ANTICOR. 



APHERNOUSLI. 



The Atuerican editor of the Farmer's Ency- 

 clopcedia claims to have traced the source of 

 the peculiar flavour of Philadelphia " May but- 

 ter" to the sweet-scented vernal grass natural- 

 ized and abounding in the pastures within 

 marketing distance of the city. He assigns 

 the following reasons for this conclusion. 1. 

 In the dairy region around Philadelphia the 

 vernal grass, with its vanilla fragrance, corsti- 

 tutes the predominant spring herbage on all 

 pasture-fields and meadows left several years 

 unploughed. The older the pasture the greater 

 the proportion of the vernal grass, and the 

 higher flavoured the butter. 2. The flavour 

 continues during the development of this grass, 

 and invariably declines with its seeding, after 

 which the cattle push its dry stems aside in 

 search of fresher herbage. 3. The sweet- 

 scented vernal grass is shown by chemical ana- 

 lysis to contain an aromatic essential oil, the 

 basis of which is benzoic acid or flowers of ben- 

 zoin. This is abundant, and can be distilled so 

 as to furnish a delightful perfume. As the 

 milk of animals is so very susceptible of ac- 

 quiring disagreeable tastes from substances fed 

 upon, it is natural to infer that it may be im- 



bued with agreeable flavours could the proper 

 agents for this purpose be presented in their 

 food. That the benzoic acid is the proximate 

 cause of the peculiar line flavour of butter 

 made from pastures where the sweet-scented 

 vernal grass abounds, he has shown by i-evera! 

 experiments made in different places uhere the 

 flowers of ben/.oin given to cows produced 

 the characteristic flavour. From 20 to ->0 Drains 

 of the benzoin was administered twice a day, 

 previously mixed with a little rye or wheat 

 flour, then stirred up with some hot water and 

 mingled with the customary mess. 



Hitherto, but little, if any, exact knowledge 

 has been acquired in regard to the effects of 

 particular grasses in improving the flavour of 

 dairy products, or the meat of animals. The 

 abundant presence of the sweet-scented vernal 

 grass in pastures will, it is believed, not only 

 contribute a rich flavour to dairy products, 

 but to the mutton and beef of cattle and sheep 

 pastured upon it. 



[See Dr. Emerson's communication to J. S. 

 Skinner, on the subject of Philadelphia butter, 

 originally published in the Farmer's Library 

 for April, 1846.] 



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 Poison, and ANIMAL and 

 VEGETABLE POISONS. 



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 

 Sulphur 



100 



ANTISEPTIC SUBSTANCES. In agricul- 

 ture, are such substances as have a tendency 

 to resist the putrefaction and decay of animal 

 and vegetable matters. 



ANTISPASMODICS. In farriery, are such 

 medicines as are suited to cure spasmodic af- 

 fections. Opium, assafoatida, and the essential 

 oils of many vegetables, are the most powerful 

 remedies of this kind. 



ANTLER (Fr. andouilkr}. 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 



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 

 are also recommended in consumptive cases. 



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 



