1885.] 



CHIPS. 



399 



Chips. 



Evergreen Oaks. — A corre.spondent 

 of TJie Field, who has lived for some 

 time in Morocco, the native countrj- of 

 the evergreen oak {Quercus ilex), no- 

 ticed how its acorns were extensively 

 used as food Loth by the people them- 

 selves and all animals, both wild and 

 tame. The wild ducks eat them in such 

 numbers, that sometimes they are so 

 •gorged as to be almost unable to rise. 

 The trees bear two varieties, one kind 

 deliciously sweet, and another totally 

 uneatable, and of a most acid and bitter 

 taste, not easily got rid of. In appear- 

 ance they are undistinguishable. The 

 whole country seems to have been 

 originally a forest of this tree, and in 

 most uncultivated places is now a 

 dense cojjse of this husk. These trees 

 flourish in Ireland, Ijut do not ripen 

 their acorns ; though they both form 

 and ripen in Devonshire. The fruit 

 of the tree sold in Gibraltar is quite 

 uneatable. 



A Profitable Farm. — The Arch- 

 deacon of Worcester, desirous of better- 

 ing the condition of the agricultural 

 labourer, has shown what can be done 

 with three acres of land. On three 

 acres he has planted rows of fruit-trees 

 of various soi-ts — in one row apples of 

 variety, in others pears and cherries in 

 variety ; filberts, walnuts, medlars, 

 •quinces, etc. Underneath or between 

 these he grows cabbages, strawberries, 

 raspberries, gooseberries, currants, car- 

 rots, turnips, roses, violets, etc. ; so that 

 if one sort fails in any year, other sorts 

 are generally productive. The average 

 •of years proves that those three acres 

 not only provide hie household with 

 vegetables, fruit, and flowers in abun- 

 dance, but his books show that the 

 average return of money from produce 

 sold was about £30 per acre per annum. 

 This year, when on a visit to the Arch- 

 deacon of St. Peter's, Droitwich, in 

 August, he stated that ^7.3 had already 

 been received from the market at Bir- 

 mingliam for fruit, and the sale was 

 .still proceeding, with the probability 

 that another £13 would be received, 

 making a total of i:i40. These three 

 acres are managed by one man and a 

 boy, who also do house duty, stable 

 duty, and manage the cows, jiigs, and 

 poultry. 



Hares. — A hare has been found 

 cutting a hole in a hemp sheep-net ; 

 it had only to go a few yards higher 

 up to get round ; and a hare has pulled 

 up a wire net, so as to make a rabbit- 

 hole large enough for it to get under 

 the net. 



Curious Roosting -Place for a 

 Water-Ousel. — At a farmhouse near 

 Edinbui-gh, in the winter of 1877-78, a 

 water-ousel was observed roosting on 

 the wooden ledge above the front door. 

 It has continued to do so every night 

 since, with the exception of about a 

 cou])le of months each summer, when 

 it disappears. When the hall lamp is 

 lighted, it can be seen through the 

 window above the door ; but although 

 the latter is opened, it remains sitting. 

 — R. M. N., Granton, N.B., in Land and 

 Water. 



Shrub Planting. — • Mr. Temple 

 writes from Carron House, Palkirk : — 

 It is surprising how well certain plants 

 will gi'ow under apparently the most 

 unfavourable circumstances. While 

 extensively engaged in planting shinibs 

 la-st season, we had a variety of posi- 

 tions, and a still greater variety of soils 

 to deal with, but one site in particular 

 seemed to be a very unlikely spot to 

 get shrubs to grow on. Formerly this 

 was a large hole which had been filled 

 with brickbats, ashes, and j'laster rub- 

 bish, and to break up this solid bottom 

 seemed almost impossible, and we 

 thought conifers in variety, and de- 

 ciduous trees and shrubs most unlikely 

 subjects to thrive in such a position. 

 The surface was, however, well broken 

 up, a thin layer of road-scrapings and 

 other soil was placed on the top, and 

 on this the plants were set. The roots 

 were well covered with good soil, over 

 which was laid a good mulching of 

 rotted maiuire, and then a surfacing of 

 soil from roadsides. One watering was 

 given, but a good one, after which we 

 had nearly two months (May and 

 June) without rain. The i-esult was 

 that there were no deaths, but instead 

 an unusually vigorous growth. When 

 lately removing some hollies from this 

 space, we found the roots matted up- 

 wards in the manure. — Gardening 

 World. 



