M I L 
flowers in the border, and barren hermaphrodite 
flowers in the middle. 
We have but one Species of this genus in the 
Englifh gardens, viz. 
Micropus ( Supinus ) caule proftrat-o, foliis geminis. Hort. 
Upial. 275. Prod. Leyd. 145. Micropus , or Bafiard 
Gnaphalium , with a trailing ftalk. Gnaphalodes Luflta- 
nica. Tcurn. Inft.R.H.439. Portugal Bafiard Cudwted. 
This is an annual plant, which grows naturally in 
Portugal, near the lea. The roots fend out feveral 
trailing {talks about fix or eight inches long, gar- 
nilhed with fmall, oval, iilvery leaves, whofe bafe 
embrace the (talks. The flowers come out from the 
wings of the (talks in fmall clutters ; they are very 
fmall, white, and fit in a double empalement, the 
interior being fo large, as to almoft hide the flowers. 
It flowers in June and July, and the feeds ripen in au- 
tumn ; this is frequently preferved in gardens for 
the beauty of its filvery leaves : if the feeds are fown 
in autumn, or are permitted to fcatter, the plants 
will come up in the fpring, and will require no other 
care but to keep them clean from weeds, and thin 
them where they are too clofe. When the feeds of 
this plant are fown in the fpring, they leldom grow 
the Arft year. 
MICROSCOPE, a dioptrical inftrument, by means 
of which very minute or fmall obje&s are reprefented 
very large, and capable of being viewed very diftind- 
ly, according to the laws of refradion. 
This inftrument may be of Angular ufe to a curious 
enquirer into the operation of vegetative nature, by 
viewing nicely the feveral minute veffels and parts of 
vegetables, in order to difcover their various ufes, and 
how the bufinefs of vegetation is carried on, as aifo 
to examine the minute parts of flowers, which are 
not obvious to the naked eye. 
M I L D E W is a difeafe that happens to plants, and 
is fuppofed to be caufed by a dewy moifture which 
falls on them, and continuing, for want of the fun’s 
heat to draw it up, and by its acrimony corrodes, 
gnaws, and fpoils the inmoft fubftance of the plant, 
and hinders the circulation of the nutritive fap, upon 
which the leaves begin to fade, and the bloflbms and 
fruit are much prejudiced : but Mildew is rather a 
concrete fubftance, which exfudes through the pores 
of the leaves. 
However, what the gardeners commonly call Mil- 
dew, is an infed, which is frequently found in great 
plenty, preying upon this exfudation. 
Others fay, T. hat Mildew is a thick clammy vapour, 
exhaled in the fpring and fummer from plants, blof- 
foms, and even the earth itfelf, in dole ftill weather, 
where there is neither fun enough to draw it upwards 
to any conflderable height, nor wind of force ftrong 
enough to difperfe it, and that, hanging in the lower 
regions, when the cold of the evening comes on, it 
condenies, and falls on plants, and with its thick clam- 
my fubftance (tops the pores, and by that means pre- 
vents perforation, and hinders the fap from amend- 
ing to nourifh the flowers, (hoots, &c. 
Some fay, 1 hat Mildew is a corroAve or nipping dew, 
proceeding from the vapours that are exhaled by the 
earth, which, being drawn up, and falling down 
again on the tender opening buds, infeds them by 
its acrimony, and hinders the circulation of the nu- 
tritious fap in the proper veflels, upon which the 
leaves begin to fade, and the bloflbms and fruit re- 
ceive a very great prejudice. 
T here are ethers who make this obfervation, That 
tne places moft liable to Mildew are inclofed grounds 
and valleys, eipecially thole that lie tending to the 
eaft j and tne reafons that they give why thole grounds 
which lie from the horizon to the eaft, are moft fub- 
jed to Mildew and blaftings, may be by the fun’s at- 
tracting thofe vapours towards it, after the manner 
that a great Are in a room draws the air to it ; fo the 
fun having fet thefe in motion, and not having ftrength 
enough to draw them into tne middle region, to form 
them into a cloud, he does yet draw them till he be 
below the horizon, and then thefe dews tend to the 
M I L 
earth, from whence they were exhaled, and in motion 
to the weft, do, as it were, fall upon the ground which 
lies eaftward at right angles, and therefore is moft of- 
fenAve to them. 
