86 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



seven degrees of Reaumur, or 92^ of Fahrenheit, 

 being about tvveniy-three nielres lor each degree 

 of temperature. M. Aiairo expressed a hope ihat 

 no water might be ibund lor 100 metres more, as 

 in Ihat case theie would be a permanent hot spring 

 at the very gates of Paris. 



REVIEW OF A " NEW ESSAY ON FIORIN GRASS, 

 INCLTDING THE HISTORY OF ITS DISCO- 

 VERY, AND AN ACCOUNT OF ITS VALUABLE 

 QUALITIES, AND MODE OF CULTURE." BY 



WILLIAM RicHARi>soN, D. D. London, Raid- 

 ing, 1S13. pp. 91. 



From the Edinburgh Farmers' Magazine. 



Dr. R. is certainly one of the most persevering, 

 indefatigable, and patriotic characters of the pre- 

 sent age. It is very (ortunate for the world, that 

 a discovery of such importance as that ol" florin 

 should have been made by such a gentleman. 

 There are very few, indeed, who would have 

 encountered, with so much disinterested zeal 

 and fortitude, the host of enemies that have as- 

 sailed him; and scarcely any that could have ac- 

 quitted themselves with so much ability. Like 

 some other great heroes, he does appear at times 

 to be a little irascible ; but that is not lo be won- 

 dered at, when it is considered that " he has been 

 attacked from all quarters ; and, while his florin 

 was only gaining ground by inches, he had as 

 many battles to flght in support of this native 

 vesretabie, as Henry the Fourth had to engage 

 inlbr the recovery of his hereditary kingdom.' 

 So much paper indeed has been expended in 

 these numerous conflicts, and so true it is, that, 

 after all, florin has only gained ground by inches, 

 that it is not improbable the whole of the crops 

 in Scotland might be covered by the learned 

 and unlearned essays, letters, and dissertations, 

 that have been written and printed respecting this 

 wonderful grass ; — a melancholy proof certainly of 

 the obstinate prejudices of n'ankind against every 

 new discovery, however valuable. And yet we 

 must say, (or the honor of our country, upon the 

 aulhorily of Dr. R. himsell', that we are much more 

 open to conviction, and much more tractable, than 

 our southern neighbors. 



Concerning several late discoveries, such as the 

 culture of wheat in the Highlands of Scotland, the 

 inexpediency of summer-fallow on heavy soils, and 

 others of the same kind, a dilfcrence of opinion 

 still prevails; and, with regard to the notable 

 expedient of reducing the several breeds of live- 

 stock to a single breed, the difnculty of providing a 

 suflicieiicy of winter Ibod in many parts of Scot- 

 land apj)eared to be almost unsurmountable. Red 

 clover and rye-grass will adbrd but a poor croji on 

 the bleak heathy mountain ; and neither turnip, 

 nor even rula bag.i, are Ibund capable of resisting 

 the successive frosts and thaws of our severe cli- 

 mate, even if it were possible to raise good crops 

 of them in such siluaiioii--. Hence any kind of 

 herliaire that would sup|iiy the place of hay anil 

 succulent food in our mouniaiii districts, must al- 

 ways have been a most important desideratum. 



When it was said, a lew years ago, that the 

 most barren moors and mosses could produce such 

 herbage, and that there was a native vegetable to 

 be Ibunii every where, which, U[)on such land, 

 would yield a crop of hay thrice the weight of that 



of the best meadows of England, and of a far 

 superior quality, it was naturally to be expected 

 that farmers would be somewhat incredulous. Jjut 

 now that the fact has been ascertained, and indeed 

 'demonstrated' by Dr. R., it is quite unaccounta- 

 ble to find men still exclaiminir against a discovery 

 lor which they had long wished, and against a 

 crop, from the want of which they had felt much 

 loss, and always very serious inconvenience. 



It would have been our duty, long ago, to have 

 laid before our readers some very excellent speci- 

 mens ofcontroversial acumen on this subject, had 

 it not appeared to be more "decent and honorable" 

 (to adopt the words of our author) " to leave the 

 projector a clear stage, and a fair opportunity to 

 make his own way." As he ver)' judiciously adds, 

 " if his discovery was nothing, and his schemes lii- 

 tile, ihe world would soon detect him, as they have 

 already so often of themselves detected and ridi- 

 culed the putfed discoveries of pompous charlatans.' 

 But it is now full lime that the benefit of our 

 author's discovery should be extended over every 

 part of Scotland at least, and that we should con- 

 tribute our mile (or that purpose. If our English 

 readers should still remain obstinate and perverse, 

 they have only themselves to blame for the conse- 

 quences. 



The first questions that it seems natural to ask 

 about this grass regard the discovery of it — ita 

 properties — the amount of its produce — and its 

 application. 



Second, It must be desirable to know upon 

 what soils it will prosper, and how it should be 

 cultivated. 



Lastly, What are the peculiar advantages to be 

 obtained from its culture to individuals, in the first 

 instance, and ultimately lo the public at large 7 



In arranging and condensing Dr. R.'s observa- 

 lions, under these several heads, it may be neces- 

 sary to notice, very shortly, the objections that have 

 been made to his statements; and also the omis- 

 sions, which it may be readily believed will ofien 

 be chargeable against a writer whose mind is too 

 much occupied with leading topics, to suffer him 

 to atlenil to minute details. 



To the discovery of the valuable properties of 

 this grass, our author positively lays claim, and 

 gives a full account of the steps by which he had 

 acquired this knowledge. These properties, he 

 observes, " have escaped the attention of man for 

 five thousand years." This discovery, too, "of 

 which the world begins now to (eel the importance, 

 was not the result of accident, or a lucky hit, 

 thrown in my way by good (brtune, but the very 

 thing I was in search of" Notwithstanding this 

 the doctor admits, that " the aborigines of the 

 British isles seem all to have had some vague 

 notion of the value of florin;" that it was not 

 " unknown to the botanical writers of the seven- 

 teenih century;" that 25 years ago, "the Reverend 

 Marcus M'Cousland, descanting on the value of a 

 piece of ground he had recovered from the sea," 

 exclaimed, "See, it is all florin!" and that the 

 natives of the wild parts of Donegal, alwayscharg- 

 ed a hiiiher price lor florin hay, though spontane- 

 ous, than lor that made of other grass. All this 

 time the Doctor did not even know it. He had 

 taken pains, about eight years ago, to procure 

 some plants, but did not succeed ; and at last 

 found a tenant who said he knew the grass. " I 

 went with hinr. to my bog, where he showed it to 



