=BATH PIPE.= See PIPES.
=BATH, VICHY= (ARTIFICIAL). Bicarbonate of soda, 17 _oz._; water, 60
_galls._
=BATHS= and =WASH'HOUSES=. See BATH.
=BATTER.= Ingredients beaten together so as to form a semi-fluid mass. In
_cookery_, a semi-fluid paste, which becomes hard in dressing, formed of
flour, and milk or water, or a mixture of them, enriched and flavoured
with eggs, butter, and (frequently) spices, currants, &c., at will. Used
for frying vegetables, fillets, &c., and as a material for fritters and
pancakes; also to form puddings, which are either baked alone, or under
meat; and to cover various articles during the operation of cooking them.
Miss Acton gives the following formulæ:--1. (For the Frying-pan.) Butter,
2 _oz._; boiling water (nearly) 1/4 pint; mix, and stir in, gradually, of
cold water, 3/4 pint; when quite smooth, mix it by degrees, very smoothly
with fine dry flour, 3/4 _lb._; adding (for fruit) a small pinch of salt
(but more for meat or vegetables); just before use, stir in the whites of
two eggs (or the white and yelk of one), and fry until light and crisp. In
humble cookery the eggs may be omitted.
2. (For Puddings.) Eggs (yelk and white), about 4 in no.; flour, 1/2
_lb._; milk, q. s.
_Obs._ When fruit, &c., are added, the batter must be made thicker than
when none is used, to prevent it sinking. When sufficiently dressed it
should cut smoothly and not stick to the knife. Eggs increase its
firmness.
=BATT'ERY.= In _frictional electricity_, a series of Leyden jars so
arranged as to admit of being charged and discharged together. See
ELECTRICITY, &c.
=Battery.= In _electro-chemistry_, _galvanism_, &c., a pair, or series of
pairs, of 'excited' metallic plates, so arranged as to act in unison,
producing an electrical current by chemical decomposition.
=BAUME= (Baumé). See AREOMETER.
=Baume Nerval.= See OINTMENTS.
=BAUXITE.= A ferruginous aluminic hydrate containing 55·4 per cent. of
alumina and 44·5 of ferric oxide. It is met with in roundish masses in the
crystalline limestone of Baux (hence its name) near Arles, in France.
Bauxite is one of the sources of alum.
=BAY.= See SWEET BAY.
=BAY ESSENCE.= BAY RUM. This compound, which is largely employed as a
perfume in America, and is one of the articles of the United States'
Pharmacop[oe]ia, is, when genuine, imported from the West Indies, where it
is said to be prepared by distilling rum, with the leaves of the bayberry
tree. More than three fourths, however, of the bay rum consumed is
undoubtedly an imitation of the imported essence, and is a mechanical
mixture of the volatile oil of the bayberry tree, rum, and spirit;
sometimes with the addition of aromatic spices and various colouring
matters. The volatile oil from which this last preparation is made is
frequently adulterated to a large extent.
Mr Rother, an American chemist, states that in one sample alone he found
about fifty per cent. of fixed oil. The imported rum is far superior in
point of fragrance to the artificial. When mixed with water the genuine
essence remains clear, whilst the imitation almost always becomes turbid
or milky.
Mr Rother finds the following formula to yield a satisfactory product, and
one much stronger in aroma than the imported perfume:
Oil of bayberry tree 1 fl. oz. and m_{l} xx.
Jamaica rum 1 pint }
Strong alcohol 4 pints } o.m.
Water 3 " }
Mix the rum, alcohol, and water, then add the oil; mix, and filter.
=Bay Rum.= One of the highly valued American head-washes, pleasant in use,
cooling and cleansing, and promoting the growth of the hair. It is
prepared by distilling rum from the leaves of _Myrica acris_ (called
"Bayberry" in America).
=BDEL'LIUM= (d[)e]l'-y[)u]m). The commercial name of two gum-resins:--
=Bdellium, Af'rican.= _Syn._ BDELLIUM, AFRICA'NUM, L. From the
_heudola'tia africa'na_ (Guillem.), a terebinthaceous tree, of Senegal.
=Bdellium, In'dian.= _Syn._ IN'DIAN MYRRH, FALSE M.; BDELLIUM (of
Scripture); BDELLIUM IN'DICUM, L. From _am'[)y]ris commiph'ora_ (Roxb.),
or _balsamoden'dron Roxbur'gii_, a terebinthaceous tree of India.
_Prop., &c._ Once considered slightly deobstruent; sometimes used as a
pectoral and emmenagogue, and, externally, as a stimulant and suppurative.
It is now seldom met with in this country.
=BDELLOM'ETER= (d[)e]l-). _Syn._ MECHAN'ICAL LEECH; BDELLOM'ETRUM, L.;
BDELLOMÈTRE, Fr. In _surgery_, a contrivance combining the principle of
the cupping-glass, scarificator, and exhausting-syringe in one small
instrument.
=BEACH'S (Dr) Specific against Hemorrhoids and Stomach Complaints of all
kinds.= A tin box containing about 160 grammes of a fine sulphur-yellow
powder, and imbedded in it a vial with 40 grammes of a brown clear fluid.
The powder is a mixture of 7 parts of washed flowers of sulphur, 2-1/2
parts cream of tartar, 1/6 part of an inferior kind of rhubarb, finely
powdered. The drops consist of a solution of brown sugar in strong spirit,
with traces of various ethers. (Hager.)
=BEAD= (b[=e]de). _Syn._ GLOB'ULUS, SPHÆR'ULA, &c., L.; GRAIN (de
collier), &c., Fr.; BETHE, PERLE, &c., Ger. A little ball or spheroid
pierced for stringing; any very small globular body[double-dagger]; a
bubble ([double-dagger] or tech.). A number of the first mounted on a
thread or ribbon form a 'string of beads' or 'chaplet.'
_Materials, Manufac., &c._ Beads are often formed of coral, gems, jet,
pearls, porcelain, rock-crystal, &c.; but much more frequently of white
and coloured glass. The mode in which these last are produced is as
follows:--Glass tubes, appropriately ornamented by colour, reticulation,
&c., are drawn out in various sizes, and from 100 to 200 feet in length.
These tubes are cut into two-feet lengths, and then, by means of a steel
knife, divided into pieces having, as nearly as possible, the same length
as diameter. The resulting small fragments or cylinders are next well
stirred with a mixture of sand and wood ashes, in order to prevent the
closure of the perforations and their adhering together during the
subsequent part of the process. They are then placed in a revolving
cylinder and gradually heated until they become sufficiently spherical.
They are next sifted from the sand and ashes, sorted into sizes, first by
means of sieves, and afterwards by hand, and are lastly either put up in
weighed parcels or strung by women and children for the market.
The manufacture of coral, gems, jet, and minerals generally, into beads,
belongs to the lapidary.
_Uses._ Chiefly to form necklaces, bracelets, and other articles of
personal ornament; by milliners to decorate head-dresses, &c.; and for
other like purposes. They are also employed among Catholic and Mohammedan
nations for devotional purposes; and among savage tribes in lieu of money.
They are still sometimes worn as amulets. See BUGLE, CORAL, GLASS, PASTE,
PEARLS, &c.
=Beads, Jum'ble= (b[=e]dz). The dried seeds of _a'brus precat[=o]r'ius_
(Linn.) or Jamaica wild liquorice. Hard and indigestible; accounted
cephalic and ophthalmic by the vulgar.
=Beads, Lo'vi's.= _Syn._ SPECIF'IC-GRAV'ITY BEADS. Small hollow spheres of
glass carefully adjusted and numbered, in sets, intended to supersede the
hydrometer in determining the density of fluids. They are used by dropping
them into the liquid, in succession, until one is found that exhibits
indifference as to buoyancy, and will float under the surface at any point
at which it may be placed. The number on this ball indicates, in
thousandths, the sp. gr. sought. They are particularly serviceable in the
hurry of the commercial laboratory, and have the advantage of being
applicable to very small quantities of liquid; but their use, of course,
requires the same precautions, and the results obtained the same
corrections for deviations from the normal temperature, as with other
instruments. See HYDROMETER, SPECIFIC GRAVITY, &c.
=Bead.= _Syn._ BEAD'ING[double-dagger]. In _architecture_, _cabinet-work_,
&c., any small moulding or continued projection of which the vertical
section is semicircular.
=Bead= (of Liquors). [Tech.] The small bright iridescent bubbles,
possessing some slight degree of permanence, which form on the surface of
alcoholic liquors of sufficient strength, when agitated. See
ALCOHOLOMETRY, PROOF, &c. (also _below_).
=BEAD'ING.= In the _liquor-trade_, anything added to commercial spirits to
cause them to carry a 'bead' and to hang in pearly drops about the sides
of the glass or bottle when poured out or shaken. The popular notion being
that spirit is strong in proportion as it 'beads,' the object is to impart
this property to weak spirit, so that it may appear to the eye to be of
the proper strength. Various formulæ are current among the 'knowing ones'
of the trade, most of which are unscientific, and many of them absolutely
ineffective. The following are those now usually employed:--
_Prep._ 1. Oil of sweet almonds and oil of vitriol, of each 1 _oz._; rub
them together in a glass, porcelain, or wedgewood-ware mortar or basin,
adding, by degrees, of crushed lump-sugar, 1 _oz._; continue the
trituration until the mixture becomes pasty, then add, gradually,
sufficient rectified spirit (strongest) to render the whole perfectly
liquid; pour it into a quart bottle, and wash out the mortar twice, or
oftener, with a little fresh spirit, until about 1 pint of rectified
spirit has been employed, adding the washings each time to the bottle;
lastly, cautiously shake the bottle (loosely corked) until admixture
appears complete, and then set it aside in a cool place. For use, this
compound (after agitation) is thrown into a two-gallon can or measure,
which is then filled, from a tap, with the spirit to be 'beaded,' when the
whole is thrown into the cask, and the measure washed out by refilling it
and returning it two or three times; after which the contents of the cask
are well 'rummaged up,' Gin is usually 'fined' a few hours afterwards; but
it is better not to add the 'finings' for two or three days. Other spirits
are allowed to become 'fine' by simple repose. According to Mr Hartley,
and others, this quantity is "sufficient for 100 _galls._ of any spirit;"
but it is more commonly used for a puncheon of 80 to 85 gallons.
2. Oil of vitriol, 2 to 3 _oz._; rectified spirit, (strongest), 1 pint;
cautiously agitate them together in a loosely corked quart bottle; in 2 or
3 hours add another pint of rectified spirit, and again agitate. It will
be fit for use in a week; as before.
