THE CULTIVATOR. 
191 
DICTIONARY OF TERMS USED IN 
anb its kiitbreif Sciences. 
MOON.—The moon is a well known body in the hea¬ 
vens, revolving’ around the earth, at a medium distance 
of 237,000 miles. There are few of the heavenly bodies 
that have more superstitions connected with them, and 
many of these are connected with agriculture. That the 
moon exerts an influence as far as the earth, is proved by 
the action of the tides; that it can have any perceptible 
influence on vegetation or the products of agriculture, 
few well informed persons at the present day believe. 
Formerly much attention was paid to the age of the moon 
in sowing and planting, killing meat, &e. &c., but there 
are now very few who pay any notice to that body in 
their farming operations, but plow and sow, kill and eat, 
as though no moon existed. It has been found that the 
earth is the place for the business of the farmer, and that 
the less he has to do with all foreign bodies the better; 
that a proper condition of the soil, manuring and til¬ 
ling, has more effect in securing a good crop than any 
moon sowing can do; and that pork well fed on corn 
will make good bacon or pork not liable to shrink in the 
pot, no matter what might have been the age of the moon 
at killing. The following will serve as a specimen of 
some of the notions formerly entertained; it is from 
Tusser’s Five Hundred Points of Good Husbandry: 
“ Sowe peason and beans in the wane of the moon, 
Who sowelh them sooner, he soweth too soon; 
That they with the planet may vest and rise, 
And flourish with bearing most plentiful wise.” 
MOSS—Mosses are minute plants, never more than a 
few inches in height, anti frequently m rely discernible 
as a slight green stain, yet exercising no little influence 
on soils, and frequently, by their presence, indicating its 
peculiar qualities. Mosses are the first plants that spring 
up in inorganic matter, and earth dug from great depths 
and kept in closed glass vessels, is soon covered with 
them. Where mosses abound on the surface they usually 
indicate a damp soil, and on meadows that are wet, they 
frequently become so close as to choke, if not to oblite¬ 
rate the more valuable grasses. Mosses are usually the 
cause of bogs and morasses, or rather occupy such when 
formed. They retard the passage of water; new growths 
are continually taking the place of that which is decay- 
ing; trees of considerable size are soon enveloped, and 
the constantly increasing mass of vegetable matter be¬ 
comes what is called a moss, or in other places a peat 
bog. Thorough . Iraining is the most effectual and speedy 
cure for mossy lands. When made dry, quick lime, or 
even comni.in sand and gravel mixed with the surface 
matter, will soon fit it for crops, and the mosses cease 
to grow at once. Where lands can be submitted to its 
action, the plow is a sure remedy for moss; where it can¬ 
not, and the grasses are becoming injured, a thorough 
harrowing and rc-seoding, with a dressing of lime or 
ashes, we have known operate favorably. These beds 
of peat or moss, are gootl ingredients in making com¬ 
post, using about one load of stable manure to two loads 
of decayed vegetable matter, and allowing the w'hole to 
ferment together. 
MOLD.—This is the name given to those minute fun¬ 
gi or plants, which as parasites appear in masses upon 
organic bodies. They appear to be favored in their pro¬ 
duction ami growtii, by a damp atmosphere, and perhaps 
by a diminution of light; consequently the appearance of 
mold is more common in wet cloudy weather, and in 
damp dark cellars or caverns, than in other times and 
places. There are many vegetable productions it at¬ 
tacks and greatly injures; and living- animals, as in the 
case of the s;ikwt)rin, are somotiines attacked and de¬ 
stroyed by these fungi The celebrated Stilton cheeses, 
and those itrod’oced in Switzerlan,!, owe their peculiar- 
flavor to a kind of nroltl; and when it tloes not seem dis¬ 
posed to attack ali the cheeses of a dairy, those that would 
remain free, are inoc-ulated by inserting- pieces from 
cheeses where it has already devolped itself. Perfect 
dryness, or ansence of all moisture, is incompatible with 
the growth of mold. 
