RED SPIDER. 



RED-WATER. 



the root, and often branched near the summit. ] red-water, brown-water, black-water, moor-ill, 

 Leaves 1 to 2 inches long, and ^ to ^ wide, I &c.," says Mr. R. Thompson, of Auchterarder, 



without stems, narrowed at the base, and spear- 

 shaped flowers, which show themselves in May 

 in the Middle States, have yellowish or milk- 

 white and rather small corollas. The seed- 

 nuts are ovoid, with tapering points, rough, 

 wrinkled, and brown, when mature. When 

 this formidable weed, which is the pest of the 

 northern wheat-crops, first appears in a field, 

 it may be removed by carefully pulling it up 

 while in flower, and thus preventing it maturing 

 seed and propagating itself. Where it once 

 gets possession, it is exceedingly difficult to 

 destroy, as the seeds will lie many years in the 

 soil without coming up, in this respect resem- 

 bling those of charlock or the wild radish and 

 mustard. One of the best methods of treating 

 it, says the editor of the New Genesee Farmer 

 (vol. i. p. 92), is to harrow, or lightly plough 

 the wheat-stubble immediately after harvest, to 

 cause the fallen seeds to vegetate, and destroy 

 the young plants the next season by summer 

 crops, which should be repeated for a year or 

 two, when the land may be summer fallowed 

 for wheat. Successive crops of buckwheat are 

 said to be advantageous. 



RED-ROOT (Ceanothns Americanus). New Jer- 

 sey tea. A plant with a large, red, perennial root, 

 found in the United States. The stem grows 

 2 to 4 feet high, and is branched. It possesses 

 considerable astringency, and during the revo- 

 lutionary war the leaves were substitutedfor tea. 



RED-ROOT (Sattguinaria Canadensis). The 

 generic name is derived from the colour of the 

 sap, which resembles blood. This American 

 plant, which abounds in the forests, is variously 

 called puccoon root, turmeric, and Indian paint. 

 The root is perennial, with fibres attached to a 

 reddish, horizontal stem, about 2 or 3 inches 

 long and an inch thick, growing under 

 ground. It possesses emetic and other medici- 

 nal properties. It is the only species of its 

 genus. 



RED SPIDER (Acarus). A well-known pest 

 of gardens. It may be destroyed by application 

 to plants of whale-oil soap, in the manner di- 

 rected in the destruction of plant-lice. See 

 APHIS. 



RED TOP. See HERD'S GRASS. 



RED TOP, TALL (Tricuspis Seslerioides). 

 A perennial grass, found in the Middle States, 

 on dry banks and sterile fields, flowering in 

 August and seeding in September. It has an 

 erect, jointed culm or stem, 3 or 4 feet high 

 and very smooth. Pursh calls it " a most ex- 

 cellent grass," and says he has seen " most 

 excellent crops" of it, in the mountain mea- 

 dows of Pennsylvania, where they mow it twice 

 a year. Such crops may possibly pass for 

 "excellent" in mountain meadows; but, ob- 

 serves Dr. Darlington, they would be not so 

 considered in Chester county. If Mr. Pursh 

 has not misapprehended the fact, he is certain- 

 ly mistaken in the character of the plant; for 

 it is a dry, rigid grass, with unusually hard 

 culms, and altogether unfit for making good 

 hay. It is the only species of the genus in the 

 United States. (Flor. Cest.} 



RED-WATER. In Britain, a well-known dis- 

 ease in cattle. " The disease commonly called 

 946 



" is most prevalent in old, foggy pastures. It 

 is seldom seen in hill pastures, or in new-sown 

 pastures, in which there is abundance of clover; 

 but it sometimes happens at the stall, where the 

 animal has no other allowance than straw, 

 turnips, and potatoes. It usually makes its ap- 

 pearance after a few days of rain, followed by 

 v,old, dry weather. As the disease appears at 

 times in all situations, it is difficult to trace its 

 existing cause, which may be the nature of the 

 pasture, or the state of the weather, or both 

 combined. It attacks every breed and kind of 

 cattle. 



The first symptom is the appearance of 

 something like blood mixed with the urine. So 

 trifling is the complaint in some instances, that 

 no inconvenience seems to be felt by the ani- 

 mal, who eats and drinks as usual, chews the 

 cud, and is free of the disease in a few days. 

 In such cases a natural diarrhoea comes on, to 

 which the cure may be attributed. In general, 

 however, the disease is not observed until the 

 animal refuses food, separates from the rest of 

 the herd, appears dull and heavy, and mani- 

 fests great langour and apathy. The ears 

 droop, the urine is of a reddish or brownish 

 colour, and if it be a milch cow, the milk is 

 often similarly tinged. The pulse ranges from 

 60 to 70; there is obstinate constipation of the 

 bowels; the urine is discharged in moderate 

 quantity, and apparently without pain. If re- 

 lief is not afforded by some brisk purgative, at 

 the period when the urine changes colour from 

 red to brown, the pulse begins to sink, and if a 

 little blood be drawn at this time, its surface 

 assumes a brownish colour; the eye appears 

 of a yellowish-brown tint; the urine acquires a 

 darker hue ; the animal refuses to rise ; the 

 pulse sinks ; the legs, tail, and horns turn cold ; 

 and the animal dies, to all appearance per- 

 fectly exhausted, although it has manifestly no 

 symptoms of acute pain during the course of 

 the disease. 



"Purgatives of any kind, if given in large 

 quantities of water, are found to be the best 

 medicines that can be employed. Medicines 

 given to cattle that have lost the power of chew- 

 ing the cud, generally pass into the first and 

 second stomachs, and if a good draught of 

 water is not given to wash them from thence, 

 if the animal dies, the greater part of the medi- 

 cines will be found in these stomachs; and 

 upon this principle, common salt, if properly 

 managed, will be found among the best. Dis- 

 solve the quantity to be given in as much 

 water as will enable it to pass freely from the 

 bottle or drenching horn, and let the animal 

 have plenty of water to drink afterwards. 

 Should it refuse to drink, no time should be lost 

 in drenching it profusely with water. With- 

 out a plentiful dilution, there is no certainty of 

 purging cattle that have lost their cud. If 

 purging does not commence in from 12 to 24 

 hours, a second dose should be given. Injec- 

 tions of soap and water should also be tried, if 

 the case is obstinate, and when they operate, a 

 pint of linseed oil should be given as a laxa- 

 tive. So obstinate is the constipation in some 

 cases, that the salt acts only as a diuretic, 



