BLO 



BLU 



and then dried in the sun. When 

 well dried, they keep for years in 

 closed bottles. 



BLISTER LIQUID. A liquid com- 

 posed by adding a gallon ol'spint of tur- 

 pentine to a pound of powdered Hies, 

 and macerating the whole for a month, 

 when the clear lluid will form a strong 

 liquid blister. If so powerful an e.\- 

 ternal stimulant be not required, this 

 liquid may be diluted with an equal 

 part of spermaceti oil. 



BLISTER OINTMENT. One 

 ounce of powdered blistering flies ; 

 four ounces of lard. One ounce of 

 this, well rubbed in, is sufficient to 

 blister a horse's leg. 



BLOOD. The fluid which circu- 

 lates through the body, giving nour- 

 ishment to all parts. It consists of 

 albumen, fibrin, red globules, fatty 

 matters, water, and saline substan- 

 ces. As a manure, its importance 

 depends on the large quantity of am- 

 monia it exhales. It is always pref- 

 erable to use it in compost, with ash- 

 es, charcoal, fine earth, and vegeta- 

 ble matters. Its effects are principal- 

 ly stimulant when used alone. The 

 composition of blood is nearly identi- 

 cal with that of flesh. 



BLOOD-i^OOT. Sanguinaria Can- 

 adensis. This root is of a red colour. 



BLOOD-SHOT. In farriery, a pop- 

 ular term for that red appearance 

 which the eye exhibits when infla- 

 med. The best treatment is to bathe 

 the eye with a lotion composed of one 

 drachm of white vitriol (sulphate of 

 zinc) dissolved in half a pint of water. 



BLOOD SPAVIN, or BOG SPAV- 

 IN. In farriery, a swelling of the 

 vein that runs along the inside of the 

 hock of the horse, forming a soft tu- 

 mour in the hollow part, often attend- 

 ed with weakness or lameness of the 

 hock. Clater {Farriery, p. 272) says, 

 a blister is the proper application. 



BLOOM, or BLOSSOM. The flow- 

 er, in the most perfect state, consists 

 of an outer green envelope {the calyx), 

 in the interior of which are the col- 

 oured leaflets {petals), surrounding 

 a number of thread-like bodies {the 

 stameyis), and containing a central 

 body or pistil. Of these parts, the 

 98 



stamens and pistils are essential, al- 

 though they do not always grow in 

 the same flower. The calyx and pe- 

 tals {corolla) serve only to protect the 

 inner organs from rain, which de- 

 stroys their function when excessive. 

 Other plants, however, have none of 

 the envelopes, but are furnished with 

 especial means of preserving the sta- 

 mens. The name of a plant is, for 

 the most part, known by the figure 

 of its blossoms. Large numbers of 

 genera possess flowers of the same 

 kind, and are constituted into Natu- 

 ral families ; as the Caryophyllacea;, 

 with flowers like the pink ; Rosaceae, 

 with flowers like the single rose ; 

 Cruciferffi, with flowers like the rad- 

 ish ; Umbelliferae, with flowers like 

 the parsnip, &c. 



BLOW FLY. The Musca carna- 

 ria. It deposites eggs upon meat, 

 which in a few hours become mag- 

 gots, and hasten the decay rapidly ; 

 gauze cloths are used to keep them 

 off; salt or Cayenne pepper serves 

 as a preventive, by indisposing the 

 fly to lay eggs on surfaces smeared 

 with them. 



BLOWN. In farriery, a diseased 

 slate of the stomach and bowels of 

 cattle, caused by the sudden extrica- 

 tion of air in large quantities from 

 some of the grosser kinds of green 

 food. See Hovcii. 



BLUBBER. The cellular sub- 

 stance in which whale oil or fat is 

 stored. It is often used with advan- 

 tage in composts of ashes and peat, 

 and yields ammonia during decay. 



BLUEBIRD. Sylva sialis. A 

 familiar insectivorous bird that should 

 be encouraged on farms. 



BLUE DYES. These are indigo, 

 Prussian blue, logwood, bilberry, mul- 

 berries, elder-berries, privet-i)erries, 

 and some other berries whose juice 

 becomes blue by adding a little alkali. 

 Indigo, Prussian blue, and logwood 

 are principally used, and are prepared 

 for the purpose. When the berries 

 are used, one pound is boiled in water 

 and mixed with one ounce of alum, 

 of copperas, and of blue vitriol, and 

 the stuffs passed through sufficiently 

 ] often to acquire a proper colour. 



