ing a small portion of finely-pulverized alum, he suffered it to dry under shade, in the open air: thus, he obtained a very beautiful green pigment. The flowers, however, should be gathered in dry weather, their white parts carefully separated from the coloured leaves, and the pounded alum gradually mixed with the juice, till the desired colour becomes perceptible. With this preparation, both linen and silk were dyed of a remarkably fine and permanent green colour.—Prof. Gmelin, in his German "Technical Chemistry," gives the following recipe for preparing a lively green water-colour: Take equal quantities of the expressed juice of the bulbous-rooted flag and rue, and add such a proportion of a strong solution of alum, as is required to produce the colour.
Flowering Fern: See Osmund-Royal.
FLUELLIN, the Sharp-pointed, or Antirrhinum Elatine, L. is an indigenous annual plant, growing in corn-fields, and flowering from July to September.—The expressed juice of this plant has been highly recommended as an aperient, resolvent, and vulnerary; which properties an infusion of it possesses, though in an inferior degree.—An ointment is prepared from this juice, which was formerly in great repute as a remedy in leprous, scrophulous, and cancerous cases. It is at present employed only by empirics, both male and female, who pretend to cure with it cancers of every description.
FLUMMERY, a kind of jelly made of oatmeal, in the following manner: Steep three large table-spoonfuls of finely ground oatmeal for 24 hours in two quarts of pure water, then pour off the clear fluid, and replace it by three pints of fresh water; strain it through a fine hair sieve, add to it two spoonfuls of orange-flower water, and one of sugar; boil the whole to the consistence of a hasty pudding, stirring it continually while boiling, till it become perfectly smooth. This preparation affords a grateful and nutritive breakfast to persons liable to costiveness, in consequence of a sedentary life.
FLUTE, the German, a musical instrument of a well known construction.
Although playing the flute is on the Continent more generally practised than in Britain, yet we think it useful to observe, that this exercise is by no means compatible with either young or weak lungs. Indeed, all wind-instruments are in many respects objectionable, because, after blowing forcibly, a large portion of air is suddenly inhaled; and afterwards partially expelled from the lungs, so that they are by this debilitating action continually expanded and relaxed, in a manner very different from that which Nature pursues in the process of respiration.—See farther Wind-instruments.
FLUX, a disorder to which sheep are subject, when those useful animals, after having been kept on too short an allowance, suddenly come to their full feed. It is also sometimes occasioned by their eating the Fetid Chamomile, or May-weed, Anthemis cotula, L.—This disease, however, is not attended with any dangerous consequences, and generally disappears in the course of a few days, especially in dry weather. But, if it continue longer than a week, some sweet and well-dried hay should
