old mills are
changing their machinery for the same purpose. There is no
doubt that its general adoption is but a question of time.

“In the United States the Esparto grass is as yet unknown ;
but the high price of rags and the failure of almost all

625

materials—except, perhaps, maple wood—used in their stead
for the manufacture of paper, which has now become one of the
leading commercial interests of the world, will soon induce our
_ Northern paper manufacturers to try this new material.

“The writer has not only seen the Esparto taken from the
bale and put through all the processes of manufacture into fine
printing and writing papers, but he has also seen the grass
growing, and is confident that our climate and soil will produce
it at least as well as the countries in which it is now cultivated.

“The Esparto grass yields to the paper-maker nearly as much
pulp as average rags yield. I is no more difficult than rags to
work up, and in many respects, although not in all, it is to be
preferred to them.

* Thus, after two hundred years of experiment and the trial of
a thousand different substances, just when the civilized world
feels its necessity the most, a perfect substitute for rags has been
found, and will be used wherever a book is read and the art of
writing known.

“We have now some samples of the Esparto seed and of pulp
made from it.”

The okra stalk has also been attracting attention as a material
for paper. An Alabama Manufacturing Company has for some
time been engaged in experimenting in its use, and with emi-
nently srtisfactory results, (1869.) It is claimed that the okra
can be bleached to any degree of whiteness; that the cost of
reducing it to “half stuff” and pulp, will not, on a considerable
scale, be greater than the cost of converting rags into pulp,
and that the okra paper is as soft as rag paper, and almost as
much so as that made from pure linen—thus combining in one
material a great desideratum in paper-making—flexibility and
strength. The okra may‘also be used as “hard stock,” to give
strength to any other material. The seed may also be made use
of. A large dealer in paper informs me that he considers it
probably one of the best materials at our disposal for the pur-
poses proposed.

BURR-REED, (Sparganium ramosum, Huds. S. Americanum,
Ell.) Lagoons and ditches; Florida and northward.

The herbage of the branchy species of Burr-reed (Sparganium)
is softer and more pliant than that of the reedy plants, and
serves well in combination with some of them in packing. I

40

626

have been surprised that more use is not made of such plants by
merchants and packers. The unripe burrs are very astringent ;
a strong decoction is employed for various purposes as an
astringent. See Darlington’s Flora Cestrica.

ACORAC.

SWEET-FLAG ; CALAMUS, (Acorus calamus, L.) Diffused
in bogs and morasses; I have collected it in Fairfield and in
Charleston Districts; vicinity of Charleston ; Newbern.

Le. Mat. Med. i, 251; Pe. Mat. Med. and Therap. ii, 76;
Royle, Mat. Med. 602; Hoffmann’s Obs. Phys. Chim. i, obs. i;
Ell. Bot. Notes, i, 403; U. S. Disp. 145; Ed. and Vav. Mat.
Méd. 281; Ball. and Gar. Mat. Med. 431; Bergii, Mat. Med. 287;
Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Med. i, 63; Woodv. Med. Bot.; Ann.
de Chim. Ixxxi, 332; Coxe, Am. Disp. 18; Shec. Flora Carol. 96.
This is a very pleasant, aromatic stimulant and stomachic ;
esteemed as a stimulating tonic in atonic conditions of the
stomach and.bowels; in the East as a powerful aphrodisiac and
carminative. Ed. and Vav. state that it has been administered
successfully in intermittent fever: “On l’a beaucoup vante pour
combattre les symptomes cérébraux qui accompagnent la se-
conde période des fiévres dites ataxiques.” Heberden, in his
“ Commentaries,” page 149, says that when bark fails in the cure
of intermittent fever, he gives a scruple of chamomile flowers
powdered. “TI have also given,” he adds “two scruples of cala-
mus aromaticus in some extraordinary cases, and have found it
more efficacious than a variety of other means.” Dr. Thomp-
son says, from his own experience, he finds it one of the most
useful adjuvants to bark and quinine; given also, combined
with magnesia, in the flatulent colics of infants. In the Sup-
plem, to Mér. and de L. 1846, 10, Dr. Endelicher assures us that
the root is an excellent remedy in chronic gout: “ qu’elle apaise
les douleurs, qu’elle assouplit les articulations ””—administered
in powder, from eighteen to twenty grains every two hours.
Annal, de Méd. and note, sur quelques plantes de lAube, Mém.
de Aube, 1841. The fresh root, candied, is said to have been
employed in large quantities as a preservative in epidemic
diseases. Thornton’s Fam. Herb. 354. The root is used in
vertigo. Linn. Veg. M. Med. 64; Griffith Med. Bot. 620. See
Anal. by Trommsdorf; Ann. Clinique, xvii, From which it ap-

627

pears to contain volatile oil, resin, extractive, etc. Thompson,
in his M. Med., says that the oil differs from other volatile oils
in not dissolving iodine.

The root of this powerful aromatic plant is much used as a
flavoring substance throughout the Western States for making
bitters, particularly the compound tincture of gentian. See
treatises on the Mat. Med. “It isa principal medicament in
the preparation of the medicated malt liquors called herb ales,
and is supposed to be the ingredient used by the French for
giving flavor to their snuff called a la violette. The whole plant
has been used for tanning leather, and in Poland it is strewed
on the floors of the upper and middle classes of society when
they are about to receive company, in order that the leaves may
be bruised by the feet of the guests, and till the rooms with an
agreeable odor.” Rural Cyclopedia, p. 40. The dose of the
root is from ten to twenty grains. An infusion of the root is
made with one ounce to one pint of boiling water; dose, a
wineglassful.

NAIADACEA. (The Pond-weed Tribe.)

ALOA ; EEL-GRASS, (Zostera marina, L.) West Florida and
northward; deep salt water coves. Chapman. Not in any
catalogue of the plants in St. John’s, 8. C.

This marine herb or sea-grass, with creeping stems, is just
attracting great attention in England (1862) as a substitute for
cotton. The result is doubtful, as the amount to be obtained is
perhaps inadequate. The papers are filled with accounts of the
plant. It is not a sea-weed though it “grows at the bottom of
the sea;” it produces a large quantity of fibre in proportien to
its bulk, which is strong, elastic and silky—used by upholsterers
as a material for bed stuffing, and also successfully applied in
the manufacture of paper. See ‘“ Asclepias” and “Ramie.”

Substitutes for Cotton——The London Index says:

Some new “substitute for cotton,” which is to cost nothing,
to make the fortune of the inventor, and to reopen the mills of
Lancashire, is discovered every week. The inventors are mostly
persons who know nothing of cotton spinning, and they forget,
invariably, that a material which costs nothing when supposed
to be useless and gathered by handsful might become almost as

628

dear as silk if there were a manufacturing demand for hundreds
of millions of pounds weight of it. The following remarks by
a “ Medallist in Botany,” deserve notice:

“T have obtained samples of most of the fibres proposed, and
I have submitted them to careful examination under the micros-
cope. I find them all to be varieties of woody fibre, more or
less split up or divided, varying in the length and thickness of
the fibrille. The fibres of all the specimens I have seen are,
nevertheless, uniform in the following particulars: they are
all solid and inelastic or brittle, with joints and rough edges,
showing where the bundles of fibrille have been torn apart.
Having some practical acquaintance with cotton spinning and
weaving, I assert that the above qualities render woody fibre
unfitted to be used asa substitute for cotton without a considera-
ble modification of our machinery. The fibres which have been
exhibited may probably be useful as substitutes for linen, if they
can be largely produced at a cheap rate; but the woody fibre
(from which all the proposed substitutes, I feel confident, are
drawn) can never be a perfect substitute for cotton, which con-
sists of vegetable hairs, hollow, elastic, ribbon shaped and spiral,
with smooth edges and surfaces. If we want a substitute for
cotton we must not look for it in woody fibre.”

PISTIACH. (The Dutchweed Tribe.)

WATER FLAXSEED, (Spirodelia polyrrhiza, Schleid. in
Kunth’s En. Pl. Lemna polyrrhiza, W. and Ell. Sk.) Santee
Canal. FI. July.

Lightfoot’s Fl. Scotica, ii, 538. The “leaves sink to the bot-
tom of the water in winter and rise in the spring.” The Lemna
or duckweed destroy fish by covering so closely the surface of
ponds as to exclude the air.

GRAMINACEA. (The Grass Tribe.)
Well known for their great value for many purposes.
MAIZE; INDIAN CORN, (Zea Mays.)

The methods of cultivating this staple article of food are so
widely known that I feel absolved from the necessity of enter-

629

-

ing very fully upon their relation in this place, but will insert
the following plan pursued by David Dickson, the well known
agriculturist of Hancock Co. Ga., (see his letters in So. Culti-
vator, Jan., 1869.) It is certainly marked by great common
sense:

_ First, drain the wet land, then deepen your soil; charge it
well with vegetable matter, either by rest or sowing oats and
feeding off in the field, sowing and turning under pea vines,
(Cow pea,) or clover and other grasses, where they will suc-
ceed, etc. Then plow deep and sub-soil to the extent of your
ability. Gather all the manure possible from previous crops,
cotton seed, manure from stock, leaves, pine straw and mud,
and other scrapings; then add each year to each crop, corn,
oats,cotton, wheat, etc., such soluble ammonia and bone, earth,
etc., as Peruvian Guano and Dissolved Bones, Land Plaster,
Salt and Wood Ashes, (see his Formula under “Cotton” in this
volume,) may have in them—the latter, if to be used in any
form, at a price that would warrant its use.

Plant corn eight inches below a level, put the manure within
three or four inches of the seed, and cover about one and a half
inches deep. Cultivate shallow—first, plowing one and a half
inches deep; second, one-third; and third, in half inch. I
prefer a heavy, sharp sweep, twenty-two to twenty-six inches
wide, either for corn or cotton. If you carry out this plan
well as to time it will never fail. * * If you wish a cotton
plant or a corn-stalk to stand a hot burning sun, and a dry
northwest wind from four to ten weeks and come out safely, you
must water and put in sufficient soluble food to last. How is
that to be done? By deepening the soil, plowing deep, sub-
soiling and filling it with humus, that it may retain the greatest
amount of water. * * Ido not care what color the land is,
or whether sand or clay, if you keep up a full supply of vegeta-
~ ble mold, break deep before planting and cultivate lightly after-
wards, [by this means the roots of the corn are not cut,] the
result will be good, wet or dry.

In Mr. Dickson’s letter, dated Sparta, January 6th, 1868, he
gays:

Have good turning plows, and according to your ability, use
one or two horses, and sub-soil; ride over the field, and lay off
the land so that the horses will go round on a level, and the

630

dirt will fall down hill—a team will break up the soil nine inches
deep in this way, as easily as they could seven inches, on‘a level
piece of land. Continue to take the lands in the same way until
the field is finished, one team following another—all the time
going round the circle; and if you sub-soil, have one team be-
tween each turning plow, running in the bottom of the furrow.
When you finish, the field is ready for planting, if the proper
time has arrived. In deciding this point, you must be governed
by the weather—it varies from the tenth of March te the first
of April. According to my experience, a man only gains hard
work and more of it, by very early planting.

Now for the planting. Lay off furrows with a long shovel
plow, on a level, seven feet apart. Commence at the opposite
end, with a longer shovel, and open out the same furrow. The
reason for this is, you get up to trees and stumps, and make a
better finish at the ends. This furrow should stand open seven
or eight inches deep. Whether you use compost, cotton seed or
guanos, let each hand have his three foot measure, and deposit
the manure in the bottom of the furrow, just three feet apart.
Then drop the corn within three or four inches of the manure
one or more grains, as is your custom—dropping on the near
side of the manure, as the dropper goes; then, with a very light
harrow, cover the corn one or one and a half inches deep. The
harrow should go the same way the dropper goes, to keep from
pulling the manure on the grain.

If you cover deep, you lose all the advantages of low
planting, (but not the deep breaking,) and for this reason: corn,
in good weather, will come up from a depth of one to six inches,
but will strike out roots about one inch from the surface of the
ground, and all below that will perish. Thatis one reason why
I am opposed to dirting corn as soon as it comes up—it brings
the root of the stalk to the top of the ground.

My plan is to finish the first working from the 20th of April
to the 10th of May. Sometimes I have not finished before the
25th of May. With the land well turned, very little grass
and weeds will come up, except in the bottom of the furrow, and
this is easily managed.

For first plowing, have a heavy twenty-two inch sweep, with
the right wing so set, that its back end will not be more than
one inch above the ground. This is to run near the corn, and

631

should fill the furrow within one or one and a half inches of the
general surface. Break out the middles with the same sized
Sweep, with the back of both wings turned up; if the plowing
is well done, four furrows will finish out—four hands com-
pleting fourteen acres every day, by going sixteen miles a day.

Second plowing—have the wing of the siding sweep turned a
little more than half up; run close to the corn, leaving nothing
for the hoe; for ifthe plowing is well done, there is no use of a
hoe. Break out the middles with three furrows, to make a good
place to plant peas. From the first of June to the 20th isa
good time to plant peas. Proceed in this manner. After the
second plowing, run a shovel furrow in the middle of a corn
row ; drop one bushel of peas to every eight acres—say six to
eightspeas to a hill. You can plant sixteen acres per day, and
will use two bushels to each plow—cover with a harrow.

Third and last plowing—pair your hands, one to side the corn
and one to side the peas ;the hand that sides the corn will need
a twenty-two inch sweep, right-hand wing well up, and it
should run close to the corn—not going more than a half inch
deep ; the left wing should be nearly flat. The hand that sides
the peas, will need a heavy twenty-six inch sweep, with the
right wing set at medium height, and should run it near the
peas, and fill the pea furrow entirely up; the left wing should
be up, to push the dirt near the corn. This is the last plowing,
and if well done, the ground will be as smooth and level asa
floor, with nota spearof grass to the two hundred acres, nor a
weed to be seen in the field. In old times, I required every
hand to clean the crop as he went—what the plow left, to be re-
moved with the foot and hand. From thirteen to sixteen miles,
according to the condition of the crop, was a day’s work.

Such pine land as mine, (some of it very poor,) should average
twenty to twenty-five bushels per acre ; and wet or dry, if the
work is rightly done, there is no such thing as a failure, as my
many visitors, from all parts of the country, will testify.

The Ergot of Maize, according to M. Roulin, is very common
in Columbia, and the use of it is attended with a shedding of
the hair, and even the teeth of both man and beasts. Mules
fed on it lose their hoofs, and fowls lay eggs without shells. Its
action on the uterus is as powerful as that of the Rye ergot,
or perhaps more so. Ann. des Sc. 19, 279. Lindley. Prof.

632

Wood, U.S. Disp., 12th Hd., states that Mr. C. H. Cresler had
examined the growth on Indian corn known as Smut, and it
was found to contain the alkaloid discovered by Winckler in
ergot and named by him seculin, now considered as a mere
synonyme of propylamia. Besides the alkaloid, there were ob-
tained a thick, viscid, fixed oil, a resin soluble in ether but not
in alcohol, pectin, gluten and a species of sugar. The morbid
product may, therefore, be considered as the ergot of maize.
(Am. J. Pharm., July, 1861, p. 306.) The fungus has received
the title of Ustilago Maidis. It is said, adds Prof. Wood, to pro-
duce abortion in cows when the diseased grain is eaten by
them; and six drachms of this ergot produced the same effect
on the pregnant bitches to which it was given to test its aborti-
facient property. (Am. J. Pharm., Sept., 1861, from Annal.
Med. Vet. Belge.)

Corn is certainly one of the most nutritious of the cerealia
with which man has been blessed. In one hundred pounds of
corn there are ten of oil; the grain and meal are prepared in
a great variety of ways, and the whole plant adapted to many
useful purposes in the arts, in medicine, and in domestic econ-
omy. The article Zea, in the Rural Cyc., is full of information
compiled from numerous authorities. The author refers to the
manufacture of coarse paper from the husks. Blade tea is quite
a favorite diaphoretic used recently by many in the Southern
States in fever—its anti-periodic properties doubtful. The use
of corn meal to form an emollient poultice, and for conveying
and retaining heat to the surface of the skin, is well known.
Corn meal rubbed into fresh meat will preserve it fresh several
days during hot weather; a light covering with bran or a series
of dustings with oatmeal will be equally efficient—methods so
easily put in practice that a knowledge of them may prove
serviceable in times of difficulty.

In the Patent Office Reports, 1855, p. 158, there is a commu-
nication on “ Bread crops,” on the value and use of the maize
as an article of food, on its preparation for bread in place of
wheat flour, and on the economy of mixing rye with corn. It
is stated from a foreign report that a “bread composed of two-
thirds rye and one-third maize, is about ten per cent. cheaper
than bread made of pure rye.” A method is given to prevent
the souring of maize flour. In our armies during the recent

a ee. a

ee ee

a

633

war it was a universal subject of complaint that corn meal, or
flour, was not given to the soldiers in place of wheat, as it is
nutritious and much more easily and better cooked. Besides,
Southerners are, for the most part, more accustomed to corn
bread.

The “ Boston Brown Bread,” a useful hygienic preparation,
contains two parts of corn to one of rye meal, and is made in
the following manner: “To three quarts of mixed meal are
added a gill of molasses, two teaspoonsful of salt, one teaspoon-
ful of saleratus, and either a tea cupful of home-brewed or half
a tea cupful of brewer’s yeast. This bread continues good and
wholesome as long as any other bread is usually kept; but like
other preparations of corn it is preferred warm, and is generally
eaten"fresh, or after being toasted. Like all other kinds of corn
bread it is an acceptable substitute not only for the bread made
of other grains but for the vegetables which use has made
desirable at the noonday meal.”

Corn fecula, an admirable substitute for arrowroot, for table
use, much cheaper and equally free, says Parrish, from unpleas-
ant odor and taste, is largely manufactured. It is also much
sold in England under the name of Oswego Starch. Prepared
corn is an excellent food for children.

A chemical analysis of the corn-cobs is given by Prof. C. T.
Jackson, volume Patent Office Reports, 1855, p. 163, and a paper
on green corn for fodder, p. 168.. It may be planted as a sub-
stitute for Northern hay. “The amount of green food which
may thus be grown under favorable circumstances seems almost
incredible. An acre contains forty-three thousand five hundred
and sixty square feet; if, therefore, but one such stalk were to
grow upon each foot, there would be over seventy-six tons pro-
duced to the acre.” The Northern varieties are recommended
to be planted at the South for this purpose. Land that will
produce two tons of hay will yield, it is supposed, ten tons of
corn fodder for leaves, roots, etc., suitable for man and horse in
periods of scarcity. See “Alopecurus” and “Anthoxanthum” in
this volume.

Mr. J. H. Salisbury, in a prize essay published by the New
York State Agricultural Society, and quoted in Norton’s Ele-
ments of Practical Agriculture, states that there is in the cob of
this grain two per cent. of gluten and gum, and one or two per

634

cent. of sugar, with a little starch. It has, therefore, some im-
portance of its own as food. In Patent Office Reports, 1848, p.
355, it is stated in a report from Richmond, Massachusetts, that
“ corn-stalks, well secured and cut fine, furnish an agreeable
and healthy food for horses and neat cattle: for the latter, if
when cut they are scalded by pouring on warm water, they are
almost equal to what they are when green, especially for cows,
causing them to produce milk of almost the richness of June,
They are worth, when well cured, six dollars per ton, when hay
is worth ten dollars; straw is worth from four dollars and fifty
cents to five dollars per ton. Large quantities of straw are
annually manufaciured into paper, and the demand for this
purpose probably increases its price some fifteen or twenty per
cent.”

On the subject of general economy, in absence of supply of
Northern hay, I introduce the following in an article on corn-
stalks for fodder, by a correspondent of the Country Gentleman,
1861. It is advised to be cured, cut up entire, and fed to cattle.
The Editor of the Southern Field and Fireside says: “ For the
last six years, while residing on a farm in Georgia, we have fol-
lowed the Northern plan of cutting up corn near the ground,
curing the stalks and corn in shocks, then husking or shucking
the corn, and feeding the stalks and blades together. This we
regard as much better economy than to pull fodder and leave
the whole stalks in the field. If we had many cattle to feed,
we should procure a machine for cutting the stalks, steam them
a little, and add a little meal of some kind. We have fed dairy
cows in this way with satisfactory results. Good clover hay is
worth more than any corn fodder for cows and horses, pound
for pound.” See, also, same paper, May 4, 1861, for article on
cultivation of hay. Corn-stalks are also very useful as manure,
when composited with a little caustic lime, as it is a plant-food
of considerable value. ‘“ Dr. Spengle found eighty-eight pounds
of ashes in one thousand pounds of corn-stalks. Corn-cobs are
rich in potash, and yet one often sees them wasted in wood-lots
or the highway.” The cob yields almost as much ashes as the
tobacco plant.

A writer in the Richmond Examiner, 1862, from Fluvanna
County, communicates the following substitute for Soda: ‘To
the ashes of corn-cobs add alittle boiling water ; after allowing

635

it to stand for a few miuutes, pour off the lye, which can be used
at once with an acid, (sour milk or vinegar.) It makes the bread
almost as light as soda.” Ihave seen this preparation made and
used at the South during the war. It is, strictly speaking, a
potash mixture, has precisely the taste of a strong solution of
bi-carbonate of potash, and could be used in cough mixtures to
correct acidity, and wherever an alkaline solution is required.
The bread made with it is excellent. It would also serve the
purposes of “concentrated lye.” For manufacture of soda, see
“ Salsola kali.”

An economital mode of making Soap with corn shucks, which
a correspondent in the Southern Field and Fireside, March 8,
1862, says “has been tried and approved by several persons,” I
insert as follows: “Take one gallon of strong lye, add a half
pound of shucks, cut up fine. Let the shucks boil in the lye
until they are reduced to shreds. Then fish the shreds out, and
put halfa pound of crackling grease in, or six ounces of lard, and
boil until it is sufficiently thick to make good soap.” The
amount of potash in the blade and shuck of corn observed in the
table I have inserted from Ure’s Dictionary may explain the
value of this substance. I am informed that soap has been made
satisfactorily from the corn shuck, as above described.

I insert the following, believing that the ashes of the corn-
cob, on account of the potash it contains, would serve in place
of those from hickory:

Preserving Meat.—Ashes prepared from green hickory wood,
combined with salt in the proportion of one-third to two-thirds
by measurement, and applied in the ordinary way of salting
meat, in ordinary quantity, will save pork fully as well as salt
alone, and give a delicacy of flavor to bacon made from it which
saltpetre or sugar pickle will not impart. Mix the ashes and
salt thoroughly, in the above proportions, and use the mixture
as salt alone is commonly used. No one need hesitate to rely
on it.

Beer may be made from corn thus: “Take one pint of corn
and boil it until it is soft, add to it a pint of molasses and one
gallon of water; shake them well together and set it by the
fire, and in twenty-four hours the beer will be excellent. When
all the beer of the jug is used add more molasses and water.
The same corn will answer for months, and the beer will be fit

636

for use in twelve hours hy keeping the jug where it is warm. In
this way the ingredients used in making a gallon of beer will
not cost over six cents, and it is better and more wholesome
than cider. A little yeast greatly forwards the working of the
beer.” To make Small Beer: “ Nine quarts of water, three pints
of bran, and a few hops; strain and cool to milk-warm, then
put ina few raisins, one pint of molasses, let them stand one
night and strain and bottle it.”

A Substitute for Coffee was recommended as follows during the
period of scarcity: For a family of seven or eight persons, take
a pint of well toasted corn meal and add to it as much water as
an ordinary sized coffee pot will bold, and then boil it well.
We have tried this toasted meal coffee, and prefer it. Many
persons cannot drink coffee with impunity, and we advise all
such to try the receipt. They will find it more nutritious than
coffee, and quite as palatable.” See rice (Oryza sativa) and
“okra” (ffibiscus csculentus) for their uses as substitutes for
coffee.

The journals continued to report as long as the war lasted
that “blade tea is excellent in fevers,” and that “raw corn meal,
mixed with water to drink, removes superfluous bile and cures

fever!” “Green corn and wheat makes useful starch, and rice
starch gives lawns and colored articles a look of newness un-
surpassed.”

Oil of a fine quality is manufactured from corn. “It is said
to burn with a clear, steady light, in every respect equal to sperm
or lard oil, without the smoke which usually attends vegetable
oils, and will not congeal in the coldest weather.” A liquor,
well known ascorn Whiskey, is also distilled from the fermented
grain.

Thaer says “the use of unripe maize for the manufacture of
Sugar has lately been again recommended, on the ground that
maize is better adapted for this purpose than beet root. I ‘have
long been of opinion that of all plants which can be raised in
this country, maize is better suited to the purpose in question ;
the syrup extracted from it is before crystallization decidedly
superior to that of the best sort.” Principles of Agriculture,
p. 485. In the Southern States where the sugar-canes have
been so generally introduced the problem may be differently
solved. As it may become a matter of great interest, I insert
the following:

637

Corn Sugar.—Extracts from the remarks on the mode of
manufacture, by Wm. Webb, of Wilmington, Delaware, May,
1862:

The raw juice of maize, when cultivated for sugar, marks 10°
on the saccharometer, while the average of cane juice (as I
am informed) is not higher than 8°, and beet juice not over 3°.
From nine and three-quarter quarts (dry measure) of the former
I have obtained four pounds six ounces of syrup concentrated
to the point suitable for crystallization. The proportion of
crystallizable sugar appears to be larger than is obtained from
cane juice in Louisiana. ‘This is accounted for by the fact that
our climate ripens corn perfectly, while it but rarely, if ever,
happens that cane is fully matured. In some cases the syrup
has crystallized so completely that less than one-sixth part of
‘molasses remained. This, however, only happened after it had
stood one to two months. There is reason to believe that if
the plant were fully ripe, and the process of manufacture per-
fectly performed, the syrup might be entirely crystallized with-
out forming any molasses. Without any other means for pressing
out the juice than a small hand mill, it is impossible to say how
great a quantity of sugar may be produced on an acre; but the
calculations made from trials on a small scale leave no room to
doubt the quantity of sugar will be from eight hundred to one
thousand pounds.

I have been informed by Mr. Ellsworth that M. Pallas, of
France, had discovered in 1839 that the saccharine properties
of maize were increased by merely tuking off the ear in its
embryo state. An experiment, however, which I instituted to
determine the value of this plan resulted in disappointment.
The quantity of sugar produced was not large enough to render
it an object. The reasons of this failure will be sufficiently
obvious on stating the circumstances. It was found that taking
the ear off a large stalk, such as is produced by the common
mode of cultivation, inflicted a considerable wound upon the
plant, which injured its health, and of course lessened its pro-
ductive power. It was also found that the natural disposition
to form grain was so strong that several successive ears were
thrown out, by which labor was increased and the injuries to
the plant multiplied. Lastly, it appeared that the juice yielded
from those plants contained a considerable portion of a foreign

638

substance not favorable to the object in view. Yet, under ali
these disadvantages, from one hundred to two hundred pounds
of sugar per acre may be obtained. The manifest objections
detailed above suggested another mode of cultivation, to be em-
ployed in combination with the one first proposed. It consists
simply in raising a greater number of plants on the same space
of ground. By this plan all the unfavorable results above men-
tioned were obviated, a much larger quantity of sugar was
produced, and of a better quality. The juice produced by this
mode of cultivation is remarkably pure and agreeable to the
taste. The sweetness of the corn-stalk is a matter of universal
observation. Our forefathers in the Revolutionary struggle
resorted to it as a meaus to furnish a substitute for West India
sugar. They expressed the juice and exerted their ingenuity

in efforts to bring it to a crystallized state; but we have no-

account of any successful operation of the kind. In fact, the
bitter and nauseous properties contained in the joints of large
stalks render the whole amount of juice from them fit only to
produce an inferior kind of molasses. I found on experiment
that by cutting out the joints, and crushing the remaining part
of the stalk, sugar might be made, but still of an inferior
quality. The molasses, of which there was a large proportion,
was bitter and disagreeable.

From one to two feet of the lower part of these stalks was
full of juice, but the balance, as it approached the top, became
dryer and afforded but little. From the foregoing experiments
we see that in order to obtain the purest juice and the greatest
quantity we must adopt a mode of cultivation which will pre-
vent the large and luxuriant growth of the stalk. The planting
should be done with a drilling machine. One man, with a pair
of horses and an instrument of this kind, will plant and cover
in the most perfect manner from ten to twelve acres in a day;
the rows, if practicable, let them run north and south, two and
a half feet apart, and the seed dropped sufficiently thick in the
row to insure a plant every two or three inches. <A large har-
row, made with teeth arranged so as not to injure the corn, may
be used with advantage soon after it is up. The after culture
is performed with a cultivator, and here will be perceived one
of the great advantages of drilling; the plants all growing in
lines, perfectly regular and straight with each other, the horse-

639

shoe stirs the earth and cuts the weeds close by every one, so
that no hand-hoeing will be required in any part of the cultiva-
tion. Itisa part of the system of cane-planting in Louisiana
to raise as full a stand of cane upon the ground as possible,
experience having proved that the most sugar is obtained from
the land in this way. As far as my experience has gone, the
same thing is true of corn.

The next operation is taking off the ears. Many stalks will
not produce any ; but whenever they appear they must be
removed. Any time before the formation of grain upon them
will be soon enough. Nothing further is necessary to be done
until the crop is ready to be cut for grinding. The stalks
should be topped and bladed while standing in the field. They
are thep cut, tied in bundles and taken to the mill. The mills
used for grinding the Chinese sugar-cane will answer every
purpose. The tops and blades when properly cured make an
excellent fodder.

On the whole, there appears ample encouragement for perse-
verance. Every step in the investigation has increased the
probability of success, no evidence having been discovered why
it should not succeed as well if not better on a large scale than
it has done on a small one.

1. In the first place it bas been satisfactorily proved that
sugar of an excellent quality, suitable for common use without
refining, may be made from the stalks of maize.

2. That the juice of this plant, when cultivated in a certain
manner, contains saccharine matter remarkably free from for-
eign substances.

3. The quantity of this juice (even supposing we had no
other evidence about it) is sufficiently demonstrated by the
great amount of nutritive grain which it produces in the natu-
ral course of vegetation. It is needless to expatiate on the
vast advantages which would result from the introduction of
this manufacture into our country.

The process which has been employed in the manufacture of
maize sugar, is as follows: the juice, after coming from the
mill, stood for a short time to deposit some of its coarser im-
purities. It was then poured off, and passed through a flannel
strainer, in order to get rid of such matter as could be sepa-
rated in this way. Lime water, called milk of lime, was then

640°

added, in the proportion of one or two tablespoonsful to the
gallon. It is said by sugar manufacturers that knowledge on
this point can only be acquired by experience ; but I have never
failed in making sugar from employing too much or too little of
the lime. A certain portion of this substance, however, is un-
doubtedly necessary, and more or less than this will be injurious,
but no precise directions can be given about it. The juice was
then placed over the fire and brought nearly to the boiling
point, when it was carefully skimmed, taking care to complete
this operation before ebullition commenced. It was then boiled
down rapidly, removing the scum as it rose. The juice was
examined from time to time, and if there was any appearance
of feculent particles which would not rise to the surface, it was
again passed through a flannel strainer. In judging when the
syrup is sufficiently boiled a portion was taken between the
thumb and finger, and if when moderately cool a thread half
an inch long could be drawn it was considered to be done, and
poured into broad, shallow vessels to crystallize. In some ¢ases
crystallization commenced in twelve hours; in others not till
after several days ; and in no case was this process so far com-
pleted as to allow the sugar to be drained in less than three
weeks from the time of boiling. The reason why so great a
length of time was required I have not yet discovered. There
is no doubt that an improved process of manufacture will cause
it to granulate as quickly as any other.

The stripping the ears from the corn is esteemed by some es-
sential in the production of sugar, though not in the production
ofa much smaller quantity of excellent molasses. The prin-
cipal labor consists in stripping off the leaves, which should be
done before the stalks are cut. Dr. Naudain, of Delaware,
says (So. Cult. p. 26, vol. i) that the corn should be planted as
broom corn is commonly planted—very close in the row, prob-
ably astalk every four inches.

At a meeting of the French Academy M. Biot read the report
of a committee, which paper contained the following state-
ments: of the corn-stalks experimented upon the ears had been
removed from one portion and left to grow on others. The juice
obtained from the stalks which had been castrated yielded
twelve per cent. of sugar; that expressed from the stalks on
which the ears had been permitted to grow thirteen per cent.;

641

so that so far as France is concerned the results of former ex-
periments may be fallacious. “ The juice of maize contains as
much if not a larger proportion of sugar than that of sugar-
cane.” Farmer’s Encye.

The reader interested will find the several numbers of
Southern Cultivator, in vols. i, ii, iii and iv. See pp. 17, 19 and 25,
and 90 of vol. i, a large number of papers on this subject. I
regret that I can only refer to them. Hundreds of pounds of
sugar were made by several persons. Six hundred to six
thousand pounds can be made from one acre. It must be far
easier to crystallize than that from sorghum. It has been ad-
vised to take off the tassel instead of the ear in order to increase
the saccharine principle. Twenty-five gallons of juice make
four gallons of syrup, and a gallon of juice will produce one and
one-quarter pounds of sugar. The corn is not lost as fodder,
and the salted refuse is also good. The boiling of the syrup
should be commenced immediately after the corn is cut. The
high price of sugar and molasses would add increased impor-
tance to this subject. I obtain the following from the Louis-
ville Courier:

Paper.—The manufacture of Paper from the leaves of Indian
corn is becoming extensive in Austria. The paper is said to be
tougher than ordinary paper made from rags, while it is almost
wholly free from silica, which makes paper produced from straw
so brittle.

If the above be true it is a discovery of immense importance
to the United States. We consume more paper than any other
nation, and have Indian corn to make it of. If Indian corn
paper be tougher than rag or straw paper it is just what we
need, and our already monstrous corn crop, which in 1850 was
592,071,000 bushels to 100,485,000 bushels of wheat, and is
mainly devoted to feeding our immense herds of live stock will
be greatly extended, and paper go down in price.

Paper from Indian Corn Leaves——The London Daily Tele-
graph gives the following account of Paper-making from Indian
corn leaves, which promises to make a revolution in the paper
business if only half is true that is stated, and we do not see
any reason to doubt its correctness :

“ Recent experiments have proved Indian corn to possess not
only all the qualities necessary to make a good article, but to be

41

642

in many respects superior to rags. The discovery to which we
allude is a complete success, and may be expected to exercise
the greatest influence upon the price of paper. Indian corn, in
countries of a certain degree of temperature, can be easily culti-
vated to a degree more than sufficient to satisfy the utmost de-
mands of the paper market. Besides, as rags are likely to fall
in price, owing to the extensive supply resulting from this new
element, the world of writers and readers would seem to havea
brighter future before it than the boldest fancy would have im-
agined a short time ago.

“This is not the first time that paper has been manufactured
from the blade of Indian corn; but strange to say, the art was
lost, and required to be discovered anew. As early as the
seventeenth century an Indian corn paper manufactory was
in full operation at the town of Rievi, in Italy, and enjoyed a
world-wide reputation at the time; but with the death of its
proprietor, it seems to have lapsed into oblivion. Attempts sub-
sequently made to continue the manufacture were baffled by the
difficulty of removing the flint, and resinous, and glutinous mat-
ter contained in the blade. The recovery of the process has at
last been effected, and it is due to the cleverness of one Herr
Moritz Diamant, a Jewish writing master in Austria, and the
trial of his method on a grand scale, which was made at the
Imperial manufactory of Schlogelmuhle, near Glognitz, Lower
Austria, has completely demonstrated the certainty of the in-
vention. Although the machinery, arranged as it was for the
manufacture of rag paper, could not of course fully answer the
requirements of Herr Diamant, the results of the essay were
wonderfully favorable. The article produced was of a purity of
texture and whiteness of color that left nothing to be desired ;
and this is all the more valuable from the difficulty usually ex-
perienced in the removal of impurities from rags. The pro-
prietor of the invention is Count Carl Octavio Za Lippe Wessen-
feld, and several experiments give the following results :

“1. It is not only possible to produce every variety of paper
from the blades of Indian corn, but the product is equal and in
some respects even superior to the article manufactured from
rags.

“2. The paper requires but very little size to render it fit for
writing purposes, as the pulp naturally contains a large propor-

643

tion of that necessary ingredient, which can, at the same time,
be easily eliminated if desirable.

“3. The bleaching is effected by an extraordinarily rapid and
facile process, and indeed for the common light-colored packing
paper the process becomes entirely unnecessary.

“4. The Indian corn paper possesses greater strength and
tenacity than rag paper, without the drawback of brittleness, so
conspicuous in the common straw products.

“5, No machinery being required in the manufacture of this
paper for the purpose of tearing up the raw material and reduc-
ing it to pulp, the expense both in point of power and time is
far less than is necessary for the production of rag paper.

“Count Lippe having put himself in communication with the
Austri#m Government an Imperial manufactory for Indian corn
paper, (maishalm papier, as the inventor calls it,) is now in course
of construction at Pesth, the capital of the greatest Indian corn
growing country in Europe. Another manufactory is already
in full operation in Switzerland, and preparations are being
made on the coast of the Mediterranean for the production and
exportation on a large scale of the pulp of this new material.”

Manufactures from Corn-shucks.—A foreigner has filed his ap-
plication in Washington (with specimens) for a patent for
various uses made of maize shucks. The varieties include yarn,
maize cloth, paper of beautiful qualities, (white and colored,)
from silk to parchment texture, maize flour, ete.

It should be known by every one, says a writer, that the dried
leaf of the corn plant (corn fodder) is successfully used as a sub-
stitute for Hops. The infusion is prepared in the same way.
Practice will soon determine the quantity necessary. In one of
the government hospitals bread for four hundred men was daily
prepared in this way, and it was fully equal to the best bread
prepared with hops. See Life Everlasting, ( Gnaphalium,”) in
this volume.

SWEET-SCENTED GRASS, (Anthoxanthum odoratum, L.)
Probably imported; found near Savannah River and around
Charleston.

Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. i, 316 and 514. It has been
used as a tonic and cordial. The fragrance, according to the
analysis of Vogel, depends upon the presence of benzoic acid.
Lind. Nat. Syst. 319.

644

This grass, as well as Holeus odoratus, contains benzoie acid,
(Wilson.) It is thought to improve the quality of mutton,
and to give fragrance to butter made of the milk of cows which
feed uponit. It has been employed in making imitation Leghorn
hats. “ From its dwarfy growth, and the close sward it forms,
it is recommended to be sown on lawns or ornamental grounds.”
In Patent Office Reports on Agriculture, 1854, p. 22, and in
Darlington’s Agric. Botany, some information is given concern-
ing some of the best grasses for pasturage suitable to this
country.

The spurry (Spergula arvensis) is introduced, but grows
abundantly in our fields. In Germany and France it is much
cultivated as a winter pasturage for cattle; mutton, as also the
milk and butter of cows fed with it, are stated by Thaér to be
of very superior quality. It is usually sown on stubble fields
after the grain crops have been removed. “But the principal
use to which this plant can be applied in this country is as a
green manure On poor, dry, sandy, or worn out soils.” See, also,
in Patent Office Reports, Agriculture, p. 187, an account of the
Couchgrass, (Triticum repens,) by C. E. Potter, of New Hamp-
shire: “lt is a stocky, hardy, sweet plant, and if properly eut
and cured will command a higher price in the market where it
is known than the herds-grass or timothy.” Besides, it is easily
propagated from roots on poor lands—even on pine plains, It
is very difficult, however, to eradicate. The writer states that
it is heavier than any other grass when dried, and will produce
more weight of fodder upon a given space.

The reader interested in the best grasses to be planted for
Hay to supply the loss of Northern hay can consult article on
“Textile and Forage Crops,” Patent Office Reports, 1855, p. 252.
See, also, Patent Office Reports, 308, 1858, on the cutting and
curing of hay. The Southern planter can here obtain informa-
tion which may aid him in substituting native for the imported.
There are two grasses planted in Hollaud that 1 think fit to eite
here, as they may be made useful where drainage is employed,
or banks formed to prevent the encroachment of water, viz:
the sand or sea-side Lime grass, (Hlymus arenarius.) which Sir H.
Davy found to contain one-third of its weight of sugar, hence
called the “Sugar-Cane of Great Britain.” It is too hard and
coarse to be eaten by animals, unless cut up. “ The purpose for

645

which this plant is generally employed, and for which its
creeping, matted roots fit it in an eminent degree, is for binding
loose sands when sown with the sea-reed, (Arundo arenaria,) to
prevent the encroachment of the sea. The world renowned
dikes of Holland owe much of their strength and durability to
the protection afforded by these remarkable plants.” See Pa-
tent Office Reports, 1854, p. 26. We have two species of Hlymus
growing within the Southern States. See article “ After grass”
in Wilson’s Rural Cye., for method of raising grass and hay to
advantage, producing a double crop, the combination of grasses,
ete. Law’s Practical Agriculture, and Loudon’s Encye. of Ag-
riculture ; Wilson's articles “ Agricultural seeds” and “Grasses,”
* Agrostis,” ete.; Sinclair's Hortus Grameneus Wobernensis, and
Richardson's Essay on FYorin, (fiorin is produced from an aquatic
grass, Agrostis stolonifera longiflora.) Alopecurus pratensis, mea-
dow or tall grass, which is found in the Southern States, is
much cultivated as a grass in Europe; it is much relished by
horses and cattle. For wet soils Agrostis, and the Poa can be
cultivated with great advantage, furnishing the greatest yield.
In England they plant a mixture of the most valuable grasses
upon scientific principles, upon land ill adapted for any other
product, using lime, ete. See article cited, also Rural Cye.,
article “ Barren soils,” for plants best adapted to such soils. See,
also, “ Benzoin.” The Agrostis stolonifera latifolia (Fiorin) is
considered by many in England as the best and most productive
grass to sow on wet meadows; it is said to yield enormous
crops, and it vegetates during the cold portions of the year. It
has been a subject of much discordant opinion. See Richard-
son’s Essay on Agriculture, and his Memoir on “ Fiorin grass.”

Wilson, in his Rural Cyc., article “ Food of Animals,” gives a
list of the plants which are entirely avoided by all animals ;
also the leaves of certain trees and plants which can be used as
substitutes for hay, when it is scarce, as follows: The leaves of
elm, mulberry, ash, hornbeam ; the lime trees, ( Z%lia,) the com-
mon maple and sycamore; the common acacia, (Robinia pseu-
dacacia ;) the willows, the poplars, the birches, beeches, plane
trees, chestnuts, oaks, dogwood, (Cornus ;) hazel, (Corylus ;)
furze, (Ulex,) and the vine are frequently used, he says, for this
purpose on the Continent, in places where they happen to be
plentiful. The green leaves of a tolerably large number of

646

vegetables are annually cultivated-on a large scale, either as
food for man or for cattle, such as the leaves of maize, beet
root, cabbage, carrot, parsnip, potato and some others, all of
which may be used for this purpose. Op. cit. So, also, the
roots of a great many plants—the turnip, carrot, ete.

In times of war when there is difficulty in obtaining provis-
ions for man and horse, many of these articles might be obtained
by soldiers, detailed for the purpose from regiments in the ser-
vice, particularly for the use of the cavalry horses. It is only
necessary to know precisely what are the leaves or roots which
are edible. See “Zea.” Consult Rural Cyc., articles ‘“ Grasses,”
“ Hay,” “ Hay-making,” for much information on forage creps
and grasses, ete.

GAMA GRASS; SESAME GRASS, (Tripsacum dactyloides,
L. Tripsacum monostachyum, Willd.) Fla, and northward.

This grass at one time attracted great attention as an article
of fodder for stock. Darlington (Agricult. Botany, 234) thinks
that its stem is too hard. “The leaves and young culms may
do when better materials are scarce.”

BEARDED DARNEL, (Lolium temulentum, L.) Ryle. Grain
fields of North Carolina. Chap.

Johnston, in his “ Chemistry of Common Life,” vol. ii, p. 148,
classes this among the intoxicating substances that are liable to
get mixed up with rye or wheat, and render it poisonous. It
“creeps occasionally into our fermented liquors and our bread.”
It grows abundantly in corn fields, and is cut with the grain.
“They have been long known to possess narcotic and singularly
intoxicating properties. When malted along with barley,
which when the grain is ill cleaned sometimes unintentionally
happens, they impart their intoxicating quality to the beer, and
render it unusually and even dangerously heady. When ground
up with wheat and made into bread they produce a similar
effect, especially if the bread be eaten hot. Many instances are
on record in which effects of this kind, sometimes amusing, and
sometimes alarming, have been produced by the unintentional
consumption of darnelled bread or beer. A recent case oc-
curred, 1853, at Roscrea, in Ireland, where several families, con-
taining not less than thirty persons, were poisoned by eating
Darnel flour in their whole meal bread. They were attacked
by giddiness, staggering, violent tremors, similar to those

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647

experienced in the delirium tremens produced by intoxicating
liquors, viz: impaired vision, coolness of the skin and extremi-
ties, partial paralysis, and in some cases vomiting. By the use
of emetics and stimulants, all were recovered, though greatly
prostrated in strength. The narcotic principle in these seeds
has not yet been discovered. When distilled with water they
yield a light and a heavy volatile oil; but that the narcotic
virtue resides in these oils has not yet been shown. No volatile
alkali like the nicotine of tobacco has been detected in the
water and oils which distilled over.”

Wilson, in his Rural Cyc., affirms the highly dangerous prop-
erties of the Darnel. Its seeds being about. the same size as
wheat are often exceedingly difficult to be separated, and when
they “find their way with the wheat into bread flour they
prove highly noxious to man, injuring his health, and some-
times producing delirium, stupefaction and other symptoms of
poisoning.” “It fearfully deteriorates many samples of foreign
wheat.” I insert this, also, because many of these symptoms,
eaused by eating bad flour, have been ascribed to ergot. The
people of whole provinces in France were affected, and a com-
mission had to be sent to inquire into the cause, which was
ascribed to ergot. See “ Ergot,” “ Ergotetia,” in this volume.

BERMUDA GRASS, (Panicum dactylon, L. Digitaria dactylon,
Ell. Sk.) Common in the low country ; vicinity of Charleston.
Fl. Aug.

Dém. Hlém. de Bot. iii, 289. The root is used in the shape of
a ptisan, as an aperient and diuretic. The extract is said to
purge like manna. It is eaten by dogs to procure vomiting.
The plant contains a nutritive principle.

LARGE-SPIKED PANICUM, (Panicum TItalicum, Walt.)
Grows in ponds and damp soils; vicinity of Charleston. FI.
Sept.

Dém. Elém. de Bot. iii, 286. Detersive and mucilaginous ;
eaten by birds, but said to be injurious to man. Mér. and de L.
Dict. de M. Med. v, 182.

BROOM GRASS; INDIAN GRASS, (Andropogon scoparius,
Mx.) Common in fields.

I am informed by a medical friend that a poultice or a strong
decoction made with this grass is applied to relieve pain, as it is
thought to possess some narcotic property !

648

SEASIDE OATS, (Uniola paniculata.) Drifting sands. Coast.

Dr. J. H. Mellichamp informs me that “cattle are very fond
of this grass when in milk and become fat while fecding on if.
The grain is large, and it is this probably which attracts the
deer to the sand hills in the fall and winter.” He suggests that
it might be cut at the proper time and cured as fodder, and it
may be worthy of cultivation.

TIMOTHY GRASS, (Phleum pratense, Linn.) Grows on Sul-
fivan’s Island (?) Hlhott’s plant is not P. pratense, but an im_
ported grass. H.W. R. It is supposed to be a valuable grass.

On the subject of substitutes for Northern Hay, see “ Cultiva_
tion of hay, cutting and curing,” Patent Office Reports, 1858, p.
308. Grass for hay should be cut at that period when the largest
amount of gluten, sugar and other matters soluble in water are
contained in it. That period is not, generally speaking, when
the plants have shot into seed, for the principal substance is
then woody fibre, which isinsoluble in water, and, therefore, un-
fitted for being assimilated in the stomach. It has been ascer-
tained that when the grass first springs above the surface of the
earth, the chief constituent of the blades is water, the amount
of solid matter being comparatively trifling; as its growth ad-
vances, the deposition of a more indurated form of carbon
gradually becomes more considerable, the sugar and soluble
matter at first increasing, then gradually diminishing, to give
way to the deposition of woody substance, the saccharine juices
being in the greatest abundance when the grass is in full flower,
but before the seed is formed. Many of the natural pasture
grasses—timothy grass (Phleum pratense)—are exceptions to
this rule. The culms of the latter “are found to contain more
nutritious matter when the seed is ripe than those of any other
species of grass that has been submitted to experiment ; the
value of the culms simply exceeds that of the grass when fn
flower in the proportion of fourteen to five.”

GUINEA CORN ; INDIAN MILLET, OR DOURA CORN,
(Holcus sorghum.)

This plant, a native of India, has been for a long time cul-
tivated with great success on the plantations in the Carolinas
and Georgia, and it grows throughout the Southern States.
The seed are produced in great abundance—they are pounded
and eaten by the negroes, and are fed to poultry. The Guinea

649

corn makes excellent brooms, and it affords one of the best
materials to supply the great demand. A brief paper on its
culture can be found in the Patent Office Reports, Agricult.,
1854, p. 161, by N. T. Sorsby, of Alabama. The reddish-brown
variety is much more prolific than the white, as it matures early,
“The plant grows well on the poorest soils, and makes a good
crop on our limestone rock, where there is enough of it disin-
tegrated 10 support the stalk.” It needs but little culture; after
it gets a start it defies weeds and grass, and will make a crop in
spite of every disaster. “It is sometimes cut green for soiling
cattle and mules, and if properly done, so as not to injure the
buds near the ground, it may be cut several times in a season.
It is also cured and made into fodder or hay. The stalks are
sometimes cut before frost and put into barns, and then fed to
stock. They remain green for months, and do not ferment nor
spoil so soon as Indian corn or other grain.” This plant will,
therefore, serve as a substitute for Northern hay.

DOURA CORN, (Sorghum vulgare, Pers.) Cultivated.

It is said to yield a larger bulk of seed per acre than any
other cereal grass whatever, not even excepting maize. It has
a nutritive quality about equal to that of average samples of
British wheat ; it yields a beautiful white flour when crushed ;
and it may without any deterioration be mixed or ground up
with wheaten flour, though it differs from wheat, and has some
affinity to oats in containing a large quantity of casein. See
Wilson’s Rural Cyc. The broom-corn is S. saccharatum; the
Guinea corn S. cernuum, Willd, according to Chapman’s So.
Flora.

Mr. N. P. Walker, late principal of the Institute for the
Blind, at Cedar Springs, near Spartanburg, S. C., informs us
that. brooms are manufactured in large quantities by the blind
from broom-corn grown in the vicinity.

CHINESE SUGAR-CANE, (Sorghum saccharatum.) (Sorgho
sucré.)

M. De Montigny, the French Consul, introduced into Europe
the Chinese sugar-cane. Its juice furnishes three important
products, namely: sugar, which is identical with that of cane,
alcohol and a fermented drink analagous to cider. The density
varies, and the proportion of the sugar contained in it, from
ten to sixteen per cent.,a third part of which is sometimes

650

uncrystallizable. To this quantity of uncrystallizable sugar
this juice owes its facility of readily fermenting, and “conse-
quently the large amount of alcohol it produces compared with
the saccharine matter, observed directly by the saccharometeyr.”
Climate makes a great difference in the amount of sugar this
plant yields. “As the molasses, too, is identical with that
manufactured from the cane, it may be used in the distillation
of rum, alcohol and the liquor called ‘tapd,’ which resembles .
brandy. It will be remembered, too, that in the manufacture
of brandy or alcohol the uncrystallizable sugar can be turned
to account, which in a measure would otherwise be lost.
Another advantage consists in the pureness of the juice, which
when thus converted, from the superiority of its quality can be
immediately brought into consumption and use.” The alcohol
produced by only one distillation is nearly destitute of foreign
flavor, having an agrecable taste somewhat resembling noyau,
being much less ardent or fiery than rum. M. Vilmorin observes
that the sugar is most abundant at the putting forth of the
spikes, but the proportion of the sugar in the stalks continues
to increase until the seeds are in a milky state. See Patent
Office Reports, Agricult., 1854, p. 223. I have seen excellent
molasses made from this plant by ordinary mills. The flavor
and taste was equal to good quality of treacle, and it furnishes
a most nutritious and useful food for laborers.

In Patent Office Reports, 1855, pp. 280-284, are two state-
ments by residents of New York and Pennsylvania on the
planting of the sorghum, also a republication of Governor J. H.
Hammond’s early experience with it. The plant attains from
ten to fourteen feet in height. I found that in the City of
Charleston, on a bit of ground which was too wet to manure
any vegetable, and subject to the tides, this plant grew toa
great height, even when closely sown. I am convinced that it
is particularly suitable to be planted as a substitute for hay,
and in lands even too wet for corn. It also grows well on high
dry land. One of the writers just referred to thinks it will be
of great benefit to every section of the country, “not only as
a green feed during the hot months, but after being cut up and
cured like the corn plant; its stalks may be steamed during
the winter and given to horses, oxen or cows, which will com-
mence eating at one end and never leave them till entirely

onsumed.”

651

Gov. Hammond had a rude mill put up with two beechwood
rollers. Ten canes selected, the heads of which were fully
matured, yielded three quarts of syrup. The juice tested by
the saccharometer showed that the youngest had rather the
most and the oldest rather the least saccharine matter; he made
syrup “equal to the best we could obtain from New Orleans.”
Lime water of the consistency of cream was put to every five
gallons of the cold juice. “A good sugar mill, with three
wooden rollers, may be erected for less than twenty-five dollars,
and a sugar boiler that will make thirty gallons of syrup a day,
may be purchased for less than sixty dollars.” Since the period
at which this was written, great improvements have been
made in machinery, ete.

Nosdoubt, sufficient cane for syrup, and tobacco for the use of
laborers should be raised on every plantation. Patent Office
Reports, 1857, contain chemical researches by Prof, C. T. Jack-
son (p. 185) upon the Sorghum. It was also determined that
the “Chinese and African sugar-canes, broom-corn and doura
are only varieties of a primitive species, the Andropogon sorghum
of authors, or allowing the genus Sorghum to stand, Sorghum
vulgare. These plants should not be allowed to amalgamate.
The saccharine secretions of one variety will be diminished by
cross fecundation with another not producing an equal amount ;
and the saccharine qualities peculiar to one may be lost by
planting in a soil or climate differing from that which has
brought them forth in unusual quality. If their cultivation as
a forage crop, and a syrap and sugar-producing plant shall
prove profitable, the use of the grain in the form of flour, as
well as feed for stock, may considerably diminish the cost of
productions. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. Proc. Molasses and sugar
are both powerfully anti-septic, and may be used in place of
salt. Wilson states “that a comparatively small quantity of
sugar, without any salt, will, if applied to the muscular parts
of the open fish, preserve salmon, cod and whiting for several
days, and impart to them no disagreeable taste.” Rural Cyc.

Prof. J. Lawrence Smith, of South Carolina, in an examina-
tion of the sugar-bearing capacity of the Chinese sugar-cane,
expresses himself with great moderation. -He reminds the
reader that there are two well known varieties of sugar, viz:
glucose, or grape sugar, (a sugar moderately sweet and difficult

/

652

of crystallization,) and cane sugar, with a very sweet taste, and
easily crystallized. The first form occurs most abundantly in
fruits, the latter in the sugar-cane, the beet root, the water-
melon, maple, etc. Now the cane sugar is easily convertible
into grape sugar, and in all processses for extracting the former,
one important aim is to prevent this transformation. ‘“ For
instance, were we to take the juice of the sugar-cane (contain-
ing about twenty per cent. of crystallizable sugar) and concen-
trate it, without subjecting it to the action of lime, or some
other defecating agent, fully half of the sugar would be ren-
dered uncrystallizable, and there would be only a small yield
of sugar, but a large amount of molasses.” So the impurities
must be regarded which may give rise to the altercation men-
tioned, and the yield of sugar may depend upon the care and
skill in working the juices. Dr. Smith then asserts that the
juices of the cane deteriorate when kept, and advises that no
time be lost after cutting in expressing the juice. By examin-
ing with polarized light, (the most accurate method,) the juice
being previously clarified by acetate of lead, he says, “ this
result settles the question that the great bulk of the sugar con-
tained in the Sorgho is crystallizable or cane sugar proper.” The
difference of opinion which has existed on this subject no doubt
arose, it is added, from the fact that different degreeseof care
had been taken in the concentration of the juice, or that a more
or less perfect process of defecation was resorted to. He used
Soleil’s polarizing saccharometer.

Dr. Smith then speaks of the processes for separating the
sugar. Not successful with the method transmitted by Mr.
Wray through the Patent Office, he prefers the following : warm
the fresh juice rapidly to 120° F.; then add to each gallon of
juice three ounces of lime, first slacking it with five or six times
its weight of water, then bringing the temperature up to 200°.
It is then filtered and carbonic acid passed through the juice,
afterward filtered and evaporated to a proper subsistence for
crystallization.

Each time that the juice is filtered if it be allowed to pass
through well washed animal charcoal, the syrup may be made
very clear and the sugar prepared from it will be perfectly
white. During the evaporation the temperature should at no
time exceed 215°. It often happens that we have days and even

\

653

weeks for the crystallization to take place; but it may always
be hastened by adding to the thick syrup when cool a few
grains of brown sugar ora little pulverized white sugar. “It
must not be forgotten that sugar making is an art, and cannot
be practiced by every one with a mill and a set of kettles ; also,
in extracting sugar from one vegetable, we are not to expect to
apply successfully those methods practiced on other vegetables.
It was not by applying to the beet root the method of extract-
ing sugar from the cane that France is now able to produce
120,000,000 pounds of sugar from that root. What was necessary
for the beet root is doubtless required for the sorgho, viz: a
thorough study of its nature, with a process of extracting the
sugar specially adapted to it.’ Another observer, from Mis-
sourij*says that a proper mill for grinding the cane would
consist of three cast-iron rollers placed horizontally, so that the
cane when passed through the mill would come out quite dry.
Then a set of iron kettles made broad and shallow, ranged ina
furnace so that evaporation might be accomplished more
rapidly, would be a near approximation to the true method of
grinding the cane and making molasses.

