225 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, July 13, 1858. 
Procure some pieces of clean flat wood, one-eighth of an 
inch thick, and six inches longer than your tank is deep. 
Split these into pieces half an inch in breadth. To one, affix 
a piece of well-washed sponge at the extreme end; to another, 
a small new nail brush. Join two pieces crosswise, two inches 
from the bottom, rivetting through with a pin at the junction, 
thereby forming a kind of forceps. Easten a ring of copper 
wire to another slip, and, with a piece of common cap net, 
form a conical net on the wirework. Lastly, tie a wooden 
strip to each handle of a pair of small scissars. 
Of these implements, Nos. 1 and 2 are for clearing any 
vegetable growth from the glass sides of the vivary. No. 3 
is handy for removing any decaying matter, or dead fish. 
With No. 4 the living specimens can be taken up without 
damage. The last piece of apparatus is necessary when the 
water plants require thinning. 
Also, purchase a piece of quarter-inch vulcanised India- 
rubber tubing, three feet six inches in length, to serve as a 
moveable syphon, 
Microscopic vivarium. 
A naffOW glass shade, similar to those used to cover ormolu 
clocksi, is cemented upside down on a wooden stand. Against 
thiiS the microscope is placed, the thinness of the glass 
allowing the use of a half-inch object lens. 
With this apparatus, a good instrument introduces us to a 
world of wonders. But those who possess no microscope, 
need not despair of amusement. There is a field for life-long 
research and interesting study in that which can be seen by 
the unassisted, but observing eye. And, should the aquarian 
possess the glass of faith, he has a still better prospect in 
view, for “ Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath 
entered into the heart of man to conceive, the things which 
God hath prepared for them that love Him.”—E. A. Copland. 
[This has the deeply additional interest of being the last 
written thought of our departed correspondent.— Ed.] 
PEAR MILDEW. 
A Note by the Rev. M. J. Berkley. 
Many varieties of Pear were affected, in the autumn of 
1852, with a black mildew, which is extremely injurious to 
their beauty, and, consequently, to their market value. In 
the Garden of the Horticultural Society, the Glout Morceau 
and Easter Beurre were more especially affected, but the 
disease is not confined to these varieties ; in my own district, 
I have noticed it more particularly on the St. Germain. The 
disease attacking the fruit is, in point of fact, the same which 
has of late been observed so frequently, both in this country 
and on the Continent, on the leaves and. youug shoots of 
Pears, and of which some account was given in the Gar¬ 
dener's Chronicle of June 17, 1845, as also of a similar 
disease on the leaves of Crataegus Pyracantha , October 28, 
of the same year. The fungus, like many others, takes its 
origin beneath the real cuticle, through which it soon makes 
its way, and then appears perfectly superficial. In some cases, 
as in the leaves of the Common Service , and on Apple leaves, 
the mycelium exhibits a beautifully radiated spot, and, in con¬ 
sequence, it has been named by Persoon Actinonema. The 
shape of the spores is, within certain limits, pretty constant, 
whether it grows on the Pear or Apple; while those of the 
plant on Pyracantha are of a totally different form, and 
smaller. As the patches, when they occur on fruit, especially 
on Apples, are more neatly defined than when they grow on 
leaves, and the remains of the white cuticle are very manifest 
surrounding the smutty spores, they have given rise to a 
distinct genus ( Spiloccea ), in accordance with that super¬ 
abundance of useless divisions with which Mycology, more, 
perhaps, than any other branch of Botany, abounds. Such 
productions, though far from uncommon amongst Pears, are 
far more abundant on Apples, insomuch that the produce of 
whole orchards is frequently almost valueless. The disease 
sometimes commences in a very aggravated torm when the 
fruit is no larger than a Pea, rendering the whole crop 
abortive. Such was the case in 1852, in one garden, with a 
young and apparently healthy Bownton Nonpareil. The 
Newtown Pippins , which are transmitted to the southern 
states, are often disfigured by it, and though, perhaps, those 
which are exported to this country are more carefully selected, 
they are by no means free. The species, however, by which 
they, are affected is not always the same. At least, Spiloccea 
fructigena , Schwein, of which I have authentic specimens, is 
not the same species with that before me. 
As regards any remedial measures, I have little or nothing 
to offer. Such affections are often dependent on causes over 
which we have no control whatever, and are part of the curse 
which aggravates all human labour. The best cultivation will 
sometimes fail, where atmospheric agency is principally con¬ 
cerned ; and in the present case, where everything has been 
done to secure a proper condition of soil, and a due exposure 
of the leaves to light and air, immense injury has been pro¬ 
duced year after year with every variety of season and treat¬ 
ment.—( Horticultural Society's Journal.) 
BARLEY COEEEE. 
Having seen accounts of coffee from roasted barley being 
used on the Continent—and its usefulness being confirmed by 
friends who had tried it in cases of illness—I forward the en¬ 
closed paragraph for insertion, if it meets with approval. It 
is taken from a lately published tour in Italy, by Mrs. \Yest- 
ropp. Her remarks are as follows :— 
“ Tea and coffee are prohibited by my Italian doctor, but I 
have a very good substitute for the latter, in cafe d'orzo. ! 
This is made of barley, which is roasted and ground, and 1 
then boiled like regular coffee, and really has a very nice 
flavour when roasted properly. It is said to be very nu¬ 
tritious, and does not possess the heating and exciting pro¬ 
perties of the foreign berry; the price also is very moderate,— 
fivepence for the pound of twelve ounces.” 
Two cases have occurred to our owii knowledge, where 
health was apparently restored to children, from its use, in 
cases of great weakness, where it seemed to occur to the 
medical men as an experiment worth trying. 
It is easy to roast the barley: if it is spread on a dripper, 
cover the bottom half an inch deep, and not more. It 
needs stirring to turn it about every five minutes, and will be 
enough done in half an hour. A common, or American, 
oven does best for it. The colour will be a very light brown 
when roasted, not nearly so dark as coffee ; but when boiled, 
the colour is almost, if not quite, as dark, and the flavour, as 
Mrs. Westropp states, is really nice, and is so considered by 
all we know, who have tried it. If this grain could be roasted 
by the regular dealers in coffee, it would, we think, be a gift 
to the working classes, many of whom live on coffee almost 
entirely, and suffer in health from doing so.—P, 
MANAGEMENT OE STEWARTON AND 
OTHER SLIDE HIVES—THE LATE MR. 
R. EAGLESHAM. 
Some short time since, a correspondent mentioned that he 
had found some difficulty in moving the slides of his Stewarton 
hive; and, as the same difficulty may occur to the possessors of 
my bar and slide hive, I am induced to mention the very 
simple means by which the slides of both hives may be loosened. 
All that is requisite is, to insert the point of a screw-driver, 
or any other blunt wedge-shaped instrument, between the slide 
and the bar, and push it along the whole extent of the slide; 
then to repeat the operation on the other side of the slide. By 
this simple means the propolis, cementing the slides, is broken, 
and they are then readily removed. 
The bee-season has again been a glorious one. I have, 
within a few hours, removed a top box, containing 25 lbs. of 
honey, from my worst Stewarton hive at Muswell Hill, and 
left more than 30lbs,, in the lower boxes, for the winter’s 
store. To-day (July 2) we have had a honey-dew, that has 
literally run off* the leaves of the Limes and Sycamores, dripping 
on the shrubs below. The bees have, as usual under such cir¬ 
cumstances, laboured incessantly ; and, on every tree produc¬ 
ing the honey-dew, the green aphis has swarmed in thousands 
on the under 3ide of the leaves. 
