144 



MOW 



THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL; 



M UC 



that they should neither be cut at too early a period, nor 

 suffered to stand too long; as, in the former case, there will 

 be considerable loss in the drying, from the produce beine; 

 in so soft and green a condition ; and in the latter, from a 

 large proportion of the nourishing properties being expended. 

 It is probable therefore that grass, when mown before it 

 becomes in full flower, while the rich saccharine juice is in 

 part retained at the joints of the flower-stems, is in the most 

 proper condition for being cut down, as at that period it 

 must contain the largest proportion of nutritious materials, 

 but which then begin to be absorbed and taken up in pro- 

 portion as the flowers expand and the seeds ripen, so as to 

 constitute the meal or starch of the seed-lobes, and is either 

 dispersed upon the land, or fed upon by birds ; the grass- 

 stems with their leaves being left in a similar situation to that 

 of the straw of ripened grain. But there are other circum- 

 stances besides those of ripeness, to be attended to in deter- 

 mining the period of cutting crops of grass, as, in some cases, 

 when they are thick upon the ground the bottom parts become 

 of a yellow colour before the flowering fully takes place ; 

 under such circumstances it will always be the most advis- 

 able practice to mow as soon as the weather will possibly 

 admit; for if this be neglected, there will be great danger of 

 its rotting, or at any rate of its acquiring a disagreeable fla- 

 vour, and of becoming of but little value. Where grass is 

 very tall, as is often the case in moist meadows, it is liable 

 to fall down and lodge, by which the same effects are pro- 

 duced. In this case also the mowing should be performed 

 as soon as possible, as, when much laid, it soon rots, and is of 

 little or no use as hay. However, in cases where there is 

 nothing of this sort, it appears evident, that the most proper 

 time for performing the business is when the grass has begun 

 to flower, before the seed-stems become hard and wiry; as 

 at this period it would seem to contain the largest portion of 

 useful matter. Besides, when left to stand too long, the after 

 grass is less abundant, and the crumbling down of the stems 

 occasions great additional loss in the different operations of 

 hay-making. It may be noticed, that the usual time of cutting 

 for hay, in the first crops, is from about the middle of June 

 to the beginning of July, according to the nature of the 

 land, or as the district is earlier or later with its produce. 

 The chief art in the operation of mowing consists in cutting 

 the crop as close to the surface of the ground as possible, 

 and perfectly level, pointing the swathes well out, so as to 

 leave scarcely any ridges under them. But in cutting rouen 

 or second crops of grass, more attention in these different 

 respects will be necessary than in the first, as the crops are 

 mostly much lighter and more difficult to cut, the scythe 

 being apt to rise and slip through the grass without cutting 

 it fairly, except when in the hands of an expert workman. 

 Crops of this .sort should always be cut as much as possible 

 when the dew is upon them, and as soon as ever there is a 

 tolerable growth, as by waiting the season becomes more 

 unfavourable for making them into hay; and unless well 

 made, this hay is of hardly any value. When the grass has 

 been decided to be in a proper condition for being cut down, 

 a set of mowers proportioned to the extent of the crop should 

 be at once provided. In some districts it is the custom to 

 pay these labourers by the day, but the general and best 

 practice is to let the work at a certain price per acre. 

 The extent or proportion of ground that can be mown in any 

 given space of time, must obviously vary much, according to 

 the nature of the ground, the fulness of the crop, and the 

 goodness of the workmen; but in general an acre is supposed 

 a full day's work for an expert mower. In mowing barley, 

 oats, or other grain crops, the corn is generally on the right 



hand of the workman; but M. de Lisle had a method of 

 mowing wheat, in which the corn was at his left hand : he 

 mowed it inward, bearing the corn he cuts on his scythe, 

 till it comes to that which is standing, against which it gently 

 leans. After every mower a gatherer follows, who may be 

 a lad or a woman. The gatherer keeps within five or six 

 feet of the mower, and being provided either with a hook or 

 a stick about two feet long, gathers up the corn, making it 

 into a gavel, and laying it gently on the ground : this must 

 be done with spirit, as another mower immediately follows, 

 and to every mower there is a particular gatherer. And to do 

 this work properly, the mower should form but one track 

 with his feet, advancing in a posture nearly as if he were 

 going to fence, one foot chasing the other. In this manner 

 the standing corn is mowed ; and the workman should take 

 care to have the wind at his left, as it bears the corn towards 

 the scythe, and causes it to be cut nearer the ground. 

 When wheat is bent, the workman takes the corn as it pre- 

 sents itself to him, which has the same effect as if the wind 

 was at his left side. And when it is laid, it is more trouble- 

 some to the gatherer, because the corn is apt to be mixed 

 with that which is standing; but a good mower takes advan- 

 tage of the wind, and cuts it against the way it is laid. No 

 particular directions can be given for corn that is lodged and 

 entangled, unless it be to take it as it is inclined, as if the 

 wind were on the back of the mower. The usual method of 

 mowing grain is, however, in the same manner as grass, the 

 scythe only having a cradle or bow fixed upon the heel of 

 the handle. In the practice of every department of the 

 kingdom, the scythe is swung horizontally, or nearly level, 

 leaving the stubble of almost an even height; or, if it rise on 

 either side, forming what are called swath-bulks, the butts 

 of the swaths are suffered to rest upon them, the heads or ears 

 of the corn falling into the hollow or close mown part of the 

 preceding swath-width. They are of course liable in a we 

 season not only to receive an undue portion of rain watei 

 but to be fouled with the splashings of heavy showers. But 

 that in the Kentish practice, which is said to excel those of 

 other districts, the position of the swaths is different. Here 

 the heads of the corn rest on the top of the swath-bulk, pro- 

 vincially the beever, which is left of extraordinary height, 

 as ten to fifteen inches, so that the wind has a free circula- 

 tion between the swaths. The workman, in performing this 

 judicious operation, proceeds with his right foot forwards, 

 entering the point of his scythe with a downward stroke, and 

 rising it as abruptly out, bringing the handle round to the 

 left until it forms nearly a right angle with the line of the 

 swath, carrying the corn in the cradle three or four feet 

 behind the place where it grew, lifting it high and letting it 

 fall on the beever behind his left foot, and in the position 

 above described. But the disadvantages of this metho< are, 

 the loss of some straw, the incumbrance arising from the 

 length of the stubble, and a little additional labour : but in a 

 district where cattle are not numerous, the loss of st raw is 

 not felt; and in any country, the principle of laying the heads 

 instead of the butts of the corn upon the swath-bulk, whether 

 left high or low, might be well adopted. 



Mucor; a genus of the class Cryptogamia, order Fungi. 

 ESSENTIAL GENERIC CHARACTER. Seeds: naked, or in 

 transparent capsules or vesicles at the end of the stem. These 

 plants form the last genus of the lowest order of vegetation. 

 They chiefly appear in the form of mouldiness on putrid or 

 putrefying substances, as rotten wood, fruits, dung, corrupted 

 food, old cheese, decayed leaves and other fungi, in caverns 

 and arched cellars. The British species of Muccr, enume- 

 rated by Withering, are seventeen ; to which several have been 



