31—1846.] 
THE GARDENERS’ CHRONICLE. 
517 
been added in excess. It is sufficient to show hat 
I have met with no difficulty in effecting this curious 
change. In the north of France the large. farming 
establishments are said to have distilleries attached to 
them, where the best brandy is manufactured from this 
sort of sugar. - This sugar from Potatoes is also added 
to the expressed juice of some of the Grapes grown in 
northern districts, where they.do not ripen well. Payen 
informs us that large quantities of it have been exported 
from France into England for the manufacture of pale 
ale. Ihave been shown a sample of well crystallised 
white sugar, which I was assured had been manufac- 
tured in England from Potato starch ; but as my au- 
thority was only second-hand, perhaps the Excise may 
be better able to certify you whether such is likely to 
have been the ease ; at present, I believe, it would not 
be lawful to manufacture any kind of sugar from Po- 
tato starch in England. Whenever the time shall have 
arrived for the agricultural community being allowed 
‘to enjoy pered opportunities of cultivating what- 
ever they may choose to grow, and for themselves or 
others turning the produce of such culture into any 
shapes in which it may yield them a profit : it will then, 
perhaps, be found worth while for us to grow more Po- 
tatoes than we do at present, for the express purpose of 
‘procuring starch from them. In the approaching 
Competition which our farmers will have to wage 
with foreigners not impeded by our restrictions 
against manufacturing such valuable articles as sugar 
and brandy, it seems but reasonable that they 
also should enjoy most perfect freedom in the supply of 
our home market with the raw material out of which 
they may be formed, provided they should ever feel 
Satisfied that it ean be profitably raised for such pur- 
poses in our climate. ‘There are some valuable hints 
an*Payen’s “ Memoir,” already alluded to, respecting 
the varieties of Potato which should be selected for 
trial ; but two or three years’ experience would be quite 
Sufficient for us to settle this question for ourselves. I 
am not aware to what extent Potato dextrine and Po- 
tato sugar may now be imported into this country from 
France, but the author to whom I have referred states 
the exportation of sugar thus prepared had been con. 
siderable during the two years previous to the time 
when he wrote his memoir,which was published in 1838. 
Home Correspondence. 
Fruit-tree Borders.—This subject being on the tapis, 
T venture to relate what was done a few years ago by a 
friend ef mine for the replenishing of his old walls, his 
trees being worn out, He threw out all the earth of 
his borders to the depth of from 24 to 3 ft., and then 
wheeled in garden-mould from all the open parts of the 
garden, not those under crops, replacing it with the re- 
jected and worn-out soil. His success was complete, 
and his trees have done as well as though wall and 
border were both new. The soil thus obtained from the 
open garden answered to all the requisites you bespeak 
for such a border : open texture, well-incorporated 
Manure, and uninterrupted insolation, and aération. But 
in this case if must not be concealed that both soil and 
i i the on 
subsoil were to the exp fe 
being a moderately-strong loam, and the other the 
malm-rock, an argillaceous limestone, north of the 
Southdowns,—** R 
Bees.—I have lately noticed what I never remarked 
before, and what I never remember to have heard. 
took from the top of a common straw hive a small skep 
of'honey (14 Ibs.) about three weeks since, and on taking 
this I placed a glass which would hold a quart and 
half of liquid over the hole where the skep stood. ^ This 
Was filled in about a week, and all the uneven places 
hetween the hive and the edges of the glass were filled 
up with propolis, and the glass and the hive well 
fastened together. This I also removed when full of 
honey, and have placed another similar, though rather 
Smaller glass, in its place. "The bees are very busy in 
this, and to-day I noticed a bee occupying its time, as 
fancied, in endeavouring from the outside of the glass 
to fill up the uneven places between the glass and the 
hive, which had been made in removing the former 
Blass ; but the bee did not remain sufficiently long to 
enable me to ascertain exactly what its object was. 
