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DEVIL in a bush, or fennel flower , a very trouble-some weed among the corn, especially in Italy, France,and Germany, where it abounds much more than in thiscountry. It rises with slender stalks, near a foot high,"which sometimes branch out at the bottom, and sometimesare single, garnished with a very few fine cut leaves,somewhat like those of dill. Its slower is generally blue,and its feeds are rough and black. This, together withtheir being nearly of the fame size as the grains of wheat,renders it difficult to separate them from the corn, whenthe plant has been cut and housed with it; they blackenthe meal, and debase its value. The plant is annual,and therefore may be extirpated by rooting it out beforeit can feed, which is commonly in August.
DEVIL’S-BIT, the name of a weed often found a-mong the corn, but more frequently in meadows. Ithas a strong, thick, fibrous perennial root, which runsdeep into the ground, and fends out several branchingstalks, which rife near three feethigh. The lower leavesare sometimes almost entire, and at others they are cutinto many segments almost to the mid-rib: they are se-ven or eight inches long, and from three or four broad inthe middle, hairy, and sit close to the root. The stalks arecovered with stiff, prickly hairs, and garnished withsmaller leaves at each joint. The flowers, which are ofa pale purple colour, and have a faint odour, appear inJune upon naked foot stalks at the end of the branches,which decay to the root every autumn.
DEVIL’S-GUTS, the same with the lesser bind-weed. See the article Binh-Weed.
DEVONSHIRING. See the article Burn-Baking.
DEW, the moisture perceived on the ground, andon the leaves of plants, blades of grafs, &c. in themorning.
Those who have made no other reflections on dew thansuch as present themselves naturally, think that all themoisture one finds in the morning on plants and upon theground, comes in reality from above; but when the af-fair is examined with more attention, one fees that at leasta great part of the dew arises from the earth itself and theplants, and keeps hanging to their surface. Mr. Gersten,who hath made a dissertation on this subject in particular,hath even thought that there fell no dew from above onthe ground, and that all which we see under the form ofdew arose from the earth or plants, on which it keepshanging in pearls till the heat of the day hath dispersedit.
For the nature and properties of dew, with regard tovegetation, See the article Atmosphere.
DEWLAP, the flesh that hangs down from the throatof oxen.
DIABETES, a morbid copiousness of urine, or themaking water in too great quantities. This disorder isvery common in horses, and often terminates in death.
Horses subject to a diabetes, or profuse staling, if old,or of a weak constitution, are seldom cured ; they soonlose their flesli and appetite, grow feeble, their coat star-ing, and they die rotten. Of a young horse there aremore hopes; but he must not be indulged with too muchWater, or moist food. At the fame time give him thefollowing drink :
Take jefuit’s bark, four ounces; bistort and tor-mentil-root, of each two ounces: boil them intwo gallons of lime-water to the consumption ofhalf, and give a pint three times a day.
DOC
Let the horse drink two or three quarts a day of lime-water ; and if these medicines should not succeed, givea quart of strong alum-posset, three or four times 'aday.
This method is proper also for a horse who stalesblood ; or the following balls may be given for that pur-pose, if the bleeding is profuse.
Take bole armoniac one ounce, Japan earth halfan ounce, roach alum two drams, elixir of vitriolone dram ; make them into a bell with conserveof roses, and give,it every six hours.
As this disorder generally proceeds from too violentexercise, over-straining, &c. repeated bleedings in smallquantities are absolutely necessary, till the mouths of thevessels close up, Bartlet's Farriery , p. 165.
DIAPHRAGM, midriff, or skirt, as some call it ina horse or bullock, is a muscular substance that dividesthe upper catfity or chest from the lower belly.
DIBBLE, a setting stick, or instrument to make holesin the ground for setting plants, &c.
DIG, a mattock. See Mattock.
DIGGING, the act of turning up the earth with aspade.
Was labour considerably cheaper in England than it isat present, and a sufficient number of hands could befound, it would doubtless be the best way to dig by handall the ground destined for potatoes, carrots, lucern, &c.many advantages would accrue from this method of til-lage ; the earth would be loosened to a greater depth, andmuch better pulverised ; nor would the weeds and grafsbe so apt to grow as in ploughed lands.
DIGITATED, branched out into divisions likefingers.
DIKE, a ditch. It also signifies a dam or mound tohinder inundations.
DINGLE, a small dough or valley between two steep
hills.
DITCH, a trench cut in the ground, usually roundthe fences of a field.
The mud of ditches affords an excellent manure, as itconsists of the putrid particles of animals and vegetables,mixed with the finest and richest mould ; and thereforeproves a great improvement to any foil, particularly thelight and dry. But this mud should be exposed to theair for some time, that the seeds of the weeds generallycontained in it may have time to vegetate or putrify, be-fore it be laid on the land.
DOCK, the name of a weed, of which there areseveral species, and all of them remarkable for the large-ness of their leaves ; so that he must be a very slovenlyfarmer who suffers any of these plants to grow large.They should be plucked up by the roots as soon as theyappear, which may easily be done, as the roots are of thetap, or carrot kind.
DOCKING, the act of cutting off the tails ofhorses.
This operation is in general very successfully executed,by the common methods, which are known to every far-rier. But sometimes a miscarriage ensues by an inflam-mation and gangrene succeeding. These accidents pro-bably arise from the tendons of the tail suffering by aninjudicious application of the knife or searing-iron, or inan improper season for the operation. Neither die veryB b 2 hot