380 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
February 10. 
must not be overlooked, in case of wasto, or dropping- 
out of the feeding troughs, it may he considered 
that Rape-cake is worth all its cost as manure, whereas 
Linseed-cake, under the like circumstances, is not 
worth more than two-thirds of its cost in the market- 
Reverting to the use of corn and grain for feeding 
Sheep, I must observe, that it is bad practice to use any 
of the leguminous crops in the fatting of Sheep, except 
in ad ixture with cake, and they are then required only 
for about a mouth, at the latter part of the fatting pro¬ 
cess of wether Sheep, or aged Ewes, for the purpose of 
rendering the flesh firm. They may, however, be used 
for fattening Lambs or Hoggets throughout, the excess 
of Nitrogen they contain acting favourably in the pro¬ 
duction of flesh in all young animals. I condemn the 
feeding of fatting Sheep with Oats, Barley, Indian 
Corn, Bran, &c., being both wasteful and unprofitable, 
as compared with oil-cake and the legumes. 
The opinions here advanced are based upon my own 
observations, and they are strongly supported by the late 
experiments of Mr. Lawes. There is, however, one irn 
portant point worth observation, and which Mr. Lawes 
has exhibited ; that the residue of the legumes, after 
consumption, is of more value as manure than that to 
be obtained from the Cereals. 
Joseph Blundell. 
(To be continued.) 
SEA WEEDS. 
{Continued from page 350.) 
There is something very surprising in considering the 
spores or fructification of marine plants; so minute, that, 
even with the assistance of the microscope, there is as yet 
considerable obscurity regarding them. Specks, so small 
as are these spores, not visible to the naked eye, ancl yet 
each tiny atom containing life, and capable, under favourable 
circumstances, of producing plants, some of which are of 
large dimensions, is a fact so wonderful, that the mind is 
lost in the contemplation of it, and is led from the astonish¬ 
ing effect to the first Great Cause; to Him who in wisdom 
has made all; whose works do, indeed, praise Him. There 
are wonderful things lying hidden in the mighty deep! 
Many which are rarely seen by man, and many which are 
passed by, either because they are common, or the attention 
lias not been directed to them, or from a want of knowledge 
of their beautiful structures. I can assure my readers, from 
experience, that an interest in the beautiful plants of the 
ocean is much to be desired. Many an hour, which would 
have been passed by the invalid in comparative dulness, has 
been cheered and made delightful by the arrival of some of 
these interesting objects, and sometimes even a sleepless 
hour in the night has had light thrown upon it by the 
remembrance of their wonderful beauty. And what an 
inducement, for those who are ordered to the sea-side, to 
walk out, day by day, in search of them, when, under other 
circumstances, they would have wandered listlessly about, 
and not have received half the benefit; for it is of great 
importance that the mind should have healthy exercise, as 
well as the body, so closely is the one connected with the 
other. 
ORDER 11.—RHODYMENIACE.E. 
Red or purple Sea Weeds, with a root like a disk, but 
sometimes branched and matted; “ Frond very variable 
(says Harvey) in habit and colour, either leafy or filiform, 
or much branched; in some an intense scarlet; in some 
crimson; in others brown-red or purple; the substance is 
rather thick. 
1. STENOGRAMMA. 
Named from two words signifying narrow, and a line, 
because the fruit is in lines. 
1. S. interrupta. —This plant, which is washed up from j 
deep water, is very rare, though Miss Gifford has found it 
in tolerable abundance at Minehead, in Somerset. It is i 
of a fine red and much lacinated; fan-shaped, and rather j 
resembling Rhodymenia palmetto; from three to five inches 
long, and about as wide. 
2. RHODYMENIA. 
From red, and a membrane. 
1. R. bifida (Two-cleft).—A rosy-red, transparent, thin 
frond, forked from the base; “the margins fringed with 
ciliffi.” 
2. R. laciniata (Tome).—This beautiful weed grows 
upon rocks' and stones in deep water; the frond is rather 
cartilaginous, of a bright red, fan-shaped, fiat, and much 
divided in a wedge-like manner. The margin, when the 
plant is in fruit, fringed with “ ciliary processes, in which 
the tubercles are placed, or with tetraspores forming cloudy 
spots along the margin.” I found this weed in great abund¬ 
ance and remarkably fine at Spittal, near Berwick-upon- 
Tweed. It is also plentiful in the Isle of Man. The fronds 
are sometimes ten inches long. It makes very handsome 
specimens for the herbarium. 
3. R. palsietta (Fan-like).—Fronds of a rosy red, and 
more or less lorked, fan-shaped; “ rather rigid, and not 
adhering well to paper.” 
4 .R. cristata (Crested).—I have only seen one specimen 
of this rare plant, kindly sent me by the Rev. Dr. Lands- 
horough. Harvey speaks of it as very rare, and quite a 
northern species. “ Fronds about an inch long, divided 
near the base into several main branches; substance mem¬ 
branaceous ; adhering closely to paper in drying.” 
5. R. ciliata (Fringed).—Frond thick, and of a purple- 
red ; much lobed, and fringed with cilire; on rocks and 
stones. 
6. R. jubata. —On rocky shores; fronds * lanceolate, 
narrow, and becoming much more so at the top ; colour dull 
red; adhering well to paper when not too old. This plant 
varies much. It is not uncommon on the Cumberland coast. 
7. R. talhata (Hand-shaped).—This is the well-known 
Dulse of Scotch, and in Ireland is called Dillisk ; happily it 
is very common, and is much used as an article of food, 
either raw or cooked; the shorter plants are thought the 
best; sheep feed upon it. The frond is wedge-shaped, 
broad, and much divided. It grows on the stalks of Lami¬ 
naria diyita, as well as upon rocks. I extract the following 
passage from Dr. Landsborough’s “British Sea Weeds:" 
“ Dr. Greville says, that Dulse is the true Saccharine Fuats 
of the Icelandei-s. According to Lightfoot, it is used 
medicinally in the Isle of Skye, to promote perspiration in 
fevers. In the islands of the Archipelago, it is a favourite 
ingredient in ragouts, to which it imparts a red colour, 
besides rendering them of a.richer and thicker consistence. 
The dried frond, like many other alga 1 ,, when infused in 
water exhales an odour resembling violets; and Dr. Patrick 
Neil mentions, that it communicates that flavour to vegetables 
with which it is mixed Dr. L. also says, that by the. High¬ 
landers it is called Duillisg, which is a word compounded ] 
of two Gallic words, duille, a leaf, and nisye, water, i.e., 
the leaf of the water. From nisye, is derived the word 
