BOTANY AS APPLIED TO VETERINARY SCIENCE. 715 
Faha vulgaris arvensis. This well-known plant has been culti¬ 
vated from a very early period both by the Greeks and Romans, 
by whom it was held in great veneration, on account of the 
supposed resemblance in the shape of its legume or pod to 
Noah’s ark. “It is indigenous to Egypt, Barbary, and 
Morocco, and is believed to have been originally introduced 
from the first of these countries into Great Britain. There 
are a great many varieties, both in field and garden cultiva¬ 
tion, a rich strong, loamy soil being best adapted for their 
growth, on which they yield a large supply of very valuable 
food for many of our domestic animals. As food for horses 
they should be given when sweet, sound, and not less than a 
year old, as when given new they not unfrequently produce 
indigestion, flatulent colic, &c., and in some instances lami- 
nitis has supervened upon large quantities being partaken of. 
When given to horses without being mixed with other corn 
they should always be used with bran, to prevent their 
constipating effects. 
“Pisum sativum arvense (gray or field pea).— Stipules ovate, 
half-cordate, toothed at the base. Leaflets in two or three 
pairs, ovate, crenulated. Peduncles with about two flowers. 
Seeds angular, impressed, brown, speckled. Flowers purple.” 
—Lindley. 
This, like the bean, belongs to the vetch tribe, of the natu¬ 
ral order Leguminosa, and was introduced into this country 
from the south of Europe. There are a great many varieties 
in cultivation, all thriving best on a well-drained, sandy loam. 
As food for horses they much resemble beans. The follow¬ 
ing analysis by Dr. Voelcker will show the comparative value 
of these two kinds of food: 
Peas. 
Nitrogenized or flesh-forming constituents . 23'4 
Substances free from nitrogen, fitted to support 
respiration and to lay on fat: 
a. Starch, sugar, fat, &c. . . .50*0 
b. Woody fibre .... 1(M) 
Ash (bone materials) . . . . 2 5 
Water ...... 14T 
Field Beans. 
23*3 
48-5 
KfO 
3-4 
14*8 
With this I shall conclude my observations on the botanical 
characters, &c., of plants which yield a supply of food for 
our domestic animals; there are many more plants yet which 
are, to a certain extent, cultivated for the same object, but 
which can be more conveniently noticed at a future time 
under another head. In my next communication I purpose 
commencing the consideration of another division of the 
subject, viz., plants which are poisonous or prove otherwise 
