78 
recent date. There is a species of it called Durva, grow¬ 
ing in the North of India, which for a long time has been 
very greatly prized. Sir William Jones in his catalogue 
of Indian plants, when speaking of this, observes u 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 5 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, vol. 1st, p. 307. 
± Archives of Knowledge, vol. 2, p. 273. 
§ See Edinburgh Farmer’s Magazine. 
