

GUINEA PIG. 



. About ten years since, it was also ' 

 introduced into the East Indies, where it is now 

 successfully cultivated, and grows to the height 

 of seven feet: it admits of being frequently cut, 

 and makes excellent hay. Cattle eat it, both in 

 a fresh and dry state, with great avidity: hence 

 til-' culture of this valuable herbage has been 

 strongly recommended to the farmers of Corn- 

 wall and Devonshire. 



The following remarks on the culture of this 

 grass are by the late H. Lawrence, of South 

 Carolina. 



" In the last spring, I procured from Jamaica 

 three half-pints of Guinea-grass seed, which I ; 

 planted in the drills of one-fourth part of an 

 acre of very indifferent land; the seed sprung 

 up and soon covered the ground with grass four 

 feet hiuh and upwards. Being desirous of saving 

 as much seed as possible, I cut one bundle 

 of grass for horses : they ate it all with great 

 avidity. 



" Iii August I took one of the grass roots and 

 divided it into 28 parts, which were immediately ' 

 replanted : every part took root, and the whole 

 are now growing very finely and seeding. I ; 

 am of opinion this grass will make the best ' 

 pasture we can wish for. From former exp>-- 

 rience. I have reason to believe the Guinea grass 

 i- p'-rennial. It is easily managed, requires but 

 one good hoeing, after which it will take care of 



I am informed a gentleman near Kingston, 

 in Jamaica, makes upwards of 1000/. sterling 

 p r annum by Guinea grass hay.*' (Domestic 



IZnr i/r 'ojxfdia . ) 



(il'INHA riG (Covia eobaya). This curious 

 litt'e animal is not a native of Guinea, but of 

 Brazil, whence it has been imported into Eu- 

 rope. It is about seven inches in length, and 

 it- whit* body is variegated with irregular black 

 and orange-coloured spots. In their wild state 

 an i trials multiply prodigiously, and would 

 Mimmerable, if they were capable of 

 iiing cold and moisture. The female 

 breeds at two months old, and brings forth 10, 

 .12, or 14 young ones, several times in the 

 c<mr>e of the year, after a gestation of three 

 we -ks. Guinea pigs feed on all kinds of herbs, 

 but are particularly fond of parsley, as also of 

 apples and other fruits. 



GULLION. A provincial name for gripes 

 in horses. See GRIPES. 



U, BLACK. See BLACK GUM. 

 GUTTA PERCH A. A peculiar gummy sub- 

 stance, consisting of the dried juice exuding from 

 trees growing abundantly in Singapore, Borneo, 

 and other parts of the East Indies. The remark- 

 able properties of this singular substance were 

 first made known to us by Dr. Montgomerie, in 

 1815, since which it has come rapidly into use 

 for numberless purposes in the various mechanic 

 arts, those especially in which leather, wood, 

 iron, brass, and tin were used. When immersed 

 in water heated to 150 deg. Fahrenheit it be- 

 comes plastic, and is capable of being moulded 

 to any required, form, which it retains upon 

 cooling. It is a perfect repellant of water, 

 acids, and fixed oils, and is therefore well adapted 

 for machine belts in damp localities. It is also 

 f Mini to possess, at ordinary temperatures, a 

 p-rmanent elasticity of about 5 per cent., and 

 does not oxidize like metals, or mould like 

 leather ; for water pipes, both for suction under 



HACKMATACK. 



great pressure, and for aqueduct purposes, it is 

 found superior to any other substance. It is 

 imporous, and conveys sound better than wood 

 or metal, hence it is superior for speaking tubes. 

 It is a non-conductor of electricity, and is useful 

 for insulating telegraph wires under water or the 

 ground. It never contracts or expands under any 

 degree of cold or heat from zero to 100 deg. Fah., 

 and is unaffected by drypess or moisture. At 220 

 deg. of Fah., it is the most adhesive substance 

 known, remains perfectly adhesive at all lower 

 temperatures, as well as under water. It resists 

 abrasion in an eminent degree, and is decidedly 

 more durable than the best of sole leather. It is a 

 good absorbent of heat when exposed to its 

 direct rays, and a poor conductor. Ice and 

 milk can, it is said, be kept in gutta percha 

 vessels longer than in any other substance. It 

 has great strength, and cannot be broken by the 

 most violent blow is insoluble in alcohol, ether, 

 or camphene at any ordinary temperatures ; but 

 is readily cut by heated camphene, or dissolved 

 by coal naphtha and chloroform, and held in solu- 

 tion at a temperature of summer heat. The 

 trees producing it are the largest in the Eastern 

 forests, growing from 60 to 70 feet high, and 2 

 or 3 feet in diameter. Their fruit yields an oil 

 which the natives use with their food, but the 

 wood is of little value. 



GYPSUM. See PLASTEK of PARIS. 



H. 



HACK, or HACKNEY. In horsemanship, a 

 general term for a road horse, which does not 

 always convey any sense of inferiority, or refer 

 to horses let out for hire. It is, however, often 

 used in that sense. 



HACKBERRY. A species of nettle tree, a 

 native of the United States, where the banks of 

 the Delaware, above Philadelphia, may be con- 

 sidered its north-eastern limit. East of the 

 mountains it is abundant only on the Potomac 

 and Susquehanna, especially near Columbia and 

 Harrisburg. In the western country it is abun- 

 dantly multiplied in all the river valleys where 

 the soil is fertile. On the Ohio it is called Hoop- 

 ash, and in Kentucky, Hackberry. On rich soil 

 this tree grows straight and undivided to a great 

 height ; its bark is grayish, and unbroken. The 

 wood is weak, and subject to speedy decay when 

 exposed to the weather. Its elasticity, however, 

 adapts it for making baskets and chair bottoms. 

 It splits readily, and makes handsome fence 

 rails. 



The hackberry is certainly one of the most 

 beautiful trees of its genus, and one of the 

 most remarkable for height and for majesty 

 of form. In rich soils, the luxuriance of its 

 vegetation is shown by sprouts 6, 8, and 10 

 feet in length, garnished on each side with large, 

 substantial leaves. In France it is principally 

 esteemed for the rapidity of its growth. (Am. 

 Sy/va.) 



HACKLE. A board set with sharp iron 

 spikes for combing or pulling out hemp and 

 flax. Also the name of an artificial fly used by 

 anglers. 



HACKMATACK, or American larch (La- 

 rix Americana}. The European and American 

 larches, says Michaux, are more strictly confined 

 than any other resinous trees to the northern 



599 



