Upon the whole, from the obfervations which we ourfelves have' made on this Grafs and from what is' to be. colle&ed 
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 oe by transplanting .the roots at, a proper 
feafon, and if the foil prove fuitable, from the quicknefs of its. growth, and its creeping Stalk, it would foon exclude 
moil: other plants, and produce a plentiful crop. ... 
• I' 1 foreign countries the feed of this Grafs feems to be an objedt of more importance, than the grafs. itfelf, the 
following is the fubftance of what Mr. Schreber has faid concerning it, ,. (vid, Bejchreibung, der Gr.afer _p. 40-.,) 
“ The feed has a fweet- and pleafant tafte particularly before it comes to its full growth, whence . the plai.it. lias 
acquired the name of Manna Grafs. Ducks and other water-fowl feed on it with much eagernefs (Linnaeus has 
“ remarked that the Water-fowl are very well acquainted with the method of colle&ing thefe feeds) it. has been 
“ obferved likewife that Filh are fond of it, and that Trout in particular' thrive in thofe rivers where this grafs grows 
in plenty and Iheds its feeds ; but it is not only for Birds and Filh but alfo for Man a palatable and nutritious 
“ food, and has for many years pad been known at Gentlemens tables under the name of Manna-Grout. 
■ “ The Manna Grafs is of two kinds the one Panicum /anguina le or Cochs-foot P(inic-Grafs the otjier Feflucajluitans 
•“ which we have now deferibed ; the former is cultivated in fev^ral parts of Germany, and its feed lomewh.at relem- 
bles that of Millet, the latter is colleded in great abundance from the plant as it grows wild in Poland, , Lithuania , 
the new Marche and about Franckfort and other places in Sjlefia qs alfo in Denmark an 4 Sweden and hence exported 
“ to all parts. • 
The common method they make ufe of to gather and prepare this feed m Poland, PruJJia, 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 Iheet 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 woodenPeftle fo as to 
“ take oltvthe chaff and then winnowed. After this it is again put into the mortar, ’in rows, -with dried Marygold- 
“ powers, Apple, and Hazel leaves, and pounded until the Hulk is entirely feparated and the feed appears brfoht 
“ lt: 1S then winnowed again, and when it is by this laft procefs made .perfeaiy clean it is fit for ufe. The Mary- 
“ g° lds are added with a view to give the feeds a finer colour. The moll proper time for collefting them is in July. 
“ A Bufhel 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 mod commonly made ufe of 
“ whole in the manner of Sago to which they are in general preferred. 
In the month of October laft, I difeovered in a watery ditch, which runs through a meadow not far from Kent- 
btreetkoad an uncommon appearance 111 fome of the feeds of this grafs, and on a farther examination, I found 
whole i amcles the feeds of which were affefted In a fimilar manner, inftead of being of their natural fize, and colour 
they were en arged to a very great degree, aflumed externally a blackifh colour, and were more or lefs incurvated’ 
“truck with the novelty as well as oddity of the appearancq I conjedured at firft that it was a difeafe occafioned by 
°me I examined it more attentively, but could not find the leaft caufe to fuppofe that an Infed had been 
concerned in it. The furface of fome of thefe feeds was rough, and chopped, they were light as to weight inter- 
nally ot a whitilh colour, infiped in their tafte but not difagreeable. Having a little before this been favoured with 
a light of lorn e horned Rie it now occurred to me that this was the fame dileafe which had been faid to affedt the 
Kie only, and farther enquiry confirmed my conjecture. 
As this lingular difeafe of the Rie has firft been noticed by the French, and as fome very uncommon - circum- 
ltances have attended it, it cannot fail of proving acceptable to our readers to lay before them the .fubftance of 
what they have faid concerning it In the H.Jioire de U Academe rdyale des Sciences there is an account given of a 
particular fpecies of Gangrene or Mortihcation which attacked many perfons in fome particular provinces of France 
«i 1 be g a >i generally at the toes and fometimes fpread as high as the thigh. Out of fifty people there was but 
“ A 4 W f . attaGked *’ lth tbls , d ^ ea f e m the hands and what was equally remarkable there were no females 
‘ afteded with it except foqae little Girls, -* 
.. , th f f thiS l' 1 '!" 11 " attacked .° nl r th = lower fort of people, and that too in years of fcarcity 
« n r0 jp ded , f l° m T nou, : lft ’ m “ t - and principally from eating bread made of a certain black and difeafed 
com called Ergot, from the grains afhimmg fomewhat of the form of a Cocks Spur. vid. Jig. 12. * 
“ The manner in which this Angular monftrofity of the Com is produced is thus related by Monfieur Faoon. 
„ “ T a / c “rtsm mills which prove injurious to the corn, and from which the greatefl part of the Ears of the 
Rie defend themfelves by their beards, In thofe however which this hurtful humidity call llrike and penetrate 
■' r °t s the ikin which covers the grain blackens it, and alters the fubftance of the grain itfelf the juices which 
„ f ° rm the *=d being .no longer kept within their ordinary bounds by the ikin, are carried hither in two great In 
abundance and amafiing themfelves irregularly form this monftrous appearance. ' g . a 
X He obferves that it is only in Rie that the Ergot is to be found, that the poor people do not feparate this grain 
V 15 ! ’ ' 1 hat, ' was onl y "> f “ da particular feafons as favoW the growth of the Sy/thal 
£ «“Ptevalent, that the country people after eating bread made of this bad corn perceived themfe yel 
* PkCC ’ “ f °“ F-inces were there was but gS 
“ From tke obfervations made by the Farmers of that country it appears that rhk ko,i f - . 
d ““ r d th = a r- dan “ » ^ ^ » - >«* ^ e vx; 
refufed it when given them, neverthelels if by accident thev had eaten it A\A J 1 , r ° ult fX 
« Whep (own (as might be expend) it did not vegetate. ” * ™ * 7 4 DOt ^ to hurt ^ ift 
afl^e^the Va^fldnd^of people^an^on^nqutry^i^wi^ 6 found^ th^t they'lba'd fhred^verv 1 ^ 0 ^ 1 a ls? ’ ^ 
From the infipid tafte of this corn, as well as from its not proving- fatal to Poultrv it .• , , 
that it is not m itfelf noxious, any otherwife than as it affords no nouriihment ■ and that^hof 7 ? r0, ; abl<: 
eaten of this corn, have in fad been abridged of a proportionate ouami^f fold 1 « P “ P - le who . havo 
ftate of the fluids and a weak gfe, pf thesis ,h^ fp^CSt^ 
