THE CANADIAN H0RTICULTUEI8T. 



89 



the house. The stage, marked K, is 2 

 feet 5 inches wide, and 2 feet 9 inches 

 or 3 feet high, as will be seen in the 

 drawings. T. A. H. 



Muskoka. 



THE ENGLISH SPARROW. 



It is very gratifying to see from time 

 to time some honest evidence in favor 

 of that plucky little emigrant from my 

 native country — the English Spari-ow. 

 Mr. Eoy, of Berlin, is the last witness, 

 and his evidence is published in the 

 February number of the Cmiadian 

 Horticulturist, present volume. The 

 evidence given by that gentleman is of 

 that character which should commend 

 itself to future witnesses who have due 

 regard for their good name in the 

 future. Mr. Eoy freely admits the evil 

 propensities of the poor little stranger, 

 whicli, no doubt, is the result of the 

 improper training of his progenitors ; 

 but at the same time boldly and fear- 

 lessly gives him credit for his good 

 qualities, not even forgetting his musical 

 talents. Mr. Roy is a model witness. 

 Many persons when giving evidence 

 allow their partizanship to outrun their 

 veracity. They think they make a 

 good point at the time, but do not 

 receive much credit for their truthful- 

 ness when the published report of that 

 evidence turns up for review on some 

 future occasion. A good example of 

 this kind of evidence will be seen in 

 the following excellent story copied 

 from the last volume of the Country 

 Gentlemaii's Magazine, under the head- 

 ing of '• Agricultural Ai'ithmetic." 



" Referring to the Nairnshire Farm- 

 ers' Association for tlie destruction of 

 Rooks, which gives a penny a head for 

 every Rook slaughtered, a writer in 

 the West Cumherland Times oppor- 

 tunely recalls a conversation which took 

 place in the House of Commons Com- 

 mittee on the Game Law^s in 184-5, 

 between Mr. John Bright and Mr. 



Grantley Berkeley, Mr. Berkeley 

 stated that in districts unfrequented by 

 Rooks, boys were employed as a sub- 

 stitute to hunt for that destructive foe 

 of the farmer, the wire- worm. The 

 boys, said Mr. Berkeley in reply to 

 Mr. Bright, were paid at the rate of 

 three-half-pence per hundred for the 

 number of wire-worms they destroyed. 

 On being asked how much a boy could 

 earn at this rate of payment, he said 

 ' ninepence per day.' Questioned as 

 to the number of worms a boy would 

 destroy per day in earning the nine- 

 pence, Mr. Berkeley found himself in 

 a quandary, and judged that the best 

 way to get out of it was to get into a 

 rage, which he accordingly did. ' I am 

 not here,' he said, ' to answer intricate 

 arithmetical questions.' ' If a boy 

 makes 9f/. per day in destroying wire 

 worms at the rate of HcZ. per hundred, 

 how many must he destroy per day '? 

 If you find that problem too intricate 

 for you,' continued Mr. Bright, ' will 

 you tell us whether a boy can do the 

 work as well as a crow V 'A crow is 

 worth fifty boys at such work,' replied 

 Mr. Berkeley. This was rather start- 

 ling information. The matter was 

 getting to be more interesting as the 

 inquiry proceeded. So Mr. Bright 

 appeared to think, as he pursued the 

 witness with a further question. ' If 

 a boy is worth ninepence per day in 

 destroying wire-worms, and a crow is 

 worth fifty boys at the work, how much 

 is the crow worth in sterling money?' 

 Again Mr. Berkeley was disposed to 

 reply by getting into a rage. But his 

 inquisitor was not to be outdone. 

 Paper, pen and ink were supplied, and 

 Mr. Berkeley was assisted in his calcu 

 lations, when it was discovered that 

 the crow was worth to the farmer 

 nearly £2 per day. ' The bird being 

 worth nearly £'2 per day, what may be 

 its yearly value?' was the next query. 

 'About £700,' answered Mr. Berkelev- 