3. Sulphuric ether, 1/2 _lb._; strongest rectified spirit, 1 quart; mix.
May be used at once, as before; but if otherwise, should be kept, like the
last, closely corked, and in a cool place.
4. Soapwort-root (saponaria officinalis), bruised or rasped small, 1
_lb._; rectified spirit and water, of each 1/2 _gall._; macerate in a
corked jar, with occasional agitation, for 8 or 10 days, strain with
pressure, and, after a few days' repose, decant the clear portion. Used as
before.
_Obs._ The above are not injurious when employed for 'beading,' since the
quantity employed is much too small to injure the wholesomeness of the
liquor. The fraud consists in their being used to disguise the presence of
10 to 12% of water, which is thus sold at the price of spirit. Beyond a
certain degree of dilution they fail, however, to produce the intended
effect, the bubbles becoming 'soapy,' and without the requisite
permanence. The addition of a little powdered white sugar (1/2 _oz._ to
1-1/2 _oz._ per _gall._) increases the efficacy of all of them. This may
be dissolved in the water, if any is added at the time; but its effect on
the hydrometer must be recollected. See ALCOHOLOMETRY, GIN, SPIRIT
(Management of), &c.
=BEAK'ER= (b[=e]ke'-). _Syn._ BEAK'ER-GLASS. In _chemistry_, a beaked cup
or glass, more or less of the tumbler-pattern, used to collect
precipitates and to heat liquids in.
[Illustration]
=BEAL*= (b[=e]le). _Syn._ BOUTON, PUSTULE, Fr. A pimple or pustule; a
small inflamed tumour.
=BEAM= (b[=e]me). See BALANCE, SCALES, &c.
=BEAM'-TREE.= _Syn._ WHITE BEAM-TREE. The '_pyrus aria_' or wild pear.
Wood, hard, compact, and tough; used for axle-trees, naves and cogs of
wheels, &c.
=BEAN= (b[=e]ne). [Sax., Eng.] _Syn._ FA'BA, L.; FÈVE, Fr.; BOHNE, Ger.
The general name of leguminous seeds, as also of the plants which produce
them; appr., _fa'ba vulg[=a]r'is_ (Mönch.[122] _v[)i]cia faba_, Linn.) or
common GAR'DEN-BEAN, _phase'olus multifl[=o]r'us_ (Willd.) or
SCARLET-RUNN'ER,[123] and _ph. vulgaris_ (Sav.), FRENCH BEAN, KID'NEY-B.,
or HAR'ICOT (-ko),[124] with their varieties, all of which are annuals
cultivated in our gardens--the first chiefly for its seeds--the others
both for their green pods and ripe seed. The name is also often popularly
applied, as an appellative, to the fruit or seeds of other plants which,
in size and appearance, resemble common beans, as noticed below.
[Footnote 122: Var. [Greek: b], HORSE'-BEAN (_fa'ba equi'na_, _f. mi'nor_,
&c., L.)]
[Footnote 123: Var. [Greek: a], _phase'olus coccin'eus_ (red-flowered);
[Greek: b], _ph. albiflor'us_ (white flowered).]
[Footnote 124: Var. [Greek: a], _ph. unic'olor_ (seeds of one
colour);--[Greek: b], _ph. fascia'tus_ (seeds striped) or ZE'BRA-STRIPED
BEAN;--[Greek: g], _ph. variega'tus_ or SPECK'LED BEAN:--[Greek: d], _ph.
na'nus_ or DWARF'-BEAN.]
Those principally cultivated in our gardens are the small LIS'BON,
SAND'WICH, SPAN'ISH, TOKAY', WIND'SOR, and MAZ'AGAN (from north Africa),
with almost innumerable sub-varieties of each. The exquisite perfume of
beans in blossom is referred to by the poet Thomson:--
"Arabia cannot boast a sweeter gale."
Preparations including their fragrant principle are highly prized in
modern perfumery.
_Qual., &c._ The pods eaten in the green state, properly dressed, are
regarded as antiscorbutic and wholesome; but are apt to produce
flatulence, unless combined with spices. In the dried or ripe state they
are rather difficult of digestion, and very apt to distend the stomach and
intestines with wind. This objection does not exist, to the same extent,
to their use in the form of flour or meal. The amount of nutritious
nitrogenous matter in beans rather exceeds that in wheat, and
independently of a disposition to produce constipation in some habits, and
being rather less easy of digestion, they must be considered nearly as
wholesome as that cereal. The London millers and bakers use immense
quantities of bean flour to adulterate their flour and bread.
This sophisticant may be detected by the appearance it presents under the
microscope. The meshes of cellulin are very much larger than those of the
fourth coat of wheat, with which it has been sometimes confounded, and the
starch grains present a totally different appearance. They are oval or
reniform, or with one end slightly larger; they have no well-defined hilum
or rings, but many have a deep central longitudinal cleft running in the
longer axis, and occupying two thirds or three fourths the length, but
never reaching completely to the end; this cleft is sometimes a line,
sometimes a chasm, and occasionally secondary clefts abut upon it at
parts of its course; sometimes, instead of a cleft, there is an
irregular-shaped depression. If a little liquor potassæ be added the
cellulin is seen more clearly. If the flour be added to a little boiling
water, the smell of bean becomes evident.
[Illustration]
Green beans (pods or legumes) are cooked by simply throwing them into
boiling water, and simmering them until quite tender, taking the
precaution of removing the lid of the saucepan, a 'pinch' of salt of
tartar, or a little common salt, being usually added to preserve their
green colour. Young and small ones take from 12 to 18 minutes--large or
older ones longer. The first are merely 'topped and tailed' with a knife
before being dressed; the others require also the 'side strings' to be
drawn off, and to be cut obliquely into pieces of a lozenge form, or else
to be split lengthwise into strips, and then divided once across. Old ones
never boil tender. Windsor beans, and other "shelled beans," take 15 to 30
minutes according to age. These last are sometimes skinned after being
dressed. All of them are commonly 'served up,' or eaten, with melted
butter. Beans, although rich in nitrogenous, are deficient in carbonaceous
constituents; hence it is curious to note how almost invariably they are
when eaten combined with some substance rich in carbon. The Hindoo, for
instance, mixes lentils with rice and ghee or a form of clarified butter.
In Yucatan and throughout the whole of central Africa, where a black bean
is extensively used as food, they are well boiled in water, and eaten with
pepper, salt, and pork. In this country, beans and bacon always appear at
table together, and have done so for centuries. See LEGUMINOSÆ, PULSE, &c.
(also _below_).
=Bean, Algaro'ba.= See ALGAROBA.
=Bean, Earth.= American earth-nut.
=Bean, French=; Horse-bean; Kidney-bean; &c. See BEAN (_antè_).
_Composition._ (Einhof.)
|---------------------------------------------|
| | Kidney | Field |
| | beans. | beans. |
|--------------------------|--------|---------|
| Water | 23·0 | 15·6 |
| Albumenoid bodies | 23·6 | 11·7 |
| Starch, sugar, gum, &c. | 44·7 | 58·3 |
| Oil and fat | 0·7 | 2· |
| Husk | 7·0 | 10·0 |
| Salts (ash) | 1·0 | 4·4 |
|--------------------------|--------|---------|
| | 100· | 100· |
|---------------------------------------------|
=Bean, St. Ignatius's.= The poisonous seed of the fruit of _Igna'tia
am[=a]r'a_, Linn.; _str[)y]ch'nos Igna'tii_, Berg.; a tree indigenous to
the Philippine Islands.--_Prop., Uses, &c._ Similar to those of nux
vomica. Contains Strychnine (which _see_).
=BEAR= (bare). _Syn._ UR'SUS, L.; OURS, Fr.; BÄR, Ger.; BERA, Sax. In
_zoology_, a Cuvierian genus of the 'plantigrade carnivora,' of several
species, found both in the Old and New World. Those generally known under
the name are omnivorous or frugivorous. The skin of the American black
bear (_ursus America'nus_, Pallas) was formerly highly prized, and fetched
an extravagant price. The brown bear (_u. arc'tos_, Linn.) supplies the
Kamschatkans, and some other northern races, with many of the necessaries,
and even the comforts of life. The fat or grease (BEAR'S GREASE; AD'EPS
UR'SI, L.) of all the common species has long been highly esteemed for
promoting the growth of the human hair; but apparently without sufficient
reason. The mass of that sold under the name in England is simply hog's
lard or veal fat, or a mixture of them, variously scented and slightly
coloured. The quantity annually consumed in Great Britain, and exported,
is estimated at many tons; being a larger quantity than all the bears at
present procurable in Europe would supply, if slaughtered and stripped of
their fat.
=BEAR'BERRY, Bear's Bil'berry=, &c. See UVA URSI.
=BEAR'S GREASE.= See BEAR (_above_), HAIR COSMETICS, MARROW, POMADES, &c.
=BEARD= (b[=e]erd). [Sax., Eng.] _Syn._ BAR'BA, L.; BARBE, Fr.; BART,
Ger., Dan.; BAARD, Dut. The hair of the lips and chin; but appr., only the
last--that on each lip being distinguished, in toilet-nomenclature, by a
separate name. In popular _botany_ and _zoology_, any beard-like
appendage; the 'awn' of corn or grass; the 'gills' or breathing organs of
oysters and other bivalves, &c.
=Beard-cultivating Pomade, Royer's= (Royer & Co., Berlin). An ointment of
1 part pulv. cinchon. rub., and 1-1/2 parts of a hair pomade containing
wax. (Hager.)
=Beard-cultivating Tincture= (Bergmann, Rochlitz). A spirituous extract of
some agreeable bark, mixed with a little oil of rosemary and thyme.
(Wittstein.)
=Beard-cultivating Tincture, Royer's= (Royer, Berlin). 10 grammes kitchen
salt, 150 grammes French brandy, fictitious and fuselly, and 2 grammes
tincture of mace. (Schädler.)
=Beard Tincture, American= (Teinture americaine pour la barbe), for dyeing
the beard black. Three fluids. No. 1, nitrate of silver solution; No. 2,
tincture of galls; No. 3, sodium sulphide solution.
=BEARD'ED.= _Syn._ BARBA'TUS, L.; BARBU, Fr.; BARTIG, Ger. In _anatomy_,
_botany_, and _zoology_, having a beard, or a beard-like appendage;
prickly, barbed, jagged; awned.
=BEA'VER=, (b[=e]'-) _Syn._ CAS'TOR, L.; CASTOR, BIÈVRE, Fr.; BIBER, Ger.
