of a deep yellow colour, with white tubes, and appear in July or August. Hogs eagerly eat the seeds, but reject the plant, which is also refused by horses. It is, however, eaten by sheep and goats, and particularly by cows, which are extremely fond of it. Where this plant abounds, the butter is yellow, and uncommonly good.
3. The Sylvaticum, or Wood Cow-wheat, which is very rare, being found only in some woody, shady places, in the hilly parts of Scotland. Its blossoms are entirely yellow, and flourish from June to August; but have not the white tube of the preceding species, with which it is frequently confounded. It is eaten by cows, sheep, and goats: if it be given them in abundance, they will thrive remarkably, and soon grow fat.
Cox-comb: See Yellow Rattle.
CRAB, in fruit-trees, a disease which attacks the bark, especially after transplanting them from the nursery: it destroys particularly the inner bark, by reducing it to a blackish powder, not unlike the smut in wheat.
Various conjectures have been formed, as to the origin of this formidable disorder, which is often very destructive, especially to apple and pear-trees; but none appears to us satisfactory. It is, however, very probable, that it arises from the inattention of gardeners, when transplanting young trees, so as to change their situation to a different point of the compass; for instance, by placing the northern side of the trunk towards the south; where the powerful rays of the sun parch, and in a manner burn, the tender bark. This supposition is confirmed by the circumstance, that the disease generally makes its first appearance on the south side of bark; though, we believe, it also frequently originates from external injuries done to the tree, such as blows, scratches, &c.
The most expeditious method of relieving a tree thus affected, is that of immediately cutting out the whole diseased part, with a very sharp gardener's knife, and not to leave the smallest trace of its discoloration on the trunk; for an imperfect excision is attended with inevitable ruin to the tree. As soon as the operation is performed, the wounded places must be carefully covered with a plaster, made of equal parts of fresh clay, garden-mould, and cow-dung; or with the medication mentioned in our first volume, p. 432, under the article Canker.
CRAB-FISH, the Common, or Cancer-major, L. is a species of shell-fish, that inhabits our shores, and lurks or burrows under the sand: it is sold almost exclusively to the poorer class of people. As crabs, however, generally are in a state nearly approaching to putrefaction, before they arrive at the markets of inland towns, the eating of them is attended with considerable danger.
The claws of crabs form an article of the apothecaries shop. The tips or ends of them only are used; after being broken down ard well washed in boiling water, they are levigated, and yield a whitish powder, which is employed as an absorbent, especially where acidity abounds in the stomach and bowels. Formerly, this preparation was much employed in diarrhœas, and especially in the Heart-burn, to which we refer.
CRAB-TREE, or Pyrus malus,
