M U S 



OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY. 



MUS 



149 



Moss, and instead of more grass, there will be less ; but if 

 the land be drained and manured, the grass will increase and 

 the Moss disappear. Sphagnum, palustre, Mnium trigue- 

 trum, Bryum paludosum and cestivum, Hypnum aduncum, 

 Scorpioides riparium and cuspidatum, grow upon the sides 

 and shallower parts of pools and marshes; in process of time 

 occupying the space heretofore filled with water, they are 

 in their half-decayed state dug up, and used as fuel, under 

 the name of Peat. These marshes, drained partly by human 

 industry, and partly by the long-continued operations of vege- 

 tables, are at length converted into fertile meadows. Very 

 few Mosses are eaten by cattle; a few moths feed upon some 

 of them. For their medicinal virtues, see Lichen. It is pro- 

 bable, on account of their astringent properties, that some of 

 them might be worth trying as a substitute for oak-bark in 

 tanning leather. Moss is most apt to fix itself upon the sur- 

 face of old grass lands of the meadow and pasture kinds, in 

 which it produces much injury by drawing away the nourish- 

 ment of the grass plant, and of course lessening in a high 

 degree the grassy herbage. It affects such as are of the 

 clayey moist description, in cold exposed situations, most 

 frequently choaking the grass by spreading closely over it. 

 Various means have been proposed by writers on husbandry 

 for the removal of this destructive vegetable, which, as it 

 requires a considerable proportion of superficial moisture to 

 promote its growth and extension on the soils which it infects, 

 it is probable that the application of such substances as have 

 a tendency to absorb and take up the superabundant degree 

 of wetness by which it is supported, must be of great utility 

 and advantage. In this view, lime lias been applied evenly 

 over the surface, in such cases, with much benefit. Superior 

 advantages have however been obtained by covering mossy 

 grass lands with a thin even coat of attenuated calcareous 

 matter, in union with a sandy material, such as is scraped up 

 from roads, when formed into a compost with about one 

 fourth part of well-rotted farm-yard dung ; as by this appli- 

 cation a new and more vigorous description of grasses is 

 brought up, which soon overpowers the Moss plants, and 

 thus wholly destroys them. For the same purpose, and at 

 the same time, promoting the improvement of the lands, as 

 well as bringing the herbage into a finer state, the penning 

 or folding of sheep has been advised. This will probably 

 succeed best either in the close of the summer season, or early 

 in the spring months ; the latter is however to be preferred, 

 as, from the grass immediately covering the surface, more 

 effect may be produced in smothering the mossy vegetation. 

 In this practice, advantage is obtained different ways; as, by 

 the effect which the treading has in opening and removing 

 the close netted texture of the Moss, and that of the urine 

 and dung in promoting the growth of the grass plants. Har- 

 rowing wilh short, sharp-lined, light harrows, is likewise a 

 practice that may be found useful in some cases, especially 

 previous to the application of such substances or composts as 

 have been just mentioned, as by such means the matted nature 

 of the Moss is broken down, and render-id more open and 

 fit for admitting the manure to the roots of the grass plants, 

 and exerting their full influence in promoting its vigorous 

 growth, and at the same time the spreading of the Moss is in 

 some measure prevented. After such harrowings have been 

 performed, some have recommended it as an advantageous 

 practice to sow grass seeds, and especially white clover, over 

 the surface. Different sorts of implements have been con- 

 trived for dressing the swards of grass lands when in this 

 condition ; such as the above harrow, different sorts of sca- 

 rifiers and sward cutters ; but it may be very conveniently 

 performed by a sward dresser not long since invented by Mr. 



Amos, in his Minutes on Agriculture and Planting, which 

 tool should be in the hands of all farmers where grass hus- 

 bandry is much practised. All old grass lands, when much 

 overrun with Moss, ought certainly to be broken up for the 

 purpose of tillage, in order to their being laid down again 

 to grass after a proper course of crops ; as it is probably 

 impossible to render them good grass lands by any other 

 process ; and in most instances this mode of proceeding 

 would produce great improvement. Though very injurious 

 to plants, Mosses, as has been already obser^fed, are applied 

 to a variety of useful purposes. The Moss of common trees, 

 as oak, ash, poplar, &c. is used for caulking of vessels ; and 

 by bird merchants to prepare cages for the incubation of 

 certain birds. The soft marsh and bog Mosses serve the poor 

 in many places for stuffing their beds ; and in the transpor- 

 tation of plants from one climate to another, nothing is so 

 serviceable as the Slalks and leaves of these little vegetables ; 

 the succulent plants arriving in great vigour and beauty from 

 foreign countries, when rolled up in dry Moss : trees and 

 shrubs also are preserved by having their roots covered with 

 such as is somewhat moist. The great quality of the Mosses, 

 which makes them so useful on these occasions, is, that they 

 do not heat and ferment on being moistened, as hay and straw 

 would. Several of the Mosses are great and valuable medi- 

 cines, used as desiccatives and astringents; the Common Cup 

 Moss is one of the greatest remedies in the convulsive coughs 

 of children, see Lychen Pyxidatus ; and Dr. Mead has 

 ennobled the Lichen Caninus, or Grey Ground Lichen, by 

 publishing its virtues in one of the most terrible of all diseases, 

 the bite of a mad dog. The Common Green Liverworts are 

 known medicines in disorders of the breast, as are also all 

 the species of Polytricha. The seeds of our Lycopodium are 

 successfully given in nephritic cases ; and the Indians give 

 one of their species in many distempers, and, as they say, with 

 great benefit. The Common White Ground Corolloides serves 

 the reindeer of Lapland for food, when all other herbage is 

 lost ; and the Confervse serve for food to many of the fish 

 both of the sea and rivers, and to several water-fowl ; and these, 

 as well as the land Mosses, afford shelter and habitation to many 

 insects and their young. Many of the species of Corolloides 

 and Lichnoides are found of great use in that profitable 

 branch of commerce, the art of dyeing; and doubtless many 

 others have also the same qualities, though not yet dis- 

 covered ; and we may be guided in searches of this kind by 

 observing that many of them tinge the papers between which 

 they are dried with very beautiful and lasting colours. The 

 Genera of Linneus have been split into several others by 

 Hedwig and the other reformers. Hypnum and Bryum were 

 indeed so unwieldly, that it was very desirable they should be 

 divided. The genera of Mosses, as they stand in Schreber. 

 are, Phascum, Sphagnum, Gymnostomum, Tetraphis, Octo- 

 blepharum, Splachnum, Grimmia, Encalypta, Dicranum, 

 Trichostomum, Didymodon, Tortnla, Weissia, Pohlia, Funu- 

 ria, Bryum, Timmia, Meesia, Bariramia, Fontinalis, Hyp- 

 num, Lcskea, Neckera, Bvxbaumia, Polytrichum. See their 

 characters under those names. Other Mosses were placed 

 by Linneus in his order of Ai.ax.; they are now separated 

 from that, and form a distinct order, under the name of 

 HEPATIC*. In these, the Female fructifications are inclosed 

 in a veil, which splits open at the top, and discharges the 

 capsule. The Capsule opens lengthwise, and is filled with 

 numerous Seeds, fixed to an elastic cord, formed of one or 

 two spiral threads. Some plants are referred to this subdi- 

 vision on account of their agreement in general habit, though 

 the female fructification has no veil, but is placed upon or 

 immersed in the substance of the leaf: the leaves are mostly 



