MANDRILL 



3623 



MANGO 



household. Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet 

 says in Juliet's farewell: 



And shrieks like mandrakes torn out of the earth 

 That living mortals hearing them, run mad. 



It is a native of Southern Europe, and the 

 name is derived from the peculiar shape of the 

 forked root, which supposedly grew in half- 

 human form. In ancient times the root was 

 used as a narcotic and anesthetic and in "love 

 potions." 



In the United States and Canada the may 

 apple, a species of plant of the barberry family, 

 is often called the mandrake. See MAY APPLE. 



MANDRILL, man ' dril, a species of ferocious 

 baboon, which nature has made so repulsive 

 that it is said to be the most hideous of all 

 living animals. It inhabits Guinea and other 

 portions of West Africa, where the natives re- 

 gard it with extreme dislike because of the 

 damage it does to crops. The mandrill grows 

 to great size, has a doglike muzzle, eyes like a 

 pig, and a misshapen nose. The high cheeks 

 are colored a cobalt blue, and are- scarred with 

 scarlet furrows; patches of red appear also on 

 the lower parts of the body. These animals 

 live in groups, and like all baboons, they walk 

 on all fours. If kept in captivity until full 

 grown they become very savage, and even the 

 young show few agreeable traits. See APE; 

 MONKEY; BABOON. 



MANGANESE, man'ganeese, an extremely 

 hard, grayish-white metal, of little value itself, 

 but of great importance in the steel industry. 

 The grade of steel depends on the amount of 

 manganese, the manganese greatly increasing 

 its elasticity and hardness. Alloyed with cop- 

 per and zinc, it forms manganese bronze of 

 many uses. Other compounds of the metal are 

 important in the manufacture of flint glass, dry 

 batteries and pottery. Its use in the manufac- 

 ture of chemicals is decreasing. It occurs in 

 nature in iron, silver and lead ores, and in many 

 mineral waters, cereals and vegetables used for 

 food. The most abundant deposits are found 

 in Southern Russia, Brazil and in the United 

 States in the Piedmont Mountains of Virginia 

 and Georgia. As the mineral pyrolusite it was 

 known by the Roman writer Pliny, who thought 

 it to be an iron ore. The name manganese was 

 given it in 1808. 



MANGE, maynj, a disease of the skin re- 

 sembling itch, affecting horses, dogs, cattle, and 

 sheep. It is caused by a tiny parasite, which 

 makes its way under the skin and lives in the 

 hair follicles. The body soon becomes spotted 

 with pimples and scabs, which itch and cause 



the victim to suffer great discomfort. To cure 

 the disease the microbe must be destroyed, and 

 the most successful way of doing this is by 

 plunging the victim into a tank or tub con- 

 taining an antiseptic solution, containing such 

 substances as lime and sulphur, carbolic acid 

 or tobacco. Poisonous preparations of mercury 

 and arsenic should not be used. Mange is 

 contagious, and requires care to prevent its 

 spread. Various kinds of skin disease are often 

 confused with it. 



MANGO, mang' go, from a Malay word 

 meaning tree fruit, is a kind of evergreen tree 

 native to India and the Malay Peninsula, dis- 

 tinguished by its luscious fruit. The mango is 

 a tree of rapid growth, attaining a height of 

 about forty feet and crowned with a dense 

 foliage of lustrous, tapering leaves from six to 

 eight inches in length. The flowers are reddish- 

 white or yellow in color. When the tree is cul- 

 tivated, the smooth kidney-shaped fruit often 

 weighs a pound or more. Different varieties 

 range in size from that of a plum to that of 

 an apple. The fruit is. sweet or slightly acid 

 in flavor, and is highly prized as a dessert. The 

 kernel, too, is nourishing and is eaten roasted 



HOW MANGOES GROW 



by the natives when food is scarce. The unripe 

 fruit is used for pickles, sauces, etc. Mangoes 

 grow so profusely and so continuously in the 

 West India islands, where the season is eight 

 months long, that their production has tended 

 to make the natives indolent and nonprogres- 

 sive. One may live there without working. 



