M 



, fiov/ers in the border, and barren hermaphrodite 

 v£owers in the middle. 





AVe have but one Species of this genus in the 



^- ,,Engli{h gardens, viz. 



. * 



(■ * 



.,-.&-' 



MiCROPus {Supinus) caule proIlrato,foliis geminis. Hort. 



' tjpial. 275. Prod. Leyd. 145. Micropus^ cr Baftard 



Gnaphalium^ -with ^ trailing ftalk. Gnaphalodes Lufita- 



"nica. Tourn. Inft.R.H.439. Portugal Baftard Cudweed, 



*. ,. This. is an annual plant, which grows naturally in 



'Portugal, near the fea,.. The roots fend out feveral 



""■'trailing ftalks about fix or eight inches long, gar- 



.;niflicd Vvith fmall, oval, filvery leaves, whofe bafe 



fri.e/nbrace the ftalks. The flov/ers come out from the 



" wings of the ftalks in fmall cluflers; they are very 



Vi™J'? white, and fit in a double empalement, the 



' intcVior being fo large, as to alinoft hide the fld\^ers.' 



■It flowers in June and July, and the feeds ripen in au- 



, ^tfunn V this^is frequently prefervcd in gardens for 



, ..the beauty oi its filvery leaves : if the feeds are fown' 



1.V autumn, or are permitted ;to fcatter, the plants' 



'will come upjn the fpring, and will require no other 



^,^,c^re but to keep them clean from weeds, and thin 



them where they are too dole. ->■ When the feeds of; 



,.xhis plant are fown in the fpring, they feldom grow' 



, ^i fi^^: year.-/.^ ^^>u .-..>» i ^^ i^^^-^%^^:s^};^^r::T^- - \ 



M I C R OS CO P E, a dioptrical inftrument, by means 



M I 



earth, from whence they were exhaled, and in motion 

 to the weft, do, as it were, fall upon the grfiund which 

 lies'eaftward at right angle^ and therefore is moft of- 

 fenfive to them. * ^f ;v ,' - • 



But I talce the true caufe of the Mildew appearing 

 • moft upon plants v/hich are expofed to' the eaft, to 

 proceed from a dry'ternperature in the air when'the 

 v/ind blows from thaVpoint, 'which ftops the pores of 

 plants, and prevents their perfpiration, whereby the 

 . juices of the plants are concreted upon the furface "of 

 their, leaves, which beintr of a fwcetiflinature, infefts 



o " 



'i 



are incited thereto,' wKere, finding propeV' nutVimenr, 

 they depofit their eggs, ^nd multiply lb faft as to co- 



■ ver the whole furface of plants, and by their corrod- 

 ; 'ing the veflcls, prevent the' motions of their fap ^ 

 - and it is very probable, thit the excrements of thele 



infefts maj^ enter the vefF:'ls of plants, 'dnd by minting 

 ; with their juices, may fpread the infeftion all over 

 them ; for it is obfervable, whenever a tree has been 

 greatly affefted by this Mildew^ it feldom recoversit 

 ^in two or three years, and many 'timeslsnevefentire- 

 •. ly clear from it after. - ' ' "^ ''• * ''''- '^-^ •^*.' 



Others fuppofe. That the reafon why valleys afford 

 C more mciftiJre thanhills is,'becaureof the dew which 



■ tis*attra6ledfrom th6 earth ' Arid 'herbs 'as before, Ind 

 .-that they afford more moifture than hills (they fay) is 



. .of whicK very minute or fmall objeds arereprefented 1 « 'often feen by the mifls-v' which are more frequent on 



''^ ''' -ri^_?_.^. 1 ,-^- r. j,;.thenVtTian oiiliills i this being dravv^n b^ the fun in 



• ithe day tirfie,^ and wantiH'g'^Wind to aflift its "mondn. 



. jvf ry large, and capable of being viewed very diftinft- 

 ■'ly,- according to the lawjs of refraftion. .t.Arjlinat.'n 



. -This inftrument may be of finrular ule to a curious 

 enquirer mto the operation or vegetative nature, by 



.viewing nicely the feveral minute "velTels -and parts of 

 . vegetables, in order to difcoyer their y^rldus ufes, "and 



^0^ the bufinels of vegetation is carried on, a^s alfo 



xo examine the minute parts of flowers, which are 



no't obvious to the riaked eye.vn>-;',\! •.»;'' .* < . - -- 



;^ MILDEW is a difeafe that happens to plants, *and 



isfuppofedto be caufed by a dewy moifture which 



. \_ falls on them, and continuing, for want 'of the fiin's 



y 4^eat to draw it up, and by its ccrimony corrodes, 



V gnaws, and fpoils the inraoft fubftancfe of tfte'f^lant, 



v^^nd binders the circulation of the nutritive fap,'\ipon 



'.;hano;s in the lower region, and v/hen the fun fets, it 

 : falls upon the plants with its thick clammy fubftance, 

 •! and hinders the lap or the plant or tree from aicending 

 ]. !td BotlViffi ife "flowers 6f IhoSts, in thole whofe bark is 

 i: tender and young, and the pores open with the heat 

 . of the feafon;^ -"■''-'<--■ ^-^'^;'-**'^'-^^^^^ -, ^n.j,. 



This dew has been obferved in the great leaved Chef- ' 

 'ries; fuch^ts the Black Heart, the White*Heart, &c.^' 

 to fall upon them at the top7 juft atthebegihhin^'of 

 the Midfummer ftioot, which has fo ftopped the ftioot * 

 that it has fliot forth in other places below, and on 

 .the top of thefe flioots there have been nnany fmall 

 flies feeding on this dew, which may plainly be feen 



\ which the leaves begin to fade, and the bloflbms and I • and tafted on the leaves of Oak and Maple. 