The _fi'ber cas'tor_ (Linn.), an animal belonging to the _rodentia_ of
Cuvier, and remarkable for the great ingenuity which it exercises in the
construction of its lodges or habitations. _Hab._ Europe and America.
Those of the former are burrowers; those of the latter, builders. The fur
has long been employed in the manufacture of the best quality of hats
(BEAVER HATS). The fat was officinal in the Ph. L. 1618. Castor
(CASTO''REUM) is obtained from this animal.
=BE'BEERINE= (b[=e]be'-[)e]r-in[double-dagger]). C_{19}H_{21}NO_{3}.
[Eng., Fr.] _Syn._ BI'BIRINE (b[=e]'-b[)e]r-[)i]n); BEBEERI'NA, BIBIRI'NA,
&c., L. A peculiar alkaloid, discovered by Dr Rodie, in the bark and seeds
of the beeberu, bibiri, or green-heart tree (_nectan'dra Rodiæ'i_,
Schomb.), of British Guiana; and since minutely examined by Maclagan and
Tilley, and by Von Planta.
_Prep._ 1. That of commerce, which generally contains some sipirine (--?
altered bebeerine), and a little lime, is generally first obtained in the
form of sulphate, by a process analogous to that employed in the
preparation of sulphate of quinine; and from this salt it is precipitated
by the addition of ammonia or an alkali.
2. (Pure.) By precipitating the sulphate with ammonia, washing the
precipitate with very cold water, and triturating it, whilst still moist,
with fresh hydrated oxide of lead; next drying the mixture by a gentle
heat, exhausting the residuum with alcohol, distilling off the alcohol,
and treating the last residuum with ether; the ethereal solution on
evaporation leaves pure bebeerine, under the form of a white or
yellowish-white, resinous-looking substance, which is pure white when
powdered.
_Prop., &c._ Amorphous; uncrystallisable; non-volatile; bitter-tasted;
inodorous; unalterable in the air; very slightly soluble in water; very
soluble in alcohol; less so in ether; reaction alkaline; when quite pure,
melts at 355° Fahr., and on cooling forms a vitreous or semi-vitreous mass
(Winckler); at a higher temperature it suffers decomposition; ignited on
platinum-foil, it burns without leaving any carbonaceous residue;
neutralises acids forming uncrystallisable salts, most of which are
soluble in water.--_Prod._ From the bark, 1·5 to 1·75%; dried seed, 2·5%
(nearly).
_Use, &c._ Bebeeru-bark has been proposed and occasionally employed as a
substitute for cinchona bark, and bebeerine for quinine, in the usual
cases; but whether as a tonic, febrifuge, or antiperiodic, they appear
less powerful and certain than these last.--_Dose_, 2 to 12 gr. or more.
(See _below_.)
=Sul'phates of Bebeerine.= Of these there are two, both of which are
obtained in a similar manner to the Ph. E. formula for sulphate of
quinine, and merely differ in the amount of acid finally left in
combination with the alkali:--
1. =Sulphate.= _Syn._ NEU'TRAL SULPHATE OF BEBEERINE; BIBIRI'NÆ SUL'PHAS,
&c., L. Easily soluble in water. Contains 86·4% of bebeerine, and 13·6% of
sulphuric acid.
2. =Subsul'phate.= _Syn._ BAS'IC SULPHATE OF BEBEERINE, DISUL'PHATE OF B.;
BIBERI'NÆ SUBSUL'PHAS, &c., L. Soluble in alcohol; sparingly soluble in
water unless acidulated. Contains 90·8% of bebeerine, and 9·2% of
sulphuric acid. This is the sulphate of bebeerine of commerce, and the one
usually employed in medicine. It is generally met with in thin
brownish-yellow scales, which are formed in a similar manner to those of
ammonio-citrate of iron.--_Dose._ As a tonic, 1 to 3 gr.; as a febrifuge
or antiperiodic, 5 to 20 gr.; in similar cases to those in which
disulphate of quinine is employed.
=BECH'AMEL= (b[)e]sh'-[)a]-m[)e]l[double-dagger][125]). _Syn._ BÉCHAMEL,
Fr. In _French cookery_, a fine white sauce, essentially consisting of
concentrated veal gravy or veal consommé and cream, with or without
flavouring. See SAUCES.
[Footnote 125: Thus as English.]
=BE'CHIC*= (-k[)i]k). _Syn._ BE'CHOUS[dagger]; BE'CHICUS
(b[)e]k'-[double-dagger]), L.; BÉCHIQUE, Fr.; HUSTEND, &c., Ger. In
_medicine_, &c., of or for a cough; pectoral; also subst., applied to
remedies (BE'CHICS; BE'CHICA, L.) used to relieve cough.
=BED.= [Eng., D., Sax.] _Syn._ LIT, COUCHE, Fr.; BETT, &c., Ger.; CUBI'LE,
LEC'TUS, LEC'TULUS, GRABA'TUS, &c., L. A couch; that in or on which we
sleep; that on which anything is generated, deposited, or rests.
Bed curtains and valances are both unnecessary and objectionable as bed
appendages, and as such should be discarded. Before making the bed in the
morning the blankets and sheets should be stripped off and allowed to
remain for an hour or two in a current of air, on the back of a chair or
some other convenient support. If it does not rain, or is not too damp,
they are best placed near the window. The night dress which has been slept
in should be exposed in the same manner; and on going to bed it would be
found a good plan, when removing the inner vest which has been worn
during the day, to turn it inside out, and to hang it over the footboard
of the bed. Under ordinary conditions the sheets should be changed every
week. When it is remembered that on an average a third of a human being's
existence may be said to be passed in bed, the importance of his dormitory
being kept scrupulously clean will be self evident. Every bedroom should
therefore be well swept out each day, and the floor diligently scrubbed
once a week. With the exception of a small strip beside the bed, the room
should contain no carpet; a piece of New Zealand matting, being less able
to retain dust, is preferable to carpeting. The door and windows of the
bed-chamber should be kept more or less open during the day, so as to
ensure a thorough draught of air through the room, and all slops and
contents of chamber utensils should be immediately removed. No plants
should be allowed in the bedroom.
There is no better form of mattress than one made of horsehair, both for
children and adults. The pillows should also be made of the same material.
Both pillows and mattress should be taken to pieces once a year, and their
contents well ventilated by exposure to the air. When a child is ricketty,
weak in the neck, inclined to stoop, or at all crooked, a pillow is best
dispensed with. Cotton sheets have two advantages over linen ones--they
are more absorbent, and feel less cold. In cases of sickness the
comfortable construction of the patient's bed, as well as the adoption of
such means as shall ensure as much as possible its efficient ventilation,
are matters of primary import. Hence because it permits of a more thorough
circulation of air than any other kind, the horsehair mattress calls even
more imperatively for adoption than in health. It may be placed upon the
feather or wool bed, and should it be found too rough, or causing any
discomfort, one or two blankets may be placed over it. The straw palliass
should at the same time be removed. Both sheets and pillow cases should be
frequently changed, more especially in fevers. If the patient perspire
very profusely, fresh sheets and pillow cases should be supplied every
twenty-four hours. If soiled by evacuation of any kind, it is most
important that they should be changed at once, and so with the night
dress. In all cases of eruptive and other fevers, and contagious diseases,
all articles of wearing apparel (underclothing, as well as sheets, pillow
cases, handkerchiefs, &c.) should when removed be placed in a vessel and
covered with water.
In the articles on "air" and "vitiated air" the evil effects of
ill-ventilated dormitories have been adverted to. Every bedroom should if
possible contain an enclosed fireplace having free access to the chimney.
Failing this a series of little holes about the size of a shilling should
be bored in the lower part of the door, and the upper sash of the window
should be opened to the extent of two or three inches.
[On the connection of BEDS and BEDDING with comfort and health, see
COTTON, DAMP, FEATHERS, LINEN, SLEEP, VENTILATION, VERMIN, &c.; also
_below_.]
[Illustration: 1.]
[Illustration: 2. (Opened.)]
[Illustration: 3. (Closed.)]
=Bed, Air.= Beds, pillows, cushions, &c., when properly constructed and
inflated with air, are clean, luxurious, and healthy substitutes for those
in common use. For this purpose the air-proof part should be formed of
separate cells or tubes, arranged in ridges (see _engr._), or in any
similar manner to admit of free ventilation; and in the case of beds, or
of cushions for the sick, two or three folds of flannel, or blanket, or of
any loose porous fabric, should be placed between them and the under sheet
or the person of the sleeper or patient. Without this precaution,
discomfort and restlessness, excessive warmth and perspiration and even
bed-sores, are apt to follow their use by invalids, when badly
constructed. To obviate these objections to articles of this class
commonly sold, a new one has been produced under the name of the
'INCOM'PARABLE BED' (Aycbourn's Patent), which is thoroughly applicable to
all purposes--domestic, medical, naval, or _military_--and superior to any
feather, flock, or spring bed, however good or carefully made up. This bed
consists of an outer case made of ordinary bed-ticking divided internally
into numerous separate cells, into each of which is placed a suitably
constructed bag, which may be either wholly or partially filled with air
or water; the latter either hot or cold. (See _engr._ 2, 3.) It is
incapable of bursting, and is very agreeable to lie on. It retains its
shape, saves the time, trouble, and wear and tear ordinarily bestowed or
produced by servants in daily tossing about one of down or feathers, is
easily washed and kept clean, allows all the ventilation essential to
health, and is so portable that it may be easily packed in a carpet-bag.
In almost an instant it may be converted into six, or more, separate
life-preservers; and what is equally important it will stand any climate.
Hitherto the use of air-beds and water-beds has been almost exclusively
confined to the upper and wealthy classes, and to hospital practice; but
the moderate prices[126] at which Aycbourn's beds, cushions, &c.,
are sold, place these luxuries, and in many cases--absolute
necessities--within the reach of the masses of the people.
[Footnote 126: These are less than those of feather beds of corresponding
dimensions.]
=Bed, Water.= Water-beds, cushions, &c., are chiefly employed for patients
labouring under bed-sores, paralysis, spinal affections, &c., or who are
the subjects of active surgical treatment in which equable support for the
body or a limb is absolutely necessary. Their construction and use are
similar to those previously noticed, except that, instead of being
inflated with air, they are filled with water, either warm or tepid. For
the bedridden, and for long-continued use generally, they are much
inferior to air-beds. See AIR-BED (_above_).
=Bed.= _Syn._ STRA'TUM, L.; STRATE, &c., Fr.; SCHICHT, &c., Ger. In
_geology_, a mineral layer, seam, or stratum, thick or thin.
