RIS 



ROA 



RICK. A stack. 



RIDDLE. A coarse sieve to sep- 

 arate grain tVoin dust, &c. 



RIDGE. Tlui upper timber in a 

 roof, against wliich llie raCters pitcli. 



RIDGING. Laying up the soil in 

 narrow ridges. 



RIDGLLXG. A male animal half 

 castrated. They are troublesome, 

 iseless creatures. 



RIGGIL. An imperfect sheep. 



RIME. Frost. 



RI.VIOSE. Resembling the broken 

 ippearance of the bark of old trees. 



RING BONE. In farriery, a cal- 

 ms growing in the luillow circle of 

 .he little pasternof ahorse, just above 

 the coronet. 



RINGING. An operation in hor- 

 ticulture ; cutting out a ring of bark 

 down to the new wood, but not into 

 it, for the purpose of making a luxu- 

 riant branch fruitful. It arrests the 

 descent of the elaborated sap, and 

 swells out the flower buds. It is 

 done in spring. When the wound is 

 uade into or through the new wood, 

 Uie tree is killed, and this plan is pur- 

 sued in forests to kill them prepara- 

 tory to burning. Roots are also cut 

 into or ringed for the purpose of 

 throwing out new, healthy shoots. 

 The width of the wound when fruit 

 is wanted should not be great, and it 

 is well to leave a part of the bark un- 

 cut, by which the place heals over 

 more rapidly. Fruit has been doubled 

 in size and much improved in flavour 

 by this process. 



RINGENT. Grinning. A name 

 given to the personate corolla, as in 

 the genus Anlirrhimim. 



RINGS, FAIRY. Rings of green 

 grass, enclosing a less fertile spot : 

 tiiey are produced by the growth and 

 decay of fungi, the green grass ap- 

 pearing where the fungi have just 

 died. 



RIPPLE GRASS. The smaller 

 plantain. 



RIPPLING FLAX. Separating 

 the seeds by beating the plants against 

 a board, or other contrivance. 



RISTLE PLOUGH. A paring 

 plough for cutting turfs and the roots 

 of heath or other shrubs. 



RIVOSE. A surface marked with 

 irregular furrows. 



ROADS. In the construction of 

 good, durable roads, the following 

 points arc to be attended to : 



'^Drainage. — All exertion to con- 

 struct or repair roads is considered 

 unavailing until the bed of the road is 

 freed from water, and secured against 

 its return. Of what service can stone 

 be when the road is immersed in wa- 

 ter ! To correct and prevent a re- 

 currence of the evil, sub.-jtantial ditch- 

 es should be opened, so as to give a 

 slope of one inch in twenty-four be- 

 tween the crowns of the road and 

 bottoms. If open drains cannot be 

 made on both sides, owing to the de- 

 clivity of the surface, under drains 

 should be constructed, with outlets, 

 through the bed of the road to the 

 lower side ; and if springs exist in 

 the site of the road, their water must 

 be concentrated and conducted off 

 by under drains. "When a particular 

 piece of road is observed to he con- 

 tinually heavy, and in a bad state, it 

 is either caused by spring water, or 

 is situated in a flat, from which the 

 water cannot escape. These sug- 

 gestion should not be lost to us. A 

 principal defect in our roads is the 

 want of efiicient drainage. Wherever 

 water is permitted to remain, either 

 upon the surface or substratum, in 

 wet seasons there will be a slough, 

 and the bed of the road will be en- 

 tirely broken up. 



" Tke substance or thickness of Ma- 

 terials. — Without a sufficient depth 

 of consolidated materials, there will 

 not be a resistance equal to the weight 

 which a highway is subject to. There 

 must be weight to resist weight. If 

 the weight of metal forming the sub- 

 stance be of an imperfect quality, 

 more will be required tiian when 

 sound and clean. In proportion to 

 the quantity of deleterious matter 

 contained in the body (as earth, small 

 gravel, soft stone, &:c.) must the thick- 

 ness be increased. Any matter that 

 is not of a sound nature has no pow- 

 er in road making, and therefore 

 the hard materials alone contained 

 iu the roads can be calculated upon 



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