M AL 



M AL 



249 



thorough weeding ; and care must 

 be taken to supply them with plen- 

 ty of water during the summer. In 

 September the first crop of seed 

 will be ripe ; at which time the 

 stems of the plants may be mown 

 down, and the roots covered a few 

 inches with earth, taken as before 

 out of the alleys. 



" The weeding should take place 

 as early as possible in the spring of 

 the third \ear; and the crop, in- 

 stead of being left for seed, may be 

 cut three times, during summer.for 

 green fodder; all kinds of cattle 

 being remarkably fond of it. 



" In October the roots are taken 

 up, the offsetts carefully separated, 

 and immediately used to form a 

 new plantation 5 and the roots, af- 

 ter being dried,are sold, either with- 

 out further preparation, or ground 

 to a coarse powder, and sprinkled 

 with an alkaline lye. 



" The roots lose four-fifths of 

 their weight in drying ; and the 

 produce of an acre is about two 

 thousand pounds weight of dry 

 saleable madder." 



Madder usually sells for about 

 thirty two dollars per hundred ; so 

 that the produce of an acre as 

 above stated, would amount to six 

 hundred and forty dollars. Farm- 

 er's Assistant. 



MA LANDERS, a horse disease, 

 caused by corrupt blood, or over 

 hard labour, &c. It consists of 

 chops, or cracks, on the inside of 

 the fore legs against the knee, dis- 

 charging a red sharp humour. 



To cure this disease, wash tlie 



cracks with warm soap suds or old 



urine ; then rub them twice a day 



with an ointment of hog's lard mix- 



32 



ed with two drachms of sublimate 

 of mercuiy. Or appi) a poultice of 

 the roots of marsh mallows and flax 

 seed, softened with linseed oil, ty- 

 ing it on with a roller. Continue 

 that till the seeds fall off and the 

 sores become clean. Afterwards a 

 mixture of turpentine and quicksil- 

 ver will be a proper application. 



MALT, barley, or other corn, 

 prepared for making beer or ale* 

 As it is of great importance that the 

 people of this country should make 

 a greater use of malt than they do 

 at present, I will here give the pro- 

 cess of making it, from the Diction- 

 ary of Arts and Sciences. 



"" In making malt from barley, the 

 usual method is to steep the grain 

 in a sufficient quantity of water,for 

 two or three days, till it swells, be- 

 comes plump, somewhat tender, 

 and tinges the water of a bright 

 brown, or reddish colour. Then, 

 this water being drained away, the 

 barley is removed from the steep- 

 ing cistern to the floor, where it is 

 thrown into what is called the wet 

 couch ; that is, an even heap, rising 

 to the height of about two feet. In 

 this wet couch, the capital part of 

 the operation is performed ; for 

 here the barley spontaneously 

 heats, and begins to grow, shooting 

 out first the radicle, then the plume, 

 spire or blade. But the process is 

 to be stopped short at tlie irruption 

 of the radicle, otherwise the malt 

 would be spoiled. In order to stop 

 it, they spread the wet couch thin 

 over a large floor, and keep turn- 

 ing itotice in four or five hours, for 

 the space of two days, laying it 

 somewhat thicker each time. After 

 this it is again thrown into a large 



