OCR Text |
Show 80 WINTER WIIEAT. sweetened with little sugar, may be taken every hour or two; and this is more particularly serviceable when bythe flux, or acrimony, the mucus of the bowels is taken away, andthey are left undefended. Bran.—Bran is the husk of wheat, possessing a small proportion of farinaceous matter; and a decoctionof this, sweetened witha little honey, or sugar, is a sovereign remedy, amongst the vulgar, for a bad cold; but its chief virtue is in the sugar, or water if you choose, like most of the French petites ptisanes, with veronica, and other herbs; and these, indeed, keep upperspiration, being taken warm, supplythe place of more nutritious food, moisten the fauces, and cure such complaints often better than medicines of primary importance. AGRICULTURE. It cannot be the object of these pages to treat on the subject of agriculture; but its principles may be here casually ex- plained. Vegetable mould, the decomposition of animal and vegetable substances, constitutes the best soil, as this retains .) a Ps ) the proper quantity of moisture, imbibing it like a sponge,is attractive of oxygen, which uniting with its contained carbon, is the true pabulum, or food of plants, and is of a proper consistencyto suffer the roots to pervade it, and support the plants. Clay, onthe contrary, is too hard, resists the admissionof water, and contains no carbon. Gravellike sand is too yielding, suffers water to pass through its substance, giveslittle stability, and The manure forclay is gravel, or CULTIVATED OAT. AVENA SATIVA. contains no vegetable food. sand; and vice versd. The operation of manures is to impart to clayeyor gravellysoils carbon; of lime, to hasten onincipient fermentation, soon converting decaying animal and vegetable substances info carbon; of ploughing, to expose a larger surface for the imbibing of oxygen, and a more rapid decomp osition of vegetable matter, and for the destr uction of weeds. Class 111. Triandria. Essent. Gen. Car. husk turned in. Spec. Cuar. Order 11. Digynia. Calyx of two valves, many-flowered; the dorsal Paniculate: Calyx. only two-flowered: Seeds smooth, one- barbed. Saeriios<cteeeeeeee DESCRIPTION. Iris too generally knownto need any. HISTORY. The oat is also a plant, like wheat, whose native countryis not discovered, which is very generally cultivated in northern countries, and in many places furnishes the principal subsist. ence. It is sometimes mixed with wheaten flour, and made into G |