S I N 



S I s 



SILVER BUSH. See Anthvllis. 



SILVER TREE. See Protea. 



SIMFLER'S JOY. Set- Verbena. 



SINAFIS, a genus containing a plant of the 

 hardy herbaceous annual kind. 



It belongs to the class and order Tetradynanua 

 Siliquosa, and ranks in the natural order of 

 SUiquosts or Cniciformes. 



The characters are : that the calyx is a four- 

 leaved perianth, spreading: leaflets linear, con- 

 cave-channelled, cruciform-spreading, decidu- 

 ous: the corolla four-petalled, cruciform: petals 

 roundish, flat, spreading, entire : claws erect, 

 linear, scarcely the length of the calyx : nec- 

 tareous glands four, ovate: one on each side be- 

 tween the shorter stamen and the pistil, and 

 one on each side between the longer stamens 

 and the calyx : the stamina have six awl-shaped 

 filaments, erect : two of them opposite, the 

 length of the calyx, and four longer: an! hers 

 from erect spreading, acuminate : the pistillum 

 is a cylindrical germ ; style length of the germ, 

 height of the stamens : stigma capitate, entire : 

 the pericarpium is an oblong silique, torose be- 

 low, rugged, two-celled, two-valved : parti- 

 tion for the most part twice the length of the 

 valves, large, compressed; the seeds many, glo- 

 bular. 



The species cultivated are: 1. S. alia, White 

 Mustard ; 2. S. nigra, Common or Black 

 Mustard. 



The first has an annual root: the stem strong, 

 hard, nearly round, upright, branched, striated 

 or finely grooved, set with numerous stiflish 

 hairs pointing downwards, from a foot and half 

 to two feet in height : the leaves petioled, al- 

 ternate, pale green, rough with strong hairs on 

 both sides, all deeply indented or lobed, the ter- 

 minating segment very broad and large, and fre- 

 quently a pair of small wings on the petiole : the 

 lowerones deeplypinnatifid; the upperonessubly- 

 rate: the flowers on loose racemes or bunches at 

 the ends of the branches, on horizontal pedicels, 

 which have four grooves or corners, and strong 

 hairs pointing downwards. It is a native of 

 Germany, &c. 



It is generally cultivated in gardens as a sallad 

 herb, with Cresses, Radishes, &x. for winter and 

 spring use. 



The second species has an annual small root : 

 the stem upright, round, streaked, the upper 

 part smooth, three or four feet in height-, with 

 many distant spreading branches : the leaves 

 petioled, variously lobed and toothed ; those 

 next the root lyrate, rugged ; on the .stem 

 smooth, the upper ones frequently simple, lan- 

 ceolate and sharply toothed; the very uppermost 

 quite entire. It is a native of Europe. 



It is the flour of the seed of this plant that 

 affords the common mustard for the table. 



Culture. — The first sort is sown along with 

 other small sallad herbs at all times of the year, 

 sometimes every week or fortnight, in a bed or 

 border of light earth, sown generally in shallow 

 drills very thick, covering it very thinly with 

 earth ; and in winter, and early in spring, 

 during cold weather, in hot-beds. The herbs 

 are alwavs cut for use whilst in the seed-leaf 

 and but a few days old ; otherwise they become 

 too strong and iank-tasted for use. See Sallad 

 Herbs and Small Sallading. 



In order to have seed of this sort for garden 

 use, it should be sown on an open spot of 

 ground in March or April, either thinly in drills 

 a fool asunder, or bioad-cast all over the surface, 

 and the plants be left to run up to stalk, when 

 they wili fiiroish ripe seeds in August. 



But in order to raise the plants for the seed 

 for mustard, the seeds should be sown in the 

 spring, any time in March, in some open situa- 

 tion, either in the kitchen-garden or in open. 

 fields : in cither ease; having dug or ploughed 

 the ground, the seed should be sown broad- 

 cast all over the surface, and raked or harrowed 

 in lightly ; or it may be sown in shallow drill* 

 a foot a-amder, and be slightly covered in : the 

 plants soon come up, and when they have four 

 or more leaves an inch or two broad, if they 

 stand very thick, those sown in the broad- 

 cast way particularly should be hoed and thin- 

 ned, leaving them six or eight inches asunder, 

 cutting up all weeds, repeating the operation 

 once or more if necessary ; alter this the 

 plants will soon spread and cover the ground, 

 and shoot fast up to stalks for flowers and seed, 

 which ripen in July or August, when the stalks 

 should be cut or pulled up, and the seed, being 

 properly hardened, and dried in the pod, should 

 either be thrashed out directly, or stacked up 

 dry and thrashed at occasional opportunities 

 afterwards ; but the first is the best method. 



SISYMBRIUM, a genus containing a plant 

 of the hardy herbaceous kind. 



It belongs to the class and order Tetradyna- 

 mia Siliqitosa.-, and ranks in the natural order of 

 Si/ic/uosce, Crucifurmes or Cruc'iftrce. 



The characters are : that the calyx is a four- 

 leaved perianth : leaflets lanceolate-linear, spread- 

 ing, coloured, deciduous: the corolla four-petal- 

 led, cruciform : petals oblonsr, spreading, com- 

 monly less than the calyx, with very small claws : 

 the stamina have six filaments, longer than the ca- 

 lyx ; of these two opposite a little shorter: anthers 

 simple: the pistillum is an oblong filiform germ: 

 style scarcely any: stigmaobtuse: the pericarpium 

 is a silnjue, long, incurved, gibbous, round, two- 



