SKI 



SKI 



Tvell as prepare cheefe from it, finding thefe the moft pro- 

 fitable applications of it. 



The refult of a number of trials has (hewn, that in form- 

 ing fl<im-milk, about ten ounces of butter is taken from 

 twelve pints of milk, under the fcalding praftice. See 

 Dairying. 



SKiM-Mili Cheefe, that fort of cheefe which is made from 

 fkim or flcimmed-railk. It is moftly a poor inferior fort of 

 cheefe, though much of it is made in different diftrifts of 

 the kingdom. It is, however, frequently a priftice to take 

 away the cream from only a certain portion of the milk that 

 is intended for cheefe, as that of the night meal, &c. In 

 Devon(hire, when cheefe is to be made, much care is taken 

 that the milk be not heated fo far as to produce bubbles 

 under the cream, which is firil to be taken off from it, or 

 when it is to be ufed with it. 



SKIMMER, in Ornithology. See Rvnchops. 

 SKIMMIA, in Botany, a name adopted by Ksmpfer 

 from its Japanefe vernacular appellation, Mijanea Siimmi. — 

 Kacmpf. Amcen. fafc. 5. 779. Thunb. Nov. Gen. 57. 

 Fl. Japon. 4. Schreb. 81. Willd. Sp. PI. v. i. 671. 

 Mart. Mill. Did. v. 4. Jud'. 425. — Clafs and order, Te- 

 trandria Monogynia. Nat. Ord. Plants incerta fedis ; Juff. 



Gen. Ch. Cal. Perianth inferior, of one leaf, very fmall, 

 permanent, cloven nearly to the bafe into four, ovate, acute 

 legments. Cor. Petals four, ovate, concave, minute. 



Stam. Filaments four, very Ihort ; antherg Pift. 



Germen fuperior, roundifh ; ftyle folitary ; lligma 



Perk. Berry ovate, umbilicated, (lightly furrowed, fmooth, 

 full of mealy pulp, and fplitting imperfeftly into four parts. 

 Seedt four, nearly triangular or convex externally, oblong, 

 white. 



Obf. The Perianth is occafionally cloven into five feg- 

 ments. 



Eff. Ch. Petals four, concave. Calyx four-cleft. Berry 

 with four feeds. 



I. S.Jtiponica- Japanefe Skimmia. Thunb. Japon. 63. 

 Kaempf. Ic. Seleft. t. 5. — Native of .Tapan, near Nagafaki, 

 ripening its fruit in December. St(m flirubby, eretk, fmooth. 

 Branches alternate, nearly fquare. Leaves at the fummits 

 of the branches, alternate, ilalked, numerous, oblong, un- 

 dulated, entire, (lightly notched towards the tip, ereft, 

 about a finger's length, with a reflexed margin ; green and 

 rugofe above ; pale and dotted beneath. Footjtalks convex 

 beneath, flat above, thickilh, fhort. Flowers white, on 

 round, thickened ilalks, in terminal panicles. 



The foliage is evergreen, and has an aromatic flavour. 

 SKIMMING-DlSH, in Rural Economy, that fort of 

 light thin-edged di(h, which is employed in fltimming the 

 cream off the furface of milk, in the praftice of the dairy. 

 Difhes of this kind are made either of hard wood or tin, 

 being formed in a nice, thin, light manner, with fine fharp 

 edges. See Dairying. 



SKiMMiNG-5'/>a(/^, in .Agriculture, that fort of fharp- 

 mouthed fpade which is employed in fkimming or paring off 

 the graffy furface, or fward of land, which is intended to 

 be burnt. See Paring and Burning. 



SKIN, in Anatomy, a large thick membrane, fpread 

 over the whole body, ferving as the external organ of feeling, 

 and as a covering and ornament of the parts underneath. 

 See Integu.ments. 



