of Cachemire and Bout an, 239 



qucntly In winter and during very cold weather, but oFtcncr 

 in the time of the great heats, and when the air is damp, — is 

 the only remedy employed by the Cachemirian shepherds to 

 prevent diseases among their flocks. A milky plant, called 

 in Indostan anicpal, of an exceedingly bitter tatUc, is used 

 by them also with great success ; they make the sheep eat 

 ot it when they observe any ot" them in a languisihno- state. 



This plant, so useful, would succeed, iu my opinion, 

 in our climates : it thrives without care on the mountains as 

 well as in the plains; in dry soils as well as in moist. Its 

 utility readers it exceedingly valuable: wt ought to endca^' 

 vour to naturalise it, because it is salutary not only to 

 sheep but to all other animals. It is given in particular to 

 sheep and to goats, as a specific agahist th^ itch ; the cla- 

 velee, swellings and contagious diseases which sheep contract 

 during very damp weather, when the herbs shoot up, and the 

 iresh pastures contain small insects, which occasion anion tr 

 these animals the rot; in the latter case they arc made to 

 eat it ; for the itch they are rubbed with the juice. 



The stem of the anh'p-al rises to the height of from fifteen 

 to eighteen inches ; it is woody, and of the size of the little 

 fmger : its bark is very smooth, reddish, and velvety : the 

 4eaves stand opposite to each other, are sixteen or eio-hteeu 

 lines in length, shaped like a heart, velvety, nervous, tender 

 and thick. They always abound with a milky juice, which 

 is exceedingly bitter; they are faintly indented, about as 

 large as a piece of thirty sous, and of a dark green colour. 

 The roots are ramose, yellowish, tender, and contain a juice 

 similar to that of the leaves, but thinner. The flower is di- 

 vided into five petals, of the length of two or three lines, 

 aiul aline in breadth; they are rounded at the oaremity, of 

 a jonquil colour, inclosed in a monophyllous calyx, which 

 remains and envelops the pod or oblong fruit, which suc- 

 ceeds the flower: the flower has three stamina, and an acute 

 ovarium unprovided with a style. Hie fruit is divided into 

 three cells, separated by a strong membrane, each containing 

 three or five spherical seeds : each of these seeds is inclosed 

 in a hard capsule, of a reddish biown colour, the kernel of 

 which is very bitter, yellowish, and rather soft. 



In general Cachemire is very proper for the breeding of 

 sheep ; but 1 must observe, that the shepherds never gi\'e 

 them green herbs, but thyme and marjoram. In pens t1icy 

 get nothing to eat but dry straw mixed with a small quantity 

 of barley or millet, n&mtd jouari ; and durino- their mio-ra- 

 tions, or in the fields, they are allowed to feecl only on°dry 

 herbs, or the leaves of the bushes. 



What 



