Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 1.djvu/331

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"by the natives, -which is the manuring the lands whereon they fow their rice: they ufe this fifh, which is caught in prodigi- ous plenty, inftead of dung on this occafion. Ray, Ichthyol. Append, p. z. BLIEGG, in ichthyology, a name given by the Germans to the fifti we call the bleake, and authors in general the albula and alburna. It is by Artedi very properly referred to the genus of the cyprini, and diftinguifhed by the name of the five inch cy- prinns, with twenty rays in thepimia am. BLIGHTS, (Cycl.) fometimes alfo written blites, are the fame with what we otherwife call blajh, or blajlings. Morti?n. Art. Husband. 1. 7. c. 1. p. 305.

Another method, befides that mentioned in the Cyclopaedia, to preferve trees from blights^ is the ufe of tobacco-duff; or by warning the leaves with water, wherein tobacco-ftalks have been infufed.

Another is by pulling off the leaves when withered, and cut- ting off the fmaller branches, when they produce crooked and unnatural fhoots.

Some imagine, that the blights, moft deftructive to fruit-trees, are "produced by fmall fliowers of rain, or white hoar-frofts falling on the blofToms ; which being fucceeded by north or eagerly winds, or frofty mornings, occafion the mifchief fo frequent in the fpring-feafon. To prevent thefc, it has been recommended by a reverend author to build new walls, in which, at every third courfe of bricks, are to be laid a row of plain tiles, to project forwards, and hang over the plain of the wall an inch and half, to carry off the perpendicular dews and rain, leaving room at diftances between the tiles to carry up the branches of the tree.

Some judge, that the frequent blights to which corn is fubjecf after a wet fummer, are owing to over much moifture lying continually at its roots, which makes it run much to ftraw, and little to grain; the moid vapours exhaling from the ground at the time when it mould kern, operating like a mildew, and preventing the due growth of the ear. Mortim. loc. cit. But Mr. Hates's account of blights appears the moft authentic. According to him, they are often caufed by a continued dry eafterly wind for Several days together, without the interven- tion of fhowers, or any morning dew, by which the perfpira- tion in the tender blofibms is flopped ; fo that in a fhort time their colour is changed, and they wither and decay: and if there happen a long continuance of the fame weather, it equally affecls the tender leaves, whofc perfpiring matter becomes thickened and glutinous, fo as clofely to adhere to the furfaces of the leaves, and become a proper nutriment to infects, which are always found preying on the leaves and tender branches of fruit-trees, when this fort of blight happens, tho' it be not the infe<5ls which are the rirft caufe. The beft remedy yet known, is gently to wafh and fprinkle over the trees from time to time with fair water ; and if the young and tender moots feem much ■ infected, to wafh them with a woolen cloth, fo as to clear them, if poffible, from this glutinous matter, that their r$fpi- ratiori and perfpiration may not be obftructed. Add, that broad fiat pans or tubs of water being placed near the trees, which may receive the vapours exhaled from them, will help to keep their tender parts in a ductile ffate ; but whenever this opera- tion of wafhing the tree is performed, it fliould be early in the day, that the moifture may be exhaled before the cold of the night comes on, efpecially if the nights are frofty ; nor fhould it be done when the fun Alines very hot upon the wall, which would be fubje<3 to fcorch up the tender bloffoms. Another caufe of blights in the fpring is (harp hoary frofts, which are often fucceeded by hot fun-fhine in the day-time, -which is the moft fudden and certain deftroyer of fruits known; for the cold of the night ftarves the tender parts of the blof- foms, and the fun riling hot upon the walls before the moifture is dried from the blofibms, which being in fmall globules, doth collect, the rays of the fun, and thereby fcorch the tender flowers and other parts of plants.

But that blights are frequently no more than an inward weak- nefs or diftemper in trees, evidently appears, if we confi.ler how often it happens, that trees againft the fame wall, ex- pofed to the fame afpec~t, and equally enjoying the advantages of fun and air, with every other circumftancc which might render them equally healthy, are often obferved to differ great- ly" in ftrength and vigour ; and as often do we obferve the weak trees to be continually blighted, when the vigorous ones in the fame fituation efcape. This weaknefs in trees proceeds either from want of a fuflicient fupply of nourifhment to maintain it in perfect vigour, or from fome ill qualities in the foil where it grows, or, perhaps, from fome bad quality in the ftock, or inbred diftemper of the bud or cyon, which it had imbibed from its mother -tree, or from mifmanagement in the pruning, &c See Pruning, Cycl.

But there is another fort of blight, againft which it is more dif- ficult to guard fruit-trees ; that is, fharp, pinching, frofty morn- ings, which often happen at the time when the trees are in flower, or while the fruit is very young, and occafion the blof- foms or fruit to drop off; and fometimes the tender parts of the fhoots and leaves are greatly injured thereby. The only method yet found out to prevent this mifchief is, by carefully covering the walls, either with mats, canvas, &c. which be- ing fattened fo as not to be difturbed with the wind, and fuf-

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fered to remain on during the night, are to be taken off every day, if the weather permits.