=Bed.= In _horticulture_, a small plot of land, usually raised a little
above the general surface, in which flowers, or other plants, are raised
or grown.
=BEDDING, PURIFICATION OF.= To be efficiently disinfected, bedding must be
taken to pieces and subjected to dry heat. This last condition can only be
satisfactorily carried out in large ovens or disinfecting chambers. Any
local authority may provide a proper place and necessary appliances for
the disinfection of bedding. Any local authority may direct the detention
of bedding, clothing, &c., which have been exposed to infection, and may
give compensation for the same.
Any person giving, lending, selling, transmitting or exposing bedding,
clothing, rags, &c., which have been exposed to infection, is liable to a
penalty not exceeding £5.
=Bedding or Litter.= The following is from Col. Fitzwygram's useful work,
'Horses and Stables,' "One great item in a horse's comfort, and
consequently in his aptitude to carry flesh, is a good bed. Every horse
should be bedded down at mid-day. As regards economy of straw, it is
essential not to give the horse a chance of eating it. With this view no
fresh straw should be placed within his reach. The fresh straw should be
brought in first, and put not merely at the bottom, but also in rear of
the stall; then the old litter should be brought in and put at the top and
in front. The horse will not readily eat at, and by the following morning
the new straw will have become somewhat tainted, and may then be mixed and
dried along with the rest. Again, great care should be taken in the
morning to thoroughly shake up and cleanse the bedding from dung; and any
parts which may have become rotten should be thrown out. Good straw
rapidly deteriorates if these precautions are not taken. On the other hand
careless servants often throw away along with the bad parts much good
bedding which might be dried and used again. Bedding should be taken up,
and turned over at least twice in each forenoon, so as to expose every
part to the drying and purifying influence of the sun and air. It is,
however, a mistake to expose it over-much to the action of a very hot sun,
as it makes it too dry and brittle." See HORSE.
=BED'EGUAR= (-e-gahr). _Syn._ BÉDÉGUAR (or GAR, Fr. Sweet-briar sponge
(which _see_).
=BEE= (b[=e]). _Syn._ HIVE-BEE, HON'EY-B. (h[)u]n'-), DOMES'TIC B.; A'PIS,
L.; ABEILLE, A. MELLIFIQUE, &c., Fr.; BIENE, HONIGBIENE, &c. Ger. The
_a'-pis mellif'ica_ (Linn.; Ph. L., E., & D.), one of the hymenop'tera
best known and most useful to man. [Those desirous of studying the habits
and economy of bees are referred to the works of Huber and Latreille; and
for their management to Mr Cobbett's little book on the subject.] See
APIS, HIVE, HONEY, WAX, &c.
=BEE'-BREAD.= The pollen of flowers collected by bees as food for their
young.
=BEE'-GLUE=, _Syn._ PROP'OLIS, L., Fr. The resinous matter with which bees
cement the combs to the hives, and close up and repair the cells.
=BEECH= (b[=e]che). _Syn._ BEECH'-TREE; FA'GUS, L; HÉTRE, H. COMMUN, Fr.;
BUCHE, GEMEINE B., Ger. The _fa'gus sylvat'ica_ (Linn.), a magnificent
English forest-tree, of the nat. ord. Amentaceæ (DC.). Fruit (BEECH'-MAST,
B.-NUTS), used to feed swine, and, sometimes, in obstinate headaches, and
in gravel complaints; yields oil by expression; inner bark occasionally
used in hectic fevers. Wood (BEECH, B.-WOOD), handsome and very hard, but
brittle and perishable, and particularly liable to become worm-eaten; its
durability is increased by steeping it, when fresh-hewn, for some time in
water; chiefly used by cabinet-makers, coach-builders, millwrights, and
turners; and, sometimes, by coopers; also burnt for charcoal.
=BEEF= (b[=e]fe). _Syn._ CHAIRE DE B[OE]UF, DU B[OE]UF, Fr.; RINDFLEISCH,
&c., Ger.; BU'BULA, CA''RO BO'VIS, &c., L. The flesh of bovine animals,
generally; but ordinarily only that of the domestic ox, cow, or bull.
_Qual._ Good beef is highly wholesome and nutritious; and is well adapted
to persons of good appetite, or that labour or take much exercise. For the
delicate, especially those suffering from debility, partial anæmia,
amenorrh[oe]a, and similar ailments, it is, perhaps, superior to every
other kind of animal food. If cooked so as to be left full of gravy, it
sits lightly on the stomach, and its fat proves even more digestible than
that of either veal or mutton.
It has been proved that under-done beef is one of the causes of tapeworm.
_Choice._ OX-BEEF is known by having a fine smooth, open grain, a lively
and agreeable red colour, and a tender texture, with the fat of a pleasing
pale whitish-yellow or but slightly yellow, and the suet white and hard.
When fine and well fed, the flesh is inter-grained or marbled with
fat.--COW-BEEF has a closer grain than ox-beef, and the lean is of a
deeper red.--BULL-BEEF is closer still, the fat dark, hard, and skinny,
the lean of a deep coarse red, and it has a strong smell and
flavour.--HEIFER BEEF resembles ox-beef, except in being smaller, often an
advantage; but it lacks the rich flavour of the flesh of full-grown oxen.
_Joints, Managem., &c._ Beef is CURED, SALTED, and DRESSED, in all the
ways common to the other meats; the only care necessary being in the
selection of the appropriate joint or part. The ribs, sirloin, rump, and
veiny piece are the proper joints for ROASTING or BAKING. The buttock or
round, edge-bone, second round or mouse-buttock, brisket, flank, shoulder
or leg-of-mutton piece, and the clod, those generally BOILED, STEWED, or
SALTED. The choicest STEAKS are cut from the middle of the rump; the next
best from the veiny piece, or from the chuck-rib. In summer, excellent
ones may also be cut from the shoulder. In France, steaks cut from the
sirloin (without bone) are preferred to all others, and are exceedingly
delicate and tender. The neck may be either stewed or boiled, and is much
used to make soup and gravy. In the country, the round, when fine, and
well hung, is also often roasted or baked.
According to Miss Acton, "the finest part of the sirloin is the chump-end,
which contains the larger portion of the fillet; of the ribs, the middle
ones."
Beef is in season during the whole year, but is finest--when it is most
relished--during the winter months, when, owing to the temperature of the
air, it may be 'hung' a long time, and thus increased in tenderness and
flavour. See OX, BAKING, BOILING, ESSENCES, ROASTING, SALTING, TEA, &c.
(also _below_).
=Beef, Alamode'.= _Syn._ B[OE]UF À LA MODE, Fr. The true 'beef à la mode'
is made as follows; and is not a mere kind of rich stew, such as is daily
sold under the name in the 'cook-shops' of London:--
1. (M. Alexis Soyer.) Rump, sirloin, or rib of beef (about) 12 _lbs._;
lard it through with 10 or 12 long pieces of fat bacon; put it into an
earthen pan with a calf's foot, 4 onions, 2 carrots (sliced), a bunch of
parsley, 2 bay leaves, 2 sprigs of thyme, 2 cloves, 1/2 teaspoonful of
pepper, 1 do. of salt, 4 wine-glassfuls of sherry, 4 do. of water, and 1
_lb._ of streaky bacon (cut into small squares); place on the cover, make
it air-tight round the edges with a little flour-paste, and expose it in a
moderate oven for about 4 hours. Dish up with the vegetables and bacon
placed tastefully round it, the gravy (skimmed) being poured over all. Or
it may be eaten cold, in which case the pan should not be opened until the
whole has thoroughly cooled.
2. (Mrs Rundell.) Rump of beef (or any part of the beef which will stew
well), 3 or 4 _lbs._; trim it, and cut off the fat; add several sorts
(according to taste) of sweet herbs chopped very fine, a little shalot,
and a great deal of spice (cayenne, white pepper, allspice, cloves, and
mace; or mixed spices), and put them, with vinegar, into a saucer that has
been rubbed with garlic; add fat bacon cut into long slips; lard the beef
regularly on both sides, and rub it over with the herbs and spices; next
flour it, and add a small piece of butter, and a pint of water; bake it in
an oven until thoroughly 'done,' then strain the gravy, and serve it up
with pickles on the top. Excellent either hot or cold.
_Obs._ Miss Acton--a high authority in these matters--tells us, that 7 or
8 _lbs._ of beef, thus treated, takes 4 to 5 hours to dress it properly;
and that if a stew-pan be used, it should be as nearly the size of the
meat as possible, the whole being allowed to simmer very gently, and the
meat turned when half done. She also states that "veal dressed in this way
is even better than beef;" but, of course, it takes less time in cooking.
=Beef, Col'lared.= _Prep._ 1. (Miss Acton.) The piece of beef is rubbed
with a little coarse sugar, and set aside for two or three days; it is
then slightly salted (about 1 _oz._ of salt, containing a little
saltpetre, to each _lb._ of meat); and allowed to rest 8 to 10 days; the
bones and tougher skin are next removed, and the under side is sprinkled
thickly with parsley and other savoury herbs (shred small), after which it
is very tightly rolled up, secured with a cloth, and bound as closely as
possible with broad tape. A piece of 8 _lbs._ will require about 5 hours'
gentle boiling, and should be placed, in the same state, whilst still hot,
under a heavy weight, or in a press, for a few hours. The ribs, or
(better) the thinnest part of the flank, is generally selected. The last
should be 'hung' in a damp place for a day or two before curing it.
2. (Mrs Rundell.) From stewed shin of beef and ox-tail, re-stewed with a
glassful each of wine and ketchup, and some of the old broth, and then
poured into moulds. Sweet herbs, sliced eggs, and pickles, may be added at
will.
=Beef, Dutch, Hung Beef.= The round, rump, veiny-piece, or thick flank,
cured, for 10 or 12 days, with dry salt to which a little saltpetre and
some sugar and black pepper has been added; and afterwards 'hung' for use.
It eats well if boiled tender with greens or carrots. If to be grated or
shred, as Dutch, and eaten as a relish on bread and butter, then cut a
lean bit, boil it till extremely tender, and while hot put it under a
press. When cold, fold it in a sheet of paper, and hang it in a very dry
place. It will then keep two or three months.
=Beef, Pott'ed.= See POTTED MEATS, &c.
=Beef, Spiced= (sp[=i]st'). Salted beef when spices (usually black pepper
and allspice) have been added to the salt, &c., used in curing it. See
BEEF, COLLARED (_above_).
