collate manuscripts, we may repair to Oxford or to Cambridge, but we must come to London if we would collate men. 83. To quell the pride even of the greatest, we should reflect how much we owe to others, and how little to ourselves. Philip having made himself master of Potidea, received three messengers in one day; the first brought him an account of a great victory gained over the Illyrians by his general Parmenio; the second told him that he was proclaimed victor at the Olympic games; and the third informed him of the birth of Alexander. But there was nothing in all these events that ought to have fed the vanity, or that would have justified the pride of Philip, since, as an elegant writer remarks, "for the first he was indebted to his general; for the second, to his horse; and his wife is shrewdly suspected of having helped him to the third." The preparation necessary for neavy and light composts for general enrichment, and of the above different earths, consists in collecting each soil in the compost-ground, in separate ridges of three or four feet broad, and as high, turning them every six weeks or two months for a year or a year and a half before they are used. Peat earth being generally procured in the state of turves, full of the roots and tops of heath, requires two or three years to rot; but, after it has lain one year, it may be sifted, and what passes through a small sieve will be found fit for use. Some nurserymen use both these loams and peats as soon as procured, and find them answer perfectly for most plants; but for delicate flowers, and especially bulbs, and all florists' flowers, and for all composts in which manures enter, not less than one year ought to be allowed for decomposition, and what is called sweetening. To make Composts for Mould. Composts are mixtures of several earths, or earthy substances or dungs, either for the improvement of the general soil under culture, or for the culture of particular plants. In respect to composts for the amendment of the general soil of the garden, their quality must depend upon that of the natural soil: if this be light, loose, or sandy, it may be assisted by heavy loams, clays, &c. from ponds and ditches, cleanings of sewers, &c. On the other hand, heavy, clayey, and all stubborn soils, may be assisted by light composts of sandy earth, drift, and sea-sand, the shovelings of turnpike-roads, the cleansing of streets, all kinds of ashes, rotten tanners' bark, rotten wood, saw-dust, and other similar light opening materials, that can be most conveniently procured. To make Composts for Plants. These may be reduced to light sandy loam from old pastures; strong loam approaching nearly to brick earth from the same source; peat earth from the surface of heaths or commons; bog earth, from bogs or morasses; vegetable earth, from decayed leaves, stalks, cow-dung, &c.; sand, either sea-sand, drift-sand, or powdered stone, so as to be as free as possible from iron; lime-rubbish ; and lastly, common garden earth. There are no known plants that will not grow or thrive in one or other of these earths, alone or mixed with some other earth, or with rotten dung, or leaves. Nurserymen have seldom more than three sorts of earth: loam, approaching to the qualities of brickearth, peat or bog-earth, and the common soil of their nursery. With these, and the addition of a little sand for striking plants, some sifted limerubbish for succulents, and some well-rotted cow-dung for bulbs, and some sorts of trees, they continue to grow thousands of different species in as great or greater perfection as in their native countries, and many, as the pine, vine, camelia, rose, &c. in a superior manner. TO PRESERVE APPLES AND PEARS. The most successful method of preserving apples and pears, is by placing them in glazed earthen vessels, each containing about a gallon, and surrounding each fruit with paper. These vessels being perfect cylinders, about a foot each in height, stand very conveniently upon each other, and thus present the means of preserving a large quantity of fruit in a very small room; and if the spaces between the top of one vessel and the base of another, be filled with a cement composed two parts of the curd of skimmed milk, and one of lime, by which the air will be excluded, the later kinds of apples and pears will be preserved with little change in their appearance, and without any danger of decay, from October, till February and March. A dry and cold situation, in which there is little change of temperature, is the best for the vessels; but the merits of the pears are greatly increased by their being taken from the vessels about ten days before they are wanted for use; and