then be filled, from the beak down to where the ftomach lay, with the fame mixture (but finer ground) which must be forced down a little at a time, by the help of a quill or wire. The head I open near the root of the tongue with the fciffars, and after having turned them round three or four times to destroy the ftructure of the brain, I fill this cavity likewife with the mixtuFC. This is all the preparation I use; as for the wings, and thighs I never touch them, but leave them in their natural ftates for the falts, &c. feldom fail, in a few days, to penetrate into thefe parts, and preferve them equally with the body and neck of the fowl. The bird being thus filled with this antifeptic mixture, must now be hung up for about two days by the legs, in or der that, by this position, the falts may more effectually penetrate round the mufcles, and ligaments which connect the vertebræ of the acck. The fowl must now be placed in a frame to dry, in the fame attitude we ufually fee it when alive on the plain or on a tree, in this frame it must be held up by two threads, the one pafling from the anus to the lower part of the back, and the other through the eyes; the ends of these threads are to brace up the fowl to its natural attitude, and fastened to the beam of the frame above: lastly, the feet are to be fixed down with pins or small nails. In this fituation it amuft remain for a month or more, until the bird is perfectly dry, (which will readily be known by ats stiffness) when it may be taken out of the frame, and placed on a chip pill-box: it will now require no other fupport but a pin through each foot, faftened into the box The eyes must be fupplied with

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of fine fand, so as perfectly to feparate it from all other fubftances; dry it; pafs it through a fieve to clear it from any grofs particles which would not rife in the washing: take an earthen veffel of a proper fize, and form, for every plant and flower which you intend to preferve; gather your plants and flowers when they are in a state of perfection, and in d weather, and always with a convenient portion of the stalk: heat a little of the dry fand prepared as above, and lay it in the bottom of the veffel, fo as equally to cover it; lay the plant or flower upon it, fo as that no part of it may touch the fides of the veffel: fift or shake in more of the fame fand by little and little upon it, fo that the leaves may be extended by de grees, and without injury, till the plant or flower is covered about two inches thick: put the vesel into a stove, or hot houfe, heated by little and little to the goth de gree; let it ftand there a day of two, or perhaps more, according to the thickness and fucculence of the flower or plant; then gently thake the fand out upon a sheet of paper, and take out the plant, which you will find in all its beauty, the shape as elegant, and the co lour as vivid as when it grew

Some

Some flowers require certain little operations to preferve the aderence of their petals, particuarly the tulip, with refpect to which it is neceffary, before it is buried in the fand, to cut the triangular fruit which rifes in the middle of the flower; for the petal will then remain more firmly at tached to the stalk.

A bortus ficcus prepared in this manner would be one of the most beautiful and useful curiofities that can be.

to the bottom of it which touches the floor of the oven.

4. Two thousand five hundred pounds of grain being put into an oven in which the heat was 85degrees, the heat in the center of the heap was, an hour afterwards," found to be no more than 19: it gradually increased for 48 hours, and at the end of that time it was

found to be 33 degrees and au half, equal to that of the oven.

5. The ufual heat of an oven, two hours after the bread has been drawn, is about 100 degrees.

6. Grain that has endured 90'

infcis and vermin.

The Corn Butterfly, (for the history of this infect See our article of Natural History).

Nothing more is neceffary for this purpose than to heat the grain in an oven after the bread has been drawn; this, at the fame time that it is perfectly efficacious, is fimple and easy, and applies to a mot important purpose a heat which would otherwife uselessly decay. It is, however, neceffary to make the following obfervations

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1. Grain expofed during many days to a heat which caufes the thermometer to rife to 60 degrees, lofes no degree of its fertility.

2. This heat, continued eleven hours, will totally destroy all the infects contained in the grain, whether caterpillar, chrysalis, or but terfly; and heat, equal only to 33 degrees, if it is continued two days, will answer the fame purpose. 3. But a great quantity of grain put into an oven, confiderably reduces the heat of it; and the full heat f the oven will be communicated only to the fuperficies, and

making bread.

