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BROMELIA. 
everywhere prospers under cultivation. Though 
a coarse grass, and containing comparatively 
little nutriment, it is much superior to the spiked 
and wood species of fescue. A long-leaved va- 
riety of this species, DB. g. longifolius, grows wild 
on the sea-shores of Scotland, is usually about a 
foot taller than either the normal plant or the 
three-flowered variety, and presents some claims 
upon the cultivator’s attention. 
The roof species, A. tectorwm, is a biennial, and 
was introduced to Britain from the continent of 
Europe in 1776. It has a nodding panicle, and 
usually grows to the height of about a foot. Its 
produce per acre, on a light sandy soil, is 7,486 
Ibs. of herbage, and 350 Ibs. of nutritive matter. 
—The unarmed or awnless species, B. inermis, has 
a smooth stem and an awnless panicle. Its pro- 
duce per acre, on a black siliceous sandy loam, is 
12,251 lbs. of herbage, and 689 lbs. of nutritive 
matter—The pendulous species, B. pendulinus, 
is an annual grass of two feet in height, and was 
introduced from the continent of Europe in 1817. 
—The shaggy or maned species, B. jubatus, is 
also an annual grass from the continent of Eu- 
rope, and was introduced from Italy in 1823.— 
Two annual species, called Willdenow’s and 
Schrader’s, were introduced in 1835.—The clothed 
species, B. vestitus, is a curious greenhouse peren- 
nial, brought from the Cape of Good Hope in 1816. 
—All the other introduced species are hardy, and 
eleven of them are perennials ; but none are wor- 
thy of cultivation as agricultural grasses. 
BROMELIA. A genus of evergreen herbace- 
ous plants, forming the type of the natural order 
Bromeliacee. This order comprises the genera 
ananassa, agave, tillandsia, bromelia, buonapar- 
tea, littzea, billbergia, caraguata, guzmannia, fur- 
croea, pitcairnia, and pourretia. All are natives 
either of the tropics, or of countries which have 
a tropical climate. Four or five species are cul- 
tivated in the greenhouses, and about one hundred 
in the hothouses, of Great Britain. They are re- 
markable for the dryness, hardness, rigidity, and 
spininess of their grey foliage. They are exceed- 
ingly succulent, generally acidulous, and, in many 
instances, epiphytal, forming vast and dense fes- 
toons among the trees of tropical forests. The 
flowers of most are pretty, and either white or 
blue ; and those of some are remarkably beautiful 
and fragrant. The eatable pine-apple is the most 
useful; and the other genera differ from this, far 
less in general appearance, than in the simple 
want of a fleshy fruit. The most beautiful gen- 
era are bromelia and billbergia; and the most in- 
| teresting are agave and tillandsia. 
Upwards of a dozen species of the genus brome- 
lia have been introduced to Britain. The two spe- 
cies which have been longest in cultivation, B. 
Pinguin and B. Karatas, were brought from the 
West Indies, the former in 1690, and the latter 
in 1739. The leaves of the one are very like 
some species of aloes, but not so thick or succu- 
lent, and sharply indented on their edges, and 
BRONCHOCELE. 
armed with strong black spines. The flower- 
stem rises from the centre of the plant to the 
height of about three feet. The lower part of 
the stem is garnished with entire leaves, growing 
alternately from the joints; and the upper part 
is decorated with a loose spike or thyrse of 
flowers. The leaves of the other old species are 
shorter than those of the former, sharply serrate 
on the edges, and of a deep green colour. he 
flower-stem rises from the centre of the plant, 
which divides upward into several branches; | 
and the upper parts of these are garnished with 
spikes of flowers, which come out alternately 
from the side of the branches, each having im- 
mediately below it a narrow, entire leaf, longer 
than the spike.—The sweating species, b.exsudans, 
is an epiphyte; and all the others are self-rooted 
herbs. The height of the plants of the several 
species ranges from one foot to four feet ; and the 
colours of the flowers are variously green, red, 
crimson, pink, purple, and yellow.. One of the 
most recently introduced species is the two-flow- 
ered, B. discolor. 
BRONCHITIS. Inflammation of the lower 
part of the windpipe. It is a frequent and very 
serious disease in both horses and cattle. It 
does not appear to be ever contagious; but it is 
very evidently epidemic,—sometimes attacking 
flocks in the same general manner in which they 
are, ab other times, attacked by catarrh or by 
inflammation in the lungs. 
stances, it is preceded by catarrh, originates in a 
downward course of the inflammatory action of 
the disease, and may therefore.be ascribed to the 
neglect or the inefficient. treatment of catarrh, 
It very seldom has a sudden formation; but is 
usually preceded by a comparatively long course | 
of coughing and other premonitory symptoms | 
which afford a careful overseer ample warning to 
use proper means for averting it. The usual 
symptoms of bronchitis.in both the horse and 
the ox, are interrupted whizzing in respiration, 
a variable coldness in the extremities, a harder | 
and more rapid pulse than in either catarrh or | 
the first stages of inflammation of the lungs, a 
respiration as rapid as the pulse and sometimes 
‘more rapid, a haggard and anxious look, an evi- 
dent fear of suffocation, and an obstinate reluc- 
tance to move. A variety of bronchitis which 
often proves fatal to great numbers of young 
cattle is accompanied with some remarkable 
symptoms, and seems to be chiefly caused by 
parasitical insects, See the artiele Finaria. 
Bronchitis ends sometimes in suffocation, and 
more frequently in incurable inflammation of the 
lungs. The grand remedies for it are blistering 
and bleeding; and subordinate ones are gentle 
action on the bowels and nice adaptation of food. 
But it is far too serious a disease to be dealt 
with by any person but a skilful regular prac- 
titioner, 
BRONCHOCELE. Anenlargement of the two 
glands which are situated below the larynx and 
But, in most in- | 
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