98. _The PINE_ (Bromelia ananas) _is a rich and highly fragrant fruit, of
large size, and yellow colour, with protuberances on its surface; and
crowned by a tuft of strong and pointed leaves, edged with sharp spines._
This, the best and finest flavoured of all known fruits, was originally
imported into England from South America, about the year 1690. In that
country and the West Indies it has long been cultivated in the open ground;
and, from free access to a congenial atmosphere, it attains there a much
finer flavour than is possible in a forced state, in the hot-houses of
Great Britain.
Pines are planted in earth; and the pots which contain them are immersed in
beds of bark, after it has been used by the tanners. About the month of
April the young fruit begins to advance, but the usual season for ripening
does not commence till July, and the fruit is in greatest perfection from
the middle of August to the end of September. The ripening of pines is
discoverable by the fragrant odour which they emit, and by their
protuberances yielding to pressure with the hand; and their flavour
speedily dissipates if left uncut longer than three or four days after they
are fully ripe. When brought to table, their leafy crowns should be
reserved for planting. These, if placed in pots, and plunged in the
bark-bed, or in a hot-bed, and covered, for some time, with glass, will in
two years bear fruit.
There are several varieties of pine, of which the following are among the
principal.
(_a_) _White Pine._--This has a whitish and fibrous flesh, and the rind as
yellow as that of an orange. Its smell is highly fragrant, and it excels
most other kinds in size and beauty, although its flavour is inferior to
that of many. Its juice edges the teeth, and sometimes makes the lips
smart.
(_b_) _The yellow pine_ edges the teeth less; but both this and the
preceding variety are exceeded by
(_c_) _The sugar-loaf pine_; which is distinguished by the purple stripes
on the outside of the leaves, and by its straw-coloured fruit.
(_d_) _The Montserrat pine_ is now rare in Europe, though in America it is
esteemed in preference to most others. It is principally known by the
protuberances of the fruit being longer and flatter than those of the
common sort.
In the West Indies an excellent liquid sweetmeat or confection is made from
pines. This fruit also is sometimes preserved whole, and, when taken out of
the syrup, is iced over with sugar. Sweetmeats of this kind were formerly
sent into Europe, in great quantity, from the Antilles. Wine made from
pines is almost equal to Malmsey: at the end of about three weeks it
becomes somewhat acid, but it recovers by longer keeping. Pines, in the
West Indies, are frequently put into rum to communicate to that liquor
their peculiar aromatic flavour.
99. _GARLIC_ (Allium sativum) _is a plant with bulbous root, of irregular
form, composed of many smaller bulbs, called cloves, which are all
included within a white skin._
_The stem leaves are flat and narrow; the upper part of the stem bears
small bulbs, and the stamens are three pointed._
In warm climates, where _garlic_ is produced having considerably less
acrimony than in this country, it is much used, both as a seasoning and as
food. The lower classes of French, Spaniards, and Portuguese, consume great
quantities of it. The Jews also eat of it to excess. With us it is in
considerable estimation for culinary and other domestic purposes. It has an
acrid taste, and an highly offensive smell; and it differs from the onion
only by being more powerful in its effects. When bruised and applied to the
skin, it causes inflammation, and raises blisters.
The medical properties of garlic are various. In dropsical complaints,
asthmas, and agues, it is said to have been successfully used. Some
instances have occurred, in deafness, of the beneficial effects of wrapping
a clove of garlic in muslin and putting it into the ear. As a medicine
internally taken, garlic is administered as a bolus, or made into pills.
Its smell is considered an infallible remedy against vapours, and to be
useful in nearly all the nervous disorders to which females are subject. An
oil is sometimes prepared from garlic, which is so heavy as to sink in
water. But the virtues of this pungent vegetable are more perfectly and
more readily extracted by spirit of wine than in any other way. A syrup is
also made from it.
The juice of garlic is said to be the best and strongest cement that can be
adopted for broken glass and china, leaving little or no mark, if used with
care. Snails, worms, and the grubs, or larvæ of insects, as well as moles,
and other vermin, may all be driven away by placing preparations of garlic
in or near their haunts.
