The Botanist's Companion, Volume II: Or an Introduction to the Knowledge of Practical Botany, and the Uses of Plants. Either Growing Wild in Great Britain, or Cultivated for the Puroses of Agriculture, Medicine, Rural Oeconomy, or the ArtsSalisbury, William
Science
The Botanist's Companion, Volume II: Or an Introduction to the Knowledge of Practical Botany, and the Uses of Plants. Either Growing Wild in Great Britain, or Cultivated for the Puroses of Agriculture, Medicine, Rural Oeconomy, or the Arts
Salisbury, William
Plants -- Great Britain
Dr. Pulteney in tracing the history of Botanic science quotes Pliny for
an account of the veneration in which this plant was held by the Druids,
who attributed almost divine efficacy to it, and ordained the collecting
it with rites and ceremonies not short of the religious strictness which
was countenanced by the superstition of the age. It was cut with a
golden knife, and when the moon was six days old gathered by the priest,
who was clothed with white for the occasion, and the plant received on a
white napkin, and two white bulls sacrificed. Thus consecrated, Misselto
was held to be an antidote to poison, and prevented sterility. Query,
Has not the custom of hanging up Misselto at merry-makings, and the
ceremony so well known among our belles, some relation to above
sacrifice?
156. ULEX europaeus. COMMON FURZE.--The culture of this shrub is given in
the Agricultural Plants, being good for feeding cattle; its principal
use however is for fuel, and it is frequently grown for such purposes.
It is common on most of our waste lands. It also forms good fences, but
should always be kept short and young, otherwise it becomes thin,
especially in good land where it grows up and makes large bushes.
157. ULMUS campestris. THE ELM.--We have a number of varieties of the
Elm; the most esteemed is that with the smooth bark. The timber has been
long in request for water-pipes, and for boards, which are converted
into various uses in domestic oeconomy.
158. ULMUS montana. BROAD-LEAVED ELM.--This has not been considered of
so great value as the common sort, but it is of much more free growth;
and I have been informed that in the West of England the timber has been
found to be good and lasting.
* * * * *
SECT. VII.--PLANTS USEFUL IN MEDICINE.
The initial letters in this class distinguish the Pharmacopoeia in which
each plant is inserted.
"By the wise and unchangeable laws of Nature established by a Being
infinitely good and infinitely powerful,--not only man, the lord of the
creation, 'fair form who wears sweet smiles, and looks erect on heaven,'
but every subordinate being becomes subject to decay and death: pain and
disease, the inheritance of mortality, usually accelerate his
dissolution. To combat these, to alleviate when it has not the power to
avert, Medicine, honoured art! comes to our assistance.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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