BOTANICAL. INDEX. 
17 
filaments ; they become rigid and brittle and lose their irritability. On the 
other hand, on the application of narcotics, as prussic acid or belladonna, the Irrila* 
bility is destroyed by the filaments becoming flaccid and relaxed. 
The berries hang in a pendulous raceme, to correspond with the previous bunch 
of flowers, are of a bright red or scarlet color, oval or oblong, and each one con- 
tains from one to nine oblong, hard seed. The berries contain free malic acid, which 
form a very pleasant jelly, jam or preserves. It is sometimes candled, and, when 
green, is aiso sometimes pickled in vinegar. In all olir correspondence we fail to 
find any locality in America outside of New England, where the fruit is employed 
as an article of food, and in New England it is only used when other fruits are 
scarce, or among the poorer class of people. 'The reason for which may be, briefly 
stated in the fact that the fruit is too acid to use in its natural state, and as we have 
so many other fruits requiring so much less sugar to overcome the large quantity of 
acid, there is no economy in its use. It is quite probable, however, a valuable flavor- 
ing extract could be obtained from these berries, which perhaps, may some day be a 
popular-article of manufacture and merchandise, The only place in Europe where 
they are much used is in Rouen, France, and their Berberry Preserves have a world- 
wide reputation. 
The wood and inner bark of all species (including natives of India and Son 1 1 1 
America) are an astri ngent and of a yellow eolor,and furnish a yellow dye, and together 
with the root contain a principle analagous to that of rheubarb, called in ehemisiry, 
berberinc, which is a cathartic. The roots, boiled in an alkaline ley, yield a yellow 
dye used in Poland for coloring leather. The bark of the barberry, of which a 
purgative decoction was formerly made, was much celebrated as a remedy In jaun- 
dice, but it has long since been discarded from modern practice, as its claims as a 
medicinal plant only rested upon the doctrine of similitude which assumed that na- 
ture, when she made, a plant, impressed upon it some sign to point out its curative 
properties to those who properly sought such knowledge. In this way, it was sup- 
posed, that, as the patient’s skin in jaundice is yellow, so the yellow bark of the 
barberry indicated it as a reined}' for this diseased condition. (Treasury of Botany), 
The young, acrid, astringent leaves were used to strengthen the gums. B. Li/citlm , 
the Li/chlm iiulicum of Dioscorioides is used to this day in India for ophthalmy. — 
(Hooker). 
Being so very hardy, and the new growth covered with sharp spines, it is well 
adapted to plant for hedges, for which it is used to a limited extent, and would be 
still more so but for the idea among farmers that it produces the blight or rust to 
corn, rye, wheat, &c., if grown in its proximity; for which reason chiefly 
New England farmers desire its extermination. . Scientific investigation lias proven 
very satisfactorily that the fungus called smut, and the rust of the barberry, are the 
same, often, however, under conditions to present different forms; but ttie presence 
or absence of the barberry hush will probably have very little influence on the dis- 
ease (smut) on wheat, the conditions of the season without doubt being the primary 
cause. 
LA JIG E GOOSEBERRIES. 
||R. Slicarn, of St. Leonards, writes : “I saw in one of your late issues 
that thirty-seven gooseberries (sent to one of your correspondents) weigh- 
^ ed one pound, and some measured four and one-half by three and onc- 
5c-? 1 ‘J - half inches; it maybe interesting to you to know that Flowerdale is not 
1 ~ ' L the only place that can produce large gooseberries. Out of a small basket 
ot gooseberries we had gathered, nineteen weighed one pound; one 
measured five by five inches ; two ditto, five and one-fourth by four and one-half 
inches; two ditto, five by four and one-fourth inches. The bushes are only three 
years old. Four weighed over a quarter of a pound.” But we have received from 
Mr. Robert Kean, the well known nursery gardener and seedsman, of the Sandhill, 
a sample of gooseberries which look like small apples, and top everything yet re- 
corded. There are rough red and white, and smooth red and white, and sixteen of 
grown at his father's garden at Entally, it took twenty-four to weigh a pound. In 
tact 1 weighed them myself, and can speak authentically. This puts Flowerdale in 
the shade a little,= Launceston, Tasmania, ( Australia ) Examiner. 