In order to prevent butterflies, produced in other heaps, from depofiting their eggs among grain that has been dried in an oven, it may be laid in fuch heaps as will have the smallest poffible fuperfi cies, and then covered with ashes, or powdered chalk, or a cloth either of linen or woollen; or it may be laid up in facks; or if the quantity is great, it may be barrelled in large cafks, particular care being taken in fecuring the head.

fel, and, having the grain in a basket, plunge the bafket with the grain into the lye, ftirring it about, and fkimming off fuch as float on the top. This done, in about two or three minutes the grain may be taken out of the lye, and the basket which contains it must be placed upon two poles, that the lye may drain off. When it has done dropping from the bottom of the basket, it must be fpread on the floor of a granary to dry, while a fecond basket is ferved in the fame manner.

This process preferves the grain from rotting, and destroys all the infects that may have got into it.

The use of the oven is faid to be the best expedient for deftroying the caterpillars in the corn that is fowed; but it is acknowledged to be difficult to afcertain the degree of heat that is fufficient to kill the vermin, and yet not fufficient to kill the grain.

Infects in the egg; addreffed to the gentlemen, farmers, and gardeners in the neighbourhood of London. γου

OU will obferve, if you look at the fruit trees, apples, pears, and medlers, fome foreft trees, the oak and the dwarf-maple efpecially, the white and black thorn in the hedges, a kind of little tufts, or knots, or balls, refembling, at firft fight, withered leaves, twifted by a cobweb, about tho uppermost twigs and branches.

These contain a vast number of little black eggs, of an infect that will hatch in the fpring, and fwarms of caterpillars will eat up every thing within their reach; no cold, no wet prevents their increase and propagation. The oaks they injure prodigioufly; the white

thorn they devour, and deftroy the plant: apples and pears fuffer as much as any thing. Against thefe enemies it becomes you to rife up; or your hedges, your plantations, and your fruits will fuffer exceedingly. They did fo laft year, though very wet and cold, and if the enfuing fummer should be hot and dry, your loffes will be irreparable.

The method I propose to take in my own grounds, is to order all the twigs or fhoots to be cut off from every tree or bush on which thefe nefts of infects appear; to be collected together and burnt; and this as foon as the weather will permit. (It should be done, if poffibly, before March is out ; at least, the nearer the end of that month the better.)

It is an affair of much confefequence to you, and I hope will not país unregarded to clear my own premises of fuch a dreadful unless you likewife do the fame in enemy, is of little confequence, yours. The progeny is numerous, ravages great, and their propagation infinite.

their

I addrefs myfelf chiefly to you gentlemen in the neighbourhood of London, because I am moft converfant about the metropolis; the mischief may have spread to other places; it is eafily known, and may as easily be remedied.

One cannot, without concern, behold the young shoots of the thorn in every quickset hedge, and the last year's fhoot of the oak efpecially, befet with the rudiments of thefe destroyers. Suffer me to prevail on you to be earnest in your endeavours to extirpate fo dreadful an enemy; the expence will be little children, old peo

ple

aterpillars on trees. This method has been fuccefsfully tried in France.

TAKE a chafing dish with lighted charcoal, and placing it under the branches that are loaded with caterpillars, throw fome pinches of brimftone in powder on the coals. The vapour of the fulphur, which is mortal to thofe infects, will not only destroy all that are on the tree, but prevent it from being infefted by them afterwards. A pound of fulphur will clear as many trees as grow on feveral acres.

To this remedy we will add another from the Journal Oeconomique, where it is faid to be infallible against the caterpillars in cabbage; and, perhaps, it may be equally ferviceable against thofe that infeft other vegetables. Sów with hemp all the borders of the ground where you mean to plant your cabbage, and you will fee with furprife, that, although the neighbourhood is infected with caterpillars, the fpace inclofed by the hemp will be perfectly free; not one of the vermin will approach it."

Rats.

