MUCILAGINOUS MATTER. 233 



I have fent all the powder of white lily-root I had left; but 

 am at the prefent time drying fome taken from the garden two 

 or three days ago. As foon as it is powdered, I will fend yoii 

 a large quantity of it. 



I^jm, Sir, 



Your moft obedient Servant, 

 THOxMAS WILLIS. 

 March St, 1803. 



SIR, 



FROM the candour and approbation my paper on the ufe 

 of the hyacinthus non-fcriptus, as a fubftitute for gum-arabic, 

 in.>fome trials in calico-printing, met with from the Society for . 

 the Encouragement of Arts, &c. I refolved to purfue the fub- 

 je6l further; and now offer the following obfervations for your 

 confideration, in hope that trials may be made, that will be 

 found to be of general benefit. 



Having frequently obferved, in old gardens, that the vernal Root of the 



fquill grew very prolific, I conceived the root of them might ^^'■".^'^?"^"^«^y 



, raucilxginous* 



be equally as mucilaginous as (he roots of the blue bells. I pro- 

 cured three pounds f\% ounces of them on the 8th of July, 

 1802, and diced and dried them. They produced one pound 

 one ounce of powder, one drachm of which was difiblved in 

 four ounces of water, by letting the mixture boil a minute or 

 two. When the liquor was cold, there was a mucilage full as 

 flrong as one made with a drachm of the powder of blue bells, 

 in the fame proportion of water; from which circumftance, I 

 fliould think the vernal fquill will anfwer the fame purpofes as 

 tlie hyacinthus non-fcriptus. If it fliould, it is a root that may 

 be very eafily and plentifully propagated, and whenever gum- 

 arabic is dear, may be found ufeful. It is to be remarked, 

 that I found no pungency in the powder of the vernal fquill. 

 I have frequently eaten of it, and the tafte is rather agreeable. 



On the I8th of Auguft, 1802, I colleaed four pounds of White lily root 

 the white lily root, which yielded, when dried, rather more Jag°nou7. "^"*^*" 

 than one pound of powderc A drachm of it was diflblved in 

 four ounces of water, by gently boiling it a minute or two; 

 the mucilage was much flronger than that made with the ver- 

 bal fquill, but fomewhat darker coloured. This root may 



poflibly 