This plant grows wild in the island of Sicily.
100. _LEEKS_ (Allium porrum) _belong to the onion or garlic tribe, and
are known by their leaves growing out on each side, somewhat in the shape
of a fan._
In some countries leeks are much esteemed for culinary uses, in soups,
broth, and for boiling as greens with meat.
They are considered the badge of the Welsh nation, and representations of
them are frequently worn by persons of that country on the day of their
patron saint, St. David. The origin of this custom was an occurrence,
during the Welsh wars, in which a party of Welshmen, wanting a mark of
distinction, and shortly afterwards passing through a field or garden of
leeks, seized and stuck the plants in their caps, and under this signal
were victorious.
Leeks are natives of Switzerland.
101. _SHALOT_ (Allium ascalonicum) _is a kind of garlic, the bulbs or
roots of which are oblong, irregular, and seldom of large size._
_The stem is naked and round; the leaves are somewhat awl-shaped; the
head of flowers is globular; and the stamens are three-pointed._
The uses of shalot, or echalotte, as it is denominated by the French, are
almost wholly confined to cookery. It has a strong, but rather pleasant
smell, on which account it is generally preferred to onions. It is employed
for the seasoning of soups, gravy, hashes, pickles, and for numerous other
purposes.
This plant grows wild in several parts of the Continent.
102. _The CANADIAN or TREE ONION_ (Allium Canadense) _is remarkable for
producing a bulb or onion at the top of the stalk._
_The stem is naked and round; and the leaves are flat and narrow._
These onions are well deserving of attention both as objects of curiosity,
from producing their bulb at the upper extremity of the stalk, and also for
their use. When pickled, they are generally thought superior in flavour to
the common onion.
They were originally imported from Canada; are perennial, and are
propagated by planting the bulbs in the spring or autumn. Either the bulbs
of the root or those on the stalk will grow.
103. _CHIVES_ (Allium schoenoprasum) _are the smallest of the garlic
tribe, seldom rising more than a few inches above the ground, and the
bulbs not being larger than peas._
_The stem is naked, as long as the leaves; and the leaves are round and
somewhat awl-shaped._
Chives are natives of Italy, Switzerland, and several other parts of
Europe; and are so hardy, and at the same time so useful, that they merit a
place in every garden: yet, in the northern counties of England and in
Scotland, they are very rarely to be seen. The leaves, which are small and
are the principal parts that are used, appear early in the spring. They are
employed in salads, and for numerous culinary purposes; and often at a
season when other plants of the same tribe cannot be procured.
104. _The COMMON ONION_ (Allium cepa) _is known by its round and hollow
leaves, and its swelling pipy stalk, which is considerably thicker in the
middle than either at the top or bottom._
The name of onion is derived from the Latin word _unio_, which, properly,
signifies a bulb that does not throw out offsets. Onions are propagated by
seed which are sown in spring; and the bulbs or roots arrive at perfection
in the autumn. The whole plant, when young, is eaten as salad. Onions
generally cease to grow towards the middle of August, the stalks and leaves
at that time shrinking and turning brown. Shortly after this they must be
drawn out of the earth; the tops and blades must be cut off; and the roots
dried, either in a warm place, or by exposure to the sun.
_Spanish onions_ are of large size, and flattened shape; and _Portugal
onions_ are large, handsome bulbs, of roundish form.
By the common people onions are frequently eaten raw with their food. This
has particularly been the case, and from time immemorial, with the
inhabitants of Egypt. By stimulating the stomach, they are supposed to
favour digestion. Some persons have imagined that they possess a large
portion of alimentary matter; but others say that they afford little or no
nourishment, and that, when eaten freely, they produce flatulencies,
occasion thirst, head-achs, and turbulent dreams. Onions have so much
acrimony as generally to affect the breath for many hours: but when boiled
or roasted, this is, in a great measure, dissipated, and they then exhibit
some sweetness, with a considerable portion of mucilaginous matter. Onions
are of great use in several culinary preparations, but particularly in soup
and pickles. They are employed in medicine chiefly as poultices for
swellings; and have been recommended by some persons, to be rubbed on bald
parts of the head, to promote the growth of the hair.
