Domestic Encyclopædia (1802)/Colts-foot

COLTS-FOOT, or Tussilago, L. a genus of plants forming 21 species, of which only three are natives:

1. The Farfara, or common colts-foot, which grows in pastures, in moist, stiff, clayey soils, and also on lime-stone rubbish. It is mostly found in fields that are over-cropped, or exhausted, and often severely exercises the patience of the farmer. It may be eradicated by ploughing up the soil, carrying the plant away when rooted out, and laying the fields down to grass. Hog's dung has also been employed with success for this purpose; and, if spread on the land in the proportion of 15 or 20 loads per acre, it will certainly extirpate this troublesome weed. Colts-foot produces yellow flowers that are in bloom in the month of March or April, and are soon succeeded by large roundish leaves, which have a bitterish, mucilaginous taste, and constitute the principal ingredient in British herb-tobacco. They are eaten by sheep, goats, and cows, but refused by horses and hogs. Formerly they were much used in coughs and consumptive cases; and have also been found of considerable service in scrophulous complaints; a decoction of these leaves having sometimes succeeded, where sea-water had failed.

2. The Petasites. See Butter-Burr.

3. The Hybrida, or long-stalked colts-foot, which possesses no peculiar properties.