Saiti, Difeafes of the. See Cutaneous Dlfeafes ; where 

 an outline of the clalTification of thefe maladies, devifed by 

 the late ingenious Dr. Willan, by whom the pathology of 

 thefe negleftcd and undiftinguifhed diforders has been greatly 

 elucidated, will be found. For more particular information, 

 confult the articles Leprosy, Lichen, Psoriasis, Por- 



Rioo, Herpes, &c. and Dr. Bateman's Praft. Synopfig of 

 Cutaneous Difeafes, according to the arrangement of Dr. 

 Willan. 



Skin, in Rural Economy, the hide of an animal. The 

 refufe and wafte of it which are caufed by the different manu- 

 faftures, and which arife in the various purpofes to which it 

 is applied, are capable of forming very ufeful manures, when 

 they are in any fuitable quantity ; fuch as the chips of the 

 fhoemaker, the dreffings and trimmings of the currier, the 

 clippings of the farrier, and the wafte offal matters of the 

 tan-yard as well as the glue manufaftory. 



It has been fuggefted by the writer of the work on "Agri- 

 cultural Chemiftry," that the gelatine which is contained 

 in every kind of fkin is in a ftate fitted for its gradual fo- 

 iution or decompofition ; and that when buried in the foil, 

 it lafts or continues for a confiderable time, and conttantlv 

 yields a fupply of nutritious matter to the plants, which are 

 placed within the neighbouring range of its aClion. All 

 wafte matters of this nature fhould therefore be carefully 

 preferved for the purpofe of being applied as manures. 



Skin, in Commerce, is particularly ufed for this membrane 

 ftripped off the animal, to be prepared by the tanner, flcin- 

 ner, currier, parchment-maker, &c. and converted into 

 leather, &c. 



The ufe of flcins is very ancient ; the firft garments in the 

 world having been made of them. The Danes and other 

 northern nations have a long time dreffed themfelves in /kins. 

 Moroccoes are made of the fliins of a kind of goats. (See 

 Morocco. ) Parchment is ufually made of fheep-flcins ; 

 fonietimes of goat-fliins. (See Parchment.) Velomisa 

 kind of parchment made of the fkin of an abortive calf, or at 

 leaft of a fucking calf. (See Velom.) The true fhammy 

 is made of the fkin of an animal of the fame name ; though 

 frequently it is counterfeited with common goats' and (heep- 

 Ikins. See Shammy. 



The Indians in Carolina and Virginia drefs buck and doe- 

 flcin in this manner : the felt being taken off, they ftrain 

 them, with lines or otherwife, much like the clothiers' racks, 

 in order only to dry them. When the hunting time is over, 

 the women drefs the fliins, by putting them in a pond or hole 

 of water, to foak them well ; then with an old knife, fixed 

 in a cleft ftick, they force off the hair whilft they remain 

 wet. This done, they put them into a kettle, or earthen- 

 pot, and a proportion of deer's brains, dried and preferved 

 for this purpofe, is put along with them ; this vellel is fet 

 on the fire till they are more than blood-warm, which will 

 make them lather and fcour clean ; after this, with fmall 

 fticks, they wreft and twift each flvin, as long as they find 

 any wet to drop from them, letting them remain fo wrefted for 

 fome hours, and then they untwiil and ftretch each of them 

 in a fort of rack, fo that every part is extended, and as the 

 flcin dries, they take a duU hatchet, or fome fuch inftrument, 

 and rub them well over to force all the water and greafe out 

 of them, till they become perfectly dry, and then their work 

 is done. 



In this manner one woman (for the men never employ 

 themfelves in this work) will drefs eight or ten fkins in a 

 day, that is, begin and finifh them. Phil. Tranf. No. 194. 

 See Buff. 



For the manner of preparing fhagreen, fee Shagreen. 

 Skins, lacquering and gilding. See Lacquer. 

 SKINK. See SciNcus. 



SKINKER, a cup-bearer, or butler. See Arch Butler. 



SKINNER, Stephen, in Biography, an antiquary, was 



born about the year 1622, in or near London. He received 



his academical education at Chrift-church college, Oxford, in 



the year 1638, but the civil war caufed him to leave the uni- 



verfity 