Several hours passed and I again went to the bee-house, 
aud saw a bee in the very place where the same or 
another had been before. This I instantly saw had its 
egs laden, and pretty heavily; however I watched it 
Or a minute or two, and perceived clearly that it was 
biting small pieces of propolis off the top of the hive, 
and laying them on its hind legs; and in order to be 
Certain of this fact, I secured the bee, legs, propolis 
and all, and brought it into the house, and took off the 
Propolis by pressing it against the window-frame with a 
Piece of card; on removing the card I found one Fall 
of propolis off one leg an ing to the frame, and 
the other sticking to the frame also, and making a pri- 
RE of the bee, as it had hold of the bee's leg as well, 
pat after struggling half a minute the bee cleared its 
; 8 and left the propolis sticking to the frame. The 
9e is released, and I shall see whether it intends, after 
emg deprived of its labour, or rather the fruits of it, 
m pursue its attack on the propolis, Honey we all 
‘now bees will carry away, but I never before heard of 
Propolis being worked over again.— M. H. G 
s d Hydraulic Machine.—Having had one of these 
mene, in constant use for many weeks, I can now 
* more confidently as to its merits ; perhaps it may 
[3 
m 
m 
Re interesting to your readers to be made acquainted 
jn à my experience on the utility of the engine, I 
ve a 
small stream of water at the bottom of my 
orchard, 100 yards from my house; this I dam up, so 
as to produce a fall of 2 feet 6 inches, giving not more 
than a continuous overflow of 1 pint ; with this quantity 
of water as the moving power, the engine supplies me 
with about 2000 gallons in 24 hours. Of course, after 
rain, I can obtain much more in the time specified, 
when the overflow is greater. During the late parch- 
ing weather, I was enabled to water my garden twice 
a day, with little labour, and had the luxury of healthy 
flowers, whilst my neighbours’ were burnt up. Legg's 
engine has the following undeniable advantages over 
the ram : it is cheaper, can be worked with less water, 
is not liable to get out of repair, and it is not necessary 
that it should throw up the water by which it is driven ; 
it may be made to draw water from a spring 30 yards 
distant from the apparatus, or even more, and when a 
sufficient quantity of pure element has been obtained, 
it will, by a slight adjustment, force up the impure, for 
the garden. In fact, it is not only a valuable addition 
to a household establishment, but is a pleasing and in- 
teresting object to look at, in itself, besides contributing 
its idle time to a fountain ; and when known will super- 
sede all other plans now in use, which, in point of cost 
and durability, cannot possibly compete with it. It would 
be most useful for the purposes of irrigation in many 
localities. i 
I have allowed my engine to work 16 hours 
at a time, and should have no hesitation in letting it go 
for a week, if required, without the fear of its sustain- 
ing any damage.— Hydrangea. 
