Page:Willich, A. F. M. - The Domestic Encyclopædia (Vol. 3, 1802).djvu/496

468&#93; 468] RAG against steel. — This mineral is em- ployed by artificers for the purpose of giving" a fine edge to kniv; s, chissels, and other tools, which have ' previously been s'larpened upon stones ot a coarser texture. R.GWORT, the Common, Groundsel, Seggram, or St. James's Wort ; Senedo Jacolaea, L. a native perennial plant, grow- ing in meadows, pastures, and on road-sides ; and jflowering from July to August. Where this troublesome weed abounds, it is with great difficulty extirpated. The best method hi- therto discovered, appears to be either that of plucking it up by ihe roots, after the ground has been moistened with showers ; or fold- ing it closely with sheep in the winter season ; so that the heavy rains may contribute lo its destruc- tion. If the former plan be adopt- ed, it is recommended to pile up the plants thus piilled and cleansed from earth ; to burn them .; and scatter the ashes on the ground ; or, if this cannot be conveniently done, to leave them to rot on, and manure, the soil ; as the rankness and stench of this weed prove it to be possessed of saline and ferti- lizing properties. — Farther, it is said to be more pernicious in mea- dow, than iu pasture land ; for, in the latter it only tends to exhaust the soil ; while, in the former, it communicates to good hay a disa- greeable effluvia, and deprives it of its sweet flavour. If gatjiered before the flowers expand, and employed in a fresh state, the ragwort imparts to wool a fine green, though not perma- nent colour. But, if woollen cloth be previously boiled in alum-water, and then in a deoottion of these lowers, a beautiful deep ydiow RAI shade will be produced. — DaM-* BOURMEY states that, by a decoc- tion of the flowers and stalks while in blissom, the wool previously •^..e'.ped in a solution of bismutli, acquired a very permanent olive- brown colour, displaying a beauti- ful golden shade — When young, horses and cows eat this weed j bu^, aftr attaining its full size, when the stems are a yard high, it is refused by every species of cattle. RAIL, or Rallits, L. a genus of birds, comprising twenty-four spe- cies, of which tiie following are the principal : 1. The rrp.r, or Land-Rail, a bird of passage, which appears in Britain in the spring, and migrates, to warmer climate^ towards the end of autumn. Its bill is short, strong, and thick 5 the legs are long, slender, and of an ash colour; the tail is short, and the belly of a clear white. — ^These birds are uni- formly found among corn, grass, broom, or furze; where they depo- sit from twelve to twenty eggs during their residence in this country : they are remarkable for their aversion to take flight, trust- ing principally to the swiftness of their legs. Land-rails abound in the Isle of Anglesea, in the Orkney, and in the Hebride Islands : their flesh is remarkably white, tender, and if-, great esteem at the tables of epi- cures. 2, The of/ttaticus, or Water- rail, frequents the sides of brooks, and damp watery places ; it has a long slender body, about 12 inches in h-ngth frcjin the tip of the beak to the point of the tail ; and weighs from four to five ounces. Its bill is long and thin ; the legs are of a dusky flesh-colour ; the whole body is beautifully variegated ; and,. tliouglt