B U X 



OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY. 



B Y S 



213 



by the inlayer and cabinet-maker. Of Box are made wheels 

 and shivers, pins, pegs for musical instruments, nut-crackers 

 button-moulds, weaver's shuttles, hollar-sticks, bump-sticks 

 and dressers for shoe- makers, rulers, rolling-pins, pestles, 

 mall-balls, beetles, tops, tables, chess-men, screws, bobbins 

 for bone-luce, spoons, knife-handles, nay, the stoutest axle- 

 trees, and especially combs ;" which was the custom of the 

 ancients, who also made of it musical instruments to be played 

 upon by the mouth, according to Pliny and Martial. The 

 Romans likewise clipped it into the shape of various animals, 

 for which purpose it was second to the Yew with us informer 

 times, but the Dwarf-box stood unrivalled for " bordering up 

 a knot, and was esteemed a marvellous fine ornament to the 

 flower-garden." The branches were in request among our 

 ancestors, for decking up houses ; they are still seen among 

 other evergreens in churches atChristmas, and in some coun- 

 tries they are borne by attendants at funerals. In our planta- 

 tions, the Box still keeps its place deservedly among ornamen- 

 tal evergreens. It will nourish under the deepest shade, and 

 thrive in any soil and exposure. Dr. Stokes affirms, that it is 

 fit to cut down in about thirty years. Box has been much 

 celebrated as a medicine in the venereal disease, colics, inter- 

 mittent fevers, &c. But our shrewd old Gerarde sensibly 

 remarks, " that it is more fit for dagger-hafts, than to make 

 medicines ; though foolish empirics and women-leeches do 

 minister it against the apoplexyand such diseases." He adds, 

 "that the turners and cutlers call this wood dudgeon, because 

 theymakedudgeon-hafted daggers with it." Parkinson, in his 

 first work, says, " it has no physical use among the most and 

 best physicians, although some have reported it to stay fluxes, 

 and to be as good as guaiacum for the French disease." 

 Yet in his second work he sets it down as a medicine for 

 the bite of a mad dog ; as a cure for the bots in horses ; and 

 the leaves and saw-dust, boiled in lye, to change the hair to 

 aborne ( auburn) orabraham colour. According to Dr. Wither- 

 ing," an empyreumatic oil, distilled from the shavings, is often 

 used as a topical application for the piles, and seldom fails 

 to procure ease ; it will frequently relieve the tooth-ache, 

 and has been given internally in epilepsies : the leaves pow- 

 dered, destroy worms." Decoctions of the wood and bark 

 are wholly disused, on account of their being very nauseous 

 and disagreeable to the stomach. Meyrick observes, that 

 Box-root is said to possess the same virtues with guaiacum 

 wood, but in a much greater degree ; consequently is a good 

 medicine in a foul state of the blood and juices. A decoc- 

 tion of it is the best preparation ; but the use of it must be 

 continued for a long time, as it is one of those medicines 

 which operate but slowly, though effectually. An oil dis- 

 tilled from the wood is frequently used to anoint the piles 

 with, and seldom fails of giving ease ; it likewise frequently 

 relieves the tooth-ache, cleanses foul ulcers, and disposes 

 them to heal, and is good to rub on such parts as are affected 

 with old aches and pains. Hill assures us, " the wood of the 

 Box- tree, and particularly the root, is an excellent medicine 

 in all foulness of the blood ; it has the same virtues with the 

 guaiacum, but in a greater degree. It is to be given in a 

 moderately strong decoction, and continued a long time. 

 There have been instances of what were called leprosies 

 cured entirely by this medicine. There is an oil made from 

 it by distillation, which is good for the tooth-ache ; it is to 

 be dropped upon cotton, and put into the tooth." Pliny 

 affirms, that no animal will touch the seed of Box. Gmclin 

 states, that the branches are fatal to the camels that eat them. 