=Beef Tea.= An extract manufactured at Berlin, which contains the
nutritive matter of the flesh in the highest state of potency. A pale
blood-red(!) jelly, which will not keep long, and after a time passes into
a state of odorous putrefaction. (A. Buchner.)
=BEER= (b[=e]re). _Syn._ BIÈRE, Fr.; BIER, D., Ger.; BIRRA, It.;
CEREVI''SIA (-v[)i]zh'-'[)a]), CERVI''SIA (Pliny), C. LUPULA'TA* (_i.e._
hopp'd or modern b.), VI'NUM ANGLIC'ANUM*, V. HORDEA'CEUM* (-sh'[)u]m),
ZY'THUM* (or -THUS*; [Greek: zythos], Gr.), &c., L.; BERE, BEERE, Sax.;
BIR, W. An aqueous infusion of malted grain which, after being boiled with
hops, has undergone the vinous fermentation; malt-liquor. The word BEER is
now the common generic term for all fermented malt-liquors, and, indeed,
for all other beverages prepared by a process of brewing. Whenever the
term is used in a special sense, it is with a descriptive prefix, as, for
example, spruce beer, ginger beer, &c.
_Hist._ Ale and wine are fabled to have been invented by Bacchus; the
former, in Egypt, where the soil and climate would not permit of the
cultivation of the grape. Herodotus ascribes the origin of the art of
brewing to Isis, the wife of Osiris, and notices zythum [Greek: zythos], a
beer obtained from barley. Malt-liquor was undoubtedly employed as a
beverage in the fifth century before Christ; and, probably, very much
earlier. Xenophon distinctly alludes to it in his famous retreat (B.C.
401). Aristotle speaks of 'beer drunkenness,' and Theophrastus calls it
'barley-wine.' The Romans learned the art of brewing from the Egyptians,
and gave the liquor thus made the appropriate name of cerevisia (quasi
Cererisia), from its being the product of corn, the gift of Ceres. The
most celebrated beer of ancient times was the _Pelus'ian pota'tion_, so
named after a town at the mouth of the Nile where beer was prepared in
great perfection. The use of beer was likewise known to the ancient Gauls
and Germans, and probably also to most other ancient nations inhabiting
the temperate zone. Pliny says "Zythum is made in Egypt, _ce'lia_ and
_ce''ria_ in Spain, and many other sorts (of beer) in Gaul." In our own
country, ale was early known and valued as a beverage. The art of its
preparation appears to have been obtained either from the Romans or the
Saxons. According to Verstegan, "This excellent and healthsome liquor,
beere, anciently called ale, as of the Danes it yet is, was of the Germans
invented and brought into use." Alehouses are mentioned in the laws of
Ina, king of Wessex (A.D. 680). Alebooths were regulated by law, A.D. 728.
By the beginning of the 13th century ale was drunk generally in England.
By a statute of James III, of Scotland, it was made a capital offence to
mix wine with beer (A.D. 1482). In 1492, a licence was granted to a brewer
at Greenwich to export 50 tons of that "ale" called "beer" or "bere;" the
distinction between the two apparently being, that the latter was
flavoured with wormwood or other bitters; whereas ale was not. Ale was
originally made from barley-malt and yeast alone, and those who put in
anything else were held to sophisticate the liquor. Hops were introduced
A.D. 1524; and to this date modern, or hopp'd beer, may be traced.
By statute of James I the "ale" called "bere" was taxed, and "one quart
of the best thereof" ordered to be sold for a penny (A.D. 1610). Alehouses
were first licensed in 1621, and during the reign of Charles II were,
together with all malt-liquor, placed under the control of the Excise
(A.D. 1660). By the Statutes 1 & 4 Will. IV (1834), previous enactments
respecting malt liquors and their sale were reduced to their present form.
Beer is now the common beverage in all European countries where the vine
is not a subject of rustic husbandry.
_Qual._ Pure malt-liquor which has undergone sufficient fermentation is
perhaps, when taken in moderation, one of the most wholesome beverages
that can be drunk. Ale is the most nutritious variety, and, when
moderately mature, is the one best adapted to the debilitated and
delicate; but good porter, owing to being less rich in extractive and
gummy matter, and from being slightly astringent from high-dried or
scorched malt being used in its preparation, occasionally agrees better
with bilious constitutions and the dyspeptic. Much, however, depends on
acquired taste and habit. The most wholesome, and perhaps the least
exceptionable beverages obtained from malt, are those known as East-India,
Scotch, and Bavarian ales, when honestly prepared and not highly
'bittered' with the hop, as is, unfortunately, now so general. A late
writer has described good beer as nutritious, from the sugar and mucilage
which it contains; exhilarating, from its spirit; and strengthening and
narcotic, from its hops. Pereira says, "Beer is a thirst-quenching,
refreshing, intoxicating, and slightly nutritious beverage." Its effects,
when taken injudiciously, or in excess, for the most part resemble those
of other intoxicating liquors--disease, misery, and crime; and these in
direct proportion as it deviates from the true standard of purity and
excellence.
All medical authorities agree in discountenancing the use of beer for
infants and children. Water or milk with the child's meals are the best
beverages for them.
_Var._ The numerous varieties of malt liquor met with in commerce may be
resolved into two great classes--ALE and PORTER. ALE of all kinds is
brewed chiefly from pale malt, and is generally of a light amber colour.
PALE ALE is manufactured from the finest and lightest dried malt, and the
choicest hops, the latter in excess. MILD ALE differs from pale ale in
being sweeter, stronger, and almost free from the flavour of the hop.
BITTER ALE or BITTER BEER has, as a rule, less body than pale ale, and is
more highly hopped. TABLE BEER is a weak liquor commonly containing three
or four times the proportion of water usually present in ordinary beer or
ale. PORTER differs from ale chiefly in its being artificially coloured by
the use of roasted malt, which also imparts to it a peculiar bitter
flavour. In point of strength it stands about midway between light and
strong ales, although frequently brewed of a strength very slightly above
that of table beer. STOUT, BROWN STOUT, &c., are simply richer or stronger
descriptions of porter, and may be said to have nearly the same relation
to the higher qualities of mild ale that porter holds with regard to pale
ale or bitter beer. In London, PORTER is called BEER; and, indeed, in all
parts of the kingdom, the prevailing beverage of this kind consumed by the
masses, of whatever class, commonly goes by the name of beer.
The two great classes of malt liquor above referred to, are, independently
of mere differences of strength, excellence, and commercial value,
practically subdivided into an almost infinite number of varieties. Every
county, every town, and almost every brewer, is distinguished by the
production of a different-flavoured beer, readily perceived, and highly
appreciated by their respective votaries. These differences may be traced
to--variations in the quantity and quality of the materials employed in
their manufacture--the temperature of the water used for mashing--the
duration of the boiling--the temperature at which the fermentation is
conducted, and the extent to which it is carried, together with numerous
other circumstances, which, though usually of an accidental and uncertain
character, are nevertheless sufficient to affect the flavour and quality
of a brewing. Among these, those depending on the condition of the
building, the locality, the apparatus, the water, the management, &c., are
not the least important. In general, however, when the same quantity and
quality of materials are employed, and the same time allowed for the
maturation of the liquor, the chief causes of this diversity will be found
to depend on the water used in the brewing, and the method followed in the
preparation of the malt. Thus, Bavarian, Scotch, and Burton ales differ in
style from other ales chiefly from being fermented at a lower temperature,
and from the water employed in the brewing being that usually denominated
'hard,' whilst porter and stout differ from all these because they are
brewed from a mixture of pale and roasted malt. It is from causes like
these, though apparently trivial, that the many varieties of malt liquor
met with, at the present day, originate.
The per-centage in English beers of malt extract (dextrin and sugar
glucose) is least in bitter, and highest in the sweet ales. The hop
extract (lupulin and hop resin) is in much smaller amount.
The alcohol varies considerably, as does also the free acidity.
The albuminous matter in most beers does not average more than 0·5 per
cent.
The salts, which consist of alkaline chlorides and phosphates, and some
earthy phosphates, average 0·1 to 0·2 per cent. Ammoniacal salts are found
in small quantities. Caramel and assamar are found in the dark beers and
porters. Carbonic acid is always more or less present. The average is 0·1
to 0·2 parts by weight per cent., or about 1-3/4 cubic inches per ounce.
Volatile and essential oils are also present.
PARKES says, "Adopting means numbers; one pint (20 oz.) of beer will
contain--
Alcohol 1 ounce.
Extractive (dextrin),
sugar, &c. 1·2 " (534 grains).
Free acid 25 grains.
Salts 13 "
The following beer analyses are given by Professor WANKLYN:
Bass's bottled bitter ale contains in 100 cubic centimètres:
5·3 grams of alcohol.
5·52 " organic residue.
0·36 " ash.
A sample of draught ale, costing 2d. per pint in London, contained in 100
cubic centimètres:
4·7 grams of alcohol.
5·8 " organic residue.
0·32 " ash.
A sample of London porter in 100 cubic centimètres contained:
3·3 grams of alcohol.
3·45 " organic residue.
0·30 " ash.
"A large number of analyses recently made show that in the various classes
of malt liquor sold in London there is a variation in the amount of
alcohol contents from 3·87 to 8·41 per cent. of absolute alcohol by
weight, these two extremes corresponding to ·98 and 2·18 fluid ounces of
absolute alcohol in the pint of beer. The amount of extract varies from
2·16 to 13·32 per cent. by weight, or from ·73 to 2·77 ounces per pint of
beer, as will be seen from the accompanying table.
----------------------+---------+----------------------+---------+-------+------------------------
| | Per-centage of | | | Con. vols., per pint.
| |----------------------|Original |Malt, |------------------------
Kind of Malt Liquor. | Specific|Alcohol|Extract|Acetic|Gravity |per |Alcohol,|Extract|Acid,
| Gravity.| | |Acid. |of Wort. |barrel.|fl. oz. |ounces.|grains.
