RUSH TRIBE 3 
weekly renewed. Old painters represent dogs as hunting for bones among 
the plants around the table ; but probably in many houses, and in later days 
even generally, more attention to cleanliness was given, and sweet and fresh 
- flowers were mingled with newly-strewn rushes. Bulleyne says, “ Rushes 
grown upon dry ground be good to strew in halls, chambers, and galleries, to 
walk upon, defending apparel, as trains of gowns and kirtles, from the dust.” 
Lemnius, a physician and divine of Zealand, remarks, on his visit to London, 
with great approval, the cleanliness of the English, and says, ‘‘ Their chambers 
and parlours, strawed over with sweete herbs, refreshed me; their nosegays, 
finely intermingled with sundry sorts of fragrant flowers in their bed- 
chambers and private rooms, with their comfortable smell cheered me up, 
and delighted all my senses.” The churchwardens’ accounts of the church 
of St. Mary-at-Hill show that rushes were commonly used in churches ; for 
several items occur similar to the following: ‘“ Paid for two berden of rushes 
for the strewing the newe pewes, 3d.” 
- The great use of rushes for strewing led to certain festivals, called Rush 
Bearings, which, like the old wakes, became, in course of time, scenes of 
idleness and intoxication, and appear to have given annoyance to the sober 
portion of the community. These gatherings were gradually neglected as 
the use of rushes in households was discontinued. It is not improbable 
that the fibre of this and other common Rushes may prove of use to the 
paper-maker. The Chevalier de Claussen, in some experiments on plants 
likely to furnish paper-pulp, directed his attention to the papyrus—the 
“pnaper reed by the brook”—of which the ancients made their paper. He 
found that it contained a large proportion of fibre, easily bleached ; but as 
this plant is so rare, an abundant supply would not be readily procured. “TI 
directed, therefore,” says the Chevalier, “my attention to plants growing in 
this country ; and I found, to my great satisfaction, that the common Rushes 
(Juncus effusus), and others, contain forty per cent. of fibre, quite equal, if 
not superior, to papyrus fibre, and a perfect substitute for rags in the manu- 
facture of paper ; and that one ton of rushes contains more fibre than two 
tons of flax straw.” The Chevalier had not found so large an amount of 
fibre in any native plant, except in the shavings of fir, which yielded the 
same proportion, -but which required more expense in the preparation. Rye- 
grass was found also to furnish thirty-five per cent. of paper fibre, which was 
easily bleached ; but this was not so strong as the Rush fibre. ‘“ Hemp and 
flax are,” he says, “ exactly suitable for the purpose of the per 
turer, but their culture is expensive.” 
2. Common Rush (J. conglomerdtus).—Stem soft, faintly jared with 
lines ; cyme repeatedly branched, usually forming a round head, but in a 
variety more or less spreading ; capsule terminating in a little point ; Toot- 
stock creeping. This Rush is very similar to the last ; and many botanists 
unite the two into one species. It has soft pliant stems, about two feet high ; 
and the brown head of flowers, which expands in July, grows at some 
distance from the summit. It differs from /. effusus in the denser, more 
globose head of flowers, in the perianth being tinged with brown, and in the 
anthers being longer and narrower. It is, like the last, a very common 
plant, and was doubtless as much used for strewing in olden times. Its pith 
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