MOW-RORN l'—When hay not properly cured 
packed in large masses in sbacks, or more frequently i 
close bays or barns, a fermentation or heating tak< 
place, which at times pr-,)gresses so far as to give the ha 
a black or charred appearance, and entirely destroys i 
value as food fur animals. If moisture -was present ( 
was furnished in sufficient quantities in these cases tl 
fermentation would end in the conversion of the hay ir 
to muck or manure; but as it is not, (he hay suffers s 
from a dry or smothered heat, equally fatal to its nutr 
tive properties. Hay so inj’Lired is termed mow-burn 
and can never be useful as fodder. We have seen in 
barn where a large mow of clover hay, put in too greei 
was closely packed away, the whole central part of son: 
ten or fifteen feet in diameter, black, brittle, and apps 
rently as effectually charred, as if the conversion had fi 
ken place in a coalpit, and wood instead of clover ha 
been the material employed. But there is a vast deal ( 
hay where the heat is not so great, and where it is onl 
black, moldy, or discolored, and such hay is frequentl 
fed to horses or cattle. This iswi-elched policy; as the 
not only starve on such food, but contract diseases that ar 
not unfrequently fatal, from being compelled to eat it. It: 
not too much to say that one-half of the clover hay mad 
in the countiy, is put up withoui being sufficiently curec 
and becomes moldy or mow-burnt in consequence Th 
only use which such hay is fit for, is to litter yards, an 
^M?TT manures. 
MULBEimY—The mulberry is a well known tree 
(one not likely to be soon forgotten by many in the Uni 
ted States,) some varieties of which, the black particular- 
Ijj^, are cultivated for fruit, but more generally the tree is 
grown for the sake of its leaves, which are used for feed¬ 
ing silkworms, wherever that article is produced. Of 
the kinds cultivated for the sake of the leaves, the white 
has been the most common; but within a few years other 
varieties of quicker growth and more abundant foliage 
have been introduced, which have in a measure super¬ 
seded the first kinds. One of the kinds most valued at 
the present time, is the Chinese mulberry, or the Morns 
muUicaulis; the growth of which is very rapid, and the 
facilities for propogating which by means of cuttings or 
layers, and the great mass of foliage produced, has ren¬ 
dered it a great favorite with silk growers. This tree in 
its introduction and spread in this counti-y, affords one of 
the most instructive lessons, as to the extent to which 
speculation may spread, and the actual monomania it 
may produce, to be found in the history of any people. 
The whole nation was to become rich by growing mul¬ 
berry trees, and thousands invested their last dollar in 
purchasing trees at the rate of 75 to 100 dollars per hun¬ 
dred, trees of only one year’s growth; and in many in¬ 
stances they were sold at from 10 to 50 cents per bud, ma¬ 
king the prices truly enormous. This was done in the 
full certainty that the tree had no value except for silk, 
and that the preparations for the production of silk, bore 
not the least proportion to the increase of the mulbeny. 
As was foreseen by every reflecting mind, the supply 
soon exceeded the demand, or rather there was no de¬ 
mand whatever; the mulberry bubble burst, and its dis¬ 
appearance involved the ruin of thousands. For silk, 
the mulberry is invaluable, and as the silk culture will 
eventually become important, as experience teaches the 
best processes, so its introduction to the country, may be 
considered as an important contribution to its resources. 
The mulberry may be multiplied by the root, by cuttings, 
or by layers, and one of the easiest methods of feeding it 
to the silkworm, is found to be to mow the shoots close 
to the ground annually, and give the foliage to the worm 
in that form. Where mulberries are kept for fruit, the 
pruning should be done at midwinter, as summer pruning 
is found to be injurious to this tree. It will be better 
too, to take layers or cuttings from trees known to pro¬ 
duce fruit, where trees for fruit are wanted, as when 
grown from seeds, a considerable portion will be always 
barren, or unproductive of fruit. 
MULE.—This is the name generally given to the off¬ 
spring produced by the sexual union of the jackass and 
the mare; an animal capable of copulation, butnot of be¬ 
getting or producing offspring. Instances are on record, 
however, in which hibrids, or animals resulting from a 
cross of distinct species, have produced offspring, but in 
the opinion of Hunter, they were the result of monstrosi¬ 
ties, and only formed the exceptions to the general rule. 
