Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 2.djvu/13

 M A K

M A L

The Americans plant this earn any time from the beginning of March to the; beginning of June ; but the bell feafon is the , middle of April. The favage Indians, who knew nothing of our account of months, ufed to guide themfelves in the feed- time of this ttfeful plant, by the budding of fome particular trees of that country, and by the coming up of a fort of fiih into their rivers, which they call the ahofe. Thefe things were both (o regular, that they were in no danger of mistak- ing the time. Phil. Tranf. N°. 142.

The manner of planting Maiz is in rows, at equal diftances, every way abont five or fix feet. They open the earth with a hoe, taking away the furface to five or fix inches deep, and of the breadth of the hoe; they then throw in a little of the finer earth, fo as to leave the hole four inches deep, or thereabouts, and in each of thefe holes they place four or five grains at a little diftance from one another. If two or three of thefe grow up, it is very well ; fome of them are ufually deftroyed either by the birds or other animals. When the young plants appear, they hoe up the weeds from time to time ; and when the ftalk gathers fome ftrength, they raife the earth a little about it, and continue this at every hoeing, til) it begins to put forth the ears ; then they enlarge the It III of earth, round the root, to the fize of a hop- hill, and after this they leave it till the time of harveft without any farther care.

When they gather the ears, they either immediately ftrip off the corn, or elfe hang up the ears, tied in traces at diftances from one another ; for if they are laid near together, they will heat and rot, or elfe fprout and grow ; but kept cool and fe- parate, they will remain good all the winter. The bell: me- thod of all others, is to thrcfh out the corn as foon as the har- yeft is over, and then lay it up in holes of the ground, well lined with mats, grafs, or the like, and afterwards covered at top with more earth. The moft careful among the Indians ufe this method, and this fort of fubterranean granary always proves good. Id. Ibid. See the article Tracing. The ufes of this plant among the Indians are very many. The great article is the making their bread of it; but befides this, the ftalks, when cut up before they are too much dried, are an excellent winter food for cattle; but they ufually leave them on the ground for the cattle to feed on. The hufks about the ear are ufually feparated from the reft, and make a particular fort of fodder, not inferior to our hay. The In- dian women have a way of flitting them into narrow parts, and they then weave them artificially into bafkets and many other toys.

The original way of eating the grain, among the Indians, was this : They boiled it whole in water till it fwelled and became tender, and then they fed on it either alone, or eat it with their fifh and venifon, inftead of bread. After this, they found the way of boiling it into a fort of pudding, after bruif- ing it in a mortar ; but the way of reducing it to flour is the belt of all. They do this by parching it carefully in the fire, without burning, and then beating it in mortars, and Gfting it. This flour they lay up in bags, as their conftant provifion, and take it out with them when they go to war, eating it either dry or with water. Id. Ibid.

MAKINBOY, a name given by the people of Ireland to a kind of fpurge, or tithymale, common there : This is a very vio- lent purge, as all the other (purges are ; but the trim have an opinion, that it will produce this effect only by being carried in the pocket. This opinion, which had been univcrlally be- lieved for many ages, was proved to be falfe by Dr. Mullen, who carried a large quantity of it about him many days toge- ther, on purpofe to give a fair trial ; but it had not any the leaft. effect on him.

MAKING Up, a term ufed by the diftillers to exprefs the bring- ing fpirits to a certain ftandard of ftrength by the addition of water. See Lowering.

It is ufed principally in the diftilling fpirits, after their firft drawing, either by way of rectifying them, or of giving them the virtues of aromatic ingredients, in order to make the compound waters; fuch as cinnamon, annifeed, and the like. See Distillery.

In the making thefe compounds, fome ufe an alcohol, or to- tally inflammable (pint, which is much the bed method ; others ufe ordinary proof fpirit of malt, or melaffes. If the latter be ufed, it is beft not to put any water with it into the ftill ; but if the former, fo much water is to be added as will reduce it to the proof ftrength, which is juft an equal quan- tity. When this is done, there fhould be drawn off three fifths of the whole by diftillation ; and the far better way would be to keep this liquor in this very ftate, which isjuft the ftrength of the trois cinques brandy of the French : But as people require thefe water* to be kept for drinking, in fuch a ftate as not to exceed, at the utmoit, the ftrength of proof fpirit, generally to fall much fhort of it, it. is neceflarv to re- duce this three fifths, to the whole, or more than the whole quantity of the proof fpirit put into the ftill. The apothe- caries, to this end, ufually let the ftill continue to work without changing the receiver, till an equal quantity is pro- duced to the fpirit put in, or one fourth more ; it being the ufual ftandard in thefe waters, to have five quarts made from a gallon of the fpirit. By the method of doing this, by let-

