flowers ai 



BALSAM. 



BARB. 



flowers appear from July to September. The ; tringent ; and is a very popular medicine for 

 most common species, however, is the Fulvous man and beast. For the former, it is used in 

 or Tawny Impatiens, or Touch-me-not, the infusion or decoction, chiefly as a remedy in 

 flowers of which are of a deep orange colour, diseases of the breast. Many persons consider 

 with numerous reddish brown spots. The : it almost a panacea for a sick cow. Its virtues, 

 tender and succulent stems of this plant af- however, are probably overrated. Another 

 ford a domestic application to inflamed tu- species is the White Actaea, or White Cohosh, 

 mours, being bruised in the form of a poultice. 1 found in rocky woodlands, flowering in May, 

 It has sometimes been used for dying salmon- | and not so common as the former. -Its berries 

 red. (Nuttall's Genera, Darlngtons Flora Cr.s- also differ from those of the Black Snakeroot, 

 trica.} The popular name of this plant must | being oval, about a fourth of an inch in diame- 

 not lead to its being confounded with another, ter, milk white, or often tinged with purple 



also called Lady's Slipper, the Stemless Cypri- 

 pedium, a very different plant. 



BALSAM TREE (Tucamahacca). This tree j 

 possesses considerable medicinal virtues. It 

 is known among us as the Tacamahac tree, 

 from its similitude to the real tree of that name, 

 which is a native of the East and of America. 

 The leaves of our balsam tree are long, of a 

 dusky green on the outside, and brown under- 

 neath. The buds of the tree in spring are very 

 fragrant, and a sticky substance surrounds 

 each bud, which adheres to the fingers on 

 tinirhing them. (See TACAXAHACC v.) 



BAN-DOG. A corruption of band- 

 large kind of fierce dog, which was formerly 

 kept chained up as a watch-do-. 



BANDS. The cords by means of which 

 sheaves and trusses are tied. They are formed 

 of twisted straw or hay. 



Bands, where the straw is tender, should be 

 made in the morning, that they may not crack ; 

 for the straw will not twist so well after the 

 sun is up. The turning of three or four of the 

 stubble or bottom ends of the straw to the ears 

 of the band sometimes tend greatly to add to 

 their strength and toughness. 



The bands for the sheaves should not be 

 spread out, except in fair weather, because 

 they will grow sooner than any other part of 

 the corn if rain should come ; for they cannot 

 dry, on account of their lying undermost. But 

 though the bands may be made while the morn- 

 ing dew is upon them, the sheaves ought never 

 to be bound up wet ; for, if- they are, they will 

 grow mouldy. 



UAXE. The disease in sheep generally 

 termed the rot. 



BANE BERRIES (Acttea), and BLACK 

 BANE BERRIES (Htrb Christopher). Pe- 

 rennial herbs, natives of cold countries, with 

 compound or lobed cut leaves and clustered 

 white flowers. The berries of the former 

 are black, red, or white, of the latter, purplish, 

 black, juicy, the size of currants, and have 

 fetid, nauseous, and dangerous qualities. In 

 England these herbs are found sometimes in 

 bushy, mountainous, limestone situations. 

 (Smith'* Engl. Flora.) 



Several species of Acttpa, or Bane-berry are 

 found in the United States. Among those 



mentioned by Dr. Darlington, as met with in 

 Chester county, Pennsylvania, are the Race- 

 mose Actoea, commonly called Black Snakeroot, 

 a perennial, common in rich woodlands, in 

 which the white flowers rising above most 



when fully ripe. (Flor. Cestrica.) 



BANE-WORT. See DEADLY NIGHTSHADE. 

 BANGLE-EARS. An imperfection in the 



rai< of horses. 



BANKS, of rivers and marshes, &c., (bane, 

 Sax.). In agriculture, are heaps or mounds of 

 earth piled up to keep the water of rivers, 

 lakes, or the sea. from overflowing the grounds 

 which are situated contiguous to them on the 



EM It \\KMK\TS.) 



The common la\v of England is very severe 

 against those \\-ho wantonly or maliciously in- 

 jure or destroy embankments. 



The 7 & 8 G. 4, c. 30, s. 12, enacts that if 

 any person shall unlawfully and maliciously 

 break down or cut down any sea-bank, or sea- 

 wall ; or the bank or wall of any river, canal, 

 or marsh, whereby any lands shall be over- 

 flowed or damaged, or shall be in danger of 

 being so, or shall unlawfully and maliciously 

 throw down, level, or otherwise destroy any 

 lock, sluice, or flcod-gate, or other work on any 

 navigable river or canal, every such offender 

 shall be guilty of felony; and, being convicted 

 thereof, shall be liable, at the discretion of the 

 court, to be transported beyond the seas for 

 life, or for any term not less than seven years, 

 or to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding 

 four years ; and if a male, to be once, twice, or 

 thrice publicly or privately whipped (if the 

 court shall so think fit), in addition to such im- 

 prisonment. 



For protecting embankments exposed to 

 water washing against them, a thick coat of 

 the joint grass, or, as it is likewise called, the 

 Bermuda grass, (Cynodon dactylon, PI. 7, k,) 

 is one of the best means that can be adopted. 

 It is of a remarkably creeping nature, and 

 grows very luxuriantly where, no other grass 

 will live, as on the sea-coast, and on poor loose 

 soils. It is taken advantage of by the rice 

 planters of the Southern States, whose exten- 

 sive embankments are much exposed to the 

 washing of water against them, and which are 

 greatly protected from injury by the dense mat 

 of joint grass made to grow upon them. Its 

 extirpation is extremely difficult where it has 

 once got possession. Mr. Nuttall says there 

 is only one species (the C. dactylon} common 

 to Europe, North America, and the West India 



Islands. (Nnttairs Genera.) 



BANNOCK. The Scotch name for a small 

 loaf or cake. 



BARB. A general name for horses import- 

 ed from Barbary. The barb, one of the most 



other surrounding plants, are very conspicuous celebrated of the African racers, is to be met 

 in the month of June. The plant has an op- with throughout Barbary, Morocco, Fez, Tri- 

 pressive, disagreeable odour when bruised. I poli, and Bornou. It seldom exceeds fourteen 

 The root is somewhat mucilaginous and as- hands and a half in height. The countenance 



M 133 



