Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, first edition - Volume I, A-B.pdf/748

 623 B O T mud firft eat, before any certain conclufion can be formed. This is not the defcription of danger arifing from an imaginary fituation. Before the vegetables that grow in America, the Eafl and Weft Indies, &c. became familiar to our failorg, many lives were loft by trials of this kind: Neither has ail the information received from experience been fufficient to prevent individuals from ftill falling a prey to ignorance or rafhnefs. If the whole fcience of botany were as complete as fome of its branches, very little llcill in it would be fufficient to guard us infallibly from committing fuch fatal miftakes. There are certain orders and clafles which ' are called natural, bycaufe every genus and fpecies comprehended under them are not only diftinguilhed by the fame charaderiftic marks, but likewife poflefs the fame qualities, though not all in an equal degree. Forexample : Shew a botanift the flower of a plant whofe calix is a double-valved glume, with three ftamina, two piftils, and one naked feed, he can pronounce with abiolute certainty, that the plant from which the flower was taken bears feeds of a farinaceous quality, and that they may be fafely ufed as food. In like manner, ftiew him a flower with twelve or more ftamina, ail inferted into the internal fide of the calix; though it belonged to a plant growing in Japan, he can pronounce, without hefitation, that the fruit of it may be eat with fafety. On the other hand, (how him a plant whofe flower has five ftamina, one piftil, one petal or flower-leaf, and whofe fruit is of the berry kind, he will tell you to abftainfrom eating it, becaufe it is poifonous. Many other examples might be given: but we ftiail referve them till we come to the medical qualities. Fails of this kind make botany not only a refpeilable, but a moft interefting fcience. The French and fome other nations ufe a greater variety of vegetable food than the Britilh. This praitice is attended with many advantages. The greater number of vegetables that are made ufe of in any country, the poor have the greater number of refources when there happens to be a fcarcity of any particular kind. It likewife affords an opportunity of a more univerfal cultivation. When agriculture or gardening is confined to "few plants, there is great hazard from bad feafons and other unavoidable accidents, befides the certain lofs arifing from allowing fuch foils as are improper for raifing the ufual plants to lie unemployed. Though we are principally influenced by example in introducing the culture of new plants; yet the advice and direction of the botanift may be ufeful. From his knowledge of the qualities of plants that grow in other countries, he is enabled to guefs, with tolerable exaflnefs, whether they will agree with the foil or climate in which they are propofed to be cultivated. He can do more: he can point out what particular fpecies of the plant will be moft eafily naturalized. Befides, without having recourfe to the example of foreign countries, the botanift can point out a number of plants that grow wild in his own country, which might be cultivated with advantage, as food either for men or cattle. For example, in the whole clafs called diadelphia by Linnaeus, which includes the polygala, or milk-wort; the anthyllis, or kidney-vetch ;

ANY. the orobus, or heath-peafe; the lathyrus and vicia, which comprehend a number of plants of the Vetch-kind; the ornithopus, or bird’s-foot; the hedyfarum, or St-foin; the aftragalus, or wild liquorice; the medicago, or lucent ; the lotus, or bird’s-foot trifoil, <bc.; the leaves are excellent food for cattle, and the feeds may be tifed either by men or cattle. In like manner, all the feeds of the grafs-kind, which belong to the triandria clafs of Linnaeus, and are very numerous, make excellent food for men, and the leaves afford the beft pafture for cattle. Many of the plants belonging to this clafs are not cultivated in this country, though we have a great variety of them growing, wild. It has been frequently obferved, that poor people, during a fcarcity of corn, have been induced to fill their bellies with fubftances that were both pernicious and loathfome, while they were trampling under their feet plants that would at once have afforded good nourifhment and been highly grateful. This conduft could proceed from nothing but their ignorance of the nature and effedts of tlrefe plants, and from their not being able to diftinguifh the noxious ones from the falutary. It is the duty of every man to point out the remedy for calamities of this kind, efpecially when it is not impoflible that the caufes which produced them may exift in fome future period. For this purpofe, we fhall fubjoin a fhort lift of native plants that may be eat with fafety and advantage. Salicornia Europsea, or marfh-famphire, jointed glafswort, or faltwort. This plant grows plentifully near the fea-coafts, and eats very well with fait and vinegar. Veronica becabunga, or common brook-lime. This plant, which grows in marfhes, is commonly gathered in the fpring, and eat as a fallad. Valeriana locufta, lamb’s-lettuce, or corn-fallet, grows in corn-fields and pafture-grounds. The leaves are reckoned more wholefome than the common lettuce cultivated in our gardens. Scirpus maritimus, or round-rooted cyperus, grows near the fea-fhores. The root confifts of a number of knots, which, after being dried and grinded, have been frequently ufed as bread when provifions were fcarce. Bromus fecalinus, or field brorhe-grafs, grows in vaft quantities in rye-fields, efpecially after the rye is cut down. The feeds of this plant, mixed with grain of a better quality, make very good bread : But if the quantity of brome-grafs feeds be great, the people who ufe the bread are apt at firft to be afFe&ed with a flight degree of intoxication; but this efFe£t ceafes, after being a little accuftomed to the food. Feftuca fluitans, or flote-fefcue-grafs, grows in ditches and marfhy places. In Sweden and Germany, the feeds are ufed in broths and gruels, on account both of their nutritive quality and agreeable flavour. When grinded, and made into bread, they are efteemed little inferior to wheat or oats. Triticum repens, common wheat-grafs, dog’s-grafs, quick-grafs, or couch-grafs, grows fo plentifully in our fields, that it is a great objedt with farmers to root it out.. The roots of this plant, after being walked, dried, and grinded, have often been ufed as bread in a dearth of With corn.