MILDEW. 



318 



MIMOSA. 



to a single plant. Next autumn remove 

 all the lower shoots and shape the plant 

 into a tree. Somewhat later shift into a 

 larger pot in good loam. Keep it in a 

 warm greenhouse and in a growing state, 

 carefully removing all flowers. In the 

 spring it will appear woody. Treat it in 

 the same manner the next year, removing 

 all branches except those that are to form 

 the head of the tree. By the third year it 

 will have bark on its trunk, and form a 

 handsome shrub ; and by stopping the 

 flowers as they appear during summer and 

 autumn, it may be made to blossom free-y 

 during winter and spring for many years in 

 succession. 



Mildew. 



Mildew is due to the presence of a 

 fungus caused by parasites, and is often 

 promoted by want of proper attention to 

 ventilation. 



Syringe the plant upon which the mildew 

 has begun to make its appearance, with a 

 strong decoction of green leaves of the 

 elder ; or use in the same way a solution 

 of nitre, made in the proportion of one 

 ounce of nitre to one gallon of water. A 

 mixture of soapsuds and sulphur will, in 

 many cases, answer the same purpose. 

 For the treatment of mildew on grapes, 

 remove every specked berry at once, and 

 paint the pipes of the hothouse with a 

 mixture of equal parts lime and sulphur. 

 Dusting with flour of sulphur is beneficial, 

 especially in the case of grapes. Among 

 preparations sold for the purpose of counter- 

 acting the ill effects of mildew Ewing's 

 Mildew Composition, used in the propor- 

 tion of one ounce to one gallon of lukewarm 

 water and applied with a syringe, is con- 

 sidered the best. 



Mint. 



This herb grows from pieces of the 

 roots, which spread with rapidity ; for every 



piece that shows a joint will grow. It 

 requires a moist soil, and the bed in which 

 it is placed should be enclosed with a 

 string, brick, or tile edging, as it is 

 frequently very troublesome in running 

 about. Division of the roots should be 

 made in February or March. When the 

 plants are about to bloom, the stalks 

 should be cut and dried for winter use. 

 Towards the close of autumn all the stalks 

 that remain should be cut down to the 

 ground, and the bed covered with fresh 

 soil to the depth of I inch. The varieties 

 of mint grown in gardens are spearmint, 

 peppermint, and pennyroyal, the last- 

 named being used chiefly for medicinal 

 purposes. 



Mimo'sa (nat. ord. Legumino'sse). 



The mimosas, which are very few in 

 number, are extremely curious and in- 



MIMOSA PUDICA. 



teresting plants ; for the leaves of Mimosa 

 Pudica (the Humble-plant) and of Al. 

 Sensitiva (the Sensitive-plant) close if 

 touched or violently shaken. They are 

 really greenhouse perennials, but will 

 sometimes succeed out of doors in a warm 

 situation, growing freely in peat and 

 loam. They are raised from seeds sown 

 in spring in gentle heat or from cuttings 



