Upon the whole, from the obfervations which we ourfelves have made on this Grafs and from what is to be collected 

 from Authors, it appears that if it be cultivated to any advantage it muft be in fuch meadows as are naturally 

 very wet and never drained. . 



, The quickeft and perhaps the- beft method of propagating it would be by tranfplariting the roots at a proper 

 featon, and if the foil prove fuitable,. from the quicknefs of its growth, and its creeping Stalk, it would foon exclude 

 'moll other plants, and produce a plentiful crop. 



In foreign countries the feed of this Grafs feems to be an object of more, importance than the grafs itfelf, the 

 following is the fubftance of what Mr. SchreIber has faid concerning it, (vid. Befchreibung der Grafer p. 40.) 

 •" The feed has a fweet and pleafant tafte particularly before it comes to its full gfowth, whence the plant has 

 " acquired the name of ffldnna U'rajs, Ducks and other water-fowl feed on it with much eagernefs (Linnteus has 

 " remarked that the Water-fowl are very well acquainted with the method of collecting thefe feeds) it has been 

 " obferved likewife that Fifli are fond of it, and that Trout in particular thrive in thofe rivers where this grafs grows 

 " in plenty and fheds its feeds ; but it is not only for Birds and Fifli but alfo for Man a palatable and nutritious 

 " food, and has for many years pail; been known at Gentlemens tables under the name of Manna-Grout. 



" The Manna Grafs is of two kinds the one Panlcum Jangu'inale or Cocks-foot Panic-Grafs the other Fe/lucajlultans 

 " which we have now defcribed ; the former is cultivated in feveral parts of Germany, and its feed iomewhat refem- 

 " bles that of Millet, the latter is collected in great' abundance from the plant as it grows wild in Poland, Lithuania, 

 " the new Marche and about Franckfort and other places in Slkjla as alfo in Denmark and Sweden and hence exported 

 "to all parts. 



" The common method they make ufc of to gather and prepare this feed in Poland, Prujjla, and the Marche is 

 " as follows. At fun rife the feed is gathered or beat from the dewy grafs into a horfe-hair fieve, and when a 

 " tolerable quantity is collected, it is fpread on a fheet and dried fourteen days in the fun ; it is then thrown into 

 " a kind of wooden trough or mortar, ftraw or reeds laid betwen it, and beat gently with a wooden Peftle fo as to 

 " take off the chaff and then winnowed. After this it is again put into the mortar, in rows, with dried Marygold- 

 " flowers, Apple, and Hazel leaves, and pounded until the Hulk is entirely feparated and the feed appears bright, 

 " it is then winnowed again, and when it is by this laft procefs made perfectly clean it is fit. for ufe. The Mary- 

 " golds are added, with a view to give the feeds a finer colour. The moft proper time for collecting them is in July. 

 *\ A Bufliel of the feed and chaff, yields about two quarts of clean feed. 



" When boiled with milk or wine they form an extremely palatable food, and are moft commonly made •ufe of 

 " whole, in the manner of Sago to which they are in general preferred. 



In the month of October laft, I difcovered in a watery ditch, which runs through a meadow not far from Kent- 

 Street Road an uncommon appearance in fome of the feeds of this grafs, and on a farther examination, I found 

 whole Panicles the feeds of which were affected in a fimilar manner, inftead of being of their natural lize, and colour, 

 they were enlarged to a very great degree, affumed externally a blackifti colour, and were more or lefs incurvated. 

 Struck with the novelty as well as oddity of the appearance I conjectured at firft that it was a difeafe occafioned by 

 lbme Infect, I examined it more attentively, but could not find the leaft caufe to fuppofe that an Infe£t had been 

 concerned in it. The furface of fome of thefe feeds was rough, and chopped, they were light as to weight, inters 

 nally of a whitiih colour, infiped in their tafte but not difagreeable. Having a little before this been favoured, with 

 a light of fome homed Rie it now occurred to me that this was the fame difeafe which had been faid to affect the 

 Rle only, and farther enquiry confirmed my conjecture. 



As this fingular difeafe of the Rie has firft been noticed by the French, and as fome very uncommon circum-. 

 frances have attended it, it cannot fail of proving acceptable to our readers to lay before them the fubftance of 

 what they have laid concerning it. In the Hijlolre de V Academle royale des Sciences there is an account given of a 

 particular fpecies of Gangrene or Mortification which attacked- many perfons in fome particular provinces of France. 

 '• It began generally at the toes and fometimes fpread as high as the thigh. Out of fifty people there was but 

 " one that was attacked with this difeafe in the hands and what was equally remarkable there were no females 

 " affected with it except fome little Girls. s 



" It appears that this fingular malady attacked only the lower fort of people, and that too in years of fcarcrty, 

 " that it proceeded from bad nouriihment, and principally from eating bread made of a certain black and difeafed 

 " corn called Ergot, from the grains affuming fomewhat of the form of a Cocks Spur. vid. fig. 12. 



" The manner in which this fingular monftrofity of the Com is produced is thus related by Monfieur Fagon, 



" There are certain mifts which prove injurious to the corn, and from which the greateft part of the Ears of the 

 " Rie defend themfelves by their beards. In thofe however which this hurtful humidity can ftrike and penetrate, 

 " it rots the fkin which covers the grain, blackens it, and alters the fubftance of the grain itfelf, the juices which 

 " form the feed being no longer kept within their ordinary bounds by the Ikin, are carried hither in two great an 

 u abundance and amaffing themfelves irregularly form this monftrous appearance. 



■" He obferves that it is only in Rle that the Ergot is to be found, that the poor people do not feparate this grain 

 " from that which is good, that it was only in fuch particular feafons as favoured the growth of the Ergot that 

 u this difeafe was prevalent, that the country people after eating bread made of this bad corn perceived themfelves 

 "as if drunk, and after this the mortification generally took place, that ill fome provinces were there was but little 

 " of this Ergot this fpecies of difeafe was not known, 



" From the obfervations made by the Farmers of that country it appears that this bad fpecies of grain is pro- 

 " duced in the greateft abundance in fuch land as is wet and cold, and particularly in rainy feafons. The Poultry 

 " refufed it when given them, neverthelefs if by accident they had eaten, it they did not appear to be hurt by it. 

 " When fown (as might be expected) it did not vegetate. " 



A kind of mortification very fimilar to the above defcribed was obferved in this Kingdom fome years ago ; it 

 affeded the fame kind of people and on enquiry it was found that they had fired very hard, and that the bread 

 which they had eaten was made of tjie tailings or fcreenings of Corn, but it was not afcertained whether it contained 

 any of the Ergot or not. 



From the infipid tafte of this corn, as well as from its not proving fatal Jo Poultry, it feems exceedingly probable 

 that it is not in itfelf noxious, any otherwife than as it affords no nouriihment ; and that thofe people who have- 

 eaten of this corn, have in fad been abridged of a proportionate quantity of food, hence from an impoverifhed 

 ftate of the fluids and a weak adion of the vefiels this fpecies of Mortification might eafily be induced. 