----------------------+---------+-------+-------+------+---------+-------+--------+-------+-------
Burton ale (Allsopp's)| 1040·38 | 8·25 | 13·32 | ·32 | 1121·63 | 4·50 | 2·16 | 2·77 | 29·12
Bass's barley wine | 1032·31 | 8·41 | 11·75 | ·23 | 1114·78 | 4·25 | 2·18 | 2·42 | 20·77
Edinburgh ale | 1006·63 | 4·41 | 3·58 | ·19 | 1048·38 | 1·77 | 1·12 | ·72 | 16·73
Guinness's stout | 1015·51 | 6·81 | 6·17 | ·24 | 1078·06 | 2·88 | 1·74 | 1·25 | 21·32
Truman, Hanbury, | | | | | | | | |
& Co.'s porter | 1013·16 | 4·02 | 5·12 | ·24 | 1051·33 | 1·90 | 1·03 | 1·01 | 21·27
Whitbread's porter | 1014·04 | 4·28 | 5·15 | ·18 | 1054·11 | 2·00 | 1·09 | 1·03 | 15·97
Hoare's porter | 1012·99 | 4·18 | 5·04 | ·18 | 1052·42 | 1·94 | 1·06 | 1·03 | 15·95
Perry's ale | 1006·48 | 3·87 | 3·65 | ·14 | 1045·82 | 1·69 | 0·98 | 0·73 | 7·97
----------------------+---------+-------+-------+------+---------+-------+--------+-------+-------
"The relative proportions of alcohol and extract in beer will also have
some influence on its fitness in a medical point of view for certain
persons; and in some instances thin dry beer, that has had the
fermentation carried so far as to reduce the amount of extract to a
minimum, may be very preferable to beer containing a larger amount of
extract. In this respect some samples of the Prestonpans' beer are
remarkable for the small proportion of extract they contain.
"In regard to the nutritive value of beer, over and above the stimulant
and tonic actions due to the alcohol and to the bitter principle of the
hop, it is worth notice that a pint of pale ale contains from 1/2 an ounce
to an ounce of solid extract, while mild and old ale contain from 1-1/10
to 2-3/4 ounces in the pint.
"The amount of free acid in British beer appears to be uniformly larger
than in the Viennese and Bavarian beer recently introduced here, and
sometimes it is very much larger. This free acid is represented in the
tables as acetic acid; but there is reason to believe that beer probably
contains lactic acid or other fixed acids, together with a substance
analogous to glucic acid, which, according to Graham, Hoffmann, and
Redwood, appears to be produced in the fermentation of beer wort, as
practised in this country.
"There appears to be great differences in the quality of beer sold by
publicans at a given price. Thus, for instance, the variation in the pale
ale sold at fourpence per pint is from 4·08 to 7·10 per cent. of alcohol,
and from 3·22 to 7·53 per cent. of extract; in the mild ale sold at
twopence per pint it is from 4·43 to 5·62 per cent. of alcohol, and from
5·01 to 5·56 per cent. of extract; and in old ale sold at fourpence per
pint it is from 6·20 to 8·31 per cent. of alcohol, and from 4·56 to 6·2
per cent. of extract. These differences represent respectively 1·58, ·27,
and ·49 bushels of malt per barrel of beer. From the great alcoholic
strength of some kinds of old ale they partake more of the nature of wine
than of beer, in the usual sense of this term. They are, in fact, quite
equal in that respect to most of the cheaper wine imported from the
Continent, while in flavour and general character old ale, such as that
brewed at Burton-on-Trent and in Scotland, is far superior to any wine of
the kind referred to, which can be sold here at a price even double that
of the best old ale. This kind of ale, however, is but rarely sold by
publicans."--Dr PAUL.
_Materials, Manuf., &c._ See MALT, HOPS, BREWING, &c.
_Purity._ The leading characteristics of good beer are transparency, a
fine colour, an agreeable semi-vinous flavour, and the property of
remaining for several hours exposed in a glass or cup without becoming
'flat' or insipid. If the materials used were good, if the brewing was
skilfully conducted, if the liquor has been carefully stowed in perfectly
sweet casks or vessels, in a suitable cellar, for a sufficient time, and
has not been tampered with, this will almost always be the case. Hence
colour, transparency, and flavour, and the power of resisting exposure,
are tests of the purity and quality of beer, which should not be lightly
treated. There are none more simple and effectual; and, together with a
good 'palate,' and a close observance of its effects on the head and on
the stomach, will readily distinguish pure and wholesome beer from
'doctored' and inferior liquor. If, therefore, we find a sample of beer
possessing the above qualities and in good condition, and on testing it
for its alcohol and saccharine matter, find these substances in such
quantities as fairly to represent the amount of malt which should have
been used in the brewing of such a liquor, we may, in the absence of proof
to the contrary, infer it to be pure; because the object for which
adulteration is practised--the saving of malt and hops--did not exist in
this case. To demonstrate the purity of beer requires an elaborate and
troublesome analysis, which can only be performed by those accustomed to
chemical operations. Good and pure beer should contain nothing but what
exists in the malt, the hops, and the water, from which it is brewed, or
which is produced from them in the processes of 'mashing,'
'fermentation,' and 'maturation.'
_Adulteration._ Until the year 1862 nothing was allowed to enter into the
composition of beer but malt and hops; and the Act 56 Geo. III, cap. 58,
imposes a penalty of £200 on any "brewer, dealer, or retailer of beer,"
who "shall receive, or have in his possession, or use, or mix with, or put
into any worts or beer any molasses, honey, liquorice, vitriol, quassia,
cocculus indicus, grains of paradise, Guinea-pepper, or opium, or any
extract or preparation of these substances, for, or as a substitute for,
malt or hops;" and a further penalty of £500 on any "druggist, or vender
of, or dealer in drugs, or chemist, or other person whatever," who shall
"sell, send, or deliver to any licensed brewer," &c., any of the above
materials. However, by the Act 25 Vic., cap. 22, s. 20, so much of the
above is repealed as relates to hops. This Act provides that--
"On and after the 16th Sept., 1862, so much of an Act passed in the 56th
year of the reign of King George the Third, cap. 58, and of an Act passed
in the 7th and 8th years of the reign of King George the Fourth, cap. 52,
and of any other Act relating to the revenue of excise, as imposes any
excise penalty upon any brewer of, or dealer in, or retailer of beer, for
receiving into, or having in his possession, or using or mixing with any
worts or beer, any article for, or as a substitute for hops, or as
prohibits the sale of any such article to the said persons, shall be, and
is hereby repealed: provided always, that nothing herein contained shall
be construed to extend to repeal any such penalty or prohibition so far as
regards any article which may be used as a substitute for malt,
notwithstanding that it may be also a substitute for hops."
Prior to this an Act (10 Vic., c. 5) had been passed allowing brewers to
use sugar under certain restrictions.
As the law now stands, a brewer may use hops, quassia, wormwood, gentian,
or any other simple bitter; but he is forbidden to use any substitute for
malt, such as unmalted grain, sugar in a liquid state, molasses, or any
substance which would give pungency or intoxicating properties to the
beer, such as cocculus indicus, grains of paradise, tobacco, &c. It is a
well-known and authenticated fact, that beer is commonly and sometimes
dangerously adulterated. The cupidity of fraudulent brewers and publicans
frequently induces them to introduce other ingredients than malt and
bitters into their liquors, with a view of giving them a false appearance
and strength. Thus, to give pungency--capsicum, grains of paradise,
ginger, &c., have been added; to give intoxicating properties--opium,
cocculus indicus, tobacco, &c.; as a substitute for malt--molasses,
treacle, colouring, honey, &c.; to impart a false appearance of
age--sulphuric acid, alum, green vitriol, glycerin, mustard, &c.; to
remove acidity--pearlash, soda, chalk, &c.; and to impart a frothy
head--alum, foots, table-salt, &c.
The publicans generally 'reduce' their strong beer with water (which they
call 'liquor'), and add treacle, together with a mixture of copperas,
salt, and alum (termed 'heading'), to make it bear a frothy head. The
cheap beer sold in many of the low taverns of London is made by dividing
the contents of two butts between three butts, filling them up with water,
and adding a bladder of porter-extract (technically termed 'P. E,') to
each. This 'P. E,' is a mixture of powdered cocculus, Spanish juice,
caramel, capsicum, &c., boiled up with treacle and water to the
consistence of a thin extract, and then put into bullocks' bladders.
_Exam., Tests, &c._ The analysis of beer, both qualitative and
quantitative, as already noticed, is a matter of considerable difficulty.
We shall therefore defer its consideration until we come to the article
PORTER, as that description of beer, on account of its colour, is not only
the one most difficult to examine, but also the one most frequently
adulterated. See ALE, BREWING, HOPS, MALT, PORTER, &c.
=Beer, Am'ber.= _Syn._ AMBER. A liquor, formerly much drank in London,
brewed from a mixture of 3 parts of amber malt, and 1 part of pale malt,
with about 6 _lbs._ of hops to the quarter. It was generally 'tapped'
within a few days after it had done 'working,' and was chiefly used mixed
with bitters, or made into 'PURL,'
=Beer, Wheat'en=, Wheat'-malt Beer. See MUM.
[asterism] Besides malt liquor, or BEER properly so called, a somewhat
similar beverage, though of inferior quality, may be prepared from any
vegetable substance rich in starch and sugar, as noticed in our article on
BREWING. Certain summer beverages also pass under the name; but in both
the cases referred to, the name of the characteristic ingredient, or that
of the vegetable employed, is always conjoined; as in pea-shell beer,
potato-beer, ginger-beer, &c. Examples of some of these are given below:--
=Beer, Gin'ger.= _Syn._ CEREVIS'IA (-v[)i]zh'-) ZINGIB'ERIS, C.
ZINGIBERA'TA*, C. CUM ZINGIB'ERE* (-[)e]r-e), L. _Prep._ 1. Lump-sugar, 1
_lb._; good unbleached Jamaica ginger (well-bruised), 1 _oz._; cream of
tartar, 3/4 _oz._ (or tartaric acid, 1/2 _oz._); 2 or 3 lemons (sliced);
boiling water, 1 gall.; macerate, with frequent stirring, in a covered
vessel, until barely lukewarm, then add of yeast, 1-1/2 or 2 _oz._ (about
2/3rds of a wine-glassful), and keep it in a moderately warm place, to
excite a brisk fermentation; the next day rack or decant the liquor, and
strain it through a jelly-bag or flannel; allow it to work for another
day, or two, according to the weather; then skim it, again decant or
strain, and put it into bottles, the corks of which should be 'wired'
down.
2. Good white sugar, 18 to 24 _lbs._; lemon-juice or lime-juice, 1 quart;
finest Narbonne honey, 1 or 2 _lbs._; bruised Jamaica ginger, 1-1/2
_lb._; pure soft water (that has been boiled, and then allowed to settle),
q. s. Boil the ginger in 3 _galls._ of the water for half an hour; then
add the sugar, the juice, and the honey, with sufficient water (see
_above_) to make the whole measure 18-1/4 _galls._, and strain the mixture
as before. When the liquor has become almost cold, add the white of 1 egg,
and 1/2 _fl. oz._ of essence of lemon, and strongly agitate the cask or
vessel for about half an hour. After standing 3 to 6 days, according to
the state of the weather, bottle it, and place the bottles on their sides
in a cellar, just as is done with wine or beer. It will be ready for use
in about 3 weeks, and will keep good for several months. If wanted for
immediate use, about 1/2 pint of yeast may be added, as in formula 1; but
then it will not keep so well, or be quite so transparent and free from
deposit. The lemon juice and essence of lemon may be replaced, at will, by
cream of tartar (in powder) or tartaric acid, 4 _oz._; and lemons (sliced)
1-1/2 to 2 doz.; added with the sugar, &c.; but the original formula is
preferable.--_Prod._ 18 _galls._ = 24 doz. 1/2-pint bottles, or 30 doz.
ordinary sized ones.
