the bulb ofa thermometer; in fome of the prickles I obferved the liquid ftationary, on preffing fuch in particular 
I faw moft plainly the liquor afcend to, and flow copioufly from its very extremity, fee fr. 9. I was the more 
anxious to fee this, as I fufpeCted the poifon might proceed from an aperture in the fide of the fting, near the 
. point, as in the forceps of the fpider, and tooth of the viper, and where it appears to be placed, rather than at 
the extremity, that it may not. take off from its neceffary fharpnefs. i 
Prickmg the fkin of my hand with a needle, I placed fome of the juice on the wound, when it inflantly 
inflamed, and put on all the appearance of a part ftung by a Nettle. 
It has been obferved, that fuch as handle this plant roughly, rarely feel the effe&ts of its fting ; while others, 
from flightly touching it, experience it in all its force; this circumftance is happily expreffed by Aaron Hit: 
7 
“ Tender-handed ftroke a Nettle, 
* And it flings you for your pains ; 
. * Grafp it lke a man of mettle, 
* And it foft as filk remains.” 
L3 
Notwithftanding its roughnefs and ftinging quality, many of the poorer people feek Nettle-tops in the fpring 
with great avidity, as a pot-herb, neglecting the more luxuriant Chickweed, almoft equal to fpinach, growing 
erhaps abundantly juft by it; others religioufly put them im diet-drinks at the fame period, expecting to have 
their whole mafs of blood fo purified as to be free from difeafe for twelve months at leaft. 
Mr. Licurroor informs us in his F/ Scot. that in Arran, and other iflands of Scotland, a rennet is made of 
a ftrong decoftion of Nettles; a quart of falt is put to three pints of the decoétion, and boiled up for ule; a 
common {poonful of this liquor will coagulate a large bowl of milk very readily, and agreeably, as he faw and 
experienced. Í | 
The flalk of the Nettle is found to have a texture fomewhat like that of Hemp, and to be capable of being 
manufactured into cloth, ropes, and paper. 
'The old writers on the Materia Medica, are profufe 1n their encomiums on the virtues of the Nettle, as they 
-are on thofe of moft other plants; but, excepting the benefit which may arife from its external application, its 
virtues we apprehend are extremely problematical. ; | 
Urtication, or whipping with Stinging-Nettles, is an old practice, and recommended in various diforders, 
efpecially lethargy, pally, or numbnels of any particular limb, rheumatic pains, &c. 
The Nettle is refufed by cattle in general; hence we often fee paftures, orchards, &c. disfigured by large 
patches of them, which, as the root is perennial and creeping, are every year increafing; the agriculturift who 
wifhes to improve and embellith his fields, will lofe no time in extirpating fuch. There are fome, however, who 
think differently of this plant; Hrrzm fays, that it affords excellent food for cattle, efpecially. milch 
cows; that it has even been cultivated, and that advantageoully, in Sweden for feeding kine. Ha//. Hifl. p. 287. 
Though this plant is not remarkably advantageous either to man or beaíl, it affords nourifhment to a great 
number of infects; it is the only food of the caterpillars of three of our moft beautiful Butterflies, viz. the 
Atalanta, Paphia, and Urtrice, the principal food of a fourth, the Jo, which I have this year found alfo on the 
Hop, and the occafional food of a fifth, the C. a/éum, which feeds alfo on the hop and the elm; two of our 
moths alfo feed on it, viz. the urticata and the verticals ; befides thefe, which are the principal infects found on 
_ the Nettle with us, a great number of other indifcriminate feeders devour its foliage. ‘The bafe of the leaves in 
autumn is extremely liable to be disfigured by tubercles, which, if opened, are found to contain {mall maggots, 
which probably produce the Mu/ca Uruce of Linnaus; but of this we hope to fpeak with more certainty 
when we treat of the Urtica pilulifera. 

eS 
eget I Comme ROAM So Othe Aah & NE DT LE. 
URTICA wrens Pis oppofitis ovalibus. Linn, Syff. Veg. p. 849. Spec. PL. p. 1396. FL Suec. 863. 
Scopolt FI. Carn. ed. 2. 7. 1174. : 
URTICA fexubus fede disjunétis, foliis ovato-lanceolatis, julis oblongis. Ha//, Hzff. 161 5. 
URTICA minor, Ger. emac. 707. minor annua. Ff. Baub. III. 446. urens minor. Baub. Pin, 993. 
racemifera minor annua. Raz Sys.p. 140. The lefler Stinging-Nettle, Hz4f. FJ. Angl. 
p. 417.. Lightf, FL. Scot. p. 578. 

- Differt a dioica, planta tertia parte humiliore; flori- © Differs from the dioica, in being fcarcely one-third as 
bus monoicis ; radice annua, alba; caulibus ramofiori- i tall; having, male and female flowers on the fame plant; 
bus; foliis multo minoribus et rotundioribus; ftipulis 4 the root annual, white; {talks much branched; leaves 
vix confpicuis; racemis multo brevioribus, mmufque ; much fmaller and rounder; ftipule lefs confpicuous ; 
ramofis. " 4 @ racemi much fhorter in proportion. 
There appears to be no reafon for applying the term wrens to this fpecies in particular, as feveral of the others 
are equally pungent. | 
Of annual weeds, this Nettle is one of the very worft, efpecially 1n light, manured foils, each plant producing 
an immenfe number of feeds, and that in a fhorter time than moft others: Parxinson obferves, that it will 
* beare ripe feed twile in one year;” the young plants are therefore to be cut up with the hoe as foon as they 
ss The great advantage of early hoeing cannot be too ftrongly imprefled on the minds of Farmers and 
Gardeners. 
Reference to the Parts of Fructification. 
Fig. 1. the Calyx of the female flower. Fig. 2. the Calyx of the male flower. Fig. 3. the Stamina, 
Fig. 4, the Pifüllum. Fig. 5. the Seed, Fig, 6. the fame magnified. 