 Not one of our animals will touch this tree. Corsican honey 

 was supposed, by the ancients, to owe its infamy to the.bees 

 feeding on the Box. The name of this tree varies little 

 VOL. i. 18. 



from the Greek and Latin, in the European languages ; 

 being bucks or bucksbaum in German ; buxbnm, in Swedish 

 and Danish , buis or boui$, in French ; busso or bosso, in 

 Italian ; box, in Spanish ; bucko or buxo, in Portuguese : the 

 Russians have adopted samschit from the Tartars ; the Per- 

 sians call it schimschat; in Turkey it is named ttdumtsUfj 

 the Japanese call it ko-tsuge; the Chinese, huynh-duong ; the 

 Cochin-chinese, hoam-tuon. Propagation and Culture of the 

 Common Box. All the varieties of this tree may be propagated 

 by cuttings, planted in autumn in a shady border, observing 

 to keep them watered until they have taken root, when they 

 maybe transplanted into the nursery, until they are fit for the 

 purpose intended. These cuttings may be planted as early 

 as August, but the best time is during the fall of the au- 

 tumnal rains. They should be a foot in length, and rather 

 more than half should be planted in the ground, at the dis- 

 tance of four inches from each other. A slip of the last ' 

 year's wood, stripped from an older branch, is an excellent 

 set, and there is little fear of its growing. The cuttings or 

 slips may stand three years, and then be transplantedinto 

 the nursery any time between August and April, choosing 

 moist weather for the purpose, if this work be performed 

 early or late. In the nursery, the rows may be two feet 

 asunder, and the plants a foot from each other in the rows. 

 The narrow-leaved Box-tree may be propagated by laying 

 down the branches. This may be done between Michaelmas 

 and March ; and it is the natural way by which Box frequently 

 propagates itself; for when it breaks down by its own weight, 

 or by a fall of snow, soon after it comes into contact with 

 the ground, it sends forth fibres. Box may be propagated 

 by seeds sown soon after they are ripe, in a shady border, 

 and duly watered in dry weather. This is the best method 

 to raise large trees. The best soil for the seeds is a light 

 loam or sand, and they should be sown half an inch deep. 

 They will come up in the spring, though probably many 

 will lie in the ground till a second season. They should 

 stand two or three years in the seed-bed ; and when they are 

 strong enough to plant out, they may be removed into the 

 nursery, and placed at the same distance as was prescribed 

 for the cuttings. The best season for removing this tree is 

 October, though it may be transplanted almost at any time, 

 except in summer, if it be taken up with a good ball of earth. 

 Dwarf-box is increased by parting the roots or planting the 

 slips; but, as it makes so great an increase of itself, and so 

 easily parts, it is hardly worth while to plant the slips that 

 have no roots. It is so common, that it may be purchased 

 from the nurseries at a cheap rate. The manner of planting 

 it in edgings is understood by every working gardener. 



Byssus ; a genus of the Cryptogamia Algae, and the last 

 in the scale of vegetation in that class. According to Lin- 

 neus there are fourteen species, but many more are certainly 

 known. They appear in form of threads, or a kind of meal, 

 on rotten wood, the bark of trees, rocks, damp banks, and 

 walls, especially of damp cellars. Hudson and Withering 

 enumerate nineteen British species, and Lightfoot fourteen. 

 One sort is common on wine-casks : at first it is like flakes of 

 snow, but turns yellow, and at last like a mouse's skin ; in 

 this state it has black grains at the base like gunpowder, 

 rots the casks, and is excellent to staunch blood. The Green 

 Paper Byssus is a farina concreting on the surface of the 

 water, where it forms a wide thin film. Weis denies it to be 

 a vegetable, but Withering believes it to be a Conferva. 



Bystropogon ; a genus of the class Didynamia, order Gym- 

 nospermia. GENERIC CHABACTER. Calix: perianth one- 

 leafed, divided into five awl-shaped segments, closed by a 

 beard at the opening. Corolla : monopetalous, ringent ; 

 31 