But I take the true caufe of the Mildew appearing 
moft upon plants which are expofed to the eaft, to 
proceed from a dry temperature in the air when the 
wind blows from that point, which Hops the pores of 
plants, and prevents their perfpiration, whereby the 
juices of the plants are concreted upon the furface of 
their leaves, which being of a iweetifn nature, infefts 
are incited thereto, where, finding proper nutriment, 
they depollt their eggs, and multiply fo fad as to co- 
ver the whole furface of plants, and by their corrod- 
ing the veffels, prevent the motions of their fap ; 
and it is very probable, that the excrements of thefe 
infedts may enter the veflels of plants, and by mixing 
with their juices, may fp read the infection all over 
them ; for it is obfervable, whenever a tree has been 
greatly affedted by this Mildew, it feldom recovers it 
in two or three years, and many times is never entire- 
ly clear from it after. 
Others fuppofe. That the reafon why valleys afford 
more moifture than hills is, becaufe of the dew which 
is attracted from the earth and herbs as before, and 
that they afford more moifture than hills (they fay) is 
often feen by the miffs, which are more frequent on 
them than on hills ; this being drawn by the fun in 
the day time, and wanting wind to aflift its motion, 
hangs in the lower region, and when the fun fets, it 
falls upon the plants with its thick clammy fubftance, 
and hinders the lap of the plant or tree from afeending 
to nourifli its flowers or {hoots, in thofe whofe bark is 
tender and young, and the pores open with the heat 
of the feafon. 
This dew has been obferved in the great leaved Cher- 
ries, fuch as the Black Heart, the White Heart, &c. 
to fall upon them at the top, juft at the beginning of 
the Midfummer (hoot, which has fo flopped the (hoot 
that it has (hot forth in other places below, and on 
the top of thefe (hoots there have been many fmall 
flies feeding on this dew, which may plainly be feen 
and tafted on the leaves of Oak and Maple. 
Some are of opinion, that.Mildews and blights are the* 
fame thing •, but others again, that Mildew is quite 
another thing than blaftings. They fay Mildews are 
caufed from the condenfation of a fat and moift ex- 
halation in a hot and dry fummer, from the blof- 
foms and vegetables, and alfo from the earth it- 
felf, which is condenfed into a fat glutinous matter 
by the coolnefs and ferenity of the air, and falls down 
on the earth again, part of which reds upon the 
leaves of the Oak and other trees, whofe leaves are 
f'mooth, and for that reafon do not fo eafily admit the 
moifture into them, as the Elm, and other rougher 
leaves do. 
Other parts of Mildew reft upon the ears and (talks 
of Wheat, befpotting the fame with a different co- 
lour from what is natural, being of a glutinous 
fubftance, by the heat of the fun, and it binds up 
fo dole the tender ears of Wheat, that it prevents 
the growth, and occafions it to be very light in the 
harveft. 
Some are of opinion, that Mildews are the principal 
food of bees, it being fweet, and eafily converted 
into honey. 
MILIUM. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 514. tab. 298! 
Lin. Gen. Plant. 73. [fo called of Mille, Lat. a 
thoufand, becaufe of the multitude of its grains,! 
Millet. 
The Characters are, 
It is of the Corn or Grafs tribe , with one flower in each 
chaff. \ the chaff opening with two oval acute-pointed 
valves. The petal of the flotver is bivalve, and fmaller 
than the empalement. It hath three very floori hairy Jla- 
vnina , terminated by oblong fumnnts , and a roundifh, ger- 
men with two hairy flyles , crowned by bmfb-Jbaped ftig- 
mas. The germen afterward turns to a roundiflo feed , co- 
vered by the petal of the flower. 
9 A This 
4 it 
