K E R 



Xhe Mosful Tartars were farprifed by the Ruffians in i;S3, 

 and defeated with great lofs. 



KERMASIN, a town of Pcrfia, in the province of Ker- 

 man ; i6o miles S.E. of Sirgian. 



KERMES, a kinchof little animal, found in great plenty 

 in many parts of Afia and the S. of Europe, on an ever- 

 green of the oak kind, and forming excrefcences, or iiu/ufis, 

 of confiderabL' ufe, both in phyfic and dyeing. That which 

 was brous;ht from Galatia and Armenia was formerly pre- 

 ferred ; but at prefent it is chiefly gathered in Languedoc, 

 Spain, and Portugal. 



The kermes, called a\(o /^r.rL:' grain, and by the Greeks 

 eoccos baphica, by the Latins vermiculiis, by the French fome- 

 times "u-'rOTiVi^/;, or grain de gale, or •vermeil, is about the iize 

 of a juniper-berry, round, imooth, and gloffy ; of a beauti- 

 ful red colour, and full of a mucilaginous juice, of the fame 

 dye ; it is found adhering to the bark on the ilcm and 

 branches of a peculiar fort of fcarlet oak. See Coccls 

 Jlicis. 



Kermes has been fuppofed to derive its name from an 

 A r.ibic word, fignifyin;.^ a little worm, "vermiculus, whence 

 it lius been called vermilion. Aftruc deduces the name from 

 two Celtic words, one of which fignifies an oak, the other 

 an acorn. 



This infeft hangs to the tree from which it is gathered 

 by means of a cottony down, which, according to M. 

 Chaptal, has many charaftcrilUcs of the caoutchouc, being 

 inf )luble in alcohol, melting at the heat of boiling water, 

 and burning with a flame on the coals. In Languedoc, 

 about the middle of May, when this infecl has attained to 

 its proper fize, and when in colour and (liape it refembles a 

 fmall floe, the harveft commences, and the pcafants begin to 

 ■gather it. This harveil continues till about the middle of 

 June, or later, if the great heats be retarded, or no violent 

 rains fall ; for one heavy ilorm of rain puts an end to the 

 gath..Ting for that year. The perfons employed in this bu- 

 linefs are women, who fet out early in the morning, with a 

 lanthorn and a glazed earthen pot, fo as to pick off the 

 kermes from the branches before day, which is tlie moll 

 favourable time for this bufmefs. A Tingle perfon may ga- 

 ther from one to two pounds a day. At the commencement 

 of the harveil, the kermes weighs more, but fetches a lefs 

 price than at the end, when it is drier and lighter. 



According as the winter has been more or lefs mild, the 

 harveil of kermes is the more or lefs plentiful ; and the 

 people always prefage thernfelves a fine feafon, when the 

 fpring has been free from t'rolls and fogs. It is obferved, 

 that the lowefl and oldell Ihrubsare always the fullell of this 

 infeft ; and the ki-rnies produced on thofe trees, which are 

 in the neighbourhood of the fea, is always larger and finer 

 than from the inland places. 



It is no uncommon thing to have two harvells of kermes 

 in a year. Thofe of the latter feafon are fmaller and lefs 

 valuable than thofe of the lirll, and are found not on the 

 branches, but on the leaves of the flirub ; which is jud 

 analogous to the cullom of the gall-infefts of all other 

 kinds ; all which, about this age, leave the brandies to teed 

 on the leaves, where their yet tender trunks can find an eafier 

 entrance. 



From this analogy between the kermes, and other infefts 

 of the fame clafs, it fliould feem worth while to try, whe- 

 ther fome of thofe may not pofTefs the fame virtues in 

 medicine, at leaft, if not in the arts. It is certain that the 

 common oak produces a red-gall infeifl of the very fiiape of 

 the kermes, and of the colour of the paler ones. Reaumur. 

 Sec the article Cocri;s. 



The kermes is of a vinous fiuell, a bitter, rough, and pun- 



K E R 



genttatle; and its pulp, or juice, is pregnant »i;h numerous 

 nunute ova. 