105. _ASPARAGUS_ (Asparagus officinalis), _is a well known plant, the
young shoots of which are a favourite culinary vegetable_.
Few circumstances in the phenomena of vegetation are more remarkable than
the gradual enlargement of size, and improvement of quality, which have
taken place in the cultivation of asparagus. It grows wild on the pebbly
beach near Weymouth, and in the island of Anglesea: but its stem, in these
situations, is not usually thicker than a goose's quill, and its whole
height does not exceed a few inches; whereas in gardens its stem is
sometimes near three quarters of an inch thick, and its height, when at
maturity, is four or five feet.
Asparagus is one of the greatest delicacies which our kitchen gardens
afford, and it is particularly estimable from the early season at which it
is produced. Even in the open ground, it is in perfection for the table
about the end of April; and when forced, by being planted in hot-beds under
glass, it may be cut much earlier. Asparagus continues in season till about
the end of June.
It is usually raised from seed, in beds formed for the purpose: and the
plants should remain three years in the ground before they are cut: after
which, for several years, they will continue to afford a regular annual
supply. During the winter, they are secured from the effects of frost by
the beds being covered some inches thick with straw or litter.
In the cutting of asparagus, the knife is passed three or four inches
beneath the ground. The plants are cut by sloping the blade upward; and the
white part that we see, is that which had not previously been exposed to
the air. The smallest plants are suffered to grow for the purpose of
producing berries to re-stock the beds, and keep them continually in a
state of supply.
106. _ALOES are an extensive tribe of plants, some of which are not more
than a few inches, whilst others are thirty feet and upwards, in height.
All the leaves are fleshy, thick, and more or less spinous at the edges
or extremity._
_These plants, which are chiefly inhabitants of hot climates, have
flowers of a single petal, the mouth expanded, the base nectariferous,
and the filaments of the stamens inserted into the receptacle._
Some of the larger kinds of aloes are of great importance to the
inhabitants of countries in which they grow. Beset as the _leaves_ are with
strong spines, they form an impenetrable fence. The negroes of the western
coast of Africa make ropes and weave nets of the fibrous part of these
leaves. The Hottentots hollow out the _stems_ of one of the kinds into
quivers for their arrows. In Jamaica, there is a species of aloe which
supplies the inhabitants with bow-strings, fishing lines, and materials
from which they are able to weave stockings and hammocks. An aloe which
grows in the kingdom of Mexico is applied by the inhabitants to almost
every purpose of life. It serves as hedges for enclosures: its trunk
supplies the place of timber for the roofs of houses, and its leaves the
place of tiles. From this plant the Mexicans make thread, needles, and
various articles of clothing and cordage: whilst from its juices they
manufacture wine, sugar, and vinegar. Some parts of it they eat, and others
they apply in medicine.
The _juice_ of aloes was formerly used in Eastern countries in embalming,
to preserve dead bodies from putrefaction; and, as the resinous part of
this juice is not soluble in water, it is sometimes adopted in hot climates
as a preservative to ships' bottoms against the attack of marine worms. One
ounce of it mixed with turpentine, tallow, and white lead, is considered to
be sufficient for covering about two superficial feet of plank; and about
twelve pounds are sufficient for a vessel of fifty tons' burthen. In proof
of the efficacy of this method, two planks of equal thickness, and cut from
the same tree, were placed under water, one of them in its natural state,
and the other smeared with the composition above described. They were
suffered to continue in the water eight months, and when, at the end of
that time, they were taken out, the former was perforated in every part,
and in a state of absolute decay; whilst the latter was as perfect as at
first. In the East Indies, the juice of these plants is used as a varnish,
to preserve wood from the attacks of destructive insects: and skins, and
even living animals, are sometimes smeared with it for the same purpose.
