MANAGEMENT OF CANARY-BIRDS

706. Canary-birds, that are kept tame, will breed three or four times in the year. Towards the middle of March, begin to match your birds, putting one cock and hen into the breeding-cage, which should be large, so that the birds may have room to fly and exercise themselves. Place two boxes or little basket-nests in the cage, for the hen to lay her eggs in, because she will sometimes have a second brood before the first are fit to fly, leaving the care of them to the father-bird, who feeds and brings them up with much care, while she is sitting on her second nest of eggs. Whilst your birds are pairing, feed them, besides the usual seeds, with the yolks of hard-boiled eggs, bread that has been moistened, or, if hard, grated fine, and pounded almond-meat. When the young birds are to be fed, give the same soft food, and be sure have it fresh every day; also furnish the old birds with fresh greens, such as cabbage-lettuce, chick weed, groundsel, &c. Give fresh water every day, and a clean bath every morning. The hen lays, commonly, four or five eggs, and sits fourteen days. When the young are hatched, leave them to the care of the old birds, to nurse and bring up till they can fly and feed themselves, which is, usually, in about twenty days.

707. _Gold and Silver Fish._--Pure rain-water is best to keep these delicate little creatures in; they should never be put into water that has been boiled. It is a good plan to throw them in the morning into a large bowl of fresh water, with a few bread-crumbs in it, and let them remain there an hour. Then put them in pure fresh water in their vases. The water should be changed every day. If the bread remains in the water to become sour, it will kill the fish.

708. _Improvement in the management of Bees._--The improvement is that of having double skeps or hives, the one on the top of the other. When the lower skep is filled with honey, it is to be removed after the bees are admitted (through a passage which is made to be opened) into the upper skep; into this skep food must be put, and the bees will remain there, and go on with their work in it. When it is filled with honey, the former skep, with food in it, may be replaced, and the bees again admitted into it. The full skep is then to be taken away. This change of the skeps must always be made about midsummer; and by thus annually removing the full one, more honey will be collected than is usual, and the bees will not be destroyed.

709. _To preserve Flowers in Water._--Mix a little carbonate of soda with the water, and it will preserve the flowers for a fortnight. Common saltpetre is also a good preservative.

710. _To preserve Flowers in Winter._--Take the latest buds just as they are ready to open; cut them off, leaving the stem about three inches long; cover the end of the stem with melted sealing-wax, and when the buds are a little withered, wrap them separately in paper, and place them in a dry box. When you wish to have the buds blossom, cut off the sealed end, and put them into water in which a little saltpetre has been dissolved. In twelve hours the buds will be open.

711. _To take Impressions of Leaves._--Dissolve in a saucerful of water about a tea-spoonful of bichromate of potash. Pass the paper to be used through this solution, and, while wet, press the leaves lightly upon it, and expose it to the sun when it is shining brightly. When perfectly dry, remove the leaves, and a _fac-simile_ will be left in a light lemon shade, while the rest of the paper will be of a dark brown.

712. _To preserve the natural color in Petals of dried Flowers._--Immerse the petals for some minutes in alcohol. The colors will fade at first, but in a short time they will resume, permanently, their natural tint.

713. _To revive faded Flowers._--Nearly all flowers may be revived, when faded, by placing one-third of the stalks in hot water; when it has become cold, the flowers will be re-set and fresh; the end of the stalks should then be cut off and the flowers put into cold water.

Or, dip flowers in spirits of wine for twenty minutes; at first they will appear to have entirely faded; but in drying, the colors will revive, and the fragrance be prolonged.

A few grains of salt put into the water with flowers, will keep them from fading.

Sand may be substituted for water.

Flowers may be preserved throughout the winter, if plucked when they are half-blown, dipped, stalks downward, in equal quantities of water and verjuice mixed, and sprinkled with bay salt. They should be kept in an earthenware vessel, closely covered, and in a warm place; when, in mid-winter, if the flowers be taken out, washed in cold water, and held before a gentle fire, they will open as if in their first bloom.

714. _To paint Cloth, Cambric, Sarcenet, &c., so as to render them Transparent._--Grind to a fine powder three pounds of clear white resin, and put it into two pounds of good nut-oil, to which a strong drying quality has been given: set the mixture over a moderate fire, and keep stirring it till all the resin is dissolved; then put in two pounds of the best Venice turpentine, and keep stirring the whole well together; and if the cloth or cambric be thoroughly varnished on both sides with this mixture, it will be quite transparent. In this operation, the surface upon which the varnish is to be applied, must be stretched tight and made fast during the application. This mode of rendering cloth, &c. transparent, is excellently adapted for window-blinds. The varnish will likewise admit of any design in oil-colors being executed upon it as a transparency.

715. _Varnish to prevent the rays of the Sun from passing through the glasses of Windows._--Pulverize gum-tragacanth, and put it to dissolve for twenty-four hours in whites of eggs, well beaten. Lay a coat of this on the panes of your windows, with a soft brush, and let it dry.

716. _To stain paper or parchment Yellow._--Paper may be stained of a beautiful yellow, by the tincture of turmeric, formed by infusing an ounce or more of the root, powdered, in a pint of spirit of wine. This, by the addition of water, may be made to give any tint of yellow, from the lightest straw to the full color called French yellow, and will be equal in brightness even to the best dyed silks. If yellow is wanted of a warmer or redder cast, anotta, or dragon's blood, must be added to the tincture.

717. _To stain paper or parchment Crimson._--A very fine crimson stain may be given to paper, by a tincture of the Indian lake, which may be made by infusing the lake some days in spirit of wine, and then pouring off the tincture from the dregs.

718. _To stain paper or parchment Green._--Paper or parchment may be stained green by the solution of verdigris in vinegar, or by the crystals of verdigris dissolved in water; also by the solution of copper in aquafortis, made by adding filings of copper, gradually, to the aquafortis, till no ebullition ensues; or, the spirit of salt may be substituted for the aquafortis.