240 [Assembly 



The BoKhard clover (melilotus major) rises from six to ten feet 

 high, is coarse — may be cut Ibnr or five times in cue season — 

 must be sown in drills — must be kept free from weeds — is peren- 

 nial — does well in Virginia — its stalks when ripe make-good hemp^ 

 when prepared in the same way that hemp is. Two pounds of its 

 seed are enough for one acre. 'Alsike clover is supposed to be 

 a hybrid between common red and white clover — is very hardy, 

 stands well the winter of Sweden, is perennial, runs close to the 

 ground. 



COTTON.— LINDLAY'S VEGETABLE KINGDOM. 

 Tlie cotton of commerce is the hairy covering of the seeds of 

 several species of gossypium. 



Royle's Illustrations and Wright's contain excellent accounts of 

 this plant and of the various species used in commerce. (Vide.) 



POTATO.— SOLAJNACE^. 

 The number of the species is very great in tropical America. 

 In this order of plants it is an anomaly that the deadly Night- 

 shade and Henbane, as well as the wholesome Tomato and Potato 

 belong to it. The leaves and berries of the potatoes, however, 

 are narcotic, while the tubers are wholesome. This is the case 

 with other succulent roots of the dangerous families, such as the 

 casava among the Spungeworts. Besides, as De Candolle justly 

 observes, " II ne faut pas perdre de vues que tons nos alimens 

 renferment une petite dose d'un principe excitant, qui, s'il y etait 

 en plus grande quantite, pourrait titre nuisible, mais qui y est 

 necessaire pour lear servir de condiment naturel." i. e. We must 

 not lost sight of the fact, that all our aliment contains a small 

 dose 0^ some exciting principles, which would, if there was a 

 great quantity of it, be injurious to our healths — but the little 

 dose, like a condiment is natural and proper. 



Or as a small dose of Cayenne pepper is good and a large one 

 dangerous. 



Among the solanaceaj are also found tobacco, atroi)a, belladonna, 

 and stramonium. The worst of the whole race is found at the 

 Cape of Good Hope, that is the acocanthera venenata, a large bush 

 wilh fragrant flowers. A decoction of the bark reduced to a jelly, 



