B L U 



Blowing nf a Flotuer, among Flor'ijls, an artificial pro- 

 cefs in ordi-r to bring a flower to difplay itfelf with greater 

 perfection and beauty tlian it would arrive at in the natural 

 way of blowing. The ufual method is thus : about April, 

 when the flower ftems begin to put forth, ox Jphiclk, as the 

 gardeners call it; they place by each flower a itrait flick foui- 

 feet long, and tie the fpindles to it as they fhoot. As foon 

 as the flower-buds appear, they leave only owe of the largell 

 on each flower-ftem to bloflbm. About ten days before 

 the flowers open themfelves, the round-podded kinds will 

 begin to crack their huilis on one iide, when the careful 

 paidener, with a fine needle, fplits or opens the huHi on the 

 fide oppofite to the natural fraftion ; and about three or 

 four days before the complete opening of the flower, cuts 

 ofF with a pair of li:ifrars the points on the top of the flou'er- 

 pod, and lupplies the vacancies or ( penings on each fide of 

 the hu(l< with two fmall pieces of vellum or oil-cloth, flipped 

 in between the flower-leaves and the infide of the huflc ; by 

 fuch means, the blofibm will difplay its parts equally on all 

 fide?, and be of a regular figure. Befides this care, when 

 the bloflbm begins to ihew its colours, they ufe to fliade it 

 from the extreme heat of tlie fun with a trencher-like board, 

 or other device of the like nature, faftened to the flick 

 which fupports it ; for the flowers, as well as fruits, grow 

 larger in the (hade, and ripen and decay fooneft in the 

 fun. 



In Heraldry, a fleur de lys is faid to be blown, cfpanoiii, 

 when its leaves are opened, fo that buds appear among 

 the fleurons. The arms of the city of Florence are urgent, 

 ajlcur de lys bloivn, gides. 



ViLOW itiG-fnahe, in Zoologv, a name given by the people 

 of Virginia to a fpecies of ferpent much refembling the 

 European viper, but coufiderably larger, and very remark- 

 able for its inflating and extending the furface of its head 

 before it bites. Its wound is very fatal. 



BLOWN Red, in the manufafture of porcelane. See 

 Red. 



BLUBBER, in Phyfiology and Trade, the fat which in- 

 vefts the bodies of all large cetaceous fifli, ferving to furnifli 

 an oil. 



The blubber is properly the adeps of the animal : it lies 

 immediately under the flcin, and over the mufcular flcfti. 

 In the porpoife, it is firm and full of fibres, and invefts the 

 body about an inch thick. In the whale, its thicknefs is 

 ordinarily fix inches ; but about the luider lip, it is found 

 two or three feet thick. The whole quantity yielded by one 

 of thcfe animals ordinarily amounts to forty or fifty, fome- 

 times to eighty or more hundred weight. Phil. Trauf. N° 



77- P- "75- 



The ufe of the blubber to the animal feems to be partly 

 to poife the body, and render it equiponderant to the water; 

 partly to keep off the water at fome diftance from the 

 bloo^l, the immediate contaft whereof would be apt to 

 chill it ; and partly alfo for the fame ufe that cloaths 

 ferve us, to keep the filh warm, by reflefting or reverbe- 

 rating the hot fl;eams of the body, and fo redoubling the 

 heat ; fince all fat bodies are, by experience, found lefs 

 fenfible of the impreffion of cold than lean ones. 



Its ufe in trade and manufaftures is to furnifli train-oil, 

 which it does by boiling dow:'. Formerly this was per- 

 formed afliore in the countries where the whales were caught ; 

 but of late the fifliers do not go afliore, they bring the blub- 

 ber home, flowed in caflvs, and boil it down there. 



BLUBBFR-//i;«.r. The livers of cods, which having been 

 barrelled, yield fpontaneoufly a confiderablc quantity of oil, 

 which being flciinmed oflf, the refidue are called islubber- 

 Lvers, to be boiled down for more oil. 



