MIGNIONETTE. 



183 



MILDEW. 



etiolated, or drawn up, with weak, 

 ill-shaped stems, in the efforts they 

 would have made to reach the light. 

 Besides, the blanket will save them 

 from being injured by frost. About 

 a fortnight before they are wanted to 

 flower, the blanket may be taken off, 

 and the box removed to the window 

 of the kitchen, or some place where 

 there is a constant fire; when the 

 plants will soon become quite green, 

 and will form their flower-buds. The 

 pots may then be taken out of their 

 box, and removed to the room where 

 they are to flower, having been first 

 put into other pots, somewhat larger 

 than themselves, and the interstices be- 

 tween the two being stuffed with moss, 

 which may also be laid on the surface 

 of the earth in the inner pot ; or if 

 moss cannot easily be obtained, double 

 pots will suffice, the outer one being 

 only just large enough to admit the 

 inner one. A third crop may be 

 sown in February, in pots, which may 

 be kept under shelter till all danger 

 is over from frost, and which may be 

 then set out on window-sills, or in 

 any other situation in the open air, 

 and which will flower in May, June, 

 and July, continuing in flower till 

 they are succeeded by a fourth crop 

 sown in April, in the open ground, 

 or in pots in the open air, which will 

 come into flower in July, and conti- 

 nue till November. 



When it is wished to obtain a plant 

 of tree mignionette, a healthy vigo- 

 rous plant of mignionette sown in 

 April, should be placed at the proper 

 time for transplanting, in a pot by 

 itself, and the blossom buds should 

 be taken off as fast as they appear. 

 In autumn, all the lower side shoots 

 should be cut off, so as to shape the 

 plant into a miniature tree, and it 

 should be transplanted into a larger 

 pot, with fresh soil, formed of turfy 

 loam broken small, but not sifted, 

 and sand. It should then be re- 



moved to a green-house, or warm 

 room, and by being regularly watered 

 every day, and kept tolerably warm, 

 it will remain in a growing state all 

 the winter, and by spring its stem will 

 begin to appear woody. It should be 

 treated in the same manner the fol- 

 lowing year, all the side branches 

 being cut off as they appear, except 

 those that are to form the head of the 

 tree ; and by the third spring it will 

 have bark on its trunk, and be com- 

 pletely a shrub. It may now be suf- 

 fered to flower, and its blossoms, 

 which will be delightfully fragrant, 

 will continue to be produced every 

 summer, for a great many years in 

 succession. 



Many persons save their own seed 

 of the common mignionette, but it is 

 hardly worth while to do so ; as it is 

 generally both good and cheap in the 

 seed-shops. 



Mildew. — Rose-trees and many 

 other plants are very apt to be af- 

 fected in autumn, with a white or 

 brownish appearance on the leaves, 

 which is sometimes called the blight, 

 but more properly rust or mildew. 

 The cause of this appearance was 

 long unknown ; and some supposed it 

 to be produced by unhealthy winds, 

 and others that it was the work of 

 insects ; it is now however satisfac- 

 torily proved to be a parasitic plant 

 or fungus growing on the leaves, as 

 lichens and other fungi grow on the 

 bark. 



The parasitic fungi known by the 

 general name of mildew are of three 

 kinds : viz., those that grow on the 

 surface of the leaf, those which form 

 under the epidermis or outer skin, 

 and those that attack the root. The 

 first kind may sometimes be removed 

 by abundant watering ; which not 

 only gives vigour to the plant, but 

 actually tends to loosen the hold the 

 fungus has taken of the leaves ; but 

 the second kind can only be stopped 



