HAIR GRASS. 



HAM. 



abundant kind, which lies close to the skin, 

 and called " fur." With respect to structure, 

 Eberle has proved that the sheath of the hair 

 is vascular, and the substance of the hair is 

 Ifortned by the secretion of horny matter on 

 'the surface of the vascular pulp. 



The organization of the hair is such as to 

 allow of its undergoing certain changes when 

 once formed, according to the state of health 

 and general condition of the rest of the frame, 

 and even to be affected by loss of colour in 

 consequence of violent mental emotions in the 

 human subject. Some of the lower animals, 

 as the Alpine hare, are subject to periodical 

 changes of colour of their fur, by which it is 

 made to harmonize with the prevailing hue of 

 the ground which they habitually traverse. The 

 chemical properties of hair were first pointed 

 out by Mr. Hatchett, in his paper in the Phil. 

 Trans, for 1800. It chiefly consists of an in- 

 durated albumen, and when boiled with water, 

 it yields a portion of gelatin. Soft flexible 

 hair, which easily loses its curl, is that which 

 is most gelatinous. Vauquelin discovered two 

 kinds of oil in hair: the one colourless, in all 

 hair; the other coloured, and imparting the 

 peculiar tint to hair. Black hair also contains 

 iron and sulphur. The following is his analy- 

 sis: 1. An animal matter, constituting the 

 greatest part. 2. A white solid oil^mall in 

 quantity. 3. A grayish-green oil, more abun- 

 dant. 4. Iron ; state unknown. 5. Oxide of 

 manganese. 6. Phosphate of lime. 7. Car- 

 bonate of lime, very scanty. 3. Silica. 9. 

 Sulphur. Leuwenhoeck (Phil. Ttians.) and 

 Hooke (Micrographia, p. 156) have published 

 their microscopical observations on hair. 



Human hair makes a very considerable 

 article in commerce, for wigs, &c. The hair 

 of horses is extensively used in the manufac- 

 ture of chairs, sofas, saddles, &c. ; while the 

 hair or wool of beavers, hares, and rabbits, &c., 

 is much employed in the manufacture of hats, 

 &c. The refuse hair of different animals, par- 

 ticularly the short hair from hides, and that of 

 hogs, when it can be procured in sufficient 

 quantity, will be found useful as a fertilizer; a 

 fact that might readily be imagined when it is 

 known that its chemical properties closely ap- 

 proximate to those of horn. 



HAIR GRASS. See AIRA. 



HALESIA. The name of two beautiful spe- 

 cies of shrub, or small trees, natives of North 

 Carolina and other Southern States. They are 

 known by the familiar names of silver-bell and 

 snow-drop tree, and are highly ornamental, 

 producing very early, whilst the tree is com- 

 pletely leafless, a profusion of snow-white 

 hanging blossoms, having a pleasant odour and 

 very much frequented by humming-birds, bees, 

 and other insects. The flowers are disposed 

 in bunches all along the branches, each bud 

 producing from 4 to 8 or 9. The flowering 

 continues during two or three weeks, and the 

 blossoms are succeeded by pretty large winged 

 juiceless drupes, hanging likewise in bunches. 

 The tree is propagated by cuttings or suckers 

 from the roots, and appear to stand the severe 

 winters of more Northerly States, very well. A 

 Halesia, with several distinct trunks from the 

 original root, is now flourishing at the seat of 

 76 



J. Cowperthwait, Esq., near Bristol, Pennsyl- 

 vania. It is quite an old tree, and has attained 

 the height of 35 or 40 feet. There are two 

 species of halesia, one called flower-winged 

 (H. tetraptera), and the other the two-winged 

 (H. diptera). The leaves of the latter are six 

 times the size of the former, and the fruit has 

 two large wings and two minute ones. 



HAM (Dutch, hammen: Fr. jambon). In 

 commerce denotes the thigh of a hog or bear 

 salted and dried, so as to preserve it in a state 

 possessing a pungent and agreeable flavour. 

 York, Hants, Wilts, and Cumberland in Eng- 

 land, and Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland, 

 are the counties most famous for producing 

 fine hams. Those of Ireland are comparatively 

 coarse, and without flavour. See BACON. The 

 hams of Portugal, Westphalia, and Virginia 

 are exquisitely flavoured, and are in high esti- 

 mation. The method of curing harns in the 

 most celebrated districts, is to rub them very 

 hard with bay or other salt ; then leave them 

 mi a .stone bench, in order that the brine may 

 discharge itself. In a few days the rubbing 

 process is repeated; about half an ounce of 

 saltpetre (nitrate of potassa) being added to 

 each ham. When they have continued about 

 a week longer on the bench, or in the salting- 

 tub, among the brine, they are commonly hung 

 up to dry in the sides of large open chimneys; 

 some have them exposed to the smoke of wood, 

 peats, coals, or other sorts of fuel, while others 

 carefully avoid having them smoked. And 

 when not sold sooner, they are continued in 

 these situations till the approach of warm wea- 

 ther, when they are packed up in casks with 

 straw, or the seeds of oatmeal, and consigned 

 for sale. Hams lose about 20 per cent, of their 

 weight in drying. 



Hams may be cured in order to resemble, in 

 taste, those of Westphalia, by the following 

 process : Cover a young ham of pork with dry 

 salt; let it be for 24 hours to draw off the blood; 

 then wipe it perfectly dry, and take one pound 

 of brown sugar, a quarter of a pound of salt- 

 petre, half a pint of bay salt, and three pints 

 of salt ; incorporate these ingredients in an 

 iron pan over the fire, and stir them continu- 

 ally till they acquire a moderate degree of heat. 

 In this pickle the ham must be suffered to re- 

 main for three weeks, frequently turning it, 

 when it should be suspended in a chimney for 

 drying by means of smoke from no other but a 

 wood fire. The smoke from oak saw-dust or 

 shavings is the best for imparting a fine fla- 

 vour. This smoke contains imperfectly formed 

 pyroligneous acid, which is the agent that com- 

 municates the flavour to the Westphalia hams. 

 In Dumfriesshire the pickle for hams is some- 

 times made with one-half ale, which renders 

 the hams shorter, and adds greatly to the rich- 

 ness of their flavour. The imports of bacon 

 and hams into England, have been kept low by 

 the heavy duty of 28s. exacted on each cwt. 

 But the duty having been recently greatly re- 

 duced, a large amount of hams cured in Ame- 

 rica will be sent to the English market. In 

 1842, the duty on foreign hams imported into 

 England was reduced to 14s. the cwt., or just 

 half of what it had been for many years. On 

 those imported from British colonies the duty 

 3E GC1 



