178 Notes and Gleanings. 



Birds, and their Uses. — Baron Von Tschudi. the well-known Swiss 

 naturalist, says, "Without birds, successful agriculture is impossible. They 

 annihilate in a few months a greater number of destructive insects than human 

 hands can accomplish in the same number of years. Amongst the most useful 

 birds for this purpose may be classed the swallow, wren, robin-redbreast, spar- 

 row, and finch." Tschudi tested a titmouse upon rose-bushes of his neighbor. 

 and rid the same in a few hours of innumerable lice. A robin-redbreast killed 

 :in the neighborhood eight hundred flies in an hour. A pair of night-swallows 

 ^destroyed in fifteen minutes an immense swarm of gnats. A pair of wrens flew 

 ;thirty-six times in an hour with insects in their bills to their nests. He consid- 

 ers the sparrow very important. A pair of them in a single day carry three hun- 

 dred worms or caterpillars to their nests, — certainly a good compensation for 

 the few cherries which they pluck from the trees. The generality of small birds 

 carry to their young ones, during the feeding-period, nothing but insects, worms, 

 snails, spiders, &c. Sufficient interest should be manifested by all to prevent 

 the discharge of fire-arms in the vicinity of orchards, vineyards, and flower-gar- 

 tlens, as thereby the useful birds become frightened. 



DiGGixG BETWIXT THE Rows OF Strawberry-Plants. — There is a 

 diversity of opinion among gardeners as to the injury or benefit which the 

 plant may derive from deep digging. The late Mr. Keen of Isleworth, the 

 raiser of the well-known variety. Keen's Seedling, was an advocate for shallow- 

 digging. It is just possible that his soil was rather light, and that, as the straw- 

 berry-plant delights to grow in a tenacious or good loamy soil, he objected to 

 deep digging in order to avoid loosening the subsoil. I should be willing to 

 abide by his authority on the subject, were it not that in the neighborhood of 

 £nfield, from whence the London markets are supplied annually with large 

 quantities of fruit, I have observed that quite the opposite of Mr. Keen's prac- 

 tice is adopted : the ground betwixt the rows is deeply dug, and allowed to 

 remain rather rough, so that the soil thus disturbed may derive benefit from the 

 fnfluence of the atmosphere in penetrating it. Besides this, the constant tread- 

 ing betwixt the rows makes it desirable, that, once a year, the soil should be dug 

 to some depth between the rows, that they may derive nourishment from the 

 manure which may be applied, and to admit of the spring and early summer 

 rains, or any water that it is necessary should be given to them during their 

 bearing-season. — Gardoicr's Magazine. 



What Pears shall we plant ? — For more than twenty years, we have 

 ;isked this question ; have read books and magazines, and reports of fruit-com- 

 inittees : but the last winter's and summer's sad experience has left the question 

 rearly as far from being satisfactorily answered as at first. 



Once we thought if a pear was sweet, melting, or buttery, and the other ex- 

 jjletives so tempting as to make the mouth water, and the aroma almost percep- 

 tible, that was the kind ; but that day is past. We want pears ; and if we can 

 have them iri reasonable abundance, and the trees are hardy and thrifty, we are 

 satisfied if they are not quite of the sublimest flavor. But last season's expe- 



