B T. I 



B L I 



evergreen shrubby kind. Tlic Dyeing M'ttcUa, 

 Spanish yinot/o, or French Roinon. 



It belonffs to the cl;i<s and order Pohjmidria 

 Motwgynia, and ranks in the natural order of Co- 

 lumriij'erce. 



The characters arc : that the calyx is a flvc- 

 toothtd, very small, obtuse, tlat, pi rnianent peri- 

 anthiuni: the corolla is double : outer, with petals 

 live, oblonn, equal, large, more rude; inner, with 

 Jive petals like the outer, but thinner : the 

 stamina have numerous filaments, setaceous, 

 shorter bv half than t!ie corolla : the anthers 

 are erect : the pistilknn is an ovate germ : the 

 style is filiform, the length of the stamens : the 

 stigma parallellv bifid, and compressed : the 

 periearpium is an ovate-cordate, compressed 

 capsule, fenced with bristles, bivalve, gaping 

 at the angles, one-celled, with an inner bivalve 

 membrane : the seeds are numerous, turbinate, 

 with a truncated navel, and berried : the recep- 

 tacle is linear, longitudinal, and fastened to the 

 middle of the valves. 



There is only one species, B. Orellana, Ame- 

 rican Bixa. 



It is a shrub which in its native situation 

 rises with an upright stem to the height of eight 

 or ten feet, sending out many branches at the 

 top, forming a regular head. These are garnished 

 with heart-shaped leaves ending in a point, 

 which have long foot-stalks, and come out 

 without any order. The flowers are produced 

 in loose panicles at the end of the branches, of 

 a pale peach colour, having large petals. They 

 are succeeded by a pulpy red fruit. This is a 

 native of the East and West Indies. It is from 

 the red pulp, covering the seeds of the fruit of 

 this shrub, that the Arnotlo einployed as a 

 colouring ingredient is prepared. 



Culture. — The propacation of this shrub is 

 effected in this climate by sowing the seeds, 

 which are brought from the West- Indies or 

 America, in small pots filled with light rich 

 mould in the spring, being then plunged into a 

 gentle hot-bed of tan; and when the plants ap- 

 pear, and are of sufficient growth, they should 

 be carefuUv transplanted into separate pots, and 

 again placed on heat, being shaded when neces- 

 sary. During the sumintr they should be often 

 refreshed with a very small supply of water, but 

 in the winter very little, as their roots are apt to 

 rot. A good degree of warmth is requisite at 

 this season, in the tan-bed, while the plants are 

 in their more early growth,to keep them from 

 decaying in the tops. Thsy require to be con- 

 stantly kept in the tan-bed of the bark-stove, as 

 thev do not succeed so well in the dry stove. 

 They are cultivated for the purpose of variety. 



BLIGHT, a vegetable disease frequently at- 



tacking fruit- and other trees, and plants, in the 

 spring and summer months, and sometimes de- 

 stroving their leaves, blossoms, branches, and 

 fruit. 



It has been supposed to proceed from very 

 diH'erent causes, as the pre\alence of easterly 

 winds injuring the tender leaves and flowers, 

 and eau>m<i' them to w ither and decay, and, by 

 condensing the fluid that exudes trom them, 

 forminfj a food as well as nidus for the sujiport 

 and harbouring of various small insects, by 

 which thev not onlv nndiiplv rapidly, but greailv 

 increase the distemper that may have been com- 

 menced ; the eflecls of sharp hoar frosts suc- 

 ceeding hot sunny days in the vernal season, 

 when the irritability of the parts has been 

 greatly lessened by the action of the heat ; sud- 

 den severe mornine frosts occurring at the tune 

 of flowcrincr, or that of the fruit setting, or while 

 it is in its very early crowlh ; the suddenly ex- 

 posing the trees or plants to the full action of 

 light and air, after they have been closely covered 

 for some time ; the dcliciency of the soil for the 

 proper nutrition and support of the trees and 

 plants; the vitiated state of the circulating fluids; 

 and a defect of the vegetative process of the 

 plants. The nature of this vegetable malady is 

 not however yet perfectly investigated, or so 

 well understood as to aftbrd any very certain 

 method of removing it. 



In the first case, it has been proposed as the 

 most efrcciual inanagement, to have the trees or 

 plants well washed with pT^rc water in the early 

 part of the day, when the weather is not frosty, 

 in order that thev may get perfectly dr\'betbre 

 night ; or what Mr. Forsyth thinks much pre- 

 ferable is urine and soap-suds, which should be 

 applied as early as possible after the disease 

 shows itself; and where the young and more 

 tender shoots seem much afleeted, a fluid formeil 

 by putting caustic, lime, tobacco, sulphur, and 

 elderbudr, into ten gallons of boiling w ater, in the 

 proportions of one peck of the fir^-t, two pcunds 

 of the sulphur, and one of each of the other 

 in"-redients, cold water Lting afterwards poureil 

 on so as to n)akea hog>head. This liquor is to 

 be made use of by dipping a woollen cloth in it, 

 and washing the branches well with it. 



In the second instance, or when the disease 

 is produced by the effects of irost, the best 

 mean which has yet been employed is that of 

 covering the trees or plants by an open sort of 

 nettingr which is folded once or more as there 

 may be occasion, as in this way air is freely ad- 

 mitted, and at the same timcthedangcrof the frost 

 avoided, without injury being done by close 

 covering, as is the case when mats or othcp 

 similar articles are had rccourie to for die [ut- 



