BULBOUS CROWFOOT. "3 
Dr. Pulteney has published a memoir in the 
Linnean transactions on the economical use of 
some of the Ranunculi, particularly the R. fluvia- 
tilis, which he considers a variety of R. aquatilis. 
Contrary to the common effects of ‘the other 
species, this plant is said, by him, to be not only 
innocent, but highly nutritive to cattle. He states 
that, “in the neighbourhood of Ringwood, on the 
borders of the Avon, which affords this: vegetable 
in great abundance all the year, some of the 
cottagers sustain their cows, and even horses, 
almost wholly upon this plant; since the remain- 
ing part of their food is nothing more than a 
scanty pittance, they get on the adjacent heath, 
which affords little more than Ling, Lichen, Bog- 
‘moss or Sphagnum; &c. It is usual to employ 
aman to collect a quantity for the day every 
morning, and bring it in the boat to the edge of 
the water, from which the cows, in the instance 
seen, stood eating it with great avidity. I was 
indeed informed,” says he, “they relished it so 
highly, that it was unsafe to allow them more 
than a certain quantity; I think between twenty 
five and ‘thirty pounds daily, each; but with 
variation according to circumstances. — "The cows 
I saw were apparently not in a mean condition, 
and gave a sufficient quantity of good milk. I 
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