380 Cove7it Gardefi Market. 



us by telling ? The specimens of cork tree in Britain capable of supplying 

 " a fine piece of wood " are so very few, that we are anxious to register a 

 notice of every one of them. — J. D. 



The Leaves of Oak Trees much consumed and injured by the countless 

 Caterpillars of the small pea-green Moth {Tortrix viriduna^. — In Vol. V. 

 p. 610. is described one instance : allow me to add another. The oak woods 

 in the Beulah grounds at Norwood have, for the last three years, suffered 

 much from the small caterpillars of this insect; and, besides that the 

 beauty of the foliage has not been recovered until past midsummer, the 

 growth of the oaks has been, of course, greatly retarded. I should be 

 happy to learn a preventive of the deeds of these depredators. — J. D. 

 Smith. Beulah Sj)a, Norwood, Jan. 9. 1833. 



Other instances of the ravages effected by Tortrix viridana, while in its 

 caterpillar state, will be found described in the Magazine of Natural 

 Histori/, vol. V. p. 669., and in the number for July, 1833. — J. D. 



Far7)i Horses fed on steeped Barley. (Vol. VIII. p. 613.) — Sir, I ven- 

 ture to acquaint X Y (Vol. VIII. p. 613.) with what I know respecting 

 the steeping of barley for agricultural horses. It is merely to steep it 48 

 hours in a close-wrought wicker basket, fixed into a cask of water, for the 

 convenience of draining it when taken out. It is then laid on the floor to 

 sprout, where it requires some little care. The kernels should be examined 

 by opening them ; and if the nib of the sprout is half-way up, it is then 

 ready to use ; if suffered to grow through the kernel, then the saccharine 

 matter will be exhausted, and the nutritious part lost. No more should 

 be steeped at one time than is used at this state of vegetation. I never 

 heard of more than one conviction and fine for the practice, which was by 

 the magistrates of Hempnall, near Norwich, three or four years since, 

 when a person was fined 10/., which was mitigated to 5/. ; but whether the 

 conviction was legal or not, I cannot say. The practice is very common, 

 and horses fed upon it do well. — Thomas Hitchen, Norivich. Oct. 20. 1832. 



The Malting of Maize or Indian Corn, — Any correspondent would very 

 much oblige me by describing the best method of malting Indian corn, as 

 practised in America or elsewhere. — A Constant Reader. 



We hope some American reader, or European reader familiar with the 

 American practice, will be kind enough to do this at sight. — Cond. 



What Garden Syringe is the best, and the least liable to go out of order ? 

 — Charles M. Willich. 24. Suffolk Street, Pall Mall, Feb. 12. 1833. 



Our opinion is that Read's, taken altogether, is the best ; but we should 

 be glad to hear the opinion of others who have had more experience. — 

 Cond. 



Art. IV. Covent Garden Market. 



The Capacity of Measures used in Covent Garden Market. — Information 

 on this subject has been asked by B. Bevan, of Leighton, in Vol. VII. 

 p. 255. ; and by J. W. L., in Vol. VIII. p. 374. The former correspondent 

 has at length investigated the subject for himself, and, in the Mechanics' 

 Magazine, of May 18. 1833, has published the result of his investigation. 

 " To obtain," he remarks, " this [required] information for myself and 

 others, I purchased a new set of these measures of one of the principal 

 venders in the market, and have ascertained their capacities, heaped 

 measure, to be as follows: — The sieve contained 1644 cubic inches, or 

 about half a bushel ; the half sieve, 822 cubic inches, or about a peck ; the 

 quarter of a sieve, 362 cubic inches, or about a gallon : the largest punnet, 

 248 cubic inches ; the second punnet, 228 cubic inches, or about a pottle ; 

 the third punnet, 90 cubic inches, or about a quart ; the smallest punnet, 