That the reader may appreciate some of the difficulties in the
erystallization of sugar, and perhaps obviate them thereby, I
will condense some passages from the article on “Sugar” in
Wilson’s Cyc. It applies as well to the problem of the sugar-
producing powers of the Sorghum:

All acids have the effect of rendering sugar uncrystallizable.
This is the case with citric, tartaric and oxalic acids, which
completely and forever destroy in sugar the property of crys-
tallization. Alkaline substances also prevent the crystallization
of sugar when mixed in excess. In the manufacture of sugar,
therefore, from the expressed juice of the cane, the beet, or any
other sacchariferous plant, the quantity of sugar will be less,
and that of molasses greater, whenever too much lime is used
in the first purification of the juice. In pressing sugar-cane the
juice which runs from the mill passes directly into a large boiler,
in which, for purification, it is heated but not boiled with lime.
The use of this alkaline earth has a twofold object to neutralize
the acetic acid which exists ready formed in the woody part of
the cane and is pressed out by the mill together with the sac-
charine juice, and to clear this juice from various foreign mat-

654

ters mingled with it. By the application of gradual heat these
impurities form a cake with the lime at the surface of the re-
sinous liquid, which is drawn off clear and conveyed to the first
boiler. After going through several successive boilers, in each
of which it is boiled to a thicker consistence, it at length be-
comes a thick, dark syrup, when it is put into shallow, flat
coolers. The molasses separates from it. In the very damp
districts the cane yields no crystallizable sugar, when the whole
of the juice is used in the manufacture of spirits.

Dr. J. Brown, in 1857, reported from the U. S. Agricultural
Society as follows, concerning the sorghum canes; the yield of
juice in weight of well trimmed stalks was about fifty per cent.
The number of gallons of juice required to make a gallon of
syrup varied from five to ten, according to the locality, the
nature of the soil on which it was produced, and the succulent
condition and maturity of the canes. In the province of New
Brunswick it required ten to one; in the rich bottom lands of
Indiana and Illinois about seven to one; and in the light lands
of Maryland and Virginia five gallons to one of syrup [observe
the effects of climate and latitude.] The yield of syrup, per
acre varied from one hundred and fifty to four hundred gallons.
The amount of pure alcohol produced by the juice ranged from
five to nine per cent. In cases where the plant was well ma-
tured and grew upon a warm, light soil, the juice yielded from
thirteen to sixteen per cent. of dry, saccharine matter, from
nine to eleven per cent. of which was well defined, crystallized
cane sugar, and the remainder uncrystallizable matter or glucose,
but that taken from stalks obtained on rich low lands, luxuriant
in their growth, yielded considerably less.

Prof. C. T. Jackson, in his chemical researches, p. 187, (P. O.
Reports, 1857,) found by experiment that “it was necessary to
defecate the juice of the sorghum before setting it to ferment,
otherwise the vinous fermentation sets in and converts all the
sugar into lactic acid and mannite. Hence, when either vinegar,
alcohol, or wine is to be made from the juice of this plant, it
must be clarified or defecated by lime and heat, and then fil-
tered. When this is done the juice is readily made to undergo
the vinous fermentation by the addition of a little brewer’s
yeast, and afterward the returns will serve for yeast to any
quantity of the juice that it may be desired to ferment. I

ee

655

mention this because I know that many persons, unaware of
the above named facts, have lost the sorghum juice they had
endeavored to ferment both for vinegar and wine. At the
proper temperature the sorghum juice will undergo the vinous
_ fermentation in from three to five days.” Dr. Jackson, though
he does not supply the great desideratum, viz: a simple and
clear method of obtaining the sugar, is convinced that both the
Chinese and the African variety of the sorghum “ will produce
sugar of the cane type, perfectly and abundantly, wherever the
canes will ripen their seeds.” He trusts that even the farmers
of the Northern and the Northwestern States will not be dis-
couraged. He says that if vacuum apparatus could be applied
to this manufacture it would be far more sure to succeed, and
“perhaps in the operation of a large farmer it may not prove
an unprofitable investment to set vacuum pans on his estate,
expressly for sugar-boiling. If this cannot be done, we have
only to caution the experimenters against burning the syrup,
and to ask them to wait at least a week before they expect to
see their sugar granulate.”

The following is the plan recommended by Prof. Jackson in
the “ Manufacture of sugar and syrup from the juice :”

“Omitting as of no immediate practical value to the manu-
facturer the more refined processes which were employed in
determining the amount of saccharine matter in the juice of
this plant, 1 now describe a cheap and economical method of
syrup and sugar making, which may be used by the farmer.
In the first place, it is necessary to filter the juice of the plant
as it comes from the mill, in order to remove the cellulose and
fibrous matters and the starch, all of which are present in it
when expressed. A bag filter, or one made of a blanket, placed
in a basket, will answer this purpose. Next we have to adda
sufficiency of milk of lime (that is, lime slacked and mixed
with water) to the juice to render it slightly alkaline, as shown
by its changing turmeric paper to a brown color, or reddened
litmus paper to a blue. A small excess of lime is not injurious.
After this addition the juice should be boiled say for fifteen
minutes. A thick, greenish scum rapidly collects on the sur-
face, which is to be removed by a skimmer, and then the liquid
should again be filtered. It will be of a pale, straw color, and
ready for evaporation. It may be boiled down quite rapidly

656

to about half its orrginal bulk, after which the fire must be kept
low, the evaporation to be carried on with great caution, and
the syrup constantly stirred to prevent it from burning at the
bottom of the kettle or evaporating pan. Portions of the syrup
are to be taken out from time to time and allowed to cool, to
see if it is dense enough to crystallize. It should be about as
dense as sugar-house molasses or tar. When it has reached
this condition, it may be withdrawn from the evaporating ves-
sel, and be placed in tubs or casks to granulate. Crystals of
sugar will begin to form generally in three or four days; and
sometimes nearly the whole mass will granulate, leaving but
little molasses to be drained. After it has solidified, it may be
scooped out into conical bags, made of coarse, open cloth, or of
canvas, which are to be hung over the receivers of molasses,
and the drainage being much aided by warmth, it will be useful
to keep the temperature of the room at 80° or 90 Fahr. After
some days the sugar may be removed from the bags, and will
be found to be a good brown sugar. It may now be refined by
dissolving it in hot water, adding to the solution some whites
of eggs (say one egg for one hundred pounds of sugar) mixed
with cold water; after which the temperature is to be raised to
the boiling point, and the syrup should be allowed to remain at
that point for half an hour; then skim and filter to remove the
coagulated albumen, and the impurities it has extracted from
the sugar. By means of bone-black, such as is prepared for
sugar refiners, the sugar may be decolored by adding an ounce
to each gallon of the saccharine solution and boiling the whole
together; then filter, and you will obtain a nearly colorless
syrup. Evaporate this as before directed, briskly, to half the
bulk, and then slowly until dense enough to crystallize, leaving
the syrup as before in tubs or pans to granulate. The sugar
will be of a very light brown color, and may now be clayed or
whitened by the usual method, that is by putting it into cones
and pouring a saturated solution of white sugar upon it so as
to displace the molasses which will drop from the apex of the
inverted cone. The sugar is now refined as loaf-sugar. The
methods here described are the common and cheap ones, which
any farmer can employ. It may be advantageous when ope-
rations of considerable extent are contemplated to arrange a
regular system of shallow evaporating pans for the concentra-

ee ee a. eee

657

tion of the syrup, similar to those now used in Vermont for
making maple sugar. It is now evident that no ordinary meth-
ods can compete with those of a regular sugar refinery, where
vacuum pans are employed, and evaporation is consequently
earried on at a very low temperature. If the planter should
raise sufficiently large crops to warrant the expense of such an
apparatus on his farm, he would not fail to manufacture larger
quantities of sugar, and to operate with perfect success in
sugar-making; but this can be done only in the Southern,
Middle, or Western States, where extensive farming is com.
mon. Those who wish to have their brown sugar clarified can
send it to some of the large refineries, where the operation
can be completed and the sugar put up in the usual form of
white loaves.

“A very large proportion of our agricultural people will,
doubtless, be satisfied with the production of a good syrup from
this plant. They may obtain it by following the methods de-
scribed in the first part of this paper, or they may omit the
lime and make an agreeable but slightly acidulous syrup that
will be of a lighter color than that which has been limed. This
syrup is not liable to crystallize, owing to the presence of acid
matter. The unripe canes can be employed for making mo-
lasses and alcohol, but, as before stated, will yield true cane
sugar.”

The majority of cultivators in the Southern States remitted
all exertions to make sugar from the African or Chinese sugar-
cane. Their yield of syrup, however, proved highly acceptable
and remunerative. The plants are largely grown and tended
measurably to remedy the scarcity of Louisiana sugars and
molasses.

Sorghum Molasses.—1 copy from the Southern Cultivator the
following concise and clear statement of the apparatus neces-
sary, and of leading steps involved in the process of manufac-
turing the syrup, by W. Toney, of Eufaula, Ala.:

The writer recommends cypress barrels or casks for the
syrup. Yellow pine, however, answers the purpose just as well
as Cypress.

The Manufacture of Sorgho or Southern Syrup.—My directions
are for farmers and planters who have not, cannot, and would
not get the elaborate apparatus of a sugar-house; but there are

42

658

essential fixtures, etc., which must be had, to wit: A mill, boilers,
a bailing dipper of wood of five gallon capacity, with a long
handle, a common dipper, and perforated ladles or skimmers.

The Mill.—Get one mill for fifty acres, and two for a hundred
acres or more; the size, eighteen inches in diameter and twen-
ty-four long, for the cylinders. They should be of cast-iron ;
the foundries will make them to order.

The Boilers—They should be proportioned in size and num-
ber to the size of the crop; say one for twenty acres, two or
three for fifty acres, and five or six for one bundred acres, more
or less. As many as five or six can be put in one “battery,”
and be operated by one furnace, running under all. The
capacity of the boilers can be greatly increased by fastening a
wooden rim, eight or ten inches high around their tops. The
brick work of the furnace should not reach higher on the inside
than midway of the boiler, otherwise the syrup will be burnt by
the fire.

The cane should not be cut until ripe, which may be known
by the seeds becoming of a purplish black, and the stalks streaked
with red on a yellowish ground. It is well to know and recol-
lect that the canes, if left standing on the land where they
grow, with all their leaves or fodder on them, will keep good
until the crop is manufactured, if you will barely cut off all the
ripe seed. IPf you pull the fodder the canes will dry up.

The Gathering of the Canes.—Pull the fodder as you do corn
fodder each day as you grind your canes. Cut the stalks close
to the ground with sbarp hoes, and haul them to the mill with
the seed on, with a small crop, but cut seed off in the field if a
large one, dry the panicles in the sun one day, and house. The
seed will equal or exceed corn on the same land; and contain-
ing, by chemical analysis, sixty-six per cent. of starch, is about
two-thirds the value of corn or rye for feeding stock, or, “‘ hor-
resco referens”” for making whiskey, and will command one dol-
lar per bushel in the market.

The juice, as pressed out by the mill, should run through
cloth, fastened over the receiving tubs, to clear it of all trash.

To Clarify the Juice.—Put the juice in the largest boiler, near
filling it, and start a gentle fire under it, and put the juice to
simmering, not boiling, and keep it so for about thirty minutes,
until clarified. This is to be effected by administering some

659

alkali in solution. The best alkali for this purpose is the super
carbonate of soda. Put one heaping teaspoonful in a pint of
water, dissolve it, and pour it into the boiler of simmering
juice, stir it up, and a violent effervescence takes place, rising
four inches high, and finally settling in a thick, greenish scum
all over the surface of the juice. Skim this off, and repeat the
process every few minutes for about thirty minutes, more or
less, but stop it as soon as (but not before) all effervescence
ceases. This process will neutralize the sulphuric and phos-
phoric acids which abound in the Chinese Sugar Cane juice ;
and the Super. Carb. of Soda is the purest and best alkali for
this purpose, as sodium the base of the peroxid is lighter than
water. _ The pressure of the mill forces out with the juice a
great deal of green feculant matter, which the light alkali takes
hold of by the attraction of its acids, and brings to the surface
ascum. These constant skimmings will soon give you a clear
juice, capable of making a clear, thick, acidless syrup.

The Louisiana and West India sugar planters use lime to
purify the juice. It will neutralize the acids, but I doubt its
purifying agency. The lime will readily unite with and neu-
tralize the phosphoric and sulphuric acids, but are not the com-
pounds, the sulphate of lime, or “ plaster of Paris,” being one,
too heavy to elevate the green, woody matter to the surface ?
I am fortified in these views against the use of lime to clarify
and purify syrup by Dr. Robert Batey, one of the ablest prac-
tical agricultural chemists in Georgia. He says: “ Lime an-
swers no useful purpose, so far as syrup is concerned, save to
neutralize the free acid which exists naturally in the cane. Lime
ital the color, and detracts from the grateful flavor of the
syrup.”

If soda cannot be had, have ready strong lye from green
hickory ashes. This alkaline solution is the next best to that
of soda, and apply it in the same way. After the juice is both
neutralized of its free acids and purified of its fecula, which
may be seen and known by the cessation of effervescence and the
transparency of the juice, then boil down to the syrup point.
In the absence of instruments, which cannot now be had, be
sure you boil enough. It is safer to err by boiling too much than
not enough. Asa general guide, you have to go by eyesight,
and as but few in the South ever paid any attention to it here-

660

tofore, I will give certain general rules which should be ob-
served :

1st. Boil down until the syrup is about one-fifth of the origi-
nal quantity of juice, for it is true that five gallons of juice will
average one gallon of syrup. 2d. Boil down until the syrup,
being reduced to about one-fifth of its original quantity, will
hang in flakes on the rim of the dipper, as you pour it out and
suspend it in the air. 3d. Boil down until all water is expelled.
This may be seen and known, when the syrup being reduced to
about one-fifth its original quantity of juice, throws up jets some
six inches high; this latter is the water escaping as steam ; con-
tinue to boil until these jets cease; then strike off your syrup
into tubs, and when cold, barrel it.

The Barrels—Put up your syrup in cypress barrels ; white oak
barrels will not hold syrup. Several large planters put up their
syrup in poplar troughs. These will hold the syrup, but the
oxygen of the atmosphere will certainly, as it has done, acidify
it, as it thus has so much surface to act on.

In conclusion, the Chinese Sugar millet is an industrial plant
of great utility to the South, in these our times of trial, block-
ade and war. Its fodder is equal to that of corn, its seed is
equal to two-thirds of corn, and its syrup nearly equal to that
of sugar-house molasses, yielding as many gallons of syrup per
acre as the land can pecks of corn.

A cheap and good vinegar can be made from molasses or
syrup: “To eight gallons of clear rain-water add three quarts
of molasses; turn the mixture into a clean, tight cask, shake it
well two or three times, and add three spoonsful of good yeast
or the yeast cakes. Place the cask in a warm place, and in ten
or fifteen days add a sheet of common wrapping paper, smeared
with molasses, and torn into narrow strips, and you will have a
good vinegar. The paper is necessary to form the ‘mother’ or
life of the liquor.” The scientific mode of making vinegar
rapidly is to pass the liquor repeatedly through barrels filled
with wood shavings; any sweet fruits, or roots, such as figs,
beets, watermelon juice, etc., add to the bulk and quality ; see
“Beta” and “Ficus.” Sweet substances added to vinegar will
increase the quantity when exposed to the oxygen of the air
for the acetous fermentation to be effected. This is promoted
by heat.

661

In a communication from Mr. W. G. Simms (1863) he informs
me that he made excellent Vinegar from both the May-apple
and persimmon, thus: three bushels May-apple pulp, carefully
crushed out of the sack, five gallons of molasses, three gallons
of whiskey ; this with thirty-five gallons of water made forty
gallons of fine red vinegar. The persimmon makes a “ beau-
uful white wine vinegar,” thus: three bushels ripe persimmons,
three gallons of whiskey, twenty-seven gallons of water.

The following was communicated by Mr. C. Orr, of Mis-
Sissippi :

“JT find from experiments I have made that the seed of the
sugar-cane (Sorgho sucré) parched and ground as coffee, pre-
pared in the usual way, but by being boiled a little longer, make
an excellent substitute for coffee, and my own impression is that
if it was brought into general use thousands would adopt its use
instead of coffee, even if coffee should again be offered at its
former low prices, from the fact that all could grow and culti-
vate it with so little labor, and from its approaching so near to
the best Java.”

A palatable bread was made from the flour ground from the
seeds of this plant, of a pinkish color, caused by the remnants
of the pellicles or hulls of the seeds. By accounts from all parts
of the country, this plant is universally admitted to be a whole-
some, nutritious and economical food for animals, all parts of it
being greedily devoured in a green or dried state by horses,
cattle, sheep, poultry and swine, without injurious effects, the
two latter fattening upon it equally well as upon corn.

A New Value of Sorghum.—The inestimable value of this
production, says the Lynchburg Virginian, is only beginning to
be appreciated by our people. It may not be generally known
that the grain or seed constitute an excellent and prolific bread-
stuff. A correspondent writing to us on the subject, from Pat-
tonsburg, says: “I had fifty bushels of the seed which I raised
last year, anda short time ago I took six bushels to the mill
and got it ground into flour, and have been using it in my family
for bread for several days. It makes really good loaf bread and
light rolls. It is the red seed.”

Paper of various qualities bas been manufactured from the
fibrous parts of the stalk, some of which appears to be particu-
larly fitted for special use, such as bank notes, wrapping paper,
ete.

662

To show the progress that has been made since the first
Edition of this volume was issued, ] am enabled now to add
what follows with reference to what may prove to be a great
source of profit to our country :

Prof. Wood, U.S. Disp., 12th Ed., 1866, states that “credit is
due to Mr. J. 8S. Lovering, of Philadelphia, for first demonstra-
ting in this country, that Sugar might be advantageously made
from the Chinese Sugar-Cane; and his pamphlet on the subject
may be found useful by those who purpose to engage practically
in its manufacture.” The credit for the practical application of
this discovery has been claimed for Messrs. Waller & Hatcher,
parties in Kentucky.

The following has been published in 1866:

Sorghum Sugar—Much importance is attributed by some of
the Western papers to a new invention by which sorghum mo-
lasses is almost instantly converted into sugar. The syrup is
driven off by centrifugal power and granulation effected. The
St. Louis Democrat speculates upon the results as follows:
“This discovery must of course work a considerable change in
the saccharine trade of the country. Wherever corn grows it
may be made to grow, and farmers, through this simple process,
will now be enabled to supply themselves with all they need in
the way of sweets. As the machinery is by no means costly,
we presume the improvement will generally be made available.
Sugar must become cheaper, and its consumption greatly in-
creased.

“ Fruits, large and small, which now, on account of the cost
of the saccharine matter, are greatly wasted, will be preserved
toa much greater extent, and healthy and invigorating food
thereby secured. This invention may be considered as one of
the greatest of the age. The forces employed are without cost,
and require no education to govern and direct them. After the
molasses is prepared in the usual way, which every one com-
prehends, the turning of a crank completes the process, and
consummates the entire work most perfectly. No heating is
necessary, no evaporation or delicate manipulation, or chemical
mixtures. The cold sorghum is converted in two or three
minutes into refined sugar and molasses.”

I have seen very excellent brown sugar manufactured from
this plant and presented to the Agricultural Convention of South
Carolina, 1869, by Dr. Passmore, of Greenville, where works are

663

constructed for the purpose. A large establishment exists in
Louisville, Ky., so that the difficnlties which beset the enter-
prise when the first Edition of this volume was printed are
already being fast overcome.

I have received (May, 1869) a letter in reply to one asking
for information, from Dr. W. P. Passmore, the Agent at Green-
ville. 8. C., of the So. Sorgho Company of Louisville, Ky., ac-
companied by circulars. He writes, “ours is a double process
both of defecation and evaporation, so as to extract all the
feculent vegetable matter which heretofore gave syrup such a
nauseous taste and prevented granulation. We use no chem-
icals or nostrums, and the whole process is natural and me-
chanical so as to be worked by any one.” He is willing to give
information ; and citizens of Greenville attest the excellence of
the results both with respect to the syrup and sugar made at
the works.

The pamplets are from Lewis, Wilhelm & Johnson, propri-
etors, Louisvilie, Ky., to whom applications may be made, or to
the agents in the several States, and contain the certificates of a
large number of persons, members of Agricultural Societies and
others who have personally inspected the works, and who
testify to the success with which both syrup and sugar are
made of excellent quality. The yield is often seven pounds of
sugar to one gallon of syrup, or five pounds of dry sugar and
about five pounds of molasses.

The committee of the Lexington Farmer’s Club report: “The
process of manufacture is exceedingly simple, so much so that
any family obtaining the right to do so may manufacture their
own sugar at comparatively small cost.” ‘An acre of cane
upon an average it is computed will yield one hundred and fifty
gallons of syrup; so far as tested this will yield from five to
seven pounds of sugar to the gallon, or from seven hundred and
fifty to one thousand pounds of sugar to the acre, and a re-
mainder of from one to two barrels of syrup. All the syrups
made by this process will granulate more or less, the black
Imphee, however, more than the white; therefore, where sugar
is the object, the black should be raised ; and if syrup, then the
white.” Barbaroux & Co., of Louisville, Ky., and Jno. Alex-
ander, Congaree Iron Works, Columbia, 8. C., manufacture
“self skimming” Evaporators, Mills, etc., at a cost from one

664

hundred and fifty-five to one hundred and seventy-five dollars.
Dr. Passmore makes the following statements in his pamphlet:

The large quantities of Sugars and Syrups consumed yearly
by South Carolina, together with the exorbitant prices these
necessary articles now command, render their production and
manufacture vitally important to all, but more especially to the
farmers and laborers. I, therefore, beg leave to call your atten-
tion to the “ Great Southern Process,” which places within the
reach of the humblest, for a small sum, the privilege of making
his Sugar and Syrup. Heretofore South Carolina was unable
to produce her own Sugar, because her land neither yielded the
maple or tropical cane in sufficient abundance to justify the
erection of suitable machinery to convert into Sugar the juices
of either, but by this late discovery she can make Sugar in any
quantity. Of the certainty of this process none need have any
doubts, for it has undergone the most thorough investigation
and surmounted the most sceptical doubts. Its simplicity, too,
is perfectly wonderful, for with ordinary hands a fifteen year
old boy can operate it successfully. South Carolina pays annu-
ally over $4,000,000 to foreign lands for her Sugars.

The “Great Southern Process” is in very general use in the
States of Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and Kentucky, and the Sugars
and Syrups made by it compete successfully with other Sugars
and Syrups. In consideration of the difficulties in Cuba, and
the inevitable abolition of slavery throughout the world, Sugar
production offers to all a fine opportunity for making money.

Sugar.—The Sugar made by the process “is equal in color,
brightness and sweetness to the best refined ‘A’ Sugar ever
made.” An acre of land yields from five hundred to one
thousand pounds, besides leaving a residuum of fifty and one
hundred and fifty gallons of golden Syrup respectively. Our
Sugar will command in this market to-day from twenty-two to
twenty-five cents. Our best article is obtained by using a cen-
trifugal mill, and as they cost very little, I advise all to use
them in preference to “press force,’ which requires bags made
of the cloth used by cotton seed oil manufactories, and is much
more tedious and troublesome, in my opinion. An acre of land
which yields five hundred pounds of Sugar, will pay the owner
as follows:

Sei lbenBugarmif0d: Juss wes een ele ee $100 00
Bonentenm yr: (BOC. sas. dake. e0s ER. . Lisa weds baa 40 00
BoriMrenoleipeeds Shen: elds. ese ee BIAle Weta gak 8 75

$148 75

Of this amount it will not take more than thirty dollars to
pay all expenses, and, therefore, the acre would net one hundred
and eighteen dollars and seventy-five cents. These figures may
not hold good with all, but suppose you divide them by two
and claim fifty-nine dollars and thirty-seven and a half cents as
the net yield of an acre; would not that satisfy you ?

Syrup.—Our Syrups have been pronounced excellent, but as
all knoyy the Sorghum canes will make a good and merchanta-
ble article of Syrup, I will only remark that by our process the
“old Chinese cane” makes a bright, beautiful and delicious
Syrup, which rivals even honey. It commands readily from
eighty cents to one dollar at our manufactory.

Complete Machinery—The Great Southern Cast-Iron, Self-
Skimming Coagulator is the great invention of the age in
evaporating cane juice. The set is composed of three separate
pans, arranged on two furnaces, at a less cost than any evapo-
rator in use. They are flowing pans, without ledges, and will
evaporate from one hundred and twenty-five to one hundred
and fifty gallons of Syrup per day.

Complete Set of Evaporators......... MURR RIN ees IKO $80 00
Pasmmyy it we2 bl arses Mill, cis. csvicises dated ods. eles 80 00
Two Iron Furnaces, complete.................cesecseeceeeeceenseees 80 00
Swing Pipes, Skimmers, complete..............0.0csceeeeseseseees 15 00

MakalMisleimeny iis). 1022006 Ai IAN, J a $255 00

On these evaporators the heat is more regular; you get a
uniformity of Syrups. You get all the green scum on the first
pan. The capacity of this set of pans is greater than any two
evaporators in use. They are quite simple and easily worked
by any one.

The following instructions for the cultivation of Sorghum
have been furnished by Messrs. Lewis, Wilhelm & Johnson, of
Louisville, Ky.:

We can only meet these objections and overcome these preju-
dices by the assistance of farmers who are willing to give

666

Sorghum a fair trial. To do this they must begin by procuring
and planting pure seed. This fact need not be urged upon those
who have planted pure seed and made a gallon of fine Syrup to
four or five gallons of green juice, while it takes from seven to
ten gallons of juice of hybridized canes to make one gallon of
very ordinary Syrup. There is no other remedy for this falling
off than the planting of pure, well-matured seed. In order to
procure good seed, the cane must be carefully cultivated for the
seed alone and not for the Syrup, by allowing the seed to ma-
ture and dry on the stalk in the field. Last summer we had
the seed cultivated by careful farmers. We are prepared to fill
orders for pure seed at cost price. We do this, hoping to re-
move the prejudices, and make the cultivation of Sorghum a
success. We advise farmers to avoid, as much as possible, black,
mucky soils; if planted upon bottom lands at all, it should be
dry, sandy soil. Very rich soil of any kind is not favorable to
the production of light Syrups. Good land, not foul with weeds,
should be plantea in drills. As much of the cane should be
allowed to stand as the ground will bear. Of this farmers must
judge for themselves. A large overgrown stalk is not the best
tor Syrup or Sugar, but the medium, or even small stalks, are
better than the large, rank cane often seen on rich soil. If the
soil is not good, or is foul, the seed should be planted in hills.
Sorghum while growing requires very close attention until it is
well started, and then it will leave weeds and everythig else in
the back-ground. The seed should be prepared first by clean-
ing and then by pouring warm water over it until covered two
or three inches in the vessel. If well stirred the light chaffy
seeds will rise to the surface, which should be removed. The
vessel should then be set in a warm place until the hull of the
seed shows a disposition to burst, then the seed should be
spread out until nearly dry, and in this condition should be
placed in the ground. If this plan is strictly observed every
seed will grow. If planted in drills one seed in a hill is suffi-
cient. If planted in hills two to five seed are all that is needed.

The ground should be well pulverized. The best way is to
throw two furrows together and plant the seed on the ridge. It
should be covered as lightly as possible, and the cane will ap-
pear in a few days. It will require careful nursing for a short
time, but it will soon become strong and will overcome all ob-

667

stacles. It should not be “thinned” too much. Let as much
grow as the ground will support. The best varieties of cane
for Syrup are the old-fashioned Chinese, or Black Top, and the
Red Top, or Liberian cane. The most successful for producing
Sugar, so far as yet demonstrated, is the Oomceanna, or Black
Imphee, or African variety.

LOUISIANA SUGAR-CANE, (Saccharum officinarum,) eul-

tivated in South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Louisiana;
Its value is well known. The juice is said to be an antidote for
poisoning by arsenic, and it might be temporarily substituted |
for the hydrated sesquioxide of iron.

In Agricultural Reports of the Patent Office, 1855, p. 268,
there#s a paper on the “ Failure of the Sugar-Cane in Louisiana—
proposed plan for restoration,” ete. A brief history of the origin
of the cane is given, and the varietes usually planted. The in-
‘troduction of new plants by cuttings from British Guiana, or
~ Venezuela, is advised, and the practice of rotation with certain

specified plants, viz: wheat, the Chinese yam, the bitter and
sweet cassada, (Jatropha,) and other fusiform roots, as well as
the peanut, Palma Christi, Bené, ete.

For sugar from canes, whether Chinese or African, consult
DeBow’s Review, and the Patent Office Reports, 1848, pp. 281
and 512, for long articles with plans, drawings, and a full de-
scription ; also Olcott’s work on the Imphee and Sorgho, with
methods of grinding, crystallizing, etc., and translations from
the French. In these all the processes are described for prepa-
ration of syrup, molasses, best varieties of cane, mode of
culture, etc., etc. See, also, Gov. Hammond’s contributions and
experiments in “South Carolina Agriculturist,” published by
Mr. A. G. Summer, Columbia, 8. C., 1856. These papers are
too long to admit of their introduction here, and I content my-
self with directing the inquirer to the best sources of informa-
tion. I have seen very fair specimens of sugar made by Mr.
Jno. Townsend, from canes growing on Edisto Island, 8S. C.
They are sold in the Southern cities as an article of food. The

‘juice is nutritious and is thought to be beneficial to children in
preventing worms. Wax is obtained from the surface of the
cane by scraping. See Olcott’s work for account of its collec-
tion in Algeria.

CAROLINA RICE, (Oryza sativa.) Cultivated extensively

668

in the lower portion of South Carolina and Georgia, on the
Cooper, Pee Dee, Savannah, Santee and otherrivers. A variety
called “high land Rice” is also planted. See paper on the mode
of culture in South Carolina, by Gov. R. F. W. Allston, in P. O.
Rep., 1854; also article “ Rice” Rural Cyc.

U.S. Disp. 1268. The “seeds, being wholly free from laxative
power, are adapted to cases of weak bowels, in which there is a
strong tendency to diarrhcea.” The decoction of rice water is
very applicable, as a nutritive drink, to fevers, and inflammatory
affections of the stomach, lungs and kidneys. This plant is
well known and largely used as an article of food, and for ex-
portation. See authors for references. Carolina Rice was found
by Bracconnot to contain 85.07 per cent. of starch, 3.60 gluten,
0.71 gum, 0.29 uncrystallizable sugar, 0.13 of fixed oil, 4.80, veg.
fibre, 5.00 of water, and 0.40 of saline substances.

Dr. Wood (U.S. Disp.) discredits the opinion, expressed by
some, that a rice diet produces injurious effects on the eyes—
the condition of myopia, for instance. During a residence of
some years in both sections of South Carolina, my observations
have been directed toward this point with, special attention. I
can safely assert that in the lower country of this State, where
rice has long been a favorite artiele of food—the whites par-
taking of it every day, and in some form at almost every meal—
the number of near-sighted individuals bears a proportion of
at least ten to one over those residing in the upper districts,
where it is well known that its use has only lately been gen-
erally introduced. So far as my experience goes, as well as
that of many others, of whom inquiries have been made,
scarcely an example can be found of it in the latter portion of
the State, which is distinguished from the other by pretty
accurately defined limits. If such a relation does exist between
the quality of the ingesta and the greater convexity of the
cornea, which further investigation and comparison must con-
firm or reject, it is exceedingly curious, there being as yet not
even a hypothesis accounting for the modus operandi. It has
also been indistinctly assumed to depend upon a long course of
luxurious living in the ancestors. Any objections to the first
ground, founded on the assertion that the negroes in the lower
country are not affected in this way, may be anticipated by the
reply that we seldom or never know when there is among them

669

such defect in the power of vision ; and besides, they are in fact
not generally furnished with rice as an article of food. The
condition of things in Hindostan and China might throw some
light on this question. I am informed by a gentleman in whose
statements I put implicit confidence that rats infesting a
granary where rice was stored were always found to be blind!

An excellent bread is made of rice flour. “A quart of rice
flour is made into a stiff pap by wetting it with warm water,
not so hot as to make it lump; when well wet add boiling
water, as much as two or three quarts; stir it continually until
it boils, then add one pint of milk; when cool enough to avoid
scalding the yeast, add half a pint of good yeast and as much
wheat" flour as will make it of a proper consistency for bread ;
put it to raise; when sufficiently risen it will be necessary to
add a little more wheat flour. If baked too soft the loaves will
be hollow. The bread must stand half an hour or more ina
warm place after it is put in the baking pans, and it will rise
again almost as much as it did at first. The same mixture,
rather thinner, baked in muffin rings makes an excellent bread.”
(Southern Agriculturist.) On the plantations at the South
much use is made of rice in this and other ways, and I inserted
the recipe among our other “resources” in times of war and
blockade.

Parched rice has been used as one of the substitutes for coffee,
(see potato, Convolvulus.) A correspondent says that corn and
rice mixed in equal parts, ground and boiled, make an excellent
substitute for coffee. As the grain of corn is harder than that
of rice it needs more browning, and should be exposed to the
heat a few moments before the rice is put in. The writer
claims that “the beverage is equal to the best coffee!” Rice
starch prepared in the same way as that from corn and the
potato is said to give “lawns and colored articles a look of new-
ness unsurpassed.”

A good deal of Rice is cultivated throughout the South in the
inland swamps which are cleared and drained for the purpose,
The rice is planted in drills or in rows from two to three feet
apart and kept free of grass. The variety called Highland Rice
will flourish on high lands removed from swamps, even those
which are sandy and containing little moisture. An account of
Rice Culture and preparation, written by Mr. A. L. Taveau, of
S. C., is published in the P. O. Rep. for 1867.

670

The late Gov. R. F. W. Allston, himself a successful cultivator
of rice on the Waccamaw River, in his “ Essay on the seacoast
crops, read before the Agricult. Assoc. of the Planting States,”
which was also in part reprinted in the P. O. Rep. for 1854 and
in DeBow’s Review, says of Rice Culture:

Cultivation of Rice—The numerous islands of which this
region is composed, are all enclosed (leaving an outside margin
twenty to thirty feet wide) by dams high enough and strong
to resist the highest spring-tides. The entire area is divided
into “squares” or fields, containing twelve to twenty acres
each, by a series of check-banks, made up by excavating all
around the field, at a distance of eighteen feet from the centre
of the line on which the bank is to be located, a ditch some
six to eight feet wide by five feet deep.

The fields are further prepared for cultivation by excavating
from ditch to ditch, in one direction, a number of smaller ditches
called “quarter drains,” fifteen to eighteen inches wide and
three feet deep, located parallel to each other, at the distance
of seventy-five, or fifty, or thirty-seven and a half feet apart,
as may be required by the nature of the land and the pitch of
tide in which it is found. Across the frontier bank, and in a
line with one of the main ditches, a deep cut is made, in which
is placed and covered up, a (wooden culvert twenty feet long
and open four feet by two) “trunk,” furnished at both ends
with a sluice-gate, for either admitting the tide over the field,
or withdrawing it as may be desired.

Thus has the tide-swamp been subdued and converted into
flourishing fields, inviting diligent husbandry.

Sailing up one of those fruitful rivers, the traveller may now
behold many miles of serpentine embankment, (continuous save
where a water thoroughfare occurs,) enclosing thousands of
acres, checked into fields, which bear in waving luxuriance
crops of this translucent grain. Rough Rice as it comes from
the field is translucent in a degree sufficient for an experienced
eye, when holding a head or sheaf of Rice up toward the sun,
to detect the red-rice, which is opaque.

Rice, for which we are indebted to the Island of Madagascar,
was introduced into Carolina and America at once, toward the
close of the seventeeth century. A few grains were sown in the
garden of Landgrave Smith, the site of which is now entirely

671

covered by houses and modern improvements, in the City of
Charleston. Those few grains produced many ears, which being
disseminated for seed, succeeded in adaptation to the climate ;
and the low country of South Carolina since, has become the
centre of the rice-growing region. The first seed was white,
such as is grown in China and Guiana to this day, and such as
may still be seen produced on the uplands and inlands of
America.

Some time before the Revolutionary war, the “gold seed”
Rice was introduced, which, owing to its superiority, soon en-
tirely superseded the white. It is now the rice of commerce,
and the only grain referred to herein, when rice is mentioned,
without being distinguished by some peculiar name, or char-
acteristic.

This “ gold seed” has undergone improvement in latter years.
Hence has resulted the production of a variety longer in the
grain, but not perceptibly larger otherwise, which is highly
esteemed by foreign consumers, when it is produced in perfec-
tion, commanding the highest prices in market. It is called
“long grain” Rice, and was obtained from the sowing of part of
a single head on the plantation of the late Hon. Joshua Jno.
Ward, of Waccamaw.

The white Rice of the present day measures three-eighths of
an inch in length, the same in circumferance around its shorter
axis, the grain being in shape an irregular elipsoid, and in
weight numbers nine hundred and sixty grains to the ounce,
(Troy.) The gold seed, the Rice of commerce, measures three-
eighths of an inch in length, the same in circumference, and in
weight numbers eight hundred and ninety-six grains to the
ounce. The long grain Rice measures five-twelfths of an inch
in length, three-eighths of an inch in circumference, and in
weight numbers eight hundred and forty grains to the ounce.

The system of culture for one is suitable for any of these
varieties. The first, it is said, will bear upland culture better.
The last (long grain) it is supposed, will bear water better. It
does not tiller as much, shoots up a taller stock and longer
head, but does not bear as many grains to the head as the other,
and more commonly approved kind of gold seed.

We begin the preparation for a new crop by (cleaning out
the ditches every third year; the drains are cleaned out every

‘

672

year after plowing) plowing the land as soon after the harvest
as the fields can be gleaned, and the scattered rice left on the
surface be sprouted. The stubble is turned under by running a
deep furrow, say eight inches. This may be continued until
the end of January. The sods should have the benefit of the
entire winter frosts, if possible, the influence of which disin-
tegrates and prepares them duly for the levelling. Both plow-
ing and harrowing are performed, ordinarily, by oxen—two
yoke being required if we go deeper than six to eight inches;
and two yoke get on badly in the swamp. The Tuscany breed
furnishes the best oxen for our climate.

In March, or when about preparing to plant, the harrows will
be made to pass over the plowed ground. After deep plowing
the “plow turns” should be broken up with the spade, sinking
the spade as deep as the plow has gone, say eight inches; an
able-bodied man will break up in this way, and thoroughly, a
surface of fifteen hundred square feet in a day. The field should
be well drained however. The hoe follows to cut up and break
the remaining clods and level the surface. The more the soil
is comminuted, and the surface brought to a common level, the
better. The trenchers then come in with hoes made for the
purpose, and trace out with great accuracy the drills in which
to sow the seed fourteen, thirteen or twelve inches apart from
centre to centre. They will average (some drawing stake-rows
and others filling up the panels) three-quarters of an acre to the
hand in a day’s work. When the land is new the trench should
be broad, say five inches, and the rice may be scattered in the
trench; but for old land, and most of rice land is now old,
narrow trenching hoes are preferred, opening a drill three
inches wide. Infected with grass-seed and volunteer rice, old
land requires close hoeing, and every seed that vegetates out-
side the drill is cut up and destroyed.

The field now in high tilth, and resembling somewhat a gar-
den spot, is ready for the seed. The sowers with great care,
yet with wonderful facility and precision, string the seed in the
drills, putting two and a half or two and a quarter bushels to
the acre. The labor of sowing depends so much upon the state
of the weather, whether windy, or moist, or otherwise, it is
better not to require any given task. Generally, each woman
will accomplish two or three tasks and do it well—it should

673

never be done otherwise, for the seed cannot be recovered if
too thick, nor if too thin, can the sowing be repeated without
needless waste and increased irregularity.

The best bands are chosen to sow Rice. When Rice is to
be covered with water, without a previous covering of earth,
the seed must first be prepared by rolling it in clayed water.
There are many planters who still prefer the old system, cover-
ing the seed with earth. In this case, after the seed is cov-
ered, the water is taken on the field for five or six days to
sprout the grain, when it is drawn off, and is returned only
when the sprout, “in the needle state,” is seen fairly above
ground. This, “the point flow,” is held about four days and
then drawn off; after which the culture is the same as above
described throughout. ‘The sowing done, water is forthwith
admitted, (two tides are better than one,) and the field remains
covered until the sprout becomes green and begins to fork. The
water must then be withdrawn, else the plants will be forced to
the surface by any slight agitation and float away from their
position. The reasoning for the successful substitution of a
covering of water for a covering of earth in planting Rice, and
also for the requisition of sound and perfectly full seed, will be
found in the law of germination and growth.

Prof. Johnston thus expresses it: “ When a seed is committed
to the earth, if the warmth and moisture are favorable it be-
gins to sprout. It pushes a shoot upwards, it thrusts a root
downwards ; but until the leaf expands and the root has fairly
entered the soil, the young plant derives no nourishment other
than water, either from the earth or from the air. It lives on
the starch and gluten contained in the seed.”

In the case of Rice covered with water, the first shoot is
radical and tends downwards, but it does not take root until
the air is admitted to the leaf, the lungs of the plant, then it
becomes rooted instantly, If the water be not reduced when
the sprout becomes green, (until the sprout is green it cannot
bear the rays of the sun,) the expanding of the leaf in the
water will draw up the unfixed root and the whole will rise and
float upon the surface.

The water, after floating the trash to the banks, should at no
time be over deep, lest the process of germination be delayed,

43

674

and with any imperfect or defective grains be prevented alto-
gether.

In Georgia, on one of Dr. Daniels’ plantations near Savannah,
the Italian method has been pursued with a good degree of
success, namely: The seed is first sprouted, then sown broad-
cast over the field and covered up by the harrow, which, being
reversed, is drawn over the surface. The culture there is with
water chiefly.

In twenty days after, or thereabouts, the Rice is hoed and
flowed deep, the water over-topping the plant for two or three
days, in order to destroy the young grass just springing up
among the plants, and also the insects that may have lodged
upon the blades, or which may have been generated among the
stumps or roots, or stubble. At the end of two or three days
the water is slacked down to about half the height of the plant,
now somewhat stretched. At this depth it is held until the
plants grow strong enough to stand erect, and will admit the
laborers to walk between the trenches and pull out the long
grass which shows itself, and which will now yield to very slight
effort. If any rushes appear they will now be plucked up by
the root and borne out to the banks.

Two days after this weeding, the long water will gradually
be drawn off. In Georgia, and elsewhere perhaps, this is called
the “stretch flow.” In that State, as well as in some parts of
Carolina, the practice is common to continue the point flow
into the “stretch” or long flow, without drawing the water
until the latter be over. This free use of water, as it may be
made to substitute one hoeing, may enable the planter to cul-
tivate seven or eight acres to the hand, instead of five and six
as of old. But, the proprietor who suffers this method to be
practiced in his culture, year by year, if his young crop be not
often troubled by the maggot or root-worm, will probably find
his land so polluted with water grasses after several years, and
so packed as to require rest and change of system to ameliorate
it. A succeeding tide will be taken in and let off immediately,
in order to wash out the ditches. Two men, furnished, each
with a long handled rake of curved iron teeth, are put to rake
from the ditches all the water-growth which impedes the
draining, placing it on the side of the bank. In eight days (the

675

land by that time should be dry) the smaller hoes are used, and
the soil is stirred as deep as it can be with them. The hoe now
used has been reduced, latterly, to four inches in breadth. The
plant just recovering from the effects of long water, and taking
a dry growth, is putting forth new green blades and fresh roots,
which, not long enough yet to be interfered with by the deep
hoeing, very soon yield to the grateful influence of the air ad-
mitted, shoot vigorously into the loosened earth, and nourish a
“ good stalk.” .

In the course of fifteen or eighteen days, the field is hoed
again and weeded. This last hoeing is also done with the small
hoes, but very lightly, to avoid disturbing the roots which are
now extended nearly midway between the trenches. As the
plant is now beginning to joint, the laborers will step about
with care, for if one be broken at the joint it cannot be restored.
A day or two after this third hoeing, the water is put on again,
as deep as the last long flow, and is gradually increased in depth
after the rice-heads have fairly shot out.

This is called the “lay-by ” flow. Some planters have this flow
very shallow, insisting that a deep flow breeds worms to the
injury of the plant before it has shot out, in which case the only
remedy is to dry. Up to the time of this flow, is about ninety
days for Rice sown the first week in April. After this, to the
period of maturity is from sixty to seventy days, during which
the water is often changed, and kept fresh, but is never entirely
withdrawn, until the grain be ripe for the harvest. The im-
proved and best means of keeping the water fresh is to furnish
the field with two trunks—one to admit fresh water at every
flood-tide, and the other to void it with the ebb, so that twice in
twenty-four hours there is obtained a slight current through
the field. This, besides lessening the infection of the atmos-
phere (miasmata) by stagnant water, keeps the roots of the
plant cool and healthy, though it postpones the ripening of the
Rice some five or eight days. Meantime, should any grass have
escaped the previous hoeings and weedings, it will show its
crest before the Rice matures and be plucked up by the roots.
All white Rice will be stripped off by hand.

Harvest—And now the grain is ripe for the sickle. The Rice
is cut a day before you will say it is fully ripe. For Rice sown
April first, the harvest begins usually from the first to the tenth

676

of September. The water is drawn off over night. Soon after
the rising ofa bright autumn sun, the reapers are seen amid the
thick hanging grain, shoulder-high, mowing it down with the
old fashioned sickle. Before the dew is all gone, the Rice is
laid prostrate, even and orderly, across the porous stubble. The
next day, when quite dry of dew, it is tied up in sheaves, and
borne away to the threshing yard, where it is well stacked
before the night dew falls heavy. This last heavy but gleeful
labor completes the field culture of the Rice plant. When the
stack has undergone its curing heat, and become cool again, the
Rice is threshed out by one of Emmons’ Patent Machines and
sent to the pounding mill to be cleaned. The mill performs in-
geniously enough the finishing process, thus: By steam power,
the rough rice is taken out of the vessel which freights it, up to
the attic of the building—thence through the sand-screen to a
pair of (five feet wide) heavy stones, which grind off the husk—
thence into large wooden mortars, in which it is pounded by
large iron-shod pestles, (weighing two hundred and fifty to
three hundred and fifty pounds,) for the space of some two
hours, more or less.

The Rice, now pounded, is once more elevated into the attic,
where it descends through a rolling-screen, to separate whole
grains from the broken, and flour from both; and also through
wind-fans, to a vertical brushing screen, revolving rapidly,
which polishes the flinty grain, and delivers it fully prepared,
into the barrel or tierce, which is to convey it to market. The
barrel is made by coopers attached to the mill, each one dresses
his stuff and makes three barrels a day. He is paid twenty-
five cents for each barrel made over his number. When the
stuff is dressed previously, five barrels, and even more may be
made. The staves are of yellow pine, forty inches in length ;
the heading of inch plank is made twenty-four inches in diame-
ter. The barrel should contain at least six hundred pounds
net.

There were several Machines for dressing staves, exhibited
‘at the World’s Fair in New York. Hawkins’ I saw in opera-
tion, and admired.

In Rice-planting the practice of manuring is of recent origin,
excepting of course that best of all dressings, to which we are
indebted for increment of the soil itself, the natural deposit,

677

namely, of sediment when the rivers overflow their banks, or
silt from seaward, when the turbid waters, admitted into the
fields, are held there, undisturbed for days. A good time to
apply rice-flour to Rice, is to scatter it between the trenches
‘immediately after the long flow. If the dressing be too heavy,
the Rice, made too luxuriant, will lodge, and waste in the har-
vest. In applying lime, (one hundred bushels is safe, if there
be plenty of stubble, or peaty fibre, or a thick native growth,)
time should be given for it to act chemically and to become in-
corporated with the soil, before water is put on the land. Rice-
straw if listed into the fallow ground, and well covered up with
a bed of earth, will be decomposed by planting time, and make
a fine Manure, improving the crop in both quantity and quality.

Rice-chaff, spread three or four inches thick over the fallow
ground, and plowed in, will produce a like effect in course of
time. It is not as readily decomposed as the straw, and may
disappoint early expectation. Rice-flour is a still better, more
stimulating dressing, but not so lasting in its effects. It may
be applied (thirty bushels to the acre) broadcast, and plowed
in before planting, or it may be scattered between the trenches
after the long water, as above described.

CANADA RICE; MINNESOTA RICE; WILD RICE;
WATER OATS, (Zizania aquatica.) Deep marshes and ponds;
Florida and northward. Chap.

This plant was experimented with by Sir Joseph Banks, by
removing it from Canada to England in 1791. At first it could
scarcely endure the climate, but gradually improved and be-
came thoroughly acclimated. It became “in fourteen genera-
tions as strong and as vigorous as our indigenous plant.” “It
abounds in all the shallow streams of North America, feeds
immense flocks of wild swans and other water-fowl, contributes
largely to the support of the wandering tribes of Indians, and
seems destined, in the opinion of Pinkerton, to become the
bread-corn of the North. This grain has become acclimated in
Middlesex, producing bland, farinaceous seeds, which afford a
very good meal.” Wilson’s Rural Cyc. p. 30, art. “ Acclima-
tion.” It would perhaps reward the trouble to experiment
with this plant at the South, in order by cultivation to procure
a new cereal. Consult, also, Dr. Macculloch on the Naturaliza-
tion of Plants, Quarterly Journal of Science, vols. xxi and xxvi.
Mills states in his. Statistics of S. C. that it is cut for fodder.

678

Extravagant accounts were given of this plant some years
since. Dr. J. Bachman considered it about as good as oats,
although somewhat more saccharine. He says the grains may
be ground up together as a substitute for Graham flour.

Leersia oryzoides, Swartz. Florida; Columbia; St. John’s.

This grass has been cultivated several years by Dr. S. Stuart
at his summer residence near Pendleton. He expresses himself
much pleased with it. It affords several cuttings through the
season, and seeds late. Gibbes’ Catalogue of Plants, Columbia,
Svc;

WIRE GRASS, (Aristida, or Sporobolus.) Mr. Simms writes
me that bonnets are made of this grass, 1863; matting and cur-
tains may also be wrought with it and dyed.

WALTER'S GRASS, (Trichodium perennans, Ell. Agrostis
perennans, Gray.) Swamps and river banks; Florida; St.
John’s Parish, S. C.

This was the grass which was cultivated by Mr. Walter and
Mr. Fraser, who published a plate and description of it for the
purpose of procuring subscribers in England and this country—
the seeds to be furnished at two guineas a quart when five hun-
dred subscribers should have been obtained. Mr. Thos. Walter,
the author of the Flora Caroliniana, who resided on the Santee,
thus speaks of it under his Cornucopia perennans: “ Gramen
undique love, saccharinum, cestatem sustinens, in hyeme vigens,
radicibus geniculisque se cito propagans. Donum inestimable, con-
ditore ad hane diem reservatum, hoc ewvum, me instrumente, locu-
pletarum!” Mr. Elliott says of it that “it is a fine, delicate
winter grass, but never appears to grow vigorously enough for
the scythe, nor will it bear, except in shaded or damp soils, the
heat of summer.” See notes to L. R. Gibbes’ “Catalogue.”

WHITE RUSH; RUSH-LIKE SPARTINA, (Spartina juncea,
Schreber, Ell. Sk. Limnetis of some Bot.) Grows in the salt
water marshes; vicinity of Charleston; often immersed. FI.
August.

Dém. Elem. de Bot. vi, 655. ‘The flowers are purgative. The
oil from the young branches is caustic, and is employed against
ring-worm, and in cutaneous eruptions generally. The leaves
are pungent. ‘It has been proposed as a cultivated field plant
for yielding fibre, and it would produce well on poor, silicious
soils, which are unfit for flax or corn. Its manufactured fibre

679

18 Clear, and as strong and soft as that of flax, but is deficient
in length. The plant is of small value for forage.” Rural Cyc.

SALT MARSH GRASS, (Spartina glabra, Muhl. Cat.) Charles-
ton; Newbern.

Ell. Bot. 96. This plant is greedily eaten by horses and
cattle; and though it affords a good pasturage for out-door
stock, yet it is remarkable for a strong, rancid and peculiar
smell, affecting the breath, the milk, butter and even the flesh
of animals that feed upon it. During the blockade of Charles-
ton it served as an important substitute for Northern hay;
it is collected daily by negroes and sold in the streets; it is
also valued as a manure.

REBD BENT-GRASS, (Ammophila arenaria, Calamagrostis.)
North Carolina; seashore.

This plant (Arundo arenaria) is the most valuable for planting
on banks and on the seashore to prevent the encroachment of
the water. It is planted in Holland for this purpose, and in
Britain it is protected from destruction by law, on account of
its great utility in enabling the sand to resist the action of
wind and tide. Hlymus arenarius is also protected in Scotland.
Wilson.

OAT, (Avena sativa.) Cultivated in the Southern States.

- See authors.. Used as a food for horses. A gruel may be
made of it, which is somewhat laxative, and which is employed
in fevers.

WHEAT, (Triticum.) Extensively cultivated in the upper
districts throughout the Southern States.

The best wheat for making bread is that containing the most
gluten. That called Canada wheat in the United States has
the highest rank ; so Dr. Beck states in a paper on the subject
of the value of breadstuffs, P. O. Reports on Agriculture. And
yet Chaptal asserts that the wheat of southern countries con-
tains more gluten than that of northern. haptal says that
the next grains in order, yielding gluten, are barley, rye and
oats. Gluten may be extracted, says Chaptal, from acorns,
chestnuts, horse-chestnuts, apples, quinces, wheat, barley, rye,
peas and beans; from the leaves of the cabbage, cress, hemlock,
lovage and saffron; from the berries of the elder, the juice of
the grape, etc. It is, however, contained in the greatest quan-
tity in the grain of wheat, and it is from this that it is usually
procured.

680

In order to extract gluten the flour of wheat must be kneaded
into a paste with water; this paste must be afterward worked
by the hand under a stream of water from a spout till the liquid
flows off clear; the starch, sugar, and all the other principles

contained in wheat which are soluble in water, are thus carried -

off, and there remains in the hands only a soft, elastic, glutin-
ous, ductile, semi-transparent substance, adhering to the fingers
after it has lost its moisture, and exhaling an animal odor; this
substance is called gluten, or the vegeto-animal principle. There
are some very nutritive vegetables, the author adds, in which
the starch instead of being combined with gluten, as it is in the
bread-corns, is united with mucilage ; this is the case with peas,
beans and potatoes. The flour of these will not alone make
bread, but it is frequently used in years of scarcity, mixed with
that of wheat to increase the quantity of bread. It is not
unusual in the domestic economy of our plantations to have
excellent bread by combining the sweet potato (Convolvulus)
with wheat flour. An agreeable, sweet taste is thus imparted
to the bread. The flour of rice, which may be ground in an
ordinary coffee mill, is also used in the same way.

The wheat used in making Starch in England is either entire
or coarsely bruised, and is steeped in cold water till it swells
and yields by pressure a milky juice; it is then subjected to
pressure in coarse bags placed in vats filled with water. When
all the milky juice is expressed the bags are removed, the fecula
gradually subsides to the bottom, and the supernatant quid
soon ferments and suffers a resolution of the principles dissolved
in it into alcohol and acetic acid. The whole, after fermenta-
tion, is poured into tubs called frames, and after the fecula sub-
sides in these, the supernatant liquid is poured off—the upper
part of the sediment, being dirty and discolored, is scraped off—
and the rest of the sediment, constituting the main bulk and
purest portion of the fecula, is repeatedly well washed, pressed
in cloths, and dried by a gentle heat; during the process of
drying it so contracts as to form itself into the somewhat regu-
lar, small, six-sided columns in which it is sold in the shops.
In this comparatively pure state it is of course less suited as
an aliment than sago, arrowroot, etc. Wilson’s Rural Cye.
Consult, also, Ure’s Dic. Arts. In South Carolina wheat flour
starch is preferred to that procured from the potato. Rice
makes an excellent starch. Parched wheat, rye and corn have

— oe ss

681

been used, as was said, as substitutes for coffee. The following
is offered by a correspondent:

“ The best Substitute for Coffee—Take rye, boil it, but not so
much as to burst the grain, then dry it either in the sun, on a
stove, or a kiln, after which it is ready for parching, to be used
like the real bean. Prepared in this manner it can hardly be
distinguished from the genuine coffee. The rye when boiled
and dried will keep for any length of time, and consequently
can be done at some convenient moment, so as to have it ready
whenever wanted for parching.” During the war it was more
extensively employed as a substitute for coffee than any other
material. See “Okra.”

Wheat straw when burned yields a large amount of alkali,
and is useful for making soap.

Otenium Americanum, Spreng. Monocera aromatica, Kil. Low
pine barrens; Florida to North Carolina.

The root of this grass is aromatic and highly pungent.

FLOATING SWEET MEADOW-GRASS; WATER FES-
CUE, (Glyceria fluitans, Poa of Hil. Sk. Festuca of Linn.) Grows
in the upper districts; Newbern. Fl. Aug.

Dém. Elém. de Bot. iii, 307. It furnishes a species of manna.
Wilson states that it will yield a considerable produce even on
common undrained land. It constitutes a valuable forage for
animals. Its seeds form a common and enriching food for fresh
water fish, for aquatic fowl, and when gathered and dried they
constitute the manna-croup of the shops, and are extensively
used as an agreeable and highly nutritious material for soups
and gruels. The seeds are shaken out over pieces of cloth.
Rural Cye.

TRUE BLUE GRASS, (Poa compressa, Ii., and P. pratensis of
others.) Both good grasses; growing in Florida, and throughout
the Southern States.

The True Blue is considered, says Dr. Lee, Editor of the South-
ern Field and Fireside, March 8, 1862, as the plant the very “ best
adapted to stop washing and store up fertilizers in their growth,
for feeding stock, and yielding ricb manure.” It does not re-
quire replanting, and grows well on poor granite hills. It pre-
vents all abrasion of the turf by the heaviest rains. It is also
not difficult to subdue with the plow. “It makes a good sod
and very fertilizing turf, and thus fattens the land, and fattens

682

all kinds of farm stock.” These perennial grasses enrich the
land more than forest trees, because “they approximate grain
and fiesh in their chemical composition more than forest leaves.
Cattle that will starve on oak and pine leaves will wax fat on
blue grass.” See, also, “Southern Homestead.” Consult Dr.
Lee’s editorials in Southern Field and Fireside, 1861, for much
information on the grasses best to be used as fertilizers and for
food and manure. He recommends the “tall Oat grass” (Arrhe-
natherum avenaceum) and the Texas Mesquit grass (Holcus
lenatus) introduced from England, called also Velvet grass and
white Timothy. The “Bermuda grass” is very pertinacious,
and is excellent in eradicating nut-grass.

Among the grasses useful for hay are the herds’-grass, timothy,
orchard and clover. See, also, Southern Field and Fireside,
May 4, 1861, for article on “Stalks of corn as substitutes for
hay.”