ting the itill run* the faints are taken into the water, and, give it a vapid and difagrccable taftc. Inftead of this the diftil- ler, when he has drawn off his three fifths of the quantity of proof, makes up the whole to the deftined quantity, by ad- 'ding the two other fifths, or more than that* if requir'd, of common water, in which it is alfo cuftomary to diflolve fome fine fugar; and this gives a fullnefs in the mcuth to the water, and makes it mellow, or loofe the fiery tafte of the ftill much fooner. If it be only made up to the ftrength of proof, it will mellow much fooner than if reduced one fifth below that ftandard, as the oil is much more perfectly diflblved in fpirit of a ftandard proof ftrength, than in fuch as is weaker. 'I he water employed in the making up, fhould be either foft and clear river water, or elfe fpring water rendered foft by diftillation, othcrwife it is apt to turn the water thick, and precipitate a fediment, especially if the water be drawn lower than proof, or if the fpirit, originally employed, partake of an alkaline nature from the falts ufed in its rectification, as is ufually the cafe in the malt fpirits, the grofs oil of which re- quires to be feparated, by mixing fait of tartar or pot-afh with it in the ftill in the rectification.

When it is neceftary to make up waters lower than proof, they are generally cloudy ; but this may be remedied, and- they may be fined down in a day or two with a fmall quantity of alum, or with whites of eggs, or the jelly of ifinglafs beat up to a froth, and mixed in the fame manner as is ufually done in the refining of wines.

The fugar, added to thefe cordial waters, has not only the advantages of mellowing and filling the mouth, but it unites the oil to the fpirit in a manner that it could never be united in without it. Shaw's Eftay on Diftillery.

MALA Aurea, in botany, a name by which fome authors have called the poma a maris, or fruit of the lycoperficon. J.Bau- bin. vol. 3. p. 620.

MALABATHRUM, among the antients, an excellent fweet- fcented ointment. Hofm, Lex. in voc.

Malabathrum, Indian Leaf, in botany. See the article Tamalapatri.

MALACCA Stones, a name given by many authors to the pedro del porco, or hog bezoar. A ftone found in the gall- bladder of the Indian boars, and fuppofed as a remedy for the plague, and many other difeafes* It is ufually kept in a gold box, and infufed for a few minutes in any liquor, till it communicates a bitternefs to it.

MALACHE, a term ufed by authors in a different fenfe ; fome- times exprefiing fuch medicines as gently loofen the belly, and fometimes fuch ointments as relax and mollify.

MALACHITES, or Molochites, in natural hiftory, 3 fpecies of jafper, but of lefs beauty than moftof thofe of that clafs. It is naturally of a pure and deep green, but fometimes variegated with whitifh or blackifh fpots and clouds. It is found in the Eaft and Weft Indies ; alfo in many parts of Europe. See Jasper.

Its amuletic virtues, formerly in great efieern, are too ridicu- lous to be particularized. It is laid to be a violent purgative, operating both by vomit and ftool, and as fuch given in drop- fies, in lb fmall a dofe as five or fix grains. If, as is very probable, its green colour be owing to particles of copper, it is not wonderful that it fhould have this effeiSt ; but there are fo many better medicines for this purpofe, as to fuperfede its ufe. See Copper.

MALACOCISSOS, in botany, a name ufed by fome authors for the common ground ivy, or hedera terrejlris ; and by fome others for the marfh-marygold. Ger. Emac. Ind. 2.

MALACODERMATA, in natural hiftory, a term ufed to ex- prefs fuch animals as have only foft fkins for their covering ; in oppofition to the oftracodermata, which have hard fhelly matters for their covering, fuch as crabs, lobfters, &V.

MALACOIDES, in botany, the name of a genus of plants, the characters of which are, that they have the flower of the mallow-kind, but their fruit refembles that of the common bramble, except that it is dry, not juicy. It confifts of a number of capfules, collected into a head, and fixed to a pla- centa, and containing feeds like thofe of the mallow, or of a kidney-like form.

The fpecies of Malaca'ules are only two. I. The betony- leav'd kind. 2. The fmall-flowered Malacoides, with an angular leaf. Tourn. Inft. p. 98.

MALACOPTERYGII, in the Linsan fyftem of zoology, the name of a large order of fifties which have not prickly fins. The term is derived from the Greek fiaAt&w?, foft, and iftifvyUv, a fin. The fifh of this order, are thofe which have bony fins, with all their extremities not pointed or fharp, but foft and harmlefs. Of this order are the carp, &e. Linneci Syftema Naturae, p. 55.

MALACOSTOMOUS, in ichthyography, the name of a large genus of fifties, called in Englifh the leather-mouth'd kind. Thefe fifties are wholly deftitute of teeth in their jaws, but have them placed in their throats, near the orifice of the ftomach. Ray's Ichthyography, p. 245. The word is derived from the Greek p.ahux.o<;, foft, and roj*«, a mouth. All the fifh of this genus have their fwimming, or air-bladder, divided into two parts ; and of this genus are the carp, tench, bream, chub, and the like. Ray, Ichthyogr. p. 245. MALA-