BOOK III. CHAP. VIII. 805 



conjecfturecl, this emanation might be of ufe for flaining, colouring, 

 or dying, if the properties of it were accurately examined. 



163. Red Sorrel — Hibifcus rufefcens, acetofus foliis trilobus. 

 164. White Sorrel — Hibifcus luteus. 



The Bowers, cups, and capfulae of thefe two plants, freed from the 

 feeds, are the only parts that are ufeful. They differ but little in 

 tafte and quality from the common forrel, except that their acid is 

 ftronger, and of a livelier, pleafanter flavour. The acid of the white 

 (or rather yellow flowered) is fomewhat fainter than the other. Both 

 are cultivated in moft gardens. The flowers are made, with the help 

 of fugar, into very agreeable tarts and jellies ; or fermented into a 

 cooling beverage, very cordial in fevers ; they alfo make a very ex- 

 cellent vinegar. They bloflbm about the month of Oilober. 



The fyrup prepared with them is thought to exceed that of the 

 Englifh forrel. The beft way of making it is to take the capjules or 

 flower-leaves which are moft juicy, and, adding twice their weight of 

 double-refined fugar, put them without any water into a glafs veflel, 

 and place it in a fand-heat ; the digeflion is carried on with a mode- 

 rate heat, till the leaves are all diflblved, which foon happens, as they 

 are loft and fucculent ; the red fort yields a beautiful fyrup, which 

 will keep much longer than that which is made with water. 



The bark of thefe (hrubs is ftrong and tough, and has the appear- 

 ance of being adapted to the fame manufiidlure as hemp. 



165. Artichoke — Cynara. 



There feem to be three varieties of the artichoke in this ifland ; 

 the firft fort is the common fmall French ; the fecond the chardon ; 

 the third the large French. They are cultivated here, and propa- 

 gated by flips or fuckers, taken from the old roots. The third fpe- 

 cies has not been long introduced from Hifpaniola, and is generally 

 diflinguifhed by the name of the Hifpaniola artichoke ; it is much 

 fuperior to the others. I have feen the bottoms of fome near twenty 

 inches in circumference. As yet they are chiefly cultivated in the 

 Liguanea mountains, but might undoubtedly fucceed as well in all 

 the other cooler mountainous parts, and probably at the North fide. 



The 



