^ Oft the Fecula of Green Plants. 



ourgarclens. It is this wax that the curious gardener, when 

 he presents a plum, a fig, or a bunch of grapes, is so de- 

 mrous of prei^crving, that he avoids touching them as much 

 -as possible with his fingers. 



At Paris, when an orange is taken from the paper cover- 

 ino- in which it has been conveyed from Portugal, it is seen 

 covered with a farinaceous coating, which may be removed 

 bv the blade of a knife, and applied to a taper to melt it 

 and ascertain its nature. 



The fecula of opium contains also a kind of tallow which 

 approaches near to wax by its strong consistence, and which 

 several apiologists have mentioned. 



Raw silk also is covered with wax, which alcohol removes 

 from it along with its colour, and which is separated from 

 it by cooling. 



Of some FeculcB less known. 

 XIII. When five or six pounds of saffron are treated to- 

 eether, to obtan\ from it the volatile oil and extract, there is 

 observed in the decoction a fine dust which renders it turbid, 

 deposits itself, and may be separated by straining through a 

 cloth. This powder when washed shrinks on drying, and 

 becomes grained like green fecula in summer : it speedily 

 becomes putrid, and filled with worms, if not carefully pre- 

 served. This fecula by heat gives ail the products of gluten. 

 With alkalies and lemon juice it communicates to silk a. 

 very brilliant yellow dye. 



Borage. 

 A plant may contain gluten in two states ; one in the fe- 

 cula, and the other dissolved in its juice by means of pot- 

 ash: of this kind is the juice of borage : when clarified it 

 is thick and of a sea-green colour ; some drops of acid se- 

 parate from it a caseous curd, which is collected by the filter, 

 and which is nothing else than gluten. 



Elder. 



Elderberries, amidst a juice strongly coloured, exceedingly 

 gummv, and slightly saccharine, contain a fecula as green 

 as that of spinach. When it has been well freed from the 

 red colour, alcohol extracts from it a green tincture : the 

 rest is gluten, which is in nothing different from that of 

 i'cciila. 



When these berries are bruised their glue adheres to tl)e 

 fini'^ers : it has the same consistence as that of holly. The|ir 

 juice left to ferment gives a very small (quantity of spirit, 



which 



I 



