\' 
N I G 
y. Nic- ella ( Orient alls ) piftillis denis corolla longiori- 1 
bus, Hort. Ckff. 2.15. Fennel-flower w>ith ten pointals 
which are longer than the petals. Nigella Orientals, 
fiore fiavefcente, femine alato piano. Tourn. Cor. 19. 
Fennelflower of the Eafi , with a yellowijh flower , and 
a plain winged feed . 
The firft fort grows naturally among the Corn, in j 
France, Italy, and Germany, fo is feldom propagated . 
in gardens •, this rifes with flender (talks near a foot 
high, which fometimes branch out at the bottom, and 
at others they are fingle, gamiflipj with a few very fine 
cut leaves, fomewhat like thofe of Dill ; each ftalk is 
terminated by one ftar-pointed flower of five petals, 
which are of a pale blue-colour, and have no leafy in- 
volucrum under them •, thefe are lucceeded by cap- 
fttles, having five {hort horns, which incline different 
ways at the top, and are filled with rough black feeds ; 
there is a variety of this with white flowers, and ano- 
ther with double flowers. 
The fecond fort grows naturally in Spain and Italy, 
among the Corn ; this rifes with an upright branching' 
ftalk a foot and a half high, garnifhed with leaves 
much longer and finer than thofe of. the firft. The 
flowers are large, of a pale blue, and have a long 
leafy involucrum under each : thefe are lucceeded by 
larger fwelling feed- veffels, with horns at the top-, of 
this there is one with fingle white flowers, and another 
with double flowers, which is fawn in gardens for 
ornament. 
The third fort grows naturally in Crete ; this rifes 
about the fame height as the former. The leaves are 
not fo finely cut as thofe of the fecond, and are a little 
hairy. At the top of each ftalk is one flower, com- 
pofed of five white petals, which are flightly cut at 
their end into three points •, thefe are fucceeded by 
oblong fwelling feed-veffels, with five horns at the 
top, filled with fmall pale-coloured feeds. 
The fourth fort grows naturally in Crete ; this rifes 
with branching italics about a foot high, garnifhed 
with fhorter and broader leaves than either of the 
other fpecies. At the top of each branch is one 
flower, having no involucrum •, they are compofed 
of five oval petals, and have five pointals longer 
than the petals ; the feed-veffel is not much fwollen, 
and has five flender horns at the top ; the feeds are 
of a light yellowifh brown colour. 
The fifth fort is alfo a native of Crete ; this rifes 
with a branching ftalk a foot high, garnifhed with 
leaves like thofe of Larkfpur. The flowers have five 
large oval petals, which are entire, and ten pointals 
which are fhorter than the petals, and a great num- 
ber of green ftamina with blue chives ; the feed- 
veflfels are like thofe of the laft fort. 
The fixth fort rifes a foot and a half high •, the lower 
leaves are finely cut, but thofe on the ftalks are cut 
into broader fegments. The flowers are larger than 
thofe of the other fpecies, and are of a fine blue co- 
lour : the pointals of this are of equal length with the 
petals ; the feed-veflel has five horns, and is of a 
firmer texture than any of the other. This grows na- 
turally in the fouth of France and Spain ; there is a 
variety of this with double flowers. 
The ieventh fort grows naturally in the Corn-fields 
about Aftppo v this rifes with a branching ftalk a 
foot and a half high, garnifhed with pretty long leaves, 
which are finely divided. The flowers are produced 
at the end of the branches j they are compoled of five 
yellowifh leaves or petals ; at the bafe of thefe are 
placed eight nedariums, between which arife a great 
number of ftamina, with an unequal number ofger- 
men, fome having but five, others have eight or nine ; 
they 'are oblong and compreffed •, thefe afterward be- 
come fo many oblong compreffed feed-veffels, joined 
together on their inner fide, terminating with horns, 
and open longitudinally, containing many thin com- 
preffed feeds, having borders round them. 
The varieties of thefe with double flowers, are chiefly 
propagated in gardens for ornament ; but thofe with 
fingle flowers are rarely admitted into any but botanic 
N I T 
gardens, where they are preferred ' for the fake of 
variety. 
Ali^ thefe plants may be propagated by lowing their 
feeds upon a bed of light earth, where .they are to re- 
main (for they feldom fucceed well if transplanted ;) 
therefore, in order to have them intermixed amongffc 
other annual flowers in the borders of the fiower-gar- 
oen, the iceos fliould be fown m patches at proper 
diftances ; and when the plants come up, you muft 
pull up thofe which grow too clofe, leaving but three 
01 lour Oi them in each patch, obferving alfo to keep 
them clear from weeds, which is all the culture they 
require. In July they will produce their flowers, and 
their feeds will ripen in Auguft, when they fliould be 
gathered and dried; then rub out each fort fepa- 
rately, and preferve them in a dry place. 
The feafon for fowing thefe feeds is in March ; but 
if you fow fome of them in Auguft, foon after ’they 
are ripe, upon a dry foil and in a warm fituation, they 
will abide through the winter, and flower ftrono- the 
Succeeding year; fo by fowing the feeds at different 
times, they may be continued in beauty moft part of 
the fummer. 
They are all annual plants, which perifli foon after 
they have perfected their feeds ; which, if permitted 
to (carter upon the borders, will come up without- any 
farther care. 
NIGELLASTRU M. See Agrostemma 
NIGHTSHAD E. See Solanum. 
NI G H T S FI A D E, the Deadly, See Belladonna. 
NIL. See Anil. 
MISSOLIA. See Lathyrus. 
NITRE is a kind of fait, impregnated with abun- 
dance of fpirits out of the air, which renders it vo- 
latile. 
MonfieurLeClerc gives us the following account of it: 
In Egypt they make a great quantity of it, but it i« 
not fo good, for it is dufky, and full of knots and 
ftones. 
It is made almoft in the manner that fait is made, 
but only that they ufe fea-water in their fan-works, 
and the water of Nile about their Nitre. 
When the Nile retires, their Nitre -pits, (land {baking 
for forty days together ; but as the Nitre is grown 
firm, they are in hafte to carry it off, left it fliould 
melt again in the pits. They pile it up in heaps, and 
it keeps very well. 
The Memphian Nitre grows ftrong, and there are fe- 
veral pits of ftone thereabouts ; out of thefe they 
make veffels, and fome they melt down with fulphur 
among their coals. 
This fame Nitre they ufe alfo about fuch things as 
they would have to laft a long time. 
The proof of the goodnefs of Nitre is, that it be very 
light, very friable, and very near of a purple colour. 
There is but very little difference between the natural 
and artificial Nitre ; but that the one refines itfelf, and 
the other is refined by art, as fait ; and, indeed, all 
Nitre is a kind of fait, and hardly differs from fait, 
properly fo called, farther than in thefe refpefts. 
That well refined Nitre is more acid and light than 
fait, and eafily takes fire. 
The reafon of which difference, he fays, feems to 
be ; 
1. That the angles at both ends of the oblong parti- 
cles of Nitre are fhorter than the angles of the laline 
particles. 
2. That the particles of Nitre are finer and fuller of 
pores ; which, when the particles of fire get in, they 
foon put the nitrous particles into a hurry, till they 
break to pieces, and turn to flame. 
3. Nitre exceeds fait in lightnefs, becaufe the faline 
particles contain more homogeneous .matter in the 
fame compafs, than the nitrous do. 
Dr. Lifter tells us, he viewed the particles of Nitre 
through a microfcope, and found them to have fix 
angles, parallelogram ftdes, and pointed like a pyra- 
mid at one end. 
Some 
t 
