MIKANIA 



557 



MILTONIA 



turns out to be so, that must be selected ; but if not, 

 you must choose the strongest and most promising from 

 among the rest ; yet be in no great hurry to pull them all 

 out but one ; as long as three or four have room, leave 

 them. When you have fixed on the one that is to form 

 the future tree, place a neat little stick down by the 

 side of it, a foot long, and pushed down to the bottom of 

 the pot. When the plant is 2 inches long, tie it loosely 

 to this stick with a piece of worsted thread. Keep 

 tying it as regularly as it grows, and when it reaches 

 the top of the stick give it a longer one, that is, if you 

 wish a long stem. Some people grow them up to 3, or 

 even 4, feet and more. Suppose we say only a foot 

 high for a couple of them, as they must all go in pairs ; 

 1 8 inches for the next couple, and 2 feet for a third lot ; 

 you would then be better able to judge which size would 

 suit your window best ; and as soon and as often as 

 side-branches issue forth from the stem of your tree, 

 you must stop them at the second joint. Some people, 

 who do not know the value of leaves, cut off the side- 

 shoots close to the stem at once ; but the substance of 

 the stems and trunks of all trees, and mignonette-trees 

 among the rest, is first formed by the leaves. In the 

 second year you will cut off more than the half of these 

 side-spurs, beginning at the bottom, and only taking off 

 a pair at a time, and in ten days or a fortnight another 

 couple, and so on progressively. 



There must be no flowers the first season, at least as 

 long as there are some out in the borders. After the 

 middle of October you may let your trees bloom all the 

 winter, but before that nip them off as fast as they 

 appear. When the first little pots are full of roots, 

 say about Midsummer, shift the plants into 5-inch pots, 

 which is the next larger size ; and if they have done 

 well they may want another shift by the end of July, 

 but never shift them after the middle of August, because, 

 if we should have a cold autumn, they would not fill 

 the pots with strong, healthy roots. 



MIKA'NIA. (Named after /. Mikan, professor of 

 botany at Prague. Nat. ord. Composites [Composite]. 

 Linn. ig-Syngenesia, i-^Equalis. Allied to Eupatorium.) 

 Stove evergreen twiners, with white flowers, blooming 

 in August, except where otherwise mentioned. Cuttings 

 of half-ripened shoots in sand, under a bell-glass, and in 

 heat ; rich, sandy loam. Winter temp., 48 to 55 ; 

 summer, 60 to 80. 



M. ama'ra (bitter). 6. Pale blue. S. Amer. 1813. 

 apiifolia (celery-leaved). 

 cordifo'lia (heart-leaved). 2-6. White. Central 



Amer. 1823. Tuberous. 

 Eckhiu'tii (Eckhaut's). White. 

 , Gua'co (Guaco). See M. AMARA. 

 opi'fera (eye-bearing). See M. CORDIFOLIA. 

 phyllo'podon (leaf-stalk). White. Argentina. 

 pnh'erule'nta (dusty). See M. APIIFOLIA. 

 Sande'ri (Sander's). Flowers unknown. Leaves green 



and purple. 1898. 



sca'ndens (climbing). 6. Trop. Amer. 1714. 

 suave' olens (sweet-scented). See M. CORDIFOLIA. 



MILDEW, whether on the stems of the wheat, or on 

 the leaves of the chrysanthemum, pea, rose, or peach, 

 appears in the form of minute fungi, the roots of which 

 penetrate the pores of the epidermis, rob the plant of its 

 juices, and interrupt its respiration. Every specimen 

 of these fungi emits annually myriads of minute spores, 

 and these are wafted over the soil by every wind, vege- 

 tating and reproducing the funsri, if they have happened 

 to be deposited in a favourable place, or remaining until 

 the following spring without germinating. These fungi 

 have the power of spreading also by stooling, or throwing 

 out offsets. They are never absent from a soil, and at 

 some period of its growth are annually to be found upon 

 the plants liable to their inroads. They are more 

 observed in cold, damp, muggy seasons, because such 

 seasons are peculiarly favourable to the growth of all 

 fungi. The best of all cures is afforded by the applica- 

 tion of flowers of sulphur in some form, either by dusting 

 the sulphur over the parts affected, or a sulphur paint, 

 for which a recipe is given at page 225 ; merely clay, 

 water, and flowers of sulphur, however, are sufficient, 

 and not so injurious to leaves. Sphczrotheca pannosa 

 (which see) and Cladosporium herbarwn are the mildew 

 fungi of the rose-tree, and Phragmidium subcorticatum is 



rose rust ; Oidium erysiphoidts, of the peach-tree ; 

 Oidium Tuckeri, of the vine ; Gl&osporium concentricum, 

 of the cabbage ; and Erysiphe communis, of the pea. Of 

 course there are many others. 