The mule proper, possesses many excellent qualities, and 
is of singular utility as a beast for labor, in countries 
where the horse is of little value. Mr. Darwin, in his 
“ Narrative of the Surv eying voyages of H. M. shijis Ad¬ 
venture and Beagle,” in the notes of the journey across 
the Cordilleras, thus speaks of the mule, after giving 
some curious proofs of its sagacity and value as a beast 
of burden: “The mule always appears to me a most 
surprising animal. That a hybrid should possess more 
reason, memory, obstinaejq social affection, and powers 
of muscular endurance than either of its parents, seems 
to indicate that art here, has out-ma.stered nature.” Mules 
or hybrids among plants, are confined within narrow li¬ 
mits, though as in the case of animals, they do some¬ 
times occur. Thus h 5 'brids sometimes show themselv'es 
among strawberries, and some of (he best kinds are sup¬ 
posed to have such an origin. Wimre, however, they' 
appear among plants of the same species, it would be as 
well perhaps to consider them a mere cross, and not as a 
proper hybrid. Mr. Knight could never make the Mo- 
rello breed with the common cherry, and Prof. Lindley 
has in vain endeavored to mule the currant and goose¬ 
berry; and it is well known we have no fruit produced 
between the apple and the pear,or the blackberry with the 
raspberry. Mr. Herbert gives some curious instances of 
mules obtained between plants of distinct genera, as cross¬ 
ing the pea wifli the bean, the cabbage with the horse 
radish, &c. But though muling of plants may be diffi¬ 
cult, cross breeding is easy, and to this fact may be traced 
the great number of varieties exisiting of any one spe¬ 
cies of fruit. The difficulty' of muling, and the inability 
of hybrids to perpetuate their race, appears to be the re¬ 
sult of a wise law of nature, intended to preserve identity 
of races, and prevent the universal mixing and confusion 
which would otherwise have resulted from a confound¬ 
ing or loss of individual species. 
^ murrain.-—A disease among" cattle, generally con¬ 
sidered contagious, and where it appears, is usually fa- 
tal. There can be no doubt that many diseases widely 
different from each other, have received the name of 
muiiain; but the disease itself is marked with a g'reater 
variety than almost any other, assuming so malignant a 
form. There is usually a cough perhaps a week before 
any other symptom appears, then heaving of the flanks, 
with black and foetid feces, tenderness over the loins and 
coldness of the horn, tumors and boils appear, and if the 
animal has strength to allow these to suppurate and heal 
there is a chance of recovery; but if they become sta¬ 
tionary, or disappear, death is the result. In the mur¬ 
rain of this country, there is usually discharges of blood 
or bloody matter, with a holding down of the head, moan- 
mg, restlessness, and staggering when attempting to walk. 
Bleeding has been recommended in the first stages- 
while the peculiar diarrhea that accompanies it, musl be 
met by astringents and tonics. A wash of chloride of 
lime is good for the ulcers, but when these assume the 
gangreneous form, decomposition takes place so rapidly 
that there is little hope for curative efforts, and indeed they 
produce little effect. In some instances where murrain 
has appeared at the west, herds of cattle have been saved, 
by keeping a trough containing a mixture of lime and salt, 
one-third of the former to two of the latter, where the 
animals could have free access to them. The terrible 
epidemics which at different times from the earliest ages, 
have ravished the old world, destroying in many cases, 
almost the entire stock of cattle, are supposed to have 
been the murrain, or some of its kindred diseases. It 
has always been remarked that the murrain makes its 
appearance on wet farms oftener than on dry ones, and 
that hot dry seasons are the ones in which it most pre¬ 
vails. 
MUSCLE—Muscle constitutes the most nutritive and 
valuable part of animal food. It is an aggregate of small 
contractile fibres, which appear to be formed of minute 
globules, and partially formed as it were in bundles. 
What is called lean meat is muscle, and on the quality 
and disposition of this, much of the value of animals is 
depending. The best kinds of beef and mutton are those 
in which the lean and fat are mixed, or marbled; if the 
fat and the lean are too distinct from each other, it is a 
decided fault. The condition of the muscle is much in¬ 
fluenced by the health of the animal, and though too lit¬ 
tle attention is paid to this matter generally, animal food 
from unsound animals is most deleterious to the human 
constitution. Selling diseased meat in the markets, is a 
crime that deserves the severest condemnation. 