TAKE of the feeds of staves

acre, or, loufe-wort, powdered, more or lefs, as the occafion requires, one part; of oatmeal three parts; mix them well, and make them up into a pafte, with honey. Lay pieces of it in the

holes, and on the places where rats and mice frequent; and it will effectually kill, or rid the place of those kind of vermin by their eating thereof.

We by no means publish the folloving receipts as parties in the difpute concerning their virtues. That they are efficacious medicines, cannot, we think, be questioned; whether of good or bad effect, muft depend on the proper or improper adminiftering of them. While dear and a fecret, they were much fought after. The public is now made acquainted with the method of preparing them, through the uncommon generofity of Mr. Page, to whom Mr. Ward left his book of receipts ; and may befides have them at a cheap rate, his majesty having, for that purpose, fettled a handsome penfion on Meffieurs White and Osterman, the two chemifts employed by Mr. Ward in preparing them, on condition that the profits arifing from the fale of them should he applied to the fupport of the Afylum and Magdalen charities. We thought, that independent of any virtue these medicines may be possessed of, our readers would be curious to be informed of that, which, awhile a fecret, fo lately raised one man's fortune and fame.

Receipts for preparing and compounding the principal medicines made ufe of by the late Mr. Ward. Extracted from a pamphlet publishea by J. Page, Eq.

Method of preparing Antimony, for the PILL and DROP.

PROVIDE yourfelf with an earthen unglazed pan, that will hold

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hold three or four quarts; fet it on a naked fire, and have in readinefs, of the finest and pureft crude antimony, as much as you please; (that which appears in long thining needles, and is the eafieft powdered, is the beft; being most free from metallic, or other heterogeneous bodies) powder it indifferently fine; put ten or twelve ounces into your pan, ftirring it continually with an iron fpatula, and increafing your fire till it fends forth white fumes, and a flame like burning brimstone: continue that degreee of fire, continually stirring, till it burns or fumes no more; but is become a grey or afh-coloured powder. If it fhould melt, and run into lumps, in the beginning of your operation, you must take it out of your pan, and pound it again; putting it in again, and flirring as before, till it be thoroughly calcined. Then put in four ounces more of your crude matter; proceeding as before, and continuing fo to do, till you have as much as you defire. By this method you will calcine your antimony with much lefs labour and time, than in doing it all together, as is ufual: for, by putting your crude antimony to your calcined, its melting will be prevented, and the fumes will fly off much fooner.

[N. B. It must be done in a chimney; otherwife the fumes will be hurtful to the operator.]

Take a clean crucible, which will hold about a quart; put into it about two pounds of your calcined antimony; fet it in a melting furnace, and make a gradual fire under it; put coals nearly to the top of your crucible; keep it in a moderate fufion, fometimes

firring it about with an iron rod; care must be taken that your fire be not too violent, while your matter is in fufion; or it will li quefy to fuch a degree, and render it fo fubtile, that it will all run through the pores of your crucible, into your afh-hole; not leaving one fingle drop, or grain behind.

When you find your matter, which adheres to your rod, tranf parent and bright (which it will be, in about half an hour after it: is in fufion, if you have kept a proper degree of fire) have, in readinefs, a fmooth marble ftone, well dried, and heated as hot as you can bear your hand upon it; for fear your hot matter fhould break it. It will be proper to have an iron curb round your marble, to rife half or three quar ters of an inch above its surface, to prevent your matter from running off.] Pour your vitrified matter upon your stone; and if you have any more of your calcined matter, put your crucible again into the fire; put in more, and proceed as before. If your crucible is good, and your fi e moderately governed, you may ufe the fame crucible five or fix times; as I, myself, have frequently done.

Thus have you a fair and pure glafs of antimony, of a light-red colour...

I have observed, that keeping the crucible covered during the time of its fufion, both hinders the vitrification, and makes the glafs lefs pure, by preventing the remaining combustible parts of the antimony from flying off.

The PILL and DROP are made as follows:

Take,

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