15 / 308
BONE
BLACK.
23
ALKANET
ROOT.
This
root,
as
found
in
commerce,
is
usually
much
cU
oayed
internally
;
it
is
in
pieces
three
or
four
inches
long,
from
the
thickness
of
a
quill
to
that
of
the
little
finger,
somewhat
twisted,
consisting
of
a
dark
red
easily
separated
bark
;
it
is
reddish
exter-
nally,
and
whitish
near
the
centre,
and
composed
of
numerous
distinct
fibres,
and
internally
of
loose
spongy
texture.
The
fresh
root
has
a
faint
odor
and
a
bitter
astringent
taste,
but
when
dried
it is
inodorous
and
insipid. It
does
not
impart
its
color
to
water
but
to
alcohol,
and
is
used
for
coloring
port
wine
and
Stoughton's
Bitters,
&c.
The
red
of
alka-
net
is
rendered
deeper
by
the
addition
of
an
acid,
and
changed
to
blue
by
alkali.
BONE
BLACK
Consists
of
the
bones
of
animals,
being
burned
and
ground.
The
particles
are
porous,
and
are
com-
posed
chiefly
of
lime.
Bone
black
is
used
in
the
manufacture
of
liquor
for
removing
grain
oil.
and
as
a
decolorizing
agent.
Both
of
these
processes
are
detailed
in
another
chapter
of
this
work.