ANTICOR. 



APHERNOUSLI. 



than in many other grasses. Its merits, how- 

 ever, in respect to early growth, continuing to 

 vegetate and throw up flowering stalks till the 

 end of autumn, and its hardy and permanent 

 nature, sufficiently uphold its claim to a place 

 in the composition of all permanent pastures. 

 The superior nutritive qualities of its latter- 

 math, are a great recommendation for the pur- 

 pose of grazing, the stalks being of but little 

 utility, as they are generally left untouched by 

 the cattle, provided there is a sufficiency of 

 herbage. It is said to give to new-mown hay 

 that delightful smell which is peculiar to it ; if 

 it is not the sole cause of that pleasant smell, 

 it is certainly more powerful when combined 

 with the grasses which compose hay. About 

 the middle of April it comes into flower, and 

 the seed is ripe generally about the first or 

 second week of June. The fragrance of this, 

 and some other of the grasses, so abundant in 

 our English pastures, arises, it is said, from 

 the presence of benzoic acid. An essential 

 oil of an agreeable flavour may be extracted 

 from this grass, which is valued as a mild aro- 

 matic, and stimulant. 



Sir H. Davy has shown that the nutritive 

 matter of the grass, at the time the seed is ripe, 

 consists of mucilage, or starch, 43, saccharine 

 matter, 4, and bitter extract and salt, 3=50. 

 The leaves, or first growth of the spring, 

 afforded me of mucilage, 40, saccharine mat- 

 ter, 1, bitter extractive, 9=50. The bitter ex- 

 tractive is here much greater in the leaves 

 than in the culms and leaves combined, 

 which is the case with all the grasses I have 

 made trial of, though in different propor- 

 tions. 



The proportional value which the grass, at 

 the time the seed is ripe, bears to that at the 

 time of flowering, is as 13 to 4. The propor- 

 tional value which the grass of the latter-math 

 bears to that of the seed crop, is nearly as 13 

 to 9 ; and the proportional value or nourish- 

 ment contained in the autumn grass, exceeds 

 that of the first grass of the spring as 9 to 7. 

 The comparative produce of the herbage, at 

 different periods, may be seen by reference to 

 the following table: (Sinclair's Hort. Gram. 



ANTICOR. In farriery, a disease among 

 horses, arising from an inflammation in the 

 gullet and throat, or a kind of quinsy. The 

 swelling sometimes extends as far as the 

 sheath; and is attended with fever, great de- 

 pression, weakness, and a total loss of ap- 

 petite. 



ANTIDOTE. See Poisox, and ANIMAL and 

 VEGETABLE Poisoxs. 



ANTIMONY, SULPHURET OF. In far- 

 riery, a mineral substance, of a shining, stri- 

 ated appearance, hard, brittle, and very heavy. 

 It is employed as a remedy in many diseases 

 of horses and other animals, and is said to 

 have been given to fattening cattle and hogs 

 with advantage. An ounce is the common 

 quantity for a full-grown animal, which may 

 be repeated according to circumstances. It is 

 composed according to Dr. J. Davy (Phil. 

 Trans. 1812, p. 231), of 



Antimony 100 



Sulphur - 34-960 



ANTISEPTIC SUBSTANCES. In agricul- 

 ture, are such substances as have a tendency 

 to resist the putrefaction and decay of animal 



and vegetable matters. 



ANTISPASMODICS. 

 medicines as are suited to cure spasmodic af- 



In farriery, are such 



AORTAL ARTERIES, of vegetables. The 



large vessels destined to convey the elaborated 

 juice or blood of plants to the leaves and ex- 

 tremities, are so denominated by Dr. Darwin. 



APERIENTS. In farriery, are such reme- 

 dies as are calculated to keep the bowels of 

 animals in a gentle open state. 



APHERNOUSLI, or ARKENOUSLI. A 

 species of fir, pine, or pinaster, which grows 

 wild on the Alps. 



The timber of this tree is frequently large, 

 and has many uses for internal work. The 

 branches resemble those of the spruce-fir : but 

 the cones are more round in the middle, being 

 of a purplish colour, shaded with black. The 

 bark of the trunk, or bole of the tree, is not 

 reddish like the bark of the pine, but of a 

 whitish cast like that of the fir. The husk, or 

 sort of shell, which encloses the kernels, is 

 easily cracked, and the kernels are covered 

 with a brown skin, which peels off; they are 

 about as large as a common pea, triangular 

 like buckwheat, and white and soft as a 

 blanched almond; of an oily agreeable taste, 

 but leaving in the mouth that small degree of 

 asperity which is peculiar to wild fruits, and 

 is not unpleasant. These kernels sometimes 

 make a part in a Swiss dessert ; they supply 

 the place of mushroom-buttons in ragouts, and 



factions. Opium, assafoetida, and the essential | are also recommended in consumptive cases. 



oils of many vegetables, are the most powerful 

 i m-dies of this kind. 



ANTLER (Fr. andouUler). Properly the 

 first branches of a stag's horns ; but, popularly 

 and generally, any of his branches, and so 

 used, by poetic license, in all our modern 

 authors. 



102 



Wainscoting, flooring, and other joiner's 

 work, may be made with the planks of apher- 

 nousli, which is a wood of a finer grain, and 

 more beautifully variegated than deal, and the 

 smell is more agreeable. The aphernousli is 

 a tree of a healthy, vigorous growth, and will 

 bear removing when it is young, even in dry 



