68 BRITISH GRASSES. 



to sulphuric acid gas. The immersion need only oc- 

 cupy ten minutes, and the whole process may be achieved 

 so as entirely to bleach them in half an hour. 



Thus prepared, they make first-rate plait. The culms 

 of Festuca ovina, duriuscula and heterophylla, of Agrostis 

 Spica-venti, vulgaris^ canina, and stolonifera, of Avena 

 flavescens auApubescens, and of Nardus strict a, Anthox- 

 anthum odoratum, and Poa angustifolia are very good 

 for the purpose ; and these, being perennial grasses, if 

 once sown would yield an annual harvest to meet the 

 annual demand for the hats and bonnets of the season. 



In the Transactions of the Highland Society, an 

 establishment for straw-plait making is described. It 

 was originated by Messrs. Muir, of Greenock, and placed 

 in the Orkney Islands. Rye was cultivated in the ad- 

 jacent fields, the seaweed washed up by the tides served 

 for manure ; and the straw of the rye was chemically 

 prepared, and then woven into straw-plait, the beauty of 

 which was declared to be equal to the famous Leghorn 

 fabric. 



The Couch-grass (Triticum repens), though not re- 

 commended for industrial purposes, is not without its 

 use, especially on the Continent. At Naples its abun- 

 dant creeping roots are collected in great quantities, and 

 sold in the markets as food for horses ; when boiled, 

 they make good food for pigs. Boerhaave recommends 

 a decoction of the root as a good remedy for jaundice; 

 and dogs seem to hold a similar faith concerning the 

 properties of the leaf, for we often notice them eating 

 the grass, as if for medicine. 



The large grains of the Coix lachryma form beautiful 

 beads of a delicate grey colour and satiny texture ; their 

 drop-like form has procured for them the name of " Job's- 



