ALL 



ALM 



fervx). They are cellular and crypto- 

 gamic. 



ALIMENTARY CANAL. The 



passage from the mouth through the 

 stomach and intestines. 



ALITKUNCK, ALITRUNCUS. 

 In entomology, the posterior segment 

 of the thorax of an insect, to which 

 the abdomen is affixed, and which 

 bears the legs, properly so called, or 

 the two posterior pairs, and the 

 wings. 



ALIZARINE. The red colouring 

 principle of madder. 



ALKALI, ALCALI. A term ori- 

 ginally applied to the ashes of plants, 

 now generally used to designate pot- 

 ash, soda, lithia, and ammonia, which 

 are also termed vegetable, mineral, 

 and volatile alkali. These substan- 

 ces have certain properties in com- 

 mon, such as neutralizing and form- 

 ing salts with the acids, reddening 

 several vegetable yellows, and chan- 

 ging some blues to green, and ready 

 solubility in water. Lime, baryta, 

 strontia, and magnesia have been 

 called alkaline earths, from their an- 

 alogous action on vegetable colours. 

 Lithia is also one of the alkalis. A 

 singular class of bodies have been dis- 

 covered in vegetables, which have 

 been termed alkalis, or alkaloids, 

 chiefly in consequence of their pow- 

 er of saturating, and forming delinite 

 salts with the acids. Morphia, quin- 

 ia, &c., are substances of this descrip- 

 tion. 



ALKALIMETER. A graduated 

 glass tube employed in determining 

 the quantity of real alkali in commer- 

 cial potash and soda, by the quantity 

 of dilute sulphuric acid of a known 

 strength which a certain weight of 

 these saturates. 



ALKANET. Anchusa tinctoria. 

 The root of this plant, which is a na- 

 tive of the warmer parts of Europe, 

 contains a red resinous colouring 

 matter, which it imparts to alcohol 

 and oils ; it is used to tinge some 

 ointments, especially lip-salves, of a 

 red colour. 



ALLANTOIS. A membrane at- 

 tached to the extremity of the ali- 

 mentary canal in the fetal calf and 

 12 



other animals. It contains the allan- 

 toic fluid. 



ALLSPICE. The pimento. 



ALLUVIU.M, ALLUVION. A soil 

 formed by the deposites of ancient 

 rivers, or washed I'rom hill-sides by 

 floods. The character of the soil dif- 

 fers with the country through which 

 the flood has passed ; hut it is al- 

 ways rich, because it contains matter 

 finely divided, and much organic re- 

 mains. It is not to be confounded 

 with diluvium, w^hich signifies an an- 

 cient gravel. 



ALMOND. Amygdalus argentea 

 and nana. Tiie silver and dwarf al- 

 mond ornamental shrubs. 



ALMOND-TREE. Amijgdahisrom- 

 muiiis. Varieties : bitter, sweet ten- 

 der shell, sweet hard shell, long fruit, 

 and peach-almond of large size. The 

 tree is of small size, bears an abun- 

 dance of flowers, and may be grown 

 advantageously south of Maryland. 



Propagation. — All the species and 

 varieties are propagated by seeds, 

 budding, grafting, layers, and occa- 

 sionally they will produce suckers, 

 which may be successfully planted 

 out. When stocks for budding or 

 grafting upon are wanted, or new va- 

 rieties desired, these are obtained by 

 sowing the fruit stones, though they 

 may be budded or grafted on mussel- 

 plum stocks. 



The stones of the last season's 

 produce should be sown in October, 

 upon a bed of light, rich soil, about 

 three inches apart, and covered four 

 inches deep with fine soil. This is 

 indispensable ; for when the soil is 

 left in lumps, the shoots are often 

 forced into a crooked direction, and 

 this causes the trunk to be deform- 

 ed, and unfit to become a fine tree. 

 "S^'hen the surface of the seed-bed 

 has been smoothed, a covering of rot- 

 ten tanner's bark or leaf mould, to 

 the depth of two inches, must be laid 

 upon it, which being light, prevents 

 the fruit-stones from being damaged 

 by any severity of winter. At the be- 

 ginning of May this covering of bark 

 or leaves must be raked clean off the 

 bed. The stones might be reserved 

 till spring, and be sown at the end of 