MUSEUM.—The attention of the public has of late 
been drawn to the necessity, and to the benefit of agri¬ 
cultural museums, or places in which all the valuable 
and all the curious productions of the soil might be rep¬ 
resented by specimens as far as possible. Not only the 
products of the soil, but samples of the soil itself, where 
it has been distinguished for any remarkable qualities or 
crops, or can be considered a fair specimen of any pecu¬ 
liar class. Geological specimens are not out of place in 
a museum of this kind, as illustrating the position of 
strata, their character, and their influence in the forma¬ 
tion of soils. Implements of all kinds, seeds, specimens 
of timber, plants, &c. grains, portraits of animals illus¬ 
trating the diflerent breeds, &c. &c. should be found in a 
museum, in short every thing that can enlighten and in¬ 
struct the farmer, and atlvance the progress of agricul¬ 
ture, will find its appropriate place in such a collection. 
We trust the collection of the National Institute at Wash¬ 
ington, will ere long become a Museum to which we as 
Americans can refer with pride and pleasure, and grati¬ 
fying beginnings have been made in other quarters, par¬ 
ticularly by the State Agricultural Society of New-York. 
MUSHROOM.—Puffballs, toad stools, &c., belong to 
the same class of plants that produces the edible mush¬ 
room; and as some of these fungi are very poisonous, 
and liable to be mistaken for the true article, too much 
caution cannot be exercised by mushroom eaters in the 
choice of those to be used. The following description 
by Prof. .Tohnston, will aid the inexperienced in coming 
to a correct decision : “ The edible mushroom (Agaricus 
campestris,) is nearly inoderous, but its flavor is grateful. 
The crown is at first liemispherical, then convex, and at 
last flat; fleshy; from two to five inches broad; white or 
very light brown; scales soft and fibrous; gills pink, 
changing to fuscous black; the flesh when divided usu¬ 
ally changes to a reddish hue.” It is a natural product 
of decomposing matter, hut large quantities are produced 
artificially, in beds prepared for the purpose, info which 
the seed, or spawn as it is termed, is introduced and ger¬ 
minated by moisture and heat. For the method of cul¬ 
ture, reference must be had to works on gardening. 
MUTTON.—Mutton is the flesh of sheep; and perhaps 
in no one point has the skill of the breeder of animals 
been more marked, than in that of producing breeds of 
shfeep, in which the greatest amount of flesh, and the 
smallest quantity of offal, seems to have reached a point 
beyond which progress will be difficult. The quality of 
mutton is greatly depending on the age of the animal, and 
the mode of feeding. Its general use in England, has 
caused great attention to producing it of a superior qua¬ 
lity, and the success has lieen unrivaled elsewhere. To 
be first rate mutton, the sheep should not be less than five 
years old, and as a general rule it may be said the older 
the mutton the finer the flavor, in this respect differing 
from most other meats. The flesh of mutton five or six 
years old will be firm, dark colored, and when cooked 
full of the richest gravy, while at two or three, the flesh 
will be comparatively light colored, and be soft or flabby. 
As a general rule wether mutton is superior to that of 
ewes of the same age, though connoisseurs in this flesh 
assert that a maiden or spayed ewe of five years old, pro¬ 
duces mutton preferable to any other. The South Downs 
are highly prized for mutton, and their reputation in this 
respect abroad, has been well sustained here. 
MYRTLE WAX.—This is the product of the bush call¬ 
ed the candleberry myrtle, or bayberry bush, and is found 
in most parts of (he United States. It is produced on the 
seeds of the plants, and is collected b}' gathering them, 
and boiling them in water. The size of the shrub varies 
from four^ to eighteen feet, according to the climate. 
The wax is used in various diseases as a valuable medi¬ 
cine, but its principal use is to mix with tallow, and oth¬ 
er animal oils, in the formation of candles. To these it 
gives firmness, burns freely, and diffuses a fine odor while 
burning. There are many parts of the United States 
where it is found so abundantly, that it is believed it 
might be made a profitable employment for children, and 
those not otherwise in business, to gather the berries, and 
fit the wax for market. The sale at home iscei'tain, and 
tlie demand abroad constant. 