Vol. IV. 



th 



B L U 



Blubber, _/i'^, a denomination given by our navigators t» 



e urUca marhm. or i'ea-rettle. Phil. Trant. N" 3-19. 



BLUDENTZ, in Geograply. See Pludentz. 



BLLTE, one of the fevcn primitive colours of the rays of 

 light, into which th.ey are divided, when refrad^ed through a 

 glafs prifm. See Colours, and REri'.ACTiON. 



Anciently blue was the fymbol of the fea ; for which 

 reafon, in the Circenfian game?, the combatants v.h.o re- 

 prefented the fea were clad in blue; and thofe who had 

 diftingtiiflied themfelvts by any notable exploit at fea, weve 

 rewarded with a blue enfign. 



Mr. Boyle has given us the following method of makii.g 

 tranfparent blue, nearly equal to ultramarine. The principal 

 ingredient of this beautiful colour is '.he cyanus, or blue 

 corn-bottle flower, which abounds almoft in every corn-field, 

 and may eafily be had during four of the fummer months. 

 It may be gathered by children about the verges of com- 

 lields, without doing any damage to the corn. This flower 

 has two blues in it, one of a pale colour in the large outer 

 leaves ; and the other of a deeper blue, that lies in the 

 middle of the flower. Both thefe will do, being feparatcd 

 from the buttons or cafes in which they grow ; but th.e 

 deep blue leaves in the middle produce much the bell colour : 

 this may be obfcrved by rubbing the leaves while they are 

 frefli upon a piece of writing-paper, fo hard as to cxprefs 

 the juice, wluch will yield an excellent colour, that by the 

 experience of two or three years has not been fcund to 

 fade. A fufficient quantity of thefe middle leaves being 

 procured, let the juice be prefled from them ; to which a 

 little alum being added, will give a lafting tranfparent blue, 

 fcarc^-ly inferior in brightnefs to ultramarine. It is very 

 probable, that if the chives of thefe flowers were cured in 

 the fame manner with faffron, they would produce a much 

 greater body of colour, from which a tindture might be 

 drawn with more eafe than when prefled frefli from the field. 



Mr. Boyle alfo recommends another fine blue, produced 

 from the blue leaves of rue beaten in a ftone mortar with a 

 wooden peflle, and then put in water for fourteen days or 

 more, wafliing them every day until they are rotten. Thefe 

 beaten up at laft, water and all, until they become a pulp, 

 and then dried in the fun, will make a fine blue for 

 fhading. 



Blue A/Im, Cemlres bleues. See Verditer. 



Blue bice, is a colour of good brightnels, next to Pruf- 

 fian blue ; it is alfo a colour of a body, and flows well from 

 the pencil. See Bice. 



Blue, m Dying. See Dying, Indigo, and Woad. 



Blue black. See Black. 



Blue enamel. Sec Azure Enamel. 



Blue, Flanders, is a colour feldom ufed but in land- 

 fcapes, as being apt to turn green,. The French 'call it 

 cendre -verte, or green aflies. 



'Sihve. for painting or ftaining glafs. See Glass. 



Blue Japan. See Japhnning. 



Blue Indigo. See Indigo. 



Blue Z./V»n/j, or Lacmus. See Litmus. 



Blue, Painters', is made differently according to the 

 different kinds of paintings. In hmning, frefco, and mi- 

 niature, they ufe indifferently ultramarine, blue aflies, and 

 fmalt ; thefe are the natural blues, excepting the laft, which 

 is partly natural, partly artificial. See each under its proper 

 head. In oil and miniature they ufe indigo, blue bice, blue 

 verditer, lapis armenus, fmalt, and litmus, alfo a counterfeit 

 ultramarine. Enamellers and painters of glafs have blues 

 pecuhar to themfelves ; each preparing them after his own 

 manner. See Enamelling, Fainting en Glass, aiid Neu- 

 mann's Chem. Works, by Dr. Lewis. 



4 O Blue, 