Wilson states that the juice of the upright variety of Poa
consists almost entirely of pure mucilage. Rural Cyc. Consult
papers on the “ Grasses,” “Hay,” ete., Sinclair’s Hortus Gram-
eneus Woburnensis, Loudon’s Encyclopedia, ete., for a full
account of the relative value of grasses. Salt is often mixed
with hay which has become wet, as a restorative; it is then
much relished by cattle.

FESCUE GRASS, (Festuca duriuscula, L.) Introduced.

Several species of Festuca grow within the limits assigned to
me. See botanical authorities. Wilson’s Rural Cye. states that
this is one of the best of the native grasses of England for
general utility. It thrives there on widely different kinds of
soil, yields a moderately large bulk of produce, maintains much
of its verdure in winter, and resists the usual withering effects
of excessive drouth and heat in summer. It is well adapted
by its winter verdure and fine foliage for forming the sward of
parks and the herbage of ornamental sheepwalks ; and when
raised on a thin, healthy soil, or on poor, silicious sand, it has
culms of'so very fine and slender a form as to appear well suited
to the straw hat manufacture. See op. cit. and the Woburn Ex-
periments. This grass would likely be serviceable when
planted on land subject to inundation.

CANE, (Arundinaria gigantea, macrosperma, Mx.) Banks of
_ large rivers; Lawson in his travels in the Carolinas, says it does

683

not grow north of the James River; confirmed by Nuttall.
Croom’s Cat.

The cane and reed (A. tecta, Muhl.) are well known and used
for many purposes: sometimes slit and made into chair bottoms,
weavers’ shuttles, and wherever a round, hollow wood is re-
quired for cheap tubing, ete. Mills states, in Statistics ofS. C.,
that the leaves impart to wool a fine green color. The canes
attain a great height and size on our river courses, and are
a characteristic growth; they once grew luxuriantly throughout
the upper country of South Carolina and Georgia, whence the
names of many of the creeks and rivers, but have been almost
entirely consumed by animals. See, also, the “History of the
upper country of South Carolina,” by Mr. Jno. Logan, Ch.
1860.

The Wilmington (N. C.) Journal, 1868, states that the “ Cape
Fear Fibre Company” has been established for the manufacture
of Paper stock from our native cane or reed. It is calculated
that this machinery will enable them to “blow out” about fifty
tons of the paper stock per day.

The mode of treating the cane is as follows: “Tightly com-
pressed bundles of it are put in the steam-cylinders or guns and
then subjected to the action of steam, at a pressure of about
one hundred and seventy pounds to the inch, for about ten
minutes. The gums and glutinous matter which holds the fibres
together, are thereby dissolved, or softened ; and whilst in that
state the cane is blown into the air by the force of the steam in
the gun, and the fibres are separated by the expansion of the
steam among them.” ‘The fibres are shot against a large target
with considerable force, and the discharge resembles that of
artillery. A battery of ten steam guns of the smaller size,
twenty-four feet long and twelve inches in diameter, will yield
over fifty tons of brown cane per day. No delicate machinery
is required, nor skilled workmen. The company propose in the
course of time, manufacturing box board, which article they
can place in market at ten dollars less per ton than manufactur-
ers who use straw can sell it. The paper made from the fibres
of the cane is coming generally into use, and has achieved a
world-wide reputation. The cane in this section is inexhaustible.

CHESS, (Bromus secalinus, W.) Dr. McBride found it in St.
John’s, Charleston District. Fl. July.

684

Flora Scoticea, 1087. This is the plant which is said to render
the seeds of wheat bitter. Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Med. i,
672; Journal Gén. de Med. Ixxxviii, 82; Shee. Flora Carol. 297.
A good green dye is extracted from the flowers. Griffith Med.
Bot. 662. M. Cordier finds that it is bland in its action ; it was
once thought to possess purgative powers.

CATHARTIC BROMUS, (Bromus purgans, L.) Mountains
of N. and S.C. Fl. August.

Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Méd. i, 672, It was said to be
anthelmintic, and that forty grains would produce vomiting.
Effect uncertain.

AMERICAN ORCHARD-GRASS ; CLUSTERED DACTY-
LIS, (Daetylis glomerata, Linn.) James Island, near Charles-
ton. Fl. July.

Shee. Flora Carol. 492. This is the species instinctively
sought after and swallowed by dogs and cats when they are
inclined to vomit, or to envelop the splinters of bone collected
in their stomachs. “It is a valuable grass, and ought to be eul-
tivated with care.”

CYPERACE. (The Sedge Tribe.)

They contain very little fecula or sugar.

JOINTED CYPERUS, (Cyperus articulatus, Mich.) “ Grows
on Hilton Head Island, at Ogeechee,” Ell.; vicinity of Charles-
ton. Fl. July.

Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Med. ii, 567. In Guinea this is
considered one of their remedies for worms.

Cyperus odoratus, L. River banks; vicinity of Charleston.
K], August.

Lind. Nat. Syst. Bot. 385. The root has a warm, aromatic
taste, and the infusion is given in Indiaas a stomachie. Ainslie,
Mat. Med. Ind. 288.

SHARP GRASS, (Cyperus virens, Mx.) If incautiously drawn
through the hand, the stem will cut severely with its sharp
angles.

GRASS NUT, (Cyperus repens.) The nut or root of this is
sweet, and is cultivated and sold in Charleston as an edible nut.
Mr. Coming, of Charleston, proposes to plant it as a food for

hogs.

685

NUT GRASS, (Cyperus hydra, Mx.) St. John’s; Newbern.
Prof. Holbrook informs me that Gen. Pinckney told him it was
introduced, though Elliott does not mention it. Its reproduc-
tive power is marvellous, and hence it is a great scourge to the
planter, depreciating the value of Jand. It is with difficulty
eradicated by constant hoeing; by this process in its constant
efforts to throw its leaves to the light the root becomes ex-
hausted. The experiment has been successfully tried by J.
McQueen, Esgq., of Georgia, Ell. The destruction of the seed is
also thus secured.

A correspondent “G,” of the So. Agriculturist, proposes the
following plan for eradicating nut grass, which he has success-
fully used:

Ist. Deep winter plowing—not scratching with a small single
horse plow, but plowing to the depth of at least eight inches—
even twelve, or more if possible—also frequent and thorough
harrowing, or the use of the cultivator during the winter
months, so that the tubers and stoloniferous fibres of the plant
may be brought to the surface, and exposed to the frost. They
need have no fears of injuring their lands by deep plowing,
provided they furnish them with an adequate supply of manure.

2d. To put such crops upon the ground as will admit of its
being frequently stirred during the growing season, with the
plow and the cultivator—especially the latter instrument. By
the adoption of this course, we will venture to predict, that in
a few seasons they will have the satisfaction of seeing one of
their most troublesome enemies effectually vanquished. The
tubers are disseminated by hogs, crows and rats.

H. W. R. has never seen the seeds mature in S. C., though the
seed vessels are formed.

MARITIME SCIRPUS, (Scirpus maritimus, L. Scirpus ma-
crostachyus, M.) Marshes; “Little Ogeechee bridge, seven
miles from Savannah,” Ell. Collected in St. John’s; vicinity of
Charleston. Fl. June.

Dém. Elém. de Bot. ii, 292. Aromatic, and slightly nu-
tritive.

BOG MARITIME SCIRPUS; MARSH CLUB-RUSH, (Eleo-
charis palustris, R. Brown. Scirpus palustris, Linn. and Ell Sk.)
Grows in rice-fields, often immersed. Collected in St. John’s ;
vicinity of Charleston. Fl. June.

686

Mér. and de L. Dict. de M. Med. vi, 262. Lemery says the
roots are astringent, and that they are employed in decoction in
diarrhea and hemorrhage. It is much used in Europe in the
manufacture of chairs, mats and delicate work, and I would in-
vite the attention of those engaged in similar operations in this
country.

Carex acuta, L. Grows in bogs in the upper districts, often-
immersed, Lightfoot; Newbern. Fl. April.

Fl. Scotica, ii, 566. In Italy the leaves are used by glass-
makers to bind their wine flasks, and in the manufacture of
chair bottoms; also by coopers to place between the seams of
cask heads to render them air-tight. The Typha latifolia and
Scirpus lacustris, both found in the Southern States, have been
used for this purpose. (See these plants.) The makers of tur-
pentine barrels might find them convenient and valuable, sup-
plying the place of the strip of wood shaving I have seen some
of them employ.

Cuass ITV. RHIZANTHS.

Crass V. ACROGENS, OR FLOWERLESS PLANTS.

In this volume I pass over very lightly the Cryptogamia,
Filices, Lichenes, Musci and Alga, the Ferns, Lichens, Mosses,
ete., referring the reader for full details to my Report before the
Am. Med. Assoc. vol. vii, on the “ Medicinal, Poisonous and
Dietetic Properties of the Cryptogamic plants of the United
States,” a volume of one hundred and twenty-six pages.

The leaves of Ferns, one of the subdivisions of this class,
generally contain a thick, astringent mucilage, with a little
aroma; on which account they may be considered pectoral and
lenitive. Lindley states that almost any of them may be sub-
stituted for the Adiantum pedatum, and A. capillus veneris, which
especially abounds in these products. The first of these grows
in shady woods, North Carolina and northward, and the second
is often pendant from limestone cliffs, Florida, Alabama and
westward. They form the basis of the syrup called capillaire,
so much used in France and Germany. Ainslie states that

:

687

a strong decoction of the last is decidedly emetic. I have
observed in the leaves of the Osmunda regalis, and of several
other species, a taste strongly resembling that of spermaceti.

‘Peat being a vegetable production is worthy of attention,
and accumulations of it may be found by those who seek for it.
A company is said, 1867, to be working and collecting it in the
Dismal Swamp, N. C., and it will no doubt be found wherever
grasses and minute water plants have been allowed to grow
undisturbed for a great number of years. I have known the
soil forming the substratum of fresh water ponds in St. John’s
Berkeley, 8. C., to take fire during particularly dry seasons and
burn for weeks till extinguished by rain, or when the whole
combustible material had been consumed. I have no knowl-
edge of the depth which such vegetable accumulations had
acquired, but were it not for the frequent firing of the pine land
which surrounds these partially submerged ponds and swamps,
the formation of peat would be much more abundant. The
writer would not be surprised to learn that the examination of
the margius of many of our pine land ponds, particularly those
generally holding water and where the grasses and confervoid
plants were allowed to grow, would reveal a large supply of
combustible earth. This might be cut and exported, or used
as fuel.

The plant which seems to abound most in such ponds and
low pine lands, and which, I think, is a principal component,
seems to be a very delicate one with leaves matted very thickly
together, probably a club moss, (Lycopodium.)

I have examined a bed of peat six feet thick, covering an
extent of about a quarter of an acre. This is not more than a
hundred yards from the steamboat landing at Mt. Pleasant, on
the Cooper River, opposite Charleston, and strange to say is
very near the salt water. Much larger deposits exist in the
neighborhood. I have also received very rich specimens of peat
from Dr. St. Julien Ravenel, extensive deposits of which he has
examined near the Ashepoo and Pon Pon Rivers, S. C. I see,
also, in Rep. on the Geolog. of Arkansas, that it is found in
great abundance in that State. Sir C. Lyell,in his “Geology,”
was inclined to question its presence in the warmer latitudes,
and Prof. C. Jackson, of Boston, says it is not found at the
South.

688

A paper on the “Value and Uses of Swamp Muck,” by
Simeon Brown, of Mass., is published in P. O. Rep., 1856, which
furnishes instructions for handling it. ,

Lands containing these muck swamps, formerly regarded as
nearly worthless, have greatly advanced in value. When it is
thrown out and becomes dry it is friable, and falls into a light,
fine powder, which is greedily absorbed by plants. It is for the
most part vegetable in origin, and made up of the annual de-
posits of grasses, shrubs and mosses, with contributions of
mineral and silicious matter and the addition of leaves from the
forests.

It has received the name “humus” earth, or mould. Stdck-
hardt says: “By the general term ‘humus’ we must under-
stand a mass of brown, decaying matter, partly soluble, partly
insoluble, partly acid and partly neutral, which, with the unin-
terrupted presence of air, water and heat, may be still farther
decomposed and carbonic acid and water thereby evolved.
Carboni accid and water are indispensable to the nourishment
of plants; hence in a soil rich in humus, the plants will grow
more vigorously, because they find these and can absorb by
their rootlets more of these two nutritive substances than they
could in a soil poor in mould. Humus exerts, moreover, a bene-
ficial influence upon vegetation, because it loosens the soil by
the development of carbonic acid; because it possesses the
power of attracting water from the air, and of retaining it for
a long time, and because by means of the acids contained in it,
it is able to abstract ammonia from the air, and also from ma-
nure, the third means of nutriment of plants.”

Muck is cut, exposed to the air, and sometimes mixed with
bones which have been dissolved by a solution of sulphuric
acid, with lime, ashes or salt and ashes or guano, and com-
posted with stable manure, and then applied to lands as a fer-
tilizer. It is an excellent deodorizer or absorber, and is used
also as a litter for stables.

EQUISETACEX. (Horsetail Tribe.)

HORSETAILL, (Aquisetum levigatum.) North Carolina and
northward. The seeds of the horsetail are remarkable for
hygrometrical movement. They contain a great deal of silica.

——————e ee

689

The dried stems of EZ. hiemale and E. arvense are imported from
Holland for cleaning wooden utensils and polishing cabinet
work, turnery, and metallic wares. “This plant might be profi-
tably cultivated for the use of turners, cabinét-makers and other
artificers.” Wilson’s Rur. Cye.

POLYPODIACE®.

Polypodium vulgare, L. It was formerly thought to be pos
sessed of great virtues in obstruction of the liver, and was said
to be expectorant and diuretic—rhizome used.

BRAKE, (Pteris aquilina, L.) Grows in damp pine lands;
sent to me from Abbeville District by Mr. Reed ; collected in
St. John’s; vicinity of Charleston; Newbern. F July.

Dém. Elém. de Bot. iii, 347. The root is vermifuge and
astringent; and is said to be a remedy for the tape-worm, one
ounce of the decoction being used at a dose. This plant con-
tains a very large proportion of alkali. Fl. Scotica, 656. Its
ashes will yield double the quantity of salt afforded by any
other plant—forming, therefore, a manure adapted to potatoes.
Made into balls with water, it is employed to wash linens. The
astringency is so great as to render it useful in preparing
leather and kid gloves.

Wilson, in his Rural Cyc., says that the main interest in
British ferns is concentrated in the Pteris, and as it is abundant
in the Southern States, I will condense his remarks: it was
formerly, he says, in great request for thatch, and usually lasted
in that capacity eight or nine years on the north side of a roof,
and fifteen or sixteen years on the south side; but, except in the
meanest hovels, it has been superseded by heath, straw, tiles
and slates. It was formerly used in considerable quantity in
both the glass and the soap manufactory, but cheaper and
better articles have since supplied its place; still in the South-
ern States we may find it useful as a material for a supply of
potash and in making lye. The plant also possesses tannin. It
is used asa fuel for heating ovens and burning lime; it forms
good litter to protect esculent roots in pits during winter. In
England the rank growth of the brake is destroyed by irriga-
tion. The leaves of ferns are found to be excellent for packing
fruit, etc., for market.

44

690

MAIDEN HAIR, (Adiantum pedatum, L.) It yields a useful
syrup, called by the French “capillaire,’ which is a refreshing
beverage mixed with water in fevers. Farmer’s Encye.

LYCOPODIACE, (Lycopodium clavatum,) L. Mts. of N. C.
and northward.

The decoction is given in a variety of diseases as a diuretic and
anti-spasmodic. The powder is emetic, but is principally em-
ployed in place of starch to prevent excoriations in young
children. It is also said to be the most efficacious application
in cases of Plica polonica. Griffith.

Lycopodium selago, L. High Mts. of N. C. and northward.

It is regarded as very active, and some cases of poisoning
with it have been recorded; in small doses it acts as an emeto
cathartic, and in over quantity like the acro narcotics. A de-
coction is employed in Sweden to destroy vermin on domestic
animals. When mixed with lard it forms an irritating oint-
ment, which has been used as a dressing to ulcers and to keep
blisters open. Griffith.

OSMUNDACEA.

ROYAL FERN; FLOWERING FERN, (Osmunda_ regalis,
Mx.) Grows in damp soils; collected in St. John’s. Fl. July.

Wade’s Pl. Rariores, 87. Dr. Stokes says that impressions
of this fern are observed in nodules of iron-stone in the Cole-
brookdale iron-works, and that it is the only species of an
indigenous (European) vegetable which has ever been found in
a fossil state, all others being of American growth. Wither-
ing, Supplem. to Mer. and de L. Dict. de M. Med. 1846, 536. It
is sometimes employed in dropsy, as an astringent in injuries,
and by Dr. Heidenreich in the radical cure of hernia; he reports
fifty cases (“‘ guéris radicalement”) after the method of Simon:
giving the root in wine internally, and placing upon the hernial
ring compresses which have imbibed the decoction of the plant.
Journal de Chim. Méd. viii, 395, second series, 1842. In the
Dict. Univ. de M. Méd. v, 113, its employment in this affection
was spoken of. Hermann boasts of it as having a direct action
upon the intestinal canal, which it purges mildly in doses of
two to four drachms of the powder. It acts upon the bile,
augments digestion and strengthens chylification, The extract

691

has been thought peculiarly suited to cases of children affected
with caries, mixed in milk or water, and continued for some
time. Aubeil’s Obs. sur l’emploi de l'Osmund, Journal Gén. de
la Soc. de Méd. xlvi, 59, 1843. Lindley, in his Nat. Syst. Bot.
400, states that it “has been employed successfully in doses of
three drachms in the rickets.” The leaves have been selected
to make cradles for delicate children, from some supposed good
effects derived from their use. Encyclop. Meth. Botanique, iv,
652. The strong resemblance which I have noticed between
the taste of this species and spermaceti is quite marked. The
plant seems scarcely to be known in this country, and I observe
no notice of it in the American works.

ALGA. (Clnarticulate.)

SEAWEEDS, (Fucus serratus and F. vesiculosus.) Iodine
exists most abundantly in most species of Fucoideew, which form
the greatest part of the sea-weeds of our coast. I extract the
following from Wilson’s Rural Cyc., in order that so useful a
substance may be made in the Southern States, and also refer
the reader to the plants furnishing iodine, which are treated of
in my paper in the seventh volume Am. Med. Assoc. Iodine
also occurs in the sponge, and in many moluscous animals. But
it is from the incinerated seaweed or kelp that the iodine in
large quantities is obtained. As the soap manufacturers are in
the habit of obtaining their soda from kelp, iodine may be pro-
cured very economically from the residuum of their operation,
according to the process invented by Dr. Ure, which is as fol-
lows :

The brown iodic liquor of the soap-boiler, or the solution of
kelp from which all the crystallizable ingredients have been
separated by concentration, is heated to about 230° Fahr.,
poured into a large stone-ware basin and saturated with diluted
sulphuric acid. When cold the liquor is filtered through woollen
cloths; and to every twelve ounces (apothecary’s measure) is
added one thousand grains of black oxide of manganese in
powder. The mixture is put into a glass globe or large matrass,
with a wide neck, over which a glass globe is inverted, and heat
is applied, which causes the iodine to sublime copiously, and
to condense in the upper vessel. As soon as the balloon be-

692

comes warm another is substituted for it ; and when the second
becomes heated the first is again applied. The iodine is with-
drawn from the globes by a little warm water, which dissolves
it very sparingly ; and it is purified by undergoing a second
sublimation. The test made use of for the detection of iodine
in any solution is, it is well known, starch; sometimes a few
drops of sulphuric acid should be added, and a blue color is
obtained if iodine be present. See Rural Cye. Ure’s Dict. and
works on Chemistry and Mat. Medica.

Kelp is obtained from the two fuci mentioned above, from
which also soda is obtained. I will insert the process as given
by Wilson, in order that it may be better known by those living
on our coasts. He says that on the Scottish coast the seaweed
is cut close to the rocks during the summer season, and after-
ward spread out upon the shore to dry, care being taken to
turn it occasionally to prevent fermentation. It is then stacked
for a few weeks, and sheltered from the rain, till it becomes
covered with a white, saline efflorescence, and is now ready for
burning. Thisis usually accomplished in a round pit lined with
brick or stone; but the more approved form for a kiln is oblong,
about two feet wide, eight to eighteen long, and from two to
three deep. The bottom of this is covered with brush, upon
which a little dried seaweed is now thrown gradually as fast as
the combustion reaches the surface, and should there be much
wind it is necessary to protect it by covering the sides with
sods; after the whole is burnt the mass gradually softens, be-
ginning at the sides, when it should be slowly stirred up with a
heated iron bar, and incorporated till it acquires a semi-fluid
consistence. This part of the process requires considerable
dexterity, and if the mass continues dry a little common salt
should be thrown on, which acts as a flux. When cold it is
broken up, and is now ready for sale. Notwithstanding, the
author adds, that kelp contains but two or three per cent. of
carbonate of soda, while Spanish barilla often contains twenty
or thirty, [see “ Salsola” and “ Salicornia,”] the manufacture of
this article during the Continental war increased prodigiously.
Stones were placed within the flood-mark of sandy shores,
which became covered withseaweed. Potash will often supply
its place, but soda is indispensable to the making of plate and
crown glass and all hard soaps. The barilla is obtained in

693

France from Salicornia annua, which yields fourteen per cent. of
soda. In the Southern States we have species of all the genera
yielding soda and potash, viz: Salsola, Salicornia, Statice, Atriplex
and Chenopodium, all embraced under the family Chenopodiacee .

“Seaware,” or seaweed, cast upon the shores is largely col-
lected and used as manures. They contain a large proportion
of nitrogenous and saline matters, with earthy salts in a readily
decomposable state. They also contain much soluble mucilage.

GLOIOCLADA.

Palmella. Dr. J.H. Salisbury has published a very remarkable
paper, with plates, in the Am. Journal Med. Sc., for January,
1866, on the cause and pathology of intermittent and remittent
fevers, in which he ascribes them to the invariable and constant
presence of two or three species of palmella. He asserts that he
recognizes the Palmella in earth, growing near the localities
where the fevers prevail—that they cover the wet earth or margin
of ditches like a yellow powder, and that he has breathed the
sporules of the palmella and taken the fever, and that by eradi-
cating them such fevers disappear. By consulting Payer’s
Botanique Cryptogamique it will be seen that palmella, like
Protococcus, or red snow, is one of the minutest forms of vege-
table life, so that the sporules are very minute. Dr. S. declares,
“so far as I have examined, (and my observations have been
widely extended,) I have never found a case of ague in situ
where I did not find the plant, (three species of palmelle, or
palmelloid plants, one green, another red, a third lead color,)
growing near; and, vice versa, 1 have never found these plants
growing in any locality but that (if such locality was inhabited)
intermittent or remittent fever, or both, prevailed in proportion
to their extent and profusion.” A writer in the Belgian Med.
Journal confirms these statements, but no medical observer in
the country has yet substantiated them.

After reading the article I sought for the palmella in a locality
near Statesburg, 8. C., where malarial fevers existed, particu-
larly in a large fresh water pond which seemed to be the source
of the disease, but could discover no evidence of the existence of
palmelle. Time will be required to decide this question. I feel
confident that I know localities where malarial fevers arise, and
where such plants do not co-exist. See J. K. Mitchell’s treatise

694

on the “ Cryptogamic Origin of Malarial and Epidemic Fevers,”
and my Report to the Am. Med. Assoc. on the “ Medical and
Poisonous Properties of the Cryptogamic Plants of the United
States.”

In a very extensive Catalogue of the plants growing in North
Carolina, embracing nearly three thousand species of the flower-
less plants, which I have just received (1869) from the author,
the Rev. M. A. Curtis, of Hillsboro’, there is only one species of
palmella cited, (P. prodigiosa, Mont. on cooked vegetables,) and
Protococcus viridis, Ag., growing on the bark of limbs.

Prof. H. C. Wood, of Philadelphia, in an able paper in Am.
J. M. Sc., October, 1868, combats most forcibly the views of
Salisbury and others. He placed masses of palmelle in a solu-
tion of the sulphate of quinia of the strength of one grain and a
half to the ounce. The quinia exerted no unhealthy influence
whatever upon them. He considers that Prof. 8.’s descriptions
of his genera and species are too vague and destitute of character
to allow that the question of identity should be settled by them,
and he states that Prof. Leidy has slept for months with various
species of palmelle growing in masses near his bed, and that he
himself had lived with them and swallowed them purposely, and
by accident, by thousands, and yet, in neither case, has any
trace of intermittent made its appearance. I have examined,
under the microscope, species allied to palmelle sent to me by
Mr. Ravenel, which might well escape the attention of any but
those accustomed to researches among the very lowest order of
vegetable life.

FUNGI, OR FUNGACEA. (The Mushroom Tribe.)

These are many species among these allowed the possession
of medicinal virtues of a high order as well as of great value in
the arts, and a rich field is open to the investigator in these in-
teresting departments of Natural History and Indigenous Med-
ical botany. Iam compelled to refer the reader for details to
the paper before mentioned.

EDIBLE MUSHROOM, (Agaricus campestris.)

The reader will find in my report to the American Med. As-
sociation, vol. vii, 1854, on the Medicinal Properties of the
Cryptogamic Plants of the United States, a full and elaborate

695

account of the Edible, Poisonous and Medicinal Fungi. H. W.
Ravenel has a paper on the “ Edible Mushrooms of this country,”
read before the Aiken Vine Growing and Hort. Assoc. S. C.
See, also, Roques’ treatise, “Champignons Comestibles,” Paris.
Mr. M. A. Curtis, of North Carolina, has in the hands of the
printer descriptions with drawings of fifty American species of
Edible Mushrooms. I introduce portions of a paper from the
Patent Office Reports, 1854, on the mode of cultivation of the
mushroom :

“The kind most generally cultivated in the gardens is the
‘ Agarigus campestris,’ which is thus described by McMahon:
‘The gills of this are loose, of a pinky red, changing to liver
color in contact but not united with the stem; very thick-set,
some forked next the stem, some next the edge of the cap,
some at both ends, and generally in that case excluding the in-
termediate, smaller gills. Cap white, changing to brown when
old, and becoming scurfy, fleshy and regularly convex, but with
age flat and liquefying in decay, flesh white, diameter com-
monly from one inch to three, or sometimes four or more.
Stem solid, one to three inches high, and about one inch in
diameter.’ Loudon says: ‘The mushroom is a well known
native vegetable, springing up in open pastures in August and
September. It is most readily distinguished when of middle
size by its fine pink or flesh colored gills and pleasant smell ;
in a more advanced stage the gills become of a chocolate color,
and it is then more apt to be confounded with other kinds of a
dubious quality; but that species which most nearly resembles
it is slimy to the touch, and destitute of the fine odor, having
rather a disagreeable smell. Further, the noxious kind grows
in woods or on the margin of woods, while the true mushroom
springs up chiefly in open pastures, and should be gathered
only in such places.’ Armstrong gives the following directions
for cultivating the garden mushroom: ‘Prepare a bed early in
October, either in a corner of the hot-house, if you have one,
or a dry and warm cellar. The width of the bed at the bottom
should not be less than four feet, and its length in proportion
to the spawn provided. Its sides should rise perpendicularly
one foot, and should afterward decrease to the centre, forming
four sloping surfaces. We need hardly say that the material

696

of the bed at this stage of the business must be horse-dung,
well forked, and pressed together, to prevent its settling un-
equally. It should then be covered with long straw, as well, to
exclude frost as to keep in the volatile parts of the mass, which .
would otherwise escape. After ten days the temperature of
the bed will be sufficiently moderated, when the straw is to be
removed, and a covering of good mould to the depth of an inch
laid over the dung. On this the seed or spawn of the mush-
room (which are threads or fibres of a white color, found in
old pasture grounds in masses of rotten horse-dung, sometimes
under stable floors, and frequently in the remains of old hot-
beds) is to be placed in rows six inches apart, occupying all the
sloping parts of the bed, which is again to be covered with a
second inch of fresh mould and a coat of straw. If your bed
has been well constructed your mushrooms will be fit for use
at the end of five or six weeks, and will continue to be pro-
ductive for several months. Should you, however, in the course
of the winter find its productiveness diminished, take off nearly
all the original covering, and replace it with eight or ten inches
of fresh dung, and a coat of clean straw. This by creating a
new heat will revive the action of the spawn, and give a long
succession of mushrooms.’ The garden mushroom is eaten
fresh, either stewed or boiled, and preserved as a pickle, or in
powder, or dried whole. The sauce, commonly called ‘ketchup,’
is or ought to be made from its juice with salt and spices.
Wild mushrooms from old pastures are generally considered as
more delicate in flavor and more tender in flesh than those
raised in artificial beds. But in the young or butter mush-
rooms of the cultivated mushrooms there is evidently much
less risk of deleterious kinds being employed. The soil em-
ployed should be virgin earth with turf well reduced, neither
too dry nor too wet, otherwise it will not be capable of being
beaten solid. It must be laid regularly over the beds, two
inches thick. From the time of earthing the room or cellar
should be kept at a temperature of 50° to 55° Fahr. If higher
it will weaken or destroy the spawn; if lower it will vegetate
slowly, and if watered in that state numbers of mushrooms
will be prevented from attaining perfection. Water must be
applied with extreme caution, being nearly as warm as new
milk, and sprinkled over the beds with a syringe or small water-

697

ing pot. Cold water destroys both the crop and the beds. If
suffered to become dry it is better to give several light water-
ings than one heavy one. Beds thus managed will bear for
several months, and a constant supply kept up by earthing one
bed or more every two or three months. If when in full bear-
ing the mushrooms become long stemmed and weak the tem-
perature is certainly too high, and air must be admitted in
proportion as the beds decline. To renovate them the earth
must be taken off clean; and if the dung is decayed the dung
must be reformed, any good spawn being preserved that may
appear; but if the beds be dry, solid and full of good spawn, a
fresh layer of compost three or four inches thick may be added
mixed with a little of the old, and beaten solid as before.”

Mushrooms may be grown in a cellar or other vaulted place
with equal success, and not unfrequently with greater advan-
tage, the same rules being adopted; but no fire is necessary,
and less water. Antidote to poisonous sorts: all fungi should
be used with great caution, for even the edible garden mush-
rooms possess deleterious qualities when grown in certain
places. All the edible species should be thoroughly masticated
before taken into the stomach, as this greatly lessens the effects
of poisons. When accidents of this sort happen, vomiting should
be immediately excited, and then the vegetable acids should be
given, either vinegar, lemon juice, or that of sour apples; after
which give ether and anti-spasmodic remedies to stop the exces-
sive bilious vomiting. Infusions of gall nuts, oak bark, and
Peruvian bark are recommended as capable of neutralizing the
poisonous principle of mushrooms. It is, however, the safest
way not to eat any of the good but less common sorts, until
they have been soaked in vinegar. Spirits of wine and vinegar
extract some part of their poison; the tannin matter decom-
poses the greatest part of it.

The following is a method of raising mushrooms by a gentle-
man, “ R. C.” of Beaufort, S. C., which I obtain from an agricul-
tural paper. ‘I send you a method of raising mushrooms, by
which I have very unintentionally succeeded in producing an
abundance each spring, for the past three years, and sometimes
during the winter and fall: fence in a spot; strew litter trash
from the woods in it, say one or two inches thick, and shut up
stock cattle in it every night for a week or two, any time be-

698

tween January and June. Let the manure remain untouched, ©
and in the fall or winter, if the weather proves mild, an abun-
dance of mushrooms will be produced, which may be eaten
without any fear, as only edible ones will grow.”

The common mushroom found in yards and fields, which may
be known by its delicate pink color on the under surface, turn-
ing black as it decays, is frequently eaten at the South, and is a
delicious vegetable when stewed with milk and seasoned.

A discovery was made some few years since that two or three
species of agaricus form by deliquescence an inky fluid which
dries into a blister colored mass, is capable of being used as a
water color for drawing, and retains its color in defiance of all
the common chemical agencies. Dr. Coxe, of America, who
put the discovery completely to the test, is disposed to think
that the deliquescent fungi might be prepared into an excellent —
India ink; that its dried deposit, mixed with oil, might proba- —
bly answer for engravings, and that as the ink appears to be
indestructible by any agency short of burning, it might be tried
for the filling up of bank notes and other valuable papers. The
kinds of agarici which possess the inky property, appear to be
those designated ovatus, cylindricus and porcellaneus. It is this
property of blackening which enables us to separate the poison-
ous from the edible. Wilson’s Rural Cyclop.

The Patent Office Reports, 1854, contain papers on the culti-
vation of the garden mushroom from Armstrong, Loudon, and
others.

CEDAR APPLE, (Podisoma juniperi, Podisoma macropus,
Schw.) Used as an anthelmintic.

Uredo segetum and U. fetida. Smut in wheat and corn is pre-
vented by soaking the grains, before planting, for twelve hours
in a solution of lime water, salt and water, or acids. The
taste and smell of smutted wheat is disguised by molasses,
hence it is often purchased by those making sweetened bread.
See a full description in Wilson’s Rural Cyc.

(Ecidium, Uredo, Puccinia, etc. Minute parasitical fungi;
attacking fruit trees, plants, etc. See article in Rural Cyc.,
and my Report on Medical and Poisonous Properties of the
Cryptogamic Plants of the United States, Trans. Am. Med.
Assoc. vol. vii; also, H. W. Ravenel’s Fungi Carolin. Exsicati ;
Loudon’s Encye. of Plants; Sowerby’s English Fungi, and
Berkely’s Crypt. of England.

699

TUCKAHOE; INDIAN BREAD OR INDIAN LOAF,
(Lycoperdon solidum, Pachyma cocos, Schw.) I have collected it
in the fields, St. John’s, 8. C. It isnot mentioned by Chapman.

This curious subterranean development of abnormal vegeta-
tion, whether fungus or not, has been described by Clayton and
LeConte, and by Dr. McBride, of South Carolina, in a commu-

‘nication to the New York Philosoph. Society. See, also, Med.
Report, vol. vi.and Farm. Encye. It is very probably nutri-
tious. Its internal color is white ; it resembles a brown loaf of
coarse bread. I could not detect starch in it by the usual tests.

GIANT PUFF BALL, (Lycoperdon giganteum.) My corres-
pondent, Mr. H. W. Ravenel, writes me as follows (1868) with
reference to this immense eatable mushroom:

“Tt ought to be found in abundance about the Neck and near
Charleston, particularly in the grassy lawns where the cattle
are driven to graze. It is the largest of all the puff balls and is
really a delicious thing. They are used sliced up and fried in
butter, or stewed in milk and seasoned like the common mush-
room. The plant is used when full grown and just before the
transformation (morphosis) takes place, changing its texture
from a white, pulpy substance to a dry purplish mass of minute
spores. It has been mentioned by medical writers that the
spores of the Puff balls have narcotic properties, and it is an
anasthetic agent, acting somewhat like chloroform when in-
haled, but I have never experienced any effects of the kind from
its use as a vegetable. However, Dr. Harry Hammond, of
Beech Island, 8. C., writes to me, ‘since writing to you, I and
a number of others have made several meals on Lycoperdon, and
I think I have discovered in myself well marked evidences of a
narcotic influence—and two other experimenters have described
similar sensations tome. I recollect also to have heard from
Mr. Mahan, thata friend of his, a physician in Georgia, had been
seriously affected in this way by two large a meal on Lyco-
perdon.’ ”

In order to invite the attention of our people to new sources
of industry I append a list of some of our Native Plants which
are now largely gathered in the mountain districts of Carolina,
Georgia and Tennessee, and which find a ready sale in the

700

northern markets, at prices ranging from five to ninety cents.
They will be taken by any wholesale drug house :

Ginseng, Sage, Indian Hemp, (Black,) Horse Mint,
Yellow Jessamine, Lady’s Slipper, Pink Root, White Pond
Seneka and Virginia Snakeroot, Button Snakeroot,
Herb and Seed, Yellow Dock, (Rumex,) Bark of Mt. Ash, Lemon
Balm, Calamus, Dogwood Bark, Elder Bark and Flowers,
Sampson Snakeroot, (Gentian,) American Safron, Sassafras
Myrtle Wax, Cherry Bark, Cotton, Bark of Root, P
mint, Pleurisy Root, Thorn Apple Leaves, White Hell
Prickly Ash Berries and Bark, Dandelion Root, Black Root,
White Hellebore, Blood Root, Blue Flag, Bitter Root, Veratrum
Viride, False Unicorn Root, felenias Dioiea.)

TABULAR CALENDAR FOR THE GARDEN.

The following was published (by H. W. Ravenel, of Aiken,
S.C.) in the Aiken Press. It is suitable for the latitude of
South Carolina and Georgia, showing the seasons for planting
and the seasons for using vegetables, so as to have a constant
daily supply through the year:

| VEGETABLES.

. - Asparagus.

Beans, snap.

Artichoke, globe. one ce planted, peren-| April, May, June.
Artichoke, gro‘nd. in time in winter.

March to August.

Beans, Sewee or) March to May.
a.

Beets.
Pah arcy

Feb., Mareh, April.
Mareh, April, May.

Cab., green glaz’d. April, May.

Cab., sum. varit’s.| Autumn or spring.

WHEN TO RE PLANT’D,/ WHEN FIT FOR USE.

pee anted, peren-| March to May.

701

REMARKS.

Injures the bed to cut
after May.
Suokers, set out in aut’n,

October to March. [Good for the table and
for pickling.

May to October. Plant at intervals fora
succession.

Midsummer to frost.) They may be put up for
winter use.

May to September. |May be planted in July
for winter.

June to September.

November to March.) The seed must be pure to
head.

mer. must be protected

May and in midsum-} ( Seeds sown in autumn
during winter.

Collards. April, May, June. | August to March.
Carrot. Feb., March, April. | Midsummer to next
March.
Cucumbers. March, April, May. | May to September.
Guinea Squash. |Mareh, April, May. |July to frost.
Kohl Rabbi. Spring and summer.| Midsummer to next
winter.
Sow seeds in Feb.,
Leeks. { set out in June,| November to April./To be earthed up as they
July. Tow.
Lettuce. Jan., Feb., March.) Mareh, April, May,} ( Cabbage lettuce is the
April. June. best variety. Make
the ground extreme-
ly rich.
Mustard. July toe November. | Following winter. /To be used as greens.
Melons. March to June. July to September.
Sow seeds in Mar. August, Septem-
ates. or plant young) ber, October. [ Plants from seeds will
onions in Nov.,| keep through win-
Jan., Feb. June, July. ter, those from sets
Okra. arch to June. July to frost. will not Keep.
Plant seo’d crop in June
Peas. Deoember to Mareh./ April to June. for succession.
Potatoes, Irish. | February to April. |June to October. Plant for a succession of
crops.
Peppers. March, April. )Summer and fall. Goodrich’s seedlings the
Parsnips. Mareh, April. Following winter. best.
Radish. March to August. [April and through} Used green or ripe.
the summer.
Ruta Baga. July, August. Following winter. | Plant frequently for s
succession.
Spinach. September, October, November to April. | May be planted in April
ovember, Deo. for summer crop.
Squash, early. February to April. |May to August. Soil must be extremely
rich.
aed Potato or)/April, May, June. | Midsummer to frost.) Keep well through the
Coosaw. winter.
Salsify. March, April. Following winter.
Turnips, spring. February, Mareh, / May te July.
ril
Turnips, winter. ae November to March || Plant second crep net
Tomatoes. February te July. [July to frost. later than July.

PEON, 2 MFTTHY

»* & f iMgia ‘

rani nr ag

most) RAASE

ie

~
"7
a

ALPHABETICAL INDEX

TO THE

RESOURCES OF THE SOUTHERN FIELDS & FORESTS.

oo
INDEX TO THE COMMON NAMES OF PLANTS,

AND

GENERAL INDEX.

Abortion, plants inducing, 61, 105, 429 ;|Aloohol, (see liquors,) in grape, 258 ; from
preventing, 62, 447, 606 ; in animals, 632.) sap of birch, 190; from agave, 599;

Abstergents, 59, 90, see soap. from Poke, 404; from elder berries, 449 ;
Acacia, false, 219. from sugar-cane, 650, 657.
rose, 224. Alder, 307; for tanning, 308; oil and wine
« substitute for, 352, 390, 494, see} from, 308; black, 415, 428; tags, 307;
demuleents. white, 417.
Acetio acid, from pine, 575, in pl. 274, 510.) Ale, (see beer,) to manufact. at South,
Acetous fermentation, 274. 323; to flavor, 627.
Achilleio avid, 467. Alga, 691.
Acids, vegetable in plants, 41, 48, 173, 176,) Alianthus, for tape-worm, and causing
193, 178, 347, 407, 575; test for, 448. vertigo, 163.

Aconite and aconitia, 44; aconitic acid, 18.| Alkaline salts in weeds, (see potash and
Acorn, bearing, to raise, 305; substitute) soda,) 159, 399; table of, 369, 400, 407,
for coffee, 614; for bread, 621. 464, 517, 583, 681, 689.
Aorid plants, 354, 358, 359, 389, 403, 408,/ Alkalies, test for, 448.
409, 422, 441, 442, 446, 450, 465, 480,| Alkaloids—in Preliminary Remarks,
492, 508, 514, 552, 559, 571, 601, 606,) Alkanet, 151; bastard, dye from, 480.

620, 623, 690. Allspice, 233; substitute for, 392.
Aorimonious vapor from pl., 237. Allston’s account of rice culture, 670.
Adam’s needles, a substitute for flax and) Almonds, subst. for oil of, 274.

hemp, 609. Aloa, a subst. for cotton and for paper, 627.
Adhesive material, 95, 197, 200, 177. Aloe, fibre from, 101; subst. for, 612.
Adder’s Tongue, 609. Alumina in plants, 306, 370.

Aftergrass, 645, Alum root, 164, 234.

Agaric, substitute for, 155, see stypties. | Alteratives, vegetable, 13, 16, 33, 34, 42,
Agave, Virginian, 101; Mexican, in Fla.,} 46, 52, 81, 146, 158, 161, 202, 205, 231,
drink, from 599; alcohol and materials} 242, 273, 807, 351, 359, 390, 403, 406, 408,
for paper, from 599; fibre, from 101, 599.) 414, 416, 420, 427, 443, 447, $60, 461, 470,

Agrimony, 173. 472, 478, 501, 508, 510, 513, 514, 559,
Ague weed, 556; root, 611. 561, 562, 563, 567, 486, 603, 608, 609,
Air chambers in pl., 60. 616, 617.

Albumen, plants yielding, uses of, 42, 103,) Althwa, 103.
620; for clarifying sugar, 103. Amadin, 164,

704

Ambrosia, 460.

America, pride of, 126.

American arbor vite, 586.

= barberry, 53.

centaury, 556.

colombo, 556.

cranberry, 421.

hemlock, 44.

olive, 570.

orchard grass, 684.

ivy, 273.

int, 481.

saffron, 700.

silver fir, 585.

Spikenard, 52.

Tpecac., 567.

Ammonia, plants yielding, 86, 227; pl.
exhaling, 401.

Amulet, plant used as, 91, 478.

Ampyroot, sudorific and alterative, and use
of in asthma, 559.

Amygdalin, 199.

Anssthetics, native, 19; influence on
plants, 231; local, 44; singular native,
550, 553, 554, 699.

Anaphrodisiaes, 35.

Anemone, 14; anemonin, 14,

Angelica, 47; fragraney of, 47 ; tree, 51.

Animals, list of plants avoided by, 127,
645; food for, 645; pl. calming, 59; pl.

producing abortion in, 61; pl. hostile
to, 418, 420, 607, 611, 690.

Anise seed tree, 39.

Anodyne, see narcotics.

Antidote to poisonous fungi, 697.

Antimony, substitute for, 563.

Anti-periodies, native, 16, 38, 40, 43, 45,
63, 85, 94, 147, 162, 174, 175, 177, 194,
239, 278, 307, 362, 374, 408, 410, 428, 442,
446, 452, 454, 461, 463, 465, 466, 469, 470,
483, 484, 489, 506, 511, 556, 560, 567, 571,
577, 611, 626, 632, 693.

Anti-scorbuties, sorrel as, 166,407; cress
as, 74, 75, 156, 423, 481, 511.

Anti-spasmodies, native, (see aromatics,)

a“

47, 48, 54, 121, 219, 233, 401, 447, 455,| 615,

465, 466, 479, 481, 484, 549, 623, 690.

INDEX.

Arbor vit, for engraving and for hedges,
198, 586; antidote for jessamine, 503.

Arbutus trailing, 417.

Army Beer, 392.

156, 162, 204, 219, 306,
395, 396, 401, 418, 458, 459, 468,
484, 485, 486, 490, 586, 588, 589,
re 626, 681, 684; pl., cultivation of,

Arnica, 468.

Arrowhead, 615.

Arrow, pl. to poison, 562.

Arrowroot, 572; method of preparation
and cultivation, 590, et seg.; Indian, 590 ;
machine, for rasping, 591; to dry, 593;
to prepare and cultivate on plantations,
591; Florida and Georgia, 590.

Arterial sedatives, 420. y

Artichoke, cultivation and uses, 470; burr,
470; Jerusalem, 459, 462.

Arsenic, antidote for, 667.

Arum, 619.

Assafcetida, substitute for, 465.

Asarin, 395.

Ash, value of, 571; poison, 570; prickly,
51, 161; mountain, 193.

Ashes, strength of and yield, 299, 583;
potash, etc., in, 299, 306, 866, 369, 370,
583, 689; to polish metals, 351; potash in
corn, 634; use in soap making, 371.

354,

Asparagus, (see salads,) 613; substitute

for, 202, 321, 472, 566, 613, 616; subst.
for coffee, to prepare, 614; mannite in,
614.

Asparagin, 154, 616.

Aster, 455.

Astragalus, 204.

Astringents, native, 18, 35, 59, 61, 62, 63,
86, 182, 155, 164, 167, 168, 172, 173, 174,
175, 203, 226, 231, 238, 234, 239,
943, 278, 279, 296, 302, 307,
354. 357, 362, 383, 385,

Atamasco lily, 599.

Anti-septies, vegetable, 48, 202, 394, 428,| Avens, white, 173. F
466, 577, 581; powder, 581 ; sage as, 484;| Azalea, intoxicating prop. of, 421.
sugar as, 651; fig as, 350; slippery elm|Azote in pl., 274, 402.

as, 352, 358, 359.
Anthelminties, native, see vermifuges.

Bald Cypress, 587.
Balm, 482; of Gilead tree, 585.

Apiol, use as a febrifuge, 45; apiin, subst.| Baling cotton, wood for, 298, 365.

for quinine, 45.
Aphrodisiacs, native, 311, 449, 481, 485,
514, 550, 602, 626.
Aphides, pl. destroying, 199, 178.
Apocynin, 560, 562.

Balsam tree, 155; balsam, plants yielding,
156, 235, 450, 585, 586, 588; bearing ero-
ton, 134.

Banks to protect, 307, 644, 679; notes,
paper for, 661, 698.

Apple, 177; cider from, 178, et seg.; liquor| Bands, for cotton bales, 298, 365.
from, 187; wine from, 178; wood for|Baneberry, 20.
printing, 178 ; to store up, 177; insects} Barilla pl. 158, 692.
on, to prevent, 178; substitute for dried.| Barbe de Capucin, 475.

69; May, 21, 82; thorn, 28, 549, 554; eus-| Barley, liquor from, 190.
tard, 41; vinegar from, I78; cedar, 698.|Barrels, material to caulk,

624, 686.

INDEX.

Barberry, effects on wheat, ete.,

705

53;|Berberina, 20, 16, 22, 53, 414.

American, 53; syrup from, 53; irrita-| Bergamot, 132.

bility of stamens, 53, 193.
Barilla, plants yielding, 158, 397, (see

Bermuda arrowroot, to prepare, 590 ;
grass, 647.

Potash ;) to manufacture from fuci, 692.| Birch, red, 306; cherry, 305; sweet, 305 ;

Barks, to dry, 280; for cordage, (see
fibre;) Jamaica and Georgia, 442;

liquor from sap of, 190, 306, 308, 361 ;
black, 305; sugar from, 361.

yielding tannin, (see Quereus,) 280, et)Bird, catching, 431; lime, 429; to pre-

geq.; extract to make, 295; for boats,
587.
Barometer, natural, 161, 422, 204.

pare, 67, 430; to intoxicate, 607.
Bisenna, 589.
Bishop’s weed, 46.

Bastard alkanet, 480; Loosestrife, 60; In-| Birthwort, 608.

digo, 219; Ipecac., 567.

Baskets, material for making, 66, 295,
364, 375, 382, 389; willow to prepare,
377.

Bass wood, 121.

Bassorin, 273.

Bat-weed, 469.

Bayberry, 197.

Bay, singular properties ascribed to, 37;
red, subst. for mahogany, 37; beds, ma-
terial for, 617; bedsteads, material for,
91.

Bedsteads, material for, 91.

Beds, material for, 617.

Bean, garden, 226.

Beaver tree, 36; poison, 44.

Beaked hazelnut, 274.

Bear grass, 609; to cultivate and prepare

Bitters, (see tonics,) subst. for, 418, 555;
formula for compound of native pl., 65.

Bitter root, 561; orange, 152.

Biting knotweed, 486.

Black alder, 308, 428; oak, 279; gum,
386; birch, 306; drink, 431; poplar,
281; walnut, 359; oil from, in tooth-
ache, 359; spruce, 584, 586; root, 460,
510; snakeroot, 18, 42; haw, 447.

Blackberry, 167, 168; yellow, 168; wine,
to prepare, 168 ; jelly, 172; syrup, 170,
171; cordial, 170; laxative prepara-
tion from, 171; in tanning leather,
281, 385; in diarrhceas and dysentery,
167, 171; preserves, 171; jam, 171;
tea from, 172.

Blacking, from elder, berries, to prepare,
448,

fibre as subst. for hemp, 610; bearded) Blade tea, in fevers, 632.

darnel, 646.

Bladder nut, 155.

Beds, material to stuff, (see mattresses,)| Blazing star, 450, 606, 611.
113, 277, 391, 565, 566, 602, 624, 627 ;| Bleaching plant, method of, 101.
cotton as material for, 113; to prevent|Bleeding, pl., to arrest, 483; see styptics.
insects in, 391; moss for,602; palmetto|Blindness in horses, caused by, 84; in

for, 604.

Bee pasture, plants for, 482.

Beer, native plants yielding, to make, 323;
$91,463; pl. giving intox. quality to, 646;

man, 145, 420.

Blistering plaster, subst. for, 17, 14, 203;
plant, 237, 389, 465; blistering fly, 14;
to collect, 435; see, also, Escharoties.

from locust, 229; French Army,392; per-| Blockade, expedients during, 65.
simmon, 424; tostrengthen, 466; spruce, | Blood root, 30; wort, 484; weed, 567; to

586; Sassafras, 391; from China briar,
616; from corn, 635; small, 636.

Beech, 275; ashes rich in potash, 276;
oil from, 275; phosph. of lime, 276;
leaves for stuffing beds, 277; drops,
505.

stop flow of, 308.

Blue, flag, as a diuretic in dropsy, 600;
tripterella, 600; dyes, to extract, 210;
plants yielding, 208; cohosh, 54; jes-
samine, 13; eyed grass, 601; gentian,
554; true blue grass, 681.

Berries, wine from grape, 255; from ser-|Boats, timber for, 348, 587, 588, 589;

vice tree, 188.

bark, 587.

Bees, on honey-dew, 123; poisoned, 241 ;|Bog rush, 685.

pl. for, 375, 460, 482.

Bois d’are, 119.

Beet, vinegar from, 412; to extract sugar | Boneset, uses of, 451.
from, 412; cultivation of, 413; to crys-| Books consulted, 1.

tallize, 413.

Belladoana, substitute for, 219.

Bene, oil and mucilage from, 492; sub-
stitute for castor and olive oil, 493; to
extract, 493; use of leaf in dysentery,
494; soup from, 228; soap from, 494.

Benzoie acid in plants, 203, 383; in grass,
643.

Bent grass, 679.

Benzoin, 392.

45

Bosten brown bread, 633.

Bots, native remedy for, 31, 41, 126.

Box, 134; boxes, material for packing,
584, 586, 589; wood, subst. for, 419;
board, cane for, 683.

Bougie, material for making, 352.

Bowls, wood for, 388.

Bows, from osage orange, 120; from lo-
cust, 220.

Brain, pl. acting on, 610.

706

Brake, 689.

INDEX.

Calendar for the garden, 700.

Brandy, native material for making from/Calamus, an aromatic, 626, 459; vol. a

persimmon, £26 ; from peach, 199; from

watermelon, 6S ; ’ from elder, 449.

of, 627; to tan, 627.
Calico printing, plants used in, 205, 444.

Bread, subst. for, 17, 274; from persim-}Califernia wine, to make, 260.
mon, 424; from potato, 435; from roots/Calomel, subst. for, (see Deobstruents and

of plants, 477, 621; hygienic, 633;

alteratives,) £73, 511, 564.

darnelled, 646 ; from corn, 632; Indian Cambrie, subst. for cotton in making, 3ll,

loaf, 698 ; from rice, 669, 677; from
spurrey, 161;

312.

from clover, 203, 204 ;| Cammelina, an oil plant, 71.

from arum, 621; from acorn, 621; Bos-/Camp itch, remedy for, 448.

ton brown, 633; from sorghum, 661.

Breath, pl. affecting, 679.

Brewing, (see liquors.)

Bromus, 684.

Brooklime, 511.

Brook, pimpernel, 511; weed, 423.

Broomsedge, straw, £00.

Broom rape, 505; grass,
corn, 649.

Brooms, material
doura corn, 649.

Brushes, native material for, 605.

Buchu, subst. for, 418.

Buckeye, 90.

Buckets, wood for, 589.

Buckthorn, 133.

Buckwheat, subst. for, 411.

Buffalo clover, 204; berry tree, 201.

Bugle weed, 485; to check bleeding and
action on pulse, 453.

Bugs, pl. hostile to, 91, 391.

Bullaen, wine from, 273.

Bulrush, 616.

Burdock, £60, £69.

Burns, remedy for, 237.

Burning fluid, see oil; bush, 154.

Burr, 460; artichoke, 470 ; to tan leather,
470; reed, 625.

Bush, honeysuckle, 446.

Butterfly weed, 562.

Butternut, 357; oil and sugar from, 35S;
pl. preserving, 352; to make fragrant,

narcotic, 647;

for, 306,

5ST ;

Button snakeroot, 43, 450, 600; bush,
syrup for, 445.

Buttons, native materials for, 90.

Byrams plan of cultivation and manu-
facture of silk, 327

Cabbage, tree, 121, 604; palmetto, 604;
for forts, wharves, thatch, ete.. 605;
skunk, 622; wax from, 355; oil from,
495.

Cabinet work, woods suited for, 37, 41
65, 120, 121, 134, 146, 230, 274, 275, 278,
306, 348, 352, 353, 358, 361, 363, 377,
381, 387, 431, 571, 587, 588, 589, 689.

Cactus, to harden candles, 70.

Cahineie acid, 445.

Caines, 445.

Cake, ptants yielding oil, 71, i44, 150.

Calabash, uses of, 691.

Camphor, plants yielding, 233, 394, 459,

485, 486.

Canada leatherwood, 389; snakeroet,
395; balsam, 585; golden rod, 458;
rice, 677.

Canadian collinsonia, 486.

Cancer root, 505; weed, 483; powder,
505.

Canella, 156.

Canellin, 156.

Candles, to harden, 70; from beech, 274,
276; from myrtle berries, 354; for war
times, 580; from tallow tree, 148.

Cane and reed, paper from, 683; see
Chinese and sugar-canes, 658; walk-
ing, 129.

Canoes, cypress, 588.

Cantharis, vesic., to collect, 435.

Cantharides, subst. for, 13, 17, 358, 465,
620, 622; antidote to, 157; to prepare
from potato fly, 437.

Caoutchoue, plants producing, 146, 152,
153, 349, 472, 480, 562, 564, 618; to
prepare, 564.

Caper tree, 79.

Capillaire, 687, 690.

Capers, 566; subst. for, 17, 79.

Capsicin, 512.

Carbolie acid, neutralizing malaria, 577.

Carbonization of wood; 379.

Cardinal flower, 441.

Carmine ink, substitute for, 405.

Carminatives, (see aromatics.)

Carolina potato, 435; jalap, 434; buek-
thorn, 133; Indigo, to prepare, trade
of, 204, 205; Ipeeae., 152; pink reot,
567.

Carrion plant, remarkable odor from, 618.

Carotin, 48.

Carrot, sugar and spirit from, 48.

“ uses of, 48.

* oil of, 48.

5 for tape-worm, 48.
- liquor from, 48.

- wild, 49,

Cartridge boxes, material for, 35S.

Casearilla, substitute for, 39, 134.

Casks, cider, 27S.

«material for caulking, 624, 686.

Cassia, 230.

- wild, 229.

Calico bush, poisonous and narcotie prop. Cassina, 431.

of, 419, £20.

black drink from, 432.

:
;
|
|

Castor oil plant, 134. Chairs, wood suitable for making, 363.
“« «© « mode of cultivation, ex-| 353; for bottoms of, 616, 683, 686,
pression of oil, uses, eto.,)] Chamomile, wild, 465.

INDEX. T07

185, 136, 142. ba substitute for, 64, 465.
« « — asalubricator, 141. « in fevers, 466.
« “« « ~ self-hulling, 135, to destroy insects, 466.
“« « « ~ stearine from, 144. Champagne, 257.
« «“« « — cake for manure, 144. = substitute for, 425.

“« « to inererse milk in nurs-|Charcoal, qualities of, 378, 573.
ing women, 145. s plants yielding, 275, 378, 571.

« « € gubstituted for, 29. « for gunpowder, 296, 307, 318,
Calalytic agents, 561. 378, 400.
Catalpa, 501. # to prepare, 296, 380.
* in fevers, 501. s to purify water, 378, 380,
BC honey from, 501. = to clarify vinegar, 574+.
Cataleptic power in plant, 490; plant caus-| Cherokee rose, as hedge plant, 121,
ing cgtalepsy, 447. Cherry, 195.
Catawba grape, 253. “| liquor from, 188.
Catechu, substitute for, 164,175, 234, 413,) “* birch, 305.
479; for tanning, 289. Bc cordial and syrup, 196.
Catgut, 218. x wild, 194.
Cat-foot, 468. = ground, 516.
Caterpillar, plant hostile to, 318, 400. Cheese, plants to flavor, 203, 444,
“ of silk worm, 338. Chess, dye from, 683.
“ to prevent ravages of, 466,! Chestnut,-uses of, 277.
490, “ charcoal from, 380,
Cathartie bromus, 684. * oak, 305.

