HOM 



HOO 



prickly Christmas holly, naturalized 

 in Virginia, is the 1. aquifolium; the 

 native holly of the Middle States, oft- 

 en becoming a tree of 30 feet, is the 

 I. opaca. The prickly holly is much 

 used for hedges in England ; a good 

 bird-lime is prepared from the inner 

 bark. The I. vomitoria, or cassitia, is 

 a handsome southern shrub. The 

 decoction of the toasted leaves is the 

 Indian black drink : it is emetic. 



HOLM. A marshy place or island. 



HOLM, or HOLLY OAK. Qucr- 

 cus ilex, a European species. 



HOLY GRASS. Holcus odoratus. 

 See Grasses. 



HOMESTEAD. The regular ar- 

 rangement of farm buildings. 



HOMMIN Y. Corn, usually of the 

 smaller white flint kinds, bruised in 

 a mill or mortar until the external 

 covering is removed, and then sifted. 



HOMOGAMOUS (from o/iov, to- 

 gether, and ya/iog, marriage). \^'hen 

 all the florets contain both sexes. 



HOMOGENEOUS (from ofiov, and 

 ■yevoc, kind). Bodies, all the parts of 

 which are similar in composition. 



HOMOLOGOUS (from ofiov, and 

 Aoyoc, ratio). Having the same ratio 

 or proportion. 



HOMOPTERAXS, HOMOPTERA 

 (from 6/j.ov, and Tzrepor, a icuig). The 

 name of an order of insects, inclu- 

 ding those in which the wing-covers 

 are of a uniform semi-membranous 

 consistency. Latreille divides this 

 order into the three following divi- 

 sions, viz. : 



1. The Cicadaria:, having the tarsi 

 three-jointed and the antennae very 

 short, terminated by a tine bristle. 



2. The Aphtdians, having the tarsi 

 two-jointed and the antennas longer, 

 without a terminal bristle ; contain- 

 ing the families Aphida and Psyllidce. 



3. The Gallinsecta, having the tarsi 

 one-jointed, terminated by a single 

 claw. The males have two wings, 

 and are destitute of a mouth ; the fe- 

 males are wingless, and furnished 

 with a sucker. 



HOMOTROPAL (from 6nov, and 

 rpenu, I turn). In botany, having the 

 same direction as the rest of the 

 plant, or that part to which it belongs. 



HONEY. The fluid stored by bees; 

 it is collected from flowers and hon- 

 ey-dew. The colour and flavour de- 

 pend upon the age of the bees, and 

 their food ; white clover and some 

 aromatic plants of the sage family- 

 yield the best. Chemically, it con- 

 sists of glucose, mannite, gum. wax, 

 colouring matter, andalbumen. When 

 mixed with water it readily ferments ; 

 a liquor is made in this way called 

 mead. See Bee. 



HONEY-DEW. An exudation of 

 sweet gummy matter from the leaves 

 of plants, especially the oak, beech, 

 linden, and hop. Curtis and Willde- 

 now, with many other naturalists, at- 

 tribute it to the excretions of innu- 

 merable plant lice, Apkidians ; but 

 Sir J. E. Smith and others to the 

 exudation of sap during very moist 

 hot weather, especially when the sky 

 is overcast, hindering evaporation 

 from the leaves. If the honey be 

 washed off by rain or by watering, 

 the plant usually survives ; but if it 

 becomes caked on the leaf by hot 

 weather, it is killed. Bees flourish 

 exceedingly on honey-dew. The 

 plants of a well-drained soil are much 

 less liable to honey-dew than those 

 in damp places. 



HONEY LOCUST. Gleditschia 

 triacanthos. Three-thorned locust. A 

 large leguminous tree. It is very 

 common in the western forests of 

 Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, &c., on 

 rich bottoms, where it is one of the 

 largest trees. The pods furnish a 

 sweet but nauseous pulp. The wood 

 is porous, but hard ; it is inferior for 

 cabinet purposes, and rarely used, ex- 

 cept for posts and rails. The young 

 plants are recommended by some for 

 hedges, and are to be often pruned ; 

 they form a good hedge, but are apt 

 to throw out shoots from their roots 

 to a considerable distance from the 

 stem. 



HONEY-STONE. A rare miner- 

 al, mellate of alumina, belonging to 

 the class of ambers and lignites, found 

 only in Thuringea. 



HONEYSUCKLE. Climbing 

 plants of the genus Lonicera, &c. 



HOODED. CucuUaCe. A descrip- 



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