DEC 



OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY. 



1) E L 



441 



obtained. The refuse weighed forty-eight stone, and the wash 

 from the still measured 1 12 gallons, so that the refuse greatly 

 exceeds that of an acre of Barley : and an acre of Carrots, 

 allowing the produce to be twenty tons, will yield 240 

 rallons of spirit, which is considerably more than can be ob- 

 tained from five quarters of Barley. But the produce of an 

 acre ought not to be estimated at more than from ten to four- 

 teen tons ; and therefore the quantity of spirit extracted from 

 an acre of Carrots will not exceed 108 gallons. Carrot-seed 

 has been for many years raised at Weatherafteldfa Essex, per- 

 haps because it possesses two soils best adopted to this culture ; 

 ru-h sand to raise the Carrots the first year, and strong loam 

 for the year of seeding. The preparation of the soil consists 

 in making it very fine by repeated ploughings and harrovv- 

 ini;.s ; usually three or four earths ure given ; and twenty 

 pounds of seed per acre (apparently too great a quantity) are 

 sown in April : they hand-hoe twice, setting the plants out 

 seven inches asunder. At Michaelmas they dig up, cut off 

 the tops to the length of an inch, and pack up the roots in 

 barns with straw, taking care that they are dry enough when 

 laid up. Securing them is a work of some difficulty, for the 

 air must beadmitted, and the frost at the same time excluded. 

 The crops are large ; a good produce is three bushels on a rod, 

 but four have been known. For replanting in the spring, 

 they choose a piece of fresh land, if there be any on the farm ; 

 if not, such as is in good heart, but they never manure it : the 

 preparation is, to throw two three-feet ridges together in 

 u dry season, in February or March ; cut the top end of the 

 Carrots off, to the amount of one-third of the root, and plant 

 a double row upon each ridge, at three feet between the 

 plants, and two feet row from row, in a quincunx order, so 

 that the plants of one row may be ranged against the spaces 

 of the other .- they are twice hoed, and twice earthed up, 

 the second time very high. The heads are cut off when quite 

 dry, as they ripen, by women, and being laid on pack-cloths, 

 an- thrashed and dressed by men. 



The other species are, 2. Daucus Mauritanicus ; Fine- 

 hurrd Carrot. Biennial. 3. Daucus Visnaga ; Spanish Car- 

 rat, or Pick-tooth. Annual. The rays which sustain the 

 umbel, being long and stiff, are used by the Spaniards and 

 others, for picking their teeth : when they have served this 

 purpose, they are chewed, and thus are supposed to be of 

 service in cleansing and fastening the teeth ; however this 

 may be, they have a pleasant aromatic taste in the mouth. 

 4. Daucus Gingidium ; Shining- leaved Carrot. Annual. 

 .1. Daucus Muricatus ; Prickly -seeded Carrot. Daucus Ma- 

 ritimus. A maritime variety of the last-mentioned species. 

 6. Daucus Lueidus ; Shining Carrot. Biennial. 7. Daucus 



Htspanicus ; Viscous Carrot. Biennial. These are all na- 



of the south of Europe and Barbary j and flower from 

 June to August. 



Day Lilij. See Hemerocallis. 

 IhMiUij Ciirrnt. See Thajmia. 

 Deadly Nightshade. See Atropa. 

 Decidnettte. See Galeopsh and Lrtmium. 

 Decumarui ; a genus of the class Dodecandria, order Mo- 

 nogynia ; or, according to the Horlus Keu-oittis, of the class 

 I'olyandria, order Monogynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. 

 .- perianth superior, with about ten leaves, very small; 

 leaflets ovate, coloured, acute, reflex. Corolla : petals ten, 

 lanceolate, obtuse, equal, disposed in a single circle, ex- 

 panding. Stamina : filamenta from sixteen to twenty-five, 

 filiform, length of the corolla ; antheraj twin, depressed. 

