manufacture is now, as far as it extends, greatly fuperior to all others of the kind, and might, as a writer in the public papers obferves, not only keep very large fums in the kingdom, which are till paid for a foreign commodity, but may also be improved into a yaluable branch of exportation. I am, &c. New method of preferving birds, with their elegant plumes unhurt. A Few years ago I had frequent opportunities of viewing the curious mufeum of Monf. Reaumur in Paris: his collections of natural and artificial productions were carefully preferved in feveral departments: but what most attracted my notice was three rooms filled with a great number of foreign fowls, preferved in their lively and beautiful colours, whofe brilliant appearance, freedom in their plumage, and animated attitudes, feem as natural in this lifelefs ftate as if they ftill breathed. I was very defirous to know the method of bringing them to this perfection; but after various fruitJefs enquiries, was obliged to reft contented with barely admiring them, as all their preparation was kept a profound fecret among a few naturalifts. I was determined, however, to make a trial with a few birds upon this fingle thought, that many good old houfe-wives preferve hams, beef, tongues, &c. for a long time, with falt only. Now I imagined that if a ftronger antifeptic was used by way of a pickle, and the fowls placed therein for fome time and dried, the fecret would not be difficult to come at; yet, after various trials, I was convinced to the contrary, and gave up this method; for the pickle glued the feathers close, always took away more or lefs of their gloffy hue, and beauty of their plumage, fo as to appear dif agreeable to the eye: this was a point I was a long time at a lofs to account for, as I well remembered that in all the preparations of fill life, in the above gentleman's collection, the feathers were remarkably free, fine in colour, and equal in every respect to life I itfelf. In water fowls i fucceeded much better, their feathers being of a more oily nature, and confequently not fo easily disturbed by the pickle as the land birds. Tho frequently foiled in my attempts, I refolved not to give it up fo easily, and at length accomplished what I was fo anxious to perfect. I have lately preferved fome fcores of both land and fea fowls after this new method, all of which come as near real life as poffible; therefore, to gratify thofe who are pleased with this ftudy and innocent employment, 1 fhall now infert the whole apparatus neceffary to be observed, and if thefe hints can draw their attention, my pleafure will be compleat. When I receive a fowl fresh killed, I open the venter, from the lower part of the breaft bone down to the anus, with a pair of fine pointed fciffars, and extract all the contents, fuch as the inteftines, liver, ftomach, &c. This cavity I immediately fill with the following mixture of falts and fpice, and then bring the lips of the wound together by future, fo as to prevent the ftuffing from falling out. The gullet or paffage mult ahen then be filled, from the beak down to where the ftomach lay, with the fame mixture (but finer ground) which must be forced down a little at a time, by the help of a quill or wire. The head I open near the root of the tongue with the fciffars, and after having turned them round three or four times to deftroy the ftructure of the brain, I fill this cavity likewife with the mixture. This is all the preparation I ufe; as for the wings and thighs I never touch them, but leave them in their natural ftate; for the falts, &c. feldom fail, in a few days, to penetrate into these parts, and preferve them equally with the body and neck of the fowl. The bird being thus filled with this antifeptic mixture, must now be hung up for about two days by the legs, in order that, by this pofition, the falts may more effectually penetrate round the muscles and ligaments which connect the vertebræ of the neck. The fowl must now be placed in a frame to dry, in the fame attitude we usually see it when alive on the plain or on a tree, in this frame it must be held up by two threads, the one paffing from the anus to the lower part of the back, and the other through the eyes; the ends of thefe threads are to brace up the fowl to its natural attitude, and fastened to the beam of the frame above: laftly, the feet are to be fixed down with pins or small nails. In this fituation it must remain for a month or more, until the bird is perfectly dry, (which will readily be known by its ftiffness) when it may be taken out of the frame, and placed on a chip pill-box: it will now require no other fupport but a pin through each foot, faftened into the box. The eyes must be fupplied with proportionable glass