Cathartics and substitutes for, 20, 21, 29,} Chibou resin, 235.

34, 40, 53, 69, 133, 143, 151, 153, 154,)/Chiccory, cultivation of and admixture
158, 163, 165, 198, 202, 204, 218, 219,| with coffee, uses of, 473.

229, 230, 234, 248, 279, 324, 347, 358,| Chickweed, 161; water, 386; red, 422.
396, 399, 403, 406, 408, 429, 434, 441,)China briar, 616; beer from, 616; berry,
445, 446, 447, 451, 454, 470, 471, 474,| 127; grass, 312; vegetable to cement,
507, 508, 510, 557, 559, 563, 565, 600,) 603, 611; grass cloth, 317; paper from,
601, 60S, 612, 614, 647, G78, 690, 691. 616; substitute for asparagus, 616,

Catnip, 489; cat-foot, 468. Chinese tea plant, cultivation and prepa-
Catmint, 489. ration of, 123; Chinese paper from

Cattail, as a substitute for cotton, and to| typha, 628.
stuff mattresses with, 623; cattail, for|Chinese sugar-cane, sugar, molasses and

paper, 623. syrup from, 649, 663; to manufacture,
Cattle, plants poisonous to, 153, 154, 418,} walue of, 650, et seg.; vinegar, sugar,
420, 606; food for, 273. molasses, paper and coffee from, 650, et
Cats, fondness for plants, 489. seg.; yam, 619; to cultivate, 665.
Caulking, material for, 686. Chinquapin, astringency of, 277; water,
Caulophyllin, 23. 35; bloom injurious to hogs, 277.
in hooping cough and asth-| Chloroform, substitute for, 699; influence
ma, 278. on plants, 231.

Caustic properties, plants possessing, (see) Thocolate from groundnut, 228.
Escharoties,) 13, 17, 358, 359, 559. Cholagogues, 16, 22, 50, 34, 511, 601, 691.
Cayenne pepper, 54. Cider, manufacture of, 178 ; from mulberry,
Cedar, 588. 347; from sugar-cane, 649; from per-

« oil from, 589. simmon, 425; jelly, 449; from erfMapple,
«liquor from, 189. 177.
« purple dye from, 589. Cigars, plants to flavor, 176; pectoral, 464.
< apple, 589, 698. Cimicifugin, 19.
Cellars, for wine, 257. Cinchonine in Georgia bark, 442; substi-
necessity for at South, 323. tutes for, 63, 302.
bai dry, 323. Cinnamon, wild, 156.
Celery, 45. Circulation, plants acting on, (see Seda-
Cement, for cisterns, 299. tives.)
for glass, 603. Cisterns, cement for, 299.
‘Cendres gravelees, 369. Citrie acid, 128; mode of extracting, 129,
Centaury, American, 556. 181, 347.
’ Cereal, new, 677. Citron, 132.

708

Claret wine, 272.

Clematis, crisped, 13.

Cloth, from fibre, 317; plants yielding,
310, 312, 560, 565, 566, 598, 510; to ren-
der water-proof, 580; from mulberry,
849; plants to wash, 59; from hop, 320;
to stamp, 407; from corn shucks, 648.

Clot-burr, 469.

Clover, rabbit foot, 204; buffalo, 204; yel-
low, 203; red, 203; white, 204; sweet,
203; field, 204; Japan, new forage
plant, 224; wild, 225.

Clove tree, 233.

Club rush, 685; golden for exam{nation
with microscope, 623.

Cnicin, 459.

Coaches, wood for, 353, 359, 363.

Coal, to burn from, 378; gas from pine,
577; as anti-septic, 581.

Cob, corn, analysis of, 6383; potash, lye,
soda and soap, 634.

Cochineal, insect, 70 ; cactus, 70.

Cockle burr, 173.

Cockspur, thorn, 176.

Cocoons, method for treating, 339.

Coffee, 444; substitutes for suggested,
103, 204, 228, 446, 470, 477; from cotton
seed, 107; from potato, 438; from chic-
cory, 473; Florida, 230; from aspara-
gus; 614; from acorns, 614; from corn,
636; from Chinese sugar-cane, 661; from
dandelion, 471; from rice, 669; from
wheat, from rye, 680; okra, 103; from
cohosh, 54; from groundnut, 227.

Cohosh, 18; white, 20; as a nervous se-
dative, 18; action on uterus, 19; blue,
54, 278; substitute for coffee, 54.

Collinsonia, 486; useful oil from, 487.

Colocynth, substitute for, 234, 562.

Colombo, American, 556; substitute for,
20, 414.

Colt’s tail, in gonorrhcea, 455; foot, 17,
395.

Collodion, 107.

Comfrey, wild, 480 ; intoxication produced
by, 481.

Compass plant, 460.

Concentrated lye, to prepare, 299; from
corn, 366, 368, 633. Preparations, in
preliminary remarks.

Confectionery, plant to color, 347.

Confé@rate flax, 610.

Conia, 45.

‘Conium, substitute for, 44.

Consumption weed, 459.

Contrayerva, substitute for, 48, 466.

Convallarin, and convallamarin, 613.

Convulsions plant, allaying, 549; plant
causing, 621. q

Coontie, 572.

Copaiba, substitute for, 415, 456.

Copal varnish, plants yielding, 241, 242;
copal oil and resin, 383.

Coral Indian, imitation, 617; root, 603.

INDEX.

Cordage, plants yielding, 121, 220, 311, 313,
349, 353, 458, 560, 586, 678; from mul-
berry, 347, 349; whaboo, 352, 353; gol-
den rod, 458; Indian hemp, 560 ; spruce,
586; from bear grass, 610; from rope
bark, 389; from moss, 602; from bags
wood, 121; from ramie, 312.

Cordial, 156; cherry to make, 196; from
biackberry, 170; from plum, 197; from
whortleberries, 422; curacoa, 567.

Cork, substitute for, 386; tree, 305.

Corn, Indian, David Dickson’s mode of
cultivating, 628, 114; manure for, 114;
oil, sugar, paper, beer, soda, soap, potash,
bread, ete., from, 628, et seg.; cobs, 366,
633; analysis of, 633; paper and cloth

from shucks, 643; as food for horses,

633; soap from shucks, 366, 635; sugar.
from, 636; molasses from, 640; leaves
for paper, 641; for hops, 643; Guinea
and doura, 648 ; potash in, 366, 368, 633;
poppy, 28; in fevers, 632 ; substitute for,
127; starch from, 591, 633; oil from,
632; coffee from, 636; sugar from, 636;
arrowroot from, 633.

Cornine, 63.

Corns, to remove, 14.

Corrosive plant, 81, 480, 514.

Corpulency, plant reducing, 311.

Cosmetic, plant used as, 613.

Cotton, 104; David Dickson’s mode of eulti-
vating, 113; cultivation of upland, 115;
of sea island, 117; action on uterus, 105;
fibre in surgery, 106; substitute for qui-
nine, 106; substitute for coffee, 107;
soap from, 108; collodion from, 107;
gun cotton, 108; cotton seed, to hull,
109; to press, 110; oil and cake, 105,
109; as a manure, 110; wooden slats for
baling, 365, 298, 353; plant injurious to,
276; recent substitute for, 311, 312;
woody fibre unfitted for, 628; micro-
scopical examination of, 628; cattail for,
623; eel grass, new substitute, 627; beds
from, 113; to prevent caterpillar in
fields, 466, 490 ; bark for paper, 107, 113;
diseases of, 108; Dickson’s formula for
manure for, 114, 118; yield of, 116;
value of seed of, 116, 117; method of
dyeing, 215; wood tree, 382.

Coumarin, 203, 450.

Counter irritants, (see Escharoties.)

Cowpea, to increase milk in nursing wo-
men, 226; parsnip, 46.

Cow, influence of purslane on, 157; spur-
me on, 161; plant causing abortion in,
632.

Crabapple, 176.

Cranberry, value, cultivation ard preser-
vation of, 42].

Cranesbill, 164.

Creosote, from pine, 574, 577, 584,
Creeping cucumber, 69.

INDEX.

709

Cress, (see salad,) water, 73; Virginian,| Disinfectants, 577.

71; oil from 74.

Cross-ties on railroad, locust for, 224.

Croton oil, substitute for, 29, 184; balsam
bearing, 134.

Crow foot, 164; crow poison, 606.

Cryptogamous genera, 686.

Cucumber tree, 88; creeping, 69; Indian,
608.

Cudweed, 467.

Culpepper, curious extracts from Nicholas,
37

Culver’s root, 510.

Cumpti or Indian arrowroot, 590.

Cunilla, 487.

Curacoa, 567.

Currants, 201; wild, 194, 201.

Cushions, pl. to stuff, see beds.

Custard, apple, 41.

Cutworm, to prevent, 127.

Cypress, uses of, 587; powder, 622; for
canoes, 588.

Cyperus, jointed, 684.

Cynamie acid, fr. gum, 383.

Cypripedium and cypripedin, 603.

Cisterns, cement for 299.

Daisy, oxeyed, 467. :

Dandelion, 471; substitute for coffee,
caoutchoue in, 471.

Dittany, 486.

Diuretics, native, 20, 34, 42, 43, 49, 53, 68,
69, 85, 90, 91, 145, 158, 163, 165, 172,
230, 234, 249, 273, 386, 395, 397, 401,
407, 409, 414, 415, 418, 429, 433, 434,
441, 443, 445, 446, 447, 453, 454, 457,
460, 461, 465, 470, 471, 478, 486, 491,
501, 509, 516, 517, 561, 566, 571, 578,
586, 589, 600, 608, 613, 614, 616, 621,
647, 689.

Divining rods, 61.

Dock, 406 ; common, 408.

Doctor's gum, 243.

Dog’s-tooth violet, 609; bane 559, 561.

Dog’s, plants vomiting, 560, 647, 684;
mange in to cure, 405, 421.

Dogwood, 63; dog-fennel, tested for tan-
nin, 384, 454; to tan leather, 455; ink
from, 66; swamp, 66; blood red, 66; oil
from, 66; Jamaica, 201.

Dollar plant in diarrhcea,

Dotted monarda, 485.

Doura corn, 648; subst. for wheat, 649.

Drainage of Southern States—see pre-
liminary remarks.

Dragon, swamp, for poultices, 373 ; root,
619.

Dragon’s blood, 408, root, 619.

226.

as

Darnel, bearded, poisonous to wheat and) Drastic cathartic, 69.

beer, 646.

Daturia, 552.

Deadly night shade, 512.

Deafness, plants relieving, 486, 611.

Deer, grass, 60; to imitate voice of, 47.

Delirium, caused by plants, 550, 553, 647;
pl. allaying, 549.

Delphinia, 18

Demuleents, native, 59, 68, 70, 74, 80, 203,
429, 443, 460, 615, 686.

Density of wood, 298, 304.

Dentrifice, vegetable, 406.

Deobstruents, 32, 74, 134, 146, 174, 408,
409, 452, 471, 477, 478, 490, 507, 511,
515, 564, 586, 601,606. See alteratives.

Depuratives, pl. acting as, 561.

Detergents, (see soap,) 467, 501, 515. 689.

Devil’s fig, 28; wood, 570; bit, 606.

Dew, acrid from pl., 84, 146.

Dewberry, 168.

Diaphoreties, 37, 51, 52, 151, 152, 161,
394, 395, 433, 439, 443, 447, 451, 469,
486, 487, 510, 589, 603, 618.

Diet drink, 472.

Digitalis, 508 ; substitute for, 30, 483, 490,
559, 561, 563.

Dykes, to protect, 645.

Dill, 48.

Dilatation of pupil, pl. producing, 513.

Dioscorein, 619.

Directions
plants, 6.

for collecting and drying] Crimson

Dried fruit, subst. for, 68; fig, 350.

Drinks, from native plants, (see Li-
quors.)

Drying medicinal substances, 5.

Duckweed, 21.

Durability of wood, 27

Dutchman’s pipe, 395.

Dwarf nettle, 308; milk weed, 565 ; palmet-
to, 605; elder, 53; sumach, 242.

Dye, from native plant—general direc-
tions and materials for, (see Indigo,
214,) 215, 244, 279, 348; to fix, 91, 245.

Green—16, 20, 302, 363, 408, 571, 612, 613,
683, 684,

Yellow—14, 15, 20, 29, 53, 84, 121, 133,
199, 201, 177, 216, 220, 248, 274, 280,
311, 362, £09, 427, 434, 444, 458, 461,
515.

Blue—18, 157, 202, 204, 205, 214, 303, 351,
357, 410, 571, 614.

Black—37, 58, 61, 64, 148, 216, 239m 241,
244, 302, 448, 462, 483, 560, 57Ty 600.

Without copperas, 241, 360, 585.

Scarlet—64, 66.

-

1, 200%

Dove—21T.
Brown—215, 357, 406, 585, 617.
Gold—351.

Cinnamon—307, 502, 417, 421, 589.
Purple—205, 249, 280.
Slate—216.-.

Saffron—

Discutients, native, 84, 373, 448, (see| Canary—363.

Escharotics.)

Violet—215.

x)
wW

710

Olive—20, 302, 363, 408.

Gold—li74.

Solferino Pink—218.

Straw—217.

Drab—20, 216, 390. 280,

Indelible, for bank notes, 698; Fawn,
217,

Red—33, 84, 215, 218, 444.

Orange—216, 280, 307.

Ultramarine—614; for skin, 480.

Ebony, substitute for, 431.

Ecbolies, 19, 61.

Eeccoprotics, 408.

Edible, psoralea, 204—plants, (see Salad,)
Mushroom 794.

Eel grass, recent substitute for cotton and
for paper, 627.

Eggs, management ofsilk worm, 340.

Elder, 447, 241, spirits from 449 ; ink from,
303, 445; Blacking, from berries 448;
ointment in itch, 448; to prevent flies,
448.

Elecampane and inuline in native pl.
458.

Electricity on pl., 232.

Elm, slippery, 351,’to preserve fatty sub-
stances 352; white 352.

Emmenagogues, native, 46, 47,48, 54, 105,
311, 401, 409, 418, 439, 446,461, 467, 484,
485, 490, 586, 589.

Emetic holly, 431; root 438.

Emeties, native, 19, 30, 42, 43, 51, 60, 67,
69, 79, 134, 146, 151, 152, 153, 157, 165,
175, 176, 202, 204, 273, 307, 389, 396,
401, 403, 410, 429, 432, 439, 443, 445, 447,
451, 461, 465, 469, 479, 484, 501, 508, 510,
517, 559, 561, 565, 600, 601, 606, 609,
011, 612, 618, 687, 690.

Emolient plant, see mucilaginous.

Empyreumatie oil, 380.

Endive, 473; substitute for, 475.

Engraving, wood for (see wood) 275, 419,
ink for from fuci, 698.

Euonymin, 154.

Ergot,cotton seed a substitute for, 105, in
corn 63, in darnelled bread, 647.

Errhines, 354, 395, 396, 417, 419, 457, 606,
612.

Escharotics, native, 13, 14, 17, 22, 29, 30,
34, 43, 46, 81, 83, 84. 145, 147, 152, 153,
174, 203, 237, 358, 389, 403, 436, 465°
58M, 512, 514, 559, 564, 578, 589, 615,
620, 622, 670.

Esparto grass, new material for paper,
624,

Essence of flowers to extract, 482, 500,
504 of oranges, 129.

Ether, influence on pl., 233.

Evaporation, singular in
463.

Everbearing mulberries, 346.

Exhalation poisonous from pl. 237, 241.

Excitants 311, 457.

Expectorants, (see emeties) 33, 611, 618.

sunflower,

INDEX.

Experiments with nettle (Urtiea,) to
check bleeding, 309; with leaves of
plants for tannin, 384; extract from oak
to tan, 294,

Bye bright, 152, 153, 439.

Eye, plants acting on, 31, 128, 145, 513,
551, 553, 623.

Faggots, pl. for 462.

Fagine from brech, 275.

Fall Poison, 606.

False acacia, 219, flax, 71.

Fans from palmetto, 605.

Farcle berry, 422.

eribrig from cotton, 145, from locust, 220,

34.

Fatty matter from pl., 42, 159, 441. PI.
preserving, 352.

Feathers to dye, 444.

Febrifuge ; see antiperiodics, and quinine.
Feeula, pl. yielding 35, 120, 594, 616,
623, to separate 592.

Fecundation, singular in tape grass, 616.

Felling timber, season, 280.

Fences, pl. for, 377, 277, 587.

Fennel, 46.

Fermentation, process of, 179, 180; in
grape 253; to prevent, 259; to extract
starch, 595.

Fern, 686, royal, 690; bush, sweet, 357 ;
~~ of leaves for packing, 689 ; flowering,

90.

Fescue grass, value for swards and ma-
terial for hats, 682 ; water, 681.

Fetid plants, 447, 465, 468, 407, 622; re-
markable, 618.

Fetor pl. correcting, 48.

Fever, root, 446; bush, 392; weed, 43; few,
173; pl. cause of, 163; to prevent, 577.
Fever and ague, palmella, cause of, 698.
Fibre, use of cotton in surgery, 106; plants
yielding useful, 71, 95, 108, 319, 320, 458,
560, 565, 566, 586, 311, 313, 610 ; to clean,
101, 597; from alloa for cotton, 627 ; from
rush, 678; substitute for cotton, exam.,
565, 628; fibre of vegetables and trees,
298, 304, 349; from cane, 683; from okra,
103, 625; from agave, 599; from sisal

hemp, 597; from bear grass, 610.

Fibrine in plants, 41.

Fig tree, 349; vinegar from, 351; molasses
from, 350; method of dyeing, 350; blue
and red colors—from, 351; ashes to pol-
ish metal, 351; devil’s, 28; wort, 507.

Filaments, sensibility of, 472.

Fiorin, for wet meadows, 645.

Fir, silver, 585; black, 584.

Fire weed, 468.

Fish, plants stupefying, 91, 201, 410, 506;
food for, 681; wood, 154; fishing nets,
pl. to make, 566.

Fit root, 416.

Flagellation with nettle, 310.

Flag, blue, as a diuretic and cathartic,
600; sweet, 626.

INDEX. 711

Flannels, to dye, 307. Galactagoguc, virtues of cow pea, 226 ; for
Flasks, to cover, 686. cure of piles, 296; castor bean, 145;
Flavoring essences, 627. plant yielding, 35 ; 237, 280.

Flax, cultivation and preparation of, oil|Gallic acid. (See astringents.)
from, 94, 96; seed from, 96; substitute|Galvanism on plant, 232.
for, 313, 679; mountain, 91; water, 628;|/Gama grass, 646.
false, 71; from bear grass, 610. Gamboge, substitute for, 29, 84, 399.
Fleas, plant destroying, 467, 487, 578. Game, to ensnare, 430.
Flea-bane, 455; in gonorrhcea, 456. Garden bean, 226; calendar for, 700.
Flesh, antiseptics for, 394. Garlic, 611; wild, 611; meadow, 611.
Flax, substitute for, 565, 566. Gas, poisonous from plant, 501, 237, 241 ;
Flies, plants hostile to, 202, 409, 448, 509,) illuminating, 576.
606. (See insects.) Gaultheria, oil of, 938, 94, 418.
Flooding, plant to arrest, 480. Guatemala Indigo, 208.
Flora Caroliniana, (Walter’s,) 557. Gelseminine, 504, antidote for poisoning
Florida arruwroot, to prepare, 591; yew,| from, 503.
586; colfee, 230; sisal homp in, to culti-|Gentian, 554; substitute for hops, 555;
vale afd prepare, 597. blue, 554; compound tincture of, 555 ;
Flour, substitute for, 275, (17; darnelled,| horse, 446,
646; from sugar cane, 661; from wild|Georgia bark, substitute for quinine, 442.
rice, 678. Geranium, 164.
Flowerless plants, 686. Geranin, 165.
Flowering fern, 690. Germination of seed, 673.
Flowers, to collect and dry, 5; disengaging|Gerardia, yellow and purple, 509.
heat, 620, 622; fetid, 618; injurious to) Giant, puff ball, 699.
animals, 277; oil of, to collect, 504;|Giddiness, pl. producing, 610, 646.
yielding tannin, 85, 386; to imerease,|)Ginger, 566; substitute for, 396; wild,
193; euible, 220 ; sensibility in, 472, 477,| 395.
490; sugar from, 566. Ginseng, 49; use of in China, and subst.
Fly, poison, 606; trap, examined, 56;| for liquorice, 50; three leaved, 50.
catchers, 56; value as a bitter tonic, 56 ;)Gipseywort, 482; in fevers, 483.
plants hostile to, 202; Venus, 36; blis-|Glasswort, 399.
tering, 534. Glass, vegetable cement for, 603, 611;
Flutes, wood for making, 353. plan to make, 397.
Food, plants to supply during scarcity of,| Glue, substitute for, 95.
645. Gluten, from wheat to manufacture, 680 ;
from corn, 633; plants yielding, 401.
Goats’ rue, 218.

Forage plants, 220, 228, 462, 475 ; new, Ja-
pan clover, 224; ramie as, 316; grasses

tor, 644, 660. Gold, of pleasure, as an oil plant, 71;
Forgetfulness, induced by plant, 550, 553,/ cultivation of, 71; seed rice, 671.

554. Golden, cassia, 230; grana illa, 23, 83,
Formie acid in plant, 310. club, 623; rod, 458; Canada fibre and
Formication, plant causing, 420. dye from, 458; seal, 15; gratiola, 508.
Forty knot, in dropsy, 396. Goobernut, 227.

Fox glove. 508; grape, 250, 263. Gourd, 69; for utensils, 69.

Fragrant plants, 238, 235, 354, 587. Granadilla, 23, 83.

Frankincense, 235, 585. Grape, native, 250; cultivation of wine
Freckles, plant removing, 82. from, 249, 264, et seg.; French, advised,
French mulberry, 491. 264; hybridizing, 271, rot in, 253; va-

Fringe tree, 570. rieties, 250, 253; mildew in, 254; wine
Frost root, 457; wort, 81; weed, 81; rose,| from leaves, 255; from berries, 256;
81; absence of, 272. cultivation at South, 267; seeds for
Fruit trees, to remedy defectsin bearing,| tanning, 386; sea, 413.
192; vil from, to extract, 497; to pre-|@rass, eel, recent subst. for cotton, 312;
vent insects on, 200; essences, 129. best cultivated for food and pasture,
Fuci, iodine and kelp, to manufacture} 644, et seq; best variety of, 545; ben-
from, 691, 398, 399. zoic acid in, 643; blue eyed, 601; avoid-
Fuel, excellent material for, 462. ed by animals, 645; Timothy, 644, 648 ;
Fumitory, 34; potash in, 35, 369. period to cut, 648; poisonous, 646; nar-
Fungi, subterranean, 699; edible, cultiva-| cotic, 646, 647; Indian, 647; sugar in,
tion, uses of, etc., 694; parasitical, 698. 644; best for hay, 644; to prevent en-
Galls, 280; substitute for, 237, 289; for} croachment of water, 645; lime, sugar
ink, 296. in, 644; Bermuda, 647; vomiting dogs,
Gall of the earth, 477. 647, 684; fragrant, 644; broom, 647;

712

Grass, continued.
wire, 678; marsh, 679, 685; reed bent,
679; tape, 615; true blue, 681; meadow,
645, 681; fescue, 681, 682; American
Orchard, 684; mesquit, 682 ; nut grass,
685; grass nut, 684: sweet scented,
643; gama, 646; sesame, 646; food for
hogs, 684; “Esparto” for paper, 624;
water, 42; china, subst. for cotton, 312;
knot, 410 ; Walter’s, 678.

Gratiola, 508.

Gravel root, 453, 486; valuable oil from,
487.

Ground nut, 227; oil from, 228; subst. for
chocolate, 228 ; material for soup, 228.
Ground, cherry, 516; laurel, 417; holly,

415; ivy, 17; grouyere cheese, 203.

Guaiacum, subst. for, 162, 165.

Guaco, 450.

Guano, subst. for, 583; Peruvian, 114.

Guinea-corn, value of, 648; brooms from,
649; dye from, 217.

Gulver’s root, 510.

Gum, resembling honey, 460; plants exu-
ding, 200,460; Arabic, subst. for, 197,
200, 177, 494, 602; sweet, 382; leaves
recommended in place of oak bark in
tanning, 384; copalm fr. 383; black, for
shoes, ete., 387; sour, 386; hemlock,
585.

Gun powder, native wood for making, 66,
307, 318, 379, 400; stocks, wood for, 85,
360, 363, 377.

Hackberry, 353.

Hamostatie virtues of nettle, 308; of
shepherd’s purse, 74; (see stypties.)

Hair tonic, vegetable, 15; pl. staining,462.
Hallucination induced by pl. 550.
Hardback, 174.

Hardness of trees, 304.

Harvest drink, 192.

Hash-heesh, pl. acting like, 552.

Hats, plants for making, 374, 382; pal-
metto for, to whiten, 605; fr. reed mace,
623 ; grass for, 644, 678, 682.

Haw, 176; black, 447.

Hawk-weed, 484.

Hay, substitute for, 645, and securing of,
644, 648; best grasses for, 644, 679 ; corn
as subst., 633, 634.

Hazel nut, 274; oil from, 274; beaked, 274.

Headache, caused by pl., £23.

Heal-all, 486, 487.

Heart, snake root, 396; pl. acting on, (see

ulse.)

Heart’s ease, 80.

Heat evolved by plants, 620, 622.

Heaves in horses, pl. for, 460.

Hedges, plants for making, 120,197, 198,
192, 220; osage orange, 119, 176, 229,
274; from pear, 192; from willow, 375 ;
from arbor vite, 586.

Hedge mustard, 75; byssop, 508.

Hellebore, white, 606.

INDEX.

Hemlock, spruce, 585; American, 44, —

Hemp, uses of, 317; to plant, 318; substi-
tute for, 73,311, 458, 560, 597, 610; for
gun powder, 379, 319 ; intoxicating, 319 ;
Sisal, to prepare, 597 ; cult. in Fla., 598 ;
substitute for, 95; beargrass, for, 609;
Indian, 559 ; (see, also, fibre.)

Herbe du Diable, 480.

Herbemont’s ever-bearing mulberry, 346.

Hercules’ club, 161.

Herds grass, 644.

Hesperidin, 128.

Hickory, uses of, 362; as adye, 362; for
potash in making soaps, 366 ; bands for
baling cotton, 365 ; hoops, trade in, 364.

Hides, to prepare and dress, 285, et seq.

Highland rice, 669.

Hippo, Carolina, 152; wild, 151.

Hock, wine, 272.

Hogs, fat of, fed on beech, 275; Mulberry
to plant for, 346; plants injurious to,
126, 230, 277,427 ; cholera in, 405 ; gum,
156: sunflower for, 465; food for, 161,
276; skins to tan, 240; acorns for, 305;
ramie for, 316; bacon to cure, 372.

Holly, mucilage and bird lime in, 429 ; ac-
tion on uterus, 429 ; in colds and coughs,
429; ground, 415 ; emetic, 431.

Honey, plants yielding poisonous, 421, 501,
narcotic quality in, 421; locust, 229;
suckle, 446; dew, on plants, 122, 321,
199; Phenomena of, 122; gum, resem-
bling, 460.

Hoodwort, 488.

Hoops for casks, wood for, 65, 275, 306,
364, 375; (see wood.)

Hop, uses and cultivation of, 319, et seq ;
substitutes for, 163, 200, 355, 463, 466,
468 ; tree, 163; poles, materials for, 275,
278; fibre from, 320; beer from, 323;
for tanning, 386 ; corn leaves as 643.

Horehound, 490; in catarrhs, 491; water,
482; Hornbeam, 273.

Horse, chesnut, 90; as suitable for opium,
used in place of soap, and for produc-
tion of starch, 90; tail, 688; gentian,
446; mint, 485; nettle, 513; fly weed,
202, 486; tail, grass for, 679; heal, 458;
fistule in 688; to keep flies from, 202,
862; pl. causing sores in, 84, 405;
blindness in, 84; salivation in, 158, 204;
radish, 400; pl. preventing heaves in,
460.

Hound’s tongue, 480; narcotie properties
of, 481; inducing intoxication, 481.

Humus, value of, 688.

Hardle fences, pl. for 377.

Huckleberry, 422.

Hybridizing grapes, 249, 271.

Hydrastina and Hydrastine, 6.

Hydrocyanic acid, pl. yielding, 195, 198.

Hydrophobia, native remedy for, 422, 488,
489, 490.

Ilygrometer, rustic, 204, 161, 422, 688.

ee ee eee, eae ef

INDEX.

Hyssop, veratria in, 508.

Illicin, 429.

Illuminating gas, 576.

Imagination, pl. exciting, 553.

Imphee, sugar cane, 667.

Impregnation of pl., singular, 616.

Incense, pl. furnishing, 235.

Indelible ink, from plants, 235, 427, 482,
for bank notes, 698.

India ink, for bank notes, pl. for 698.

Indian, cucumber, 608; mallows, 102;
physic, 175; tobacco, 4388; poke, 606;
hemp, in asthma, 559; meal, 617; coral,
617; turnips, 619; dye, 15; corn, oil,
paper, sugar, bread, soap, soda, potash,
ete., from, 628, et seg; bread, 699 ; loaf,
699; millet, 648; quinine, 556; lettuce,
556.

Indigo, cultivation and extraction of, 208,
210; method of extracting color from,

206; wild, 202, 214, 204; sowing of

seeds, 210; to obtain indigo on planta-

tions, 213; price of, 210, 427 ; for family

use, 204, 210; vat, 205, 212; bastard,

219; substitute for, 220, 410; Carolina,

204, (see Dves;) hostile to flies, 202,

205; value of, 208, 427; Guatemala,

. 08; yellow, 427.

Infection, plants preservative against, 47.

Ink, berry, 428; indelible, 235, 406, 427;
from oak galls, 296; sympathetic, 350;
red, carmine, 351, 406; black, material
for, 64, 66, 302, 351; indestructible for
bank notes, 698; root, 479; from elder,
448; stains to remove, 166, 348, 407.

Insect wax, 148.

Insects, plants noxious to, 18, 154, 178,
199, 202, 205, 362, 391, 400, 409, 448,
454, 466, 467, 487, 509, 577, 578, 589,
606, 611; on cotton plant, 108; on
orange, 130; on peach, to prevent, 200,
178; to relieve bite of, 174, 439 ; powder,
to destroy, 400; on apple, 178; on po-
tato, 436.

Instinct, in trees, 501.

Intermittents, (see antiperiodics.)

Intoxication, plants inducing, 318, 319,
421, 466, 467, 481, 550, 558 ; plants allay-
ing, 59; grass producing, 646; (see
Liquors.)

Introduction, 5.

Inuline, curious properties of, 459, 470,
507.

Iodine, in plants, to manufacture, 691.

Ippecacuanha, 444 ; substitute for, 151, 152,
175, 896, 403, 440, 444, 561; wild, 151,
446; Carclina, 152; bastard, 567.

Tris, 600.

Trisin, 601.

Iridin, 601.

713

Trritants, 145, 310, 403.

Tritability in plants, 231.

Isabella grape, 270.

Issue peas, 128.

Itch, weed, 606; plants applied for relief
of itchand mange, 405, 421.

Ivy, bush, 419; American, 273 ; European,
273; to freshen silks, 273; gum, 273.

Jalap, 435; substitute for, 151, 434;
wild, 21, 434.

Jamaica bark, 442; dogwood, 201; kino,
413.

Jamestown weed, 549; singular uses of,
550; soporific and excitant effects of
smoking, 553.

Japan clover, new forage plant, 224; in-
troduction and value of, 225 ; plants of,
61.

Jelly, demulcent, 80; from Blackberry,
172.

Jerusalem oak, 399,400; artichoke, 462;
as food, substitute for potato, cultiva-
tion of, for pickles and starch, 463 ; pot-
ash in, 463; forage pl. 462.

Jessamine, yellow, 501; sedative and
poisonous properties of, cases of poison-
ing by, 502; substitute for digitalis, 502 ;
in yellow fever, 502; in cough mixtures,
502; active principle of, 504; blue, 13;
in tetanus, spasm and trismus, 503.

Jew poke, 402.

Jewel weed, 165.

Jimson weed, remarkable prop. of, 550,
553.

Jointed Cyperus, 684.

Judas tree, 230.

June berry, 167.

Juniper, to season liquors, 189.

Kalmia, 419; dye from, 216.

Kelp, plants yielding, 159, 397, 691; to
manufacture, 159, 691.

Kid gloves, material to tan, 174, 689.

Kino, see catechu and astringents.

Kirschwasser liquor, 158.

Knot, grass, 410; weed, 486; as diuretic,
486.

Kyanized timber, 304, 307.

Lae, resin, 134.

Lactic acid in pl. 510.

Lactucarium, 477.

Lady’s slipper, 603.

Lambs’ quarter, for making soup, 401.

Lamp black, 296; from turpentine, 574,
580; oil for, 229 ; (see ee

Lands to recover, 225, 227, 230.

Larkspur, 18.

Larch, durability of, 278 ; for tanning, 283.

Lard, pl. preserving, 352.

Laudanum, (see opium,) substitute for, 19,
25, 29, 83, 318, 319.

Irish potato, 514; starch from, 515; light) Laurel, swamp, 36; ground, 417; moun-

from, 514; nareotie properties of, 514;
potash in, 515.

Iron, wood, 273, 423; rust to remove, 166.

46

tain, 419; narcotic property of, 419;
sheep, 421.
Laxatives, (see cathartics.)

714

INDEX.

Leather, to tan (see Tannin,) tanning of|Lobeline, 489.

on plantations, 284 ; et sey ; experiments
with leaves of gum, myrtle and dog-
fennel, 384; substitute for, 387; prepa-
ration to preserve, and to make water
proof, 579; wood, 389; flowers for, 14,
386.

Leaves, to dry, 5; influence of chloroform
on, 231; experiments with for tannin,
384; for manures, 583; to be collected
for cavalry horses, 645; for beds, 277;
producing intoxication, 481; for fuel,
583; of corn for paper, 641.

Lee, Dr. Daniel, method of tanning leather,
282.

Legs, wooden, material for, 388.

Lemonade from citric acid, 548.

Lemon, to procure citric acid from, 130,
131, 348; oil from, 130 ; constituents of,
131; salt of, 166, 408; essence of, 129;
to preserve, 129 ; wild, 21; diffusion and
value of, 225.

Leptandrin, 23, 510.

Lespedeza, new forage plant, 224.

Lettuce, wild, 477; Indian, 556.

Lichens, 656.

Life everlasting, 468; substitute for hops,
468.

Light, influence on leaves, 232; material
tor, (see oils) given out by pl., 514.

Lignum vite, 165.

Lily, water, 35; of the valley, 612; pond,
35, 181; atamasco, 599.

Lime, tree, tea from, and cordage, 121;
brook, 511; ogeechee, 388; grass, 644;
malate of, 394; phosphate of, in plants,
276, 321, 370, 623; binoxalate of, 237.

Linnen, pl., to make, 311, 312.

Linseed oil, uses of, 95, 496, 499; substi-
tute for, 464, 496.

Cement for porcelain, 95 ; see, also, oils.
Liquorice, 50; substitute for, 50; cultiva-
tion and preparation of, 50; wild, 52.
Liquors, from fruit, 42, 156, 170, 178, et
seq., 347; from carrot, 48; from water
melon, 68; to prepare, 184; from apple
and pear, 178; to flavor, 189, 418; to
strengthen, 179, 466; from cherries, 188;
from service tree, 188; fr. agave, in Fla.,
599; from sap of trees, 189, 306; from
birch, 189, 306; from flower of locust,
221, 229; from grape, 249, et seq; in-
toxicating, 319, 466; from hop, 323;
from Mulberry, 347; cellars for at 8.
323; from sassafras, 390; trom poke,t04 ;
from elder berries, 449; from Palmetto,

605; fr. sugar cane, 650.

Liriodendrine, 38 ; in fever, 40.

Liver, wort, 15; plants acting on (see de-
obstruents and alteratives. )

Live, fences ; (see wedges;) oak, 303.

Lizard’s tail, for poultices, 373.

Lobelia, 438; as a relaxant, 439.

Lobelic acid, 440.

Locust, tree, yellow, 219; varied proper-
ties of, 220 ; cultivation of for ship build-
ing, 221; for rail road ties, 224; liquor
and dye for silks from, 220; rapid growth
of, 220 ; honey, 229 ; clammy, 224.

Long moss, 602.

Loosestrife, 61.

Louisiana sugar cane, 667.

Love apple, vine, 433.

Lubricators, (see oil.)

Lucern, 203.

Lungwort, 506.

Lupulin, 320.

Lye, concentrated, to make, 299; to ex-
tract from ashes, and to use in soap
making, 866, 633, 689, 366, 299, 598 ; (see
potash and soda.)

Machine for rasping arrow root 591 ; for
making sugar, 665, et seq; oil for, 229.

Madder, import. cultivation and uses of as
a dye plant, 444; subst. for suggested,
445 ; dye from, 218, 444.

Modeira nuts, for oil and oil cake, 362.

Mad dog skull eap, 488.

Maiden hair, 686, 690.

Magnolia, 38, 39.

Mahogany, 943; subst. for, 37, 197, 278, 361,
381; mountain, 305.

Maize, oil, sugar, beer, potash, soda, bread,
paper, etc., from, 628, et seg ; method of
cultivating, 628.

Malaria, plants neutralizing, 37, 38, 59,
147, 194,577; barrier against, 573; in-
fluence of pine on, 573; Palmelia cause
of, Salisbury’s recent discovery, 693;
(see, also, Antiperiodi¢s,) carvulic acid
to prevent, 577.

Malate of lime, from purslane, 193.

Malic acid, 128, 178, 287, 243, 510; plants
yielding and preparation of, 193; from
barberry, 193.

Mania, pl. allaying, 549, 607.

Mallows, 101; Marsh, 102; Indian, 102;
Manchineel caustic properties of, 145.

Mandrake, 21.

Mange in dogs, pl. for, 405, 421.

Mangel-wirzel, 412.

Mangle, 58.

Mangrove, 58.

Manna, vegetable, 123; subst. for, 647 ;
crop, 681,

Mannite, 68, 156, 510, 511, 614.

Manures for cotton, Dickson's formula,
114, 119; pl. and leaves for, 583, 682.
Maple, red, 85 ; sugar, mode of extracting,

87; dye from, 217.

Maratime scirpus, 685.

Marcet’s exp. on irritability in plants, 231.

Marions week, 560,

Marsh club rush, 685; mallow, 102, 392 ;
marygoid, 17; rosemary, 479; grass ,
679.

Masterwort, 46, 47.

a

INDEX.

Marygold, 17.

Mate, or Paraguay tea, 432.

Matresses, material for, 113, 602, 604, 624,
627.

Mats, material for, 605, 616, 678, 686.

Maryland cunilla, 487.

May, apple 21, 82; vinegar from, 661;
pops, 82 ; narcotic property of, 82 ; weed,
281, 465 ; flower, 417.

Meadow, garlic, for pickling and subst.
for garlic, 611; grass, 645; sweet, 681.

Meal, white and red, 617 ; hygienic bread
from corn, 633; plants poisoning, 646 ;
from sorghum, 661.

Meat, plants to preserve, 42, 394, 577, 579,
632, 635; subst. for 228; pl. to make
tenderygd0.

Medeola, Virginian, 608.

Medicines, pl. disguising taste of, 458.

Medicinal, pl. drying of, 5; cultivation of,
4; for use of soldiers, 7, 482; easily
procurable, 7.

Melilot clover, 203.

Melon, water, brandy and syrup from, 68;
musk, 69.

Mercury, three seeded, 145;
for, 22.

Mesquit, grass, 682.

Methylene, pl. yiekling, 418.

Mexican poppy, 28.

Mezereon, subst. for, 162, 389.

Microscope, pl. for, 623.

Mitcham, gardens of, 4.

Milfoil mint, 466 ; to prevent caterpillars,
466.

Mildew, 53; in grape, 254.

Millet, 648.

Milk, subst. for, to coagulate, (see Ren-
nel,) 82, 157, 166, 310, 444, 470, 559; to
increase flow of, 161, 145, 226, 418; sick-
ness, remedy for, 176; vetch, 204; to
flavor, 444; to check flow of, 484, 615;
weed, 561,565; from pumpkin, 68.

Milky juice fr. pl. 565, 561.

Mint, 481; pepper, 482; spear, 481; from
pl. 145, 146, 153; round leaved, 482; to
cultivate, 482; cat, 489.

Minnesota Rice, 677.

Mississippi nut, 373, 365.

Misletoe, 67.

Mitchella, 443.

Moccasin, sedative and alterative, 603.

Mockmoeasin, 603.

Molasses, subst. for, 68; plants yielding,
350; from corn, 640; tr. sugar cane, 650,
657. et seq.

Mold, pl. preventing, 577.

Moonseed, 414.

Monks-hood, 44.

Mordaunts, pl. acting as, 238.

Morphia, (see opium,) 25.

Morocco and kid leather, to tan, 174, 238,
243, 282, 689.

Mosquitoes, pl. preventing, 487, 577.

substitute

715

Moss, long, in stuffing beds, cushions, ete.,
602; rope from, 602. —

Mosses, 686.

Motherwort, 490.

Moth mullein, 507.

Mountain ash, 193; berry, 418; flax, 91;
laurel, for engraving, 419; mahogany,
305; sumach, 193, 241.

Mouse ear, 455.

Moxa, preparations from cotten, 108; from
sunflower, 464.

Mucilaginous. plants, native, 59, 101, 102,
105, 107, 166, 219, 351, 383, 390, 460,
470, 481, 492, 494, 509, 647.

Mucilage and oil in pl., 497, 682,

Mucuna, subst. for, 274.

Muck, value of, 688.

Mulberry, to feed silk worms, 324, et seq.;
everbearing, 346; to propagate, 346;
syrup from, 547; mania for planting,
327; Herbemonts, 346; liquor from, 347;
French, 491; common, 847; Italian,
337; for ship building, 348; for paper,
347, 349.

Mullein, 505; anodyne and narcotic prin-
ciple in, 505; in asthma, 506; moth,
507.

Murrain, to relieve, 19.

Muscadine, wine from, 273.

Mushroom, 694; edible, to select, 695, 699;
to propagate, plan in 8. C.,697; antidote
to poisonous, 697; narcotic, 699.

Musical instruments, wood for, 134.

Muskmelon, 69.

Musk, subst. for, 23, 156.

Musical instruments, wood for making,
353.

Mustard, 75; cult. and preparation of,
76; for salad, 75; oil from, 76.

Myope, rice diet upon, 668.

Myroxylic acid, 324.

Myrtle, 353; sea, 459; wax from, 354;
leaves recommended for tanningin place
of oak bark, 282, 283, 357, 384; soap
and candles from, 356; to make, 355;
subst. for hops, 855; blue dye from,
357.

Myricinie acid, 355.

Myricin, 355.

Naptha 575.

Narcotics, nat‘ve, 15, 28, 29, 830, 44, 62, 82,
90, 134, 153, 154, 201, 203, 219, 235, 275,
319, 354, 358, 359, 389, 404, 410, 417, 418,
420, 421, 427, 446, 450, 458, 465, 468,
477, 478, 481, 490, 501, 502, 505, 512,
514, 516, 517, 549, 558, 559, 567, 571,
603, 606, 607, 612, 623, 646, 647, 699.

Nausea, pl. to allay, 458; nauseants, (see
emetics.)

Naval stores, 579; nauseous odor from pl.,
42.

Nearsightedness, influence of food upon,
668.

Neckweed, 510.

716

Needles, Spanish, 461; Adams, 609.

Neroli, oil of, 129.

Nerves, pl. acting on, 488, 501; (see se-
datives.)

Nettle, dwarf, 308, 317; experiments upon
hemostatic virtues of, 309, 400; sting-
ing, 145, 308; cordage and thread from,
$11; Neilgherry, 312; red, 310; leaf
vervain, 491; low, 317; horse, 513.

New Jersey tea tree, 132; an astringent
and subst. for foreign tea, 153.

New Lebanon, gardens of, 4.

Nightshade, deadly, 512.

Nine bark, 175.

Nitrate of potash, plants yielding, 400.

Nitre, plants yielding, 379, 400, 413; to
prepare, 368, (see potash.)

Nonesuch, 203.

Northern pine, 584.

Noyau, 435, 650.

Nut, oil to procure, 228, 274, 276, 402;
grass to eradicate, 685; -pond, 35.

Oak, 279; bark to collect for tanning, 280 ;
et seq.; strength of, 298; subst. for in
tanning recommended, 384; white, 296;
black, 279; red, 302; quercitron, 279;
balls, 279; of Jerusalem, 400; Spanish,
296; poison, 235, 317; extract from to
tan, 294; live, 303; scrub, potash in,
583; white, for ship building, 298; ches-
nut, 305; galls for cure of piles, 296.

Oat, 679; sea-side, 648; subst. for, 218;
water, 677.

Obesity, pl. preventing, 48.

Ogeechee lime, 388.

Oil, nut, 274, 357, 402; olive, cult. and

INDEX.

corn, 6325 cake, 71, 144, 150, $62, 464;
as a lubricator, 141, 229; peculiar
volatile, 627; from corn, 632, 636; from
fleabane, 456; diuretic, 457; from mint,
482, 485; from orange, 1285 poisonous
from darnel, 646; pungent from worm-
seed, 399, 400; from mustard, 76; from
locust, 220; from St. John’s wort, 843
from tallow tree, 1483 from clove, 233;
from hemp, 319; from myrtle, 354; from
walnut, 362.

Okra, 102; substitute for coffee, 103;
fibre from, 103; wild, for soup, 80;
stock for paper, 625.

Old man’s beard, 570.

Oleine, 355.

Olive oil, subst. for, 24, 66, 494; Ameri-
ean, 570; European, to cultivate and
extract oil, ete., 567, et seg.; planted at
South, 567.

Ooze, to prepare in tanning, 293.

Onion, subst. for, 611; tree, 611.

Opium, poppy, (see narcotics ;) culture of,
23, 26; gum to collect and prepare, 26 ;
oil from, 24; subst’s for, 29, 82, 90, 175,
201, 319, 490, 515, 603, 611; morphia in
Virginia, 25.

Orach, 399; sea, 399.

Orange, 127; and lime in Fla., 130; con-
stituents of juice, 131; essence and
wine from, 129; flower water, 128; oil
from, 128; root, 15; wild, 197; osage,
119; grass, 85; bitter, 132 ; Seville, 132.

Orchard grass, 684.

Orchis, 602.

Origanum, 485.

preparation of, 567, 570; nature and|Osage orange, 119; as hedge plant, 120;

mode of extracting, 370, 497, 570; to

as dye stuff, 121; for bows, 120.

clarify, 498, 570; of flowers to extract,|Osier willow, for baskets, 375; to culti-

129, 504; fragrant, 275; from lemon,

vate and dress, 377; value of, 376.

130; from angelica, 47; fromcedar, 589;|Oswego starch, 633.

bergamot, 132;

press, 96,143, 496; vola-|Oxalate of potash, 166.

tile, 163, 233, 354, 394, 401, 497, 499,|Oxalic acid, in plants, 407, 465.

fixed, 499; to extract, 496; linseed, 73;|Oxeyed daisy, 467.

95, 362; for food, 494; from sumach,|Ozone, 572.

241; from hazelnut, 274; from beech,| Packing, material for, 626, 689.

275; essential, 395, 418, 482; blue,466;|Painter’s, oil for, to procure, 224, 274;

of gaultheria, 93, 94, 418; from cotton

paintings, pl. to cleanse, 438.

seed, 109; aromatic, 47, 233, 275, 306,|Pain, pl. to relieve, 458, 478, 508, 505,

395, 482, 589; from cress, 74; styptic,

552; see narcotics.

74, 457; painters, 229, 274; from lilly|Palma Christi, uses, cultivation and ex-

of the valley, 612; fr. beech, 275; for

pression of oil from, 134.

soaps, 148, 495; for burning, etc., 109,,; Palm wine, 605.
66, 73, 144, 150, 161, 229, 275, 362, 464,|Palmella, cause of malarial fever, 693.
576, 580; from poppy, 24; from Mexi-|Palmetto, saw, for mattresses, pillows,

can poppy, 29; from dogwood, 66; from
camelina, 71; of Neroli, 129; amount
yielded by different seeds, 445; subst.
tor olive, 24, 66, 494; castor, 29, 134;
fetid, 1343 acrid, 145,623; from ground-

etc., 604; for hats, 605; to whiten Jeaves
of, 605; potash in, 605; for wharves,
dates from, 605; dwarf, fans from, 605;
wine from, 605; blue, 605; for tanning,
289; tall, 604.

nut, 228; from sassafras, 390; from|Panicum, spiked, 647.
pine, 575, 578; substitute for castor,|Papaw, 41; influence on meat, 41; fibrine

491; from Bene, 493; from hickory

in, 42.

nuts, 363; from sunflower, 464; from|Papoose root, 54.

se -

A oe re

INDEX.

Paper, native material for making, 14,
113, 308, 311, 319, 382, 566; to stain,
421; from okra, 625 ; from cotton plant,

/107, 1138; from mulberry, 347, 349 ; from
wood pulp, 382; from sunflower, 465 ;
from agave, 599; from gold of pleasure,
73; from cotton, 113; Chinese paper,
from typha, 623 ; from corn leaves, 632,
634, 641; from corn shucks, 643; from
sugar-cane, 661; from asclepias, 566;
from esparto grass, 624; from eel grass,
627; from cat-tail, 623; stock from
cane in N. C., manufacture of, 683.

Paraphine, from beech, 276.

Paregoric, subst. for, 603, 611.

Parilla, 414.

Parmentier, on conversion of starch from
roots into food, 621.

Parsley, 45; subst. for quinine, 45.

Parsnip, cow, 46; water, 46.

Partridge berry, 443; aromatic oil and
tea from, 418.

Parturition, pl. provoking, 54, 18, 106,
423, 429, 443, 446, 608; in animals, 61,
632.

Passiflorine, 83.

Passion flower, 82.

Pastiles, pl. furnishing, 235.

Pasture grasses, 161, 644, 682.

Pea, 226; asa galactagogue, 226; to im-
prove lands, 227; turkey, 218.

Peach, 198; to dry, 199; to cann, 200;
aphides on, 199; to prevent injury to
by insects, new method for the first
time published, 200; brandy and cor-
dial from, 199 ; leaves to stop bleeding,
199; to secure a crop from, 200.

Pear, 177; to store, 177; to make produc-
tive, 192.

Pearl ashes, 299.

Peat, value of, 688; in Virginia and near
Charleston, 687, formation of, 687;
subst. for, 583.

Pecannut, 365, 373.

Peterswort, 83.

Pectin, 21, 48.

Pellitory, 317.

Penetration of roots of pl., 43.

Pennyroyal, 487.

Pennywort, 42.

Pepper, 511; Cayenne, 511; water, 409;
grass, 71; mint, 482; production of,
482; bush, 417.

Perfumery from flowers, 500.

Persian walnut, 362; insect powder, 400.

Persimmon, uses of, 425; tannin in fruit,
384, 424; beer from, 425; vinegar and
syrup from, 426, 661; brandy from,
426; ink from, 427; large fruited, 424.

Perspiration, extraordinary in plants,
463 5 pl. to lessen, 484.

Perry, to prepare, 177, 192.

Peruvian bark, (see anteperiodics) subst.
for, 46, 63, 94, 374,

717

Pestilence, pl. preventing, 47.

Phaenogamons, pl. 13.

Phenic acid, to prevent malaria, 577.

Phloridzine, 176.

Phosphorescence in pl. 59.

Pickles, pl. for, 463, 611.

Picromar, 584.

Pigments, (see Dyes,) 33.

Pignut, 364.

Pigeons, food for, 226; poisoned by, 403.

Piles, remedy for, 466.

Pillows, (see matresses.)

Pimento, subst. for, 355.

Pimpernel, searlet, 422; brook, 511.

Pindar, oil from, 228.

Pine, long leaved, 572 ; varied usos of, tur-
pentine, resin, pyroligneous acid from,
ete., 574, 578, 584; terebene fr. 580; in-
fluence on ozone, malaria, 572, 577;
pitch pine, uses of tar from, 573 ; leaves
for fuel, 583; soap fr. rosin of, 581;
candles fr. 580; white, 584; spruce,
585; loblolly, 585 ; northern, 584 ; subst.
for, 585; Walter’s pine, 585; subst. for
northern. 585; weed, 85; pitch, 584;
Weymouth, export of, 584; bark fortan-
ning, 281 ; potash in, 368, 569, 583 ; leaves
for burning, 583; distillation from wood
of, 575; carbolic acid fr., 577; dye fr.
216.

Pink root, Carolina, 557; intoxication
caused by, 558.

Pipes, material for, 616.

Pipe stems, plants furnishing, 155, 351,
360, 417; Dutchman’s, 395.

Pipsisseiva, 415, 561; astringent, diuretic,
tonic, 416; subst. for, 443.

Piquette, to manufacture, 186.

Pitcher plant, usein small pox, 67.

Pitch, 575; pine, 584.

Plane stocks, material for, 65; (sce cabi-
net work.)

Plantain, 478; water,615; for tanning,
886; snake, 479.

Plants, (see wood,) to collect and dry, 5;
for cabinet purposes, 87, 41, 65; medi-
cinal to cultivate, 482; easily procura-
ble, medicinal, 7; to collect for sale, 699 ;
for wood engraving, 63; soft woods, 11;
luminous property in, 59; intoxicating
fish, 91, 201, 410, 506; yielding thread,
(see “fibre;”) material for paper, 104,
347, 349; tanning of, 304; potash in, (sec
potash;) oil from (see Oil ;) sugar in, 274;
yielding liquors, (see Liquors;) for tan-
ning, see *T'anning;” yielding charcoal,
see “‘ Charcoal;” see ‘‘ Poisonous Plant;”
evolving heat, 620, 622; table of potash
in, 369 ; list of thoseavoided by animals,
645; yielding gluten, 401; fecula into
separate, 592; hybridizing of, 249.

Pleurisy root,subst. for antimony and
calomel, 562.

Plum, cordial, 197; gum from, 197.

718

Podophylline, 22.

Poisonous plants, 44, 81, 146, 154, 158,
219, 255, 241, 308, 318, 389, 403, 419,
421, 422, 439, 442, 480, 481,512, 514,
517, 550, 559, 562, 571, 586, 606, 615, 647,
690, 697; pl. neutralizing, 205, 422, 502 ;
poisonous grass, 646.

Poison, ash, 570; oak, 235; remedy for,
236; sumach, 236, 241; elder, 241.

Polishing material, 351, 455, 689.

Poke weed, 402; crimson dye from, 218,
405; potash from, 403; to color wine,
403.

Pole cat weed, 622.

Polar plant, 460.

Polygalic acid, 20, 92.

Pomegranate, 61; for tape worm, 61.

Pond, lily, 35 ; spice, 398 ; nuts, 35.

Poplar, 39; white for paper, 382 ; for cabi-
net purposes, 382.

Poppy, opium, 23; preparation and culti-
vationof, 24; oil of, 24; Mexican, 28 ;
prickly, 28.

Porcelain to cement, 95.

Posts, material for, 349, 224, 391, 501.

Potash, binox. of, 166, 407; plants yield-
ing, 35, 47, 159, 274, 276, 299,309, 321,
364, 369, 397, 400, 402, 403, 463, 464,
514, 571, 583, 681, 689; to extract, 366 ;
carb. of, 369; to prepare, 365; relative
amounts, 368, 369, from weeds ; 368, 369,
583; nitrate of, from corn cobs, 684;
from fuci, 692: from palmetto, 605.

Potato, sweet, 435; coffee from, 438 ; vine,
434; cultivation of, 591; starch from,
435; blistering flies on, 435; pl. to en-
rich, 689; to cleanse silk, 438 ; Irish,
starch from, 515; yam, a_ substitute,
435, 619; stem, potash in, 368, 369;
sugar from, 438; subst. for, 462; bread
from, 435.

Preserves, fruit for, 68, 171, 172, 176, 200,
201.

Poultry, plant fer, 161, 506; mulberry for,
347; sunflower for, 464.

Poultices, strammonium for, 552; swamp
dragon for, 373; narcotic, 647; plant
for, 36, 52, 373; jessamine for, 503.

Prickly ash, 51, 161, 162; pear, to harden
tallow, 70; poppy, 28; elder, 51.

Pride of India, 126; as vermifuge and for
cabinet purposes, 127 ; to destroy moths,
127; to prevent destruction of fruit
crops by insects now first published,
127, 200.

Printing blocks, materal for, 148; cali-
coes, 348, (see wood engraving.)

Privet berries, dye from, 214.

Propylamin, 176, 194; propylamia, 632.

INDEX.

Pulse, plant acting on, 19, 483, 502, 559,
563, 607, 614.

Pulque, plant in Florida, 599.

Pump water, to soften, 371.

Pumpkin, 68; to dye with, 218.

Pungent, plant, 681.

Pupsil, plant dilating, 30, 551, (see vis-
ion.)

Purgatives, plant supplying, (see cathar-
ties.)

Purslane, 156; influence on milk, 157;
malate of lime from, 193; blue color
from, 157.

Putty root, substitute for gum arabic, 602.

Putrefaction, plant preventing, 484, 577,
(see antiseptics.)

Pyroligneous acid, 380; from pine, 574,
579; vinegar from, 575.

Pyromalie acid, 193.

Quass, manufacture of, 190.

Quassia, 163; substitute for, 20, 163.

Quassin, 162.

Queen’s delight, 146.

Quercitron, 279; oak, 279.

Quinine, (see antiperiods,) substitutes for,
16, 40, 45, 63, 85, 94, 107, 147, 175, 177,
239, 278, 362, 374, 410, 428, 429, 442,
452,461, 465, 466, 469, 483, 506, 556,
560, 578; adjuvants to, 626.

Rabbit-foot clover, 204.

Radish, water, 75.

Rags, substitute for in making paper,
113, 625, 642, 683 ; oakra for, 625.

Rag weed, 461; wort, 468.

Rail roads, material for, 224, 278, 352.

Ramie, substitute for cotton, cambric,
etc., 312; cultivation of, 313.

Rancidity, plant preventing, 352.

Rape, oil from, 495.

Raspberry, wild, 172.

Ratafia, cordial, 199.

Rats, bird time to catch, 429.

Rattlesnakes’ master, 51, 450,599; weed,
484; plants hostile to, 571.

Reed, mace, for cotton and paper, 623;
burr, 625; bent grass, 679.

