78 



recent date. There is a species of it called Durva, grow- 

 ing in the North of India, which for a lone; time has been 

 very greatly prized. Sir William Jones in his catalogue 

 of Indian plants, when speaking of this, observes " its 

 flowers in their perfect state are among the loveliest objects 

 in the vegetable world, and appear through a lens like mi- 

 nute rubies and emeralds, in constant motion from the least 

 breath of air — It is the sweetest and most nutritious pas- 

 ture for cattle, and its usefulness, added to its beauty, 

 induced the Hindus in their earliest ages, to believe it the 

 mansion of a benevolent nymph. Even the Veda (or holy 

 and immortal book) celebrates it in the following text from 

 the Athervana.* " May Durva which rose from the water 

 of life, which has a hundred roots and a hundred stems, 

 efface a hundred of my sins and prolong my existence on 

 earth a hundred years. "f 



Among the many superior qualities of the Fiorin Grass 

 are the following — Its active principle of life, which is not 

 destroyed by the operations of nature fatal to other grasses 

 —It thrives equally well in a moist, a dry, and a shallow 

 soil — It appears little affected by the influence of the sun — 

 Hence it may be found growing near the north side of a 

 ■wall—It is regardless alike of the severe cold of winter? 

 and the intense heat of summer—Its crops are enormous 

 and double, both crops, in one instance, amounted to nearly 

 eight tons and a half per acre,± and in another ten tons 

 were gathered.§ 



The propagation, culture and properties of the Fiorin 

 Grass have been unhappily exaggerated by the lovers of 

 new improvements ; who, not satisfied with advantages 

 which are really peculiar, attribute to this herb every fan- 

 cied desideratum — Yet, after making sufficient allowances 

 on this score, the Fiorin Grass has unquestionably many 



* The fourth great division of the Veda, 

 f Quarterly Review, tol. 1st, p. 307. 

 i Archives of Knowledge, vol. 2, p. 273. 

 § See Edinburgh Farmer's Magazine. 



