Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, first edition - Volume I, A-B.pdf/756

 <$34 B O T Caleficiuk officinalis, or garden marygold. The dried flower-leaves are fometimes ufed as a yellow dye: Their expreffed juice, boiled with alum, makes an excellent yellow paint. RED. Rubia tin&orum, or madder, grows in the fouthern parts of Europe. The roots are much ufed by dyers for giving a red colour to cloth. Gallium boreale, or crofswort madder; gallium verum, yellow ladies bed-ftraw, or cheefe-rening. Both thefe plants grow plentifully in our own country, and their roots are ufed for. dying cloth red. Lithofpermum tin&orium, grows in France. The root gives a red colour, but it is not eaflly fixed. Rumex acetofa, or common forrel, grows in meadows and pafture-grounds. The root is ufed by apothecaries for tinging decoftions, «5>c. with a red colour; but it is not ufed by dyers. Ctefalpina Brafilienfis, or Brafil wood, is a native of the Eaft Indies, The wood is commonly ufed by the dyers for .giving a red colour,. . Calamus rotang, or dragon’s blood, is an Eaft-.India fruit. The infpifihted juice is principally ufed by apothecaries for giving a red tinge to their medicines. Bixa Orellana, grows in both the Indies. The feeds of this tree are much ufed as a red dye, and the natives of America paint their, bodies with them. PURPLE. Caefalpinia veficaria. The wood of this tree gives a purple dye. The eaefalpinia fappan is ufed for the fame purpofe. The lignum rubrum, or Fernambuca wood, gives likewife a reddiffi purple dye. Origanum vulgare, or wild marjoram, grows in woods, .he. The tops of this plant are ufed for dying, cloth purple. Carthamus tindorius, is an annual plant, and a native of Egypt. The corolla; of this plant give a fiery red colour to cloth; but they are principally ufed for dying filks. BLUE. Ifatis tindoria, or woad. This plant grows wild in corn-fields, and gives a blue colour to cloth. Indigofera tindoria, or indigo, grows in the Eafi Indies. The blue dye given to cloth by this plant is preferable to any otherbecaufe it is of fo fixed and durable % nature, that it is not afFeded either by acid or alkaline fubftances. Galega tindoria, is a perennial plant of Zeylon. Hermannus affirms, that the blue obtained from this plant is even preferable to the indigo, although it has never hitherto been ufed by Europeans.

ANY. Fraxinus excelfior, or common alh-tree. The bark tinges water blue; and the,inner bark is faid to give cloth a very good blue colour. VIOLET. Haematoxylon campechianum, or logwood, grows in the Weft Indies, and gives doth a violet colour. It is, however, chiefly ufed as a bafis for fome other colours. Empetruru nigrum, black-berried heath, crow or crakeberries, grows on high grounds. The berries, boiled with alum, are ufed as a purple- dye. GRE EN. Senecio jacobtea, or common raywort, grows in pafture-grounds, he. The whole plant is ufed, before it begins to flower, for dying cloths greeen. Chserophyllum fylveftre, or wild cicely. This plant, when the tops are taken off, dyes cloth a beautiful green. Iris germanica, grows in the fouthern parts of Europe. The expreffed juice of the corolla gives a green dye. BLACK. Lycopus europteus, or water horehound, grows in marflty places. The juice of this plant gives a black dye of fuch a fixed nature, that it cannot be waffied out. Aftaea fpicata, herb-chriltopher, or- barberries, grows among brulhwood. The juice of the berries, when boiled with alum, affords a fine black ink. Genipa americana, is an American tree. The unripe berries tinge cloths with a deep black. The natives dye their mouth with thefe berries, to give them a terrible afpedt to the enemy. It remains fixed for many days. Quercus, or oak-tree. The capfuls of the oak, on account of their great ftipticity, are ufed for fixing and improving the mineral black. They are ufed both by dyers and curriers. Th i s ffiort fitetch offthe utility of botany with regard to Food, Medicine, and the Arts, v/ill be fufficient to fugged the many advantages that may be expedled from the cultivation of it. The objedts prefented by the fcience are curious, refpedtable, andufeful. The natural hiftory of plants is not even confined to the above important articles. It is ftridtly connedted with agriculture and gardening. The ftrudlure of vegetables, the foils that naturally produce particular kinds, things that promote or retard their growth, are effential parts of their natural hiftory. Hence a fchool of botany, efpecially when fufficient attention is paid to the ufeful part of the fcience, merits the higheft encouragement from the public, and ought to be attended by farmers, landed gentlemen, gardeners, he. as well as by phyficians and philofophers. S E C T: