ARR1ERY. 



to be treated by farriers, who'are, however, 

 now superseded in England by a more en- 

 lightened class of veterinary practitioners. 



FARRIERY. The art of preventing, curing, 

 or alleviating the disorders to which horses 

 and cattle are subject. The practice of this 

 useful profession in England was, until within 

 the last half century, almost entirely confined 

 to a class of men who were utterly ignorant 

 of the anatomy and physiology of the horse, 

 &c., and the general principles of the art of 

 healing. Their prescriptions were as absurd 

 as the reasons they assigned for administering 

 their boluses and drenches. But the establish- 

 ment of a veterinary college, and a better edu- 

 cated class of persons havi^. taken up the 

 profession, has created a new era in veterinary 

 science. 



FARROW. A sow is said to farrow when 

 she brings forth pigs; and the pigs brought forth 

 are called a litter or farrow. 



FARTHING-BOUND. A provincial term 

 for a stoppage or obstruction in the intestines 

 of the cow. 



FA RTHING-DALE. The fourth part of an 

 acre of land, now generally called a rood. It 

 is sometimes written farding-clale. 



FAT (Teut. vet; Ice. fntt ; Sax. r). An 

 unctuous, solid substance, or, more properly, 

 a concrete oil, deposited in little membranous 

 cells in various parts of animal bodies. It is 

 generally white or yellowish, with little taste 

 or smell, and varies in consistency according 

 to the relative quantities of stearine and oleine 

 which it contains. Goats' fat, besides these 

 principles, contains also hircine, to which it 

 owes its peculiar smell. Different kinds of fat 

 liquefy at different temperatures. Lard is softer 

 than tallow, melts at 97; but the fat extracted 

 from meat by boiling requires a heat of 127. 

 The ultimate elements of animal fat are the 

 same as those of vegetable oils. According 

 to the analysis of Chevreul, 100 parts of hu- 

 man tat are composed of 79-0 carbon, 11-4 hy- 

 drogen, and 9-6 oxygen. Hog's lard and mut- 

 ton suet are very similarly constituted. Fat is 

 insoluble in water, alcohol, and ether. The 

 strong acids dissolve, and gradually decompose 

 it With the alkalies it combines and forms 

 soap ; hard with soda, and soft with potassa. 

 Fat serves to defend the muscles and bones 

 against cold, to temper the acids of aliments, 

 and to invigorate and support the whole frame. 



FAT HEN. A provincial name for the wild 

 spinach (Clienopodium alburn), commonly called 

 in the United States Lamb's-quarter, and some- 

 times Goose-foot. 



FATHOM (Sax. pattern). A measure of 

 length containing six feet or two yards ; chiefly 

 used for measuring the length of cordage and 

 the depth of water and mines. 



FEATHER-GRASS (Stipa pennata). This 

 is a doubtful native; it is found sometimes on 

 dry, mountainous rocks. It is a perennial, 

 flowering in June. The root is fibrous; stems 

 a foot high, covered with dense tufts of long, 

 narrow, acute, dark green, roughish leaves; 

 sheaths striated and very long; stipules ob- 

 long, obtuse; flowers in panicles, simple, erect, 

 six to seven flowers ; awns nearly a foot long. 

 At the time of flowering, the produce per acre 

 59 



FELLING ^TIMBER. 



from a heath soil was 9528 Ibs., dry produce 

 3454 Ibs., nutritive matter 409 Ibs. This pro- 

 j duce was taken from a heath soil that had been 

 ; planted with the grass, for the wild seed does 

 not vegetate ; but it may be propagated to any 

 I extent by parting the roots. Its agricultural 

 I merits appear to be so inconsiderable as to 

 rank it among the inferior grasses. The beau- 

 tiful feather-like awns which terminate the 

 larger valves of the blossom, and adhere to the 

 seed, serving as a sail to waft it from rock to 

 rock, have procured it a place in the flower- 

 gardens of the curious, and serve to distinguish 

 it from all other grasses. The feathered awns 

 are sometimes worn by ladies instead of fea- 

 thers, which they resemble. The seed is ripe 

 about the middle of September. 



Nuttall describes several American species 

 of feather-grass, which abound in some of the 

 warmer portions of the United States and Ter- 

 ritories. One species, the Junro-i, grows very 

 commonly on the grassy plains of the Missouri, 

 as well as the Stipa I'n-^inica, both being very 

 troublesome when in seed, adhering by the 

 sharp stipe to every thing which comes in their 

 way. Not a single species is useful in agri- 

 culture. In Barbary and Upper Louisiana they 

 appear in many places the prevailing herbage, 

 communicating to the desert plains the colour- 

 ing of harvest, called payjwial by the Ameri- 

 can Spaniards. (NuttalC* Genera.} 



FEATHERS (Sax. pe^ep; Gerni.//em). A 

 general name applied to the exterior covering 

 or plumage of birds, and by which they are 

 enabled to fly. Feathers vary in form, size, 

 and function in different parts of the bird, and 

 have accordingly received distinct names in 

 ornithological science. The quill part consists 

 of coagulated albumen. Great quantities of 

 goose and other feathers are annually imported 

 into England from the north of Europe, which, 

 'however, are insufficient for the demand; hence 

 poulterers dispose of vast numbers of the fea- 

 thers of other domestic poultry, all of which 

 are much inferior to those of geese. The fea- 

 thers, after they are plucked, are generally dried 

 in an oven. Notwithstanding every apparent 

 caution, the feathers will frequently be found 

 to be tainted, either from carelessness in pluck- 

 ing, or by neglecting to attend to them after- 

 wards. In this case, the only method to ren- 

 der them sweet is to boil them a few moments 

 in stout calico or canvass bags in a copper, 

 and afterwards dry them in the open air. In 

 about a fortnight, if the weather be fine, they 

 will become perfectly sweet and ready for use 

 FEBRIFUGE (Fr.) In farriery, such medi- 

 cines as are beneficial in cases of fever. See 

 FEVER. 



FEED (Sax. pewan). The quantity oi tats 

 or grain given to a horse or other animai at 

 one time. It also signifies to fatten animals, as 

 cattle or sheep. 



FELL. The skin or hide of an animal. 



FELLING TIMBER. The act of cutting 



down trees for the purposes of timber. This 



term is only used in respect to full-grown 



! trees, and is never applied to young trees nor 



' to bushes, underwood, or hedges. Much has 



been written respecting the proper season for 



felling trees ; some arguing in favour of mia 



465 



