ivy. 51 



Many beautiful allusions to this plant may be found in the 

 works of our own poets, which our limits will not allow us to 

 transcribe. 



Qualities and general Uses. — The roots of Ivy are used 

 by leather-cutters, to whet their knives upon. The wood is some- 

 times employed by turners ; it is soft and porous, and vessels 

 made of it may be turned so thin as to transmit liquors ; hence, 

 with the ancients, according to Pliny, it had the reputation of 

 separating wine and water when the two were mixed together, viz., 

 by retaining the wine, and allowing the water to filter through its 

 pores. Bohmer states, that both the leaves and branches are 

 useful in tanning. A decoction of the leaves has been used to dye 

 the hair, and to remove stains caused by ink or fruit. The resin 

 which exudes from the old branches is employed in the Arts, in the 

 composition of certain varnishes, and is said to attract fish. As a 

 cultivated plant Ivy, is useful for covering naked walls or trees, 

 and sides of houses, or for training into fanciful shapes, as of 

 human figures, &c , on skeletons of wire-work, or trained up a 

 stake so as to form a standard. The flowers, which appear late in 

 the season, are much resorted to by various insects, and the berries 

 are food for wood -pigeons, blackbirds, thrushes, &c, in the spring. 

 Sheep are not averse to the leaves, especially in severe weather ; 

 horses also will eat them, but they are refused by cows and goats. 



The leaves are inodorous, but nauseous, slightly bitter, and 

 austere to the taste. The recent berries are somewhat acid ; when 

 dried, they become bitterish and slightly acrid. The resin which 

 exudes from the old stems, either spontaneously or by incision, is 

 met with in commerce in small irregular compact masses of a 

 brown colour, streaked with red ; it is friable, gritty, and of a 

 slight resinous flavour ; it is almost inodorous ; it burns, however, 

 with a yellowish-white flame, and diffuses a fragrant odour. It is 

 not dissolved by the saliva when masticated, and is insoluble in the 

 fixed and volatile oils, to which, however, it gives a yellow colour- 

 ing matter, and is only partially soluble in alcohol ;* hence, it 

 would appear, that this substance is not a pure resin. An aqueous 

 infusion of the dried berries or leaves is of a reddish colour, which 

 is not much affected by sulphate of iron ; they also yield, by dis- 

 tillation, a very small quantity of volatile oil, and when treated 

 with alcohol, an abundant resinous extract. 



* Bergius ; Mat. Med. torn. i. p. 160. 



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