AND GENEUAL HORTICULTURE. 



265 



MUS 



rooms. Keep a temperature as near 57 degrees 

 as possible, a sudden change of ten degrees 

 higher or lower will have a bad effect." 



MUSHBOOMS ON PASTURE LA.NDS, ETC. A 



simple method of growing Mushrooms on 

 pasture lands or on lawns is to take pieces of 

 spawn about the size of a hickory-nut and 

 lift the sod with a trowel or spade, just suffi- 

 cient to get the spawn under it and then press 

 it down tight. Set the pieces of spawn one to 

 two feet apart. Three or lour dollars' worth 

 of spawn, which can be got from any seeds- 

 man, is sufficient for an acre. 



The best time to place the spawn under the 

 sod is from middle of May to middle of June, 

 and in a favorable season a fair crop can be 

 expected the following September, or in three 

 or four months from time of planting. 



Musk Mallow. See Malva. 



Muskmelon. Cucumia melo. See Cucumis. 



The cultivation of the Muskmelon was car- 

 ried on at a very remote period. It is said 

 to be a native of the central part of Asia, and 

 to have been brought into Europe from 

 Persia ; but the date of its first culture is so 

 remote that there is no certain knowledge on 

 the subject. It appears to have been brought 

 into Italy early in the first century, if not be- 

 fore, as it is mentioned ty Pliny, who died 

 from suffocation caused by the great eruption 

 of Vesuvius in A. D. 79. In his works he de- 

 scribes the methods by which Melons were 

 grown or forced, so as to be obtained for the 

 Emperor Tiberius at all times of the year 

 Of the Melon there are many varieties. Of 

 the various classes of Melons, one of the 

 oldest and best is the Cantaloup, which, ac- 

 cording to M. Jacquin, derives its name from 

 Cantalouppi, a seat belonging to the Pope, 

 near Rome, where this sort, brought from 

 Armenia by the missionaries, was first culti- 

 vated. The flesh of this, with its varieties, is 

 yellowish or pink. The Nutmeg and Citron 

 varieties, which are the more common in our 

 markets, are supposed to be the African or 

 Egyptian Melons of the early writers. The 

 Melons of Persia have long borne a high 

 character, and differ materially from the 

 varieties commonly cultivated. They are ex- 

 tremely rich and sweet, and instead of the 

 thick rind of the common melons, they have 

 a very thin and delicate skin, which makes a 

 fruit of the same apparent size contain nearly 

 twice as much edible flesh. From this 

 peculiarity they are difficult to handle and 

 ship ; and they are likewise more difficult of 

 culture, requiring a long, warm season to 

 ripen to perfection. The most popular 

 Melon of the New York markets is the 

 " Hackensack," a green-fleshed, finely netted 

 variety, cultivated in immense quantities in 

 the vicinity of Hackensack, N. J. 



Musk-Plant. See Mimulus Moschatus. 



Musk-Thistle. Carduus Nutans. 



Musk Tree, or Musk Wood. Eurybia (Aster) 

 argophylla. 



Musquash Root. One of the popular names of 

 Cicuta maculata. 



Mussae'nda. The Cingalese name of one of the 

 species. Nat. Ord. Rubiacece. 



A small genus of tropical evergreen shrubs. 

 M. frondosa is a very pretty species, with ter- 

 minal clusters of yellow flowers, surrounded 



MYL 



by bracts of pure white, which give it a very 

 singular appearance. The leaves of some of 

 the species are esteemed for their medicinal 

 properties. M. uniflora is a vigorous, free- 

 flowering, handsome plant, suitable for basket 

 culture. They are natives of the East Indies, 

 and are propagated by cuttings. Introduced 

 in 1814. 



Mu'sschia. Named after J. H. Mussche, once 

 Director of the Botanic Garden at Ghent. 

 Nat. Ord. Campanulacece. 



A small genus of perennial herbs or small 

 shrubs, natives of the Island of Madiera. M. 

 aurea is a fine herbaceous perennial, bearing 

 its rich, golden-yellow flowers in erect, loose 

 panicles. Introduced in 1777. Syn. Campa- 

 nula aurea. 



Mustard. See Sinapis. 



Mustard. Hedge. See Erysimum. 



Mustard Tree of Scripture. Supposed to be 

 the common Mustard-plant (Sinapis alba, or 

 nigra), which in Palestine is said to attain the 

 height of ten to fifteen feet. The late Dr. 

 Royle endeavored to prove that Salvadora 

 Persica was meant, but this tree does not grow 

 in Galilee. 



Muticous. Pointless. 



Muti'sia. Named after C. Mutis, a South Ameri- 

 can botanist. Nat. Ord. Compositce. 



A small genus of ornamental green-house 

 climbing plants, natives of South America, 

 chiefly confined to the Andes of the West, and 

 especially of Chili. The flowers are produced 

 in terminal heads or clusters, and are mostly 

 of a pink, purple, or yellow color. They re- 

 quire a warm place in the green-house. Prop- 

 agated by cuttings. Introduced in 1832. 



Myce'lium. A word equivalent to spawn, de- 

 noting the negative part of Fungi, the greater 

 part of what most readily attracts attention 

 being frequently merely the fructification. 

 The vegetative part of a mushroom, for in- 

 stance, is represented by the delicate white 

 down and strings which traverse the soil, the 

 fruit is the stem, pileus, and gills, which we 

 call the mushroom. Fungi, except the lowest 

 forms, are made up chiefly of long, slender 

 threads, composed of rows, of cells placed end 

 to end : these threads usually branch, and are 

 interwoven so as to form a tissue that seems 

 frequently composed of cells united in the 

 way observed among other plants, though 

 really only a false, soft, cellular tissue. 



Mygi'nda. Named after Francis von Mygind, a 

 German botanist. Nat. Ord. Celastracece. 



A small genus of glabrous or pilose shrubs, 

 natives of tropical America and Chili. M. 

 latifolia, the best known species, has small 

 white flowers in bunches at the ends of the 

 branches. It was introduced in 1795, and is 

 propagated by cuttings of the ripened wood. 



Myloca'ryum. Buck-wheat Tree. From Myle, 

 a mill, and karyon, a nut ; the dry seeds have 

 four wings like a windmill. Nat. Ord. Cyril- 

 lacetB. 



M. ligustrinum, the only species is a half- 

 hardy, evergreen shrub, with terminal racemes 

 of white fragrant flowers. It is a native of 

 the Southern United States, and succeeds best 

 here in the cool green-house. It is propa- 

 gated by cuttings of the half-ripened shoots. 

 This plant is now named Cliftonia ligustrina by 

 many botanists. 



