Cowhair and Mortar
One of our most learned agriculturists writes in support of the- conclusion of the observant Herefordshire workman
whose views on Tudor plaster I quoted the other day. He found the old plaster better than the new because the old cowhair, used then and now to reinforce it, was longer than any procurable today. The historian's verdict, is as follows;
" There- is no doubt that the housing of cattle both for milk and for beef, in yards and in buildings, has been carried in the list hundred • and fifty years to lengths which were unknown before that, and every one knows the effect of a winter in the open air on the animal's coat. Mr. Hosier's cows on the Marlborough Downs are a wonderful example—so I think your observant workman is right."
A notorious example of the influence of cold on hair was provided some years ago by the discovery of a rat that had lived for some while in a cold storage depot. Its hair had become nearly as long as its tail ! One correspondent suggests that modern masons should apply to the barber for human hair. The objection is that most of us do not let our hair
grow long enough before resorting to the scissors.
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