There is a tract of mountains, about fifty miles north of the Cape of Good
Hope, which is wholly covered with aloes. Among the Mahometans, and
particularly in Egypt, the aloe is a kind of symbolic plant: it is
dedicated to the offices of religion; and pilgrims, on their return from
Mecca, suspend it over their doors, as a declaration that they have
performed that holy journey.
107. _SOCOTRINE ALOES are the dried juice of a large species of aloe_
(Aloe perfoliata, Fig. 38) _which grows in great abundance in the island
of Socotra, near the mouth of the Red Sea._
_The leaves are sword-shaped, fleshy, smooth, full of juice, of
bluish-green colour; and beset at the edges with strong spines. The
flower-stems rise to the height of three or four feet, are smooth, erect,
and have at the top a spike of flowers of purple or reddish colour, the
stamens of which have oblong orange-coloured anthers._
The true Socotrine aloes are imported into this country wrapped in skins;
and when pure have a bright surface, and are in some degree pellucid. In
the lump they have a yellowish red colour, with a purplish cast; and, when
reduced to powder, are of a golden yellow. Their taste is bitter and
disagreeable, but somewhat aromatic; and their smell is not unpleasant.
_Barbadoes aloes_, _common aloes_, or _hepatic aloes_, are the dried juice
of a variety of the Socotrine aloes, which is cultivated in Barbadoes and
Jamaica. Of this we import three kinds: one in gourd shells; an inferior
kind, in pots; and another, still worse, in casks.
In the cultivation of aloes it is requisite that the plants should grow for
two or three years before the juice is procured from them. The operation of
collecting the juice is performed in different ways. Dr. Browne tells us
that labourers go into the field with knives and tubs; and that cutting off
the largest and most succulent leaves close to the stalk, they immediately
put them into the tubs in an upright position, that the liquor may drain
from the wounds. When this is nearly all discharged, they take the leaves
out singly, and clear them of any juice that may adhere to them; and the
liquor is then put into shallow flat-bottomed vessels, and dried gradually
in the sun, until it acquires a proper thickness to be poured out or ladled
into the gourd shells which are to contain it. What is thus obtained is
called _Socotrine aloes_, and is the clearest and most valuable of any. An
additional quantity of juice is obtained by pressing the leaves.
In some places the plants are pulled up by the roots, and, after having
been carefully cleansed from earth or other impurities, they are sliced and
cut in pieces, into small hand-baskets or nets. In these the pieces are
boiled, for a little while, in water, by which the juice is extracted; and
successive basketfuls are boiled in the same liquor, until it becomes thick
and of dark colour. The fluid part is subsequently evaporated, and what
remains is put into gourd shells for sale.
Other methods of inspissating or drying the juice are to pour it into
bladders left open at the top, and suspended in the sun; or to place it in
broad shallow trays of wood, pewter or tin, exposed to the sun every dry
day, until the fluid parts are exhaled, and a perfect resin is formed,
which is then packed up for sale.
There is a kind called _Caballine_ or _horse aloes_, which has a rank and
unpleasant smell, but in taste is not much more disagreeable than either of
the others. In its properties it agrees nearly with hepatic aloes, but it
is chiefly employed by farriers in horse medicines.
The medical properties of aloes have long been known and established: and
their extensive application in medicine is, perhaps, the best proof that
can be adduced of their utility. In the arts aloes are, in several
respects, useful. But, particularly, the leaves of the Socotrine aloes
afford a beautiful violet colour which does not require the aid of any
mordant to fix it; the same also is capable of being formed into a fine
transparent colour for painting in miniature.