3. EXTEMPORANEOUS:--_a._ Into each bottle put concentrated essence of
ginger, 1 drop; simple syrup or capillaire, 1/2 _oz._ (or in lieu of them,
syrup of ginger and simple syrup, of each a dessert-spoonful); and fill
with aërated soda-water at the 'bottling machine,' in the usual way. Very
superior.
_b._ Into each bottle put two or three lumps of sugar, fill them to the
proper height with pure water, throw in (quickly) an effervescing
ginger-beer powder, and instantly cork the bottle, and secure the cork
with wire.
_Use._ As a cooling and refreshing drink in warm weather; and as a
restorative after hard drink, fatigue, &c.
_Obs._ The products of all the above formulæ, if well managed, are
excellent; those of No. 2, and 3_a_., of the very finest description, much
stronger and superior to nine tenths of that sold for the best in the
shops. They are often called, by way of distinction, LIMO''NIATED
GINGER-BEER, IMPERIAL G.-B., &c. Cheaper articles are made by omitting
some of the ingredients, and particularly a portion of the sugar. The
ginger-beer vended at 1_d._ and 2_d._ a bottle, with that known as GINGER
POP, IMPE''RIAL POP, &c., are generally made with moist sugar (1/2 to 3/4
_lb._ to the _gall._), and merely flavoured with a little coarse ginger.
No. 2, made with 2 _lbs._ of sugar to the _gall._ may be kept 2 years, if
not bottled for six months, and well-stored; and with 3 _lbs._ to the
_gall._, for 4 years, when it forms a splendid article (GINGER-CHAMPAGNE).
=Beer, Pine.= See, BEER SPRUCE.
=Beer, Spruce.= _Syn._ CEREVIS'IA (-v[)i]zh'-) ABI'ETIS, C. ABIETI'NA, C.
ABIET'ICA*, L. _Prep._ 1. Sugar, 1 _lb._; essence of spruce, 1/2 _oz._;
boiling water, 1 _gall._; mix well, and when nearly cold, add of yeast 1/2
a wine-glassful; and the next day bottle like ginger-beer.
2. Essence of spruce, 1/2 pint; pimento and ginger (bruised), of each 5
_oz._; hops, 1/2 _lb._; water, 3 galls.; boil the whole for 10 minutes,
then add of moist sugar, 12 _lbs._ (or good treacle, 14 _lbs._); warm
water, 11 _galls._; mix well, and, when only lukewarm, further add of
yeast, 1 pint; after the liquid has fermented for about 24 hours, bottle
it.
_Prop., Uses, &c._ Diuretic and antiscorbutic. Regarded by some persons as
an agreeable 'summer-drink,' and often found useful during long
sea-voyages. When made with lump-sugar it is called WHITE SPRUCE-BEER;
when with moist sugar or treacle, BROWN SPRUCE-BEER. An inferior sort is
made by using less sugar, or more water. If made with 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 _lb._
of lump-sugar per gall., and without yeast, in a similar manner to that
described under GINGER-BEER (No. 2), it may be kept a twelvemonth or
longer in a moderately cool place.
=Beer, Sugar.= _Syn._ CEREVIS'IA (-v[)i]zh'-) SAC'CHARI, L. From moist
sugar (1 to 2 _lbs._ to the _gall._) and a little hops; as treacle-beer.
=Beer, Trea'cle= (tr[=e]'kl-). _Syn._ CEREVIS'IA FÆ'CIS SAC'CHARI, &c., L.
_Prep._ 1. From treacle or molasses, 3/4 to 2 _lbs._ per _gall._
(according to the desired strength); hops, 1/4 to 3/4 _oz._; yeast, a
table-spoonful; water, q. s.; treated as _below_.
2. Hops, 1-1/2 lb.; corianders, 1 _oz._; capsicum-pods (cut small), 1/2
_oz._; water, 8 _galls._; boil for 10 or 15 minutes, and strain the
'liquor' through a coarse sieve into a barrel containing treacle, 28
_lbs._; then throw back the hops, &c., into the copper, and reboil them,
for 10 minutes, with a second 8 _galls._ of water, which must be strained
into the barrel, as before; next 'rummage' the whole well with a stout
stick, add of cold water 21 _galls._ (sufficient to make the whole measure
37 _galls._), and, after again mixing, stir in 1/2 a pint of good fresh
yeast; lastly, let it remain for 24 hours in a moderately warm place,
after which it may be put into the cellar, and in two or three days
'bottled,' or 'tapped' on 'draught.' In a week it will be fit to drink.
Very superior.--_Prod._ 1 barrel, or 36 gallons. For a stronger beer, 36
_lbs._, or even 1/2 _cwt._, of treacle, may be used. It will then keep
good for a twelvemonth.
_Obs._ A wholesome drink; but one apt to prove laxative when taken in
large quantities. See BREWING, BEER, GINGER, POWDERS, &c.
=BEERS.= (In _pharmacy_.) _Syn._ CEREVIS'IÆ (-v[)i]zh'-e-[=e]) MEDICA'TÆ,
L. The general nature and preparation of these articles have been already
noticed.[127] They are little employed in this country. The ingredients
should be so proportioned that from 1/4 to 1/2 a pint may form the proper
dose. The following are examples:--
[Footnote 127: See ALES (Medicated).]
=Beer, Antiscorbu'tic.= _Syn._ CEREVIS'IA ANTISCORBU'TICA, L.; SAPINETTE',
Fr. _Prep._ 1. (P. Cod. 1839) Scurvy-grass and buds of the spruce-fir, of
each 1 oz.; horse-radish root, 2 oz. (all fresh, and bruised or sliced);
new ale or beer, 3-1/2 pints (say, 1/2 _gall._); macerate 4 days, press,
and strain for use.
2. (Ph. Castr. Ruth. 1840.) Horse-radish (fresh), 4 _lbs._; juniper
berries, 3 _lbs._; root of _calamus aromaticus_ and buds of _pinus abies_,
of each 1 _lb._; ginger, 1 _oz._; syrup (of brown sugar), 6 _lbs._; beer,
120 _lbs._ (say, 12 _galls._); macerate 4 days, or until it ferments, then
decant, strain, and add of cream of tartar, 1/2 _lb._; tincture of mustard
(flour of mustard 2 _oz._, to proof spirit 12 _oz._), 5 _lbs._ (say, 1/2
_gall._). In scurvy, &c.
=Beer, Cincho'na.= _Syn._ A'GUE-BEER, BARK'-BEER; CEREVIS'IA CINCHO'NÆ,
&c., L. _Prep._ 1. Bruised cinchona-bark, 1 _oz._; proof spirit or brandy,
2 _oz._; mix; the next day add of new beer, 1 quart, and in 3 days decant
or filter.--_Dose_, 2 or 3 wine-glassfuls.
2. (Mutis.) Cinchona, 4 _oz._; sugar, 2 _lbs._; boiling water, 5 _pints_;
when lukewarm, ferment with a little yeast, as for ginger-beer.--_Dose_, 1
or 2 wine-glassfuls.
3. (Ph. Ferrara.) Bruised Peruvian bark, 1-1/2 _oz._; cinnamon, 2 _dr._;
nutmeg (rasped), 7 _dr._; sugar, 25 _oz._; yeast, 2 _oz._; water, 5
_pints_; mix, ferment, decant, and strain, as before.--_Dose_, 3 or 4
wine-glassfuls. They are all administered during the intermission of ague.
=Beer, Pipsissewa.= _Syn._ CERVIS'IA CHIMAPH'ILE, &c., L. _Prep._ (Dr J.
Parrish.) Pipsissewa (_chimaphila umbellata_), 1/2 _lb._; water, 1
_gall._; boil, strain, add of sugar, 1 _lb._; powdered ginger, 1/4 _oz._;
yeast, q. s.; and ferment, stain, and bottle, as for ginger-beer. In
scrofulous affections; especially of the joints.--_Dose._ Half a
tumblerful. It is a favorite remedy with some American practitioners.
=Beer, Sarsaparil'la.= _Syn._ LIS'BON DI'ET-BEER, SPAN'ISH JARAVE;
CEREVIS'IA SAR'ZÆ, C. SARSAPARIL'LÆ, INFU'SUM S. PARA'TUM FERMENTATIO'NE,
&c., L. _Prep._ 1. Compound extract of sarsaparilla, 1-1/2 _oz._; hot
water, 1 _pint_; dissolve, and when cold, add of good pale or East-India
ale, 7 pints.
2. Sarsaparilla (sliced), 1 _lb._; guaiacum-bark (bruised small), 1/4
_lb._; guaiacum-wood (rasped), and liquorice root (sliced), of each 2
_oz._; aniseed (bruised), 1-1/2 _oz._; mezereon root-bark, 1 _oz._; cloves
(cut small), 1/4 _oz._; moist sugar, 3-1/2 _lbs._; hot water (not
boiling), 9 quarts; mix in a clean stone jar, and keep it in a moderately
warm room (shaking it twice or thrice daily) until active fermentation
sets in, then let it repose for about a week, when it will be fit for use.
_Obs._ It is said to be superior to the other preparations of sarsaparilla
as an alterative or purifier of the blood, particularly in old affections.
That usually made has generally only one half the above quantity of sugar,
for which treacle is often substituted; but in either case it will not
keep well; whereas, with proper caution, the products of the above formulæ
may be kept for one, or even two years. No yeast must be used.--_Dose._ A
small tumblerful 3 or 4 times a day, or oftener.
=Beer, Stomach'ic.= _Syn._ MED'ICATED PURL; CEREVIS'IA STOMACH'ICA, L.
_Prep._ (Dr Quincy.) Centaury-tops and Roman wormwood, of each 4 handfuls;
gentian root (bruised), 2 _oz._; the yellow peels of 6 Seville oranges;
Spanish angelica-root and Winter's lard, of each (bruised) 1 _oz._; new
ale, or beer, 3 quarts (say, 1 _gall._); digest for a few days, as before.
