Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XII.djvu/773

 OXALIS OXENSTTEBN T59 of preparing oxalic acid artificially, it was ob- tained from this plant, 500 Ibs. of the herbage yielding 4 Ibs. of the crystals of the binoxalate of potash, known as the salt of sorrel. This oxalis shares with white clover (trifolium re- pens) the credit of being the true shamrock ; Bentham regards this as the real shamrock for the reason that it is a native of Ireland, while the clover is of comparatively recent introduc- tion. The violet wood sorrel, 0. molacea, more abundant southward, has a similar habit to the preceding, but its flower stalks each bear seve- ral flowers in an umbel, and they are of a violet color. A large number of the exotic species of oxalis are in cultivation, and are favorite plants in greenhouse and window culture, producing an abundance of bright cheerful flowers with the simplest treatment. There are both stem- less species and those with long trailing stems among the cultivated ones, and their flowers are white or nearly so, yellow, rose-colored, and crimson, often with two colors in the same flower, as in 0. versicolor ; this is one of the finest, and has its white petals edged on the outside with crimson, so that the flowers when quite closed appear red, when fully open white, and when only partially open white striped with red lines on the under side. 0. Bowiei, 0. Jlava, 0. speciosa, 0. rosacea, and others are common in cultivation, and several are treated as border or bedding plants. Nearly all the species are sensitive to the action of light, drooping their leaflets and taking a position of sleep at nightfall, and many of them only open their flowers in the sunshine ; one spe- cies, 0. sensitiva, from India, contracts its leaves when touched, and is nearly as irrita- ble as the true sensitive plant. The leaves of several species, especially the common wood sorrel (0. acetosella), are mixed with salad to impart a pleasant acidity, and the tubers of others are used as food. The oca of the Pe- ruvians consists of the tubers of 0. crenata, which has spreading stems about 2 ft. high, yellow flowers, and tubers much like a small po- tato in appearance, tapering at the end toward the plant ; there are a white and a red variety, the difference being solely in the color of the tubers. These are cultivated in Peru for their acid leaf stalks, and especially their tubers, which when boiled are farinaceous and nutri- tious, but have an acid taste that is disliked by most persons ; it is said that this may be re- moved by exposing the tubers to the sun for several days. When the potato disease appear- ed in Europe this oxalis was one of the various substitutes tested, but on account of the small size of the tubers and the light yield they are not likely to come into general use. The Mex- ican 0. Deppei is a stemless species, with four leaflets to the leaves, and flowers which are red and sufficiently showy for it to be cultivated as a garden plant ; the roots are parsnip-shaped, about 4 in. long, and have at the top numerous small bulblets by which it can be propagated. The root is boiled and dressed with white sauce like salsify, and is regarded as very easy of digestion; it is very slow in forming its tubers, and likely to succeed better in southern than in northern gardens. OXENDM, ishton, an English bishop, born at Broome Park, near Canterbury, in 1808. He was educated at University college, London, and for many years was rector of Pluckly- with-Pevington in Kent. In 1864 he became honorary canon of Canterbury cathedral, and in 1869 was chosen bishop of Montreal, and as such primate and metropolitan of Canada ; his jurisdiction covers eight bishoprics, Quebec, Toronto, Ontario, Huron, Nova Scotia, Frede- ricton, Newfoundland, and Rupert's Land. His publications are very numerous, being mostly of a practical character ; among them are : " A Plain History of the Christian Church " (1847) ; "Barham Tracts" (1859); "The Pastoral Of- fice "(1859); "Baptism and the Lord's Supper simply explained " (1861) ; " Decision " (1868) ; and " Lectures on the Gospels " (2 vols., 1869). OXENFORD, John, an English author, born at Camberwell, near London, in 1812. He was admitted to the bar in 1833, and has produced several pieces for the stage, among which are "My Fellow Clerk" (1835), "Twice Killed" (1835), "A Day Well Spent" (1836), "Porter's Knot" (1869), and "456 11s. 3d." (1874). He has published translations of the "Autobi- ography of Goethe," the " Conversations of Eckermann with Goethe " (1850), the " Hellas" of Jacobs (1855), a collection of songs from the French entitled "Illustrated Book of French Songs" (1855), and Kuno Fischer's "Es- say on Lord Bacon and his Philosophy" (1857). He has long been engaged as a theatrical critic for the press, has written songs for music, and translated various German poems. OXENSTIERN (Swed. OXENSTJEKNA), Axel, count, a Swedish statesman, born at Fano, in Upland, June 16, 1583, died in Stockholm, Aug. 28, 1654. He studied at the universities of Rostock, Wittenberg, and Jena, and visited most of the German courts. In 1606 he was sent on a mission to Mecklenburg; in 1608 he was made a member of the senate ; and when Charles IX. became incapacitated, he was cho- sen president of the council of regency. On the accession of Gustavus Adolphus in 1611 he was appointed chancellor, concluded a peace between Denmark and Sweden in 1613, ac- companied the king to Livonia in his cam- paigns against the Russians, and in 1617 nego- tiated the treaty of Stolbova, by which Swe- den gained a large territory along the Baltic. During the following years he was engaged in warlike operations or negotiations connected with the thirty years' war, and in 1629, through the mediation of France and England, conclu- ded an armistice for six years between Swe- den and Poland. He accompanied Gustavus Adolphus in his German campaign, and on the death of the king at Ltitzen in 1632 assumed the task of continuing the war. He was in- vested with full powers by the Swedish Riles-