The ainnial retains thefe ova under her belly, till tliry 

 hatch into a very numerous ofT^pring. 



Hence, when the kermes is dried, there comes out of it 

 an infinite number of little infefts, and (lies, fo fmall, that 

 they are fcarcely vifible ; infomuch, that the whole inward 

 fubllance feems converted into them. This fliell is nothing 

 but the body of the mother, diftended by the growth of ih" 

 eggs. To prevent this inconvenience, they ufually llecp the 

 kermes in vinegar before it be dry ; and tlius prevent the ex- 

 clufion of the ova, and kill fuch animals as are already 

 hatched. It is aftenvards dr'ed on linen cloths. This ope- 

 ration gives it a colour like that of red wine. They draw 

 the juice, or pulp, from the kermes, by pounding it in a 

 mortar, and then firaining it through a fieve : of this they 

 make a fyrup, by adding a fufTicient quantity of fugar. 

 Sometimes they dry the pulp feparate from the hui]< ; which 

 pidp, thus dried, they call pujiel of kermes. If the living ii:- 

 feft be bruifed, it gives out a red colour. 



The kermes was formerly of great ufe in phyfic : cfteemed 

 to be cardiac, deficcative, and aftringent ; 'to fortify the 

 ftomach, and prevent abortion. Of this was made that ce- 

 lebrated confedion called alkermes. 



The reflringent and corroborant confe£lion that was fold 

 in the ihops, was prepared by diflblving, in the heat of a 

 water-bath, fix ouixcs of fine fugar, infix ounces, by mca- 

 fure, of damalk rofe-water ; then adding three ounces of the 

 juice of kermes, warmed and ftraincd ; and after the whole 

 had grown cold, mixing half a fcruple of oil of cinrramon. 

 This confeflion was taken, from a fcruple to a dram, or 

 more, either by itfelf, or in juleps, with which it mingles 

 uniformly, without injuring their tranfparency. 



The dried grains of kermes, if they have not been too 

 long kept, give out, both to water and to redlificd fpirit, 

 the fame deep red colour, and nearly the fame kind of fmell 

 and tade with thofe of the expielTcd juice. The infpiflated 

 extracts are confiderably bitter, allringent, and of a kind of 

 mild balfamic pungency. 



it is, however, of greater ufe in dyeing fcarlet ; for whicli 

 ufe, the manner of preparing it is as follows : the kermes 

 being taken when ripe, theyYpread it on linen ; and at firft, 

 while it abounds moil in moiilure, turn it twice or thrice a 

 day, to prevent its heating, till fuch time as there appears a 

 red powder among it : this they feparate, by paffing it 

 through a fieve, and then again fpread abroad the grain on- 

 the linen, till they perceive the fame rednefs of powder, 

 when they repeat the lifting : thus they proceed, while they 

 difcover any red powder on the furface of the grain, which- 

 is flill palTing through the fearce, till it yield no more. 



In the begimiing, when the fmall red grains arc found to 

 move, as they will always do, they are fpriiikled over with 

 flrong vinegar, and rubbed between the hands. Were not 

 tliis precaution taken, out of every grain would be formed 

 little infeds, which would be of no ufe in dyeing. 



The grain being quite emptied of its pulp, or red pow- 

 der, by the procefs above-mentioned, is wafhcd in wine, and 

 then expofed to the fun ; after this, it is put up into tlu- 

 hufks, formed into balls, and along with it the proportiou 

 of red dull that it had afforded. 



According to M. Marfigli's experiments, made at Mont- 

 pellier, the kermes has the cffetl of galls, when mi.xed with 

 vitriol ; and makes a good ink : mixed with oil of tartar, or 

 lime-water, its colour turns from a vermilion to a crimlon 

 colour. In a decoction of lurnfol flowers, it retains its pro- 

 per colour. They have not been able to get any fixed 

 eUential fait from it ; but a vulatile ^t it yields iu 

 6' abundance : 



