Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 2.djvu/588

 SUP

people than the natural one j in the colder countries it main- tains ten times as many as the natural one, and when the art of agriculture is more advanced to perfection, it will maintain twice as many as it does at prelent ; and this im- provement is eafy, and to be done by Ample means. The natural pafture is not only lefs than the artificial, in an equal quantity of ground ; but the little there is of it con- fifting alfo of the fuperficies of pores and cavities not hav- ing a free communication with one another, they are lefs pervious to the fine roots of all vegetables, which require a greater force to break through their partitions ; and by that means roots, efpecially of weak plants, are excluded from many of thofe cavities ; fo that the benefit of a great part of the pafture that really is there, is loft to the hufband- man.

The artificial pafture, on the other hand, confifts in fuper- ficies of cavities that are pervious to all roots, and give them free pafiage throughout the whole extent of the cultivated place ; and confequently, the fine horizontal roots of plants, which run much farther than is generally fuppofed, (thofe ofaturnep, for inftance, running fix feet diftant from the main root every way ; fee Root) will find an eafy pafiage in every part to the utmoft extent to which nature allows them to run.

The internal fuperficies of the earth, which is the pafture of plants, is not like the external furface, which is the pafture of animals, in that it cannot be inlarged without the addi- tion of more furface taken from land adjoining to it, by inlarging its bounds or limits : but the internal fuperficies, or artificial pafture of land, may be inlarged without addition, or more land, only by divifion of the fame earth : and this artificial pafture may be increafed in proportion to the divi- fion of the parts of the earth, whereof it is the fuperficies. A cube of earth of one foot has but fix fquare feet of fuper- ficies; but divide this cube into cubical inches, and then its fuperficies will be increafed twelve times, that is, it will be feventy two fuperficial feet. Divide thefe cubes again into fuch others, as bear the fame proportion to an inch that an inch does to a foot, and then the fame quantity of earth, which had at firft only fix feet fuperficies, will have a fuper- ficies of eight hundred and fixty four feet of natural pafture : and in the fame manner is the foil divifible, and confequently this pafture increafable ad infinitum.

Poor land does not afford an internal fuperficies fo well ftock ed with thefe fruitful particles as rich land does, but this we may compenfate by dividing it more, and then what it wants in quality may be made up in quantity. The common method of dividing the foil is by dung, or by tillage, or by both ; and none of the natural pafture is ever ]oft, or injured by the ufe of the artificial means, but, on the contrary, it is mended by fuch means, a free commu nication being made by them between pore and pore. Tutf's Horfehoeing Hufbandry, p. 18,'

SUPERFLUOUS interval, in mufic, is one that exceeds a true diatonic interval by a femitone minor. Thus the

Superfluous fecond, or tone, contains a femitone minor more than a tone, or greater fecond; and will therefore be exprefled by \%\, or by -^j. The firft of thefe expreffions is a tone minor, and a femitone minor ; fince '— x \^ — ■f |rf : and the other is a tone major, and femitone minor ; for -| x \\ = yA- This laft occurs in practice, and is one of the intervals of the chromaticum toniEeum. See the ar- ticle Chromatic.

In temperate fcales thefe two fuperfiuous tones coincide. Thus from B b to C fharp, or from F to G fharp, are fu- perfiuous tones.

Superfluous third is greater than the third major by a femi- tone minor, and will therefore he exprefled by ~\ s == -§ x ■!|. It is not in ufe. It feems a fourth on our harpfichords. Thus from B b to D fharp is, properly fpeaking, a fuper- fiuous third; but D fharp and E J being confounded, it pafles for a fourth.

Superfluous fourth. This interval is exprefled by 44 = 4 X ||. It is by practitioners, and in temperate fcales, confounded with the tritonus. See Interval.

Superfluous fifth is exprefled by f -| z= | x ^. This is equal to two thirds major, for -jx^ — $4i The fuper- fiuous fifth occurs in practice, as from C to G fharp.

Superfluous fixth. This interval is of two kinds ; being the refpective complements of the two diminifhed thirds to the octave. One only, ftrictly fpeaking, anfwers to the ge- neral definition of a fuperfiuous interval, which is that in- terval which exceeds the fixth major by a femitone minor, and is therefore exprefled by l^J = -| x |-|. But the other interval, which is a comma more than the former, and is two femitones major lefs than the octave, is chiefly ufed in harmony, as between B b and a fharp, where it has a fine effect. It is exprefled by \%\ = 4 : 4* : 44 == t : 44-> See the articles Interval and Diminished third.

Superfluous feventh is exprefled by V xMS \\ s. This is a diefis lefs than the octave. See Interval.

Superfluous oEtave is a femitone minor more than the oc- tave, as from C to c fharp. It fometimes occurs in the bafles of instrumental pieces.

