322 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Aprit, 1899. 
good services they render them. Birds which live in a wild state, mainly on 
insects, have a peculiar gamy flavour. Take a woodcock, pheasant, wild duek, 
quail, scrub turkey, for instance—all have that particular flavour arising from an 
insect or animal diet. The sparrow has this same flavour, and is most excellent 
eating asa game bird, a proof that his diet is not confined to grain. For the 
reasons given the sparrow should be treated more kindly, and certainly not be 
classed as vermin.— Ed. Q.A.J. 
On this subject we lately received a communication from a friend, who 
grows a little fruit in his garden, to the following effect:—“‘I am more than 
pleased to know one, at least, of our community who has a word to say in 
defence of the poor sparrow. Having watched with interest the habits of that 
bird for a great length of time, I am able to endorse your opinion as regards 
its usefulness to the orchardist in destroying insect pests as well as caterpillars, 
The fruitgrowers of Queensland have a far greater curse to contend with in 
the whole-year-round-protected ‘leather-head,’ whose periodical depredations 
amongst the vineyards are well known to all who are occupied in the cultivation 
of the grape. One orchardist informed me that during the grape season he 
had to keep a loaded gun almost constantly at hand (killing about eighty birds 
before 11 o’clock) whilst working in the vines. They never eat insects, but 
are supposed to be honey-eaters, like the warty-faced honey-eater, the slender- 
billed spine bill, and others. Why protection should be afforded to leather. 
heads, I fail to see.” 
PRESERVING FRUIT WITHOUT SUGAR. 
Mr. G. Trow, of Rocklea, says that he has invariably succeeded in preserving 
plums, peaches, pears, &c., without the use of sugar by the following plan:— 
Hill a number of fruit-bottles or pickle-bottles, of the ordinary type, with the 
fruit intended to be preserved. Pour in water to completely cover the fruit, 
Set on a boiler with sufficient water to reach the level of the water in the 
bottles when placed in it. Let the water boil gently for 5 minutes in the case 
of soft fruit—for 45 minutes in the case of pears. ‘Try the top fruit with a 
fork. If at the end of 5 or 7 minutes it is soft, the fruit has boiled sufficiently, 
Remove the bottles from the boiler, inserting the cork immediately. A sauce- 
pan of boiling sealing-wax should be ready at hand. Into this plunge the top 
of the bottle, turning it round until the wax has set. By this plan fruit ean 
be kept in bottle for twelve months without deterioration, but the wax must 
be applied the instant the bottle has been corked ; otherwise, as the contents 
of the bottle cool, air will find its way in, and in a couple of months a white 
fungoid scum will appear on the surface of the liquid in the bottle. 
A somewhat similar recipe for the preservation of grape-juice, or the juice 
of any fruit, by which the natural flavour is entirely unaltered, we find in the 
Journal of Agriculture of South Australia :—Press out the juice and strain 
through filter bags (made of fine flannel), then heat the juice slowly to 170° 
Fahr., and keep it at that point for 10 minutes. Have clean bottles in water 
nearly boiling ; take one out, empty water out, fill at once with the fruit juice, 
cork with corks that have also been just taken out of nearly boiling water. 
Proceed this way till all the juice is bottled and sealed. 
Yet another plan is given in the March number of the Zropiculturist 
(Brisbane), which is to fill the bottles as full as they can with fruit, taking care 
that it is not bruised, and pour as much boiling water into the bottles as they 
will hold, and at once cork them up tightly and cover with bladder. 
AGRICULTURAL AND HORTICULTURAL SHOWS, 
Tue Editor will be glad if the secretaries of Agricultural and other Societios 
will, as early as possible after the fixture of their respective shows, notify him 
of the date, and also of any change in date which may have been decided on. 