108. _The GREAT, or AMERICAN ALOE_ (Agave Americana), _is a large plant,
the leaves of which are thick, fleshy, and spinous at the edge, and the
stem branched and of great height._
_The flowers of this plant are distinguished by having the tube of the
corolla narrowed in the middle, the stamens longer than the corolla, and
the style longer than the stamens._
This magnificent native of North America is by no means an uncommon plant
in our gardens, but, with us, it is seldom seen in flower. There is indeed
a notion, but it is an erroneous one, that the American aloe does not bloom
until it is a hundred years old. The fact is, that the flowering depends
almost wholly on its growth. In hot countries it will flower in a few
years; but in colder climates, the growth being slower, it is necessarily
longer in arriving at maturity. The stem which bears the blossoms rises
from the centre of the leaves, and, when the plant is in a vigorous state,
it frequently exceeds the height of twenty feet. An American aloe in the
garden of the king of Prussia was forty feet high. Branches issue from
every side, and in such manner as to form a kind of pyramid, composed of
greenish yellow flowers, which stand erect, and are seen in thick clusters
at every joint. When in full flower, the appearance of this aloe is
extremely splendid; and if the season be favourable, and the plant be
sheltered from the cold in autumn, a succession of blossoms will sometimes
be produced for near three months.
In the warmer parts of Europe, American aloes are cultivated as objects of
considerable utility. They are frequently grown in rows, as fences, for
enclosures, particularly in Spain, Portugal, and Italy. In Algarvia the
leaves are employed for scouring pewter and other kitchen utensils, and
floors; and, cut into slices, are used for the feeding of cattle.
By a certain preparation, the juice of the leaves is made into cakes, which
are employed for washing, and which will lather with salt water as well as
with fresh. The fibres of the leaves, when properly prepared, may be
separated into threads that are useful in various ways. This separation is
sometimes effected by bruising and steeping them in water, and afterwards
beating them. The process, in some parts of Portugal, is, after plucking
the largest and best leaves, to place them on a square board, which a
person presses obliquely between his breast and the ground, and then
scrapes with a square iron bar held in both hands. By this operation all
the juices are pressed out, and only the fibres and some of the membranous
parts of the leaves remain, which are then easily detached. The fibres are
employed for all the purposes to which thread can be applied, but they are
neither strong nor durable; and if exposed to moisture, they soon decay.
109. _The FAN PALM is a very remarkable tree_ (Corypha umbraculifera)
_that grows in the East Indies, but particularly in Malabar, and the
island of Ceylon; its leaves, eight or ten in number, rise out of the
summit of the trunk, are winged and somewhat fan-shaped, and have their
segments connected by a thread or fibre._
The stem of the fan palm is straight, cylindrical, smooth, and as tall as a
ship's mast. Its _leaves_ are upwards of six yards in length, and four
yards wide; and form altogether a head of twelve or thirteen yards in
diameter. These leaves, which, when dry, fold up somewhat like a fan, are
used for the covering of huts and cottages; and not unfrequently by
soldiers, instead of canvas, for the construction of tents. One of them is
sufficiently large to shelter twenty persons from the rays of the sun. They
are also a kind of natural paper on which the inhabitants write, by means
of a sharp-pointed iron instrument, which leaves indelible marks upon them.
Many of the books which are shown in Europe for those of Egyptian papyrus
(26) are said to be formed of parts of these leaves.--The _pith_ of the
trunk, beaten into a kind of paste and mixed with water, is formed into
cakes, and constitutes a species of bread, very serviceable to the
inhabitants in times of scarcity. The _juice_ of some parts of the tree is
used as an emetic.
The fan palms are said not to bear fruit until they are near forty years
old; but after this period, when in perfection, they produce annually more
than twenty thousand _berries_ each. These are each about 1½ inch diameter,
of globular shape, smooth, green, and fleshy; but are not known to be of
any use.
110. _The ROTANG or DRAGON'S BLOOD TREE, is a species of cane_ (Calamus
rotang) _which grows to the length of more than a hundred feet, is about
as thick as a man's arm, and is closely beset with erect prickles._
_This cane has at the top a tuft of leaves which are several feet in
length, and alternately winged, and of which the leaflets are
sword-shaped, and armed with sharp spines._
In consequence of its great length and slender form, the rotang tree (which
is usually found in woods near rivers, and in morassy places) does not grow
entirely upright; but, after having attained the height of five or six
yards, it depends, for support, upon other trees, which it sometimes
overruns, in nearly an horizontal direction to the extent of sixty or
eighty feet. The flowers are produced in upright spikes that separate into
long spreading branches, and are succeeded by a red and somewhat egg-shaped
fruit, which to the taste is pleasantly acid.
