RAC 



RAG 



Ckcnopodium quinoa. A plant of the 

 Andes, similar to the goosefoots, the 

 leaves of whicli are used as spinach. 

 Tiie seeds are very nutritious, and 

 are eaten hoiled in soups. 



QdlNSEY. " Inflammation of the 

 tonsils. This is common inflamma- 

 tory sore tiiroat : it is not infections. 

 It begins with pain on one side of the 

 throat, and swelling of the tonsil, at- 

 tended by febrile symptoms, which 

 sometimes run high, especially as the 

 tumefaction advances ; there is great 

 restlessness and anxiety, and often 

 the utmost dilliculty of swallowing 

 even liquids, and of breathing. The 

 disease has proved fatal by producing 

 suffocation, but it generally termi- 

 nates in resolution or suppuration : 

 in the latter case the abscess breaks, 

 and a good deal of pus is discharged, 

 and the patient is at once relieved of 

 all his urgent symptoms ; hijt it oc- 

 casionally happens that the other side 

 of the throat becomes affected, and 

 goes through the same stages." 



QUITCH GRASS. Couch grass. 



QUOIN. The corner of a building. 



R. 



A moulding. 

 Lepus 



RABBET. 



RABBIT. Lepus cunicidiis. A 

 well-known rodent. They breed at 

 si.x months, and have seven to eight 

 young in a litter. They devour the 

 young, green vegetation of the farm- 

 er, but are readily kept, and yield 

 an abundant supply of food. The 

 dung IS oi the same character as that 

 of sheep. 



RACEME. A form of inflores- 

 cence, consisting of a main stem with 

 stalked flowers arranged along it. 



RACE.MIC ACID. An old name 

 for a form of tartaric acid ; the para- 

 tartaric acid. 



RACHIS. An upright axis of in- 

 florescence. 



RACK. A railed space above the 

 manger, in which grass is placed. 

 Below should be a box to collect the 

 grass seeds. The rack should not be 

 placed above the animal's head ; for 

 the dust of the hay, falling into his 

 eyes, may proiluce irritation, and, ul- 

 timately, blindness. This is, indeed, 

 I I I 



one of the chief causes of the blind- 

 ness of horses. 



RACKING FLUIDS. Decanting; 

 separating the clear portions from 

 the drcgd. The barrel into which 

 the fluid is racked should be perfectly 

 clean and fumigated with sulphur. 



RADIANT. A luminous spot or 

 body. 



RADIATION. The emission of 

 rays of heat or light through air or 

 space, whereby little is lost. 



RADIC.\L. A base in chemistry. 

 Compound radical is a compound base 

 in organic bodies. 



RADICLE. The miniature root 

 of the embryo. Also, small roots. 



RADISH. Raphanus satiriis. An 

 annual cruciferous plant, cultivated 

 for its roots. Varieties : Long scar- 

 let, scarlet turnip, white turnip-root- 

 ed, long white Naples, purple turnip, 

 white Spanish, black Spanish. The 

 early crops must be forwarded in 

 frames and hot-beds. Warm bor- 

 ders are also selected for crops in 

 May. The seed is sowed broad-cast 

 or in drills nine inches apart. The 

 soil should be light, drained, and mod- 

 erately fertile, ^\■hen the crop is 

 large, 10 to 14 lbs. of seed the acre 

 are employed. The leaves are in- 

 fested by skipping beetles, and should 

 be sprinkled with air-slacked lime, 

 snuff, &c. The roots are also sub- 

 ject to a maggot. The green pods 

 are sometimes pickled, and the young 

 plants used as salad. 



RADISH, WILD. The charlock, 

 a weed. 



RADIUS. The length of a straight 

 line drawn from the centre to the cir- 

 cumference of a circle. 



RADIUS BONE. One of the bones 

 of the forearm. 



RAFTER. A timber of the roof. 

 RAFTERING LAND. Ploughing 

 only half the land, and turning the 

 grass side of each furrow-slice upon 

 an unploughed bed. 



RAG. Woollen rags are very use- 

 ful as a manure. They are chopped 

 fine, and used at the rate of half a 

 ton to the acre. They last four or 

 live years, and advance vegetation, 

 especially the hop. The rags, by de- 



649 



