Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XI.djvu/586

 568 MINA BIRD MINATITLAN stalk turns directly downward, bending at its union with the stem; left to itself, the col- lapsed leaf gradually resumes its former posi- tion. The sensitiveness of the leaves is affected by the temperature, being greatest on warm days ; if the plants are exposed to the action of the wind, their irritability is notably dimin- ished. No explanation is given of this phe- nomenon, but it ia regarded as an unusual development of the power of motion which is possessed in a less manifest degree by a large number of other plants. M. strigillosa, of Florida and the far south, along the banks of rivers, is a prostrate sensitive species with large leaves. Another of the genus, M. sensi- tiva, not rare in greenhouses, has only one pair of leaflets to each pinna ; these are many times larger than those of the sensitive plant, and droop when touched, but much less promptly than the other. Several other mimosas are cultivated 'as ornamental greenhouse plants, but none of them have any economical im- portance. The sensitive plant of the southern states (more properly sensitive brier), which is found from Virginia to Texas, formerly regarded as a single species of mimosa, is now found to be sufficiently distinct to be placed in a separate genus, Schrankia, and two species are distinguished, S. uncinata and 8. angustata, differing mainly in the form and reticulation of their leaflets; they are nearly prostrate herbs, with stems 3 or 4 ft. long and armed with hooked prickles ; the leaves are bipinnate, and the flowers in small, globular, rose-purple heads ; the foliage is sensitive, but only under much rougher handling than is required to affect the sensitive plant. On the prairies of the far south this plant often covers the ground for wide stretches, and by the closing of its leaves shows for a while the trail of the travel- ler very distinctly. MINA BIRD. See MINO BIRD. MINAS GERAES, an inland province of Brazil, bounded N. by Bahia, E. by Bahia, Espirito Santo, and Rio de Janeiro, S. by Rio de Janei- ro and Sao Paulo, and W. by Goyaz ; area, about 230,000 sq. m. ; pop. in 1871, 1,450,000. The face of the country is extremely irregular. Several mountain chains traverse it, especially in the south and west, sending out spurs and minor ridges which cross the province in every direction, and are separated by extensive and fertile valleys, watered by large rivers. The highest summits areltacolume (about 5,700 ft.) and Itamb6 (6,000). The principal river is the Sao Francisco, which divides the province into two almost equal portions. Other large rivers are the Belmonte, Mucury, Doce, Paranahyba, Grande, and Verde Grande. Many of these, as well as the Sao Francisco, have large trib- utaries, such as the Jequitinhonha and the Rio das Velhas ; but none of them are navi- gable throughout. Minas Geraes was for- merly famous for its mines (whence its name), at once the richest and most numerous in Brazil, especially the gold mines of Ouro Preto, the capital, Morro Velho, and Minas Novas ; but most of them have been abandoned, and even the washings, though known to be profitable, are for the most part unworked, agriculture or diamond washing on the Jequitinhonha being preferred. Upon the discovery of diamonds in 1746, the government, to encourage the search for these gems, prohibited the extrac- tion of gold. Rubies have occasionally been found ; grisolitas (chrysoberyls), pingoas (Va- gua (white topazes), and other precious stones abound in the Mucury, the Rio das Americanas, &c. Although Minas Geraes is entirely within the tropics, it has, owing to its mean eleva- tion of about 2,000 ft. above the sea, a gen- erally mild and healthy climate. Vegetation is everywhere luxuriant ; the forests contain vast quantities of timber and valuable cabinet woods ; dyes of various kinds and several spe- cies of medicinal plants abound ; and whole districts, covered with brilliant flowers, pre- senting the aspect of continuous gardens, are not uncommon. The soil is fertile, and yields plentiful crops of the various cereals ; maize, millet, manioc, and cotton are the staple pro- ductions ; tobacco thrives well ; and the coffee is only inferior to that of Cear&. Great num- bers of cattle pasture on the plains under the care of vaqueiros, and the rearing of cattle and hogs is one of the principal occupations. There is a great variety of wild animals, birds, ser- pents, and insects. A prosperous trade is car- ried on with Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, and Sao Paulo ; the articles exported are cattle, hogs, bacon, cheese, cotton fabrics, tobacco, coffee, skins, precious stones, drugs, &c. Manufac- tures, wine, flour, wheat, and salt are imported. With the exception of the great Union and Industry road, the facilities for transport are meagre, and goods are mainly carried on mule- back, which greatly enhances the price of all articles imported. There are forges, founderies, and cotton and woollen weaving establishments in many of the towns; wool hats, rum, sugar, and tobacco are manufactured on a large scale. Besides the colleges in the principal towns, there are upward of 250 primary and grammar schools in the province. Minas Geraes was made a province in 1833. It is divided into 14 comarcas or districts. The capital is Ouro Preto, formerly Villa Rica ; and other impor- tant towns are Marianna, Minas Novas, Janua- ria, Diamantina, and Sao Joao d'El Rey. MINATITLAN, a small town of Mexico, isth- mus of Tehuantepec, on the W. bank of the Coatzacoalcos, 20 m. from its mouth and 125 m. S. E. of Vera Cruz ; pop. about 2,500. It has obtained some notoriety and importance from being the Atlantic point of departure in the various attempts to establish an interoceanic communication by way of the isthmus of Te- huantepec. It is also the proposed terminus of the projected railway across that isthmus on the north. The country immediately around the town is low and subject to periodical inun- dations. Cattle constitute the chief wealth of