The drug called _Dragon's Blood_[4] is obtained from this fruit, in Japan,
and several other countries of the East. The Japanese expose the fruit of
the Rotang tree to the steam of boiling water, by which the external shell
is softened, and a resinous fluid is forced out, that is afterwards
enclosed in leaves and suspended in the air to dry. In Sumatra the external
surface of the fruit is observed to be covered with the resin: this is
rubbed off, melted in the sun, and formed into grains or globules, which
are folded in leaves, and are considered the purest kind of dragon's blood.
In some countries the fruit is boiled in water, and the resin, which floats
upon the surface, is skimmed off and subsequently purified, and formed into
the requisite shape for sale. An inferior kind of dragon's blood is made up
into large masses, which contain the membranous parts of the fruit and
other impurities. When this substance is tolerably pure, it breaks smooth,
and appears internally of a dark red colour; melts readily, and easily
catches fire. Its principal use is in medicine.
The _stem_ of the rotang furnishes the inhabitants of the countries where
it grows with shafts for pikes or spears; and the inner part of the young
shoots is boiled or roasted for food.
111. _The COMMON WALKING CANES_ (Calamus scipionum) _have a smooth and
glossy stem, usually marked with dark spots: and the knots or joints are
sometimes three or four feet asunder._
These canes grow, very abundantly, in Sumatra and other Eastern islands, as
well as on the continent of India, whence they appear to have been
originally exported to Europe by the Dutch. There is a considerable trade
in them to China. The long spaces between the knots, their shining surface,
and lightness, have rendered them preferable to most other articles for
walking canes.
112. _The RATTAN or TRUE CANE_ (Calamus verus), _is remarkable for
growing to the great length of a hundred feet, and upwards, and, at the
same time, not being thicker than a man's finger._
A trade in rattans to considerable extent is carried on from several of the
islands of the east to China, which is the principal market for them. These
canes are extremely tough and flexible, of yellowish brown colour, and,
when cut into thongs, are sometimes used to make cables and other ropes.
Our cane-bottomed chairs are made of split rattans, the outer or smooth
surface of which is always kept uppermost. For this work the canes are
chosen by their great length, pale yellow colour, and bright gloss. They
are purchased in bundles, each of which contains a hundred canes, neatly
tied in the middle, and the ends bent together. When perfectly dry, they
are so hard as to yield sparks of fire when struck against each other. The
word rattan, in the Malay language, signifies a staff or walking stick.
113. _The BAMBOO CANE_ (Bambusa arundinacea) _has a hollow, round,
straight, and shining stem; and sometimes grows to the length of forty
feet and upwards: it has knots at the distance of ten or twelve inches
from each other, with thick, rough, and hairy sheaths, alternate
branches, and small, entire, and spear-shaped leaves._
There is scarcely any plant so common in hot climates as this, and few are
more extensively useful. It occurs within the tropical regions both of the
eastern and western hemispheres, throughout the East Indies and the greater
part of China, in the West Indies, and America. In England, it can only be
cultivated in a hot-house; and its growth is so rapid, even there, that a
strong shoot has been known to spring from the ground and attain the height
of twenty feet in six weeks.