I -■ 



^^jfruit are much prejudiced : but Mildew is rather a 

 , concrete 'fubftance, which exludes through the i)tfres 

 ., :pf tl^e leaveSifU^^ -V' ^ 

 However, what the gardeners commonly cari'Mil- 

 • r.dew,\is aninfeft, which is frequently found in great 

 i,.p!eiity," preying 'upon this'exIudatibn/^^li^'C:.^'*":^.^:?^^ 



* .ptjiers fay, -Xl^^t^ildew iS la thick clammy vap6Xir, 

 ^exhaled in the^ipring and ftimmer from plants, blof- 

 Vfoms^ and even the earth itfelf, in clofe ftill weather, 





x^ 



Some are of opinion, that.Mildews and blights are the 

 . fam'd thin^; but dfheft" 'again', that Mildew is quite 

 '■ another thing than blaftirigsl '< They fay Mildev;s are 

 : caufed from the condenfatiori 'of a fat and rnoift ex- 

 halation in a hot and clry funimef, from the "Klbf-" 

 loms and vegetables, and alio from tnb earth it- 

 felf,, which is condenied into z fat glutinous matter 

 by the coolnefs and ferenity of the air,' ahd falls down^ 

 on the earth a^^ainj "part of which refts ' upon ''the ' 



V 



where there is neither ftin enough to draw it upwaMs 1; . leaves of the Oak and oth^r trees, whofe leaveVare 

 ^Sojnjj^confidei-able height," fibi', wind of force ftrohg | 'Tmooth, and for that reafon do not foeafily admit the 



.. enough to difperfe it, ^andjhat,^ hanging in the lower . , ^ 

 regions, when the cold of the evening comes on?^it I! 'leaves 



- * 



moifture 



'^ condenfes, and falls on plants, ahd" with i'-s thick clam- 



^,my fubftance ftops the p6¥gs, ahd by th^t mfeahrpi-e- 



■f vents perfpiration, and tiinders the fap from afcend- 



_ ing to nourifli the flowers, ftioots, &c:^: ^'tf^e! cv - -^ 



Some fay. That Mildew is a corrofive or nipping dew, 



. proceeding from the vapours that* are exhaled by the 



^^PA^hj.Ahi/^h,' being drawn up; and falling down 



.again on the tender opening buds, infefts them by 



Its acrimony, and hinders the circulation' of the nu- 



^ triyoxjs fap in the proper veflils, upon which tlie 



' ^ '^^^H.fe'^^gii^ tofade, and the bloflbms and fruit i^e- 



, ceive a very great prejudice. '» ■y^'^''^'K'- /^SH'-'^^^- 

 'There are;others who make this obfervationV ^iTiat 

 the places moft liable to Mildew are inclofed grounds 

 -^^'^ valleys, efpecially thofe that lie tending to the 

 eaft-j arid the reafons that they give why thofe grounds 



ai 



ifture into them, as the Elm, "and other rougher ■ 



5 ! Other parts ' of Mildew rel^'upan the ears aticT ftalks ^^ 

 ■ '! of Wheat, befpottin^ the fame with a diff^erent co- ' 

 V iour from what is natural,'"" being of a glutinous* 

 fubftance, by the heat of the fun, and it binds Yip ' 

 fo clofe the tender ears of Wheatj-that'Tf 'prevents" 

 : the growth,' arid occafiohs it to be Very light }n the*° 

 ■- harveft. '^^ -^'^'^" .'■'-^>^''^"- >'■',/■;...,: r.-v^^ ' i:^vH- . 

 ■ Some are of opinion, that Mildews are'thaprnicipal 

 . ,^ food'of bees, it being f#eet, and cafily convei*ted 



^ into honev^^in-r \'^HV''-'i^-i^'r ^■^^ri4:-x/::4..<ts^i 



MILIUM. Tourn. Inft.'- R. H. -514- tab. 298. 





4 - -4 



lie from the horizon to the eaft, are moft fub- 



-jeft to Mildew and blaftings, may be by the fun's at- 



: J^r^ding thofe vapours tow^ards it, after the manner 



that a great fire in a.room draws the air to it ; fo the 



' ^^^ having fet thefe in motion, andnot having ftfength 



enough to dra\v them infp_ the middle region, to form 

 .^Qeminto a cloud,; he does yet draw them till he be 



^-H?low jhf^horizon, and then thefe dew's tend to" the 



'. Lin. Gen. Plant. "^3. [fo called of Mille, Latrfa 

 thoufand, becaufe of the multitude of us grains.] 



MiUet^v .<?fe7kl --i^v ,,'^:--^^^'-^^ 



, The Characters are, ::'''^ '-^' --r ^ - - '"^^ ■ 

 // is of the- Corner Grafs tribe^ with one flower^ in each 

 ;■ chaffy the chaff opening with two oval acute-pointed 

 valves. The petal of the flower is bivalve^ and fmaller 

 than the empalement. It bath three very Jhort hairy ft a- 





,■ ' 



;'- 



.-^■V 



1 ' 



^ -- ' 



Ai.'J.^ 



\ 



fftma^' terminated by Wciig^ ^JUmfnits^ and a roundiftj ger- 



mti with two hdiry ftyks^^^crozvned by brift^-foapedftig" 



'' mas. ^ The germen afterward turns to a roundifto feed^ cg-^' 



■ vered ly the petal of t}>eflcwer. ' '* . . ■• ■ - 1 v *' ; :. * ' 



' "•:'-. - ' ■ ■" 9 A " - - ^^-^^^ This 



i 



« - c « 



rV 



i ' 



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