MIN 
MUS 
MINT.- Mentha (Linn.) Nat. Ord. 
Labiates. There are several kinds of 
Mint cultivated for culinary or medi¬ 
cinal purposes ; the most common is the 
spear-mint (M. virides ) and the pepper¬ 
mint (M. piper at a). They merely re¬ 
quire to be planted in any out of the 
way part of the garden. In autumn 
the stems should be cut off and dried 
for winter use. Increase is effected by 
separating the roots in winter. 
MULBERRY. Morus nigra (Will- 
denow.) Nat. Ord. Urticeee. The mul¬ 
berry is remarkable above all other fruit¬ 
bearing trees for its longevity and 
increasing fruitfulness in age, so much 
so, that it would almost seem to improve 
yearly, beyond the reach of even tra¬ 
dition. Many of the finest trees, near 
London, of the present day, have been 
traced as far back as the reign of 
James I. for the period of their plant¬ 
ing, and though they wear the aspect of 
old trees, their productiveness improves 
every season. Like many other monoe¬ 
cious plants, young mulberry trees fre¬ 
quently produce nothing but male blos¬ 
soms for several years after planting, and 
therefore yield no fruit; but this tendency 
decreases as they become established, 
and we have only to wait for the desired 
return. They are commonly increased 
by layers, though propagation may be 
effected by cuttings or grafting on some 
of the other species. A deep rich 
alluvial soil appears to suit these trees 
best; but the production of the berries 
is hastened by planting on a drier and 
poorer soil, though it is questionable if 
the future progress of the tree is not 
materially checked, and the quality of 
the fruit lessened by such a position. 
Old Mulberry trees are very liable to 
injury from high winds by the splitting 
of the branches, the largest of which 
frequently slip off at the articulation 
with the main stem ; it is therefore ad¬ 
visable to guard against mischances of 
the sort by seeming the heaviest with 
chains or iron straps. Pruning is not 
required, beyond the proper regulation 
of the shoots of young specimens, so as 
to ensure an equally* spreading head 
and room for each principal branch. 
MUSHROOM. Agaricus campestris 
(Linn.) Nat. Ord. Fungi. This is 
almost the only species of Agaris es¬ 
teemed edible in England, though in 
other parts of Europe a great number 
are eaten. The cultivated Mushrooms, 
notwithstanding the trouble bestowed 
on their management, are decidedly 
inferior in flavour to those produced in 
a state of nature on old meadows and 
grass land; but they are better looking, 
because they can be protected from the 
ravages of insects, and they may be had 
at any time and in the most desirable 
state, hence the very general attention 
given to them. To grow them well, 
and have a continued succession, it is 
necessary to devote a properly arranged 
erection to them alone. The mushroom 
house should be built with brick walls 
and an opaque roof, for which thatch is 
best, as being less subject to the influ¬ 
ences of the weather, as the principal 
object is to keep the place at an uni¬ 
form unvarying temperature; the sides 
should be fitted up with deep shelves 
about two feet wide and eighteen inches 
deep, placed one above another, at a 
sufficient distance to allow of the neces¬ 
sary work being done in a comfortable 
manner ; the interior should be lighted 
with a small window, having closed 
wooden shutters to be used as occasion 
may require. A heating apparatus of 
some sort is also necessary in order to 
maintain a steady temperature of about 
50° through the winter; this is usually 
a common brick flue running along the 
pathway in the middle of the house. 
The becls are to be made on the shelves, 
by filling them with well-tempered stable 
dung and leaves thoroughly mixed and 
turned till the heat of the mass has 
cooled down to about 65°; this is to be 
laid to within a few inches of the depth 
of the shelves, and firmly patted down 
and covered with four inches of light 
rich earth. When the heat of these 
beds has again become regular, the 
mushroom spawn may be inserted in 
small lumps over the soil, and the sur¬ 
face again pressed down, keeping it 
moderately moist and clear of weeds 
and insects. Successional beds should 
