ELATERS. 



ELECTMCT, Y. 



under surface of the leaflets. This odour en- 

 ables it to be readily recognised from all our 

 other wild roses, except the small-flowered 

 sweetbrier (Rosa micrtintha}, which some be- 

 lieve to be only a variety of R. rubiginosa. The 

 term eglantine is improperly applied by Milton 

 to the honeysuckle 



ELATERS. See BEETLE, SPRIXG-BEETLE. 



ELBOWS. A term applied to the shoulder- ; 

 points of cattle. 



ELDER (Sambucus nigrd). It appears (says 

 Phillips) that we have taken the word elder 

 from holder, the Dutch name of this tree. The 

 common elder tree is a native of England, and 

 is found also in most parts of Europe, as it 

 will grow on any soil, and in situations whTe 

 few other trees would thrive. The stem is 

 much and oppositely branched ; the branches 

 being covered with a smooth, gray bark, and 

 having a large spongy pith; the leaves con- 

 sist <>t' two pair of leaflets, with an odd one. 

 The flowers are in cymes ; the berries globular, 

 deep purple. It may be observed, that our un- 

 certain .summer is established by the time the 

 elder is in full flower, and entirely passed 

 when its berries are ripe. An infusion of the 

 leaves proves fatal to the various insects 

 which thrive on blighted or delicate plants, nor 

 do many of this tribe, in the caterpillar state, 

 feed upon them. Cattle scarcely touch them, 

 and the mole is driven away by their scent; 

 but sheep eat the leaves greedily, and it i>. said 

 to be a cure for the rot. The Rev. Mr. Kaniu- 

 harson, in an able paper in the Tram. 11 

 vol. iv. p. 336, advocates the cultivation of the 

 elder for hedges, from its rapid;- 

 hardihood, and cheapness. The only objection 

 appears to be, that it does not thicken and 

 close up its branches, so as to form an imper- 

 vious fence, like the white thorn. M. Wehrle 

 of Vienna has found, by a series of experi- 

 ments, that the berries of the elder tree produce 

 a much greater quantity of spirit than the best 

 wheat. The spirit is obtained by pressing the 

 berries, the juice of which is treated in the 

 same way as the must of the grape, and after- 

 wards distjlled. If the results obtained by M. 

 Wehrle are confirmed, it will be an additional 

 motive for cultivating a plant which possesses 

 many other useful qualities. (Quart. Journ. A<gr. 

 vol. iii. p. 183.) An odorous water is pre- 

 pared by distilling the flowers ; it is used as a 

 perfume. The inspissated juice of the berries 

 is laxative and diuretic ; and, mixed with wa- 

 ter, forms a cooling beverage in fevers. The 

 inner bark is purgative and emetic. 



A correspondent of the New England Farmer 

 says that the expressed juice of elder leaves 

 will kill skippers in cheese, bacon, &c.; and 

 strong decoctions of the leaves or roots are 

 fatal to insects, which depredate on plants in 

 gardens and fields. Dr. Willich observes, that 

 the leaves of the elder are eaten by sheep, to 

 which they are of great service when diseased 

 with the rot ; for if placed in a situation where 

 they can easily reach the bark and young 

 shoots, they will speedily cure themselves. Dr. 

 Elliott observes in his Essay on Field Husbandry, 

 that elder bushes are stubborn and hard to sub- 

 due, yet I know by experience, that mowing 

 them five times a year will kill them. (N. E. 



Farmer.') Some persons have fv und a verjr 

 effectual plan for destroying elders by taking a 

 pole or staff and beating them down whilst in 

 full blossom. 



The species of elder most common in the Uni- 

 ted States, is called by botanists, Sumhunis Cana* 

 densis. It is often a great nuisance along fence 

 rows and hedges, where its straight stems at- 

 tain a height of 5. 8, or 10 feet, being filled 

 with a large pith. The flowers bloom in July 

 and August, the peduncles spreading out so as 

 to display the blossoms somewhat like an urn. 

 brella. The berries are very abundant, small, 

 juicy, and dark purple, or nearly black when 

 fully ripe. The long roots are very tenacious 

 of life, and very much disposed to spread from 

 lateral joints. The inner bark i.s a popular 

 ingredient in making ointments for sores. An 

 infusion of the bruised leaves is often used to 

 expel insects from young cucumber and other 

 vines. The ripe berries, according to M. Coz- 

 zens, afford a delicate re-a^-nt, or chemical 

 test, for detecting acids and alkalies. There is 

 one other species in the United States, called 

 Sambunu pubens, which is found on the moun- 

 tains in the north-eastern part of Pennsylva- 

 nia. In this the flowers do not spread out like 

 those of the common elder of the M ddle States, 

 but are crowded together so as tr form dense 

 ovoid heads or panicles. The t ;rries are a 

 scarlet red. 



ELDER, BOX. In some pans of the United 

 States, the name of box elder is popularly ap- 

 plied to the ash-leaved maple (Acer negundo"). 

 See MiPLE. 



ELDER, THE WATER (Viburnum opulu). 

 Commonly callnl Snotr-ball. See GL-ELDEH ROSE. 



ELECAMPANE (Inula Helemnm). Called 

 by the French jJunee. This is a plant with a 

 perennial root and annual stem, which has 

 been naturalized in the United States, where, 

 in the old settled parts, it is frequent about 

 houses, road-sides, &c., flowering in July and 

 A n -list. The stem or stalk is downy, and 

 grows to the height of 3 to 6 feet, branching 

 near the top. The leaves are long and large, 

 with much down on the under surface. The 

 flowers are large, and of a golden yellow. The 

 roots, which constitute the medicinal part of the 

 plant, should be dug up in autumn and in the 

 second year of their growth, as when older they 

 are apt to be stringy and woody. The dried root 

 has a very peculiar and agreeable aromatic 

 odour, slightly camphorous. The taste at first 

 is glutinous and somewhat similar to that of 

 rancid soap ; upon chewing, it becomes warm, 

 aromatic, and bitter. A peculiar principle, 

 resembling starch, has been discovered in 

 elecampane, by that distinguished German 

 chemist, Rose, of Berlin, who named it alantin; 

 but the term inulin is most generally adopted. 

 It has been found in the roots of several other 

 plants. In its medical properties elecampane 

 is tonic and gently stimulant, &c. By the an- 

 cients it was much employed, especially in 

 complaints peculiar to females. In the United 

 States, its use is mostly confined to diseases of 

 the lungs. It has also been extolled for its 

 virtues when applied externally for the cure 

 ! of itch, tetter, and other diseases of the skin. 



ELECTRICITY. The application of this 



439 