beads, fixed in with ftrong gum water. Common falt one pound, alum powdered four ounces, ground two ounces, mixed togepepper ther. CESTRIÆ. Method of preferving plants in their original shape and colours. By Dr. Hill. WAS ASH a fufficient quantity of fine fand, so as perfectly to feparate it from all other fubftances; dry it; pafs it through a fieve to clear it from any grofs particles which would not rife in the washing: take an earthen veffel of a proper size, and form, for every plant and flower which you intend to preferve; gather your plants and flowers when they are in a state of perfection, and in dry weather, and always with a convenient portion of the stalk: heat a little of the dry fand prepared as above, and lay it in the bottom of the veffel, fo as equally to cover it; lay the plant or flower upon it, fo as that no part of it may touch the fides of the veffel: fift or shake in more of the fame fand by little and little upon it, fo that the leaves may be extended by degrees, and without injury, till the plant or flower is covered about into a ftove, or hot house, heated two inches thick: put the veffel by little and little to the 50th degree; let it ftand there a day or two, or perhaps more, according to the thicknefs and fucculence of the flower or plant; then gently shake the fand out upon a fheet of paper, and take out the plant, which you will find in all its beauty, the shape as elegant, and the colour as vivid as when it grew. Some Some flowers require certain little operations to preferve the adherence of their petals, particularly the tulip, with refpect to which it is neceffary, before it is buried in the fand, to cut the triangular fruit which rifes in the middle of the flower; for the petal will then remain more firmly attached to the stalk. A hortus ficcus prepared in this manner would be one of the most beautiful and useful curiofities that can be. to the bottom of it which touches the floor of the oven. 4. Two thoufand five hundred pounds of grain being put into an oven in which the heat was 85 degrees, the heat in the center of the heap was, an hour afterwards, found to be no more than 19: it gradually increased for 48 hours, and at the end of that time it was found to be 33 degrees and an half, equal to that of the oven. 5. The ufual heat of an oven, two hours after the bread has been drawn, is about 100 degrees. 6. Grain that has endured 90 Methods to deftroy feveral kinds of degrees of heat, is not lefs fit for infects and vermin. The Corn Butterfly, (for the history of this infect fee our article of Natural Hijlory). Nothing more is neceffary for this purpose than to heat the grain in an oven after the bread has been drawn; this, at the fame time that it is perfectly efficacious, is fimple and eafy, and applies to a mot important purpose a heat which would otherwife ufelefsly decay. It is, however, neceffary to make the following obfervations. 1. Grain expofed during many days to a heat which caufes the thermometer to rife to 60 degrees, lofes no degree of its fertility. 2. This heat, continued eleven hours, will totally deftroy all the infects contained in the grain, whether caterpillar, chryfalis, or butterfly; and heat, equal only to 33 degrees, if it is continued two days, will anfwer the fame purpose. 3. But a great quantity of grain put into an oven, confiderably reduces the heat of it; and the full heat of the oven will be communicated only to the fuperficies, and making bread. In order to prevent butterflies, produced in other heaps, from depofiting their eggs among grain that has been dried in an oven, it may be laid in fuch heaps as will have the fmalleft poffible fuperficies, and then covered with afhes, or powdered chalk, or a cloth either of linen or woollen; or it may be laid up in facks; or if the quantity is great, it may be barrelled in large cafks, particular care being taken in fecuring the head. fel, and, having the grain in a basket, plunge the basket with the grain into the lye, ftirring it about, and fkimming off fuch as float on the top. This done, in about two or three minutes the grain may be taken out of the lye, and the basket which contains it must be placed upon two poles, that the lye may drain off. When it has done dropping from the bottom of the basket, it must be fpread on the floor of a granary to dry, while a fecond basket is ferved in the fame manner. This process preferves the grain from rotting, and deftroys all the infects that may have got into it. The use of the oven is faid to be the belt expedient for deftroying the caterpillars in the corn that is fowed; but it is acknowledged to be difficult to afcertain the degree of heat that is fufficient to kill the vermin, and yet not fufficient to kill the grain. Infects