Red, bird salad, 239; chickweed, 422;
oak, 302; clover, 203; bay, 37; maple,
85; root, 132.

Refrigerants, 61, 74, 75, 166, 239, 347, 406,
407, 408, 421, 478, 614.

Reeling silk, 344.

Relaxants, 501, 517, 551.

Rennet, plants acting as, 82, 157, 166, 308,
310, 444, 470.

Resin, from gum, 383; from pine, 579; —
from cypress, poisonous, 586; chibou, —

235; candles from, 530; fromsumach, —

241.

Prussie acid, plant yielding, 194, 195, 197,| Revulsives, 310, 512.

435.

Puccoon, 30.

Puff ball, edible and narcotic properties
of 44, 699; substitute for chloroform,699.

Rhatany, substitute for, 94.

Rhubarb, substitutes for, 53, 155, 406, 408,
434, 557; culture of in Southern States,
411; preparation of roots, 412.

INDEX.

Rhus, antidote for, 486.

Rib-wort, 479.

Rice, Carolina, uses of, effect in producing
_shortsightedness, 6:8; starch from, 668;
bread trom, 669; substitute for coffee,
669; cultivation of in Carolina, 669, 670;
varieties of, 671; highland, 669; Cana-
da, Minnesota, or wild, 677.

Robin, wake, 619.

Roots, to dry, 5; furnishing starch and
food, 204, 572, 621, 623; for tanning,
281.

Rope, oak, for baling cotton, 353; ma-
terial for, 311, 312, 389; fromlong moss,
602; from mulberry, 847; bark, 389.

Rose, water, to prepare, 590; oil, to pre-
pare, 504; acacia, 224; rosemary, 479;
tor tanning, 386, 480 ; bay, 419.

Rosaries, seeds for making, 155,

Rosin, 579; weed, 460; to render cloth
and leather water-proof, 579.

Rot, in sheep, plant causing, 67, 82.

Rouge, substitute for, 480.

Royal fern, 687, 690.

Rubefacients, (see escharotics.)

Kum, from sugar cane, 650.

Rumicin, £08.

Rue, Turkey, 218; goats, 218.

Russia skins, to tan, 308.

Rush, white, 678; soft, 616; bull, 616.

Rust, in cotton, 54.

Ruta baga, oil from, 495.

Rye, substitute for cotfce, 681.

Saccharine matter in bread, corns and
fruit, 179, 185; grasses, 6443 see, also,
wine and sugar.

Safron, American, 700.

Sage, 4543 cultivation and great profits
of, 485; to check putrefaction, 484.

Sago, 572; from potato, 435; from arum,
620.

Salad, subst’s for, 59, 71, 73, 75, 76, $2,
157, 161, 166, 230, 275, 312, 321, 407,
472, 475, 477, 552, 566, 605, 616, 623.

Saleratus, 159.

Salicilate of methylene, 418.

Salicin, 374

Saline juices, 399, 407.

Salivation, caused by plants, 48, 153, 161,
204, 5635 plants arresting, 203, 238,
409, 461; see alteratives.

Saliva, plants tinging, 4783; increasing,
439.

Salsify, milk from, 146.

Salt, economy in, 372, 394; to make, 372.

Saltpetre, from beet, 413.

Saltwort, 59, 3975 yielding soda, 397;
marsh, 679.

Sampson’s snakeroot, 554.

Samphire, subst. for, 399.

Sand paper, subst. for, 455.

Sanguinaria, 30; sanguinarina, 30.

Sanicle, 42.

Santonine, 400.

719

Sap, liquors from, 189, 306; influence on
fruit, 192; sugar from, 86, 3583 for
tanning, 414.

Saponin, 21, 22, 157, 158, 355, 609.

Sarracenia, 52, 56,573; sarracenin, 56.

Sarsaparilla, yellow, 4143 wild, 617, 52;
subst. for, 42, 52, 147, 157, 390, 406,
414, 447, 470, 501, 616.

Sassafras, 389; subst. for gum arabic,
3915 dye from, 216, 390 ; as an altera-
tive, 390; beer from, 391; to keep off
insects, 391.

Savin, subst. for, 189, 589.

Saw palmetto, for mattresses and hats,
604.

Seabish, 58; for tannin, 386; luminous
property, 59.

Scabwort, 458.

Scarlet pimpernel, 422.

Schabzieger cheese, 203.

Scouring rush, 678.

Serub oak, potash in, 583,

Scuppernong grape, to cultivate, 265.

Scutellarine, 488.

Sea, myrtle, 4993 grape, 413; orach, 399;
weed, soda, iodine and potash from,
398, 691; as manure, 693; side oats,
645; Pope on cultivation of island
cotton, 117.

Secalina, plants yielding, 176, 194, 632.

Sedatives, plants acting as, 18, 19, 30, 39,
40, 43, 44, 48, 54, 61, 82, 121, 195, 219,
234, 278, 401, 420, 439, 447, 483, 488,
490, 502, 507, 516, 549, 559, 563, 586,
603, 606, 607, 610, 614, 619.

Seed box, 60.

Seeds foreign, to procure, 4; transporta-
tion of, 1935 germinating power, 673;
and vitality of, 193.

Seives, wood for, 363.

Senegin, 91, 609.

Seneka snake root, 91, 451; subst. for, 20.

Senna, wild, 329; subst. for 229.

Sensibility in plants, 251.

Sensitive plant, experiments with, 231.

Serpentaria, 393; antiseptic prop. of, 394.

Service tree, 1945; drink from, 138.

Sesame, 492; grass, 646.

Seville, orange, 132.

Shaddock, 132.

Shade tree, 194,

Shell back hickory, 364.

Sheep, laurel, 421; intoxication from,
421; sorrel, 406; plants poisonous to,
417, 421.

Shepherd’s purse, 74.

Shingles, pl. for, 588.

Ship building, timber for, 220, 298, 303,
348, 364, 374, 578, 584, 586, 587, 588;
(see wood for cabinet work.)

Shoe, wax to make, 289, 240; wooden
shoes, 381, 387; lasts, 3775 to preserve,
579.

Shrub, sweet, 233.

720

INDEX.

Shucks, soap, paper, soda, manufactures|Sorghum and sorgho suere, sugar and

from, 366, 630.

Sidesaddle flower, examination and use of,
56, 57.

Silene, 157.

syrup from to manufacture, 649, ef seq.;
to cultivate, 665 ; mill for, 663; new pro-
cess for making sugar, 663; vinegar from,
660; bread from 661; paper from, 661.

Silk, making, 324, et seq.; rearing of|Sores in horses, caused by, 84; in man,

worms and processes, 325, et seg.; dresses

612.

to restore, 273, 488, 515; subst. for,/Sorrel, deer, 605 salt of, 166; wood, 165,

565; weed for cloth, thread, cushions,
etc., 566; manufacture of, at Economy,
3273 early making of at South, 326;
history of worm, 324; trees for silk, 324,

Soup,

166; sheep, 406; common, 408 5 tree, 417.
plant to make, 80, 102, 391, 226,
228, 402, 407, 681.

Sour wood, 417; gum, 386.

349; food for worm, 163; Virginian,/Sow thistle, 477.
565. Spanish needles, 461; flies, 14; oak, 296.

Silica in plants, 370, 455, 688. Sparkleberry, 422.

Silver fir, 585. Spartina, rush, 678.

Simpler’s joy, 492. Sparterie, for baskets, 382.

Singular properties of pl., 553, 554, 616. |Spearmint, 481.

Sisal hemp, 096; to cultivate and prepare|Speedwell, 509.
in Fla., 097; to cleanse and rot the|Spermaceti, in plant, 691.
fibre, 598. Spice, bush, 392; pond, tea from, 393.

Skull cap, sedative prop. of, 488, 489. Spicy winter green, 418.

Skunk cabbage, 622. Spiders and insects, to relieve sting of,

Slats, wood for, 298. 439.

Sleep, pl. producing, 19, 506, 550, 553,|Spigeline, 558.

5593 (see narcotics.) Spikenard, 51; American, 52.

Slippery elm, 351. Spiked panicum, 647.

Smart weed, 409. Spinach, substitute for, 161, 408; (see

Smilacine, 617. salad.)

Smut, caused by barberry, 53; in corn,/Spindle tree, 154.

632 ; to prevent, 698. Spirits, from plants, 576, (see liquors) ; in-

Snake, head, 507; plantain, 479 ; weed, 44;} flammable, 404, 576.
bites, pl. in, 91, 51, 489, 449, 450, 477,)Spotted, winter green, 414; eye bright,
484, 571, 599, 602. 158.

Snake root, 91; small, 393; heart, 396 ;)Spruce, 5845 hemlock, for tanning, 536 ;
Sampson's, 554; black, 18,42; button,| black, 584, 586; essence of, 586; white,
48, 450 ; Canada, 395. 586; beer, 586; oil of, 584; pine, 585.

Sneeze wort, 396, 457. Spurge, 152.

Sneezing, pl. causing, (see sternutato-|Spurrey, 161; to improve soils and oil
ries.) from, 161, 644.

Snuff, plants to flavor, 396, 449, 627, (see|/Squaw root, 54, 505.
sternutatories.) Squill, substitute for, 611.

Soapwort, 157. St. John’s wort, 83; for tanning, 386;

Soap, plants furnishing, 59,82, 90,91, 108,) causing blindness, 84.

127, 148, 157, 159, 354, 363, 366, 359, 397,| St. Peter’s wort, 83.

578, 609; from cotton seed oil, 105 ; soft] Staff tree, 133.

to make, 160, 870; jelly, 160, 371; hard,| Staggers, plant causing, 599.

159, 371; rosin, 370; to make with lye,|Stag horn, sumach, 242.

160, 299, 300, 366, 370 ; economical, 160 ;/Stain, indelible from plant, 482.

Family, 160, 301, 372; from myrtle ber-| Starch, plants yielding, 90, 176, 459, 463,
ries, 356; from resin, without grease,} 590, 594, 602, 615; from potato, 435,
581; from corn shucks, 369, 635; plants
acting as, 90, 158, 438; from sea-weed,
691; from sunflower, 464; from Bene
and other oils, 495.

Soda, plants yielding, 158, 397; to manu-
facture, 159, 398, 692; home made, 159;
from kelp, 398 ; from corn cobs, 634.

Soils, pl. to improve, 644.

Soft rush, 616.

Salanina, 513; malate of, 514, 515.

Soldiers, pl. for use among, 453.

Solferino pink, 218, 405.

Solomon’s seal, 613.

fermentation, 595; to wash and pack
for sale, 592, 596; from Indian turnip,
620; from roots to be converted into
bread, 620; from corn, 633; from Solo-
mon’s seal, 613; from rice, 668; from
wheat, to manufacture, 680; to polish,
200; from artichoke, 463; from arrow-
root, 591, 594; from china brier, 617.

386.
Staves, material for, 278.
Stearine, plants yielding, 148, 150, 370.

515; to extract and prepare, 594; by .

Star, flower, 611; grass, 611, 612; wort, —

2
;
:
‘

INDEX. 721

Steel, pl. acting on, 311. Sundew, 81.

Steeple bush, 174. Sunflower, 468; extraordinary evaporation

Sternutatories, native, 354, 395, 396, 417,| in, 463; oil, cigars from and cultivation
419, 457, 560, 612. of, 464; paper from, 465; potassa and

Stillingia, cultivation of, tallow from, 148;| oil from, 400, 464; planted as a barrier
alterative properties of, 146. against malaria, 464; swamp, 457;

Stimulants, plants yielding (see liquors),| moxa fr., 464.
91, 162, 235, 854, 394, 395, 396, 418,|Swallow wort, 565.
512, 578, 589, 619, 620, 621, 623, 626. |Swamps, heavy dew in, 122.
Stinging nettle, 145; dwarf, 308, 311. Swamp laurel, 36; dogwood, 66; sunflower,

Stitch wort, 161. 457; dragon for poultices, 373; loostrife,
Stomachies, native, 602, 611, 626; see aro-| 61; sumach, 241.
matics. Sweet, birch, 305; gum, recommended for

Strammonium, 549; singular and unwar-| tanning leather, 384; leaf, narcotic prop.
rantable use of, 5505; to relieve pains) in,427; valuable color from, 427; shrub,
in lower intestines, 5515; excitant and| 233; fern, 357; potato, 435; locust, 229;
soporific effects of smoking seeds, 553.| flag, 626.

Strawberry, 172; tree, 154. Sycamore, sugar fr., 361.
Strength of wood, 297. Sympathetic ink, 350.-
Stupor, pl. causing, 447. Syrup of wild cherry, 196; from figs, 350;

Styptic weed, 230, 234; stypties, 73, 155,| from corn, 641; medicated from black-
241, 311, 424, 446, 461, 466, 480, 483,| berry, 170, 171; from melon, 68; to
484; beech leaf as, 199; oil, 457; pow-| manufacture from Ch. sugar-cane, 650,
erful, 308. et seg.; from persimmons, 426; from

Styrax, 427. barberry, 53.

Sudorifies, 52, 152, 158, 161, 176, 389, 447,|Tall grass, 645.

451, 465, 484, 490, 501, 568, 564, 567,|Tallow tree, 147, 393; cultivation of, 149 ;
617. candles and soap to obtain from, 148;

Sugar-cane, Chinese, 649, et seq.; paper| to harden, 70.
and syrup from, 651; wax from, 667 ;|Tania, pl. hostile to, 61, 75, 163.
Louisiana, 667; sugar, maple, 85, 86;|Tannin, plants yielding, (see astringents,)
to extract sugar from, 87; berry, 353.| to extract, 243, 246, 279, 320, 384, 417,

Sugar, to manufacture, 87, 651, et seq.;| 422, 480, 605; leaves tested for, 283,
berry, 353; plants producing, 48; to| 9885; (see Rhus, Quercus and Liquidam-
clarify with vegetable albumen, 103;! bar;) from sap of plants, 414; in fruit,
from sap of walnut, 358, 361; from| 384, 424; large amount in witch-hazel,
beet, 412; from sap of trees, 86, 358;) 63; from sumachs, 237, et seq., 242, 385.
from carrot, 48 ; from potato, 438; from|Tanning leather, plants for, 59, 85, 86,

silk weed, 566; to prepare and manu-
facture from Indian corn, 636, et seq.;
Naudain & Webb’s method, 637, 640;
large amount in lime grass, 644; from
flowers, 566; Chinese sugar-cane, mo-
lasses and syrup from to manufacture,
651, et seq.; mill for, 651, 663; anti-
septic power of, to crystallize, 653, 663 ;
liquor from, 650; new process from
sorghum and imphee, 663; from locust,
221.
Sulphur in plants, 317.
Sumachs, 235; smooth, 237; common,
241; swamp, 241; subst. for tanning,
237; dwarf, 242; poison, 235; excres-
cences from, 237; staghorn, 242; anti-
dote to poisoning by, 236, 317, 492;
mountain, 193, 241; cultivation of for
tanning leather, 238, et seq., 243, 245;
and for calico printing in Sicily, 238,
243; as a dye without copperas, 241,
244; for varnish, 237, 241, 242; new
and extensive article of trade in Vir-
ginia, original suggestions of author,
4, 248, 246; analysis of, 247, 385; to
gather, 248.

47

174, 238, et seq., 242, 246, 278, 279, 281,
305, 308, 355, 385, 409, 418, 424, 571,
585, 605, 627; roots and stems for, 281;
flowers for, 386, 479; method described
by Dr. Lee, 284; easy method on plan-
tations, 284; method from So. Cultiva-
tor, 293; leaves suggested to be used
in, 200, 384, 470; myrtle for, 385; dog
fennel and sweet gum for, 384, 454;
leaves and flowers suitable for, 83, 194,
200; sap of pl. for, 414.

Tansy, to prevent caterpillar, 466, 467.

Taming of plant, 304. °

Tanya, indelible dye from, 406.

Tape worm, plant useful for, 61, 68, 75,
63, 634, 989; grass singular propaga-
tion of, 616.

Tar, 573; water, 578, 584; beech, 276.

Taraxacin, 472.

Taraxaum, uses of, 471.

Tare, 226

Tartaric acid in plant, 347, 407.

Tarts, plant for, 201.

Taurine, from asparagus, 614.

Tea, antispasmodic from tilia, 121; from
motherwort, 490; Chinese tea plant,

722

INDEX.

123; cultivation of, 124; growing in)Traveller’s joy, 14.
South Carolina and Georgia, 124, 125;|Treacle, from carrot, 48.
from blackberry, 172; New Jersey tea/Trees, height, strength, ete., (see “ Tim-

tree, 132; demulcent and aromatic from

ber,”) 298, 304, 588; potash in, 299.

sassafras, 391; Paraguay, 432; flavor|Tree nails, wood for, 220.

of green tea, 124, 401, 600; blade, 636;)Trefoil, 204.

from spice bush, 393; from winter green,|Tripterella, blue, 600.

418, 428; from cassina, 481 ; from holly,|Trocar, vegetable, 559.

429; from golden rod, 458; from pink|True blue grass, value in enriching lands,
681

root, 558.
Teeth, plant to whiten, 64.
Telegraph poles, wood for, 588.
Terebene and turpentine, 580.
Tetter bush, 417.

Trumpet flower, 500.
Tubing, material for, 683.
Tuckahoe, 572, 699.

Tulip, tree, 39; poplar, 39.

Textile plants, see “ Fibre” and “Cotton.”|Tupelo, 386; for making utensils, shoes,

Thatch, plant for, 605, 689.
Thermal belt, for grape, 272.
Thirst, plants allaying, 417.

etc., 387 ; for wooden legs, 385; white,
388.
Turkey pea, 218.

Thistles, 469; yellow, 28; potash in, 369,|Turmeric, 15.

469.

Turnip, oil from, 495; Indian, 619.

Thorn, 176; apple, 28, 549; Washington,|Turnsole, 274, 306, 480.

198; purple, 554; from palmetto, 605./Turpentine,

Thoroughwort, 451; purple, 453.

Thread from plants, see “ Fibre,” 311, 319,
565, 566.

Thyme, 486.

Tickweed, 487.

Tilden & Co., gardens of, 4.

Tileul, substitute for soothing tea from,
121.

extraction, uses, ete., of,
575, 578; soap from, 581; effects upon
system, 578; to render leather and
cloth water-proof, 579; terebene from
as a burning fluid, 580; employed ex-
ternally in fevers, 578.

Twine, material for, 103, 610; (see Oor-
dage.)

Twinleaf, 20.

Timber, best time to fell, 280, 304; to|Type, material for, 178.
season, 298, 304, 581; relative strength} Ulmin, 352.
of, 298, 304; density of, 297, 304; effect Ultra-marine blue, from plants, 614.
of season and soil upon, 304; selection; Umbrella, tree, 39; wood for handles of,

of, 304, 588; height of, 304; for ship
building, 298, 303, 374, 588; to preserve,
304, 305, 582; for charcoal, 378; cy-
press as, 588.

Timothy grass, peculiarity of seed, 648.

Tinkers’ weed, 446.

Tinder, material for, 506.

Titi, for pipe stems, 155, 351, 417.

Tobacco, 516; substitute for, 410, 439, 501;
to flavor, 66, 200, 242, 396, 449, 627;
potash in, 369, 5173 substitute for in
asthma, 501, 506, 551; methods of
planting, rearing, cultivating and pre-
paring for market, 518, et seg.; harvest-
ing and curing, Bibbs & Co.’s apparatus
for, 549; nicotine in varieties, 517;
Indian, 438 ; coffee an antidote for, 517.

Tomato, 515; to remove iron rust, 516.

Tonics, from native plants, 16, 20, 33, 35,
37, 40, 56, 63, 65, 81,178, 174, 175, 195,
218, 382, 394, 414, 415, 417, 428, 447,
451, 459, 465, 469, 477, 486, 489, 490, 555,
556, 557, 562,571, 600, 602, 606, 609, 611,
626; formula for, 65.

Tool handles, wood for, (see “cabinet.”)

Toothache, remedy for, 91, 163, 201, 359,
418, 489, 513, 603; bush, 51, 161.

Torch wood, 235.

Touch-me-not, 165.

Trays, material for, 388.

276.

Unicorn root, 611; false, 606, 700.

Urine, pl. coloring, 70; fetid, 80.

Urtication, 310.

Uterus, influence of cotton seed on, 105;
black snakeroot on, 19; cotton root on,
105; decodon on, 61; corn on, 631; co-
hosh on, 18, 55; viburnum and witch
hazel on, 62; black haw on, 447.

Uva ursi, subst. for, 416, 418.

Valerian, subst. for, 504, 603.

Valerianic acid, 447, 465.

Valisneria, singular fecundation of, 616.

Vanilla, native, subst. for, 199, 604; wild,
449.

Vapor, poisonous from plant, 237, 241,
501.

Varnishes, plants yielding, 235, 237, 241 ;
oil to prepare for, 498.

Vats for tanning, 288.

Vegetables, Calendar, to pl. for a constant
supply, 700.

Vegetable, stearine, 148, 150, 370; wax,
354, see “oil ;” acids, 407.

Velvet leaf, 162,

Veneering, material for, 14, 275.

Venus, fly-trap, 36.

Veratria in pl., 508.

Veratrum, viride and veratria, 607; mode
of using as a sedative, 608.

INDEX. 723

Verbena, 492. Wax, insect, 148; to obtain from myrtle,
Vermifuges, native, 40, 41, 48, 61, 68, 126,| 354; native of from myrtle, 353, 355;

154, 156, 157, 163, 172, 218, 859, 393,| from sugar cane, 667.

399, 401, 441, 467, 490, 501, 507, 508,) Weather, plant indicating, 422, 161.

558, 561, 578, 586, 589, 606, 689. Weeds, as manure and to prevent spread
Verjuice, 176. of, 583; alkaline salts in, 369.
Veronica, 510. Weed, fever, 43; white, 467.

Vervain, 491, 492. Weeping willow, 381.
Vertigo, plant producing, 19, 34, 163, 235, Weymouth pine, uses of, 584.

275, 501. Wharves, wood for, 307, 605.

Vesicants, see Escharotics, 13, 14, 152,|Wheat, gluten and starch from, 679; sub-

465, 615, 620. stitute for, 649; potash in, 369, 681;
Vetch, 226. from Doura corn, 649; ashes of, 369,
Viburnic acid, 447. 870; plant injuring, 634; smut in, 53,
Violet, @ommon, 80; hand leaved, 80;| 370; poisoned, 647; coffee from, 681;

dogs’s tooth, 609; blue, for soup, 80. soap from, 681 ; effects of barberry upon,
Vinegar, native material for, (see Su-| 53.

mach,) 288 ; from honey, 351; tig, 351;|Wheels, wood for, 353, 363.

from beet, 412; from persimmon, 426 ;}White, hellebore, 606; alder, 417; ash,

from pyroligneus acid, 575; from Ch.| 571; weed, 467; pine, 584; cedar, 588;

sugar-cane, 660; from watermelon, 68;| beech, 275; avens, 173; oak, bailing

from apple, 178; purity of, 178. for cotton, 296; elm, 362; weed, 467;
Vine, grape, 249, et seqg.; wine from, to} wood, 39; poplar, 39; spruce, 586;

make, 255, et seqg.; poison, 235; sensi-| rush, 678; cohosh, 20; sorrel, 165; clo-

tive, 281. ver, 204; willow, 376; poplar, 381.
Violet, 79, 80. Whortleberry, cordial from, 422.

Violine, 79. Wicks, lamp, plant for, 616.

Virgin’s bower, 14. Wild, chamomile, 465; carrot, 49; cherry,
Virgineic acid, 92. 196; syrup of, 1965 coffee, 446; cur-
Virginia, exploitation of sumach in, 243, rant, 194; endive, 473; ginger, 395;

246. rose, bay, 419; horehound, 454; hippo,

151; indigo, 202, 214; comfrey, 480;

ippecac, 151, 446; jalap, 21, 4343 let-

tuce, 477; lemon, 21; flax, 610; liquor-

ice, 52; orange, 197; potato vine, 434;

raspberry, 172; rice, 677; sarsaparilla,

52, 617; senna, 229; strawberry, 172;

yam, 618; vanilla, 449; garlic, 611;

pansy, 80; cinnamon, 156; clover, 204,

225; allspice, 392.

Willow, 374; osier, 375; purple, 375; for

baskets, 377; to cultivate, 375; red, 66;
Wake, robin, 619. herb, 59; black, 374; swamp, 374; dye
Walnut, 358, 359; sugar and oil from, 358, from, 216; weeping, 381.

361; leaves as alteratives, 359; for gun| Winds, plant to obstruct, 375.

stocks, 360; Persian, 362; dye from,|Wine, from native grape, to manufacture,

217, 360. 252, 264, et seg.; cellars for, 250, 257;
Wahoo, 154, 353; rope and cordage from,| Prof. Jacksons’ plan of making wine,

353. 250; from grape leaves, 255; Prof.
Walters’ pine, 585; grass, 678; FloraCaro-| Hume’s method, 251; from bullace, 273 ;

liniana, 557, 678. in California, 260; red, 262; fermenta-
Warts, plants destroying, 484, 559. tion of, 258; hock, 272; from orange,
Washing, economical mode of, 371. 129; blackberry, to make, 168; medica-
Washington thorn, 176, 198. ted from blackberry, 168, 170; from
Waterproof, material, 95 ; coating, 95. sap of birch, 306, 308; from mulberry,
Water, to purify, 371, 380; chickweed,| 347; to color, 403; sugar in, 249; do-

386; cress, 75; distilled, 449; for wash-| mestic, 264; claret, 272; to fine, 275;

ing, 371; fescue, 681; flaxseed, 628;| from palmetto, 605.

horehound, 482; lily, 35; melon, syrup| Wing-rib sumach, 241.

from, 68; pepper, 409; radish, 75 ;|Winter, berry, 428; green, 414, 415, 418.

witch hazel, to detect, 62; plantain, 615';| Wire grass 678.

grass to prevent cncroachment of, 381,/Witch hazel, 61; in detecting water, 62;

376; chinquapin, 35; grass, 42; parsnips,| large amount of tannin in, 63.

46; poisoned by plant, 318; oats, 677.| Woad, substitute for, 280, 48,

Virginian, veronica, 510; lycopus, 483;
cress, 71; swallow wort, 565; silk, 565;
medeola, 608 ; creeper, 273; strawberry,
173 ; raspberry, 172.

Vision, plant acting on, 501, 553, 623, 647,
668.

Vitality in plants, 193.

Volatile oil, peculiar, 627.

Vomiting, plants allaying, 58, 481, 485,
606; plant causing, 67.

Vulnerary, plant acting as, 422, 423.

724 INDEX.

Wolf's bane, 44. Wood-bine, 446.

Wood, native, for engraving, 66, 134, 148,| Works consulted, p. 1.
194, 178, 229, 274, 306, 419, 422, 431,)Wool, method of dyeing and pls. for, 215,
587; soft and hard for manufacturing} (see silk) vegetable, 312; to preserve,

urposes, 10, 39, 65, 194, 278, 306, 363,/ 450.
86, 889, 422, 584, 578, 586, 5885 for| Worm seed, 390.

cabinet and manufacturing purposes,, Worm wood, for supply of potash, 369,
37, 39,65, 85, 94, 197, 220, 229, 230, 274,) 402.
275, 297, 303, 306, 307, 352, 353, 358, 360, Worms, pl. producing, 401.
361, 363, 374, 887, 419, 481, 571, 578,|Woorari poison, from plant, 559.
584, 585, 587, 5895; strength of fibre of,|Wounds, pl. to prevent flies, on, 448.
223, 298, 304; dye from, (see dyes;) for| Xanthopicrite, 162.
submerged work, 307, 363, 381, 605 5) Xanthoxylin, 162.
relative density of, 304, 363, 386, 419,/Yam, 619; Chinese, 435, 619; wild, 618;
423 ; influence of soil upon, 304; for fuel,| root, wild, to cultivate and store, 618.
274, 865, 5745 duration of, 277, 278; im-| Yarrow, wild, 466 ; to arrest bleeding and
pregnated with sulph. of a and! increase strength of liquor, 466.
method, 307, 581; to preserve by chemi-| Yaupon, tea from, 431.
cal agencies, 582; kyanizing of, 307 ; for| Yawroot, 146.
ship building, 220, 222, 297, 298, 303,| Yeast, material for, 275.
848, 352, 368, 365, 874, 578, 584, 587,| Yellow, clover, 203; lady’s slipper, 603;
588; for gun powder, 379; for paper,} locust tree, 219; mocason, 603 ; thistle,
882 ; for gunstocks, 360 ; to season, 361;|} 28; parilla, 414; root, 15, 20; star grass,
distillation of, 575 ; for posts and fences,} 612; sarsaparilla, 414; water, 64; bal-
221, 352, 358, 363; material for artificial} sam tree, 155; wood, 201; water, 358;
limbs, 388; anemone, 14; sorrel, 165;| wood for dye, 427; jessamine, 251; ge-
for baling cotton, 363; for charcoal,| rardia, 509.
378, 576; for shoes, 387. Yew, Florida, 586.

INDEX

OF THE

BOTANICAL NAMES

OF

GENERA AND SPECIES.

Abies balsamea, 585.
canadensis, 585.

“ nigra, 586.

“ alba, 586.
Abutilon avicennex, 102.
Acalypha Virginica, 145.
Acer rubrum, 85.

“ saccharinum, 86.

“ negundo, 361,
Achillea millefolium, 466.
Achyranthes repens, 396.
Aconitum uncinatum, 44.

sid reclinatum, 44.
Acorus calamus, 626.
Acta racemosa, 18.

“« pachypoda, 20.

« alba, 20.

“ brachipetala, 19.
Adiantum pedatum, 686, 690.

Ha capillus veneris, 686.

ZEcidium, 54.
ZEsculus pavia, 90.
Agave Virginica, 599.

“« sisalina, 596.
pulque, 599.
Agaricus campestris, 694.

< ovatus, 698.

Agrimonia eupatoria, 173, 386.

Agrostis stolonifera, 645.

ci perennans, 678.
Aletris farinosa, 611.

s aurea, 612.
Alianthus glandulosa, 163.
Alge, 686, 691.

Allium Canadense, 611.

ee Carolinianum, 611.
Alisma plantago, 615.

“« ~~ trivialis, 615.

«parviflora, 615.
Alnus glutinosa, 307.

Alnus serrulata, 307, 415.

“ viridis, 307.

Alopecurus pratensis, 645.
Amarillis atamasco, 599.
Ambrosia trifida, 461.

a artemiszfolia, 461.
Amelanchier Canadensis, 194.
Amianthum muscztoxicum, 606.
Ammi majus, 46.

Amophila arenaria, 679.
Amorpha fruticosa, 219.
Ampelopsis quinquefolia, 248, 273,
Amphicarpa monoica, 227.
Amygdalus communis, 198, 196.
Ampyris Floridana, 235.
Anacharis Canadensis, 616.
Anagallis arvensis, 422.
Anchusa tinctoria, 151.
Andromeda augustifolia, 417.
arborea, 417.

- ligustrina, 417.

~ mariana, 416, 417.
= niti ‘a, 384, 417.

me speciosa, 417.

& acuminata, 417.

Andropogon scoparius, 647.
sorghum, 651.
Anemone nemorosa, 14.

4 hepatica, 15.
Anethum foeniculum, 48.
Angelica lucida, 47.

ae triquinata, 48.
Anona triloba, 41.
Anthemis cotula, 465.
Anthoxanthum odoratum, 892, 643.
Antennaria margaritacea, 467.
Apium graveoleus, 45.

“ petroselinum, 45.
Aplectrum hiemale, 602.
Apocynum cannabinum, 559.

726

Apocynum androsemifol. 561.
“¢ pubescens, 559.
Arachis hypogeea, 227.
Archangelica hirsuta, 48.
ee triquinata, 48.
Arethusa bulbosa, 603.
Aralia spinosa, 51.
“ nudicaulis, 51, 52.
“ racemosa, 52.
“hispida, 53.
Argemone Mexicana, 28.
Arisema atroreubens, 619.
“ triphyllum, 619.
Aristida, 678.

Aristolochia serpentaria, 393, 562.

a hastata, 394.
oa sipho, 395.
a tomentosa, 895.
Arnica nudicaulis, 468.
“ montana, 468.
Aronia botryapium, 194.
Artemisia caudata, 400.

Arrhenatherum avenaceum, 682.

Arundo arenaria, 645, 679.

Arundinaria gigantea, 682.
Ke macrosperma, 682.
es tecta, 683.

Arum maculatum, 619, 621-

“ triphyllum, 619.

“ Virginicum, 621,
Asarum Virgivicum, 396.

“« Canadense, 395.

« ~ arifolium, 396.
Aselepias variegata, 565.

curassavica, 567.

« decumbens, 562.

“« inearnata, 565.

« -verticillata, 565.

“ tuberosa, 562.

« — cornuti, 565,

“ syriaca, 565.

“« — obtusifolia, 565.
Aseyrum Crux-andra, 83.
«© multicaule, $3.

Asimina triloba, 41,
Asparagus officinalis, 613.
Aster tortifolius, 455.

“ cordifolius, 455.

“ linarifolius, 455,

“ puniceus, 455,
Astragalus boeticus, 204.
Atriplex laciniata, 399.

“« hastata, 398.
Atropa physaloides, 516.
Avena sativa, 679.

Azalea pontica, 421.
Baccharis halimfolia, 459.
Baptisia bracteata, 202.

« leucopheea, 202.

« tinctoria, 202.
Batatas edulis, 435.

Batis maratima, 397.
Batschia canescens, 33.
Benzoin odoriferum, 392.

INDEX.

Berberis Canadensis, 53.
«vulgaris, 53.

Beta vulgaris, 412.

Betula alba, 308.
«nigra, 306.
“rubra, 306.

« —lenta, 305, 418.

“« —Janulosa, 306.
Bidens bipinnata, 461.
Bignonia capreolata, 500.

“« eatalpa, 501.

“ ~ erucigera, 500.
Bletia verecunda, 602.

“ aphylla, 602.

Boehmeria nivea, 312.

e tenacissima, 312.

as candicans, 317.
Brassica oleracea, 495.

- campestris, 495.
Broussonetia papyrifera, 349.
Bromus secalinus, 683.

«“ purgans, 684.
Bumelia lycioides, 423.
Bursera gummifera, 235.
Buxus sempervirens, 134.
Cactus cochinilifer, 70.

“ opuntia, 70.
Calamagrostis, 679.
Callicarpa Americana, 491.
Callitriche verna, 386.

ee heterophylla, 386.
Caltha palustris, 17.

“ parnassifolia, 17,
Calycanthus Floridus, 233.
Calystegia sepium, 438.
Camelina sativa, 71.
Canella alba, 156.
Cannabis sativa, 317.

“ Indica, 318.
Canna flacida, 615.

“ eoccinea, 615.
Capparis spinosa, 79.

« Jamaicensis, 79.

“ _ eynophallophera, 79.
Caprifolium, 446.

Capsella bursa-pastoris, 74.

Capsicum annuum, 511.

as frutescens, 512.

ws baccatum, 512.
Carex acuta, 624, 686.
Cardiospermum halicacabum, 90.
Carica papaya, 42.
Carpinus betulus, 274.

« sylvestris, 274.
Carya amara, 362.

“ oliveeformis, 373.

“ porcina, 362.

“ alba, 362.

“ myristiceformis, 373.
Caryophilus, 233.

Cassia occidentalis, 230.

“ Caroliniana, 230.
“« chameecrista, 230.
“« hirsuta, 230.

Cassia Marylandica, 229.
«tora, 230.
Castanea pumila, 277.

as vesca, 277.
Catalpa cordifolia, 501.
& bignonioides, 501.

Caulophyllum thalictroides, 54, 278.
Ceanothus Americanus, 132.
Celastrus scandens, 133.
Celtis occidentalis, 353.

« Australis, 353.
Centaurea benedicta, 469.
Cephalanthus occidentalis, 443.
Cerasus serotina, 195.

3 Caroliniana, 197.
Cercis Canadensis, 230.
Chiococca racemosa, 18, 445.
Cicuta maculata, 44.

«« _virosa, 45.
Cimicifuga racemosa, 18.
Citrus aurantium, 127, 348.

“« acida, 131.

« bergamia, 132.

“« decumana, 132.

“vulgaris, 132.

ac edica, 132.

a imonum, 130, 348.
Chamelirium Carolinianum, 606.

<3 luteum, 606.
Chamerops palmetto, 604.

serrulata, 591, 604.

52 hystrix, 605.
Chelone glabra, 507.
Chenopodium anthelminticum, 399.

“ ambrosioides, 401.
) vulvaria, 401.

es album, 401.

‘e botrys, 400.

« maratimum, 397.

Chimephila maculata, 414.
umbellata, 415.

Chionanthus Virginica, 570,

Chironia, (see Centaurea,) 556.

Chrysanthemum leucanthemum, 467.

Cichorium intibus, 473.
Citrus aurantium.

- limonum.
Cladrastis tinctoria, 201.
Clematis crispa, 13.

« viorna, 14.

“ Virginiana, 14.

“« ~ eylindrica, 13.
Clethra tomentosa, 384, 417.

“« ~alnifolia, 385, 417.
Cliftonia ligustrina, 155.
Clusia flava, 155.

«rosea, 156.

Cnicus benedictus, 469.
Coccoloba uvifera, 413.

« Floridana, 413.
Coffea Arabica, 444.
Collinsonia Canadensis, 236, 486.

C anisata, 487.
a scabra, 487.

INDEX.

Commelina communis, 614.

Comptonia asplenifolia, 357.

Convallaria multifiora, 613.
as biflora, 613.

Os majalis, 612.

s polygonatum, 613.
Convolyulus macrorhizus, 434.

“ batatas, 435.

e jalapa, 435.

panduratus, 434.
sh dissectus, 435.

Coprosmanthus herbaceus, 618.

« peduncularis, 618.

Corallorrhiza adontorrhiza, 603.
as hiemale, 602.
Cornus Florida, 63.

“ sericcea, 66.

«sanguinea, 66.

“ ~ stricta, 66.

“ circinata, 66.
Corylus rostrata, 274.

«« Americana, 274.

« ~ avellana, 275.
Corypha palmetto, 604.
Crategus crus-galli, 176.

cf cordata, 176, 198.
.|Croton balsamiferum, 134.

“ —lacciferum, 134.

“« maratimum, 134.

“« tiglium, 134.

“«« sebifera, 147.
Cryptogamia, 686.

Ctenium Americanum, 681.
Cucumis citrullus, 68.

= pepo, 68.

o melo, 69.

sativus, 69.
Cucurbita lagenaria, 69.
Cunila mariana, 487.
Cupressus disticha, 587.

a thyoides, 588.
Cuscuta Americana, 433.

“compacta, 433.

- cornuti, 433.

vulgivaga, 433.
Cynara scolymus, 470.
Cynoglossum Virginicum, 480.

officinale, 481.
amplexicaule, 480.
Cyperus articulatus, 634.

<- virens, 684.

a odoratus, 684,

< hydra, 6385.

- repens, 684,
Cypripedium pubescens, 603.

“ce

acaule, 603.
“ spectabile, 603.
<< parvifilorum, 603.

Cyrilla racemiflora, 155.
Dactylis glomerata, 684.
Dasistoma pubescens, 509.
Datura stramonium, 549.
“« tatula, 554.
“« metel, 554.

727

728

Daucus, carota, 48.

« pusilus, 49.
Decodon verticillatum, 61.
Delphinium consolida, 18.

wy exaltatum, 18.
Diervila trifida, 446.
cb Canadensis, 446.

Digitaria dactylon, 647.
Digitalis purpurea, 508.
Dilatris tinctoria, 600.
Dionxa muscipula, 36.
Dioscorea battatus, 435, 619.

& villosa, 618,

of sativa, 619.

es alata, 619.
Diospyros Virginiana, 385, 423.
Diplopappus linarifolius, 455.
Direa palustris, 389.
Discopleura capillacea, 46.
Dodonea viscosa, 90.
Dracocephalum variegatum, 489.

“t Virginianum, 490.
«é Awmericanum, 489.

Dracontium foetidum, 622.
Drosera rotundifolium, 81.
Echites difformis, 559.

“ suberecta, 559.
Eclipta erecta, 462.

«* procumbens, 462.
Eleocharis palustris, 685.
Elymus arenarius, 644, 679.
Epilobium angustifolium, 59.
Epiphagus Americana, 505.
Epidendrum, 604.

Epigwa repens, 417.
Equisetum levigatum, 688.
so hiemiale, 689.
cs arvense, 589.
Erecthites hieracifolia, 468.
Erigeron annuum, 457.
“ Canadense, 455.
«“ Philadelphicum, 457.
“ pusilum, 457.

ss strigosum, 457.
Eryngium aquaticum, 43.

se yuccefolium, 43, 600.

ae foetidum, 45.

ae aromaticum, 43.

as maratimum, 43.
Erythronium Americanum, 6(9.

. lanceolatum, 609,

Erythrina herbacea, 202.
Erysimum, 74.

a officinale, 75.
Eugenia, 233.
Euonymus Americanus, 154.

€ artopurpureus, 154.
Eupatorium perfoliatum, 33, 451.
ae rotundifolium, 45-
sf purpureum, 453.
a teucrifolium, 454.
oo verbenxfolium, 454.
«“ foeniculaceum, 384, 454

Euphorbia corollata, 151.

INDEX.

Euphorbia helioscopia, 153.
“f hypericifolia, 152.
“ ippecacuanha, 152.
“ maculata, 153.
ee thymifolia, 154.
Exostemma caribseum, 442.
Fagus sylvatica, 275.
«Americana, 275.
“ feruginea, 276.
« sylvestris, 276.
Festuca, 681.
a duriuscula, 682.
Ficus carica, 349.
Filices, 686.
Feeniculum officinale, 46.
Fosteronia difformis, 559.
Fragaria vesea, 172.
a Virginiana, 173.
Frangula Caroliniana, 133.
Frasera Walteri, 556.

es Caroliniensis, 556.

Fraxinus acuminata, 571.
UG Americana, 571.
sf excelsior, 571.

Fuci, 686, 691.

Fucus serratus, 691.

. © vesiculosus, 691.
Fumaria officinalis, 34.
Fungi, 694.

Galium trifidum, 444.

ss verum, 444,
oH hispidulum, 444.
as tinctorium, 444.

Gardenia pubescens, 123.

1) lasianthus, 123.
Gaultheria procumbens, 306, 418.
Gelseminum sempervirens, 501.
Gentiana Oatesbaei, 554.

6 ochroleueca, 556.

a lutea, 324, 555.

i purpurea, 324, 555.
ae Elliottii, 554.

yi saponaria, 556.

“s quinqueflora, 556.

Geranium maculatum, 164.
Gerardia flava, 509.
“purpurea, 509.
Geum Virginianum, 173.
“ Carolinianum, 173.
Gillenia tomentosa, 174.

* trifoliata, 175.

“« stipulacea, 176.
Gleditschia triacanthus, 229.
Glyceria fluitans, 681.

Glyceria tomentosa, 218.
Glycyrrhiza glabra, 50.

vy lepidota, 50.
Gnaphalium margaritaceum, 468.

a polycephalum, 468.
Goodyera pubescens, 604.
Gonolobus macrophyllus, 562.
Gossypium herbaceum, 104.
Gratiola officinalis, 508.
st) aurea, 508.

Gratiola Virginica, 508.
Guaiacum sanctum, 165.
Gyromia virginica, 608.
Hamiltonia oleifera, 402.
Hamamelis virginica, 61, 447.
Hedeoma pulegioides, 487.
Hedera helix, 273.
Hedyotis, 445.
Helenium autumnale, 457.
Helianthus tuberosus, 462.

Sf aunuus, 463.
Helianthemum Canadense, 81.

As corymbosum, 81.

Holiotropium Indicum, 450.
Helonias dioica, 606, 700.

« — erythrosperma, 606.
Helasciadium, 46.
Hepatica triloba, 15.
Heracleum lanatum, 46.
Herpestis monniera, 508.

ne cuneifolia, 508.
Heuchera Americana, 234.
cy villosa, 233.

FE caulescens, 233.

Hibiscus moscheutos, 102.
“« gsculentus, 102, 625.
Hieracium gronovii, 484.
ae venosum, 484
Hippomane mancinella, 145.
Holcus odoratus, 393, 644.
« sorghum, 648.
« Ianatus, 682.
Hopea tinctoria, 427, 385.
Houstonia, 445.
Humulus lupulus, 319, 386.
Hydrangea arborescens, 234.
ots vulgaris, 234.
as cordata, 234.
Hydrastis Canadensis, 15.
Hydrolea quadrivalvis, 438.
Hydrocotyle umbellata, 42.
Hypericum sarothra, $5.

‘ perforatum, 83, 386.

Ilex cassine, 429, 431.

« vomitoria, 431.

“ opaca, 428, 432.

“ Paraguaiensis, 432.

“ verticillata, 428.

“ dahoon, 429, 433.

“aquifolium, 429.

“ inyrtifolia, 433.

“ glaber, 428.
Ilicium Floridanum, 39.

« parviflorum, 39.

Impatiens pallida, 165.

es noli me tangere, 165.
Indigophera Caroliniana, 204.

t argentea, 206.

sf anil, 205.

aS tinctoria, 205, 206.

a disperma, 208.

Inga unguiscati, 230.
Inula helenium, 458.
Tpomeea nil, 434.

48

INDEX.

Ipomoea panduratus, 434.
“ sinuata, 435.
Iris Virginica, 601.
“versicolor, 43, 600.
“« verna, 601.
Isatis tinctoria, 205.
Jatropha stimulosa, 145.
Jeffersonia diphylla, 20.
Juglans cinerea, 357.
“ nigra, 217, 359.
“ regia, 362.
Juncus effusus, 616.
«communis, 616.

Juniperus Virginiana, 189, 585.

Jussiza grandiflora, 59.
Kalmia latifolia, 419.

“angustifolia, 421.

“« hirsuta, 421.
Krameria Janceolata, 94.
Lachnanthes tinctoria, 600.
Lactuca elongata, 477.

“longifolia, 477.

as virosa, 477.
Lappa major, 469.
Lathvrus, 204.

Laurus sassafras, 216, 389.

“« benzoin, 392.

“« geniculata, 393.

“ — camphora, 233.
Leersia oryzoides, 678.
Lemna polyrhiza, 628.
Leontice thalictroides, 54.
Leontodon taraxacum, 471.
Leonurus cardiaca, 490.
Lepidium Virginicum, 71.

<4 sativum, 78.
Leptandra Virginica, 510.
“ alba, 510.

Lespedeza striata, 224.

Leucanthemum vulgare, 400, 467.

Leucothoe acuminata, 417.
Liatris spicata, 450.
« squarrosa, 450.
“« scariosa, 450.
“ odoratissima, 449.
Lichenes, 686.
Ligustrum vulgare, 412.
Limnetis, 679.
Linum usitatissimum, 94,
“« virginianum, 101.

Liquidambar styraciflua. 382, 389.

Liriodendron tulipifera. 22.
Lithospermum canescens, 33.

se arvense, 480.
Lobelia inflata, 438.

«« syphilitica, 441.

« eardinalis, 441.
Lolium temulentum, 646.
Lonicera sempervirens, 446.

€ diervila, 446.

se caprifolium, 446.
Ludwigia alternifolia, 60.
Lycoperdon solidum, 44, 699.

“ giganteum, 699.

729

730

Lycopus Europeus, 482.
« angustifolius, 482.
“ sinuatus, 482.
“ Virginicus, 483.

Lycopodium clavatum, 687, 690.

# selago, 690.
Lysimachia nummularia, 509.
Maclura auruntiaca, 119.
Magnolia glauca, 36, 385.

acuminata, 38.
vs grandiflora, 38.
kg macrophylla, 39.
y tripetala, 39.
es umbrella, 39.
Malva rotundifolia, 101.

«¢ sylvestris, 101.
Maranta arundinacea, 590.
Marrubium vulgare, 490.
Maruta cotula, 465.
Medeola Virginica, 608.
Medicago lupulina, 203.

Melanthium Virginicum, 606.

Melia azedarach, 126, 200.
Melilotus officinalis, 203, 393.
Melissa officinalis, 482.
Melothria pendula, 69.
Menispermum Canadense, 414.
Mentha tenuis, 481.

3 viridis, 481.

¢ piperita, 482.

a rotundifolia, 482.
Mercurialis annua, 154.

es perennis, 154.

Mertensia Virginica, 481.
Miagrum sativum, 73.
Mimosa sensitiva, 231.
Mimusops Sieberi, 423.
Mikania scandens, 450.
Mitchella repens, 443.
Monarda punctata, 485.
Monocera aromatica, 681.
Monotropa uniflora, 416.
Morus alba, 324, 349.
“« Multicaulis, 327, 328.
«rubra, 347.
Musci, 686.
Mylocarium, 155.
Myrica Carolinensis, 357.
4 cerifera, 353, 389.
Nabalus Fraseri, 477.
Nasturtium officinale, 75.
Nelumbium luteum, 35.
Nepeta cataria, 489.
Nesea verticillata, 61.
Nicandra physaloides, 516.
Nicotiana tabacum, 516.
Nolina georgiana, 611.
Nymphvea odorata, 35.
Nyssa aquatica, 386.
“ eapitata, 388.
(Kcidium, 698.
Oenothera biennis, 58, 386.
Oldenlandia, 445.
Olea Europea, 567.

INDEX.

Olea Americana, 570.

“ fragrans, 124.
Opuntia vulgaris, 70.
Orchis cristata, 602.
Orobanche Virginiana, 505.

Americana, 505,

¢ uniflora, 505.

rs major, 505.
Orontium aquaticum, 623.
Oryza sativa, 667.
Osmunda regalis, 687, 690.
Ostrya Virginica, 273.

“_ earpinus, 273.
Oxalis acetosella, 165.

violacea, 166. ;

corniculata, 166.

furcata, 166.
Oxycoccus, 421.
Oxydendron arboreum, 417.
Pachyma cocos, 699.
Palmella, 693.

3s prodigiosa, 694.
Panax trifolium, 50.

“ quinquefolinm, 49,
Paneratium maratimum, 600.

e Carolinianum, 600.
Panicum dactylon, 647.

13 Italicum, 647.
Parietaria Pensylvanica, 317.

He debilis, 317.

#2 Floridana, 317.

Parthenium integrifolium, 461.
Papaver somniferum, 23.

she alba, 25.

ay dubium, 28.
Passiflora lutea, 82.

i incarnata, 82.
Peltandra Virginica, 621.
Pharbitis nil, 434.

Phleum pratense, 648.
Phoradendron pratense,

ss flavescens, 67.
Phyllanthus niruri, 145. *
Physalis viscosa, 516.

4 obscura, 516.

a pubescens, 516.
Phytolacca decandra, 54, 402.
Pilea pumila, 317.
Pinckneya pubens, 442.
Pinus nigra, 584.

“| australis, 572:

6 ~ plabra, .085.

“ balsamea, 585.

“ balsamifera, 585.

“Canadensis, 585.

“palustris, 572.

« rigida, 584.

« strobus, 584.

«“ teeda, 585.

“ inops, 585.

Piscidia erythrina, 201.

Pisum sativum, 226.
Pithecolobium unguiseati, 230.
Plantago major, 478, 386.

Plantago lanceolata, 479.
Platanthera cristata, 602.
Plumbago scandens, 480.
Poa,

“ compressa, 681.

“ pratensis, 645, 681.
Podisoma juniperi, 698.

sf macropus, 698.

Podophyllum peltatum, 21.

quadrangularis, 83.

iy rubra, 83.
Polygala senega, 91, 451.
paucifolia, 93.
“« polygama, 94.
“rubella, 94.
“« sanguinea, 93.
‘camara, 94.
«lutea, 94.
Polygonum punctatum, 409.
aviculare, 410.
2 convolyulus, 411.
S fagopyrum, 411.
as hispidum, 410.
ae hydropiper, 409.

ae persicaria, 408.
“~ polygama, 410.
es parvifolia, 410.
so mnite, 409.

ve scandens, 411.
$6 tinctorium, 205.
- acre, 409.

Polygonatum biflorum, 613.
pubescens, 613.
ee multiflorum, 613.
Polypodium vulgare, 689.
Populus alba, 381.
ss heterophylla, 382, 453.
Portulaca oleracea, 156.
Potentilla Canadensis, 166.
oe reptans, 166.
Pothos, 622.
Prenanthes alba, 385, 477,
& serpentaria, 477.
Prinos verticilatus, 428.
« gilaber, 428.
Protococcus, 694.
Prunella vulgaris, 487.
Prunus Virginana, 195.
“« Caroliniana, 197.
«spinosa, 198.
Psoralea esculenta, 204.
Pyscotria lanceolata, 444.
6 undata, 444.
Ptelea trifoliata, 163.
Pteris aquilina, 689.
Pterocaulon pycnostachyum, 460.
Puccinia, 698.
Pulmonaria Virginica, 481.
Punica granatum, 61, 351.
Pyrethrum caucasicum, 130, 400.
Pyrola maculata, 414.
“umbellata, 415.
“ yotundifolia, 416.
Pyrus coronaria, 176.

INDEX. 731

Pyrus malus, 177.
« eydonia, 177.
“ communis, 177, 192.
« Americana, 193.
Pyrularia oleifera, 402.
Quercus tinctoria, 279, 305.
Me alba, 305, 296.
“¢ falcata, 279, 296.
a montana, 303.
Oe prinus, 305.
oo rubra, 296, 302.
oe virens, 303.
me tinctoria, 296.
He suber, 305.
oo castanea, 305.
Ranunculus sceleratus, 17.

e repens, 17.
sé phragmites, 14.
& nitidus, 17.

Rhamuus Carolinianus, 133.
Rheum palmatum, 411.

4 emodii, 411.
Rhexia glabella, 60.
Rhizophora mangle, 58.
Rhododendron maximum, 419.

i. punctatum, 419.
Rhus toxicodendron, 235.
Rhus coriaria, 243.

“ copallina, 241.

«glabra, 217, 237, 242.

«pumila, 242.

« radicans, 235, 241.

« typhina, 242.

“vernix, 241.

“«« _venenata, 241.
metopium, 243.

« ~ aromatica, 248.

“« eotinus, 243.

“ cotinoides, 243.

« Virginieum, 239.
Rhyncos‘a tomentosa, 226.
Ricinus communis, 134.
Robinia pseudacacia, 219.

e flava, 220.

Ke viscosa, 224.

rosea, 224.

a hispida, 224.

Rosa Caroliniana, 121.
Rubia tinctorium, 444.

« Brownii, 444.
Rubus villosus, 167, 385.

“occidentalis, 172.

“ trivialis, 168.
Ruellia strepens, 504.
Rumex crispus, 406.

es acetosella, 406.

“« Britannicus, 408.

« sanguineus, 408.

« acetosa, 407.

“ obtusifolius, 408.

“« divaricatus, 408.

« acutus, 219.

Rabal Adansonil, 605.
puila, 605.

Sabbatia angularis, 556.

a gracilis, 556.

« stellaris, 556.
Saccharum officinarum, 667.
Sagittaria sagittifolia, 615.

ce latifolia, 615.

Salicornia herbacea, 599.
ae Europea, 398.
uo annua, 693.

Salix nigra, 374.
viminalis, 376.

“ caprea, 375.

“purpurea, 374, 377.

“ triandra, 374.

ss alba, 377.

“ babilonica, 381.
Salsola soda, 158, 398.

+ kali, 159, 597.

“ Caroliniana, 159.
Salvia lyrata, 453.

‘¢ officinalis, 454.

Sambucus Canadensis, 447, 127.

a nigra, 214, 447.
Samolus valerandi, 425.
Sanguinaria Canadensis, 30.
Sanicula Marylandica, 42.
Sapindus marginatus, 90.

ee emarginatus, 90.

te saponaria, 90.
Saponaria officinalis, 157.
Sarracenia variolaris, 59.

Be flava, 55.

i purpurea, 57.
Sarothra gentianoides, 85.
Sassafras officinale, 389.
Saururus cernuus, 375.
Schcenolerion Michauxii, 611.
Schrankia uncinata, 231.

2 angustata, 231.
Schubertia, 587.

Scirpus maratimus, 685.

e macrostachyus, 685.
palustris, 685.
cs lacustris, 624, 686.

Seoparia dulcis, 511.

Serophularia Marylandica, 507.

4 nodosa, 507.
Scutellaria integrifolia, 489.
q3 lateriflora, 488.

« galericulata, 489.

Seneceo aureus, 468.

3 hyeracifolia, 468.
Sesamum indicum, 103, 492.

Re orientale, 492, 496,
Shepardia magnoides, 200.
Sida abutilon, 102.
Silene Virginica, 157.
Silphium perfoliatum, 460.

a laciniatum, 460.

es gummiferum, 460.
Simaruba glauca, 163.
Sinapis nigra, 75.

es alba, 77.
Sisymbrium amphibium, 75.

INDEX.

Sisymbrium nasturtium, 74.
ae officinale, 75.
Sium nodiflorum, 46.
Smilacina, 613.
Smilax sarsaparilla, 617.
a caduca, 616, 617.
Kc glauca, 617.
ce Walteri, 617.
= herbacea, 618.
& ovata, 618.
we pseudo-china, 616, 390.
a tamnoides, 616, 618.
ne laurifolia, 616.
Solanum Virginianum, 514.
lycopersicum, 515.

ef Carolinense, 513.

< mammosum, 514.

ie duleamara, 513.

se nigrum, 512.

se tuberosum, 514.
Solidago odora, 458.

e sempervirens, 458.

3 Canadensis, 458.

fe procera, 458.
Sonchus oleraceus, 477.
Sorghum vulgare, 649, 651.

G saccharatum, 649.

re cernuum, 649.
Sorbus Americana, 193.

ae acuparia, 193, 386.

U3 microcarpa, 193.
Spartina glabra, 679.
ef juncea, 678,

Spatgeninn ramosum, 620.
Americanum, 625.
Spergula arvensis, 161, 644.
Spigelia Marylandica, 55.
Spirvea trifoliata, 174, 175.
bP opulifolia, 175.
a stipulacea, 174, 176.
Ks tomentosa, 174.
Spirodelia polyrhiza, 628.
Sporobolus, 678.
Staphy lea trifolia, 155.
pinnata, 155.
Statice limonium, 398, 479.

a3 Caroliniana, 398, 479, 386.

Stellaria media, 161.
Stillingia sylvatica, 146.

os sebifera, 147.
Styrax, 427.