The inhabitants of many parts of India build their houses almost wholly of
bamboo; and make nearly every description of furniture with it, in a very
ingenious manner. They likewise form with it several kinds of utensils, for
their kitchens and tables; and, from two pieces of bamboo rubbed hard
together, they produce fire. The masts of boats, boxes, baskets, and
innumerable other articles, are made of bamboo. After having been bruised,
steeped in water, and formed into a pulp, the _sheaths_ and _leaves_ may be
manufactured into paper. The stems are frequently bored, and used as pipes
for conveying water; and the strongest stems serve to make the poles with
which the slaves or servants carry those kind of litters so common in the
East, called palanquins. The stems of the bamboo serve also as the usual
fence for gardens and other enclosures: and the leaves are generally put
round the tea which is sent in chests from China to Europe. The Chinese
make, of the external _bark_ of the bamboo, a kind of cordage, which has
the advantage of united lightness and durability. For this purpose the bark
is cleft in strips several feet in length; and these are twisted together
according to the thickness that is required. For the tow lines of their
vessels, eight or nine bands or strips are sufficient; but, for cables, a
much greater number is requisite. Some of the Malays preserve the small and
_tender shoots_ of bamboo in vinegar and pepper to be eaten with their
food. Many of the walking canes which we see in Europe are formed of the
young shoots of this plant.
The Chinese make a kind of frame-work of bamboo, by which they are enabled
to float in water; and the Chinese merchants, when going on a voyage,
always provide themselves with this simple apparatus to save their lives in
case of shipwreck. It is formed by placing four bamboos horizontally across
each other, so as to leave, in the middle, a square place for the body;
and, when used, this frame is slipped over the head, and secured by being
tied to the waist.
114. _The COMMON RUSH_ (Juncus effusus) _is known by its green, smooth,
stiff, upright, leafless and pointed stem; having a loose bunch of small
flowers at the side, and the seed-vessels blunt at the extremity._
Although the rush is generally considered by farmers a noxious weed in wet
meadows and pastures, it is applicable to a variety of useful purposes; but
particularly for making the wicks of rushlights. For this purpose it is
usually cut a little after Midsummer; and is immediately afterwards thrown
into water, and kept there, that it may not become dry, and that it may be
the more easily peeled.
At first a person would find it no easy matter to divest a rush of its
rind, so as to leave on each side, from top to bottom, one regular, narrow,
and even rib, that may support the pith. But this, by practice, soon
becomes familiar even to children.
When rushes are thus far prepared, they are spread on the grass to be
bleached; and, afterwards, they are dried in the sun for use.
If only one rib of peel be left, instead of two, rushes will supply the
place of cotton wicks for candles. In some parts of Hampshire the labouring
people form wicks of this description; they dip them into scalding fat or
grease, and use them in place of candles.
Rushes are sometimes manufactured into a slight kind of baskets. In the
vicinity of Farnham, in Surrey, they are cut about Midsummer, and dried in
the same manner as hay. After this they are formed into a kind of rick, and
sheltered till the succeeding spring. They are then usefully employed, for
bands or ties, in fastening hop-binds to the poles. In a fresh state they
are sometimes made into brooms or besoms for blacksmiths, and other
artisans working in metals.
115. _BARBERRIES are a beautiful red and oblong-shaped fruit, produced,
in small bunches, by a shrub_ (Berberris vulgaris) _which grows wild in
many parts of England. This shrub has somewhat oval, serrated, and
pointed leaves; thorns growing three together upon the branches; and
pendent clusters of yellow flowers._
So great is the acidity of this beautiful _fruit_ that even birds refuse to
eat it. In this respect it nearly approaches the tamarind. When boiled with
sugar, however, it makes an agreeable preserve, rob, or jelly, according to
the different modes of preparing it. Barberries are also used as a dry
sweetmeat, and in sugarplums or comfits; are pickled with vinegar, and are
used for the garnishing of dishes. They are likewise well calculated to
allay heat and thirst in persons afflicted with fevers. The _bark_ of this
barberry shrub is said to have been administered with effect in cases of
jaundice, and in some other complaints; and the inner bark, with the
assistance of alum, dyes linen a fine yellow colour. The _roots_, but
particularly their bark, are employed, in Poland, in the dyeing of leather.
A very singular circumstance has been stated respecting the barberry shrub;
that corn, sown near it, proves abortive, the ears being in general
destitute of grain; and that this influence is sometimes extended to a
distance of three or four hundred yards across a field. A similar opinion,
on this subject, prevails in France, as well as in England, but there is
reason to suppose it is without foundation.