 Pistil.- germen top-shaped, inferior; style cylinriric, shorter 

 than the corolla ; stigma gibbose, lobed with about ten 

 little swellings. Pericarp: capsule eight-celled, many- 

 VOL. i. 37- 



seeded. Seeds : solitary. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Ca- 

 lix: eight to twelve leaved, superior. Petals: eight to 



twelve. Capsule .- eight-celled, with many seeds. The 



only known species is, 



1. Decumaria Barbara ; Climbing Decumarui. A shrub, 

 whose stem clinging by means of fibres to the trunks and 

 branches of trees, climbs to a great height ; leaves opposite, 

 petioled, leathery, veined, towards the base remotely serrate ; 

 no stipules ; buds pubescent ; panicle corymbed, terminat- 

 ing ; flowers like those of the lime-tree, whitish, and very 

 sweet-scented. Native of Carolina. 



Delima ; a genus of the class Polyaudria, order Monogy- 

 nia.- GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix : perianth five-leaved ; 

 leaflets ovate, obtuse, equal, permanent. Corolla : none. 

 Stamina ; filamenta numerous, capillary, nearly equal to the 

 calix ; antherae roundish. Pistil : germen superior, some- 

 what ovate ; style cylindric, length of the flower ; stigma 

 simple, permanent. Pericarp : berry larger than the calix, 

 ovate, acuminate, two-valved ; capsule coriaceous, one-celled 

 Seeds : two, arilled. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix : 



five-leaved. Corolla : none. Berry : with two seeds. 



The only known species is, 



1. Delima Sarmentosa. A tree, with scabrous leaves, re- 

 sembling those of Beech ; flowers peduncled, loosely pani- 

 cled, both axillary and terminating ; fruit a coriaceous swell- 

 ing capsule, ending in an incurved beak, very smooth, of a 

 yellow bay colour, opening on one side only by a longitudi- 

 nal cleft ; seeds two, globular, crooked next the base, ber- 

 ried, red, becoming blackish when ripe, fixed to the bottom of 

 the capsules ; theiraril is incomplete.spongy .membranaceous, 

 snow-white, torn at the edge, scarcely covering the lower 

 half of the seed. The leaves, being very thick and rugged, 

 are used by the inhabitants of Ceylon, where it naturally 

 grows, for polishing : and hence they name it korosvcael, or 

 korossawael, from korossa, to smooth or polish. 



Delphinium : a genus of the class Polyandria, order Tri- 

 gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix : none. Corolla : 

 petals five, unequal, disposed in a circle, of which the upper- 

 most in some is more obtuse than the rest in front, and is 

 extended behind into a tubular, straight, long, obtuse horn, 

 and the rest ovate-lanceolate, spreading, nearly equal; nec- 

 tary two-cleft, seated in front within the circle of petals on 

 the upper part, behind stretched out, involved within the 

 tube of the uppermost petal. Stamina : filamenta very many, 

 (fifteen or thirty) subulate, wider at the base, very small, 

 inclined towards the upper petal ; antherae erect, small. Pin- 

 til : germen three or one, ovate, ending in styles the length of 

 the stamina ; stigmas simple, reflex. Pericarp : capsules as 

 many, ovate-subulate, straight, one-valved, gaping inwards. 

 Seeds: very many, cornered. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. 

 Culix : none. Petals: five. Nectary: cloven, produced 

 into a horn behind. Siliques three or one These are 

 mostly specious hardy annuals orperennials ;the lower leaves 

 digitate or palmate, the upper less divided, and sometimes 

 even entire ; the flowers are in loose spikes or panicles at the 

 ends of the stem and branches, of various colours, chiefly 



blue, never yellow. The species are, 



* Unicapsular. 



1. Delphinium Consolida ; Branching Larkspur. Necta- 

 ries one-leafed ; stem subdivided. Root annual ; stalk up- 

 right, a foot high ormore,round, pubescent, divided into alter- 

 nate dividing branches ; leaves alternate, theloweroneson pe- 

 tioles half an inch long, the upper ones sessile or nearly so ; 

 corolla blue, varying to purple, pink, and white, and in gar- 

 dens to striped, and many different shades of colour. In 

 [ English, it is called WildorCorn Lark's-spur, Lark s-daw, and 

 5 U 



