LIT 



LIV 



LITHOMARGE. A kind of de- 

 composed clay slate; sp. gr., 243: 

 ye!lo\visli-gray or bluish, soft, adhe- 

 sive to the tongue, greasy earthy, 

 opaque, giving a shining streak. A 

 variety consists of scaly, glimmering 

 particles. 



LITHONTRIPTICS (from ?uOnc, 

 fend TpiOu, I wear aicai/). Remedies 

 which are supposed to dissolve stones 

 in the bladder. Many bodies have 

 been recommended for this purpose, 

 but none have given remarkable re- 

 sults. An abundance of water acid- 

 uUUed with carbonic acid is the best. 



LITHOTOMY (from /udoc, and 

 Teuvo, I cut). The operation of cut- 

 ting through the perineum into the 

 bladder to extract a stone. 



LITHROTRITY (from ?udoc, and 

 reipu, I break down). The operation 

 of introducing an instrument into the 

 bladder through the natural passage, 

 to crush and break to small pieces a 

 stone. 



LITMUS. Turnsole. A blue col- 

 our prepared from a lichen (Rocella 

 tartarea), and used in the arts (archil) 

 arwl in chemistry. Solution of lit- 

 mus, or paper stained thereby, is of 

 great use iii detecting any acidity in 

 a fluid, the blue changing rapidly into 

 red by the acid. Alkaline mixtures 

 restore the paper so reddened. Both 

 blue and reddened litmus paper are 

 extensively used in the laboratory. 



LITRE. The French standard 

 measure of capacity in the decimal 

 system. The litre is a cubic decime- 

 tre ; that is, a cube, each of the sides 

 of which are 3-937 inches ; it con- 

 tains 61 028 English cubic inches, 

 and is, therefore, rather less than our 

 quart. Four and a half litres are a 

 close approach to the imperial gallon. 



LITTER. The straw, weeds, or 

 other dry substances which are pla- 

 ced under horses and cattle in the 

 stables, cow-houses, farm-yards, pig- 

 geries, &c., for the purpose of keep- 

 ing the animals clean and warm, and 

 providing a supply of manure. In 

 this last view, all sorts of dry mate- 

 rials should be carefully collected and 

 stacked up for winter use. 



LITTORAL, LITTORALIS (from 



litus, the seashore). Of the seashore 

 Littoral formations, in geology, are 

 such as have evidently been ancient 

 sea beaches. 



LIVf] OAK. Quercus vircns. Ev 

 ergreen swamp oak of Florida. 



LIVER. A large gland or viscus, 

 placed, in quadrupeds, on the right 

 side of the body, immediately under 

 the chest, and adjoining the stomach 

 It is saturated with blood-vessels, 

 and separates the bile from blood. 

 Tiie bile is stored up in a small bag, 

 called the gall-bladder, and thrown 

 from hence, during digestion, into the 

 small intestines, to be mixed with the 

 chyme. The function of the liver is 

 of the first consequence to health ; 

 but it is readily impaired, especially 

 in damp, foggy places, subject to ague 

 and bilious fevers. Its action, when 

 insufficient, is rapidly stimulated by 

 the use of calomel. Jaundice and 

 yellowness of the white of the eye 

 indicate disturbance of the liver. 



LIVER OF SULPHUR. A brown- 

 ish substance, of a t'cetid smell. Fu- 

 sed sulphuret of potassium. 



LIVE RLE AF, LIVERWORT. 

 Hcpdtica Amcricajia. An herbaceous, 

 perennial-rooted plant, of small size, 

 found on the skirts of woodlands. A 

 decoction is used in coughs. 



LIVERWORTS. The plants re- 

 sembling Marcantia, &c. 



LIVE STOCK. The cattle, hor- 

 ses, sheep, and swine kept on the 

 farm. 



"The live stock on a farm must 

 vary according to circumstances. 

 The number of horses or oxen kept 

 for the cultivation of the land and 

 other farming operations should be 

 exactly proportioned to the work to 

 be done. If they are too few, none 

 of the operations will be performed 

 in their proper time, and the crops 

 will suffer in consequence. If there 

 are too many, the surplus, beyond 

 what is strictly required, is maintain- 

 ed out of the profits of tlie farm. To 

 have the exact number of animals 

 which wdl give the greatest profit is 

 one of the most important problems 

 which a farmer has to solve ; what 

 may be very profitable in one case 



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