370 Retrospective Criticism. 



land given to the poor in Ireland, for potatoes, is no favour at all, but quite 

 the reverse : it saves the landlord, or farmer, the trouble of cleaning and 

 manuring a naked summer fallow ; yet this privilege is estimated at Done- 

 raile as one fourth of a man's wages. The farm-labourers, in 1813, had no 

 more than 6c?. per day, and the gardeners 8c?." — J. H. Heath House, 

 January 8. 1832. 



Collecting Slugs and Snails by Cabbage Leaves which have been heated and 

 greased (p. 149.). — Sir, In clearer explanation of my plan, as described 

 p. 149., I may say the cabbage leaves are not to be daubed all over with 

 grease. I warm the leaves until they become quite soft, and I then rub a 

 little bit of any sort of fresh grease between my hands, and this done rub 

 the most of it off on a cloth, and then give each leaf a clap between my 

 hands, but very softly indeed, and then lay them in the places where the 

 snails occur. — Peter Martin. Leeds, April 9. 1832. 



To put a stop to the Ravages which Caterpillars commit on Gooseberry 

 Bushes. — In this neighbourhood, several gardeners use the powder of 

 black hellebore, wetting the bush first, then shaking on the powder through 

 a dredging-box. I use, with great success, the flour of mustard seed in the 

 same way, which is less expensive and less dangerous than the powder of 

 hellebore. — Ld. 



Siebe's Cocks. — You have in Vol. VII. p. 84., been very laudatory 

 of Siebe's cocks. He is not the inventor of them ; as you may see by 

 looking at the Repertory of Arts for 1800 (vol. ix. p. 37-89), where you will 

 find Mr. Joseph Bramah's original specification of a patent for them ; so that 

 Mr. Siebe cannot possibly maintain his patent. My maternal grandfather and 

 Bramah were fellow-apprentices, and warm friends while both were alive ; 

 and my father has frequently heard the former say, that, however well the 

 cocks seemed in hypothesis, they never answered in practice. Now, you 

 ought to publish this, because a monopoly for an old invention is intoler- 

 able.— Robert Mallet. Dublin, Feb. 21. 1832. 



Filtering Machines. — There was much noise made some time ago, about 

 a supposed new filtering machine, made by some one in Oxford Street (I 

 forget the name). The water was to be forced through a stone disc, at 

 one end of an iron cylinder, by a small pump, on the principle of the 

 hydraulic press. Bramah was also the inventor of this ; and the descrip- 

 tion of it is contained in the specification of the patent above alluded to. 

 {Repertory of Arts, vol. ix. p. 378.) — R. Mallet. Dublin, Feb. 21. 1832. 



Ammoniacal Gas. — I know that I am an inventor, but I perceive by 

 your February Number (p. 41.) that I am not the first inventor, of the 

 application of ammonia to the destruction of insects. — Id. 



Leathern Wallet, fyc. — As a reader of your Magazine, I must enter my 

 protest against the decision of T. S. (p. 86.), that it is frivolous to intro- 

 duce figures and descriptions of implements, &c, because, forsooth, they 

 may be common in any given portion of the United Kingdom. I should 

 be glad to be informed, whether, previously to the appearance of the figure 

 (VoL VII. p. 613.) to which T. S. objects, any thing so well adapted to the 



purpose was used, or even known, in this part of the world E. Murphy. 



Dublin, Feb. 2. 1832. 



Cottam and Hailed s Iron Stakes for supporting Plants. — Sir, Your corre- 

 spondent, E. S. (Vol. VII. p. 715.), objects to what he calls the poker-like 

 shape of my iron stakes (Vol. VII. p. 284.); but lean assure him the sight 

 of them would convince him the comparison will not hold. As he agrees in 

 their economy, beauty, and safety, I would advise him to order a lot from 

 Messrs. Cottam and Hallen, and I would almost engage to say he would be 

 satisfied of their superiority. I have one now in sight, 6 ft. high when in the 

 ground ; a clean cast-iron rod tapering from an inch in diameter at the surface, 

 to three eighths of an inch at top. The foot is 20 in. long, tapering down- 