Swietenia mahogoni, 94.

a febrifuga, 94.
Symplocarpus foetidus, 622.
Symplocos tinctoria, 427.
Sysyrinchium Bermudianum, 601.

mucronatum, 601.
Tanacetum vulgare, 400, 466, 467.
Taraxacum dens-Leonis, 471.
Taxodium distichum, 587.
Taxus Floridana, 586.
Tephrosia Virginiana, 218.
Tetranthera geniculata, 393.
Thea viridis, 125.

INDEX.

Thlaspium bursa-pastoris, 74.
Thuja occidentalis, 198, 503, 586.
Thymus vulgaris, 486.

Tilia glabra, 121.

“« Americana, 121, 123.
Europea, 121.
pubescens, 121.
Tillandsia usneoides, 602.
Tricodium perennans, 678.
Trifolium pratense, 203.

&é arvense, 204.
reflexum, 204,
repens, 204.
melilotus, 449.
Trillium sessile, 608.

Cs erectum, 608.
pendulum, 609.
Triosteum perfoliatum, 446.

a angustifolium, 446.
Tripsacum daclyloides, 646.

<é monostachyum, 646.
Tripterella ceerulia, 600.
Triticum, 679.

ue repens, 644.
Tussilago farfara, 17.
Typha latifolia, 623, 686.
Ulmus fulva, 351.

“alata, 353.
Americana, 352.
Uniola paniculata, 648.
Uredo segetum, 698.

“ fetida, 698.
Urtica urens, 308.

«“ nivea, 312.
dioica, 308, 310.
pumila, 317.
heterophylla, 312.
Utricularia inflata, 60.
Ustilago maidis, 632.
Uvaria triloba, 41.
Uvularia perfoliata, 615.

“6 sessiliflora, 613.
Vaccinium arboreum, 422.

“ macrocarpon, 421.

4: myrtillus, 214.
Valeriana scandens, 504,

Ce pauciflora, 504,
Valisneria spiralis, 615,
Veratrum viride, 606, 502.

es parviflorum, 607.
album, 606.

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Veratrum angustifolium, 608.

ti intermedium, 607.
Verbascum thapsus, 505.

“A blattaria, 507.
lychnitis, 507.
Verbena urticifolia, 236, 491.

“« ~ aubletia, 492.
hastata, 492.
Verbesina Virginica, 461.
Vernonia angustifolia, 449.
Veronica officinalis, 509.
| anagallis, 511.
“peregrina, 510.

e Virginica, 510.
Viburnum prunifolium, 62, 447.
Vicia sativa, 226, 204.
| faba, 226.
| Vitis, 249, et seq.

“cordifolia, 249,

| “ bipinnata, 248.
vulpina, 250, 273.
labrusea, 250, 263.
rupestris, 250.
zstivalis, 264.
palmata, 249.
vinifera, 250.
Virginiana, 249.

| Viola tricolor, 80.

| “ arvensis, 79.
cucullata, 80.
palmata, 50.
pedata, 79.
Virgilia lutea, 201.
‘Viscum verticillatum, 67.

“ flavescens, 67.
'Winterana canella, 156.
|Xanthium strumarium, 460.
|Xanthoxylon, (see Zanthoxyluin.)
Xerophyllum, 606.

Yucca filamentosa, a

Zamia integrifolia, 572, 617.

| Zanthoxylum yee alo 161, 162.
us Carolinianum, 162.

clava-Hereulis, 161.

fraxineum, 51, J61.

ramiflorum, 161.

tricarpum, 162.

|Zanthorrhiza apiifolia, 20.

Zea mays, 628.

Zizania aquatica, 677

| Zostera marina, 397, 627

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MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS

Hstablished in 1848.

FF ss "Ha ae @

NEW LEBANON, N. Y.
AND
176 WILLIAM STREET, NEW YORE.

1869.

Prepared in Vacuo.

Acid, Carbolic.— Crystals, Pure and Solution.—-Carbolic acid is an es
charotic stimulant, rubefacient and antiseptic. It possesses very important disin-
fecting, deodorising and antiseptic powers. Its specific action upon all organic and
inorganic matter preserves it from putrefaction and decay. In addition to these
properties it acts when locally appli ed, as an escharotic, or diluted, as a stimulant ;

when given internally it resembles Creasote in its power of allaying several forms of

vowiting and gastric irritability. Dr. Godfrey found benefit from its use in vomit-

ing in pregnancy, flatulency of old age, diarrhoea, putrid discharges from the mouth,
throat, ears, rectum and vagina. It is usedas a gargle in stomatitis, aphthe, diph-

theria and ulcerated sore throat, as a wash in ill-conditioned ulcers, sloughing

wounds, cancerous ulcerations, fetid perspiration of feet, or as a disinfectant for
feeca aes ter, contagion of sick room, cess-pools. See Jour. Materia Medica, vol. 6.
Dose, eel one drop. One drop of the deliquesced acid largely diluted in water,
and one teaspoonful of the solution.

Acid, Chromic.—Used as an escharotic in syphilitic vegetations, in ulcera-
tions, warts and morbid eves ; gives less pain than other caustics, acts as a rapid
solvent of organic matter. See Jour. Materia Medica, vol. 2 and 6.

Ammonia, Aqua Fortior.—The gas constitutes 26 per cent. of the so-
lution ‘Too strong for medicinal use in its unmixed state.

Ammonia, Aromatic Spirits of—Stimulant and alexipharmiec, Medicinal
properties bear a close resemblance to those of the simple spirits. It is a weaker
prevaration and has generally gained the preference with physicians on account
of its grateful taste and smell. It is advantageously employed as a stimulant
antacid in sick headache. Dose, thirty to sixty drops properly diluted with water.

Ammonia, Hypophosphite of —Stimulant tonic. One of the agents
recommended in the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis, and is indicated in tnat

class of maladies characterizea by a want of nervous tone and integrity, ana ia
some types of mental aberrance and defective osseous formation. Dose, ten to thirty
grains.

Ammonia. Spirits of.—Spirits of ammonia are stimulant, anti-spassnodic
and alexipharmic. Ammonia is adapted for speedily rousing the action of the vas-
cular and respiratory systems and for the prompt alleviation of spasms. In languor,
hysteria, Hatulent colic, syncone nervous debility, and acidity of the prima via, it
proves very serviceable. As an internal and external remedy to obviate the sequelze
of the bile of rabid animals, venomous insects and reptiles, its power is well
known. By wav of inhalation, it is administered when it is desited to make a

strong impression on the nervous system, in cephalalgia, hemicrania, and faintness |

or collapse. Ammoniacal inhalations have been found very useful in asphyxia,
and to prevent an attack of epilepsy. The aromatic spirits has the preference as
an internal medicine.

Ammonia, Valerianate of, Crystals. —-Nervine stimulant, and anti-
spasmodic, Particularly valuable in ‘neuralgia, The favorable report of its efficacy
in this disorder, made by M. Déclat, has been confirmed by practitioners from
all quarters. It has proved signally potent in some severe cases, which had resisted

all the ordinary remedies. Much benefit has been derived from it in some cases of |

hysteria, chorea, epilepsy and other nervous affections. See Jour. Materia
Medica, vol. 4. Dose, two to eight grains dissolyed in water.

Ammonium, Bromide of.—Dr. Gibb recommends it as an absorbent in

glandular and other enlargements, in ne1yous affections connected with diseased —

and irritated mucous membrane, epilepsy, chorea, whooping cough, &c. See
Jour. Materia Medica, vol. 6. Dose, two to ten grains three times a day.

Arsenic, Iodide of —Alterative and tonic. When given internally it is absorb-
ed into the system, and is eliminated by the urine, saliva and perspiration, {tis a
powerful remedy, and requires to be given with great caution. Valuable in can-

cerous affections, lupus, lepra, psoriasis, impetigo, tinea capitis, &e See Journal
Materia Medica, vol. 8 and 6. Dose, one sixteenth to one-eighth of a grain three

times a day.

Arsenic and Mercury, Solution Iodide of.—Doenovan’s Solution.—
Each flind dram contains Teriodide of Arsenic, equal to one eighth grain of Arse-
nious Acid, of [odide of Mereury equivalent to one-fourth grain of the Peroxide

Sd i at ald ar 5 oe cients te is
|
j
!
|
|
}

of Mercury, and three fourth grain of Iodine, converted into hydriodic Acid.
Powerful alterative, particularly adapted to the treatment of venereal diseases,

‘cerous diseases, obstinate cutaneous diseases, sycosis, urticaria or nettle rash, &e

ein five to twenty drops three times a day ; preferable in distilled water.

Arsenite Potassa, Solution of.—Vowler’s Solution.— Used in inveterate
cutaneous affections, chorea, &c. ®

Each fluid dram contains one-half grain of Arsenious Acid. Dose, for an adult,
five drops three times a day.

Bismuth, Citrate of.—This salt is perfectly soluble in water, by the addition
of a smal] quantity of aqua ammonia; its ready solubility in the stomach renderg it
more desirable for administration than the sub-nitrate, or perhaps the other salts.

Dose, two grains, in substance, dissolved in water or syrup, by theaddition of a
few drops of aqua ammonia.

Bismuth Liquor, or Liquid Bismuth.—The advantages of this prepa-
ration are, that the metal isin a perfect state of solution, being a solution of ammoni.

ated citrate, it mixes with water and other fluids without precipitation. ‘It allays
pain in acute irritability of the stomach, (without nausea or much acidity), espec-
ially that which remains after ulceration, and is the most eligible form for the
administration of Bismuth.’’ Each fluid drachm contains two grains Citrate Bismuth.

Bismuth, Sub Carbonate of.—Recommended by Prof. Hannon of Brussels,
as a Substitute for the nitrate, who alleges for it the good qualities of the sub-
nitrate, that it is antacid, readily soluble in the gastric juice, rarely constipates,
and may be employed for a long time without oppressing the stomach ; itis insipid,
excites no repugnance, and may be taken before meals. Dose, ten to fifteen
grains three times a day.

Bismuth, Sub Nitrate of.—Bismuth subnitrate, is tonie and anti-spasmodic,
sedative and alterative, with special efficacy in atonic dyspepsia, painful affec-
tions of the stomach, as gastralgia, cardialgia and pyrosis, also in diarrhea of
typhus fever and consumption, in sub-acute and chronic dysentery. See Jour.
Materia Medica, vol. 6. Dose, five to fifteen grains three times a day.

PS | ce

Bismuth, Tannate of.—This preparation combines the astringency of Tannin,
with the sedative and other qualities of Bismuth. Was first introduced by Dr. Cap,
of the Academy of Medicine, Paris, in diarrhea, chronic and acute dyspepsia, chronic
gastritis. In these dificalties its virtue is due to its soothing influence upon the
inflamed or irritated mucous surface. See Jour. Materia Medica, vols. 2 and 6,
Dose, five to fifteen grains three times a day.

Bismuth, Valerianate of,—-Sedative, astringent and anti-spasn, dic; valuable

in neuralgic affections, painful affections of the stomach, chronic gastralgia, in
gastrodynia of hysterical women, and particularly when combined with Belladonna.
Dose, one-half to two grains.

Black Drop.—Synonymous with Vinegar of Opium and Opii Acetum. It
is of double the strength of Jaudanum, six and a half minims containing the soluble
parts of about one grain of opium. It exhibits all the anodyne or soporific prop-
erties of the narcotic, and may be advantageously used, in many instances, when
in consequence of some idiosyncrasy in the disease or in the constitution of the

| patient, opium itself or laudanum is contraindicated, because they occasion head-

ache, nausea and other disagreeable sequelze. Dose, one to ten drops.

Calcium, Iodide of.—Alterative. This salt is very valuable in cases in
which the icdide of potassium is inadmissible. It does not occasion idiosm or re-
sorption of healthy tissues; it does not excite the circulation nor irritate the
stomach and bladder by passing off to rapidly by the kidneys.

Its solution in milk is perfectly tasceless. It is particularly useful in squamous —
diseases of the skin, and chron 42d metallic poisoning by mercury, lead and copper.
Dose,—One-fourth of a grain solution, three times a day.

Cantharidal Acetic Rubefacient.—A convenient and efficient instru-
ment to produce counte--irritation, when it is desired to occasion merely redness
or inflammation of the skin. - Offered as a substitute for the ordinary irritants, such
as mustard

Cantharidal Acetic Vesicant.—-An energetic and reliable epispastic
and adapted to cover uneven surfaces. On account of the facility of application,
certainty of effect, and slightness of pain, no agent is equal to cantharides for caus-
ing yesication when applied to the skin, Applicable to those conditions when it is
desirable to substitute a mild and easily managed disease for an internal and
intractable one; when a desiderative influence is required, and the absorbents, the ||
circulation and the whole system need stimulation and increased vigor by external
means. Recommended to physicians as the most prompt blistering article in use.

Cantharidal Collodion.—‘‘It produces a blister in about the same time as
the ordinary cerate, and has the advantages that it is applied with greater facility,
is better adapted to cover uneven surfaces, and retains its place with more cer-
tainty.” On application, evaporation of the ether takes place in less than a minute,
and it may then be re-applied if necessary.

Carbolate of Lime.—Used for disinfecting purposes. Put up in five to ten
pound boxes.
Cerium, Oxalate of—Nervine-tonic and sedative. Prof Simpson, of Ed-
inburgh, speaks of it as almost aspecificin chorea. It has been extravagantly lauded
in chronic vomiting, and in that attendant on phthisis, hysteria, pyrosis, and atonic
dyspepsia; while in the vomiting of pregnancy it has been found more successful
than any other remedy. Singularly beneficial results have followed the employment
of this agent in cases of general intestinal eruption, in irritable dyspepsia with gas-
trodynia, &c, Dose, one grain, two or three times daily, dissolved in water.

Chloroform, Chemically Pure.—This article is prepared by ourselves
from alcohol and other pure materials, and is not the commercial article purified.

It is adapted to inhalation and internal use.
; Collodion, Surgical.—Useful in wounds to keep the edges together. lt
forms also, a coating, and has been applied in abrasions and burns. In operative

surgery it has been employed with remarkable success to hasten the process of
nealing by the first intention. It is open to none of the objections that are occasion-
ally urged against the “ cantharidal.”

Elixir Calisaya.—The active agent for this elegant aromatic preparation |
is the most valuable species of the Cinchonas called Calisaya. It is an agreeable |
and general tonic in convalescence from disease in children and feeble persons, and
prophylactic against intermittents. It will be found to be of great advantage in
dyspepsia, attended with irritation of the stomach; in severe diarrhceas and those that
have been chronic; in long continued inflammations of the mucous membranes,
better treated with tonics than anti-phlogistically, and generally ii weak and pros- |
trated states of the system, particularly during the summer mont}

Each fluid ounce contains forty grains of true Calisaya bark.

Elixir Calisaya and Iron.—-This is one of the most elegant and ac-
ceptable preparations ever made. [t combines all the virtues of the Calisaya bark with
the important medicines, [ron and Phosphorus, in the form of the pyro-phosphate
of Iron, a very mild, nearly tasteless salt, acceptable to the most delicate stomach ;
easily assimilated and not decomposed in the stomach by food or gastric juice.

Each"fluid ounce contains thirty grains Calisaya, and twelve grains of Iron.

Elixir Calisaya Iron and Bismuth.—This preparation combines all
the valuable properties of Calisaya and Iron, with those of the Ammonio Citrate
of Bismuth, and has been used with marked effect in dyspepsia, anzemia, female
debility, as a general tonic; a variety of cases will be readily suggested to the
physician by the combination, in which it can be used with benefit.

Each fluid ounce contains, Calisaya forty grains; Iron, eight grains; Citrate
Bismuth, eight grains.

Elixir Calisaya, Iron and Strychnia.—The combination of Strychnia |
with the valuable properties of the other articles, possesses the advantage of a larger
adaptation to those cases of general debility complicated with nervous difficulties, as
well as in cases attended wiih constipation, &c. ‘

Each fluid dram contains one one-hundredth of a grain of strychnia.

Elixir Genti » and Chloride of Iron.—Agreeable tonic, hxmatinic,
and alterative. By ix combination, we have a remedy of great utility in
atonic dyspepsia, in diseases accompanied by debility, in scrofula, in pas-
sive hemorrhages from the uterus, kidneys and bladder, in old cases of gieet,
gonorrhoea, leucorrhoea, when the discharges have prostrated the system. It has been
found beneficial in erysipelas, scarlatina, diphtheria, and in purulent infection of the
blood. In these cases it is supposed to act by way of improving the condition of |
the blood. Each fluid dram contains three grains sesqui-chloride of iron and three |
and one half grains of gentian. Dose, one dram.

Elixir Iodide of Calcium and Protoxide Iron.—The Chicago Medi- |
cal Journal writes:—‘‘ A very excellent alterative and tonic is afforded in Tinpen’s |
beautiful elixir of iodide of calcium and protoxide iron. We havealways, previous
ly, been disappointed in securing desired results from the use of the “ iodide of lime,”
but find this particular preparation to ‘fill the bill” to our very great satisfaction.”

Dose, one teaspoonful three times a day.

Elixir Pepsine, Strychnia and Bismuth.—Highly lauded ax « di-
gestive. Particularly adapted to dyspepsia, the debility of the stomach foliowing
chronic gastritis, and in that attendant on convalescence and certain ¢xhaustng dis-
eases such as phthisis. In these states, the gastric juice is not secreted in sufficient |
quantity to enable the stomach to perform its proper fuuction Pepsine is «claimed .

of soda. Dose, one to two drams.
ie ee oe ees =

to contravene this departure from health by keeping up artificial, digestion, while
strychnia gives tone and integrity to the sympathetic, in which is acknowledged
to reside the “secretive co ordinatton,” thereby tending to effect a permanent cure,
and bismuth operates as a sedative and alterative, and plays an important part in
irritableness of the stomach, and in inflamed conditions of the gastro-enteric mucous
membranes ‘Each fiuid dram contains five grains of pepsine, 4, grain of strychnia
and one grain ammonio-citrate of bismuth. Dose, one dram before meals,

Elixir Phosphate of Iron and Quinia.—Valuable chalybeate and tonic.
Convenient torm in which to administer phosphorus, iron and quinia. Recommend-
ed in atonic states of the system generally, mollities ossium, &c. The prop-
erties and therapeutical utility of these elements are too well-known to require
enumeration of the particular indications this combination is capable of fulfilling.

Dose, one to two drams.

Elixir Phosphate of Lime,—Alterative, and an excellent antacid. Phos-
phate of lime in this form is readily taken by children, and is the pleasantest
remedy that can be administered to meet a number of disorders. Admirably adapted
to diarrhoea acc: mpanied with acidity, to acidity of the stomach attending dyspepsia
and gout, when a laxative influence is to beavoided. Beneficial in scrofula, scrofulous
affections and rachitis.

Elixir Protoxide of fred —The general operation of the preparations of
iron is as a tonic; they elevate the pulse, heighten the complexion, and promote
the secretions, and are most useful when there is debility, relaxation and languid
circulation This preparation supplies to the blood and capillaries the coloring mat-
ter necessary to give what is termed good red blood. It is prescribed for chlorotic
anemia, scrofula, chorea, atonic dyspepsia, &c. [t is rehable, pleasant, and very
free trom any disagreeable taste. Each fluid dram contains tive grains of [ron

Dose, one dram.

Elixir Protoxide of Iron and Quinia.—This preparation combines all
the tonic propernes of the ion, with the tonic and anti-periodic properties of
Quinine, and is admirably adapted for children and delicate females, and is adapted
to inmost cases where [ron would be used, Each fluid dram contains one-fourth
vrai o! quinia and five grains of Iron. Dose, one dram.

Elixir Pyrophosphate of Iron,—This preparation of Iron possesses
marked advantages over other preparations of [ron, its tastelessness and elegant
appearance is an Lumportant feature in the cases of children, and many persons of a
nervous delicate organization, particularly females who can not take the ordinary
preparatious of Iron; with some they disorder the stomach, and not only fail to be
assimilated, but by preventing the gastric and intestinal secretions interfere with
the digestion. A marked peculiarity in the Pyrophosphate is that it will scarcely
ever in any case disagree, and patients receive great benefit from its use. The
pyrophosphoric acid adds new virtues to the Iron, and bestows on this preparation
advantages possessed by none other. Each fluid ounce contains sixteen grains of
the Lron. Dose, one to two drams.

Elixir Pyrophosphate of Iron and Soda,.—Chalybeate and alterative.
A marked peculiarity of the pyrophosphate is that it will scarcely ever in any
case disagree. The tasteless and elegant appearance of this medicine eminently
adapt it to cases of children and those cf a nervous delicate organization, when
the combined influence of iron, phosphorus, and sodium are indicated. Each fluid
ounce contains ten grains of pyro-phosphate of iron; fifteen grains pyrophosphate |

Elixir Rhubarb and Magnesia.—Grateful form in which to administer
an aperient and purgative. This preparation holds the active principles of rhubarb
and magnesia in a soluble state, and is presented to the profession as an excellent
and pleasant remedial cordial for the ordinary derangements of the gastro-enteric |
duct. Particularly applicable to children and adults of a delicate constitution.
Dose, one to three teaspoonfuls for adults.

Elixir Valerianate of Ammonia.—Extensively, used in epilepsy also in
neuralgia and nervous diseases, as hysteria, chorea, &c. Another agreeable form

of administration is in the form of pills coated so as to conceal all disagreeable odor.
Dose, one-half to one dram.

Elixir Valerianate of Ammonia and Quinia.—This preparation
contains the nervine, stimulant and anti-spasmodic properties of the former, with
the anti-periodic properties of the latter, and is especially useful in intermittent
neuralgia, as well as other forms of the same disease and nervous affection.

Each fluid dram contains two grains Valerianate Ammonia and one-fourth grain
Valerianate of Quinia. Dose, one-half to one dram.

Elixir Valerianate of Ammonia and Strychnia.—-Neurotic-tonic
and stimulant. An elegant combination, pleasant to the eye and taste. A medicine
which the profession has received with much favor in the management of nervous
disorders generally. See Jour. Materia Medica, vol. 8. Each fluid dram contains
two grains valerianate of ammonia, and 3, grain of valerianate of strychnia. Dose,
one-half to one dram.

Elixir Valerianate of Strychnia.—Nervine stimulant and anti-
spasmodic. Exerts a powerful stimulating influence on the nervous system and

spinal cord. The therapeutics of the articles are too well known to need particular
description. Each fluid dram contains one-sixteenth grain valerianate of strych-
nia. Dose, one-half to one dram,

Ether Chloric, Concentrated, Chemically Pure.—-A mixture of
equal parts by weight of chemically pure chloroform and pure deodorized alcohol.

The alcohol acts as a corrigent against depressing effects.

Ether, Spirits Nitre, Chemically Pure.—This article is chemically
pure, and should be carefully secluded from the light and air. Possesses diuretic,
diaphoretic and antispasmodic virtues. Much esteemed as a medicine in febrile
affections, and extensively employed either alone or in conjunction with other agents
for the purpose of promoting the secretions, especially those of the skin and
kidneys.

Ether, Sulphuric, Chemically Pure.—We prepare only that which is
chemically pure and concentrated. It has been used by many surgeons as an anzs-
thetic, and by them pronounced to be entirely pure.

Fluid Opium Deodorized.—Flvid Opii. Deod. (U. 8S. P.)—The great
variety of indications fulfilled by the use of opium, and its extensive applicability
to the cure of disease, have incorporated it into almost every practice of medicine.
This preparation is superior to the Elixir that has had so wide a reputation, pos-
sesses all the anodyne, sedative and anti-spasmodic effects of opium. The ill effects
of opium are owing to the presence of certain deleterious principles contained in
it which, when extracted, do not detract from its highly medicinal qualities. It isa
pure aqueous preparation, has none of the odor of opium offensive to some, retains
all that is useful, and affords all the benefits intended to be derived from its use.

It is a very pleasant anodyne and anti-spasmodic, much used to allay cough in

NEALE ATTEN TRAS = SAE
chronic catarrh, asthma, &c. ; to relieve nausea and slight pains in the stomach and |
bowels ; to check diarrhea; and in infantile cases to procure sleep.

Mc physicians have iu used an empiric aqueous solution, and differing only
from the officinal solution, in mode of preparation; the strength of the opium should —
be accurately ascertained before preparing the infusion, otherwise it can not be
relied upon, as opium is very often obtained largely adulterated.

Repose is usually induced by the minimum dose, but in obstinate irritation, the |
dose can be repeated several times with safety. : |

The advantages claimed for this preparation are, that constipation and unpleasant |

|

consequences following the administration of opium in its ordinary forms are wholly
or nearlv avoided.

This preparation may be administered as anodyne or to induce rest, when opium
“tself can not be prescribed withsafety, Dose, for an infant, one to five drops; for
«n adult. fifteen to sixtv drops.

gance and purity to any similar article in market.

Glycerole Hypophosphites.—A combination of the eiyoatihie with the
hypophosphites. Peculiarly applicable to pulmonary degeneration and anemic
conditions of children.

Gutta Percha Solution.—Beneficial asa protective covering for compound )
fractures, open cancers, suppuraung gangrenous surfaces, burns, abrasions, wounds, |
&e. May be applied with a brush or by pouring. A delicate film is left by evap-
oration of the liquid, which comouletely excludes the air and acts as an artificial
cuticle. Has been topicallv employed with advantage in various cutaneous affec-
tions, scrofulous and indolent ulcers, and as an ectrotic in smallpox.

Gutta Percha Vesicant.,—The most acceptable, certain and painless ves-
icant in use. Can be applied with facility, 1s adapted to cover uneven surfaces, and

retains its place and form without spreading.

Hoffman’s Anodyne, or Compound Spirits of Ether.—This ar
ticle is strictly officinal. Contains the officinal proportion of etherial oil. The
comm rcial article coutains a variable proportion of etherial oil. Highly serviceable
in ne /ous irritation and want of sleep from this cause; possessing the stimulating
and anti-spasmodic properties of ether together with potent anodyne virtues Dose,
one-half to one fluid drachm in sweetened water. |

Hypophosphites.—Lime, Soda, Fotassa, Iron, Manganese, Ammonia.— )
Recommended for the treatment of phthisis, in some types of mental aberrance, and

|
|
Glycerine. White.—This article is deodorized, colorless, and equal in ele- |
/

eae ee eee

nervous debility, and defective osseous formation. Dose, ten to twenty grains each.
Iodide of Lime,—tThis preparation is in the form of yellow crystals, is chem-

ically pure, and perfectly soluble. ‘ Iodide of Lime” says Dr. Talson, “ was first
introduced in 1855. It has been rapidly gaining favor among practitioners as a
remedy of great value. It is used in those cases where Iodide of Potassium is
indicated, but with more marked effects than usually attend the use of that salt.
The lime and iodine are held together by a feeble affinity, and the salt will not
admit of exposure without evolving free iodine. Each dram of the salt contains |
cight and one half grains of Iodine, and each fluid ounce of the solution contains | |
one-third grain of Iodine. The Iodine in the solution exists in the form of Iodide
of Calcium and Iodide of Lime. Acids decompose the solution, and free the Iodine,
and hence the utility of this form for the administration of Todine. Probably in the

| state of an oxise, the Iodide of Calcium is superior to the Iodide of Potassium in
several particulars : ‘

“1. The smallness of the dose, and the minute state of its atomic divisions.
2. Not passing off so quickly through the kidneys. 3. Its ready combination with
the blood and tissues, manifested by its alterative effects. 4. In being nearly taste-
less, and therefore readily taken by children. 5. It is less expensive. 6. In not
producing either gastro-enteric or vesical irritation.

“Tt has been used with much success in throat diseases, in morbid conditions of
the general system, in scrofulous affections, intractable cases of neuralgia, diseases
caused by metallic poisons, &c. The dose of the salt is very small—about one-
fourth of a grain given in solution, two or three times a day. Of the solution, two
to four fluid drams may be given as often.

Iodide of Lime, Syrup of.—For the convenience of administration, Syrup
lodide of Lime is recommended ; it is pleasant and readily administered to children.
One of its first effects is to increase the appetite, exhibiting tonic properties. Chil-
dren of scrofulous diathesis rapidly improve under its aid, and it is also particularly
adaptedeto alarge number of chronic or acute affections peculiar to them. It pos- |
seses decided alterative powers, and when alterauive remedies are indicated, it can

be used without hesitation. Each fluid ounce contains the equivalent of three and
one-half grains of iodine.

\

Iodide of Sodium,.—Alterative. Has similar therapeutical effects and utility
with the iodide of potassium, but more tolerable than the latter iodide. In consti-
tutional syphilis it has produced remarkable cures. Dose, twenty grains, gradually
increased to forty, dissolved in three fluid ounces of water.

Iodide of Sulphur.—Alterative. Properly diluted, and associated with other
agents it has proved serviceable in obstinate and chronic scrofulous diseases. Ap-
plied in the form of ointment in the various skin diseases, such as tinea capitis,
lupus, lepra, &c.

Iodoform.—Volatile, soft to the touch, insoluble in water, soluble in alcohol,
and in ether, and has a very large proportion of iodine. Being non-irritant and of

an organic nature, itis more readily absorbed and assimilated than the iodine or io-
dides. Possesses all the virtues of iodine, together with sedative properties. Been
employed in goitre, rachitis, glandular tumors, syphilis, cutaneous eruptions,
neuralgic affections, &c. Dose, one to three grains.

Iron, Ammonio-Citrate of.—Possesses an agreeable odor and taste, is
aromatic, carminative and tonic. Used in debility after exhausting diseases, in anz-
mic states of children, in scrofulous affections, and in dyspepsia in scrofulous
subjects. _ Dose, five grains.

Iron, Ammonio-Tartrate ot -Scales.—This substance has a sweetish
and not unpleasant taste, and is soluble in water. Highly recommended as a mild
unirritating chalybeate. Dose, ten to thirty grains.

Iron and Potassa, Tartrate of—Grateful chalybeate and alterative:
Excellent ferruginous preparation for children, Dose, five to ten grains.

Iron by Hydrogen (Quevenne’s),—According to Quevenne, it introduces
more iron into the gastric juice than any other chalvbeate. Chiefly employed in
anzemia, chlorosis, amenorrhoea and chorea. Dose, three to six grains.

Iron and Manganese, Citrate of.—-Blood-restorative, tonic and anti-
anzemia. Applicable to that class of diseases where a depurator to the blood and

aaa
) powerful tonic are needed. Manganese promotes the promptness of action and the
heematinic influence of the iron element. Dose, five to ten grains.

Iron and Quinia. Citrate of.—Blood-restorative, tonic and anti periodic.
Peculiarly fitted for children and delicate females. Easily borne when the stronger
| salts of iron are inadmissible. Dose, five grains

Iron, Quinia and Strychnia, Citrate of.—Blood-restorative, tonic and
nervine stimulant. Recommended in atonic dyspepsia, some types of paralysis,
chorea, amenorrhoea, and incontinence of feeces and urine.

Iron and Strychnia, Citrate of—One part of Strychnia to forty-nine
of Citrate of Iron. Used in atonic dyspepsia, chorea, paralysis, amenorrheea, &c.
Dose, three to six grains.

Iron, Hydrocyanate of. —vValuable in epilepsy ; has proved beneficial when
other remedies failed. See Dr. McGugin’s article, Jour. Materia Medica.

Iron Hydrated, Sesquioxide of.—One of the best antidotes we possess
for poisoning by arsenic. Dose, tablespoonful every fifteen minutes or oftener.

Iron, Iodide of. —lIts properties are those of a tonic, emmenagogue, and ab-
sorbent. As a tonic it promotes the appetite, re-establishes digestion, and im-
proves the general health. This preparation is recommended as particularly well
| adapted for constitutions of a scrofulous diathesis. It is employed with much suc-
cess in chlorosis, atonic amenorrhcea, leucorrhoea; diabetes and obstinate syphilitic
ulcers. Ricord regards it as a valuable remedy in secondary syphilis, especially
when occurring in debilitated subjects. Dose, one grain gradually increased to eight
grains.

Iron, Lactate of.—The Lactate of Iron produces a marked effect in increas-
ing the aptite, nas the general therapeutical properties of the ferrugious prepa-
rations. It has been successfully prescribed for anzemic and chlorotic patients, and
is regarded as a potent and valuable agent in amenorrhcea and dysmenorrheea.

Dose, ten to twenty grains,

Iron, Muriate. Tincture of.—Diuretic, astringent and hematinic, It is
one of the most powerful of the ferruginous preparations, and may be administered
with advantage whenever iron is ina.cated. It is valuable as’ tonic in scrofula; is
said to exercise a peculiar influence on the urinary passages, 2d has been success-
fully employed in gleet, obstinate gonorrhea and leucorrhea. Hmployed with favor-
able results in incontinence of urine of children, in spasmodic stricture of the
urethra, in atonic hemorrhage from the bladder, uterus and kidneys. Dr. O. Rees
deems this the most desirable form of iron for internal use in hematuria, while Dr.
G. Bird no less highly speaks of its potency in chlorosis. This tincture is advised
in albuminuria and chylous urine. Dose, ten to thirty drops diluted in ‘water.

Iron, Nitrate of. —Tonic, sedative and astringent. Extravagantly praised as
a remedy in chronic diarrhoea unattended by inflammation, especially when occurring
in delicate and nervous women, Useful in menorrhagia, and in leuchorrheea, par-
ticularly of exsanguine, chlorotic and feeble subjects. Dose, five to eight drops,
properly diluted.

Iron, Per-Sulphate of.—Monsel’s solution. It is very efficacious as a
styptic, and by its power of congealing the blood, is well adapted to cases of hem
orrhage from incised surfaces, and especially where it is desirable to avoid irritation.

It has been highly recommended as efficacious in arresting internal hemorrhages
from stomach and bowels, and in subduing chancre. Dose, five to fifteen drops.

Iron, Proto-Carbonate of—Valiet’s Mass.—Hematinic, tonic and em-
menagogue. Freedom from astringency, unchangeableness and ready solubility in |
acids, are its chief recommendations. It is the best chalybeate that can be employed
to produce the alterativé effects of iron. Dose, five to thirty grains daily, in divided
quantities. |
Iron, Protoxide, Solution ete. For combination with Elixir of bark.
Iron, Citro-Ammoniacal, Pyro-Phosphate of.—-The preparation ot
this article is based upon the method of M. G. Robiquet.
While it is a mild and agreeable chalybeate, its action on the system is efficient,
{

and it may be administered in any form that may be desirable, that of pill, solution
in water, syrup or elixir. It is very favorably spoken of in the treatment of rickets
and diabetes, and has been employed with marked success in anemic diseases;
has the advantage of ready assimilation in the system, and of entire absence of any
tendency to disorder the stomach or bowels. Dose, two to three grains.

Iron, Sesqui-Chloride of.—In the form of crystals. The most powerful
of the ferruginous preparations. Is deliquescent, and very soluble in water, alcohol
and eter. May be used for the ordinary purpose of chalybeates.

Iron, Sesqui-Chloride of, Solution (Strong).— Principally cane as a
styptic in the cure of varices, in hemorrhages from superficial wounds, as an injec-

tion in ordinary aneurisms, and a caustic to warts.

Iron, Tannate of.—Astringent and tonic. Useful in chlorosis, and to check
exhausting discharges. A popular application to ringworm. Dose, five to eight
grains daily in divided quantities.

Iron, Valerianate of.—Blood-restorative and nervine-sedative. Especially
valuable in hysterical affections complicated with chlorosis. Soluble in alcohol.
Dose, one to two grains several times daily. \

Lead, Acetate of—Astringent and sedative. Diminishes the secretions and
reduces the action of the capillary system. Most frequently used in hemorrhages,
particularly from the lungs, stomach, intestines and uterus. Dose, one to five grains.

Lithia, Bromide of.

Lithia, Carbonate of.—This substance has come into use as a solvent for
| uric acid calculi. Its great solvent power for that acid also renders it of much
| Service in gout and rheumatism. Suggested as an injection into the bladder in cases
of lithuria and oxaluria. Dose, three to eight grains several times daily.

Lithia. Iodide of.

Magn: sia Citrate, Granular Effervescent.—The effervescent proper-
ties of thi- vlegant preparation are retained in granular form, preserving the flavor
as a palat: le saline draught.

Mercury, Bi-Iodide.—Dose, one-sixteenth to one-fourth grain.

BS Proto-Iodide.—Dose, one-eighth to one-fourth grain.

Pepsine, Pure.—This substance is ragarded as a positive anatomical ingredi-
ent of the gastric juice, both essential to its constitution and physiological action.
Introduced into the system it increases the appetite, allays irritability of the stom-
ach, and promotes changes in this viscus essential to healthy digestion of the nitro-
genous elements of food. See Jour. Materia Medica, vol. 5 and 6. Dose, ten to
fifteen grains before meals.

Pepsine, Wine.—This elegant cordial contains the digestive principle of the
gastric juice held in solution by pure sherry wine, and is acceptable to even those of
the most delicate organizations. No more grateful and efficient medicine has been

tried in dyspepsia and kindred diseases. One-half a wine glassful should be taken
just before or immediately after meals.

Potassa, Acetate of.—Efficient and mild diuretic and alterative. A med-
icine of superior efficacy. Employed in dropsies with good success, and in several
skin diseases, such as psoriasis, eczema, and lepra. It has produced remarkable
cures. No nicety need be observed in the dose.

Potassa, Chlorate of.—(Chemically Pure.)—‘It has been etfficaciously
employed in scorbutus, hepatic affections, aphthous ulcerations of the mouth, can-
crum oris mercurial salivation, abscesses, boils, eruptions, ulcers, purpura hemor-
rhagica, etc.” Many physicians mainly rely on it as a drink in scarlatina.

Potassium, Bromide of.—Alterative, antaphrodisiac, deobstruent and sed-
ative to the nervous system. The highest authorities call attention to its value in
epilepsy, It has produced the happiest effects in many hysterical cases, attended
with a great deal of sexual excitement and various distressing symptoms. In sleep-
lessness and in “low spirits,” after a failure of opium, valerian and other anti-
Spasmodics and sedatives, it has proved the desideratum. Useful in scrofula,
enlargement of spleen, liver, &c. Dose, three to ten grains, three times daily.

Potassium, Arseniated Bromide of.—The therapeutics of this prep-
aration have received considerable attention and laudation Dr Chas, A. Lee says:
“Tam satisfied it is a most valuable preparation.” Dr. L. Elsberg, of New York, in
a communication to the Medical and Surgical Reporter, Philadelphia, (Sept. 24,
1859), spoke of it as possessing “tonic, a/terative and resolvent properties.” E.
H. Sholl, M. D., in the same journal, has recently endorsed Dr. E.’s opinion, and
from actual experience, proclaims himself satisfied ‘‘ with the rapidity and certainty
of its excellent tonic effects,”’ remarking :

“It presents to the profession a remedy concentrated and palatable, objects not

| be disregarded, when contending, as we frequently have to do, in the peculiar class

of cases to which it adapts itself, with stomachs easily revolted by the grosser and
bulkier medicines.” Dr. S. has used it in chronic intermittents, and this class of
diseases. and says: ‘‘It has succeeded admirably, relieving them more speedily and
certainly than barks, ferruginous tonics, arsenic or strychnia.” He recommends
it in secondary syphilis, occurring in persons of a scrofulous nature; advises it in
combination with stillingia, in chlorosis; with sanguinaria, in ‘long-standing cases
of neuralgia;’’ and with erget in climacteric menorrhagia. More authority could
be adduced. Dose, three to four drops in a wine glass of water, twice daily.

Potassium, Chloride of.—Anti-neuropathic and an alterative purifier of
the blood and humors. Used for nearly the same purpose as the chlorate of potassa.
but possesses more causticity.

Potassium, Iodide of.—0Of all the preparations of iodine, this one is pre-
ferred by practitioners generally, for producing the constitutional effects of iodine
Recommended in the treatment of erysipelas, also as an antidote in chronic poisoning
by lead, mercury, and other metals. See Jour. Materia Medica, vol. 5 and 6. Dose,
two to ten grains, properly diluted three times daily.

Quinia, Chlorate of.—This article was introduced into medicine within the
past year, by Dr. Lyons, of Dublin, who claims for it a febrifuge of surpassing potency,
The results of his experience with this agent would place it foremost in the rank
of agents to combat the graver forms of typhus, typhoid, pneumonia, scarlatina, small-
pox, low phlegmonous inflammation, and low pyrexial states. When the heart is

a

feeble it is said to possess an almost magical efficacy in reducing yet sustaining the
pulsations.

The Medical Press and Circular, (Dec. 19, 1866, page 618), says: ‘ Further
experience of this valuable agent has confirmed the views entertained by its invent-
or.” See Jour. Materia Medica, vol. 6. Dose, three to five grains, dissolved by the
aid of a like number of drops of the perchloric acid.

Quinia, Hypophosphite of.—Febrifuge. The advantages claimed for this
combination are, that the utility of quinine is increased. The range of diseases
widened, in which its use is indicated. The properties of this preparation render it
applicable to fever and asthenic conditions generally. See Jour. Materia Medica vol. 1.

Quinia, Tannate of—Used in nocturnal sweats. See M. Delioux’ article,
Jour. Materia Medica, vol. 2

Quinia, Valerianate of.—Particularly useful in intermittent neuralgia; said
to produce less disorder upon the nervous system than the sulphate.

Dose, one grain.

Santonin.—Ivaluable as a vermifuge. An aperient should follow its admin-
istratién. Dose, two to five grains,

Salicin.—Tonic and anti-periodic. Its medical properties very much resemble
those of quinine, Dose, five to ten grains.

Silver, Nitrate of—Crystals, and chemically pure

Spirits of Lavender.—An agreeable perfume, and enters as an ingredient
into a variety of preparations.

Spirits of Lavender, Compound.—Delightful aromatic compound.
Much employed as an adjuvant and corrigent of other medicines; and as a remedy

for gastric uneasiness, nausea, flatulence, and languor or faintness. Dose, thirty to
sixty drops. ‘

Styptic Colloid.—Styptic and adhesive. The tincture of the muriate of iron
constitutes the base of this styptic. A very efficient local application to arrest hem-
orrhage from leech bites, wounds and surgical operations, &c. Applicable to
venereal warts, spongy granulations, ulcers attended with profuse discharge, fungous
sores, compound fractures, burns, and suppurating surfaces.

Styptic Colloid.—Tannin forms the base. Uses obvious.

Styptic Colloid, with Carbolic Acid.—Styptic, adhesive, and anti-
septic. Its influence on the blood, serum, pus, and all fetid discharzes is to solid-
ify and deodorize. It modifies suppuration, and facilitates cicatrization. Nume-
rous observations of gangrenous wounds, diffuse phlegmon and of necrosis are re-
ported, which readily improved under the action of this solution. It forms a ben-
eficial protectorate to sores and abrasions; an efficient styptic in cases of external
hemorrhages, and a valuable anti-septic in ill-conditioned ulcers, sloughing wounds,
carbuncles and cancerous ulcerations.

Styptic Colloid, with Creasote.—An excellent unirritating styptic and
deodorizer. This valuable topical preparation possesses the styptic properties of
tannin with the anti-septic qualities of creosote. —

Syrup Blackberry, Compound Aromatic.—This is prepared from the
formulz of Surgeon Gen’l. U. S. A., and was found very efficacious in chronic diar-
rhea prevalent in the army ; it is also an excellent substitute for the spicea syrup
ot Khei where that remedy is deficient in astringency. Put up in four ounce and
one pound bottles. Sce Jour. Materia Medica, vol. 2 and 6.

Syrup of Citrate of Iron.—A mild chalybeate. Used for the ordinary
purposes of ferruginous preparations, Each fluid dram contains citrate of iron five
grains. Dose, one-half to one teaspoonful.

Syrup of Citrate of Iron and Strychnia.—-Agreeable tonic, blood-
|| restorative, and nervine-stimulant. This combination possesses the combined prop-
|| erties of iron and strychnia, It has been successfully employed in atonic cases of
dyspepsia, constipation, and in some forms of paralysis, amennorrheea, and chorea.

Dose, one dram.

Syrup of Iron and Quinia, Citrate of.—A convenient form in which
to adininister iron and quinia.. Especially adapted to children and delicate females.

Syrup of Hypohosphites.—(Compound of Lime, Soda, Potassa and
/ron,)\—Used in incipient phthisis, scrofulous ulcerations, &¢. Its use is held to
increase the nervous force and exert an important influence directly on the nervous
syster of a tonic character, and is unquestionably useful in that debilitated condition
to which it is often difficult to give a name, and particularly in debility from pro-
longed lactation Dose, one teaspoonful three times a day.

Syrup of Hypophosphites of Tron.—Protoxide of iron forms the base,
which possesses the advantages over any other salt of iron in being more permanent,
more readily assimilated, and more soluble. Most cases requiring alterative tonics
or heematinics, will respond favorably to its use. Dose, one dram containing one
grain of hypophosphite of iron,

Syrup of Hypophosphite of Iron and Manganese.—This combi-
nation is devoid of the constipating tendency of some ferruginous preparations.
Manganese, besides supplying the system with one of its elementary constituents,
greatly enhances the tonic and hzmatinic influence of the iron, and the hypo-
phosphite salts readily disengage the phosphorus. These virtues render it a superior
medicine in an impoverished condition of the blood, and impairment of the nervous
and vital energies. Each fluid dram contains two grains of the combined salts.

Dose, one dram three times a day.

Syrup of Hypophosphites of Iron and Quinia.—A valuable med-
icine in many cases of debility. Acts promptly on the system as a stimulant, tonic,
and regenerator of nervous force and integrity. Dose, one to two drams.

Syrup of Hypophosphites, Lime and Soda.—-(Churchill’s)—This
preparation is recommended particularly in casesof pulmonary tuberculosis. Each
fluid dram contains six grains of the combined salts. Dose, one to three drams.

Syrup of Iodide of Iron.—Tonic, emmenagogue, and deobstruent. Very
valuable preparation, and particularly adapted to persons of a scrofulous diathesis.
See Jour. Materia Medica, vol. 4 Dose, twenty to forty drops diluted with water.

Syrup of Iodide of Iron and Manganese.—Tonic and alterative.
Eminently applicable to that class of diseases where a depurator of the blood, a
powerful tonic and active alterative are indicated. Recommended in angemia, cancer,
syphilis, scrofula, and many diseases of the skin, and glandular enlargements.

Dose, ten to thirty drops.

Syrup of Iodide of Starch.—Preduces the eutrophic effects of iodine with-
cut the occurrence of that gastric irritation and the other unpleasant symptoms
which occasionally attend the exhibition of iodine in a free state. Each fluid ounce
contains iodine one and a half grains. Dose, teaspoonful three times daily.
Syrup of Phosphates.—( Compound of Lime, Soda, Potash and Iron.—

Chemical food). The value of this article as a nutritive tonic is too well known to
need any extended notice.

Syrup Phosphate of Iron, Quinia and Strychnia.—-Highly es-
teemed as a chalybeate, tonic and nervine stimulant. Uses of this combination will
readily be suggested. ach fluid ounce contains phosphate of iron, one grain, phos-
phate of quinia, one grain, phosphate of strychnia, 4, grain. Dose, one to two
drams,

Syrup of Protoxide of Iron with Iodide Potass.—in this prep-
aration are combined a mild but efficacious chalybeate and valuable alterative. In
cases of goitre, strumous enlargement of the glands, strumous ophthaiamia, leu-
corrhea, mercurial cachexy, and all tubercular affections, &c., this compound proves
eminently serviceable, enriching the blood, improving the digestion and invigorating
the system generally. It may be employed in allatonic conditions, where the iodide
of potassa is indicated. Dose, one half to one dram.

Syrup Protoxide Iron and Quinia,—Efficient as a tonic, anti-spasmodic
and febrifuge. In febrile relapses, acute rheumatism, dyspepsia, general debility,
convalescence from acute and chronic diseases, and every disease characterized by
periodicity, it may be given with much confidence and assurance of success.

Dose, one to two drams.

Syrup of Protoxide of Iron, Rhei and Columbo.—A valuable rem-
edy in indigestion. This syrup has been universally commended by all who have
given it a fair trial aud 1s pronounced a medicine superior to any other similar
preparation. lbacn fuld ounce contains iron, sixteen grains, rhubarb and columbo,
each five grains. DUuse, one to two drams at meal times.

Syrup of Pyro-phosphate of Iron.— for properties see Iron Pyro-
phosphate Citro Ammoniacal. Dose, one dram.

Syrup of Super-phosphate of Iron.—Tonic and refrigerant. This com-
bination is regarded as serviceable in hysteria, leucorrhea,.and impotency from
masturbation, &c. It may be used with benefit in diabetes. and to allay nervous
excitement. Dose, one dram.

Zine, Acetate.—Topical remedy in form of collyrium, in ophthalmia, and as
an injection in gonorrhea, gleet, &c. Dose, one to twenty grains.

Zinc, Chloride.—Used chiefly as an escharotic in cancerous affections, and to
ulcers of an anomalous character ; it appears not only to destroy the diseased struc-
ture, but to excite a new action on the surrounding parts.

Zine, Iodide.—Tonic, astringent and anti-spasmodic. Used with success in
chorea, scrofula, cachexia and some forms of hysteria. See Jour Materia Medica,
vol. 6. Dose, one grain.

Zinc, Lactate.—Dr. Herpin introduced this preparation as a remedy in ep-
ilepsy. He considers it no less potent than the oxide, and possessing over it the
preference, in that it is more easily taken, and less liable to disagree with the stom-
ach. Dose, two to ten grains.

Zine, Phosphate.—Tonic It may be administered in almost every case of
debility supervening any disease, unattended with inflammation.

Dose, one to three grains.

Zine, Tannate.—Highly useful in affections of the eyes accompanied by
muco-purulent secretions, Thirty grains in slx fluid ounces of water and one-he f
fluid ounce of mucilage is the solvent employed as a wash.

Zine, Valerianate.—Anti-spasmodic; used in anomalous nervous affections
attended with palpitations of the heart, constriction of the throat, and in nervous
affections which accompany chlorosis. Dose, one-half to three grains.

2 a SS BR RRR EERE RS ESR SS SE AAS RET

WINE OF WILD CHERRY.

We present the Medical Profession a new preparation of this valuable indigenous
remedy. That now offered is scientifically prepared, the process being the same as
is employed in the preparation of our pure extracts. It is subject to no heat by
which the hydrocyanic acid is decomposed, thus presenting the whole of the sed-
ative properties and tonic virtues of the bark, with a portion of its tannic astringency
held in solution by pure Sherry Wine.

Uniting with a tonic power the property of quieting irritation and diminishing
nervous excitability, it is adapted to cases where the digestive powers are impaired
with general local irritation existing at the same time. Its uses are indicated in all
cases requiring the use of a general tonic, particularly in cases of the impairment
of the constitution by dyspepsia, indigestion, &c., in dyspepsia attended with neural-
| gic symptoms, and general debility attending inflammatory fevers; and in diseases
in which debility of the system is united with general local irritation.

On account of its gently astringent properties united with its sedative action, it
has been found highly beneficial in complaints incident to the summer months, in
diarrhoea chronic diarrhoea, and in preventing the weakness and relaxation of the
bowels which produce them.

Dose—From a teaspoonful to half a wineglass, three times a day.

FERRATED WINE OF WILD CHERRY.

We present to the medical profession a new preparation of this valuable indigen-
ous remedy. Wild Cherry in various forms has lung been a favorite remedy with
American practitioners, as well as in domestic use; as a tonic and stimulant on the
digestive organs, and at the same time exercising a sedative influence on the cir-
culations and nervous systems. From this combined action, it has been found very
useful in a variety of diseases, or states of disease, when it is of importance to impart
tonicity, and yet avoid any undue excitement of the heart and blood vessels, as
during the first stages of convalescence from inflammatory attacks, and in many
pulmonary diseases. ‘To the acknowledged property that Jon possesses of enriching
the blood, may be a:cribed its efficacy in preventing the development of tubercular
disease. It has long been desired to unite these important medical agents, which
we have accomplished in this preparation for those cases of anzemic condition, where
Cinchonas are inadmissible, as well as in cases of impaired health, with much nery-
ous excitability.

In cases of general debility, which often succeeds inflammatory diseases, dyspep-
sia, scrofula, and in consumption it has been found very beneficial.

Dose—one to four drams, three times a day.

TO PHYSICIANS!
We constantly receive letters from Physicians complaining that they
cannot always obtain such of our preparations as they desire to use,
and often have others of an inferior quality substituted ; to provide for
such instances, if they will write us, we will give them the names of
Druggists near them who keep a full assortment of our preparations

SE

Ferrated Wine of Wild Cherry and Loaine.

Alterative, heematinic, tonic and arterial sedative, combining the
valuable properties of Iodine, Pyrophosphate of Iron and Wild
Cherry held in solution in pure Sherry Wine. In the management
of diseases where it is desired to produce a salutary change in the
disease, but without exciting any sensible evacuations or cardiac
action, and at the same time to impart to the blood its heematin
element, and to the digestive organs tone, to the nervous system
integrity, and thereby to combat general atony, this new and ele-
gant cordial is confidently recommended. Its reparative action on
the system of nutrition, and its anti-anemic influence render it
applicable to a largely diversified class of diseases.

Each fluid ounce contains two grains of Iodine and twelve
grains of Iron.

Dose, one teaspoonful three times daily.

“Wine of Wild Cherry and Iodine.

Alterative, tonic, stomachic and arterial sedative, and operating
asa general excitant of the vital action, especially of the absorb-
ent and glandular systems. In the numerous cases of debility
consequent on diseased glands or absorbents, particularly when
there is cardiac complication, in glandular enlargements and mor-
bid growth occurring in persons of a delicate constitution and of
‘a serofulous diathesis, in ovarian tumors, in enlargements and in-
durations of the liver, spleen, mame, testes and uterus, especially
when symptoms of constitutional decline have set in, and in many
types of hepatic affections. this new remedy appears to be pre-
eminently indicated. If symptoms of iodism arise, the medicme
should be discontinued, and milk diet prescribed.

Each fluid ounce contains two grains of Iodine.

Dose —One teaspoonful three times daily.

Wine ot Wild Ghorey and Iodide of Iron.

Alterative, heematinic tonic, and arterial sedative, combining the
valuable properties of Iodine, Iron and Wild Cherry held in solu-
tion in pure Sherry Wine. In the management of diseases where +
it is desired to produce a salutary change in the disease, but with*
out exciting any sensible evacuations or cardiac action, and atthe |
same time to impart to the blood its hematin element, and to: the.
digestive organs tone, and. thereby to combat general atony,. this: |
new and elegant cordial is confidently recommended. Its repara- .
tive action on the systém of nutrition and its anti-angemic mfluence |
render it applicable 6 a Jargely diversified. class of diseases’ >" i
__<:Each-finid-ounce contains eight grains of Iodide of Iron. 4
Dose—One teaspoonful three times daily.

|

;

LEST OF

Fluid and Solid Extracts, Alkaloids, Resinoids, Pharmaceutic Sugar-coated Pills and
Granules, with Synopsis of their Medical Properties.

Achillea Millefolium ( Yarrow).—Mild, aro-
matic tonic, antispasmodic and astringent. Useful
in intermittents, flatulent colic aid nervous affections,
and low forms of exantlhematous fevers.

Fluid Eztract—Dose : 4101 dram.

Aconitum Napellus (Aconite).—A powerful
narcotic. Used in rheumatism, neuralgia, epilepsy,
paralysis, amaurosis, scrofula, syphilis, intermittent
fever, dropsies, &c. Valuable as an antiphlogistic
remedy, and in cases of active cerebral congestion
or inflammation.

Fluid Eztract—Dose : 2 to 8 drops.

Solid Extract—Dose: } to 1 grain.

Pills—}, $ and 1 grain.

Aletris Farinosa (Star Grass).—One of the
most intense bitters known. Used in infusion as a
tonic and stomachic ; large doses produce nausea and
a tendency to vomit. Has been employed in chronic
rheumatism and dropsy.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 10 to 30 drops.

Aletrin— Dose: 1 to 3 grains.

Alnus Rubra (Tg Alder).—Alterative, emetic
and astringent. Useful in scrofula, secondary syphi-
lis, and several forms of cutaneous diseases.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 1 to 2drams.

Alnuin—Dose: 1 to 3 grains.

Angelica Atropurpurea (Angelica Root).
—This plant is aromatic, stimulant, carminative and
diuretic. It is employed 1 flatulent colic, heart.
burn, in diseases of the urinary organs and passive

' dropsy, and to promote menstruation.

Fluid Extract—Dose: $ to 1 dram.

Anthemis Nobilis (Chamomile ).—Tonic.
Used in cases of enfeebled digestion, general debility,
aud languid appetite. In large doses will act as an
emetic.

Fluid Ezxtract—Dose: } to 1 dram.

Solid Extract—Dose: 4 to 20 grains.

Pills—2 grains.

Apocynum Androszemifolium ( Bitter
Root).—Valuable im the treatment of chronic hepatic
affections; used as a: emetic and diaphoretic; as an
alterative in syphilitic. and scrofulous affections, as

| well as m intermittents and the low stage of typhoid

fevers.
Fluid Extract—Dose: Tonic, 19 to 20 drops; Dia-
phoretic, 15 to 25 drops; Emetic, } to 1 dram.
Solid Extract—Dose: 2 to 8 grains.
Apocynin—Dose: 4 to 2 grains.
Pills—2 grains.

Apocynum Cannabinum (Indian Hemp).
—Powerfully emetic ; in decoction, diuretic and dia-
phoretic. It produces much nausea, diminishes the
frequency Of the pulse, and appears to produce drow-
siness, independently of the exhaustion consequent
upon vomiting. Of magical efficacy in dropsy.

Fluid Extract—Dose: Tonic, 5 to 15 drops; Emetic,
20 to 60 drops.

Solid Extract—Dose: 1 to 5 grains.

Pills—1 grain.

Aralia Hispida (Dwarf Elder).—Possesses
sudorific, diuretic and alterative properties. It is re-
commended as serviceable in dropsy, gravel and sup
pression of urine.

Fluid Eztract—Dose: 1 to 2 drams.

Aralia Racemosa ( Spikenard ).—Alterative
and gently stimulant. Cutaneous, rheumatic, syphi-
litte and pulmonary affections have been successfully
treated by this agent

Fluid Extract—Dose: 1 to 3 drams.

Arctostaphylos Uva Ursi (Uva D7rsi),—

Uva Ursi is an astringent tonic, and has a specific |,

direction to the urinary organs, for complaints of
which it is chiefly used ; has reputation as an antili-
thie in gravel, chronic nephritis, ulceration of the
kidneys, bladder and urinary passages. It has been
recommended in place of Ergot of Rye. It does not
cause such powerful contractions, nor is its use at-
tended with as much danger.

Fluid Extract—Dose: }to 1 dram.

