I N 



S I S 



■SILVF.R BUSH. See / nthyllis. 



S I LVEH THEE. Sec Protka. 



SIMPLER'S.IOY. Scf Vf.ukena. 



SINAPIS, a gtmis containing a plant of the 

 luTvtlv hcrbaceons annual kind. 



It belongs to t'le class and order Telradi/uamia 

 SdiqiW'ia, and ranks in the natural order oi' 

 iSUif/uostv or Cniciforriws . 



'J he characters are: that tlie calvx is a four- 

 '3eaved perianth, spreading : leaflets linear, con- 

 cave-channelled, crucit'orm -spreading, decidu- 

 ous : the corolla four-petallcd, crucit'orm : petals 

 roundish, flat, spreading, entire: claws erect, 

 linear, scarcely the lengili of the calyx : nec- 

 tarcous glands tour, ovate: one on each side be- 

 tween the shorter stamen and the pistil, and 

 one on each side between the longer slamens 

 and the calyx : the stamina have six awl-shaped 

 iiianients, erect : two of them opposite, the 

 length of the calyx, and four longer: anther* 

 from erect spreading-, acuminate : the pistillum 

 is a cylindrical germ : stvle length of the germ, 

 height of the stamens : stigma capitate, entire: 

 the pericarpium is an oblong silique, toross be- 

 \ow, rugged, two-celled, two-valved : parti- 

 lion for the most part twice the length of the 

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

 bular. 



The species cultivated are: 1. S. cilha. While 

 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 stiffish 

 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 indentefl or lobed, the ter- 

 minating segment very broad and large, and fre- 

 quently a pair of small wings on the petiole : the 

 lowerones deeply pinnatiiid; the upper ones subly- 

 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 lof 

 Germany, 8cc. 



It is generally cultivated in gardens as a sallad 

 herb, with Cresses, Radishes, &c. 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. 

 3 



Tt is the flour of the seed o: this plant thai 

 afi'oids the common mustard for the table. 



Cullure. — The first sort is sown along with 

 other small saliad herbs at all times of the year, 

 sometimes every v.eek or fortnight, in a bed or 

 border of light earth, sown gencraliv 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 always cut for use whilst in the seed-leaf 

 and but a few days old ; otherwise they become 

 too strong and rank-tasted for use. See Sallah 

 Hkrbs and .Small Salla-dixr. 



In order to have seed of this sort :for o-arden 

 use, it should be sown on an open spot of 

 ground in March or April, either thinly in driJIs 

 a foot asunder, or broad-cast all over the surface, 

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

 they will furnish 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 o^en 

 fields : in cither case, 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 -town in shallow drills 

 a foot asunder, and be slightly covered in : the 

 plants soon come up, and when they have fo\ir 

 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; after 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 

 cither 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 plaivt 

 of the hardy herbaceous kind. 



•It belongs to the class and order Tflradijna- 

 mia Siliquoaa, and ranks in the natural order of 

 S'diqiiosw, Cntcijonnes or Crucijero'. 



The characters are : that the calyx is a four- 

 leaved perianth : leaflets lanceolate-linear, spread- 

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

 Icd, cruciform : petals oblong, 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 pistilkmi is an oblong filiform germ: 

 stylescarcely any: stigmaobtuse: the pericarpiura 

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



