MILBORN-PORT, a town of Somersetshire in
England, seated on a branch of the river Parret, and
sends two members to parliament. W. Long. 2. 28.
N. Lat. 51. 5.
MILDEW is said to be a kind of thick, clammy, sweet
juice, exhaled from, or falling down upon, the leaves
and blossoms of plants. By its thickness and clammi-
ness it prevents perspiration, and hinders the growth
of the plant. It sometimes rests on the leaves of
trees, in form of a fatty juice, and sometimes on the
ears of corn. It is naturally very tough and viscous,
and becomes still more so by the sun's heat exhaling
its more fluid parts; by which means the young ears
of corn are so daubed over, that they can never arrive
at their full growth. Bearded wheat is less subject to
the mildew than the common sort; and it is observed,
that newly-dug lands are more liable to mildew
than others. The best remedy is a smart shower of
rain, and immediately afterwards a brisk wind. If
the mildew is seen before the sun has much power,
it has been recommended to send two men into the
field with a long cord, each holding one end, and
drawing this along the field through the ears, the
dew will be dislodged from them, before the heat of
the sun is able to dry it to that viscous state in which
it does the mischief. Some also say, that lands which
have for many years been subject to mildews, have
been cured of it by sowing foot along with the corn,
or immediately after it.
Mr J. S. Segar, the author of a treatise upon this
subject, observes, that the mildew is of such a sharp
corrosive nature, that it raises blisters on the feet of
the shepherds who go barefoot, and even consumes the
hoofs of the cattle. He suspects that it possesses some
arsenical qualities, though he does not pretend to
affirm this positively. Its pernicious influence, ac-
cording to him, is rendered still more powerful by a
variety of circumstances; such as feeding the cattle into
the fields too early in the spring; their drinking water
mixed with ice, or but lately thawed; their being
kept in stables that are too close and filthy, and which
are not sufficiently aired. The same author considers
the mildew as a principal cause of epidemical disem-
pers among the cattle. The mildew producing these
diseases, he says, is that which dries and burns the
grass and leaves. It falls usually in the morning,
particularly after a thunder-storm. Its poisonous
quality (which does not continue above 24 hours)
never operates but when it has been swallowed im-
mediately after its falling. The disorder attacks the
stomach, is accompanied with pimples on the tongue,
loss of appetite, a detraction of the aliments in the
stomach, a cough, and difficulty of respiration. As a
preservative, the author prescribes purging in spring
and in winter. The medicine he advises is composed
of 30 grains of sulphur of antimony, and 60 grains of
resin of jalap. He is against vomiting, and every thing
that is of a heating nature.