THE ARABIAN HORSE.—SHOW AND FAIR OF THE AMERICAN INbijLx o ^ 
135 
the fields in England, extending for miles over wild 
moorland, and always terminating m some point 
or peninsula covered with this favorite fodder; 
and amidst which it is almost certain to meet with 
solitary old bulls, or perhaps a herd, or a troop of 
wild horses just trotting off, as they scent it from 
a great distance. 
To cultivate the tussac, I would recommend that 
the seed be sown in patches, just below the surface 
of the ground, and at distances of about two feet 
apart, and afterwards weeded out, as it grows very 
luxuriantly, and to the height of six or seven feet. 
It should not be grazed, but reaped or cut in bun¬ 
dles. If cut, it quickly shoots up; but is injured 
by grazing, particularly by pigs, who tear it up to 
get at the sweet nutty root. I do not know how 
it would be relished as hay; but cattle will eat 
the dry thatch off the roof of a house in winter. 
Their fondness for this food is so great, that they 
will scent it at a great distance, and use every en¬ 
deavor to get at it. Some bundles which were 
stacked in the yard at the back of the government- 
house were quickly found out, and the cattle from 
the village made repeated endeavors every night 
to get at them, giving much trouble to the sentry 
on duty to drive them away. 
Arundo Grass.—Extract from a Report of Mr. 
Hooker , 5th September, 1842.—Another grass, how¬ 
ever, far more abundant, and universally distribu¬ 
ted over the whole country, scarcely yields in its 
nutritious qualities to the tussac; I mean the 
Arundo Alopecurus, which covers every peat-bog 
with a dense and rich clothing of green in summer, 
and a pale yellow good hay in the winter season. 
This hay, though formed by nature without being 
mown and dried, keeps those cattle which have 
not access to the former grass in excellent condi¬ 
tion^—as the beef which our parties, for the four 
winter months, supplied the ships with, can 
abundantly testify. No bog, however rank, seems 
too bad for this plant to luxuriate in ; and, as we 
remarked during our survey of Port William, al¬ 
though the soil on the quartz districts was very un- 
prolific in many good grasses which flourish on the 
clay-slate, and generally speaking, of the worst de¬ 
scription, still the Arundo did not appear to feel 
the change ; nor did the cattle fail to eat down 
large tracts of such pasturage. 
(Fig. 31.) 
THE ARABIAN HORSE. 
The Arabian is acknowledged to be the 
foundation of all improvement in the breed 
of horses, either bred pure by himself in 
other countries, as for example, the English 
thorough-bred, or by crosses, as is shown by 
the stocks of different nations. He is re¬ 
markable for his beauty, docility, courage, 
speed, and endurance. He has been known 
to go 120 miles with hardly a respite; run 
400 miles in the space of four consecutive 
days, 522 miles in six days, and after re¬ 
maining three days to rest, returning the 
same distance in five days. 
They inhabit the same tents with their masters, 
lying down while the children gambol upon 
them, and in fact are regarded like our household 
dogs as almost a part of the family ; and it is this 
kind treatment undoubtedly, that makes them so 
affectionate and docile in return. The strictest 
attention is paid to their pedigree and selections in 
breeding, and hence their continuing from genera¬ 
tion to generation without deterioration. The 
first we recollect of in our reading, as having been 
imported into England, was during the reign of 
Richard Coeur de Lion, in the 12th century, when 
he returned from the crusades in Palestine. The 
first introduced into America, we believe was dur¬ 
ing the revolutionary war. Several valuable im¬ 
portations have since been made, particularly by 
Commodore Elliott. General Eaton brought home 
a few when he returned from Tripoli. Those sent 
here about twelve years since, by our charge at 
Constantinople, were a pretty lot. We recollect 
seeing them when first landed in this city. Stam- 
boul was our favorite among them. It is gener¬ 
ally supposed now, that the Arabian can no longer 
improve our own or the English stock of horses, 
and we are rather inclined to this opinion. 
SHOW AND FAIR OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 
We would call especial attention to the sixteenth 
annual Show and Fair of the American Institute, 
to be held in this city. It commences on the 9th 
of October, and will continue for at least one week. 
It promises to be the largest, most varied, and at¬ 
tractive, of any yet held by this highly useful and 
National Society; and what will add greatly to its 
interest this year, is the meeting at the same time 
of the Silk Convention, and the Convention of 
breeders. These two last will be very important 
meetings, and we trust that they will be fully at- 
