93

ON DRYING AND PRESERVING HERBS, ETC.

heal, which by its action will deprive them of their fine green colour.When this is effected, the whole may be put in contact with a heat thatwill enable the operator to reduce it to a fine powder. And in order tokeep it with its virtues perfect, it will be necessary to deprive it as muchas possible of the influence of air and light. Hence it is preserved in closeglass bottles which are coated, and also placed in a dark part of theelaboratory. Now, it is necessary that all plants intended to be usedin a dried state, should be prepared and protected in a similar man-ner ; and although it may be considered as a superfluous trouble, sofar as regards the more common kinds, particular attention should bepaid to these, when a small quantity is a dose, and an over-dose a cer-tain poison.

Other kinds of vegetables require a certain degree of fermentation,as Tobacco. The principal art of preserving it consists in this opera-tion being duly performed ; for which purpose, as soon as the leaves ofthe herb are fit, the foot-stalks are broken, and the leaves left on,in order for the moisture in part to be evaporated. Afterwards theseare gathered and tied in handfuls, and hung up in the shade to dry; andwhen sufficiently divested of moisture, the bundles are collected to-gether and laid in large boxes or tubs, in which these are fermented, andafterwards taken out again and dried; when it is found fit to pack up forthe market.

The properties of Stramonium, which has been so much recom-mended for curing asthma, consist principally ill the aroma, whichis only to be preserved in a similar manner : and I have found fromexperience, that if the leaves are separated from the plant in a man-ner similar to that of tobacco, and the rest of the plant, both roots,stalks, and seed-vessels, be slit and sufficiently dried in the sun orin an oven, and the whole fermented together, a very different articleis the produce than what it is when dried in the usual way, and leftentirely to the chance influence of the atmosphere.

in the common operation of hay-making it may also be observed,that the continued turning it over and admitting its parts to the actionof the sun and the air, is for the purpose of getting rid of the wateryparticles contained in it; and the quicker this is done, the better it is-And although this operation is so essentially necessary, yet care shouldl>e taken at the same time, that it be not made too dry, so as to prevent

i