The Vestiges.—At page 497, the following observa- 
tions appear from the pen of the Hon. W. Herbert, 
Dean of Manchester. In reference to the Acarus 
Crossii, he says, * The injudicious expression in this 
review has raised the indignation of a gentleman who 
(it seems) demonstrated the fallacy of Mr. Crosse’s pre- 
tensions.’ Further on the Dean says, “It is stated in 
an old book, called the ‘ Gentleman’s Recreations,’ that 
if you tie two sods face to face together, and throw them 
into a pond, it will stock it with eels. This is very ab- 
surd, and about as true as Mr. Crosse's way of making 
animaleules;' It should be understood that the singu- 
lar ereature which appears under the operation of elec- 
trie currents upon certain saline and other solutions, is 
an Acarus, not recognised by naturalists, and has no 
relation to animaleules properly so called. In reply to 
these passages of the hon. gentleman's letter, I beg to 
offer the following ren s, First, “the indignant gen- 
tleman” who fancies that he has demonstrated the fallacy 
of ‘Mr. Crosse’s pretensions, would certainly do well to 
make'the world acquainted with his i i 
stead of exhibiting proofs of his indignation, otherwise, 
in the face’ of several recent experiments which have 
been published, he cannot reasonably expect that his 
declaration will escape the common remark,—' one fact 
is worth a thousand assertions." Secondly, as. regards 
the * pretensions? attributed to Mr. Crosse, I must be 
permitted to say that I have for some years had the 
satisfaction to possess an intimate knowledge of this 
extraordinary man ; and I take it upon myself to de- 
clare, unequivocally, that he never made any pretensions 
whatever in regard to the insects which have so often 
been the subject of discussion and much misrepresen- 
tation ; nor has he even ventured to entertain, much 
less to express, an opinion as to the nature of their 
origin, He has simply told the unadorned tale, that 
the Acari first made their appearance incidentally, and 
without any preconcerted measures of his own towards 
such an end, during the progress of one of his numer- 
ous experiments on electro-crystallization. I have 
much pleasure in perceiving that the Dean of Manches-, 
ter has ably replied to the charge of Atheism, usually 
directed against such men as Mr. Crosse ; but if it had 
been otherw it would be very easy to prove that of 
allmen he is one of the least likely to become a self- 
assumed creator. The great Lawgiver of the universe 
has never breathed the breath of life into a more humble 
admirer of his magnificent works; nor has a more 
modest and rational, yet ardent and penetrating devotee, 
ever bowed at the altar of science than the plain, truth- 
seeking philosopher of Broomfield. As regards the 
story of the eels said to be generated between two sods, 
I can safely venture to assure the Dean, that if it is not 
more absurd or less true than ‘ Mr. Crosse’s way of 
making animalcules,” he may stock his eel ponds to his 
heart’s content in a very moderate period of time. The 
electrical inseets—for they are assuredly in some way 
or other dependent for their development on the action 
of electric currents—have now been at least some fifty 
times produced without difficulty, not only in experi- 
ments open to the common air, but in artificial atmo- 
spheres of the gases, &c.; and moreover under such 
stringent conditions as forbid the supposition that ova 
could have been present in the material from whence 
the Acari issued. All this I have over and over wit- 
nessed ; and from these ducti livin i 
have been distributed to the most eminent professors of 
science in Europe and America ; yet am I no Atheist ; 
no self-styled creator, but a humble lover of truth and 
science.— JV. H. Weekes, Sandwich. [We strongly 
pect that we know who * the indignant gentleman E 
js, and, if we are right in our conjecture, we can assure 
Weekes that he need not disturb himself about that 
writer's opinions, 
Fuchsias—A considerable number of varieties have 
flowered with me since I last wrote on the subject. 
| Serratifolia varies much, according to the treatment it 
réceives. Ina stove and in a cool greenhouse it cannot 
be recognised as the same flower. All the sorts do best 
in the open air. Some of Youell and Co.’s are ver 
Eis ; I may specify those named Agnes,; Magnificent, 
A 
d Sir G. Mackenzie. Their 8 ilis a well- 
marked handsome variety, with the tube white, the 
sepals tinged with red and green, and the corolla rich 
purple. Elegans, in its form and mode of growth, de- 
serves the name ; but, unfortunately, the leaf mars its 
effect. Diekson's Acantha stands at the head of the 
white varieties. At the Roslin Exhibition, the prize 
for Fuchsias was carried by Serratifolia, Agnes, and 
Acantha.—G, S. Mackenzie. 
Butterflies —The swarm of butterflies which crossed 
the Channel, and appeared at Dover on the 12th inst., 
belonged to the Pontia rape. There is no doubt 
of the fact of the swarm, and the account in the Paper 
gives no idea of their number. I have made very mi- 
nute inquiries into the subject on the spot, as I landed 
there, from Ostend, on the Tuesday following the cir- 
cumstance. On Monday, the 13th inst., I travelled by 
rail from Cologne to Ostend, the day was intensely hot, 
and noticed in that distriet a prodigious number of these 
same butterflies through the whole district. The day 
on which the phenomenon occurred at Dover was ex- 
ceedingly hot, with the wind at soutb.—E. P. T. 
