jcncace;b. 21 



'White, who wrote the " History of Sclborne," mentions that the poor of his neighbour- 

 hood in Hampshire were in the habit of using these lights, which they made them- 

 selves, by dipping the rushes into tallow. He says, " Decayed labourers, women, and 

 children gather these rushes late in the summer ; as soon as they are cut, they must 

 be flung into the water, and kept there, otherwise they will dry and shrink, and the 

 peel will not run. When peeled, they must lie on the grass to be bleached, and take 

 the dew for some nights, after which they are dried in the sun. Some skill is 

 required in dipping these rushes into the scalding fat or grease. The careful wife of 

 an industrious Hampshire labourer gets all her fat for nothing; for she saves the skim- 

 mings of her bacon-pot for this use ; and if the grease abound with salt, she causes 

 the salt to precipitate to the bottom by settling the skimmings in a warm oven. 

 Where hogs are not much in use, and especially by the seaside, the coarse andmal oils 

 will come very cheap. A pound of common grease may be procured for fourpence, 

 and about six pounds of grease will dip a pound of rushes, which cost one shilling, 

 so that a pound of rushes ready for turning will cost three shillings. If men that 

 keep bees will mix a little wax with the grease, it will give it a consistency, render 

 it more cleanly, and make the rushes bum longer. Mutton suet will have the same 

 efiect." An experienced old housekeeper assured Mr. White that one pound and a 

 half of rushes completely supplied her family the year round, since working people 

 burn no candle in the long days, because they rise and go to bed by daylight. 



Sub-Species n. — Juncus efiFasus. l™«. 



Plate MDLXI. 



Ee!eh. Ic. Fl. Germ, et Helv. Vol. IX. Tab. CCCCXni 

 Billot, Fl. GaU. et Germ. Exsicc. No. 2750. 



Perianth leaves pale olive, rarely tinged wth brown. Anthers oval, 

 about half as long as their filaments. Capsule Avithout any terminal 

 mucro. Panicle usually, but not always, more lax than in J. con- 

 glomeratus, and the stem usually smoother, softer and paler green. 



In wet places. Very common, and generally distributed in the 

 north, more abundant than J. conglomeratus. 



England, Scotland, Ireland. Perennial. J^ate Summer. 



Similar to J. conglomeratus, but the stems are paler green, and 

 usually thicker than in that plant. The perianth segments are less 

 tinged with reddish-brown. The capsule is rather smaller and usually 

 olive, and when the base of the style is rubbed off, the apex of the 

 capsule has a depression and not a small protuberance in the centre. 

 When growing together, the capsules appear later in ripening, but 

 the two are so closely allied, that though they may be distinguished 

 readily enough when growing, they can scarcely be separated when 

 dry, if not in fruit, as both species vary mth compact or lax panicles, 

 although those of J. efFusus are more commonly lax than those of J. 

 conglomeratus. 



Soft Bush. 



French, Jotic epars. German, Flatterige Binse. 



