HEMP.

HEMP is a plant that grows to the height of from five to seven feet. It bears a blue flower, and the seeds are used for feeding birds that are kept prisoners in cages. Sometimes an oil is pressed out of hemp seed, called rape-oil.

The bark is of a fibrous, stringy quality, and this is the part of the plant that is made into thread, twine, cordage, cables, and sail-cloth.

When the seed is ripe, the hemp-stalks are pulled up by the roots, and dried. They are next threshed with a flail to loosen the outside bark, and then put into water to soak, until the fibrous bark begins to separate from the stalk.

This bark being taken from the stalk, is next to be reduced into tow, by combing or hackling it, like flax. After passing it through several hackles, first coarser, then finer, it becomes a mass of regular, slender, and fibrous threads, which are called tow.

The tow is then spun into threads, finer or coarser, according to the work or articles for which it is intended. Because hemp is very strong and durable, much of it is made into a coarse cloth, called canvas or sail-cloth, of which the sails of ships, sloops, and other vessels are made; also sacking-bottoms, bags, and other articles. Much of it is also used by rope-makers for twine, cordage, and large ropes.

After hempen articles are worn out, the remnants and

SPELL height; blue; prisoners; fibrous; define it. Spell stringy; quality; thread; twine; cordage; sail-cloth; pulled; threshed; loosen; fibrous; define it. Spell combing; hackling; through⚫ coarser; durable; coarse; hempen; wrapping-paper; oakum tarred; quantities; Russia. Where is Russia? Spell exported; Kentucky. Where is Kentucky? Spell countries; New England.

rags of them are used for making coarse wrapping-paper; the worn out parts of tarred ropes are picked into fine pieces, called oakum, and used for corking up the seams of vessels to make them water-tight.

Large quantities of hemp are raised in Russia, and exported to other countries. Hemp is also raised in Kentucky, and in several of the New England states.

CAMPHOR, &c.

CAMPHOR is a drug of the nature of a rosin. It has a strong, fragrant smell, and a bitter, pungent taste.

The camphor tree is a species of laurel that grows in the islands of Ceylon and Borneo, as well as other places. Some small parcels of camphor exude from the tree in the form of a gum; and considerable masses are sometimes found in the heart of some trees.

But the common method of obtaining it, is by boiling the roots and smaller branches, cut into small pieces, in large iron kettles. The camphor then rises on the top of the water, and is skimmed off and put into vessels to cool.

When refined, it is made into thin cakes of a very white colour.-In this state, or broken in pieces, it is sold to the merchants, and imported in chests, drums, or casks.

GAMBOGE is a resinous gum, of a beautiful yellow colour. It has no smell, and very little taste; yet it is used in medicine as a strong purgative.

It is chiefly brought from Cambogia, in the East Indies, whence its name has been derived.

GUM ARABIC is the juice or gum that exudes from the acacia, or Egyptian thorn tree. It is brought from the Levant.

SPELL camphor; rosin; fragrant; define it. Spell pungent; define it. Spell species; laurel; islands; Ceylon; parcels; exude; define it. Spell heart; method; boiling; smaller; branches; pieces; kettles; skimmed; colour; merchants; resinous; gamboge; beautiful; yellow; medicine; purgative; chiefly; Cambogia; whence; gum. Arabic; exudes; acacia.

QPIUM.

OPIUM is a drug that is used as a medicine, to allay pain and occasion sleep.

It is the white, milky juice which is obtained from the unripe seed-vessels of a species of poppy.

When the heads, or seed-vessels of the white poppy are nearly ripe, they are wounded or cut on one side, and the white juice flows out. The other side is cut in like manner the next day.

This juice being collected in a vessel, is exposed to the heat of the sun, which changes it to a dark brown colour, and gradually hardens it into a kind of gum which is called opium.

In this state it is worked on a board, and formed into cakes or rolls for sale.

Opium is of a bitter taste, and should be used with great care only as a medicine. When dissolved in brandy or alcohol, it forms a liquid called laudanum.

Another preparation, of which opium forms a part, is called morphia.-Both this and laudanum are used for composing the nerves, lulling pain, or producing sleep.

In many parts of Asia, whole fields are sown with poppy seeds, as ours are with grain; and large quantities of opium are procured from the heads.

SPELL opium; medicine; allay; define it. Spell occasion; white; milky; juice; obtained; vessels; species; define it. Spell poppy; wounded; white; collected; exposed; colour; gradually; called; board; rolls; taste; should; medicine; dissolved; alcohol; liquid, laudanum; preparation; morphia; composing; producing; fields quantities; heads.

THE NIGHT-HAWK.

THIS bird is about nine or ten inches long from the bill to the end of the tail. The feathers on the back and upper parts are of a dark-brown colour, mixed with a dusky white. The lower parts are lighter coloured.

The tail consists of ten broad feathers, and is forked; the wings are long and of variegated colours, as well as

the tail.

The mouth of the night-hawk is very large; by which it is enabled to catch insects while flying. Its legs are short and its feet in proportion.

The female lays her eggs on the ground, without making any nest. She mostly chooses a dry place, where the colour of the grass, stones, and soil, nearly resemble the colour of

her eggs.

She commonly lays but two eggs, of a dusky, bluishwhite, marked with small spots of brown.

Towards evening, or from the middle of the afternoon until dusk, the night-hawks are to be seen flying high in the air, darting about in every direction, and making frequent and sudden turnings in pursuit of flies, beetles, and various other winged insects of the larger kinds.

Near the sea-shore, and in the vicinity of salt-marshes, they are also very numerous; often skimming over the fields and meadows, or flying high in the air, till it is so dark that the eye cannot follow them.

While the female is sitting on her eggs, which is called the time of incubation, the male is often seen flying about

SPELL night-hawk; inches; feathers; colours; variegated; define it. Spell enabled; flying; proportion; eggs; chooses; resembles; soil; commonly; bluish; evening; afternoon; direction; frequent; pursuit; beetles; various; winged; vicinity; define it. Spell saltmarshes; numerous; skimming; fields; meadows; flying; female; sitting; incubation; define it. Spell often; frequently; harsh; noise;

in the air, most of the day. While on the wing, he frequently utters a sharp, harsh noise; and once in a while appears to dive or plunge down head foremost, making a loud noise somewhat like that of blowing into the bung-hole of a cask.

If any one approaches the nest, the female leaves it, and flutters or rolls along on the ground, as if crippled and unable to fly. She thus decoys the person away from her eggs or young ones, to a considerable distance, and then mounts. on the wing high in the air, watching her nest until the danger appears to be over.

Several other birds that build their nests, or lay their eggs on the ground, have the same instinctive faculty of pretending to be lame or crippled, and thus leading the stranger, who comes near the nest, quite away from it in pursuit of the dam.

THE PRISM-GLASS, AND COLOURS.

A PRISM-GLASS is a solid piece of clear glass, three or four inches long, having three sides, each of which is made perfectly smooth.

If we look at any distant object through this prism-glass, it will separate the rays of light, so as to show all the colours of the rainbow.

Hence, it is found that light consists of seven different coloured rays the first is red; the second, orange; the third, yellow; the fourth, green; the fifth, blue; the sixth, indigo; and the seventh, violet.

while; plunge; head; foremost; somewhat; blowing: bung-hole; approaches; leaves; flutters; rolls; crippled; unable; decoys; define it. Spell considerable; distance; watching; until; appears; instinctive; build; faculty; pretending; stranger; pursuit.

SPELL prism-glass; piece; perfectly; smooth. What is a prismglass? Spell through; colours; rainbow; yellow; indigo; blue;