CRUCIFERiE. 49 



Geography. — The B. juucea is largely grown in India, whence the seeds 

 are exported to England. 



Etymology. — The si)ecific name, niyra, is Latin for l)lack, due to the black 

 seed. Alba, Latin for white, refers to the white seed. Mustard, the popular 

 name, grew out of the eircunistance that mustard was prepared for the table 

 by mixing it with new wine, called must. 



History. — When or where mustard was first cultivated is not known. It 

 is spoken of in the Scriptures, l)ut it is now believed that the plant referred 

 to was Salvadora Persica, allied to the olive, whose fruit has the taste and 

 pungency of the nuistard-seed. 



The common nmstard, Sinapis, is mentioned by Theophrastus, showing that 

 it was known to the ancient Greeks and Komans, three hundred years before 

 the beginning of the Christian era; hence it has been under cultivation and in 

 use more than two thousand years. It has been cultivated throughout the 

 ages of the Christian era, and was known as a medicine as well as a con- 

 diment for food. During the latter part of the Chri.stian era, especially, 

 it has been used more largely in western Europe and the British islands 

 as a dressing for food than for medical purposes. A pleasant oil is ol> 

 tained from the seed, used for a dressing for food and for making fine 

 soaps. 



Preparation. — When the seeds are ground and mixed with warm water, 

 fermentation takes place, and furnishes a very pungent essential oil. 



Table mustard is prepared by mixing and grinding together the seeds of 

 B. nigra and B. alba, and is frecpiently ground into a paste in its own oil. 

 The species from which the sweet oil of mustard is obtained is the B. juncea 

 (Hook.), largely raised in India and Russia, for the oil. The seeds yield by- 

 pressure about 20 per cent of their weight of oil. 



The pungency of prepared mustard is due to the presence of an essential oil 

 ■which does not exist in the seed, but is generated by the powdered seed when 

 mixed with warm water, and arises from a fermentation due to the presence 

 of two substances, known as myrosin and sinapin. This oil is the most 

 pungent substance known, causing strangulation when breathed. It is not 

 present in the white seed, but a mixture of the white and black produces it in 

 greater abundance than the black alone, and it is found that tlie mixture of both 

 kinds of seeds makes the best mustard for table use. 



Use. — The oil is used in dressings, for salads, etc., and for soap-makingv 

 The seeds swallowed whole act as a tonic and stimulant ; in larger doses, as a 

 laxative. The flour, mixed with warm water, acts as a cpiick emetic. The seed 

 is ground into flour, in which form it is mixed with vinegar or oil, or both, 

 into a paste for table use, as a condiment for meats. Tlie seeds of B. alba are 

 u.sed whole for flavoring fancy pickles. It is also employed in an entire state, 

 to ])reserve cider in a sweet condition. The flour is used for a poultice, as a 

 counter-irritant in inflammations, and as a remedy for stomach disorders and 

 nervous affections. 



In England mustard is much sown as a crop for forage and for green 

 maimring. When sowed at the rate of about 12 lbs. to the acre it gives an 

 al)undant crop of succulent forage, which is cut before the seeds begin to 

 mature, and fed to cattle, sheep, and swine. 



5. B. campestris, L. (Field Turnip.) iStem slender, appearing the second 



year, 18 to 30 inches high, nmch branched, smooth. Lower leaveslyrate. 3 to 7 



inches long; lobes toothed, somewhat iiairy and glaucous underneath, clas})ing 



and terminating in an abrupt acuniiuatiun. Calyx closed. Corolla yellow, 



i'H. Fl. — 5 



