Page:Willich, A. F. M. - The Domestic Encyclopædia (Vol. 3, 1802).djvu/258

«36]* ^I O U tl^c soft earthy substance that serves as the upper stratum of landj and in which all kinds of vegetables strike root and thrive. Mould consists of the following Ingredients ; viz. sand, clay, and tilcum, or magnesian earth 5 car- b<:>n di'rived from decayed vegeta- He and animal substances; the CiHbonic acid, and water. The good or bad qualities of the soil depend upon a proper mixture of these in- gredients ; though, if the carbon, the carbonic acid, and iron, be wanting, the fertility of land will depend on its capacity to retain the quantity of moisture, which is ne- Cfssary for the nutriment of vege- tables. The relative utillt) of mould, for the different purposes of the gar- der.er, may be ascertained by the siglit, smell, and touch. The best is of a light brown or hazle colour; it cuts easily, and does not adhere to the spade, being light, friable^ and crumbling into small clods. The next in quality are the dark- grey ^nd russet- coloured moulds ; but the worst are those of a very hght, or very dark ash-colour, such as are generally found on barren heaths and commons, where they seldom produce any thing except furze and fern. With re.spe6l to smell. Miller observ'es, that the best time for judging by that sense, is imme- diateiy after rain has moistened tiie soil ; when the mould, if it be rich and good, v/ill emit an agree- able odour. Eut the most accu- rate criterion is the toiah ; as it luny thus be ascertained whether the mould be too sandy, or abound with too much clay; whether it be fjtty and slij)pery ; or harsh, po- Jous, or friable. The most fer- tile, by tlxia test, holds a medium MOU between the two extremes ; hdrs^ easily soluble, consisting of equal parts of sand and clay ; and not adhering to the spade, after gentle showers. MOUSE, or Mifs, a genus of quadrupeds, comprising sixty spe- cies, of which the following arc found in Britain, namely : 1 . The si^lvaticus, or Long-tailed Field-mouse, the length of which is in general from eight to nine inches, including its tail. — ^These animals are found in fields, gardens, and shrubberies, where they do incal- culable damage ; burrowing under the ground, and digging up grain, acorns, pease, or beans, &c. when newly sown ; which they carry to their subterraneous granaries. Their habitations may be discovered by the small mounds of earth, that are raised on, or near, the entrance of their abode 3 or by the passages leading to tiieir nests, or store- houses : and, by following the course of such passages, the ver- min may be easily destroyed. Anodier method of extirpating field-mice, is by traps, consisting simply of a flat stone that is sup- ported by a stick .; and beneath which is placed a roasted walnut. They are speedily attracted by the smell of the walriuij v.-hichthey pre- fer to acorns or cheese ; and, as it i fixed to the stick, that yields aS soon as it is touched, the stone falls upon them, and terminates their ex- istence. But the most <"t^"eeiual mode of destroying these animals, would be to encourage the breed of owls, which is so attiye in liie pursuit of nofturnal vermin. 2. The 7fii-ss(irius, Han'cst, or Smaller Long- tailed Field-mouse, which is by some considered as a variety of the lormer species j and is veiy small and sleiKler; itsi whole