MISCELLANEOUS EDIBLE PLANTS. 219 



Like other seeds before mentioned, its properties depend on its vola- 

 tile oil. The plant is hardy, and is propagated from the seed sown 

 in autum in open situations, on a bed of fresh soil. It is a native of 

 the S. of Europe. 



CUMIN, lagcecia cuminoides, C. 5. O. 1. sp. 1. A. 1 ft. A native 

 of Syria, and cultivated in Europe and some here, for the seeds, which 

 are imported from Sicily and Malta. They have a warm and bitter 

 taste, and contain a large quantity of essential oil possessing a carmi- 

 native and stomachic power. The Dutch put them into bread, and 

 the Germans into their cheese. The seeds are sown in autumn. The 

 officinal cumin is most used medicinally. It is often mentioned in 

 scripture. The odor is strong and aromatic. Its properties reside in a 

 volatile oil, obtained by distillation with water. It is mostly used in 

 veterinary surgery. 



DILL, anethum graveolens, C. 5, O. 2, Umbelliferse, sp. 4, Dh. A. 3 

 ft. This plant grows wild in this country and in Europe, produced by 

 seed on light soil. The seeds have a warm pungent taste and an aro- 

 matic smell ; they have been much used in medicine, and are now put 

 in pickles to heighten their flavor, especially those of cucumbers. 

 They are carminative, and are much used in making gin. Dill re- 

 sembles fennel, but its odor is less agreeable. It is used to relieve 

 flatulency and griping, and is thus used by physicians. The fruit is 

 given to adults in doses of 10 grains to a drachm. The oil is obtain- 

 ed by distillation with water ; its taste is sweetish, hot and penetrat- 

 ing. Dill-water is carminative, and is given to infants with food. It 

 grows spontaneously for years, after sowing in some corner patch. 

 This seed is meant instead of anise in the N.Testament, (Matt.) 



COMMON JASMINE, Jasminum ojficinale, C. 2, 0. 1, Jasmineee, 

 sp. 18-40, DC. 1-5 ft. with while flowers, is a native of the East. There 

 are 30 species. It is highly ornamental, summer and winter, trained 

 against a wall. The flowers exhale a sweet and penetrating odor, 

 from which a grateful perfume is made by soaking cotton in a scent- 

 less vegetable oil, and placing this alternately with layers of flowers 

 in glass vessels. In a few days they give all their fragrance to the 

 cotton, which is separated and the oil pressed out into small glass bot- 

 tles. J. sambac is the species of the most exquisite fragrance, formerly 

 so much esteemed in England as to be placed under guard. J. hirsu- 

 tum is a tall tree, the sweet scented flowers opening during the night 

 and fading at sun-rise. All the species thrive in light loam and peat. 



MISCELLANEOUS EDIBLE PLANTS. 



Among these are many which we have omitted to notice because 

 they fall under no specific head, or are particularly described in the 

 second volume under the heads of Fruits or Medicinal plants. Of this 



