FLI 



FT.O 



nrnsrle and fat of animalsi, lint more 

 strictly tlic muscle or lean only. Lean 

 moat consists of 20 per cent, fibrin, 

 with three per cent, of albumen, col- 

 ouring matter, and salts ; the rest, 

 77 per cent., being water : it diflers 

 very little from blood. M'aste flesh 

 or garbage should be added to the 

 compost heap, with lime and earth ; 

 100 ()ounds yield 3| pounds of ammo- 

 nia during decay, and therefore, when 

 composted, 400 pounds will be enough 

 for the acre. 



FLEXIBILITY. The capacity of 

 bending without breakage. It is a 

 relative property, depending upon 

 temperature, thickness, &c. 



FLEXORS. The name of those 

 muscles which produce the flexion 

 or bending of the arm or leg. 



FLEXUOSE. Fullof bendingsto 

 the one side and the other. 



FLIES. Insects furui.shed with 

 two wings (Diplcrn), and li%'ing by 

 suction, or on animals and meats. 

 Several distinct families exist, viz., 

 the TachinadcB, which deposite their 

 eggs in caterpillars ; the SarcophuffcF, 

 which are viviparous, producing liv- 

 ing maggots, and living on putrid 

 meats. One fly often produces 20,000 

 young. The htromoxys genus, inclu- 

 ding the sharp stinging horseflies, 

 which lay their eggs in dung ; the 

 Muscadcp, or house and meat flies, 

 which infest butchers' stalls and 

 houses : the latter lay eggs in dung. 

 The house fly is readily destroyed by 

 exposing plates of infusion of quassia, 

 green tea, &c., sweetened, or intro- 

 ducing some active poison, as arse- 

 nic or corrosive sublimate, into mo- 

 lasses and water : they also avoid 

 dark rooms. 



FLIGHTS. The husk or glumes 

 of oats are so called. 



FLINT. A variety of silica, con- 

 taining water and stained with iron, 

 found intcrstratified with chalk in 

 Europe, but not discovered in Amer- 

 ica. 



FLINT GLASS. A glass com- 

 posed of fine sand and red-lead, hav- 

 ing a high refractive power, and used 

 by opticians. 



FLITCH OF BACON. The 

 298 



I side, or shoulder, and middling to- 

 gcHier. 



FLOAT. A raft of timl)pr to bo 

 floated. To cover meadows with wa- 

 ter. 



FLOAT BOARDS. The boardfj 

 attached to the circumference of an 

 under shot-wheel. 



FLOCCUS. The loose hair at the 

 end of the tail of some animals. 



FLOODGATE. Any contrivance 

 or gate to regulate the flow of water ; 

 a sluice. A common floodgate is de- 

 picted in Trriiration. 



FLOODING. See Inisxalion. 



FLORETS. The flowers of a ca- 

 pitulum. like the sunflower. 



FLORIDA ARROW-ROOT. See 

 Sag^o. 



FLOSS SILK. The silk broken 

 off from cocoons in the filature, wliich 

 is carded and worked like cotton, fur 

 coarse fabrics. 



FLOUR. The meal of wheat, for 

 the most part. The amount of flour 

 made by a variety of grain is a prime 

 consideration, some kinds producing 

 more than others. On an average, 

 a bushel of sixty pounds yields, of 

 family flour, forty-eight pounds ; of 

 pollard, eight pounds ; bran, three 

 pounds, and a loss of about one 

 pound. The finest is that from wheat 

 cut in the dough, which also weighs 

 from three to five pounds more the 

 busliel, is whiter, and softer to the 

 touch. The true value of flour is, 

 however, its gluten, which is the nu- 

 tritious portion. Common kinds rare- 

 ly exceed twelve per cent. ; but of 

 choice kinds, some furnish thirty ; 

 the amount is determined by wash- 

 ing a piece of dough on a fine hair 

 seive until water runs through it 

 without milkiness ; the remaining 

 portion, which is very tenacious, con- 

 sists of impure gluten ; it should be 

 dried at 300, and weighed. There 

 is not a finer flour than that produced 

 from the white flint varieties of 

 wheat, and white May. 



A barrel of flour should contain 196 

 pounds. The sack, which is used in 

 England, contains 280 pounds. 



FLOUR MILL, A HAND. The 

 figure represents a very neat hand 



