MARC. 



MARK. 



and dry winter renders the trees more produc- 

 tive than a changeable and humid season. It 

 is observed, that when a frosty night is fol- 

 lowed by a dry and brilliant day, the sap flows 

 abundantly; and 2 or 3 gallons are some- 

 times yielded by a single tree, in 24 hours. 

 Three persons are found sufficient to tend 250 

 trees, which give 1000 pounds of sugar, or 4 

 pounds from each tree. But this product is 

 not uniform, for many farmers on the Ohio do 

 not commonly obtain more than 2 pounds from 

 a tree. Trees which grow in low and moist 

 places afford a greater quantity of sap than 

 those which occupy rising grounds, but it is 

 less rich in the saccharine principle. That of 

 insulated trees, left stinding in the middle of 

 fields or by the side offences, is the best It is 

 also remarked, that in districts which have 

 been cleared of other trees, and even of the 

 less vigorous sugar maples, the product of the 

 remainder is, proportionally, mostconsiderable. 

 "Having introduced," says a writer, "twenty 

 tubes into a sugar maple, I drew from it the 

 same day, 23 gallons and 3 quarts of sap, which 

 gave 7} pounds of sugar ; 33 pounds have been 

 made this season from the same tree; which 

 supposes 100 gallons of sap. It appears here, 

 that only a little more than 3 gallons was re- 

 quired for a pound, though 4 are commonly 

 allowed. 



It has been advanced, and doubtless cor- 

 rectly, that the Northern parts of New York 

 and Pennsylvania contain maples enough to 

 supply the whole consumption of the United 

 States. But the annual produce by no means 

 answers to this patriotic calculation. The 

 trees grow upon excellent lands, which by the 

 influx of emigrants from the older settlements, 

 and by the surprising increase of the popula- 

 tion already established, are rapidly clearing; 

 so that in less perhaps than half a century, the 

 maples will be confined to exposures too steep 

 for cultivation, and will afford no resource, 

 except to the proprietor on whose domain they 

 grow. At this period also, the wood will 

 probably produce a greater and more ready 

 profit than the sugar. Wild and domestic 

 animals are inordinately fond of maple juice, 

 and break through their enclosures to sate 

 themselves with it. 



MARC. The matter which remains after 

 the pressure of fruit ; or any substance which 

 yields oil ; or, in fact, any fluid matter for the 

 separation of which the action of the press is 

 required. What remains in the press is the 

 rnarr. 



MARCESCENT. In botany, a term applied 

 to leaves, &c., which are permanent, and when 

 withered do not fall off. 



MARCHES. The name given to the bor- 

 ders or frontiers of any district, but more espe- 

 cially applied to the boundaries between Eng- 

 land and Wales, and England and Scotland. 



MARE. The female of the horse. See HORSE. 



MARE'S-TAIL (Hippuris ru/gam). A cu- 

 rious indigenous aquatic, growing in marshy 

 situations, and in ditches, pools, and the bor- 

 ders of slow streams. 



MARGARIC ACID. An acid obtained from 

 animal fat. Its derives its name from its re- 

 semblance to pearl. Its appearance and pro- 



perties very much resemble those of stearic 

 acid, another product of animal fat, the chief 

 difference being in the greater fusibility of the 

 margaric, which melts at 140 Fah. See ACIDS, 

 ANIMAL. 



MARIGOLD (Calendula, named from calender 

 the first day of the month ; there being flowers 

 almost any month in the year). A genus 

 of showy plants, among which is the old 

 and well-known common marigold (C. offid- 

 nalif). This species was formerly used in 

 soups and broths, but is now little regarded. 



There are several varieties of the common, 

 marigold, among which are 



1. Single. 2. Common doubte. 3. Largest 

 very double. 4. Double lemon-coloured. 5. 

 Great Childinsr. 6. Small Childing. 



MARIGOLD, CORN. See Conx MARIGOLD. 



MARIGOLD, AFRICAN. See AFRICAN 



M V.RfOOLn. 



MARIGOLD, THE MARSH. See MARSH 



M VRIOOI.lt. 



MARINE ACID. See MURIATIC ACID. 



MARINE SALT. Common sea-salt, or mu- 

 riate ot 



MARJORAM (Origanum, from oros, a moun- 

 tain, and %anos, joy ; the delight of the moun- 

 tain, in allusion to the habitation of the plants). 

 A geniis of well-known, pungent, and grate- 

 fully aromatic herbs. The plants are all of 

 easy cultivation; the shrubby kinds are in- 

 creased by cuttings or slips ; the herbaceous 

 species by dividing at the roots. There are 

 as many as 8 species, besides numerous va- 

 rieties. The species generally cultivated are 

 the common or pot marjorum (0. vulgare), and 

 sweet or summer marjoram (O. majorana}, and 

 bastard or winter marjoram (O. heradeotinnn.} 



A light, dry, and moderately fertile soil is re- 

 quired for their healthy growth ; and if it is 

 one that has not been cropped for a consider- 

 able time, it is the more favourable for them. 

 If the soil is wet or rich, they are deficient in 

 their essential qualities, and the perennials are 

 unable to withstand severe weather. The situ- 

 ation cannot be too open. The sweet marjo- 

 ram is propagated solely by seeds ; the 2 pe- 

 rennials by seed, as well as by parting their 

 roots, offsets, and slips of their branches. Sow- 

 ing may be performed of all the species, from 

 the conclusion of February, if open weather, 

 to the commencement of June; but the early 

 part of April is the usual time for performing 

 it. Portions of the rooted plants, slips, &c., 

 may be planted from February until May, and 

 during September and October. 



The sowing is performed either in drills, 6 

 inches apart, or broadcast; in either case the 

 seed being buried not more than half an inch 

 deep. 



The tops and leaves of all the species are 

 gathered when green, in summer and autumn, 

 for use in soups, &c. ; and a store of the 

 branches are cut and dried in July or August, 

 just before the flowers open, for winter's 

 supply. 



MARK. A term applied to a horse, which 

 is said to mark when he shows his age by a 

 black spot, like the eye of a common bean, 

 which appears at about 5^ years old in the 

 cavities of the corner teeth, and is gone when 



791 