kept in a warm room; for warmth at this, as at other periods, accelerates the maturity of the pear. TO STORE FRUIT. Those to be used first, lay by singly on shelves, or on the floor, in a dry southern room, on clean dry moss, or sweet dry straw, so as not to touch one another. Some, or all the rest, having first laid a fortnight singly, and then nicely culled, are to be spread on shelves, or on a dry floor; but the most superior way is, to pack in large earthen, or China, or stone jars, with very dry long moss at the bottom, sides, and also between them, if it might be. Press a good coat of moss on the top, and then stop the mouth close with cork, or otherwise, which should be rosined round about with a 20th part of bees' wax in it. As the object is effectually to keep out air (the cause of putrefaction) the jars, if earthen, may be set on dry sand, which put also between, round, and over them, to a foot thick on the top. In all close storing, observe there should be no doubt of the soundness of the fruit. Guard, in time, from frost those that lie open. Jars of fruit must be soon used after unsealing. Be very particular in the choice of garden be planted with a mixture of the plants as to kind; for if the hopseveral sorts of hops, that ripen at several times, it will cause much trouble, and great detriment. The two best sorts are, the white large square hop, more hardy, bears and the grey bind; the latter is a more abundantly, but ripen later than the former. There is another sort of the white bind, which ripens a week or ten days before the common; but this is tenderer, and a less plenti fül bearer; though it has this advan tage, that it comes first to market. If there be a sort of hop you value, and would wish to increase, the super fluous binds may be laid down when the hops are tied, cutting off the tops, and burying them in the hill; or when the hops are dressed, all the cuttings may be saved; for almost every part will grow, and become a good set the next spring. Seasons of Planting. The Kentish planters prefer the months of October and March. The most usual time of procuring the cuttings is in March, when the hops are cut and dressed. As to the manner of planting the sets, there should be five good sets planted in every hill, one in the middle, and the rest round about, sloping. Let them be pressed close with the hand, and covered with fine earth; a stick should be placed on each side of the hill to secure it. COOKERY. TO CHOOSE A DUCK. A young duck should have supple feet, the breast and belly hard and thick; the colour of the feet of a tame duck is a dusky yellow; they should be picked dry. Ducklings must be scalded. TO CHOOSE PIGEONS. When pigeons look flabby about the vent, and this part is discoloured, they are stale. The feet should be supple; if old, the feet are harsh. The tame ones are larger than the wild, and are thought best by some persons; they should be fat and tender; but many are deceived in their size, because a full crop is as large as the whole body of a small pigeon. The wood-pigeon is large, and the flesh dark coloured; if properly kept, and not over-roasted, the flavour is equal to teal. Serve with a good gravy. USEFUL RECEIPTS. TO PREPARE BRIMSTONE IN IMITATION OF MARBLE. Provide a flat and smooth piece of marble on this make a border or wall, to encompass either a square or oval table, which may be done either with wax or clay. Then having several sorts of colours, as white lead, vermilion, lake, orpiment, masticot, smalt, Prussian blue, &c. melt on a slow fire some brimstone in several glazed pipkins; put one particular sort of colour into each, and stir it well together; then having before oiled the marble all over within the wall, with one colour, quickly drop spots upon it of a larger and less size; after this, take another colour, and do as before, and so on till the stone is covered with spots of all the colours designed to be used. When this is done, consider next what colour the mass or ground of the table is to be; if of a grey colour, then take fine sifted ashes, and mix it up with melted brimstone: or if red, with English red ochre; if white, with white lead; if black, with lamp or ivory-black. The brimstone for the ground must be pretty hot, that the coloured drops on the stone may unite and incorporate with it. When the ground is poured even all over, next, if necessary, put a thin wainscot-board upon it: this must be done while the brimstone is hot, making also the board hot, which ought to be thoroughly dry, in order to cause the brimstone to stick better to it. When the whole is cold, take it up, and polish it with a cloth and oil, and it will look very beautiful. TO PRESERVE