324 



THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



MAN ORCHIS. This is a name usually assigned in 

 books toAceras anthropophora, which is also called Green 

 Man, or Green Man Orchis. 



MANTISIA (from mantis, an insect, to which the 

 flowers have been compared). OBD. Scitaminece. A 

 small genus (two species) of stove herbaceous perennials, 

 natives of the East Indies. Flowers pale violet, with a 

 yellow lip; thyrse loose; scape leafless. Leaves usually 

 narrow, with a long twisted point. M. saltatoria is 

 the species usually seen in our stoves. It thrives in 

 a compost of sandy peat and fibry loam; thorough 

 drainage is most essential. Propagated by divisions, made 

 just as growth commences. 



M. saltatoria (dancing).* Dancing or Opera Girls, fl., petal 

 yellow, large, the rest of the flower purple ; lacinise dissimilar, 

 the upper one rounded in a kind of blunt spur, two lower 

 somewhat ear-shaped ; bracts large, petal-like. July. I. broad- 

 lanceolate, much elongated at the point, with petioles en- 

 tirely sheathing the stem. h. 1ft. East Indies, 1808. (B. M. 

 1320.) 



MANUIiEA (from manus, the hand; in allusion to 

 the divisions of the corolla). SYN. Nemia. OBD. ScropTiu- 

 larinece. A genus comprising about twenty-five species 

 of glabrous or pubescent greenhouse herbs, or rarely 

 sub-shrubs, confined to South Africa. Flowers racemose ; 

 racemes sometimes simple and naked, or minutely brac- 

 teate, sometimes compound, composed of many-flowered 

 peduncles ; corolla-tube elongated, somewhat erect at top. 

 Leaves often at the base of the stem, approximate or 

 rosulate ; stem ones few, opposite, or upper alternate ; 

 floral ones small, often bract-like. For culture, see 

 Celsia. 



M. rubra (red).* fl. golden-yellow, iin. long ; raceme interrupted, 

 a little branched. April to September. I. oblong-lanceolate, 

 dentate, narrowed at the base, downy. Stem erect, decumbent 

 at the base, villous. h. 1ft. to 2ft 1790. Perennial. 



M. tomentosa (tomentose). fl. orange ; raceme many-flowered, 

 2in. to Sin. long. May to November. I. obovate or oblong, 

 toothed, thick, densely tomentose. Stem decumbent, dwarf, 

 branched, villous. h. 1ft. 1744. Perennial. (B. M. 522.) 



MANURES. The use of Manures is to supply nutri- 

 tive matter for encouraging and sustaining plant growth ; 

 any substance, therefore, added to the soil which has 

 the power, either directly or indirectly, of increasing its 

 fertility, may be considered as a Manure. It may con- 

 tribute directly, by supplying what is requisite, or indi- 

 rectly, by its action on other substances that might be 

 already present, but not in a suitable state for being 

 absorbed. Growth in plants cannot take place without 

 the main constituent parts of which they are composed 

 being extracted from the earth ; and as the production 

 of crops annually necessitates the withdrawal of an 

 enormous supply of certain elements from the soil, it 

 is evident that, were they not restored by some means, 

 exhaustion would, sooner or later, take place. Manures 

 contain, in a concentrated form, the elements requisite 

 for the sustenance of plants, some being much stronger 

 than others, according to the proportion of powerful 

 constituents, combined either in a natural or an artificial 

 manner, in their preparation. The strength of Manures, 

 and their special adaptability for certain crops, must 

 always be a guide to the gardener in disposing of them 

 to the best advantage. In their application to plants at 

 an improper time, or in an improper way, direct harm, 

 or possibly death, may be caused, while the same appli- 

 cation, at a suitable season, might be attended with 

 beneficial results. According to experiments which have 

 been made, " all substances entering into the composition 

 of vegetable Manure, or food, must be in a state of fluidity, 

 or in the form of gas or air. The great object, there- 

 fore, in the application of Manure, should be to make it 

 afford as much soluble matter as possible to the roots 

 of the plant, and that in a slow and gradual manner, so 

 that it may be entirely consumed in forming its soft and 

 organised parts." Substances of animal or vegetable 

 origin must, therefore, undergo a process of decompo- 



Manures continued. 



sition before they can become absorbed for the nourish- 

 ment of plants. This may partly take place before 

 they are applied to the soU, or, in some cases, it may 

 be entirely effected afterwards. It is not intended here 

 to describe the nature of different changes which take 

 place chemically, in consequence of the exposure of 

 various substances to the air, or from their being placed 

 in contact with each other. Changes must and do take 

 place naturally; for practical purposes, it matters not so 

 much how they are caused, as how far they succeed in 

 accomplishing their intended purpose in promoting fer- 

 tility in the soil to which they are applied. All Manures 

 may be, and usually are, divided into two classes. Those 

 composed of vegetable or animal substances of any de- 

 scription are termed Organic ; and others, which are of 

 mineral origin, are termed Inorganic. 



A few of the different kinds most in use are briefly 

 enumerated below. An excellent plan of applying strong 

 Manures is to mix a proportion with, in many cases, 

 several times its bulk of soil or garden refuse, and so 

 form a fertilising compost, which may be applied to 

 almost any garden crop with excellent results. Com- 

 posts thus prepared become useful in two ways : the 

 powerful properties of the Manure, when intermixed 

 with soil, become partially absorbed by the latter, and 

 are rendered less harmful ; and the decomposition of all 

 the vegetable matter is also at the same time hastened. 



I. Organic Manures. 



Blood. This is extremely powerful as a Manure. It 

 is rich in nitrogen ; but the chemical composition varies 

 somewhat, according to the different animals from which 

 it is obtained. Blood is most safely applied to land 

 after being dried, or when mixed with earthy substances 

 to form a compost. 



Bones. Both for field and garden crops, as well as for 

 fruit and other trees, grown in pots or in borders, bones 

 are extensively employed as Manure. When used in 

 merely a crushed state, their decomposition is usually 

 slow, consequently, the fertilising properties are lasting. 

 If reduced to a powder, and applied, the results are 

 observable in a much shorter time. Bones may be dis- 

 solved by throwing them into a compact heap, moistening, 

 and then covering them with earth. In this condition, 

 they soon ferment and crumble, and when thus reduced 

 they may be applied to the land. Crushed bones may 

 be advantageously used with nearly an equal amount 

 of ashes, or with one-third their weight of gypsum. 

 Bone Manure is specially beneficial to crops of Turnips. 



Farmyard Manure. By this term reference is made 

 to Manure collected from various sources on a farm. 

 The excrements of different animals possess special 

 fertilising properties, .and may be kept separate for 

 particular purposes. For ordinary uses, Farmyard 

 Manures are best mixed together, as then a larger 

 number of different constituents are included in the 

 whole, and are consequently available as plant food. 

 The liquid, as well as the solid, portions, should be 

 retained for affording moisture, to cause a slight fer- 

 mentation, and also for its own enriching properties. 

 Violent heating by fermentation should not be allowed, 

 but partial decomposition of such Manure before adding 

 it to the soil will render the parts more soluble, and in 

 a better state for being readily absorbed. The value 

 of good Farmyard Manure to all crops, and the method 

 of applying it to land is so well known, that no further 

 reference is necessary. 



Fish. Fish are sometimes used as Manure. Their 

 decomposition is very rapid, and the quantity applied 

 to land must be limited, on account of its strength. 

 Fish are more safely used as Manure if mixed in a 

 compost of soil and refuse, so that the powerful fer- 

 tilising properties may be evenly distributed throughout. 



