TAG 



TAN 



SYNTHESIS. In chemistry, the 

 production of a compouni] body by a 

 union of its elements or parts. 



SYRINGE'. A macliine consisting 

 of a small cylinder with an air-tight 

 piston or sucker, which is moved up 

 and down in it liymeansofa handle. 

 The lower end of tlie cylinder ter- 

 minates in a small tube, through 

 •which a fluid is forced into the body 

 of the cylinder by the atmospheric 

 pressure when the handle is drawn 

 up. and then expelled in a small jet, 

 by pushing the handle in the opposite 

 direction. The syringe acts on the 

 principle of the sucking pump. Tlie 

 syringe is also used as a pneumatic 

 machine for condensing or exhaust- 

 ing the air in a close vessel, but for 

 this purpose it must be furnished 

 with two valves. In the condensing 

 syringe the valves open downward 

 and close upward ; in the exhausting 

 syringe they are closed downward 

 and opened upward. The rrarden syr- 

 inge, so useful for watering plants, 

 and removing caterpillars, red spi- 

 ders, and other insects, is no more 

 than a large squirt, of a pint or (piart 

 size, which discharges fluid from a 

 rose or perforated end instead of a 

 point. 



SYRUP. A thick solution of sugar. 



SYSTOLE (from aviTM.G), I con- 

 tract). The contraction of the heart, 

 the diastole being its dilatation. 

 These two alternate movements pro- 

 duce the beating. 



SYTHE. See Sajtke. 



TAG AM AH AC A. The Popvlus 

 laJsamica of Canada, which yields a 

 resinous, balsamic exudation in the 

 spring, which is sometimes called Ta- 

 camhac. 



TAG. A sheep of the first year. 

 Tags are the masses of dirt that ac- 

 cumulate on the wool of the tail ; j 

 the process of removing them is call- 

 ed tagging, and sometimes, when 

 they cause the tail to be fastened to 

 the body, that state is called tagbelt 

 or pinning. i 



TAGLI.\. A combination of pul 

 leys, a tackle. 



T T T 2 



T.\GLIAC0TIAN or TALI.\CO 

 TIAN OPERATION. Any opera 

 tion in which the skin is nearly cut 

 from one part and made to cover an- 

 other. 



TAIL DRAIN. The main drain, 

 which receives the water of the less 

 er drains. 



TALC. A mineral closely resem 

 bling mica, but not elastic. 



TALLOW. The melted or ren 

 dered fat of the ox or sheep. The 

 greater part of the bodies of sheep 

 and oxen are thrown into inmiense 

 caldrons, and rendered by steam at 

 a iiigh pressure, in the West and in 

 New Holland. The fat of bones, 

 which amounts to eight or ten per 

 cent., is obtained in the same way, 

 and forms a coarse tallow. Its com- 

 position is similar to that of oils, but 

 the stearin is in excess. 



TALLOW-TREE. Croton sebi/e- 

 rutn. A large, lauraccous tree of 

 China, the seeds of which, when 

 pressed, yield a fatty body very simi- 

 lar to tallow. Some specimens of 

 this tree are found growing in the 

 shrul)beries of the .Southern .States. 



TALKS. A heap of rubliish accu- 

 mulated at the foot of a ciitl'or steep 

 rock. 



TAMARIND. Tamarindus Indica.. 

 A large tree of the leguminous fam- 

 ily, native of the tropical East and 

 West Indies. The prepared pods, 

 preserved in sugar, form a refreshing 

 sweetmeat. They contain much cit- 

 ric acid. 



TAMARIX. The genus Tamarix, 

 small, ornamental shrubs. 



TAMPING. In blasting, filling the 

 hole with sand and pieces of rock 

 after a cartridge has been introduced. 



TANK. "A reservoir for water 

 or other fluids. The name is some- 

 times applied to large open recepta- 

 cles, or ponds, formed by excavating 

 the ground and disposing the removed 

 eartli in the form of banks to retain 

 the water; but the tanks which will 

 here be especially treated of, are the 

 smaller covered reservoirs used to 

 collect and retain water and liquid 

 manure for domestic and agricultural 

 purposes. 



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