Solid Extract—Dose: 5 to 15 grains.

Pills—2 grains. :

Aristolochia Serpentaria ( Virginia Snake-
root)——-A stimulant tonic, used in typhoid fever,
whether idiopathic or symptomatic, when the system
begins to feel the necessity for support, but is unable
to bear active stimulation. Its action may be muceli

improved by combination with Cinchona, particularly |)

in intermittent fevers.
malignant sore throat.
Fluid Extract—Dose: } te $ dram.

Employed as a gargle in

Arnica Montana (Leopard’s Bane).—Arniea
1s a Stimulant in adynamiz diseases; in small dose:
it increases the perspiration and accelerates the
pulse. Is used as a tonic in rheumatism and diseases
of the bladder, but more particularly as a domestic

remedy in sprains, bruises, rheumatism and local in- |.

flammation.
Fluid Eztract—Dose: 10 to 60 drops.

Artemesia Abrotanum (Southernwood).
Tonic and antispasmodic. Administered, with bene.
fit, in intermittents to increase the appetite, in atoni¢
dyspepsia, to promote the early re-establishment of
the digestive functions to their normal state.

Fluid Eztract—Dose: 30 to 60 drops.

Artemesia Vulgaris (Mugwort).—Anthel-
mintic and tonic. Mugwort is reputed beneficial in
epilepsy, hysteria and amenorrhea. It has been used
successfully in fevers.

Fluid Ezxtract—Dose: 20 to 40 drops.

Artemisia A bsinthium ( Wormwood).—An-
thelmintic, tonie and narcotic. Used in intermittent
fever, jaundice and worms. Promotes the appetite in
atonic dyspepsia, amenorrhea, obstinate diarrhea, &e.
Externally, it is useful in fomentations for bruises
and local inflammations.

Fluid Ezxtract—Dose: } to $ drams.

Solid Extract—Dose: 3 to 5 grains.

Arum Triphyllum (Wild Turnip).—Acrid,
expectorant, diaphoretic. Recommended in flatu-
lenze, croup, whooping cough, stomatites, asthma,
chronic laryngitis, bronchitis, low stage of typhus
fever, and various affections connected with a cachec-
tic state of the system.

Fluid Extract—Dose : 10 to 20 drops.

Asclepias Incarnata (White Indian Hemp).
—Emetic, cathartic and diuretic. Useful in catarrh,
asthma, rheumatism, syphilis and worms.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 20 to 40 drops.

Solid Extract—Dose: 3 to 5 grains.

Pills—2 grains.

Asclepias Tuberosa (Pleurisy Root) —
Pleurisy Root is carminative, tonic and diuretic;
used in pleurisy, pneumonia, catarrh, febrile diseases,
acute rheumatism, and dysentery. Efficient in flatu-
lency and indigestion.

Fluid Eztract—Dose: } to 2 drams.

Asclepin—Dose: 1 to 5 grains.

Pills—1 grain.

SS Se

FLUID AND SOLID EXTRACTS. :

Aspidium WFilix Mas (Male Fern).—lts spe-
cifie property is anthelmentic. The accounts of its
efficacy in the treatment of tapeworm are too numer-
ous to admit of. any reasonable doubt on the subject.

Fluid Extraci—Dose: $ to 2 drams.

Solid Extract—Dose: 3 to 15 grains.

Pills—2 graius

Atropa Belladonna (Belladonna).—-Bella-
donna is a powerful narcotic, possessing also diapho-
‘retic and diuretic properties. Exceedingly valuable
in convulsions, neuralgia, whooping-cough, rheuma-
tism, gout, paralysis, and similar dtseases having
their seat chiefly in the nervous system. It is es-
teemed as a prophy:actie in searlatina, and is also
used with success in quinsy and hernia.

Fluid Extract—Dose : 3 to 10 drops.

Solid Extract—Dose: } tol grain

Pills—}, 4. and 1 grain.

Aurantii Cortex (Orange Peel).—{t is a mild
tonic, carminative, and stomachic, but is seldom used
alone. Itis a useful addition to bitter infusions and
decoctions.

Fluid Extract—Dose: } to 2 drams.

Baptisia Tinctoria (Wild [ndigo).—Princi-
pally used on account of its antiseptic virtues. It is
an excellent application as awash or gargle to all
species of ulcers, as malignant ulcerous sore mouth
and throat, mercurial sore mouth, serofulous and
syphilitic ophthalmia, &c.

Fluid Extrace—Dose: } to 4 dram

Baptisin—Dose: } to} grain

Barosma Crenata (Buchu).—Buchu is given
chiefly in complaints of the urinary organs attended
with increased urie acid, as gravel, chronic catarrh
of the bladder, morbid irritation of the bladder and
urethra; algo in dyspepsia, chronie rheumatism, cuta-
neous affections, aud dropsy.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 4 to 2 drams.

“Bucuu Compounp—Composed of Buchu, Uva Ursi,
Juniper and Cubebs.
Fluid Extract—Dose: } to 2 drams.

Benzoin, Odoriferum (Fever Bush).—Aro-
matic, stimulant, and tonic. Useful in the manage-
ment of ague and typhoid forms of fevers, as a re-
frigerant and exhilarant in various febrile conditions,
for allaying excessive heat and uneasiness.

Fluid Extract—Dose : } to 1 dram.

Berberis Vulgaris (Barberry)—Tonic and
laxative Used in cases where tonics are indicated.
Mild in its operation, and favorably spoken of in the
treatment of jaundice, chronic diarrhea and dysen-
tery, cholera infantum, &c. Serviceable as a wash
or gargle in apthous sore mouth and in chronic op-
thalmia.

Fluid Extract—Dose: } to 1 dram.

Canella Alba (Canella)—Canella is possessed
of the ordinary properties of aromatics; acts as a
local stimulant and gentle tonic ; valuable as an ad-
dition to tonic or purgative medicines in debilitated
states of the digestive organs. Seldom prescribed
except in combinations.

Fluid Extract—Dose:: 15 to 30 drops.

| Cannabis Indica (Indian Hemp, Foreign).—
Phrenic, anesthetic, antispasmodic, and hypnotic.
‘Unlike opium, it does not constipate the bowels,
lessen the appetite, create nausea, produce dryness
‘of the tongue, check pulmonary secretions, or pro-
duce headache. Used with success in hysteria, cho-
Tea, gout, neuralgia, acute and sub-acute rheuma-
‘tism, tetanus, hydrophobia, and the like.

Fluid Ezxtract—Dose: 5 to 10 drops.

Solid Extract—Dose: 1 to 2 grains.

Pills—} to 1 grain.

Capsicum Annuum (Cayenne Pepper.)—A
peel stimulant, and a condiment; is very useful
correcting flatulency in dyspepsia; promoting di-
gestion; in sea-sickness; on the first occasion of
Nausea; in dropsies; in malignant sore throat and
scarlet fever; as a gargle; in intermittents, with

Quinine, and low forms of fever; in cholera; and in
hot climates, for obviating the black vomit.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 5 to 16 drops.

Pills—1 grain.

Cassia Acutifolia (Senna).—It is well adapted
to cases Whici require an active and certain purga-
tive; in constipation and inactivity of the alimen-
tary canal, requiring frequent use of purgatives; in
worms; in determination of blood to the head. It
can be used by persons of all ages as a purgative,
with security.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 110 2 drams.

Solid Ea:tract—Dose: 3 to 8 grains.

Pills—2 grains.

Senna, AquEous.—A mild and sure purgative, with
properties similar to the last.
Fluid Extract—Dose: 1 to 2 drams,

Senna anv JaLap.—This is a concentrated form of
the compound powder of Jalap, and is a good anti-
bilious cathartic.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 4 to 1 dram.

Cephezlis Ipecacuanha (Jpecac).—It is a
mild and tolerably certain emetic, and being, usually
thrown from the stomach in one or two efforts, it is
not apt to produce dangerous effects. It is especially
useful when poisons have been swallowed; In cases
of dysentery; as a nauseate in asthma, whooping-
cough, and the hemorrhages ; and as an expectorant
in catarrhal and other pulmonary affections.

Fluid Extract—Dose : Expectorant, 5 to 10 drops;
Emetic, 4 to 1 dram.

Pills of Ipecac—} grain.

Pills of Ipecac and Opium—(% gr. Op., 4 gr. Ip.,1
gr. Sul. Pot.) 2 grains.

Pills of Ipecac and Opium—(1 gr. Op.,1 gr. Ip.,2
grs. Sul. Pot.) 4 grains.

Pills of Ipecac and Squill—3 grains.

Chelidonium Majus (Great Celandine).—As
a drastic hydragogue, fully equal to gamboge. Use-
ful in hepatic affections, and is supposed to exert a
special influence on the spleen. Applied in the form
of a poultice to scrofulous and cutaneous diseases
and piles; also, to indolent ulcers, fungous growth,
&e.

Fluid Extraci—Dose : 10 to 20 drops.

Solid Extract—Dose: 5 to 10 grains.

Chelone Glabra (Balmony).—Tonic, cathar-
tic, and anthelmintic. Valuable in jaundice and he-
atic diseases. likewise for the removal of worms.
sed as a tonic, 1 small doses, in dyspepsia, debility
of the digestive organs, and during convalescence
from febrile and inflammatory diseases.
Fluid Extract—Dose: 1 dram.
Chelonin—Dose: 1 to 2 grains.

Chenopodium Anthelminticum ( Worm-
seed).—Wormseed is one of our most efficient indi-
genous anthelmintics, and it is thought to be particu-
larly adapted to the expulsion of the round worms in
children. A dose of it is usually given before break-
fast in the morning, and at bedtime in the evening
for three or four days successively, and then followed
by some brisk cathartic.

Fluid Eziraci—Dose: 1 to 2 drams.

Chimaphila Umbellata (Pipsissewa.
Prince’s Pine).—Tonic, diuretic, and astringent.
Highly recommended in dropsy; useful in disordered
digestion and general debility, rheumatism, nephritic
affections, and scrofula; in obstinate, ill-conditioned
ulcers; in cutaneous eruptions; and in chronic affec-
tions of the urinary organs.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 1 dram.

Solid Extract—Dose: 10 to 20 grains.

Pills—3 grains.

Cimicifuga Racemosa (Black Cohosh).—
This remedy possesses an undoubted influence over
the nervous system, and has been successfully used
in chorea, epilepsy, nervous excitabiliiy, asthma, de-
lirium tremens, and many spasmodic affections. In
febrite diseases it frequently produces diaphoresis
and diuresis.

*

FLUID AND SOLID EXTRACTS.

Fluid Eztract—Dose: } to 2 drams
Solid Eztract—Dose: 4 to 8 grains.
Cimicifugin—Dose : 1 to 6 grains.
Pills of Cimicifugin—1 grain. -

Brack ConosH Compounp—Composed of Black Co-
hosh, Wild Cherry, Ipecac, Liquorice aud Seneka.
Fluid Extract—Dose: 4 to 1 dram.

Cinchona (Peruvian Bark).—Valuable in fune-
tional derangemeuits of the stomach, improving diges-
tion, and invigorating the nervous and muscular sys-
tems in diseases of general debility, and in eonvales-
cence from exhausting diseases. As a tonic *t will
be found of advantage in measles, simal]- pox, scarla-
tina, during the absence of fever or inflammation,
also in cases where the system is exhausted by puru-
lent discharges. It may likewise be used in all
chronic diseases attended with debility, as scrofula,
dropsy, obstinate cutaneous diseases, &c. ‘To obtain
this antiperiodic influence, the red and yellow barks
are considered superior to the pale, while the pale is
preferred as a tonic.

Fluid Extract of Cinchona—Dose: } to 1 dram.

Fluid Extract of Cinchona, Red—Dose: 4 to 1 dram.

Fluid Extract of Cinchona, Calasaya—Dose: 4 to 1
dram,

Elizir Calasaya—Dose: 1 to 2 dram.

: Elixir Calasaya, Iron, Pyrophosphate—Dose: 1 to 2
rams.

Elixir Calasaya, Iron and Bismuth—Dose: 1 to 2
drams.

Elixir Calasaya, Iron and Strychnia—Dose: 4 to 2
drams.

CincHona Compounp——Composed of Cinchona
Orange Peel, Gentian, Serpentaria, Cloves and Red
Saunters.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 4 to 1 dram.

Cissampelos Pareira (Parewa Brava).—Use-
ful in calculous affections, discases of the urinary
passages, chronic inflammation and ulceration of the
kidneys and bladder. It allays irritability of the
bladder, and corrects the disposition to profuse mu-
cous secretions.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 4 to 1 dram.

Cocculus Palmatus (Colombo).—Mild tonic.
Used in simple dyspepsia; in those states of debility
which attend convalescence from acute disorders,
particularly in enfeebled condition of the alimentary
canul, in dysentery, cholera morbus and cholera in-
fantum.

Fluid Extract—Dose : 20 to 60 drops.

Solid Extract—Dose: 4 10 10 grains.

Pilis—2 grains. sth

Colchicum Autumnale.—Colchicum is prin-
cipally used in the various forms of gout and rheu-
matismt; in which* experience has abundantly proved
it to'be a- highly valuable remedy. It is'also recom-

: mended in inflammatory and febrile diseases, diseases
: of the heart, in various nervous complaints, as chorea,
hysteria, and hypochondriasis, and chrome bronchial
affections:
4 Fluid Extract of Colchicum Root—Dose: 3 to 12
rops. es : See.

Fluid Extract of Colchicum Seed—Dose: 5 to 15

drops: ar ik fe = -wik 4 S. 4 fo OB
Pilis—t} grains. j

Comptonia Asplenifolia (Sweet Fern).—
Tonic, astringentand alterative. It possesses all the
properties of the tonie and astringent balsams, and-is
useful in dysentery, diarrhea, hemoptysis ani leu-
corrhea. Barton recommends: it for summer com-
plaints of children. od ‘ ;

Fluid Extract—Dose: } to 1 dram.

Conium Maculatuan {Poison -Hemlock).—
Powerful, nareotic. Anodyne,- antispasmodic, and
deobstruent, Used in chronic. enlargement of the
liver, chronic rheumatism, syphilis, neuralgie affec-
tions, asthma, &c,

Fluid Extract—Dose: 5 to 20 drops.

Solid Extract—Dose : } to 14 grains.

Pills—}, 4 and 1 grain each.

Pills of Conium and Ipecac—i grain

‘biliary and digestive system.

Convallaria Multiflora (Solomon’s Seal),—
Tonic, mucilaginous and mildly astringent. Of much
value in leucorrhea, menorrhagia, female debility
and pectoral affections. An infusion will be found of |
great efficacy in irritable conditions of the intestines,
as well as in chronic inflammations of these parts, || |
especially when attended with burning sensations,
pains! &c. 4

Fluid Extract—Dose: 2 to 6 drams. :

Coptis Trifolia (Gold Thread).—Simple tonie,
bitter. It closely resembles quassia mm properties
and is employed when a pure tonic is desired It
proves serviceable in atonic dypepsia and loss of
appetite. Much used asa gargle in various ulcera- |:
tions of the mouth, y !

Fluid Extract—Dose: 4101 dram. | {

(

(

qt!

Cornus Florida (Boxwood, Dogwood).—Tonie,
astringent and stimulant, Its internal use increases
the force and frequency of the pulse and elevates th
temperature of the body. Ithas been successfully I
substituted for cincdona in the treatment of intermit-
tents.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 4 to 2 drams. |

Solid Extract—Dose: 5 10 10 grains, tr,

Cornin—Dose: 1 1o 10 grains, “a

Pills of Cornus, Extract—2 grains. |

Pills of Cornin—2 grains. ’

Corydalis Formosa (Turkey Corn).—One of
the best remedies in syphilitic affections; valuable in }
scrofula, and possesses tonic properties similar to the |
gentian, colombo, or other pure bitters. Its altera=
tive powers render it of immense value. .

Fluid Extract—Dose: 10 to 40 drops.

Corydalin—Dose: } to 1 grain,

|
: ma |
Crocus Sativus (Saffron) Emmeuagogne iy
and diaphoretic. Has been of benefit in amenorrhea,
dysmenorrhea, chlorosis, hysteria, and in suppression
of the menstrual discharge. It is a well-known de. 4
mestic remedy in promoting the eruption in exanthe-
matous diseases. It imparts color and flavor to offi- \!
cinal tinctures. ‘2
Fluid Extract—Dose: 20.10 60 drops. |

Croton Eleuteria (Cascarilla)—A_ pleasant
and gentle aromatic and tonic; employed in dyspep-
sia, chronic diarrhea and dysentery, flatulent colic 4
and other cases of debility of the stomach and bowels, J
and to arrest vomiting. Cascarilla counteracts the
tendency of cinchona to produce nausea. ag

Fluid Extract—Dose: 20 to 30 drops. i}

Cucumis Colocynthis (Colacenth) Calla i
cynth is a powerful drastic, hydragogue cathartic, f}}
exciting inflammation of the. mucous membranes of | f
the intestines, causing severe griping, vomiting and
bloody discharges. From its powerful and harsh ae-

tion it is rarely used alone. It is principally useful 9°
in passive dropsy, in cerebral derangements, and for
the purpose: of:overcoming torpid conditions of the |

Solid Extract—Dose: 5 to 15 grains. p

Solid Extract of Colocynth Compound—Dose: 2 to »
30 grains.

Pilis of Colocynth, Comp: Ext.—8 grains.

Pills of Colocynth, Comp. Ext. and Blue Pill—3 1
grains, Sec y Pw irae ty
~ Pills of Colocynth, Com. Ext. and Ipecac—3 grains. Bi

Pills of Colocynth, Comp. Ext. and Hyoscyamus—3 $i

grains.
Pills of Colocynth, Comp. Ext. and Calomel—3
grains. 3 q a.
Pills of Colocynth, Comp: Ext and Podophyllin. gt

*

Curcuma Longa (Turmeric).—Stimulant, aro- | :
matic, tonic, discussive and healing; used especially fj,
in the jaundice and the itch; also-employed in debili- i
tated states of the stomach, intermittent fever and jy,
dropsy. F bist Ee

Fluid Extract—Dose : 2 to 3.drams,

Oypripedium Pubescens (Ladies’ Slipper).
—Tonic, nervine, antispasmodic, Employed in ner- jj
vous headache, nervous irritability and excitability, }} ‘
hysteria, neuralgia. morbid condition of the nervous jf |

system, &e {

4

- - FLUID AND SOLID EXTRACTS.

Solid Extract—Dose: 5 to 15 grains
Cypripedin—Dose : 210 4 grains.
Pills—2 grains.

Datura Stramonium (Stramonium).—Nar-
Cotic, antispasmodic, alodyne, sedative. Employed
in tetanus, mania, epilepsy, chorea, palsy, and vari-

ous nervous affections. Effectual in many acuto
pains, as in those arising from chronic diseases, or
_ acute uterine affections, &c.
_ Fluid Eztract—Dose: 5 to 20 drops.

Solid Extract—Dose: 4 to 1 grain,

Pilis—} to 1 grain.

Digitalis Purperea (Foxglove).—Is narcouc,
sedative and diuretic; sometimes emetic and purga-
tive. It is prescribed asa sedative in hypertropy of
the heart, and in aneurism of the !arge vessels pro-
ceeding from it; in inflammatory diseases ; in dropsy,
on account of ils great diuretic power; in hemor-
rhage, as asedative. It possesses great power over

‘the circulation, and is peculiar in its operation. It is
- one of those remedies which should never be admin-
“istered without an accurate knowledge of their
“medicinal properties.

\ Fluid Extract—Dose: 5 to 10 drops

Solid Extract—Dose: 4 to 1 grain.

Pills of Digittalin—1-32 grain.

Pills of Digitalis, Ext.—} grain.

Dioscorea Villosa (Wild Yam).— Antispas-
modic. Successfully used in bilious colic. Held to
be as much a specific in bilious colic as quinia in in-
termittents.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 5 to 30 drops,

‘Dioscorein—Dose : 1 to 6 grains.

‘ Wrap tenis Odorata (Tongua).—Tonqua is em-
.ployed principally to flavor unpalatable medicines
and for perfumery.

Fluid Extract—

Epigza eepens (Trailing Arbutus).—Diuretie
and astringent. Is highly beneficial in gravel and all
diseases of the urinary organs. It is prepared and
‘administered in the same way with the uva ursi and
buehu. It acts similarly, and has given relief in
.cases where these have failed.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 1 to 2 drams.

' Erechthites Wieracifolius (Fireweed).—
Tonic, astringet and alterative. Is reported ser-
viceable in diseases of the mucous tissues of the
lungs,. stomach and. bowels, m the treatment of
cholera, and dysentery, and summer complaints of
children, as almost a specific for all active. hemor-
rhages. Useful in spasms of stomach and bowels,
hysteria, and diarrhea of pregnant females.
Fluid Extract—Dose: $ to 1 dram.

Ergota (Ergot)—Ergot operates with great
energy upon the eontractile property of the uterus.
_It has been given to promote the expulsion of the
_ placenta, to restrain inordinate hemorrhages after
delivery, and to hasten the discharge of the fetus in
protracted cases of abortion.
Fluid Extract—Dose: 410 1 dram.
Pills—1 grain.

Euonymus Atropurpureus ( Wahoo).—
Tonic, laxative, alterative, diuretic and expectorant;
successfully used in intermittents, dyspepsia, torpid
State of the liver, constipation, dropsy, and pulmonary
affections. .

Fluid Extract—Dose: 1 to 2 drams.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 4 to 1 dram.
fF
i

Eu P atorium Perfoliatum (Boneset).—
Tonic, diaphoretic; and in large doses, emetic and
aperient. Used in colds, fevers, catarrhs, remittent
and intermittent fevers, typhoid pneuinonia, dropsy,
dypepsia and general debility. The Evpurpurin,
from the E. Purpureum, is a most powerful diuretic.
Used with excellent effect in all chronie urmary dis-
orders...

Fiuid Extract—Dose: 1 10 2 drams.

Solid Extract—Dose: 5 to 20 grains.

Eupatorin—Dose: 1 to 2 grains.

Eupurpurin—Dose: 3 to 4 grains.

Pills—2 grains.

Eupatorium Purpureum (Queen of the
Meadow)—The root is bitter, astringent, stimulant
and powerfully diuretic. It is useful in all diseases
of the urinary organs, dropsy, rheumatism, gout, and
female weaknesses and obstructions. Highly recom-
mended in gravelly complaints, cystitis, nephritis, dia-
betes insipidus, incontinence of urine, &c.

Fluid Ertract—Dose: 1 to 3 drams.

ELupurpurin—Dose: 3 to 4 grains.

Galium Aperine (Cleavers).—Valuable as a
refrigerant and diuretic, and beneficial in many dis-
eases of the urinary organs, as suppression of urine,
calculous affections, inflammation of the kidneys and
bladder, and in the scalding of urine in gonorrhea.
It is contra-indicated in diseases of a passive charac-
ter, on account of its refrigerant and sedative effects
upon the system, but may ‘be used freely in fevers
and all acute diseases.

Fluid Extract-—Dose: 1 to 2 drams.

Gaultheria Procumbens ( Wintergreen).—
Stimulant, aromatic and‘astringent. It is used in in-
fusion in chronie diarrhea, as a diuretic in dysury,
and as an emmenagogue. -

Fluid Extract—Dose: 2 to 4 drams.

Gelseminum Sempervirens ( Yellow Jessa-
mine).—\t is an excellent febrifuge; has proved effi-
cacious in nervous and bilious headache, colds, pneu-
monia, hemorrhage. chorea, though it is in fevers
especially in which its efficacy has been mostly ob-
served. Maybe used in all forms of neuralgia, ner-
vous headache, toothache. lockjaw or tetanus.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 3 to 20 drops.

Gelseminin—} to 2 grains.

Gentiana Lutea (Gentian).—It is a valuable
tonic, adapted to those cases requiring the use of pure
or simple bitters: It excites the appetite, invigo-
rates the powcrs of digestion, and may be used in all
cases 9f diseases dependetit on pure debility of the
digestive organs, or requiring a general tonic. It
has proved useful in dyspepsia, gout, hysteria, scrof-
ula, intermittent fever, diarrhea, and worms, but is
rather applicable to the condition of the stomach and
system generally, than to any specific disease.

Fiuid Extract—Dose: }to 1 dram.

Solid Extract—Dose: 3 to 15 grains.

Pilis—2 grains.

GenTIAn Compounp—Composed of Gentian, Orange
Peel, Cloves, Canella and Red Saunders.
Fluid Extract—Dose: 4 to 1 dram.

Geranium Maculatum (Cranesbill)—A
powerful astringent. Used in ehronie diarrhea,
cholera infantum, hemorrhage, &c. It forms an ex-
cellent local application as a garg@le in sore throats
and ulcerations of the mouth, and is adapted to the
treatment of such diseliarges as’ continue from de-
bility, after the removal of their exciting causes.
The absence of unpleasant taste, and all other offen-
sive qualities, renders it peculiafly serviceable in
the cases of infants, and of persous with very deli-
cate stomachs.

Fluid Extract—Dose: } to 1 dram.

Solid Extract—Dose: 3 to 15 grains.

Geraniin—Dose: 1 to 5 grains.

Pills of Geraniin—Dose: 1 gram.

Pills of Ex. Geranium—2 grains.

Geum HBivale (Avens’ Root)—Tonic and as-
tringent. Used in numerous diseases, as chronic he-
morthages, chronic diarrhea and dysentery, leueorrhea,
dyspepsia, phthisis, congestions of the abdominal vis-
cera, intermittents, ulcerations, &¢

Dose: 4 to 1 dram.

Gillenia Trifoliata (Indian Physic).—It is a
mild and tolerably certain emetic; and being usually
thrown from the stomach in one or two efforts, it is
not apt to produce dangerous effects, It 1s especially
useful when poisons have been swallowed; in cases
of dysentery; a6 a nauseate in asthma, whooping-
eough, and the hemorrhages; and as an expectorant
i catarrhal and other pulmonary affections.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 4 to 12 drops

FLUID AND SOLID EXTRACTS.

Glycyrrhiza (Liquorice).--Liquorice is an agree-
able demulcent and expectorant. The extract is
widely employed as a corrigent in the preparation of
many unpalatable medicines. Asa remedial drug it
may be used in catarrhal and bronchial affections,
coughs, pulmonary and hectic cases attended with
thirst, also to allay irritation of the urinary organs,
and the pain in diarrhea.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 1 to 4 drams.

Gossypium Herbaceum (Cotton).—Emmen-
agogue, parturient and abortive. It acts with as
much efficiency and more safety than ergot. It ope-
rates without pain or gastric disturbance, producing
no other effect than the excitation of the menstrual
secretions, except perhaps some degree of anodyne
influence. It is an excellent remedy in the treat-
ment of chlorotic and anwemic females.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 4drams.

Hzematoxylon Campechianum (Log-
‘wood).—It is tonic and astrmgent, without any irri-
tating properties. May be used with mnch advan-
tage in diarrhea, dysentery, and in the relaxed con-
dition of the bowels succeeding cholera infantum.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 4tol1 dram.

Solid Extract—Dose: 5 to 30 grains.

Pills—2 grains.

Hamamelis Virginica (Witch Hazel).—
Witch Hazel is tonic, astringent and sedative; used
in hemoptysis, hematemesis and other hemorrhages,
as well as in diarrhea, dysentery, and excessive mu-
cous discharges; in incipient phthisis, in which it is
supposed to possess an anodyne influence; also for
sore mouth. painful tumors.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 1 to 2 drams.

Helianthemum Canadense (Frostworth).
—This herb appears to possess tonic and astringent
properties. Dr. Ives, of New Haven, Ct., 1s said to
have first introduced it into regular practice. He re-

ards it a very efficieat remedy in scrofula. Dr. D. A.

yler, of the same city, also speaks highly of this
plant, and claims it may be used with decided advan-
tage in strumous affections, secondary syphilis, as a
gargle in scarlatina and as a wash in prurigo,

Fluid Extract—Dose: 1 to 2 drams.

Helleborus Niger (Black Helebore).—It is a
jrasuc hydragogue cathartic, possessed of emmena-
gogue powers; occasionally found useful in chlorosis,
amenorrhea, &c.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 10 to 20 drops.

Solid Extraet—Dose: 1 to 5 grains.

Pills—1 grain.

Helonias Dioica (False Unicorn).—Tonic, di-
uretic and vermifuge. Beneficial in colic, and in
atony of the generative organs. It acts asa uterine
tonic 12 leucorrhea, amenorrhea, and to remove the
tendency to repeated and successive miscarriages.

Fluid Exiract—Dose: 1 tu 3 drams.

Helonin—Dose: 4 to 1 grain.

Hepatica Americana (Liverwort).—Liver-
wort is a very mild, demulcent tonic and astringent,
supposed by some to possess diuretic and deobstruent
virtues. It hus been used in fevers, hepatic com-
plaints, hemoptysis, coughs, &c.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 2 to 3 drams.

Humulus Lupulus (Hop).—Hops are tonic
and moderately narcotic, and have been recom-
mended in diseases of local and general debility, as-
sociated with morbid vigilance, or other nervous de-
rangements. Useful in dyspepsia and the nervous
tremors, wakefulness and delirium of drunkards.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 4 to 1 dram.

Solid Extraet—Dose: 5 to 20 grains.

Lupulin—Dose: 6 to 10 grains.

Hydrangea Arborescens (Hydrangea).—
This plant was introduced to the medical profession by
Dr. S. W. Butler, of Burlington, N. J., as a remedy
for the removal of calculous or stony deposits in the
bladder, and for relieving the excruciating pain atten-
Cant on the passage of a calculus through the urethra.

1

claimed for it; itis only while the deposits are small,

when in that form of the disease known as gravel, that

it is an efficient remedy; then by removing the nucleus,

which if allowed to remain in the organ would in-

crease in size and form stone, the disease is averted.
Fluid Extract—Dose: 1 to 2 drams.

Hydrastis Canadensis (Golden Seal).—Used
in dyspepsia, chronic affections of the nervous coats of
the stomach, erysipelas, remittent, intermittent and
typhoid fevers, stupor of the liver, and where tonics
are required. In combination with geranium it forms
an efficient remedy in chronic diarrhea and dysentery.

Fluid Extract—Dose: } to 2 drams.

Solid Extract—Dose: 2 to 5 grains.

Hydrastin (Resinoid)—Dose: } 10 5 grains.

Hydrastin (Neutral)—Dose: 2 to 6 grains.

Hydrastina (Alkaloid)—Dose: 1 to 5 grains.

Pills—1 grain.

Hyoscyamus Niger (Hentane).—It ranks
among the narcotics. It accelerates the circulation,)
increases the general warmth, occasions a sense of)
heat in the throat, and after a short period induces sleep. )
It does not constipate like opium, but often proves
laxative. It is most frequently applied in neuralgic
and spasmodic affections, rheumatism, gout, hysteria,
and various pectoral diseases, such as catarrh, pertus-)
sis, asthma, phthisis, &c.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 10 to 20 drops.

Solid Extract—Dose: } to 1 grain.

Hyoscyamin—Dose: § to } grain.

Pills—}, } and 1 grain.

Hypericum Perforatum (Johnswort)—
Astringent, sedative aud diuretic. It is beneficially
administered in suppression of urine, chronic urinary
affections, diarrhea, dysentery, worms, jaundice, me=
norrhagia, hysteria and hemoptysis. Externally ap-
plied to caked breasts, hard tumors and ecchymosis, it
proves of service.

Fluid Extract—Dose: } to 1 dram.

Inula Helenium (Elecampane).—Aromatic,
stimulant and tonic. Some claim it also has diuretic,
diaphoretic, emmenagogue and expectorant properties.
The chief use of Elecampane is in chronic pulmon
affections, weakness of the digestive organs, dyspepsia |
and cutaneous diseases, hepatic derangements and |
general debility.

Fluid Extract—Dose: } to 1 dram.

Ipomza Jalapa (Jalap).—It is an active ca- -
thartic, operating briskly, and sometimes painfully upon |
the bowels, producing copious and watery stools. It }
is advantageously employed in dropsy, in the treat. -
ment of hip disease, and scrofulous affections of the :
other joints. ;

Fluid Extract—Dose: } to 1 dram.

Solid Extract—Dose: 3 to 8 grains

Jalapin—Dose: 1 to 2 grains.

Pills—1 grain.

Iris Florentina (Orris).—Possesses cathartic
properties, and, in large doses, acts as an emetic.
Chiefly used in compounds, on account of the agree-
able odor it imparts.

Fluid Extract—To be used in compounds at dis- |
cretion.

2 oe

Iris Versicolor (Blue Flag).—A potent remedy |
in dropsy, scrofula, hepatic, renal and splenetic affec- |
tions. It acts more particularly on the glandular sys- |
tem, and, in large doses, it evacuates and exhausts the
system, acting on the liver, and the alimentary canal ||
throughout, fulfilling most of the indications of mer-
cury.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 20 to 60 drops.

Solid Extract—Dose: 1 to 4 grains.

Tridin—Dose: 3 to 5 grains.

Tridin, Pills of—} and 1 grain.

Juglans Cinerea (Butternut).—A mild cathar-
tic. Wery efficacious in habitual constipation, dysen-
Tt evacuates }

tery and other affections of the bowels.

without debilitating the alimentary canal
Fluid Extract—Dose: 1 to 2 drams.
Solid Extract—Dose: 5 to 20 grains

|, Lue power of curing stone in the bladder is not Juglandin—Dose: 1 to 5 grains

FLUID AND SOLID EX

Juniperus Communis (Juniper Berries).—
Stomachic, carminative and diuretic. Employed with
good success in cases of impairment of appetite and
digestion; acts as a healthful stimulant in chronic af-
fections of the bladder, gonorrhea, leucorrhea, glect,
and scorbutic diseases. Favorably spoken of by Van
Swieten in ascites and anasarca.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 110 2 drams.

Juniperus Sabina (Savin).--Itis highly stimu-
lant, increasing most of the secretions, especially those
of the skin and uterus, to the latter of which organs it
seems to have a peculiar direction; though in cases of
pregnancy it must be used with caution. Useful in
complaints of the kidneys, suppression of urine and
suppressed menstruation.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 10 to 30 drops.

Solid Extract—Dose: 1 to 5 grains.

Pills—1 grain.

Krameria Triandra (Rhatany).—It is a pow-
erful asiringent, with tonic properties. Used inter-
nally with advantage in menorrhagia, hematemesis,
passive hemorrhages, chronic diarrhea, leucorrhea,
chronic mucous discharges, and incontinence of urine;
also as a local application in prolapsus ani, fissure of
the anus, and leucorrhea.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 4 to 1 dram.

Solid Extract—Dose: 5 to 20 grains.

Pills—1 grainw

Lactuca Sativa (Leituce).—Is usually given to
guiet nervous irritability and allay cough. It may be
given, when opium is indicated put eannot be given
from idiosynerasy of the patient. It does not produce
that disturbance of the functions which usually follows
opium.

Fluid Extract—Dose: } to 2 drams.

Solid Extract—Dose: 2 to 5 grains.

Pills—2 grains.

Lappa Minor (Burdock).—Usetul in scorbuuc,
syphilitic, scrofulous. gouty, leprous and nephritie dis-
eases. To prove effectual, its use must be persevered
in fora longtime. As an ointment, it has been em-
ployed with advantage in cutaneous diseases and ob-
stinate ulcers.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 1 dram.

Solid Extract—Dose: 5 to 20 grains.

Pilis—2 grains.

Laurus Sassafras (Sassafras).—Sutimulant,
and perhaps diaphoretic. IJtis used mainly as an adja-
vant to other medivines, the flavor of which it im-
proves. It has been particularly recommended in
chronic rheumatism, cutaneous eruptions, scorbutic
and syphiloid affections.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 1 to 2 drams.

Leontice Thalictroides
Possessed of diuretic, diujiorc
properties; isa valuable wacit ..all chronic uterine
diseases ; appears to exert a c~ ecinl influence upon
the uterus; has been successiu:.. eniployed in rheuma-
usm, dropsy, colic, hiccough, elepsy, uterine leucor-
rhea, amenorrhea, &c. In decocuon, blue cohosh is
preferablo to ergot in expediting delivery, in all those
eases where the delay is owing to debility, or want of
uterine nervous energy, or is the result of fatigue.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 15 to 40 drops.

Solid Extract—Dose: 1 to 5 grains.

Caulophyllin—Dose: 4 to 4 grains.

Pills—2 grains.

Leonurus Cardiaca (Motherwort) —Recom-
mended in nervous complaints, in irritable habits, de-
lirium tremens, in all chronic diseases attended with
restlessness, wukefulness, disturbed sleep, spinal irrita-
tion, neuralgic pains, and in liver affections.

Solid Extract—Dose: 3 to 6 grains.

Pills—2 grains.

Leptandra Virginica (Culver’s Root).—
Tonic, cholagogue and laxative; is employed in he-
patic affections, as it acts upon the liver with ener;
and without active catharsis; in bilious and typhoid
fevers as a laxative and ionic, and in dyspepsia, diar-
thea and dysentery.

Fluid Extraet—Dose: } to 1 aram.

(Blue Cohosh).—
and anthelmintic

— — ——

we

Solid Extract—Dose: 1 to 10 grains.
Leptandrin—Dose: } to 1, and 1 to 2 grains.
Leptandrin, Pills of—1 grain.

Liatris Spicata (Button Snakeroot).—Diuretic,
tonic, stimulant and emmenagogue. The infusion is
efficacious in gleet, gonorrhea, and nepthritic diseases;
also in scrofula, dysmenorrhws. amenorrhea, ailer-
pains, &c. Of advantage also as a gargie im sore
throat.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 1 to 2 drams.

Liatrin—Dose: 4 to 8 grains

Ligusticum Livisticum (Lovage ).—Aro-
matic, stimulant; and has been cinpioyed as a carinina
tive and diaphoretic. This drug has proved available
in removing visceral obstructions, dispelling tlatulency,
in the treatment of jaundice und gravel. li is very
often added to purgative preparations, on account of
its aromatic carminative properties.

Fluid Extract—Dose: } to 1 drain.

Liriodendron Tulipifera (While Wood).—
Aromatic, sumulant and tonic. ‘Tnis drug is recom-
mended in intermittents, chronic rheumatism, chronic,
gastric and intestinal diseases, hectic fever, might
Sweats, and colliquative diarrhea of phihisis.

Fluid Extract—Dose: } 10 1 dram

Lobelia Inflata (Lobilia).—Lobelia is emetic
and eathartic; and in small doses, diaphoretic and ex
pectorant. [t is of especial advantage in spasmodic
asthma, and is used in cutarrh, croup, pertussis, and
other laryngeal and pectoral affections. ii cases where
relaxation 1s required, either to subdue spas or otler-
wise, lobelia will be found to be a valuable article.

Fluid Extract—Dose: Expectorant, 10 to Gi drops;
Emetie, } to 1 dram.

Lobelin—Dose: 4 to 14 grains.

LosbeL1a Compounp—Composed of Loubdelia, Skunk
Cabbage and Blvodroot.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 10 to 60 drops; and } to 1
dram.

Lycopus Virginicus (Augle-weed).—A mild
narcotic, sedative, sub-astringent, styptic. A valuable
remedy for hemorrhage from the lungs, incipient pithi-
sis, pneumonia; useful in quieting irritauen and uilay-
ing cough; it appears to act like digitalis in abating the
frequency of the pulse, but it is far less active.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 1 to 2 drams.

Marrubium Wulgare (Horehound).—Tonic,
aperient, pectoral and sudorific. Is largely employed
in domesuc practice in colds, asthma, catarrh and other
chronic affections of the lungs, attended with coughs
and copious expectoration. 5

Fluid Extract—Dose: } to 1 dram.

Solid Exlract—Dose: 5 to 10 grains

Pills—2 grains.

Mentha Piperita (Peppermint).—It is a pow-
erful diffusive stimulant, antispasmodic, carminative and
stomachic. Used in flatulent colic, hysteria. spasms,
or cramp in the stomach; to allay the griping of cathur-
ties; to check nausea and vomiting, and to disguise the
unpleasant taste of other medicines.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 1 to 2 drains

Mentha Viridis (Spearmint).—Like the last,
it is carminative, antispasmodic and stimulant. [t is
mainly used as « diuretic and febrituge. The uncture
has been found serviceable in gonorrhea, strangury,
gravel. &c.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 1 to 3 drams.

Myrica Cerifera (Bayberry).—Astringent and
stimulant, and in large doses, is apt tu oceasion eimesis.
Successfully employed in scrofula, jaundice. diarrhea,
dysentery, and other diseases where an ustringent
stimulant is indicated. Beneficial asa garyle in sore
mouth and throat.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 1 to 2 drams

Myricin—Dose: 2 to 10 grains.

Myrica Gale (Sweet Gale).—Astringent, stimu-
lant. Dram doses are apt to produce emesis. It pos-
sesses properues similar to those of bayberry.

Fluid Extract—Dose: } to 1 dram.

TRACTS.

aay ie

FLUID AND SOLID- EXTRACTS.

$$

Nepeta Cataria (Catnip ).—Carminative and
_ diaphoretic in warm infusion. Used in febrile diseases,
in flatulent colic, nervous headache, hysteria and ner-
vous irritability.
Fluid Exiract—Dose: 2 to 4 drams.

Nymphza Odorata (White Lily).—Astrin-

ent, demulcent, anodynie, allerative and antiserofulous.

t isa popular remeuy in dysentery, diarrhea, leucor-

rhea, scofula and, combined with wild cherry, in bron-
chial affeetioi<

Fluid Ext: aci—) ose

Opium.—The fluid extract of opium (aqueous) is
of the same strength as laudanum, and is largely used
in its stead; is anodyne in its action, promotes sleep,
allays spasms and convulsions, and is valuable in ner-
vous irritability. It can be used where laudanum or
opium is generaily applicable, without the unpleasant
effects that usually follow trom either. The fluid
opium is denarcotized; prepared according to the U. S.
Pharmacopeida.

* Fluid Extract—Dose: 10 to 60 drops.

$ to 1 dram.

Papaver Somniferum (Poppy).—The poppy
heads, though analogous to opium in medical proper-
ties, are exceedingly ieeble. They are often given in-

. ternally to calm irritstion, to promote rest, and produce,
generally, the narcotic effects of opium.

Fluid Extract—Dose: } to 1 dram.

Solid Extract—Dose: 3 to 10 grains.

Pills—2 grains

Phytolacea Decandra (Poke).—It is a slow
emetic, purgative, and somewhat narcotic. Used in
chronic and syphilitic rheumatism, and for allaying
syphilitic pains. It is said to be a sure cure for syphi-
lis in all its stages, without the use of mercury. Acts
as an alterative in scrofula and scrofulous diseases.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 10 to 30 drops.

Solid Extract—Dose: 1 to 4 grains.

Phytolaccin—Dose: 4 to 1 grain.

Phytolaccin, Pills of—} graut.

Pinus Canadensis (Hemlock).—The extract
prepared from the bark is a valuable remedy in the
treatment of chronic diarrhea, in the last stages of dys-
entery, and cholera infantum. ‘The astringent proper-

. ties of hemlock seem to indicate its employment in
hemorrhoids, menorrhagia, &c.
Fluid Extract—Dose: 4 to 1 dram.

Piper Angustifolium (Matico).—Principally
styptie, also stimulant. Or advantage in epistaxis, leu-
corrhea, menorrhagia, chronic diarrhea, and diseases
of the mucous membranes. Asa local styptic it acts
in the sume manner as agaric.

Fluid Exiract—Dose: }$ to 2 drams.

Piper Cubeba (Cwiebs)—Cubebs are gently
stimulant, with particular direction to the urinary or-
gans; has the power of arresting excessive discharges
from the urethra; used principally in the treatment of
gonorrhea and gleet; also used beneficially in leucor-
rhea, abscess of the prostrate glands, piles, and chronic
bronchial inflammation, &e.

Fluid Extraci—Dose: $ to 1$ drams.

Solid Extract—Dose: 2 to 20 grains.

Pills—2 grains.

Piper Nigrum (Black Pepper).—The black
pepper is a warm carminative stimulant, having the
property of producing general arterial excitement. Its
chief medicinal «pplication is to excite the languid
stomach and correct flatulency.

Ftuid Extract—10 to 40 drops.

Podophylium Peltatum (Mandrake).—It
sis a certain cathartic; in large doses an emetic, altera-
tive, anthelmintic, hydragogue and sialogogue. It
rouses the liver to vigorous action, determines the blood
to the surface, stimniates the kidneys, promotes expee-
toration, augments the glandular functions, and cleanses
the intestinal canal of all irritating substances. In
small doses, it acts as a powerful alterative. Useful in
secrofulous and syphilitic diseases, hepatic affections,
dysmenorrhea, rleumatism, gonorrhea; also adminis-
tered beneficiall: in jaundice, dropsies, dysentery, diar-
thea, bilious, reiaittent and intermittent fevers, puerpe-

ral even, typhoid fever, and all glandular enlarge-

ments,

cated in all cases where the use of mercury is indi-'
cated.

Fluid Extract—Dose: } to 1 dram.

Solid Extract—Dose: 3 to 12 grains.

Podophyllin—Dose: } to 3, and 1 to 3 grains.

Pills of Podophyllum, Ext.—1 grain.

Pills of Podophyllin—} and 1 grain.

Pills of Podophyllin and Blue Pill—3 grains.

ManpRAKE Compounp—Composed of Mandrake,
Senna and Jalap.
Fluid Extract—Dose: 1 lo 2 drams.

Polygonum Punctatum (Water Pepper).
—Stimulant, diuretic, emmenagogue, antiseptic and
vesicant. Used in colds, coughs, gravel, uterine dis-
eases, &c.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 10 to 60 drops.

Solid Extract—Dose: 2 to 3 grains.

Polygala Senega (Seneka).—Seneka is a
stimulating diuretic and expectorant, and in large
doses, emetic and cathartic. {[t excites more or less
all the secretions. It is peculiarly useful in chronic
catarrhal affections, the secondary stages of croup,
and in peripneumonia.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 20 to 40 drops.

Populus Tremuloides (American Poplar).—
Tonic and febrifuge; has been used in intermittent
fever with advantage. The fluid extract is reputed a
valuable remedy in debility, want of appetite, feeble
digestion, chronic diarrhea and worms. It is said to
possess active diuretie properties.

Fluid Extract—Dvse: - to 1 dram,

Populin—t to 8 graius.

Prinos Werticillatus (Black Alder).—The
black alder has been used with good effect in jaun-
dice, diarrhea, intermittent fever and other diseases
connected with a debilitated state of the system, es
pecially gangrene and mortification. Itis a popular
remedy in gangrenous or flabby and ill-conditioned
ulcers, and in chronie cutaneous eruptions, in which
it is given internally, and applied locally in the form:
of a wash or poultice.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 1 to 2 drams.

Prunus Virginiana (Wild Cherry).—Tonic
and stimulant in its operation on the digestive organs,
at the same time exercising a sedative influence on
the circulatory and nervous systems. It is useful in
the convalescent stages of inflammatory attacks, and
in many pulmonary diseases, imparting tonicity with-
out exciting unduly the heart and blood vessels. It
is of general use in phthisis, scrofula and dyspepsia.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 2 to 4 drams.

Prunin—Dose: 2 to 6 grains.

Witp CHERRY Compounp——Composed of Wild
Cherry, Horehound, Lettuce, Veratrum and Bloodroot.
Fluid Extract—Dose: 4 to 2 drams.

Ptelea Trifoliata (Ptelea).—Pure, unirritat-
ing tonic. It is recommended in asthma, and pulmo-
nary affections, intermittents and remittents; and in
all cases where tonics are indicated.
eminently worthy in gastro-enteric irritation, and is
stated to be tolerated by the stomach when other
remedies are rejected.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 15 to 60 drops.

Pulmonaria Officinalis (Lungwort.)—De-
mulcent and mucilaginous. Beneficially administered
ia cases of hemorrhage from the lungs, bronchial
and catarrhal affections, and in pulmonary affections
generally. ?

Fluid Extract—Dose: } to 1 dram.

Pyrethrum Parthenium (Feverfew).-—
Tonic and carminative, with emmenagogue, vermi-
fage and stimulant properties. This is an excellent
agent in colds, flatulency, worms, hysteria, and in
soma types of febrile diseases and irregular men-
struation. r Ms

Fluid Exrtract—Dose: } to 1 dram.

l ts range of application is perhaps more ex.
tensive than any other cathartic medicine, and is indie |

——— 2

SS ee

It has proved |

FLUID AND SOLID EXTRACTS.

SS ————————

Quercus Alba (White Oak).—Tonic, astringent
and alterative. As an astringent, it is very valuablet
iven in intermittent fevers, obstinate and chronic
iarrhea, used as a gargle, and in baths for children.
Applied externally as an ointment to ill-conditioned
ulcers, piles, &c.
Fluid Extract—Dose: } to 1 dram.
Solid Extract—Dose: 10 to 20 grains.
Pills—2 grains.

Rhamnus Catharticus (Buckthorn).—A
powerful hydragogue and purgative. Seldom used
alone.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 1 to 14 dram.

Rheum Palmatum (Rhwarb).—Used as a
purgative in mild cases of diarrhea and cholera in-
fanitum; as a stomachic and tonic in dyspepsia ac-
companied with debilitated condition of the digestive
organs; as a purgative for infants, it is valuable, and
is well adapted to a variety of children’s complaints.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 4 to 1 dram.

Solid Extract—Dose: 2 to 10 grains.

Pills Rhei, Ext.—1 grain.

Pills Rheit, U.S P.—4 grains.

Pills Rhei Comp. U. S. P.—44 grains

Pills Rhei and Blue Pill—4 grains.

Pills Rhei and Iron—3 grains.

RHUBARB AND SENNA—By a union of these drugs n
the concentrated form of a fluid extract, and in due
proportion, ayeathartic is obtained which is safe, un-
attended by unpleasant symptoms, and not followed
by constipation.

Fluid Extract—Dose: } to 1 dram.

RHUBARB AROMATIC—
Fluid Extract—Dose: 4 to 1 dram.

Rhus Glabrum (Sumach).—Tonic, astringent,
antiseptic and diuretic, Valuable in gonorrhea, leu-
corrhea, diarrhea, dysentery, hectic tever and scrofula.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 1 1to 2 drams.

Rhusin—Dose: 1 to 2 grains.

Rubus WVillosus (‘Blackberry)—Tonie and
strongly astringent, Anexeellent remedy in diarrhea,
dysentery, cholera infantum, relaxed conditions of
the intestines of children, passive hemorrhage from
the stomach, bowels, and uterus, and in eolliquative
diarrhea.

Fluid Exztract—Dose: 4to 1 dram

Solid Extract—Dose: 4 to 6 grains.

Pilis—2 grains.

Rumex Crispus (Yellow Dock).—Alterative,
tonic, mildly astringent and detergent. Useful in
scorbutic aud syphilitic affeetions, leprosy, elephanti-
asis, &c.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 1 to 2 drams.

Solid Extract—Dose: 4 to 8 grains.

Rumin—Dose: 4 to 8 grains

Pilis—2 grains.

Ruta Graveolens (Rue).—Its action is chiefly
directed to the uterus; in moderate doses proving
emmenagogue, and in large doses, producing a de-
‘gree of irritation in that organ which sometimes de-
termines abortion. It has been snecessfully used in
flatulent colic, hysteria, epilepsy, and is an efficient
vermifuge.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 20 to 40 drops.

Solid Extract—Dose: 2to 4 grains.

Pills—2 grains.

Sabbatia Angularis. (Centaury, Red).—An
excellent tonic. One advantage claimed for this drug
over many others is that it does not constipate. It is
employed as a tonic in full periodic febrile diseases,
both as a preventive and as a remedy, and as a bit-
ter tonic in dyspepsia and convalescence from fevers,
to invigorate the stomach and alimentary canal.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 4 to 2 drams.

Salix Alba (Willow)—Tonie and_ astringent,
and has been employed as a substitute for quinia in
intermittent fever. It is antispasmodic and febri-

fuge, and is less likely to offend the stomach and af-
feet the nervous system than qninia.
Salicin—Dose: 2 to 10 grains.

Sambucus Canadensis (Elder Flowers).—
The fluid extract made into a warm infusion is dia-
phoretice and gently stimulant, while the cold infusion
is diuretic, cooling and alterative. Employed in he-
patic derangements of children, erysipelatous and
exanthematous affections. It is a superior laxative
aud refrigerant.

Fluid Exiract—Dose: } to 1 dram.

Sanguinaria Camadensis ( Bloodroot).—
Valuable as an emetic, narcotic and stimulant. In
small doses, it stimulates the digestive organs and
accelerates the circulation, while in large doses, it
produces nausea and consequent depression of the
pulse. Used in typhoid pneumonia, catarrh, pertussis,
scarlatina, rheumatism, jaundice, dyspepsia, &e.
Considered a specific in the early stages of croup.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 5 to 15 and 40 to 60 drops.

Solid Extract—Dose: 4 to 14 and 2} to5 grains.

Sanguinarin (Resinoid)—Dose: 3 to 1 and 1}to2
grains.

Sanguinarina (Alkaloid)—Dose: 1-30th to 1-10th
grains.

Pills—4 and 1 grain.

Scilla Maritima (Squill)—Squill is expecto-
rant, diuretic, and in large doses, emetic and purga-
live. As an expectorant, it is used both in cases of
deficient and superabundant secretion from the bron-
chial mucous membrane. It is used in dropsy to in-
crease the secretory action of the kidneys.

Fluid Extract—Dose: Expectorant and Diuretic, 2
to 6 drops; Emetic, 12 to 24 drops.

Squi_t Compouup—Composed of Sgwill and Seneka.
Fluid Extract—Dose: 10 to 20 drops.
Pills of Squill Comp. U. S. P.—3 grains.

Scutellaria Laterifiora (Sculleap).—Scull-
cap is a valuable nervine. Those who have long
used it, claim for it tonic properties, which give
strength as well as quiet to the system, and that it
does not, like other nervines, leave the system in an
excited and irritable condiulon. Used in tic-dolou-
reux, St. Vitus’ dance, convulsions, tetanus as well
as in ordinary diseases of the nerves.

Fluid Extract—Dose: } to 1 dram.

Seutellarin—Dose: 2 to 6 grains.

Scutitcarp Compoup—Composed of Sculleap, Ladies’
Slipper, Hop and Lettuce.
Fluid Extract—Dose: } to 1 dram.

Senecio Aureus (Life Root).—Diuretic, pecto-
ral, diaphoretic and tonic. An excellent remedy in
gravel and other urinary affections; is said to be a
specific in strangury; very efficacious in promoting
menstrual discharges, and a valuable agent in the
treatment of female diseases.

Fluid Extract—Dose: $ to 1 dram.

Senecin—Dose: 3 to 5 grains.

Simaruba Excelsa (Quassia).—It possesses
in the highest degree all the properties of simple bit-
ters. It is purely tonic, invigorating the digestive
organs, with little excitement of the circulation, or
increase of animal heat. Particularly adapted to
dyspepsia and to that debilitated state of the diges-
tive organs which sometimes succeeds acute disease

Fluid Extract—Dose: } to 1 dram.

Solid Extract—Dose: 3 to 5 grains.

Pills—1 grain.

Smilax Offficinalis (Sarsaparilla).—Possesses
a high reputation as an alterative in the treatment of
ehronic rheumatism, scrofulous affections, cutaneous
affections, syphiloid diseases, and that depraved con-
dition of the general health to which it is difficult to
apply a name.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 1 dram.

Solid Extract—Dose: 5 to 20 grains.

Pills—3 grains.

SARSAPARILLA Compounp—Compounded of Sarsa-
parilla, Prince’s Pine, Liquorice, Mezereon, Sassafras,
Yellow Dock aud Bittersweet.

Fluid Extraet—Dose: 1 dram.

Solid Extract—Dose: 5 to 20 grains.

SARSAPARILLA AND DaNDELION—
Fluid Eztract—Dose: 1 dram.

Solanum Dulcamara (Bittersweet).—The
fluid extract and syrup are widely used in cutaneous
diseases, scrofula, jaundice, syphilitic, rheumatic and
cachectic affections, leucorrhea and obstructed men-
struation. Possesses feeble narcotic powers and In-
creases the secretions of the kidneys and the skin.
It is especially beneficial in the treatment of cutaie-
ous eruptions of a scaly character.

Fluid Extract—Dose: $ to 1 dram.

. Solid Extract—Dose: 3 to 8 grains.
Pills—2 grains

Solidago Odora (Golden Rod).—Aromatic,
moderately stimulant and carminative. Useful to
relieve pain arising from flatulency, to allay nausea,
and to mask tle taste of unpalatable medicines.
Recommended in the convalescent stages of severe
dysentery, diarrhea and cholera morbus.

Fluid Extract—Dose: } to 1 dram.

Fenty toe Marilandica (Pink Root).—Power-
ful anthelmintic. Over-doses excite the circulation,
and determine blood to the brain, giving rise to ver-
tigo, dimness of vision, &c.

Fluid Extract—Dose: } to 14 drams

Pink Root Compounp—Composed of Pink Root,
| Senna, Savin and Manna.
Fluid Extract—Dose: } to 2 drams.

Pink Root anp SENNa—
Fluid Extract—Dose: $ to 1 dram.

Spirza Tomentosa (Hardhack).—Tonie, as-
tringent. Asan astringent, it is administered in di-
arrhea, cholera infantum, and other complai:ts where
astriugents are usually indicated, and is said to be
less liable to disagree with the stomach than other
astringents.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 4 to 20 drops.

Statice Caroliniana (Marsh Rosemary).-—
Powerful astringent, witi emetic and sudorifie proper-
‘ties. It will be found efficacious in diarrhea and
dysentery, particularly in the latter stages; in cy-
nanche maligna, both as an internal and external ap-
plication, and may be used for all the purposes for
which kino and catechu are given.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 15 to 40 drops.

Stillingia Sylwatica (Queen’s Root).—Suillin-
gia has reputation as an alterative, and as such is
used in syphilitic affections, ordinarily requiring the
use of mercury; is emetic and cathartic in large
doses. It has been used with efficacy in secondary
syphilis, scrofula, cutaneous diseases, chronic hepatic
paeetions, and other complaints generally benefited
by alteratives.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 20 to 40 drops.

Stillingin—Dose: 2 to 5 grains.

Pills of Stillingin—1 grain.

Stinuincia Compounp—Compounded of Stillingia,
Turkey Corn, Blue Flag, Prince’s Pine, Prickly Ash,
Yellow Dock.