The most important point for subduing the mildew 

 fungus is to apply the sulphur immediately it appears. 

 To prevent its occurrence, nothing is so effectual as 

 keeping the roots and the leaves equally active by a 

 due amount of warmth and moisture. 



MILFOIL. Achilla. 



MHJU'SA. (Possibly a commemorative name. Nat. 

 ord. Anonaceae.) 



Evergreen stove shrub. Cuttings in sand in a close 

 frame, with bottom-heat. 

 M. veluti'na (velvety). 6. Brown. India. 1823. 



MILK-VETCH. A sir a' gains. 



MILK-WOOD. Bro'simum spu'rium. 



MELKWORT. Poly'gala. 



MTLLA. (Named after /. Milla, a gardener to the 

 Spanish court. Nat. ord. Lilyworts [Liliaceae]. Linn. 

 6-Hexandria, i-Monogynia. Allied to Caloscordium.) 



Half-hardy little bulbs, with white flowers, which 

 succeed in a deep, front border of light soil ; offsets 

 when in a dormant state. 

 M. au'rea (golden), i. Yellow. April. Argentina. 



1838. 



bifto'ra (two-flowered). i$. May. Mexico. 1826. 

 ,, capita' to, (headed). See BRODI^A CAPITATA. 

 -,, conspi'cua (conspicuous). See BRODUEA UNIFLORA 



CONSPICUA. 

 hyaci'nthina (hyacin thine). See BRODI.EA HYACIN- 



THINA. 



ixioi'des (Ixia-Uke). See BRODI^A IXIOIDES. 

 Leichtli'nii (Leichtlin's). See BRODI^A LEICHTLINII. 

 ,, maeroste'mon (long-stamened). i. Pale lilac. Argen- 

 tina. 1875. 



porrifo'lia (leek-leaved). See BRODI^A PORRIFOLIA. 

 uniflo'ra (one-flowered). See BRODI^EA UNIFLORA. 



MILLE'TTIA. (Commemorative of /. A. Millett, of 

 the early eighteenth century. Nat. ord. Leguminosae.) 



Evergreen stove climber. Seeds and layers. Loam, 

 peat, and sand. 

 M. megaspe'rma (large-seeded). Purple. Australia. 



MILLINGTO NIA. (Named after Sir T. Millingion, 

 professor of botany at Oxford. Nat. ord. Bignoniads 

 [Bignoniaceae]. Linn. i+'Didynamia, 2-Angiospermia.) 



Stove evergreen trees. Cuttings of half-ripened shoots 

 in sand, under a bell-glass, and in bottom-heat ; sandy 

 loam and peat. Winter temp., 48 to 55 ; summer, 

 60 to 85. 



M. horte'nsis (garden). 30. White. Burma. 1820. 

 simplicifo'lia (simple-leaved). 20. Yellow. E. Ind. 

 1828. 



MILLIPEDE. See JULUS. 



MILTO'NIA. (Named after the Earl Fitnrilliam. 

 Nat. ord. Orchids [Orchidaceae]. Linn. 2O-Gynandria, 

 i-Monandria. Allied to Brassia.) 



Stove orchids, from Brazil, except where otherwise 

 mentioned. Divisions in spring ; shallow baskets in 

 moss, sphagnum, &c., or fixed to a block of wood, and 

 then this block fastened across the top, inside of a pot. 

 Winter temp., 60 ; summer, 60 to 90. 

 M. a'nceps (two-edged). Yellow, purple, white. Brazil. 



1851. 



,, bi'color (two-coloured). White, red. 1839. 

 Bino'ti (Binot's). Sepals and petals cinnamon ; lip 



violet-purple. Brazil. 1897. 



Blu'ntii (Blunt's). Whitish-yellow, blotched cinna- 

 mon ; lip white, purple. Brazil. 1879. 

 lubbersia'na (Lubbersian). Sepals and petals 



spotted with brown ; lip purple. 1887. 

 ,, ca'ndida (vflnte-lipped). 2. Yellow and brown. 



March. 1830. 



,, ce'reola (small- waxen). White, purple. Brazil. 1865. 

 Clowe' sii (Rev. J.Clowes's). i. Yellow, brown. 1840. 

 > ,1 gigante'a (giant). Flowers larger. 1892. 

 pa'llida (pale). Yellow, brown. 1839. 