in the egg; addressed to the gentlemen, farmers, and gardeners in the neighbourhood of London. You will obferve, if you look at the fruit trees, apples, pears, and medlers, fome foreft trees, the oak and the dwarf-maple especially, the white and black thorn in the hedges, a kind of little tufts, or knots, or balls, resembling, at first fight, withered leaves, twifted by a cobweb, about tho uppermost twigs and branches. These contain a vaft number of little black eggs, of an infect that will hatch in the fpring, and fwarms of caterpillars will eat up every thing within their reach; na cold, no wet prevents their increase and propagation. The oaks they injure prodigioufly; the white thorn they devour, and destroy the plant: apples and pears fuffer as much as any thing. Against these enemies it becomes you to rife up; or your hedges, your plantations, and your fruits will fuffer exceedingly. They did fo laft year, though very wet and cold, and if the enfuing fummer fhould be hot and dry, your loffes will be irreparable. The method I propose to take in my own grounds, is to order all the twigs or fhoots to be cut off from every tree or bufh on which these nefts of infects appear; to be collected together and burnt; and this as foon as the weather will permit. (It should be done, if paffibly, before March is out; at least, the nearer the end of that month the better.) It is an affair of much confefequence to you, and I hope will not pafs unregarded to clear my own premises of fuch a dreadful enemy, is of little confequence, unlefs you likewife do the fame in yours. The progeny is numerous, their ravages great, and their propagation infinite. I addrefs myself chiefly to you gentlemen in the neighbourhood of London, because I am moft converfant about the metropolis; the mifchief may have spread to other places; it is eafily known, and may as eafily be remedied. One cannot, without concern, behold the young shoots of the thorn in every quickset hedge, and the last year's fhoot of the oak efpecially, befet with the rudiments of these destroyers. Suffer me to prevail on you to be earnest in your endeavours to extirpate fo dreadful an enemy; the expence will be little children, old peo plea Caterpillars on trees. This methad has been fuccefsfully tried in France. TAKE a chafing dish with lighted charcoal, and placing it under the branches that are loaded with caterpillars, throw fome pinches of brimftone in powder on the coals. The vapour of the fulphur, which is mortal to thofe infects, will not only deftroy all that are on the tree, but prevent it from being infefted by them afterwards. A pound of fulphur will clear as many trees as grow on feveral acres. To this remedy we will add another from the Journal Oeconomique, where it is faid to be infallible against the caterpillars in cabbage; and, perhaps, it may be equally ferviceable against thofe that infeft other vegetables. Sow with hemp all the borders of the ground where you mean to plant your cabbage, and you will fee with furprife, that, although the neighbourhood is infected with caterpillars, the space inclofed by the hemp will be perfectly free; not one of the vermin will approach it. Rats. TAKE of the feeds of ftaves acre, or, loufe-wort, powdered, more or lefs, as the occafion requires, one part; of oatmeal three parts; mix them well, and make them up into a pafte, with honey. Lay pieces of it in the holes, and on the places where rats and mice frequent; and it will effectually kill, or rid the place of thofe kind of vermin by their eating thereof. We by no means publish the folloving receipts as parties in the difpute concerning their virtues. That they are efficacious medicines, cannot, we think, be questioned; whether of good or bad effect, must depend on the proper or improper adminiftering of them. While dear and a fecret, they were much fought after. The public is now made acquainted with the method of preparing them, through the uncommon generofity of Mr. Page, to whom Mr. Ward left his book of receipts; and may befides have them at a cheap rate, his majesty having, for that purpose, fettled a handsome penfion on Meffieurs White and Osterman, the two chemifts employed by Mr. Ward in preparing them, on condition that the profits arifing from the fale of them fhould be applied to the fupport of the Afylum and Magdalen charities. We thought, that independent of any virtue these medicines may be poffeffed of, our readers would be curious to be informed of that, which, while a fecret, fo lately railed one man's fortune and fame. Receipts for preparing and compounding the principal medicines made ufe of by the late Mr. Ward. Extracted from a pamphlet publishea by J. Page, Efq, Method of preparing Antimony, for the PILL and DROP. |