THE PRINCIPLES Ofr BOTANY. 
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country chemist for these consist of anything but the real 
material. The powders of these seeds are usually obtained 
ready prepared from the wholesale houses, and we may guess 
what is given to our agricultural horses by the following 
from Rennie’s f Supplement to the Pharmacopoeia’: 
“ Pulvis anisi. Anise powder, when genuine, is made 
by pulverising the seeds, and adding a few drops of oil of 
anise to improve the flavour by supplying the volatile prin¬ 
ciple which is drawn off by the trituration. 
“ Adulteration. —With guaiac, linseed, fennel seeds, tur¬ 
meric, Dutch pink, ivory black, stone blue, sago, barley-meal, 
rape oil, &c., which can only be detected by the experienced 
eye.* Of the same kind are all the seed and other vegetable 
powders sold for the same purpose. Foenugreek-seed powder, 
though belonging to another order, is a constant ingredient 
in drinks for yellows, and this is how it is made : 
“ Pulvis FcENUGRiECi, Foenugreek powder, the seeds of 
the Trig onella foenum-gr cecum reduced to powder, and used 
in making emollient cataplasms, &c. 
“ Adidterated with pease flour, bean flour, turmeric, 
boxwood, sawdust, and powdered chalk or whiting.”f 
We have adverted to this subject before, and happy would 
it be for the owner of horses if his groom or carter mixed no 
other dirt with the nostrums ; but when they mix pure 
antimony, arsenic, or vitriol, in dangerous quantities, there 
is no wonder we so often hear of valuable horses being 
poisoned by ignorant grooms or stupid carters. 
Professor Tuson,in his f Veterinary Pharmacopoeia,’ gives 
no less than seven active drugs prepared from the order, as 
follows: 
Anisi fructus : aniseed. 
Assafoetida: gum and enema. 
Carui fructus ; caraway seeds. 
Coriandri fructus : coriander seeds. 
Galbanum: gum. 
Anisi oleum : oil of anise. 
Coni tinctura : tincture of hemlock. 
These are all more or less narcotic, stimulant, and antispas- 
inodic. This is a small proportion compared with what is, 
or rather was, in use among our rustics. 
We must now content ourself with having pointed out 
the nature and origin of some of our more important roots 
and vegetables. There is, however, reason to think that many 
forms not now brought into cultivation would well repay 
* ‘ Rennie/ 1829, p. 356. 
f ‘ Rennie/ p. 360. 
hi. 
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