One or two wine-glassfuls early in the morning, and an hour before a meal.
=Beer, Sulphu''ric Acid.= _Syn._ SULPHURIC LEMONADE; CEREVISIA ACIDI
SULPHU''RICI, C. ANTICOL'ICA, L. _Prep._ 1. Treacle beer, or other weak
mild beer or ale, to which a little concentrated sulphuric acid has been
added, in the proportion of about 1 dr. to every 8 or 10 pints; the whole
being well agitated together, and allowed a few hours to settle.
2. Treacle, 14 _lbs._; bruised ginger, 1/2 lb.; coriander, 1/2 _oz._;
capsicum and cloves, of each 1/4 _oz._; water, 12-1/2 _galls._; yeast, 1
_pint_; proceed as for ginger-beer, and when the fermentation is nearly
over, add of oil of vitriol, 1-1/2 _oz._ (diluted with 8 times its weight
of water), and of bicarbonate of soda, 1-1/2 _oz._ (dissolved in a little
water). It is fit to drink in 3 or 4 days.
_Uses, &c._ It is taken with great benefit by workers in lead, especially
by those employed in white lead works; also in cases of lead colic,
poisoning by lead or its salts, &c. A tumblerful twice or thrice daily. It
is both harmless and wholesome.
=Beer, Tar.= _Syn._ CEREVIS'IA PI'CIS, C. P. LIQ'UIDÆ, L. _Prep._
(Duhamel.) Bran, 2 pints; tar, 1 pint; honey, 1/2 pint; water, 6 pints;
mix, and gently simmer together for 3 hours; when lukewarm add of yeast,
1/2 pint; let it ferment for 36 hours, and strain. Pectoral,
anti-asthmatic, anti-phthisic, &c.--_Dose._ One wine-glassful before each
meal, in bronchial and chest diseases, and incipient consumption. See
BEERS (In Pharmacy; _above_).
=BEES'WING.= The second or pseudo-crust so much admired in port and a few
other wines, and which forms in them only when kept for some time after
the first or true crust has formed. It consists of minute, glittering,
floating particles or lamellæ of tartar, purer, and freer from astringent
matter, than that deposited in the first crust. See CRUST, WINES, &c.
=BEET= (b[=e]te). _Syn._ BE'TA, L.; BIET, D.; BETTE, Fr.; BEETE, MANGOLD,
M.-KRAUT, Ger.; BIETOLA, It. The common name of plants of the genus
'beta,' and the nat. ord. Chenopodæ (DC.). There are said to be only two
distinct species cultivated--_beta vulg[=a]r'is_ and _b. horten'sis_--each
of which occurs in several varieties; those of the first, and which we
have chiefly to consider, producing a large fleshy root (BEET'-ROOT,
MAN-GOLD-R.; RA'DIX BE'TÆ, L.; BETTERAVE, Fr.; ROTHE RÜBE, &c., Ger.),
which is both sweet and succulent; those of the other, only succulent
leaves. The varieties most useful, and now the most extensively cultivated
in England, are of comparatively recent introduction; field-beet, the
mangold-wurzel of the Germans, having been only brought under the notice
of our agriculturists towards the end of the last century.
=Beet, Field.= See BEET, HYBRID (_below_).
=Beet, Hy'brid.= _Syn._ COMMON BEET, FIELD'-B.; BE'TA HY'BRIDA, B.
VULGAR''IS, H.; L.; BETTE COMMUNE, BETTERAVE C., RACINE D'ABONDANCE, R. DE
DISETTE, &c., Fr.; MANGOLD, M.-WURZEL, MANGEL-W., &c., Ger. A variety of
_beta vulgaris_ (Linn.), and that usually cultivated by English farmers.
Root red on the outside, white inside; chiefly grown as winter-food for
cattle, being vastly superior to turnips. It has been used in Germany as a
substitute for bread in times of scarcity. Leaves dressed and eaten like
spinach.
=Beet, Red.= _Syn._ CU'LINARY BEET, GARDEN B., BEET'-RADISH, BEET'-RAVE,
&c.; BE'TA RU'BRA, B. VULG''ARIS R., L.; BETTERAVE, &c., Fr.; ROTHE RÜBE,
&c., Ger. Root tender, well-flavoured, and of a rich red colour
throughout, and hence much used in salads, pickles, and cookery; also made
into a conserve, jam, or confection. The kinds most esteemed for salads
are the small red and the yellowish-red varieties of Castelnaudari.
=Beet, Sea.= _Syn._ BE'TA MARIT'IMA, L. Said to be the best variety for
dressing as spinach.
=Beet, White.= _Syn._ BE'TA AL'BA, B. VULGA''RIS A., B. CI'CLA, L.; BETTE
BLANCHE, POIRÉE, &c., Fr. A sub-variety of the red beet. Root white, and
hence preferred for making sugar; that with a purple crown being the most
esteemed.
_Obs._ The preceding varieties of beet resemble each other in their
general properties. They are all antiscorbutic, detergent, emollient, and
nutritious; and their roots contain about 8% of sugar, which, by proper
treatment, may be obtained from them of excellent quality. The grated root
is sometimes used to dress blisters and foul ulcers. When sliced, and
dried in a malt-kiln, a very palatable beer may be brewed with it. The
leaves of each variety are dressed and eaten like spinach. The roots, for
the table, after being carefully washed, are dressed whole--neither
scraped nor cut--and, according to their size and age, require from 1 to 4
hours' simmering or baking. They are mostly served in slices, cold,
intermingled with other winter salad vegetables. See BREWING, CATTLE,
SALADS, SUGAR, &c. (also _antè_).
=BEET ROOT.= See BEET.
=BEE'TLE= (b[=e]'tl). _Syn._ SCAR'AB[dagger]*, SCAR'ABEE[dagger]*
(-b[=e]); SCÄRABÆ'US, L.; ESCARBOT, SCARABEÉ, Fr.; KÄFER, Ger.; BETEL,
Sax. In _zoology_, the common name of an extensive genus of insects
(_scarabæ'us_, Linn.), of numerous species. It is also popularly applied
to all coleopterous insects, or such as have hard or shelly wing-cases,
especially to those of a dark or obscure colour. The common pests of our
kitchens and basement floors which pass familiarly under the name of
beetles, black beetles, or cockroaches, belong to the order orthoptera,
and not to the coleoptera or beetle tribe, as the name implies. See
INSECTS, &c.
=Black Beetle=; Domes'tic beetle. See BLATTA, COCKROACH, &c.
=Blis'tering Beetle.= See CANTHARIDES.
=BELL.= _Syn._ CAMPA'NA,[128] CAMPAN'ULA,[129] NO'LA*,[130]
TINTINNAB'ULUM,[131] L.; CLOCHE, CLOCHETTE,[132] GRELOT,[133] Fr.; GLOCKE,
SCHELLE, &c., Ger.; BELL, BELLA, BELLE, Sax. A hollow vessel or body,
usually of cast metal, with a wide cup-like mouth expanding outwards, so
formed as to emit sound when suspended and struck with a hard substance.
The word is also applied, either alone or in composition, to substances
having the figure of a bell; as bells (of flowers), bell-animal,
b.-flower, b.-glass, &c.
[Footnote 128: Appropriately, a large bell suspended or adapted for
suspension; as that of a church, &c.]
[Footnote 129: A small bell.]
[Footnote 130: Id.]
[Footnote 131: Id.; appr., one suspended as a door-bell, servants' bell,
&c.]
[Footnote 132: A little bell, a hand-bell.]
[Footnote 133: A little round-bell.]
_Form, Manuf., &c._ Bells of "the common and well-known shape, with a
thick lip or sound-bow, are the most effective known instruments for
producing a loud and musical sound, such as you want when you erect a
large public clock, or put up a peal of church-bells." "After trying a
number of experiments, at Messrs Warner's, I am quite satisfied that there
is nothing to be gained by deviating materially from the established
proportions of the best old bells."[134] This view is borne out by the
researches of the Government commissioners[135] who visited the Paris
Exhibition, who report, that among the 'founders' of France and Belgium,
there are no traditions of the art, nor any discoveries or appliances of
modern science, tending to the improvement of bells, or to provide
efficient substitutes for them; nor is there any known improvement on the
established mode and usual material (BRONZE or BELL-METAL) for casting
them. Sir C. Barry, indeed, according to Mr Dennison, "seemed rather
impressed with the merits of cast-steel bells;" but both Prof. Wheatstone
and Mr Dennison differ from him in opinion. Undoubtedly some cast-steel
bells, of small size, have been produced, capable of yielding sounds of
extraordinary clearness and richness, but, in most cases, owing to the
difficulty in giving the peculiar molecular condition to the metal
essential to a high degree of sonorousness, their tones are comparatively
harsh and disagreeable. Well-annealed glass offers a cheaper and better
material than steel for large bells up to a certain size, whilst its tones
are exquisite. As the depth of the tone of a bell depends chiefly upon the
dimensions and weight of the sound-bow, it appears likely that by
directing our experiments to the increase of these, and the diminishing of
the thickness of the metal in the other parts, the quantity of metal
required to produce large bells might be very greatly reduced. The sound
of an Indian gong that may be easily held suspended by the hand is always
rich and usually as loud and deep as a bell of ordinary construction which
it would take several men to lift. The Chinese often use bells made of
porcelain. Small hand-bells for the toilet and boudoir are often made of
silver, and then yield tones which are remarkably soft, clear, and
pleasing. The tongue, clapper, or hammer, of bronze bells should be of
iron; and steel bells, of bronze. Glass and porcelain bells require the
striking part of the tongue to be of box-wood, the proper weight being
given by a ball of iron cast on the rod immediately above it, and a
similar one screwed on the end of the rod immediately below it. In all
cases the hammer-head, preferably globular, should strike the bell near
the verge, and should be free from projections or asperities.
[Footnote 134: Lecture on the 'Form of Bells,' deliv. at the Royal
Institution, by Mr B. Dennison, to whom the Government intrusted the
construction of the 'great bells' for the New Houses of Parliament.]
[Footnote 135: Prof. Wheatstone and Sir Charles Barry.]
The casting, &c., of bells is essentially similar to that of other
articles in bronze, of corresponding size, and particularly of cannon. See
BELL-METAL, BRONZE, &c.
=BELL'-METAL.= _Syn._ ÆS CAMPANA''RUM, L.; MÉTAL DE CLOCHE, Fr.;
GLOCKENGUT, GLOCKENSPEISE, Ger. The alloy, usually bronze, of which bells,
&c., are made.