HOR 



OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY. 



HOT 



706 



greater part of the summer ; and is said to be well known to 

 the innkeepers of the isle of Thanet, under the name of Squir- 

 rel-tail Grass. They find that, if horses feed on it some time, 

 the beards stick into their gums, and make them so sore that 

 they are in danger of being starved. This fact seems cor- 

 roborated by the circulation of handbills, informing travel- 

 lers that at such inns they might depend on having hay with- 

 out any mixture of Squirrel-tail Grass: but as Wall Barley- 

 grass is never found in the body of a meadow, it may be 

 doubted whether it is not the next species which produced 

 this bad effect; and if so, that cannot be recommended as fit 

 for culture. It is an old notion, that this grass is Barley de- 

 generated, though it bears most resemblance to Rye : the 

 error is too vulgar and obvious to require refutation. 



7. Hordeum Pratense ; Meadow Barley-grass. All the 

 florets awned, the lateral ones male ; all the involucels nidged. 

 Linneus supposed this to be a mere variety of the preceding: 

 Ray however observes, that it differs in being much taller, 

 and having shorter spikes and awns. Its height is almost 

 double that of the other; the spike is greener, only half as 

 long, and square, with the awns of the calix as long as those 

 of the corolla. The middle floret is smooth ; the two late- 

 rals, though they have a pistil as well as stamina, yet being 

 minute, never come to maturity. Mr. Miller pronounces this 

 to be a very good grass for pastures, and says it has perennial 

 roots, with leafy stalks which do not become stiff and harsh ; 

 and that, if duly rolled, the roots will mat, and form a very 

 close sward. It is, however, a late grass, and thought to be 

 less productive than some others. For Ray-grass, which is 

 sometimes, but erroneously, called Rye-grass, and is very 

 different from this, see Lolium Perenne. 



8. Hordeum Maritimum; Marsh Barley-grass. Flowers 

 awned, the lateral ones male ; involucels rugged, the interior 

 ones of the males semi-lanceolate. This grass at first sight 

 resembles the common Wall Barley-grass, insomuch that it 

 might be doubted, until experiments are made by culture, 

 whether it be a distinct species; because salt water and sea 

 air will alter the appearance of grasses. It differs, however, 

 in having shorter pyramidal spikes, made up of a greater 

 number of florets more crowded together, with the awns more 

 standing out, those at bottom longest, and becoming gradu- 

 ally shorter towards the top of the spike. This is marked as 

 annual both by English and foreign botanists. Allioni gays 

 it evidently differs from the next species, and that in cultivation 

 it acquires a loftier culm, with a spike twice or thrice as long 

 as in the wild plant, but that the character of the incurved 

 culm continues. It flowers in June and July. Native of 

 Barbary, and the southern parts of Europe, and of England, 

 in salt marshes near the sea. 



9. Hordeum Jubatum; Long-bearded Barley-grass. Awns 

 and involucres bristle-shaped, and very long: the stem-leaves 

 are four or five inches long, and a line or a line and a half 

 wide, villose, with short hairs above; below, especially to- 

 wards the top, rough if drawn downwards through the fingers. 

 This has the habit of the sixth species, but the involucres 

 and bristle-shaped awns are four times the length of the 

 whole spike, which gives this grass a singular appearance. 

 Linneus calls it a native of Canada, but subsequently a native 

 of Smyrna; in which Scheuchzer coincides. The Kew Cata- 

 logue assigns it to Canada and Hudson's Bay, and calls it a 

 biennial plant. There is much uncertainty concerning it. 

 For the three last species, see Grass. 



Horehound, White. See Marrubium. 

 Horehound, Base. See Stachys. 

 Horehound, Black or Stinking. See Ballota. 

 Horehound, Water. See Lycopus. 

 VOL. i. 59. 



Horn-beam, or Horn-beech, Tree. Ste Carpinus. 



Horned Poppy. See Chtlidonium. 



Horned Rampion. See Phyteuma. 



Hornwort. See Ceratophyllum. 



Horse-beech. See Carpimts. 



Horse-chestnut. See JEsculus. 



Horse-eye Bean. See Dolichos. 



Horse-mint. See Mentha. 



Horse-pipe. See JEfjtiisetum. 



Horse-radish. See Cochlearia. 



Horse-shoe Vetch. See Hippocrepis. 



Horse-tail. See Equisetum. 



Horsetail, Shrubby. See Ephedra. 



Hot-beds, are beds used in gardening, made with fresh 

 horse-dung or tanners' bark, and covered with glasses, to 

 defend them from cold winds. They appear to have betn 

 long known and used in our gardens. By the skilful manage- 

 ment of them, we may imitate the temperature of wanner 

 climates ; by which means the seeds of plants brought from 

 any of the countries within the torrid zone, may be made to 

 flourish underthe intense cold of the most inhospitable regions. 

 Hot-beds should be formed in a dry piece of ground, under 

 a sunny exposure, well fenced in either by walls or good ship 

 planks, ten feet high to the north, and six feet high to the. 

 south, apart from the rest of the kitchen-garden, and as near 

 to the stable dung-heap as possible, to avoid labour and dirt 

 in harrowing. Sixty feet in breadth, and an hundred feet in 

 length, will contain a sufficient extent of ground for winter 

 framing for Mushroom-beds; forced Asparagus, Peas, Kid- 

 ney-beans, Strawberries, Radishes, Salad-herbs, early Cucum- 

 bers and Melons ; annuals for the flower-garden ; to bring 

 forward perennials and shrubs, as Pinks, Carnations, bul- 

 bous plants, Lily of the Valley, Roses, Honeysuckles, and 

 innumerable others. Under the south fence there may be 

 frames for forcing fruit, the management of which is directed 

 under the respective articles. If the dung employed in mak- 

 ing hot-beds be new and strong, there will be no necessity for 

 mixing sea-coal ashes, leaves of trees, or tan, as Mr. Miller 

 directs ; these are of use only for strengthening the heat, and 

 rendering it more durable, when the dung is in some measure 

 exhausted by having been too long in the dung-heap. In 

 fresh dung, these additions frequently render it too fierce and 

 burning. The hot-beds commonly used in kitchen-gardens 

 are made with new horse-dung mixed with the litter of a 

 stable, and a few sea-coal ashes, when the dung is not 

 fresh. This should remain six or seven days in a heap, and 

 being then turned over, and the parts mixed well together, it 

 should be again cast into a heap ; where it may continue five 

 or six days longer, by which time it will have acquired a due 

 heat. The hot-beds are then made in the following manner. 

 Dig out a trench of a length and width proportionable to the 

 frames you intend it for; and if the ground be dry, let it be 

 about a foot or a foot and a half deep ; but if wet, not more 

 than six inches: then wheel the dung into the opening, observ- 

 ing to stir every part of it with a fork, and lay it even and 

 smooth all over the bed, placing the bottom part of the heap, 

 which is commonly free from litter, upon the surface of the 

 bed : and if it be intended for a bed to plant out Cucumbers 

 for good, you must make a hole in the middle of the place 

 designed for each light, about ten inches over and six deep ; 

 which should be filled with good fresh earth, thrusting in a 

 stick to shew the places where the holes are; and then cover 

 the bed all over with the earth that was taken out of the 

 trench, to the depth of four inches ; and put on the frame, 

 letting it remain till the earth be warm, which commonly 

 happens in three or four days after the bed is made, and 

 8 R 