Fluid Extraci—Dose: 4} to 1 dram

Strychnos Ignatia ([gnatia Bean).—It is ap-
plicable in the wide range of symptoms known as
dyspeptic. It has a tonic, stimulating effect on all
the organs connected with the digestive functions,
by its acting directly on their nervous energies, ex-
citing and equalizing their weakened and disturbed
action. [t possesses a large amount of strychnia, the
active principle of the Nux Vomica.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 5 to 10 drops.

Solid Extract—Dose: } io 1} grains.

Pilis—} grain.

Strychnos Nux Vomica (Nuz Vomica).—
Nux Vomica is a violent excitant of the cerebro-
spinal system. and in large doses, is an active poison.
In small doses, frequentiy repeated, it is tonic, diu-
Tetic, and even laxative. [t is employed principaily
in the treatment of paralysis. It is said to be more
beneficial in general palsy and paraplegia. than m
hemiplegia, and has also been found of benefit in

FLUID AND SOLID EXTRACTS.

local palsies, as of the bladder; likewise in amauro-
sis, spermatorrhea and impotence.
Fluid Extract—Dose: 5 to 10 drops.
Solid Extract—Dose: } to 2 grains. :
Pills of Strychnine—1-48, 1-32 and 1-16 grain.

Symphytum Officinale (Com/rey).—The
therapeutic effects of Comfrey are due to its mu-
cilaginous properties, which act upon the mucous
membrane. It is demulcent, and somewhat astrin-
gent. Useful in diarrhea, dysentery, coughs, hemop-
lysis, other pulmonary affections, leucorrhea, and in
female debility.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 2 to 4 drams.

Symplocarpus Feoetidus (Skunk Cabbage) —
Stimulant, antispasmodic, expectorant and slightly
narcotic. Useful in asthma, whooping cough, ner-
vous irritability, hysteria, epilepsy, chronie catarrh,
pulmonary and bronchial affections.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 20 to 80 drops.

Tanacetum Vulgare (Dowle Tansey).—
Aromatic, tonic, and anthelmintic. The warm infu-
sion, prepared from the fluid extract, is a very good
emmenagogue and diaphoretic. Tansey will be
found useful, in small doses, in hysteria and dyspep-
sia complicated with flatulency, and in convalescence
from exhausting diseases. It is regarded especially
serviceable to expel worms. :

Fluid Extract—Dose: } 101 dram.

Thymus Vulgaris (Thiyme).—Tonic, carmi-
native, emmenagogue and antispasmodic. Employed
as a slimutating tonic in hysteria, dysmenorrhea,
colic, cephalalgia, and in a debilitated state of the
stomach.

Fluid Extraci—Dose: } 101 dram.

Taraxacum Dens-Leonis (Dandelion).—
Valuable alterative, tonie, diuretic and aperient. It
has a specific action on the liver, exciting it to secre-
tion when languid. Used with good effect in dyspep-
sia, diseases of the liver and spleen, and in the irrita-
ble condition ef the stomach and bowels.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 1 to 2 drams.

Solid Extract—Dose: 10 to 20 grains.

Pills—2 grains.

DanDELION Compounp—-Composed of Dandelion,
Mandrake aud Coniwm.
Fluid Extract—Dose: 110 2 drams.

TaRAXACUM AND SENNA.—lIn favor with many
physicians as an antibilious purgative. Used success-
fully with children, who take it readily, seldom pro-
ducing pain or nausea, and not likely to produce con-
stipation. Used largely in place of eastor vil.

Fluid Ext act—Dose: 1 to 2 drams.

Trifolium Pratense (Red Clover).—Highly
recommended in cancerous ulcers of every kind, and
deep, ragged-edged, and otherwise badly conditioned
burns.

Solid Extract—To be used at discretion.

Frillium Pendulum (JBethroot).—Astrin-
gent, tonic and antiseptic. It has been employed
successfully in hematuria, leucorrhea, cough, asthma

‘and difficult breathing.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 1 to 3 drams.
Trilliin—Dose: 410 8 grains.

Tussilago Farfara (Coltsfoot)—Enollient,
demulcent and tonic. Employed in coughs, asthma,
whooping cough, and pulmonary diseases, both acute
and chronie.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 4 to 1 dram.

Waleriana Officinalis (Valerian).—Valerian
is tonic and antispasmodic. It is useful in cases of
irregular nervous action; in the morbid vigilance of
fevers; in hypochondriasis, epilepsy, and occasionally
jn intermittent and remittent fevers.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 4 tw 1} drams.

Solid Extract—Dose: 3 to 10 grains.

Pilils—2 grains.

=

SUGAR-COATED PILLS AND GRANULES.
a TET INTE ee

Veratrum Viride (American Hellebore).—It is
slightly acrid, an excellent expectorant, a certain dia-
phoretic, nervine, and never narcotic, emetic, and arte-
rial sedative, which last is its most valuable and inter-
esting property, and for which it stands unparalleled
and unequaled as a therapeutic agent.

Fluid Ezxtract—For full directions, see Boox oF
ForMULE. ’

Solid Extract—Dose: } to 1 grain.

Veratrin—Dose: 1-16th to } grain.

Pills—}+ and ¢ grain.

Verbena (Vervain).—Tonic, emetic, expectorant
and sudorific. The extract is pronounced valuable in
jntermittent fever, obstructed menstruation, in scrofula,
and visceral obstructions. Asan expectorant and pal-
liative itis employed in catarrhal and bronchial affec-
tions.

Fluid Extract—Dose: } to 1 dram.

Viburnum Opulus (Cramp Bark).—Very ef-

“SUGAR-COATED PILLS AND GRANULES

OF THE

UNITED STATES PHARMACOPCGIA,

AND OTHER RELIABLE FORMUL.

Aconitine (1-60 grain).—The active principle
of Aconite. Dose—1 pill.

Aconite (3, 4 and 1 grain).—It 1s used as an
anodyne and sedative in all affections in which there
is increase of nervous, vascular or muscular action.
Dose—(} grain) 1 to 4.

Aloetic (U. 8. P., 4 grains).—Aloes, 2 grains,
Soap, 2 grains. Laxative in habitual costiveness
Dose—1 10 3.

Aloes and Assafeetida (U. S. P., 4 grains).
—Aloes, Assafatida and Soap, equal parts. Applica-
ble to costiveness attended with flatulence aud de-
bility of the digestive organs. Dose—2 to 5.

Aloes and Iron (U.S. P, 4 grains).—Aloes
Soct., and Conium, Ex., each one-half part ; Tron, Sul-
phate and Ginger, Jamaica, each, one part. Employed
in constipation with debility of the stomach, especially
when attended with amenorrhea. Dose—1 to 4.

Aloes and Mastich (3 grains)—Laxative.
See Lady Webster’s

Aloes and Myrrh (U.S. P., 4 grains) —Aloes‘
Soct., two parts; Myrrh and Saffron, one part each.
A warm, stimulant cathartic. Dose—3 10 5.

Aloes and Ext. Gentian (U. S. P., 4
grains).—See Gentian Compound.

Ammonium Bromide (1 grain).—Nervine
and alterative. Peculiarly applicable to functional
nervous diseases, more especially those of the gan-
glionic system. Dose—2 to 5.

Anderson’s Socts. (2 grains) —Aloes, Soct.,
Soap, Colocynth and Oil Annis. Antibilious and
pnrgative. Au excellent pill for promoting the
biliary secretions, and uniting an alterative with its
purgative action. Dose—1 to 3.

Anthemis (2 grains).—A mild tonic, altcrative

fective in relaxing cramps and spasms of all kinds, as

asthma, hysteria, cramps of the limbs or other parts in

females, especially during pregnancy, or at the time

of parturition, preventing the attacks entirely, if used

daily for the last two or three months of gestation.
Fluid Extract—Dose: 1 to 2 drams.

Xanthoxylum Fraxineum (Prickly Ash).
—Used in languid conditions of the system; in theu-
matism, chronie syphilis and hepatic derangements.
The Xanthoxylin may be used in all eases when it is |.
desired to stimulate and strengthen mucous lissues.

Fluid Extract—Dose: 15 to 45 drops.

Xanthoxylin—Dose: 2 to 6 grains.

Pills—1 grain.

Zingiber Officinale (Ginger).—Ginger is a
grateful stimulant and carminative, often given in dys-
pepsia, flatulency, and imperfect digestion, as well as
in colic, nausea, gout, spasms, cholera morbus, &c.

Fluid Extract—Dose: } to 14 drams.

In small doses acceptable and corrobo-
Dose—1 to 6.

and emetic.
rant to the stomach.

Antibilious (23 grains)—Ezt. Colocynth, 2h
grains; Podophyllin, 4 grain. Drastic, hydragogue
eathartic. Recommended in dropsical affections, he-
patic derangements, in cases where a brisk catharsis
is indicated. Dose—1 to 4.

Antimonii Comp. (VU. S. P., 3 grains) —Al-
terative. See Calomel Compound. Dose—1 to 3.

Apocynum (2 grains).—Alterative, tonic and
jaxative. Valuable in the treatment of chronic he-
patie affections, dyspepsia, amenorrhea, scrofula, &c.
Dose—1 to 4.

Aperient (25-6 grains) —Ext. Nux Vomica, z
grain; Ext. Hyoscyamus, $ grain; Ext. Colocynth
Comp, 2 grains. Promotes excretions. Employed
in confirmed torpor of the bowels. Ext. Hyoseya-
mus prevents tormina without impairing the energy
of the otler ingredients. Dose—1 to 2.

‘ Arsenious Acid (1-32 grain).—Alterative and
febrifuge. The principal diseases, in which it has
been exhibited, are scirrhus and cancer of the lip,
anomalous ulcers. intermittent fevers, chronie rheu-
matism, particularly that form of it attended with
pains in the bones, hemicrania and periodical head-
ache. Dose—1 to 3

Assafoetida (U.S P.,4 grains).—Powerful anti-
spasmodic, moderate stimulant, efficient expectorant,
and feeble laxative. Dose—2 10 4.

Assafeetida and Iron (U S. P., 3 grains).—
Assafatida, 2 grains; Sulphate Iron, 1 grain. Has
especial reference to spasmodic affections, dependent
on general debility of the system, au} diseases at-
tended with immoderate discharges. Dose—2 0 4.

Asafeetida and Rhei (3 grs.).—Assafatida,
Rhei, Iron, by Hydrogen, each equal parts. Tonic, lax-
ative and antispasmodic combination, Dose—% to 5.

ee

SUGAR-COATED PILLS°-AND GRANULES.

Atropia (1-60 grains).—This alkaloid possesses
the properties of Atropa Belladonna in a concentrated
form. Dose—1 to 2.

Belladonna (}, } and 1 grain).—Powerful nar-
colic ; possessing diaphoretic and diuretic properties,
and somewhat disposed to act upon the bowels. Dose
—(4 grain) 1 to 4.

Bismuth Sub-Nitrate (2 grains). Absorb-
ent, antispasmodic and slightly sedative and astring-
ent. Has a very soothing influence upon irritated
mucous surfaces. Principally employed in painful
affections of the stomach, such as cardialgia, pyrosis,
and gastrodynia; in spasmodie diseases; and in dys-
entery and diarrhea. Dese—2 to 4.

Bismuth, Sub-Carbonate (3 grains).—
Readily tolerated by the stomach, soluble in the gas-
trie juice, possesses the power to neutralize excess
of acid in the stomach without any tendency to con-
Stuipate. Recommended in the treatment of gastral-
gia following the phlegmasias of tho digestive organs.
Dose—2 to 4.

Blue Pill (U. S. P, 2} and 5 grains).—Altera-
tive, sialagogue and purgative. Less irritating than
the other mercurials, Employed in constipation, bil-
lary derangements, syphilitic diseases, and wherever
the influence of mercury is needed. Dose—(2} grains)
2to 4; (5 grains) 1 to 3.

Blue Pill Compound (13 grain).—Blue Pill,
1 grain; Opit, 4 grain; Ipecac, } grain. The energy
of Blue Pill is increased by this combination, and its
after effects rendered less objectionable. Dose—1
to 3.

Blue Pill and Podophylilin (3 grains).—
See Podophyllin and Blue Pill.

Calomel (3, 1, 2, 3 and 5 grains).—Alterative and
purgative. Itis used as a purgative in torpid states
of the bowels, torpor of the liver, worms, dropsy, &c.

Calomel Compound (Plummer’s, U.S. P., 3
grains),—Alterative, Well adapted to the treatment
of chronic rheumatism, and scaly and other eruptive
diseases of the skin, especially when accompanied
with a syphilitie taint. Dose—1 to 2.

Calomel and Opium (3 grains).—Calomel, 2
grains; Opium, 1 grain. The degree of irritation
which ordinarily follows the administration of pure
Calomel is diminished, while %ts laxative operation is
increased by this combination. Dose—1 to 3.

Calomeli and Rhei (1} grains).—Calomel,
grain; Ext. Rhei, $ grain; Ext. Colocynth Comp.,
grain; Ext. Hyoseyamus, 1-6 grain. A very safe
and reliable laxative and cathartic, unattended by
unpleasant results. Dose—2 to 4.

Calomel and Comp. Colocynth Ext.
(3$ grains).—Calomel, 1 grain; Ext. Colocynth Com-
pound, 2$ grains. Useful in obstinate constipation ;

ossessiug properties similar to Colocynth Comp. and

lue Pill. Dose—1 to 3.

Camphor and Opium (3 grains).—Camphor
2 grains; Opiwm,1 grain. Anodyne, diaphoretic an
antispasmodic. Camphor is said to diminish the
chance of the idiosyneratic effects of Opium. This
composition is serviceable in chordee, hysteria, nym-
phomania, and in all irritation of the sexual organs.
Dose—1 to 2.

Cannabis Endica (} and 1 graem).—Efficient in
checking spasmodic cough and cramp, and removing
languor and anxiety. Dose—(1 grain) 1 to 2.

Capsicum (1 grain),—Promotes digestion and
stimulates the genito-urinary organs. Dose—1 to 2.

Cathartic Compound (U.S. P., 3 grains).—
Ext. Colocynth Compound, Ext. Jalap, Calomel, Gam-

boge.—Particulariy adapted to the early stages of
bilious fevers, to hepatitis, jaundice, and all those de-
Tang ements of the alimentary canal, or of the geae-
ral health, which depend on congestion of the portal
circle. Dose—ti to 4.

Compound Cathartic Improved (3 g7s.,
without Calomel).—Ezt. Colocynth Compound, Ext.
Jalap, Podophyllin, Leptandrin, Ext. Hyoscyamus,
Ext. Gentian, Oil Peppermint. Possesses the purga-
tive, allerative, and cholagogue properties of the U.
S. P. Compound Cathartic, at the same time not being
open to the popular objection of includiug Calomel
in its composition; and asa substitute for the U.S.
P. pill, it is confidently recommended to the profes-
sion. Dose—1 to 3.

Chimaphila Ext. (3 grains).—lt has proved
very efficacious in many cutaneous diseases, scrofula.
chronic rheumatic, nephritic, urinary and dropsical
affections. Dose—@ to 6.

Chinoidine (2 grains) —Has the same medici-
nal power as Quinine. Dose—1 to 3.

Chinoidine Compound (33 grains).—Chin
oidine, 2 grains; Ferri, Sulphate of Ezsic, 1 grain;
Piperini, 4 grain. Useful in chlorosis, in anaemie
conditions, insome types of amenorrhea, &c. Dose—1
to 2.

Cimicifugin (1 grain).—Tonie, alterative, ner-
vine, and antiperiodic, with an especial affinity to the
uterus. The active principle oF Cimicifuga Race-
mosa. Dose—1 to 4,

Cinehona, Sulphate of (1} and 3 grains) —
Possesses nearly the same remedial virtues as the
Sulphate of Quinia. Efficient as a tonie and anti-pe
riodic, Dose—(14 grain) 1 to 4.

Cochia (3 grains).—Colocynth Compound, Aloes,
gamboge, Scammony and Potass. Sulphate. Actively
eatharuic. Dose—1 to 3.

Codeia (1-16 grain).—In the hands of M. Barbier
it relieved painful affections having their seat in the
great sympathetic. Dr. Aran considers it equal to

orphia in its efficiency to relieve pain. Dose—1
to 4. :

Colchicum Ext. (4 grain). — Sedative
Valuable in the treatment of gout and rheumatism, |
especially when these affections assume a neuralgie
character. Dose—1 to 3.

Colocynth Compound Ext. (3 grains).
—Exhibited beneficially in hepatic derangements.
Dose—2 to 6.

Colocynth Compound Ext. and
Blue Pill (3 grains).—Colocynth Compound, 2
grains; Blue Pill, £ grain. An excellent cholagogue
and alterative combination. Dose—l1 to 2.

Colocynth Compound and Ipecae (3
grains) pecac renders the action of Colocynth
ompound less violent, and at the same time increases
its energy. Dose—2 to 4.

Colocynth Compound and Hiyoscya=
mus (U. S._P. 3 grains).—Compound Extract of
Colocynthis is said to be almost entirely deprived of
its griping tendency by combining it with Hyoscyamus.
Dose—1 to 6.

Colocynth Compound and Podophyl-
lin.—[8g7ains] Colocynth Compound 2} grains, Podo-
phyllin 4 grain.)—Antibilious cathartic. A potent
substitute for Calomel when some idiosyncrasy of
constitution or prejudice interdicts the use of the latter
agent. If the stomach is acid, alkalies should pre-
viously be given. Dose—1 to 2.

Colocynth Compound and Calome!l (3
grains).—Possesses properties analogous to the for-
mer pill.

Dose—2 to 3.

-Conium Ext. (}, 4 and 1 grain).—Altera-
tive and anodyne. Is administered in a variety of
complaints. By some thought to possess a curalive
lagnenns over malignant tumors. Dose—(} grain) 2
to 6.

Conium and Ipecac (U. 8S. P., 1 grain).—
Conium is regarded more serviceable when united
with Ipecac. Dose—3 to 5,

Cooks Pill (3 grains).—Aloes, 1 grain; Calomel,
4 grain; Khet, 1 grain; Soap, 4 grain. Laxatlve and
allerative. A very popular pill ow the plantations
through the South. Dose—1 to 3.

Copaiba, Pure Solidified (4 grains).—In
small doses it improves the digestion, and in large
doses it occasions nausea and alvine dejections It
has an especial action on the mucous membranes,
and particularly on the genito-urinal membranes.
Dose—2 to 5.

Copaiba Compound.—Pil Copaid., Resin
Guaiac, Ferri Citrate, Oleo-resin: Cubeb—Unites a
gentle but efficient cha!ybeate with powerful diu-
retics. Employed in gleet, gonorrhea, and that class
of diseases. Dose—1 to 3.

Copaiba and Cubebs Ext, (3 grams).—
Pil. Copaiba, 2 grains; Oleo-resin: Cued, 1 grain.
Produces effects similar with Copaiba pure, and given
in the same type of disorders. Dose—2 to 4.

Copaiba, Ext. Cubebs, and Citrate of
Tron (3 grains).—This pill has properties analogous
to Copaiba Compound. Dose—1 to 4.

Cornin (2 grains).—It may be used in all cases
where Quinine is indicated, and is frequently pre-
ferred 10 the Alkaloidal Salt See Cornus Florida.
Dose—1 to 5.

Cornus Florida Ext. (2 grains).—Tonie,
astringent, and highly stimulant. These pills are
used with advantage in typhoid and periodical fevers,
in all cases where tonics are advised. Dose—2 to 5.

>

Corrosive Sublimate (1-8 and 1-16 grain).—
Alterative. Its remedial employment has a wide
range of application. Efficient instrument to combat
sylulitic maladies, nervous disorders, diseases of the
bones, &e. Dose—(1-15 grain) 1 to 2,

Cubebs Ext. (2 grains).—Exercises a decided
influence over the urinary apparatus. It has been
successfully administered in chronic bronchitis, faryn-
gitis and dyspepsia. Dose—1 to 6.

Cubebs and Alum (3 g7ains).—Alum is stated
greatly to increase the efficacy of Cubebs. (War-
ing.) Dose—2 to 4. —

. Sip oe as yea a
: Oubebs Ext. Rhatany ana Won (8 grs).
—Ext. Cubeds, 14 grains; Ext. Rhatany, 4 grain; Tron
Sulphate, 1 grain. ‘Astringent, stimulant and tonic.
This combination appears to be indicated in mucous
discharges, incontinence. of: uripe,; ehronic..diarrhea,
and other fluxes. Dose—1 to.3. aa a th

'
Cypripedium Ext. (2 grains).—Useful in hys-
teria, chorea, nervous headache, and all cases of ner-
vous irritability... Dosers2tofei o gga r
Digitalim (1-60 grain)—Digitalin produces ef-
fects on the system analogous to Digitalis. The
potency of this. concentrated principle* mecessitates
eare and prudence inthe administration, Its seda-
tive influence is directed particularly to the genera-
tive organs. Dose—1 to 2,

Digitalis Ext. (} grain).—Sedative: and diu-
retic.. The former adapts it to cases in which the
action of the heart requires to be controlled, the lat-
ter renders it invaluable in dropsical affections.
Dose—1i to 3.

SUGAR-COATED PILLS AND GRANULES.

Dinner Pill (Lady Webster’s, 3 grains).—Aloes,
Soct.,Gum Mastich, Rose Leaves. A fayorite pill in
indigestion, dyspepsia and constipation. Dose—1 103. |

Elaterium, Clutterbuck’s (4 grain).—Ela- |
terium is a drastic purgative. Applicable in cases
requiring very copious evacnetious, as in the treat-
ment of passive dropsies, especially in ascites and
hydrothorax, us a revulsive in cerebral affections, &c.

Gamboge Compound (U.S. P., 3 grains). —
Gamboge, Aloes, Soct., Ginger, Jamaica, Svap. Au ac-
tive. but mild and reliable cathartic. Duse—3 10 5. .

Gentian Ext. (2 grains).—Promotes the appe-
tite, invigorates digestion, and acts as a general cor-
roborant. Dose—2 to 6.

Gentian Compound (U. S. P., 4 grains).—
Ext. Gentian, Rhei, Pow’d, Oil Car.—A laxative to
the constipation of sedentary and dyspeptic persons.
Dose—1 to 5.

Geraniin (1 grain).—Employed for all purposes
to which astringent pilular medicines are applicable.
Dose—1 to 5.

Hellebore, Black,
terative andemmenagogue. Large doses are drastic
cathartic. Dr. Mead considered it superior to all
other emmenagogue medicines. Dose—1 to 9d.

IExt. (1 grainj—Al-

Hooper’s Femaie Pills (25 grains).-—Aloes,
Soct., Iron. Sulphate, Extract Black Hellebore, Myrrh,
Soap, Canella, and Ginger, Jamaica Extensively
used for their emmenagogue properties. Dose—1to3.

Hiydrastin, Hesinoid (1 grain).—The resi-
noid principle of Hydrastis Canadensis. Dose—2 106.

HMydrastin, Alkaloid (1 grain).—The alka-
loid principle of Hydrastis Canadensis. Dose—1 105.

Wyoscyamus Ext, (}, } and 1 grain).—Calms
and soothes any irrilation of the system, allays pain,
and relieves spasms. Dose—(} grain) 2 to 4.

Kenatia Ext. (} and 1 grain).—Very simi-
lar to Nux Vomica, but more energetic. Useful in
nervous debility, amenorrhea, chlorosis and epilepsy.
Dose—(4 grain) 1 to 3.

Lodine (} grain).—Principally employed in dis-
eases of the absurbent and glandular system. Dose—
lto4.

Lodoform and Iron (2 grains).—TIron, by Hy-
drogen, 1 grain; Iodoform1 grain. This combination
is serviceable to arrest the progress of phthisis, as
an alterative in the treatment of cutaneous diseases,
strumous enlargements of the glands, &e, Dose—i
to 3.

Epecac Ext. (} grain) —Ipecac, in small doses,
acts as a tonic, and is useful in some forms of dys-
pepsia. Dose—I'to3. +

Epecac and Opium (2 grains); Opium, $
grain; Ipecac, 4 grain; Potass. Sulphate, 1 grain.
=5 grains Dover’s Powders. “An admirable anodyne
diaphoretic, not surpassed’ perhaps by any other com-
bination in the power of promoting perspiration.
Dose—2 to 6.

Ipeeaxe and Opium: (10 grains Dover's Pow-
ders).

‘“Tpecac and Ht Sia (U.S. P., 3 grains).—A
mild expectorant medicine for children when threat-
éned with an attack of croup, and beneficial in ca-
tarrh, bronchia, and that class of complaints when a
achat éxpectorant stimulant is required. Dose—2
to 3,

Eridin (} and 1 grain) —The oleo-resinous. prin-
ciple of Blue Flag.’ Catharti¢, alterative, sialagogue,
diuretic and anthelmintic Dose—(} grain) 1 to 6;
(1 grain) 2to5

SUGAR-COATED PILLS

AND GRANULES.

Iron and Aoles (4 grains).—See Aloes and
Iron.

Iron Citrate (2 grains).—Highly esteemed ferru-
gineous preparation. Suitable for children in ordi-
nary cases of debility. Dose—2 to 3.

Iron Citrate and Quinime Cit. (land 2
grains).—Tonic. A convenient form for administer-
ing Quinine and Iron incombination. Dose—(1 grain)
2 to 6.

Iron Citrate and Strychnia Cit. (2 g7s.)
—Sirychnia, 1-50 part; von, 1 part. Chalybeate
tonic, and nervine stimulant. Has been used suc-
cessfully in atonie dyspepsia, some forms of paraly-
sis, chorea and amenorrhea. Dose—1 to 2.

Iron Compound (U. S. P., 3 grains).—Myrrh,
Soda Carbonate, Iron Sulphate. This pill is used prin-
cipally as an emmenagogue and antihectice tonic.
Dose—2 to 6.

Iron, Carbonate of (Vallet’s Formula, 3
grains)—Particularly useful in chlorosis, amenorrhea,
and other female compiaints. Vallet’s preparation is
the best to produce the alterative effects of Iron.
Dose—3 to 10.

Iron, Carbonate of, and Manganese
(3 grains).—Tonic and alterative. It is asserted that
cases of anaemia, which had resisted the administra-
tion of Iron alone, yielded rapidly to the combination
of this metal with Manganese. Dose—1 to 3.

Iron HMydrocyanate (} grain).—Valuable in
epilepsy. Dose—1 to 2.

Iron and LIodoform (2 grains).—See lodo-
form and Jron.

Iron, Lactate (1 grain).— Possesses the general
medical properties of the ferrugineous preparations.
Has a marked effect in increasing the appetite. Effi-
cacious in chlorosis, with or without ammenorrhea.
Dose—1 to 2.

Iron, Phosphate (2 grains).— Advised in can-
cerous affections. Potent to invigorate and restore
the virile powers. Dose—2 to 4.

Iron, Pyro Phosphate (1 _grain).—Blood-
restorative, tonic and alterative. The Pyro Phos-
phate corresponds with the preceding salt. Dose—
2 to 5.

.

Iron, Proto Iodide of (1 grain).—Tonic, al-
terative, diuretic, and emmenagogue. Sharpens the
appetite, promotes digestion, and occasionally proves
laxative. Chiefly employed in scrofulous affections,
swellings of the cervical glands, visceral obstruc-
tions attended with deficient action, chlorosis, atonic
amenorrhea, and leucorrhea. Dose—2 to 4.

Iron, Quevennes, by Hydrogen (1 and 2
grains)—Employed in angwmia, chlorosis, amenor-
rhea, chorea, and enlargement of the spleen follow-
ing intermittent fever. Its general mode of action is
to improve the quality of impoverished blood. Dose—
3 to 6.

Iron and Strychnia (2 1-60 grains).—Strych-
nia, 1-60 grain ; Iron, by Hydrogen, 2 grains. ‘ Bene-
ficial in dyspepsia when there is want of appetite,
constipation, and a sensation of weight in the epigas-
trium after eating.’? Strychnia appears to overcome
constipation by its peristaltic action on the portal cir-
ele. Dose—1 to 2.

Iron, Sulphate Exsie (4 grains).—As an as-
tringent in diseases attended with immoderate dis-
charges, such as passive hemorrhages, diabetes, leu-
corrhea, gleet; as a tonic in dyspepsia, and in the
debility following protracted diseases. Dose—1 to 5,

Iron, Vailerianate (1 grain).—Tonic and anti-
spasmodic. Given in hysterical affections compli-
eated with chlorosis.

Dose—1 to 2.

Jalap (1 grain).—In small doses aperient and
laxative, in large doses an active, but safe and con-
venient purgative. Its hydragogue powers eminently
adapt it to the treatment of dropsies. Dose—1 to 6.

Jaiapin (1 grain).—Purges violently. Is re-
garded the basie substance of Jalap. Dose—1 to 2.

Kermes (} grain).—Recommended as an invalu-
able medicine in childbed fevers, to promote diapho-
resis, and to reduce the force of the circulation.
Dose—2 to 4.

Krameria Ext, (Rhatany, 2 grains).—One of
the most active vegetable astringents. Much used
in diarrheas, dysentery, and passive hemorrhages.
Dose—1 to 5.

Lactuca Ext. (Lettuce, 1 grain).—Quiets ner-
vous irritation and allays cough. Dose—1 to 3.

Leptandrin (1 grain)—Leptandrin gently ex-
cites the liver aud promotes biliary secretion without
producing the least irritation of the bowels. It is
only slightly laxative, while it acts as a tonic on the
stomach, Dose—1 to 2.

Leptandrin Compound (1} grains).—Lep-
tandrin, 1 grn ; Irisin, $ grn.; Podophyllin, 4 grn.
Has been exhibited with good effects in liver affec-
tions, in chronie visceral obstructions, rheumatism,
&e. Dose—1 to 4.

Lupulin (3 grains).—Possesses no iconside-
rable power to control delirium tremens and watchful-
hess, In connection with nervous irritation, anxiety
or exhaustion. Dose—2 to 3.

Magnesia Calcined (2 grams).—Antacid and
laxative; much used in dyspepsia, sick-headache,
gout, and other complaints attended with sour stomach
and constipation. Dose—2 to 5.

Magnesia and Rhei (2 grains).—Magnesia,
1 grain; Rhei, 1 grain. An excellent combination
In constipation and dyspepsia. Dose—l1 to 2.

Mercury, Prot. Lodide (} grain).—A supe-
rior remedy in scrofulous syphilis. Dr. Schedei re-
marks: ‘Of its goods effects too much can not be
said.”? Dose—1 to 2.

Mercury, Red Iodide (1-16 grain).—Altera-
tive, stimulant and deobstruent. Dr. Fuller attests
its utility in syphilitic rneumatism. Dose—1 to 4.

Mercury Iodide and Opii (1} grain).—Iv-
dide, 1 grain; Opit, t grain. The advantage of con-
joining opiates with Mercury is to counteract the
tendency of the mercurials to irritate the mucous
membranes of the stomach and bowels in irritable
subjects. Dose—1 to 3.

Morphia, Acetate (} grain).—Anodyne and
soporific. Effecting the system similarly with the
other Salts of Morphia. Some practitioners give it
the preference. Dose—l1 to 2.

Morphia Sulphate (1-32 and } grain).—Ap-
plicable to ail cases when the object is to relieve
pain, quiet restlessness, promote sleep, or to allay
nervous irritation. Dose—(1-32 grain) 2 to 4.

Morphia Valerianate (} grain).—This Salt

is used to some extent in nervous diseases, restless-
ness in fevers, &c. Dose—1 to 3.

Morphia Compound (3 grain).—Morphia
Sulphate, 4 grain; Tar. Pot.and Ant.,3 grain; Calo-
mel, + grain. Employed in febrile diseases, especially
of the thoracie organs. Dose—2 to 4.

Nitrate Silver (} s7ain).—Tonic and antispas-
modic. Employed in epilepsy, chorea, angina pec-
toris, and ether spasmodic affections. Dose—1 to 2.

SUGAR-COATED PILLS AN? GRANULES.

Nux Vomica, Ext. (4 and 3 grain).—In-
creases the action of the various excretory orgals.
Is principally exhibited where there is want of ner-
vous energy. Dose—1 to 2 -

Opium (1 grain).—Opium acts under different
circumstances as a diaphoretic, febrifuge, and anti-
spasmodic. Dose—1 to 4.

Opium and Acetate of Lead (2 grains).—
Opium, 1 grain; Acetate, 1 grain. Advantageous in
hemorrhages, atteided with great constitutional ex-
citement. Dose—1 to 3.

Opium and Camphor (3 grains).—Opiwm, 1
grain ; Camphor, 2 grains. Effective preparation to
allay pain and promote rest [See Camphor and
Opium]. Dose—1 to 2

Opium, Camphor and Tannin (33 g7s.)
—Opium, + grain; Camphor,1 grain; Tannin, 2 grains.
Astringent united with soothing and sedative influ-
ences. Dose—1 to 2.

Phytolaccin (} grain).—Highly extolled as an
alterative in syphilitic, strumuous, and cutaneous
diseases. Phytolaccin is the basic principle of Phy-
tolacea Decandra. Dose—1 to 2.

Podophyllum Ext. (Mandrake, 1 grain).
—Hydragogue and deobstruent. Valuable in many
chronic complaints. In bilious and typhoid febrile
diseases, it igsa valuable cathartic or emetico cathar-
tic, often breaking up the disease at once. Dose—3
to 8.

Podophyllin (+ ond 1 grain).-—Purgative.
Remarkably small quantities will violently affect
some persons. If the stomach be acid, aikalies
should previously be administered, in order to obtain
a prompt and active impression. Acid appears to
destroy its energy of action. Dose—(} grain) 1 to 2,

Podophyllin and Blue Pill (3 grains).—
Podophyllin, Sarak Blue Pill, 24 grains. An ex-
obra r ipeieariaded and cholagogue combination. Dose
—1 to 2.

Poppy Ext. (2 grains). —Possesses_proper-
ties analogous to Opium, though in an inferior de-
gree. Dose—2 to 4.

Potassa, Tartrate of, and Iron (2 g7s.).—
Combines the cooling purgative qualities of tne Tar-
bebe with the tonic properties of the Iron. Dose—2
to 4.

Potass. Iodide (2 grains).—Useful in scrofu-
lous affections, and is one of the best alterative reme-
dies in mercurio syphilitic sore throat. Dose—1 to 5.

Potass. Bromide (1 grain).—Cases of en-
larged spleen and liver, hypertrophy of the heart,
and glandular swellings have been successfully
treated by this agent. Dose—3 to 6.

Quinine, Sulphate of (}, 1, 2 and 3 grains).
—Produces upon the system, as far as can be judged
from observation, the same effects as Peruvian Bark,
without being so apt to nauseate and oppress the
stomach. Dose—1 to 6. :

Quinine Compound (2 1-32 grains).—Qui-
nine Sulphate, 1 grain; Iron, by Hydrogen, 1 grain;
Arsentous Acid, 1-32 grain. A useful preparation in
all diseases attended with symptoms of periodicity.
Dose—1 to 3.

Quinine, Sulphate and Ext. Bella-
donna (1} grain).—Quinine, 1 grain; Belladonna
Extract, 4 grain. These pills appear to be indicated
in oascs of great prostration, generally where it is de-
sired to obtain the combined influence of an anodyne
or calmative and tonic. Dose—1 to 4.

Quinine and Iron (2 grains).—Quinine, 1
onic j Iron, by Hydrogen, 1 grain.—Tonic and Chaly-
eate. Dose—1 to 4.

Quinine, Aron and Strychnia (3 1-60
grains).—Quinine, 1 grain; Iron Carbonate, Vallet’s 2
grains; Strychnia Sulphate, 1-60 grain. Blood re-
storative, tonic and nervine stimulant. The con-
tinued use of this pill produces salutary effects in
dyspepsia, in some types of paralysis and amenor-
thea. Dose—1 to 2.

Quinine, Valerianate (} grain).—In cases of
debility attended with nervous disorder. Dose—1
to 3.

Quassia, Ext. (1 grain).—Stomachic, tonic
and febrifuge. Quassia possesses several advan-
tages over most other vegetable tonics, in that it
neither produces constipation, increase of animal, or
arterial excitement. Dose—3 to 5.

Rhei Ext. (1 grain).—In small quantities
Rhubarb invigorates the process of digestion. It
claims the preference to all other medicines in cases
where the bowels are relaxed, and at the same time
a gentle cathartic is required. Dose—2 to 6.

BRhei (U. S. P., 4 grains).—Rhei, 3 grains; Soap,
1 grain. Recommended in habitual constipation.
Soap counteracts the astringent effects of Rhubarb.
Dose—1 to 2.

Rhei Compound (U.S. P., 4} grains).—Rhei
Ext., 2 grains; Aloes Ext.,14 grains; Myrrh Ext., 1
grain; Oil Peppermint. Useful in costiveness with
debility of the stomach. Dose—2 to 5.

Rhei and Blue Pill (4 grains).—Rhei Ext.,
Blue Pill, Soda Carbonate.—Allerative, cholagogue, and
slightly laxative. Dose—1 to 2.

Rhei and Iron (3 grains).—Combines the
properties of a superior tonic and laxative; and is
well adapted to those conditions in which there is
loss of appetite and strength complicated with con-
stipation, or even a relaxed state of the bowels re-
quiring a gentle cathartic. Dose—2 to 3.

Rheumatie (3 1-6 grains).—Ezt. Colocynth
Compound, 1} grain; Ext. Colchici Acet., 1 grain; Ext.
Hyoscyamus, ¢ grain; Calomel, grain. An admira-
ble compound pill for all rheumatic affections. If
given in the early stages, will often check the pro-
gress of the disease. Dose—1 to 2.

Sanguinaria Ext, (Bloodroot, } grain).—
Small doses stimulate the digestive organs, increase
the action of the heart and arteries, while large doses
produce a sedative influence on the heart. Useful in
torpid conditions of the liver, pneumonia, &e. Dose—
1to 5.

Santonin (4 grain).—-The exclusive anthel-
mintie principle of A. Santonica. Dose—2 to 4.

Sanguinarin (} and 1 grain).—Properties are
the same as Bloodroot. Dose—(4 grain) 1 to 4; (1
grain) 1 to 5.

Sarsaparilla Ext. (3 grains)—One of the
most highly useful alteratives in the Materia Medica.
Dose—2 to 5.

Savin

Savin Ext. (1 grain)—Emmenagogue.
Dose—1

operates actively on the uterine system.
to 5.

Senna, Alx., Ext. (2 grains).—Reliable and
convenient purgative. Dose—2 to 4.

Soap and Opium (U.S. P., 3 grains).—A con-
venient form for administering Opium in small quan-
tities. Dose—1 to 3. .

Soda, Bi-Carbonate of (4 grains).—Re-
sorted to in calculous cases, characterized by excess
of uric acid. Given in infantile croup, with a view
to Pigs expulsion of the false membrane.
to o.

Dose—2

SUGAR-COATED PILLS AND GRANULES.

Squill Compound (U. §. P., 3 gratms) —Ap-
plicable to the treatment of all chronic affections of
the bronchial mucous membranes. Dosc—2 to 3.

Stillingin (1 grain).—Exerts an influence over
the secretory functions unsurpassed by any other
known alterative. Dose—2 to 5.

Strychnia (1-48. 1-32 and 1-16 grain).—Its ef-
fects upon the systei are identical with those of
Nux Vomiea. and it is employed for the same pur-
poses, as a medicine. Dose—1 to 2.

Stramonium (} and 1 grain).—Proves useful
in those cases where Opium is indicated, but cannot
be given. Dose—(4 grain) 1 to 2.

Tartar Emetie (} grain).—Employed as an
emetic at the commencement of fevers, especially
those of an intermittent and bilious character; in
jaundice, whooping cough and croup; and in several
diseases of the nervous systeim, such as mania, amau-
Tosis, ic-doloureux, &e. Dose--1 to 2.

Traxacum Ext. (3 grains).—Efficient remedy
to remove torpor and engorgement of the liver.
Dose—3 to 6.

Wanmnim (1 g7ain).—Beneficial in diarrhea, m
colliquative sweats, in eases of chronic eatarrh, with
excessive and debilitating expectoration, in the ad-
vanced stages of whooping cough, and in cystirrhea.
Dose—2 to 4.

Triplex (3 grains)—Aloes. Ext., 2 parts ; Podo-
phyllin and Blue Pill, each 1 part. Cathartic, Is
local action on the liver in correcting the torpid
states of this organ, known as bilious, constitutes its
dominant value. Dose—1 to 2.

Uva Ursi (2 grains).—Exerts a direct influence
on the kidneys and urinary passages. Serviceable in
chronic gonorrhea, strangury, fluor-albus, and exces-

sive mucous discharges with the urine. Its astringent

property makes it applicable in chronic diarrhea and f

dysentery, menorrhagia, diabetes, &c. Dose—1 107.

Valerian (2 grains) —These pills are beneficia
in epilepsy, mania, melancholia, delirium, and in lo
forms of fever Where @ nervous stimulant is required,
Highly lauded in hysteria, and hysterical headache,
palpitations and neuraligu. Dose—2 to 5. '

_Valerianate of Ammonia (1 grain).—This
pill is much used in nervous irritability, epilepsy,
chorea, headache and neuralgia. Dose—2 to 6.

Valerianate of Eron (1 grain).—See Iron
Valerianate.

Valerianate of Morphia (} grain).—See
Morphia Valerianate.

Valerianate of Quinia (} grain).—See
Quinia Valerianate.

Waleriamate ot Zime (1 grain).—An impor-
taut and potent pill in neuralgic affections, and ner-
vous derangements generally. Dose—1.

Weratria (1-32 grain)—Has been employed |

chiefly in gout, rheumatism and neuralgia; also, in
various nervous affections, as paralysis, whooping
cough, epilepsy, hysteria, and disorders dependent
upon spinal irritation. Dose—1 to 3.

Veratrum Viride (1 and 4 grain).—Dr. Turn-
bull has found it useful in diseases of the heart, par-
ticularly those of a functional character.

Professor |

Tully regards Veratria eminently efficacious in the }

management of gout, rheumatism; much superior to
colchicum. Dose—(} grain) 1 to 2.

(G> For a more extended notice, see Supplement
to the Journal of Materia Medica.

JOURNAL OF MATERIA MEDICA

Devoted to Discussions on the various articles in the Materia Medica, General Intelli-
gence, Correspondence, and the Publication of new Formulz. Published for
every month. Price $1.00 a year.

BOOK OF FORMULA,

| Containing over 500 Formule for the immediate Preparation of Tinctures, Infusions,
Syrups, Wines, Mixtures, Pills, simple or compound, from the Solid and Fluid

Extracts of TinpeEn & Co.
Address

SUPPLEMENT TO JOURNAL OF MATERIA MEDICA}

Contains 160 pages, embodying a comprehensive digest of the Therapeutics of our sey- |

Price 50 cents.
TILDEN & CO., New Lebanon, N. Y., or

By mail 70 cents.

98 John Street, New York City.

eral Medicinal Preparations, together with their Doses, most palpable Contra-

Indications, Incompatibles, and Antidotes.

Sent to all

Physicians on application.

T. J. KERR & CO.
PING AND COMMS

MERCHANTS,

Kerr’s Whart,
CHARLESTON, S&S. C.

-- ~~ SSSR

ALANIS fH IRE

PURCHASE iF monn

DEALERS I

AND OTHER

Bes BS Ss ee SE ee OE SS

Eason Iron Works.

HSTA BiLHisSs ELD: i1ecse.
Nassau and Columbus Streets,
CHARLESTON, S. Sb.

<n + ¢ 4 bo +

STEAM ee

MAMIM,

STATION AER Y.
Boilers of all Classes.

MACHINERY.

Rice Pounding Mills,
Rice Threshing Mills,
Saw Mills, Flour Mills,
Sugar Mills, Grist Mills,
Shafting, Pullies, Gearing.

CASTINGS in IRON and BRASS.

J. M. egal J. M. KASON & BRO.

T. D. EASON.

GOODRICH, WINEMAN & CO.,

W EOLESALE

Druggists and Importers,

Keep constantly on hand a choice and selected stock of

PURE DRUGS AND CHEMICALS,
The quality of which are FULLY WARRANTED.

As we import regularly from London, Physicians can always depend on
getting GENUINE ARTICLES. Powdered Drugs in this country are generally
more or less adulterated with foreign matters. Always on hand

Herring’s Blue Mass, English Iodide Potass, English
Glycerine, English Fol Digitalis,
English Calomel.

Together with a full assortment of selected

Chemicals, Finid Extracts, Glassware, lustraments, Ete.

(GOODRICH, WINEMAN & CO.,
Proprietors and Manufacturers of the celebrated CAROLINA BITTERS,
No. 23. Hayne St., Charleston, 8S. C.

G. W. AINWIAR,

Wholesale and Retail Dealer in Choice

DRUGS, MEDICINES, CHEMICALS,
eataniela ae sscathe

MANUFACTURER OF

himar's Sarracenia Bitters, for Dyspepsia,

Aimar’s Premium Cologne Wazer,

Corner King and Vanderhorst Streets,

CHARLESTON, 8. 6.

WAC. WATEN &,
WATUHES, JEVELIGL

MLVER AMD PLATED WARE

Crockery, China and Glass,
Watches and Jewelry Repaired.

eater mittee Ragcnse: OTN CaS ae

IAW LAN (LAER

T WHOLESA

137 wea Street

OPPOSITE HAYNE STREET,

The “CAROLINA FERTILIZER” is made from the PHOSPHATES of South Carolina, and is pronounced

sy various chemists one of the best Manures known, only inferior to Peruvian Guano in its FERTILIZING
OPERTIES. These PHOSPHATES are the remains of extinct land and_ sea animals. and possess qual-

ies of the greatest value to the agriculturist. We annex the analysis of Professor SHEPARD:
LABORATORY OF THE MeEpicaL CoLtece or South CaRoLina.

\ Analysis of a sample of CAROLINA FERTILIZER, personally selected ;

Moisture expelled at 212 degrees Fahrenheit........... 4, 5 SA Re

Organic Matter with some water of combination expelled at a low red h

Fixed Ingredients........

.

AMMONIA. .....0. sececeeessseseesereceeeesesenssceeees nu aaaspacerneen ease

; Phosphorie Acid—Soluble... Equivalent to 11.27 Soluble Phosphate of Lime.

; Insoluble Equivalent to 13.48 Insoluble [bone].

M4 3. 24.75 Phosphate of Lime.

| Sulphuric ACid..... sce cecsee sees Equivalent to 23.65 Sulphate of Lime.

| Sulphate Of Potash ....cceecccese cessecesseseeeeenrecseccseesseeeeceneees 80

y Sulphate of Soda.. .- 8.50

ie. Sand....... Velpackcecucurecdsens Ganev /asaunocsusoudens mANAd ARs ten she ses eanneie 11.60

On the strength of these results, I am glad to certify to the superiority of the CAROLINA FERTILIZER
examined. Cc. U. SHEPARD, Jr.

t We will furnish this excellent FERTILIZER to Planters and others at $65 per ton of 2000 pounds.

GEO. W. WILLIAMS & CO.,

= FACTORS, CHARLESTON, S. C.
D. MALLOY, Cheraw, S. C.; PARKER & KELLEY, Darlington, S. C.; S.A. DURHAM & CO., Marion, 8. C,;
ATE & TAYLOR, Sumter. S. C.; JESSE KEITH, Timmonsyille, &. C.; CARWILE & McCAUGHRIN, New-

berry, S. C.; DAVID & STRADLEY, Greenville, 8. C.; SAML. R, TOLD, Laurens, 8, C.; SHARPE & FANT?

Anderson, 8. C.; 8, BLUECKI,EY & CO,, Pendleton, 8. C,

DOWIE & MOISE,

IMPORTERS AND WHOLESALE

ORV SGSGIIES TS,

Meeting Street, cor. Hasel, Charleston, S. C.

Offer to the Trade a large and well selected stock of Fresh Drugs, Medicines,
Chemicals, Paints, Oils, Dye Stujfs and Patent Medicines, as low
as the lowest. Proprietors and Manufacturers of

a rel 2
£3 vi
3 r= = a
2 © f ss
o ‘o | oO ay
hia fiz
Nseym | Saga by
eas | ae
ao pacie S
A sql Bes co
ated sss Pe >
» Ee Se 0
ogs ie Spee
5 = THE = GREAT ~——~—~ "S12 iY)
J be 8
s SOUTHERN TONIC «2
i THE BEST IN USE. 3

Scuepute or Prices.—One doz. and less than five. $8 per doz; five doz. and less than
ten, $7 50 per doz; ten doz. and upwards, $7; special prices for lots 50 cases or more.

STOLL, WEBB & €0.

WHOLESALE AND RETAIL

DEALERS IN

DRY GOODS,

BANCROFPT’S OLD STAND,

ae KING STREET, p2eco
Three Doors below Wentworth, LACE STORE.

We keep always on

P CHARLESTON, SO. CA. bends full agsort

We keep always on |
hand a large and
well assorted

ment of
} stock of !
| PLANTERS’ | See

TERMS, Cash or City Acceptance. Ladies’ Wear.
ne

GOODS.
pS eae,

H. C. STOLL. CHARLES WEBB. H. C. WALKER.

MAPES’ NITROGENIZED

super-Phosphate of Lime.

The letters published in the Mapes’ Company pamphlet, written by prominent
planters, detailing their experience with Mapes’ Nitrogenized Super-Phosphate of
Lime on Cotton, Corn, and other crops, during the past season, afford additional tes-
timony in favor of this fertilizer. Notwithstanding the long-continued drought,
followed by excessive rains, and then by the caterpillars, Mapes’ Nitrogenized
Super-Phosphate has, in nearly every instance, even when applied for the first time,
produced crops which, yielded handsome profits to the planters. In some instances
these results would seem incredible, if not substantiated by reliable gentlemen.

Its extreme solubility, richness in animal organic matter, yielding ammonia, and
its power to absorb water, enabled it. to promote a sufficiently vigorous early growth
for the plant to withstand, to a great degree, the ill effects of extremes of weather,
and even the ravages of the caterpillars, and to continue to act in the presence of
such quantities of moisture as were not only insufficient to enable other fertilizers
to contribute to the growth of the crop, but even to prevent them, as in the case of
Peruvian Guano, from doing a positive injury to the plant, by causing firing, &c.

It is generally conceded that the more vigorous and healthy, the early growth
may be developed, especially in the cotton plant, the less liability of the plant to be-
come a prey to the diseases and mishaps incidental to the crop. To insure such
early, vigorous growth, and to add to the certainty, in spite of the mishaps in culti-
vation and extremes of weather, the Mapes’ Super-Phosphate Company have
aimed to increase the solubility of their fertilizer, both in its animal ammonial mat-
ter and bone phosphate, so that there will be the largest amount of plant food ready
in every emergency for immediate use by the plant. This is accomplished by the
thorough fermentation of the animal matter with the phosphates, as well as by
treatment with sulphuric acid during the manufacture, and the use of only such
material, reduced to concentrated form, as are of animal, instead of mineral origin,
and valuable in themselves as fertilizers.

While the Company claim that the chemical analyses do not fully portray the
full agricultural value of their fertilizer, since they fail to determine the adaptability
of the ingredients to plant growth, the quality and character of the materials from
which they are derived, especially in the case of organic matter and phosphates,
they refer with pride to the published analyses of the prominent chemists during
several years past, which prove the uniform purity of their article, and also that the
Company have never offered an article to their customers that was below their pub-
lished chemical standard.

The practical results of Mapes’ Super-Phosphate during the past season, on
cotton and other staples, would seem almost incredible if they had not been substan-
tiated by the testimony of gentlemen of high standing. In one instance, the invest-
ment of fifty-seven dollars in this fertilizer increased the yield five bales, thereby in-
creasing the planter’s income over jive hundred dollars. In many cases, the increased
yield over the production of the natural soil was several times greater, even when
the Super-Phosphate was applied at the rate of less than 150 pounds per acre.

KINSMAN & HOWELL,

Commission Merchants,
No. 153 EAST BAY STREET, CHARLESTON.

General Agents for Seuth Carolina,

FOR THE SALE OF

MAPES’ NITROGENIZED SUPER-PHOSPHATE OF LIME.

Wr AN TCD

NU MANUPACTER

COME ABS .

CHARLESTON, S. C.
Factory East End Hasel Street. - - - Mines on Ashley River.

= =
sd

WANDO FERTILIZER,

PHOSPHATIC ROCK.

FOR SALE BY
WM. ©. DUKES & CO.,
GENERAL AGENTS,
No. 1 SOUTH ATLANTIC WHARF.

2 D-203.

SOLUBLE MANURES.
THE SULPHURIC ACID AND SUPER-PHOSPHATE

COMPANY,
OF CHARLESTON, 8. C.,

Having completed their extensive Manufactory, sre now prepared to
furnish

Soluble Fertilizers,

No other kinds being available to planters for immediate returns for their
investments.

This Company, under the direction entirely of Southern men of high
character, offers inducements which will recommend it to Southern planters.
Their works are among the largest and most complete in the United States,
and enable them to prepare at home an abundant supply of the proper sol-
vent for the South Carolina native Bone Phosphates which are near by.
From these Phosphates they propose to manufacture a

KFHRTILIZEHR

even richer in soluble Phosphate than those made from raw bones, and con-
taining more than twice the quantity of Super-Phosphate of Lime found in
the best average Manures heretofore offered for sale, the rates at which we
offer them being no higher than the average price of other Fertilizers,
while the Manures contain twice as much fertilizing material; they are in
fact much cheaper to the consumer.

They are offered on the market in two forms, with a guarantee that the
material in each will correspond to the advertisement.

ETIWAN, No. 1.—Soluble Phosphate, containing from eighteen to
twenty-five per cent. of Pure Soluble Phosphate of Lime, and furnished at
sixty dollars per ton. This is purticularly recommended for root crops, and
for all crops planted on rich, dark loamy sotls.

ETIWAN, No. 2.—Peruvian Super-Phosphate, containing from sixteen
to twenty per cent. of Soluble Phosphate, and two to four per cent. of
Ammonia, at seventy dollars per ton, for approved acceptances, bearing in-
terest, or such other security as may be acceptable to the sub-agents. A dis-
count of ten per cent. on those prices will be made for cash. This is recom-
mended for old lands, formerly under poor culture, which produce only very
indifferent crops. It is a combination of the Company’s high grade Super-
Phosphate (Errwawn No. 1) with the best Peruvian Guano.

Orders to be forwarded immediately to the Agents, and delivery made as
directed on and after Ist January next.

WM. C. BEE & CO., Agents.
C. G. MEMMINGER, PresipeEnv.

R@e= The Fertilizers of this Company will be branded ETIWAN, No. 1,
and ETIWAN, No. 2.

€or. Hu He CF TK IN

WHOLESALE AND RETAIL

DRUGGIST,

S. E. Corner King and John Streets,
CHARLESTON, 8. C.

Orders from Druggists, Physicians and Country Merchants
promptly attended to.
pa@s> All Medicines sold are guaranteed to be pure and reliable.

Luhn’s Cologne Water and Luhn’s Flavoring Extracts are superb.

JAMES E. SPEAR,

IMPORTER AND DEALER IN

Fine Watches, Hewelw, Ne.,
235 KING STREET,

CHARLESTON, S&S. C.

F. F. CHAPEAU,

MANUFACTURER OF

Ses, Hanns, Fly, (40s, BAUS,

Government McClellan Saddles and Government Harness,
No. 68 Meeting St., next Millis House,

CHARLESTON, S. Cc.

WATCHES, CLOCKS, JEWELRY, SILVER WARK, de.

JAMES ALLAN,

ee ee IN oe oe Le
CHARLESTON, 8. C.

LADIES’ AND GENTS’ WATCHES,

Enamelled and Diamond, Chased and Plain Gold and Silver Cases.

CLOCKS
In Gilt, Bronze, White and Black Marble, Rosewood, Mahogany, &c.

J BW 1s hr eer

Half sets of Brooches and Ear Rings of Etruscan and Pearl, Diamond and
Pearl, Etruscan and Coral, &c., Brooches for Hair or Photographs,
Brooches and Kar Rings in great variety.

CHAINS.

A variety of handsome Gold, Vest, Leontines, Chatelains, Neck,
Vulcanite, Horn, Steel, &.

* GOLD BRACELETS AND ARMLETS.

Rings of Diamond Cluster, Solitaire, Pearl, Opal, Amethyst, Sapphire,
Ruby, &c.

Sleeve Buttons and Studs in Great Variety and Handsome Styles.

Gold and Silver Thimbles, Watch Charms, Bosom Pins, Scarf Pins, Scis-
sors, Work Boxes, Portemonnaies, Ladies’ Companions, Table and Pocket
Cutlery, Sterling Silver Ware, Plated Ware, Card Receivers, Mathematical
Instruments, Writing Desks, Vases, Dressing Cases, Hair Brushes, Tooth
Brushes, in great variety.

SPECTACLES AND EYE GLASSES

In Gold, Silver, Steel, Shell and Rubber frames, with the celebrated peris-
copic lens, adapted with great care to all cases of defective
vision, Magnifiers, &c.
Special attention given to Repairing of fine Watches, Jewelry, &c. All
work guaranteed.
ges Cash orders promptly and faithfully executed.

SOK. Ki. BADR,
WHOLESALE & RETAIL DRUGGIST,

No. 131 Meeting Street,
Three doors North of Market Street, Oharleston, 8. 0.

DEALER IN
Drugs, Medicines, Chemicals, Perfumery, Soaps, Brushes, Combs,

Sponges, Ete.

All of which he offers to the Trade (Druggists, Store-keepers and Physicians) at the
lowest market rates. He also keeps constantly on hand all of the various PATENT
MEDICINES, pure Wines, Gins, Whiskeys, Brandies and Bitters, for Medicinal purposes.
He would call special attention to his very superior Solution of Citrate of Magnesia and
Double Distilled Benzine. Also, to his fine assortment of Trusses, Druggists’ Glassware,
_and everything that pertains to this line.

RESOURCES OF THE

SOUTHERN FIELDS AND FORESTS.

This n be obtained by or 205 Mes a hes s &
Cogswell, No. 8 Bio he: ad Stre ans He pay any Bo ae
It is Bound in Extra Cloth, Library Style, Half Calf, Morocco or Russia.

MeLOY & RICE,

Wholesale and Retail Dealers in

FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC

DRY GOODS,

270 King St. and 67 Hasel &t.,
CHA RhLbHSTON , Sia

AND 46 WEST BROADWAY, N. Y.

A. McLOY. J. W. RICE

JOHN THOMSON & CO,,

Needsmen & Florists,
ENGLISH SEEDS,

And Dealers in

AGKIGULTURAL (HORTICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS

HOUSE-KEEPING ARTICLES, PLANTS, &C.
238 KING STREET,
CRA R's TOU si eee

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