Another fort of blight, which fometimes happens in April or May, and which is often very deftruiStiveto orchards and open plantations, and againft which we know of no remedy, is what is called zfire blajl, which in a few hours hath not only deftroyed the fruit and leaves, but many times parts of the trees, and fometimes whole ones have been killed by it. This is fuppofed to be effected by volumes of tranfparent flying va- pours, which, among the many forms they revolve into, may fometimes approach fo near to a hemifphere, or hemi- cylinder, either in their upper or lower furface, as thereby to make the beams of the fun converge enough to fcorch the plants, or trees they fall upon, in proportion to the greater or lefs convergency of the fun's rays. This more frequently hap- pens in clofe plantations, where the ftagnating vapours from the earth, and the plentiful perfpirations from the trees, are pent in, for want of a free air to diflipate and difpel them ; than in thofe planted at a greater diftance, or furrounded with hills or woods. Mill. Gard. Diet, in voc. See Rust.

BLIKE, in zoology, a name given by fome to an anadrornous fifh, fomewhat refembling our river chub, and called by Gefner capita anadromtts ; but more generally known by the name of zerta, or die zerte. IVillughby, Hift. Pifc. p. 257. See the article Zerta.

BLIND (Cycl.)— Pore Blind denotes only a great degree of fhort- fightednefs. Phil. Tranf. N° 37. p. 731.

Moon Blind is ufed in fpeaking of horfes, which lofe their fight only under certain ftates of the moon, and fee at every other time. Diet. Ruff. T. 2. voc. Moon. A blind man by the civil law cannot make a teftament, except under certain modifications ; but in every cafe he is difabled from being a witnefs to a teftament. Cah. Lex. Jurid. p. 1 3 \ ,

and

p. 195-. voc. caciis.

We read of blind authors, and men of learning a. Blind po- ets, as Thamyrus b, Homer % and Milton. Blind aftrono- mers, as Galileo and Caffini d. Blind geometricians, as' profufTorSaunderfon of Cambridge,^.— [ a Earthol.ASt. Med. T. 2. p. 78. Hift. Acad. Infer. T. r. p. 487, b Fabric. Bibl. Grsec. 1. 1. c. 35. §. 4. T. r. p. 240. The tradition is, that his eyes were put out for his temerity, in having con- tended for the palm in poetry with the mufes. c Fabric. Bibl. Graec. 1.2. c. j. §.7. T. 1. p. 259, where the feveral wri- ters in the difpute concerning Homer's blindnefs are recited. d Fonten. Elog. des Acad. T. 2. p. 145, where the author poetically imagines them to have been ftruck blind, likeTire- fias, for prying too near into the fecrets of the gods. ]

inary cf all is a blind guide, who, accord-

The moft extraord.

ing to the report of good writers, ufed to conduct, the mer- chants through the lands and defarts of Arabia a. James Bernoulli contrived a method of teaching blind perfons to write b .— [ a Leo. Afr. Defer. Afr. 1. 6. p. 246. Cofauh. Treat. ofEnthuf. c. 2. p. 45. b Fonten. Elog. des Acad. p. 114.] Blind is alfo ufed for occult, or imperceptible. Hence blind rampart, cacntnvallutn, among the antients, was that befetwith fharp ftakes, concealed by grafs or leaves growing over them. Fejl. 1. 3. ap. Cah. loc. cit. Blind tejihmuies, caxa tcftimonia, thofe given by abfent perfons

in writing. Cah. Lex. Jur. p, i\x. voc. caca. Blind is alfo ufed in fpeaking of bodies without apertures.

Hence, Blind "wall, cacus paries, that without windows a . In a like fenfe we meet with blind chamber, cescum cubiculum b . — [ a Cah. ibid. b Varro, Ling. Lat. 1. 8.] Blind is alfo ufed in (peaking of veffels which are not perfo- rated.

In this fenfe, the chemifts fay a blind alembic. A tube is faid to be blind, when it is clofed a-top.

Some anatomifts alfo call the third cavity of the ear ccecum, as having no iflue ; but it is more ufually denominated labyrinth. See Labyrinth, Cycl. Blind granado, that which does not light or take fire. Fafch.

Lex. Milit. p. ico. Blind, in zoology, a local name for a fifh, called by authors the afellus lufcus, and more univerfally in Englifh the bil. It is a fifh of the cod kind, but never growing to any great fize. The word blind is ufed in Cornwall. IVtllughlys Hift. pifc. p 169. See Asellus and Bil. Blind, or Blinde, among minerahfts, a kind of lead marca- fite, by our miners called mock-ore, mock-had, and wild lead. See Marcasite, Lead, &c.

Blinde is a mineral mafs, flaky, gloffy, and breaking in an- gles, much like the potters lead ore, only of a colour more dufky, and approaching to black. In it are veins of a yellow fliinina marcafite, with a little white fpar, and on one fide a greenifh seruginous matter. On a trial by the fire, it yielded a very little copper, lefs lead, and no tin. It is very obfti- nate, feveral attempts having been made with the alcaline fluxes to run it, in vain. Woodvj. Nat. Hift. Engl. Foff. P. 1. p. 183.

The German minerahfts call it blende, whence our denomina- tion blinde. It anfwers to what in Agricgla is called Gakna inanis. See Galena.

it