ARRESTMENT OF WAGES is supposed to exercise a baneful influence on some of the working classes in Scotland, by putting them in the power of greedy and oppressive dealers, who, in the knowledge of the power they thus possess, are too ready to give credit to working-people, and thus encourage them in extravaganeb. It was the object of so much complaint in Glasgow, that a government inquiry was instituted into its opera tion iu 1853. That inquiry developed a sad amount of extravagance and folly, but did not afford a hope that any mere alteration in the machinery of the law would remedy a deep-rooted social evil. Its most alarming features were fOund in the female mauufac turing population, the younger of whom especially, led by avidity for fine clothes, were the victims of a powerful organization of dealers, on what is called the club-ticket sys tem. It is not, however, allowed to arrest wages in summonses for small debts, i.e., under £12. Moreover, the wages of all laborers and work-people were declared by stat ute 33 and 34 Viet. c. 63, to be exempt from arrestment for debt, except where there was a surplus earned beyond 20s. per week. In England, wages cannot be attached for debt except in one or two exceptional cases.
ArRHENATHE'RUM, a genus of grasses, allied to holeus (see SOFT Gnnss) and arena (see OAT), and distinguished by a lax panicle, 2-flowered spikelets with two plumes, the lower floret having stamens only, and a long twisted awn above the base; the upper floret perfect, with a short straight bristle below the point.—The name A. is from the
Greek urrhen, male, and ether, an awn. A. avenaceum (arena elatior of Linnmus, also known as holcus avenaceus) is a common grass in Britain. It is sometimes called OAT LIKE GRASS, from the resemblance to the coarser kinds of oats in the general appearance of the panicle. In France it is very much cultivated for fodder, and is often called FRENVII RYE-GRASS. It has, however, no affinity to the true rye-grass (/o/iuni). It is a tall perennial grass, 2 to 3 ft. high, becomes luxuriant early in the season, and continues long productive. It is, however, a rather coarse grass, and has a somewhat bitter saline taste; it is not so acceptable to cattle as many other grasses, and is therefore generally regarded by British agric.ulturists as unworthy of cultivation on the best soils; but it is found suitable for some comparatively arid situations, and to form a coarse herbage under trees in plantations.—A variety or distinct species, differing from it in having a knotted or bulbous base to the stem, instead of a simple fibrous root, is called by some botanists A. bulbosum. It is also common in Britain, but is a very inferior grass, and, owing to the character of its roots, difficult of extirpation from lands in which itappears as a weed.