108 NAT. ORDER. LIBIACEiE. 



twenty thousand dollars. By this floral gambling it is said that 

 the city of Harlem derived more than ten million pounds ster- 

 ling, in less than three years. The flowers were varigated by 

 placing the bulbs in a peculiar soil, although it is probable that this 

 art was confined to a few. It is now cultivated in France and 

 some parts of England ; but it is not known in this country. The 

 flowers have a very sweet, pleasant, odor, and were formerly used 

 for medicinal purposes ; a watery distillation of them was employed 

 as a cosmetic, and the oil was supposed to possess anodyne and 

 nervine powers ; but the odorous matter of the flowers is of a very 

 volatile kind, being totally dissipated by drying, and entirely car- 

 ried off in evaporation by rectified spirit as well as water ; and 

 though both menstrums become impregnated with their agreeable 

 odor by infusion or distillation, yet no essential oil could be obtained 

 from several pounds of the flowers. It is therefore the roots only 

 which are now directed for use by the Edinburgh college : they 

 are extremely mucilaginous, and are chiefly used, boiled in milk or 

 water, in emollient and suppurating cataplasms. Dr. Alston thinks 

 that the roots are of the nature, and possess nearly the properties 

 of squills. Godorus, sergeant-surgeon to Clueen Elizabeth, it is 

 said, cured large numbers of dropsical people, by giving them 

 bread in which the tulip roots were baked. I have myself admin- 

 istered the tulip root in many cases of chronic inflammation of the 

 bowels, and found it highly serviceable; also in inflammation of 

 the kidneys and bladder, and many other diseases, where a diuretic 

 was required, I have found it equally valuable. It possesses astrin- 

 gent, diuretic, and diaphoretic properties. It was employed at 

 one time, in Holland, to a great extent as a remedy fcr dysenteria 

 and long standing weaknesses of the bowels, but at the present 

 time is but little known in practice, as many articles much easier 

 obtained will answer the same purpose. 