BLACK-LEAD PENCIL DRAWINGS. Apply a thin wash of isinglass, which will prevent rubbing off of either black-lead, or of hard black chalk. The simple application of skimmed milk will produce the same effect. In using the latter, lay the drawing flat, upon the surface of the milk; then taking it up expeditiously, hang it by one corner, till it drains and dries. The milk must be perfectly free from cream, or it will grease the paper. BLACK DYES. The substances employed to give a black colour to cloth, are red oxide of iron, and tan. These two substances have a strong affinity for each other, and when combined, assume a deep black colour, not liable to be destroyed by the action. of air or light. Logwood is usually employed as an auxiliary, because it communicates lustre, and adds considerably to the fulness of the black. It is the wood of a tree which is a native of several of the West-India Islands, and of that part of Mexico which surrounds the Bay of Honduras. It yields its colouring matter to water. The decoction is at first a fine red, bordering on violet; but if left to itself, it gradually assumes a black colour. Acids give it a deep red colour; alkalis a deep violet, inclining to brown; sulphate of iron renders it as black as ink, and occasions a precipitate of the same colour. Cloth, before it receives a black colour, is usually died blue; this renders the colour much fuller and finer than it otherwise would be. If the cloth is coarse, the blue dye may be too expensive; in that case, a brown colour is given by means of walnutpeels. TO DYE WOOLLENS BLACK. Wool is dyed black by the following process: It is boiled for two hours in a decoction of nut-galls, and afterwards kept, for two hours more, in a bath, composed of logwood and sulphate of iron; kept, during the whole time, at a scalding heat, but not boiling. During the operation, it TO OUR READERS AND CORRESPONDENTS. We have received a letter from a correspondent, censuring us for not extracting certain articles from the papers. We think that particularly useful articles ought to be extracted into every publication, and we are always happy to do it; but the articles our correspondent alludes to, absolutely were ours originally, and copied into the papers he mentions from THE ECONOMIST: the acknowledgment, however, was not made, by putting the name of our publication at the bottom of the articles, as is usual with all the respectable journals-we suppose left out by mistake. "How to become a perfect Blackguard," is one of the six articles our correspondent alludes to; it ap peared in The Courier of Friday evening, and also in The Sunday Times: so is the "Confessions of a Bricklayer." R. Eagle-Eye's communication upon Junius is old. We hope he will, if in future he corresponds with us, write ORIGINAL ARTICLES. The Publishers are sorry they cannot comply with his request, as the pages are stereotyped. F. Wyburd, who defends the Mutton and Lamb-chop Humbug, shall have the subject touched upon next week. "Oc Olympus. The verses on an tober Rose" display a vein of poetry worthy of cultivation, and a better subject. There are some sweet touches of natural feeling in it, yet some blemishes. It does not possess thought enough for its length; and for the sake of rhyme, some of its words are inelegant-smart for heart, &c.; but it is only inappropriation obliges us to decline its publication. Bardolph. We mean to comment on Eleven-o'Clock-Hours of Public-houses at no distant period. A. B. C. We thank him for his "Useful Questions." We have not yet received the promised favour from Manchester. Ellen is an excellent economist. Our box is full of crusty Bakers-8 sample of them next week. Communications (post paid) to be addressed to the Editors, at THE PUBLISHERS, T. C. Hansard, Pater-poster-row Frám Economical Oil Lamp (with a Plate) .................................................... 388 Benefit Societies ...................... 390 Sketches of London, No. I.-Aldgate .. 892 Flying Kites 39.3 General Directions for November.... ib. Estimate of Expenditure for a Person having an Income of 125l. a-year, with a Wife and Three Children.......... 394 A Good Winter Dress for Children .... ib. Eligible Situations for Business-Baker ib. The Bakers....... ib. Bread Company 395 .... ib. 398 ANNALS OF GULLING, No. XXV.Teas, adulterated and otherwise Reflections, Maxims, &c. GARDENING, FARMING, &c.-Directions for the Kitchen Garden ........ ib. COOKERY-Duck Pie-Giblet Pie.... 399 USEFUL RECEIPTS-To dye Cottons and Linens Black-To give a Gloss to fine Oak Wainscot DOMESTIC MEDICINE-A Cure for Hooping Cough-A Good Bitter for the Stomach Notice to Correspondents............... 400 ib. |