694 



TOXICACEOUS HERBS. 



perennial, a native of Britain in calcareous "pastures^ and formerly cultivated 

 as a vermifuge, and for other purposes in domestic medicine. It is found 

 beneficial to poultry, and should be planted in poultry grounds ; and it is 

 also used as a substitute for hops in beer. It is easily propagated by 

 cuttings or division. 



1589. The rue, Ruta graveolens L., is a rutaceous evergreen under-shrub, 

 a native of the south of Europe, the leaves of which are sometimes eaten 

 with bread and butter, and frequently given to poultry for the croup. They 

 also make a beautiful garnish. 



1590. The horehound, JMarriibium vulgare is a labiaceous perennial, 

 a native of Britain on dry chalky or gravelly soO, and was formerly in 

 demand as a cure for coughs and asthmas, for which candied horehound is 

 still a popular remedy. 



1591. The hyssop, Hyssbpus officinalis Z,., is a labiaceous evergreen 

 under-shrub, a native of the South of Europe, the leafy tops and flowers of 

 which are gathered and dried for making hyssop tea and other purposes. 



1592. The balm, JNIelissa officinalis L., is a labiaceous perennial, a native 

 of Switzerland, of which balm tea and balm wine used to be made. 



1593. The blessed thistle, Centaurea benedicta L., is a carduaceous annual, 

 a native of the South of Europe, an infusion of the leaves of which is con- 

 sidered as stomachic. 



1594. The liquorice^ Glycyrrhiza glabra J^., is a leguminous deep-rooting 

 perennial, cultivated in fields more frequently than in gardens for its saccha- 

 rine juice, which is used as an emollient in colds, fevers, &c. 



1595. The blue melilot, Melilotus cajrulea L. (Baume du Perou, Fr.), 

 is a leguminous annual, a native of Switzerland, Bohemia, &c., remarkable 

 for its powerful fragrance, which is used in Switzerland to aromatise the 

 Schabziguer cheese, and there and in other countries to perfume clothes, 

 and affi)rd, by distillation, a fragrant water. In a dried state, the perfume 

 is more powerful, and it is retained for upwards of half a century. — (^Bou 

 Jard. 1842.) 



Sect. XIV. — Toxicaceous Herbs. 



1596. The poisonous plants cultivated in gardens for the purpose of 

 destroying insects or vermin are few, and indeed the tobacco is almost the 

 only one. 



1597. The tobacco, Nicotiana Tabacum L., is a solanaceous annual, a 

 native of South America, and cultivated to a limited extent in gardens for 

 horticultural purposes. " It is used to fumigate hot -houses ; large infusions 

 of it are put into most washes that are prepared for extirpating insects ; and 

 by dr^'ing and grinding it into the form of snuff, it is found very efficacious 

 in destroying the green-fly on peach and rose trees out of doors." The best 

 variety is the large-leaved Virginian. 



1598. Propagation and culture. — The practice in the Hoi*t. Soc. gardens is 

 as follows : — The seeds were sown about the middle of March, covered very 

 lightly with fine loam, and placed upon a moderate hot-bed. When the plants 

 were come up, and had acquired sufficient strength, they were pricked into shal- 

 low pans, about two inches apart ; they were then gradually inured to the open 

 air on good days, and finally planted out in the middle of ]\Tay, at three feet 

 apart, in rich ground. They were shaded with flower-pots, and occasionally 

 watered, till tliey had taken root and begun to grow. No more attention 