SUP

SUFERGEMINANS, a name given by fome anatomical writers to the epididymis.

SUPERGENUALIS, a name given by fome authors to the patella, or knee pan. See Patella.

SUPERIOR (Cycl.) — Superior auricula: mufculus, in ana- tomy, a name given by Santorini, and by Window, to one of the mufcles of the ear, called by Albinus and Cowper the attollens auriculam, and by many auricula primus..

Superior courts of record. See the article Court.

SUPERNUMERARH, in the later times of the Roman empire, foldiers added to the legion after it was com- pleted. They were the fame with thofe in farmer times, called accenft. Pitifc. in voc. See Accensi, Cycl and Suppl.

SUPERNUMERARY (Cycl)— Supernumerary boms of the head. Ariatomifts diftinguifh by this appellation fevera! bony pieces found in fome fkulls, chiefly between the pa- rietal and occipital bones. They form breaks in the lamb- doidal future, and are joined by true futures to the bones al- ready mentioned.

Their figure, number, and fize vary extremely ; fometimes they are triangular, or approaching to that form, but oftener they are of no determinate figure : in fome fubjefis they in- croach on the occipital bone, and in others on the parietal bones ; and fometimes they extend themfelves every way. They are commonly indented, and broader on the outfide of the fkull than on the infide, in which they have no vifible indentations ; and fometimes, when they are fmall on the outfide, are hardly at all to be feen within. They have by fome -been termed keys, a name ufed by joiners for the pieces which ferve to ftrengthen the joints of boards ; but this can agree to them only in refpefi to their fituation, not in refpefi to their ufes with regard to the other bones of the head. Some fuch bones have alfo been found in the joints, between the bones of the head and face ; and between thofe of the bones of the face with each other.. fVmJlow's Ana- tomy, p. 53.

SUPERONERATIONE pafture, a judicial writ, that lies againft him who is impleaded in the county court for the furcharging, or overburthening a common with his cattle, in a caie where he was formerly impleaded for it in the fame court, and the caufe is removed into one of the courts at Weftminfter. Reg. Judic. Blount, Cowel.

SUPERP ARTICULAR (Cycl.)— Superparticular rath. Ptolemy, in his Harmonics, feems to lay a great ftrefs on fuperparticular ratios % beyond ■ the fuperpartient in mufic. He does not call the intervals which may be exprefled by the former ratios, excepting 2 : 3 and 3 : 4, diffonants, as the Pythagoreans did, but concinnous, as if they were of a middle nature between confonant and diflbnant. But all this doctrine of fuperparticular ratios is a precarious hypo- thefis. The two thirds, major and minor, exprefled by 5 : 4 and 6 : 5, are fuperparticular, and concords. Their oflaves, S : 2 and 12 : 5, are fuperparticular, and concords alfs. Ptolemy himfelf refutes the Pythagoreans for excluding the diapafon diateffaron, exprefled by 8:3, from the number of concords, becaufe its proportions were fuperpartient; yet his own doctrine is equally precarious d. — [ c See Ratio, Cycl. * Vid. Euler, Tentam. Nov. Theor. Mufic. p. 67 64.] r J>

SUPER-PRiEROGATiVA regis, a writ which formerly lay againft the king's widow for marrying without the fuccefTor's licence. F. N. B. 173. Blount, Cowel.

SUPER-STATUTO de articulis cleri cap. 6. a writ lying againft the fherift", or other officer, that diftrains in the king's highway, or in the lands antiently belonging to the church. F. N. B. 173. Blount, Cowel.

Super-statuto faclo pour fenefchal & marjlml de roy, 13c. a writ that lies againft the fteward or marfhal for holding plea in his court, or for trefpafs or contracts not made, and arifing within the king's houfhold. F. N. B. 141. Blount, Coiuel. Super-statuto verfus fervanles 13 laboratores, a writ which lies againft him who keeps any fervants departed out of the fervice of another contrary to law. F. N. B. 167. Blount, Cowel. SUPINATOR {Cycl.) — Supinator brevis, in anatomy. This is a fmall thin flefhy mufcle, furrounding a great portion of the upper part of the radius.

It is fixed by one end to the lower part of the external con- dyle of the os humeri, to the external lateral ligament of the joint, to the annular ligament of the radius, and to part of the lateral eminence in the head of the ulna ; from thence it pafles obliquely over the head of the radius, covering fome part of it, and running down upon, and in fome meafure furrounding the neck, it turns in under the occi- pital tuberofity, and is inferted by the fide of the interoffe- ous ligament, in the infide of the fuperior quarter of the bone, and even a little lower. In fome fubjefis we may obferve the marks of the paflage of this mufcle over the outfide of the bone. It makes an angle with the prona- tor teres, refembling the Roman V. rVinflow's Anatomy, p. 190.

Supinator.