Use of Exhibitions —Many masters and mistresses 
complain that their gardeners, who may be within reach 
of horticultural exhibitions, neglect everything but the 
articles with which they are to compete. In too many 
instances this is a just complaint. ‘The remedy is to 
obtain a gardener who has not only the abi 
sense to take care of everything und 
duty of a gardener is, unquestionably 
thing which his employer may requ 
manner, and to produce good spe 
kitchen-garden, as well as from the flower 
and glazed houses, and to keep all in or der. 
ness is not confined to show gardeners 5 and, whoever 
may take the trouble to visit a number of gardens, will 
find many degrees of skill and care, and some low in 
the seale. Gardeners of skill, above the average, and 
well able to distinguish good from bad, yet sometimes 
display a want of order, and economy of time, trulypro- 
voking; leaving their tools lying about in all directions, 
plants of value in corners, neglected and blown about 
by the wind, and erops of weeds advancing at a rate to 
defy keeping down, when avery trifling degree of atten- 
tion and trouble might keep down all that is unsightly, 
and keep up all that is important. Many o her negii- 
gences might be enumerated ; but all of them are to 
be found among gardeners who have no opportunity of 
exhibiting, as well as among those who have; and 
therefore [am not inclined to blame e 
may, perhaps, smile when I say that phrenology ean 
afford much assistance in the choice of a gardener. I 
can affirm that when the organ of order is deficient, how- 
ever good other faculties b 
be given. No young man sh 
profession who has not a love for tid 
of exhibitions and societies is to € 
amb: Their ch 
>to raise every- 
, in the best 
s from the 
use, however, 
be done in 
des of manage- 
and. when an 
k of fine feeling 
he causes of his 
t complain, as 
exhibitor is beaten, if he has 2 
in him, he will strive to d 
failure and supply the reme 
sometimes happens, of want j 
No doubt, judges may be incompetent 
to be difficult to find them in allr 
r forms and 
le. Neverthe- 
find ; and when 
ne may be cor- 
rected by that of another. 
difficult to point out that ex 
jurious; and it may he ver i 
without them, the proud station that been taken by 
British Horticulture could never have been attained. 
One other thing may be noticed before leaving this sub- 
jeet. Masters and mistresses sometimes either show 
little interest in their gardens, or find fault when they 
do not obtain what they desire ; while they do not put 
it in the power of the gardener to supply their 
wants. These things no conscientious, weil-mean- 
ing man can stand. On the other hand, gardeners. 
when justly blamed for negligence, 
things are suggested to them, or. 
done, get sulky. T : 
order, or a suggestion erroneous, let the 
give their reasons to their employer, who may no 
well acquainted with the art. The exhibition of self- 
sufficiency always gives offence, Much disappointment, 
and the outery against exhibitions, arise in most cases 
from horticulture not having been studied. Ignorance 
of it is often very ludicrously displayed when impossible 
things are expected of a gardener. All would go right 
were horticulture, including vegetable physiology 
, 
taught as a branch of ordinary education.—G. S. 
Mackenzie. 
Red backed Shrike, or Butcher 
—On the 10th of May I observed tl 
summer visitant, in my grounds. uu 
"Thorn bush, and brought up six yo 
18th of June, not liking my intrusion u 
the young ones though unable to 
the nest. I collected them together a 
in a cage, where they were duly attended to and fed by 
the old ones. A friend calling upon me on the 23d, I 
took him to look at the shrikes, And what,” was 
his first query “do you intend to do with this cage full 
of vermin? if they were mine, I should certainly shoot 
ird (Lanius collurio). 
ir of this 
them one after the other.” “And why?” I rejoined. 
