Cookery.
Chuckles writes in answer to Maid of Athens that the way to make oat-cakes is:—Put two or three handfuls of meal into a bowl and moisten it with water, merely sufficient to form it into a cake; knead it out round and round with the hands upon the paste-board, strewing meal under and over it, and put it on a girdle. Bake it till it is a little brown on the under side, then take it off and toast that side before the fire which was uppermost on the girdle. To make these cakes soft, merely do them on both sides on the girdle.
F. W. Boreham writes in answer to Snow-Flake that the way to make almond rock is to cut in small slices three-quarters of a pound of sweet almonds, half a pound of candied peel, and two ounces of citron; add one pound and a half of sugar, a quarter of a pound of flour, and the whites of six eggs. Roll the mixture into small-sized balls and lay them on wafer paper about an inch apart. Bake them in a moderate oven until they are of a pale brown colour.
Pansy asks how to make Queen's Cakes.
General.
W. E. Ireland sends in answer to W. Routledge's inquiry the following directions for making a graph for copying letters, &c.:—Six parts of glycerine, four parts of water, two parts of barium sulphate, one part of sugar. Mix the materials and let them soak for twenty-four hours, then melt at a gentle heat and stir well. I have used this recipe and have frequently taken twenty or twenty-five clear copies. Once I took over thirty. A great deal depends on the stirring, also the melting.
Natural History.
Viola would like to know if sorrel is good for birds, and if so, in what quantity should it be given.—[Probably some birds eat it, but with the majority it is too acid. Groundsel or plantain is much better. Green food may be given freely in summer—regularly; but alternate supply and deprivation are bad.]
Sejanus would like to know of a really good book on British birds' eggs, and what the price of it would be?—[At the end of every volume of "Familiar Wild Birds" (published by Cassell and Company), there are plates and descriptions of the eggs of all the birds described.]
A. K. would be glad to know of a cure for her dog. The balls of his eyes, which were brown, have turned light blue; he can hardly see at all. He is just four years old.—[We fear it is doubtful if your dog can be cured. It is possible that dropping into his eyes a solution of atropine may restore his sight, but you should get advice from a veterinary surgeon, who must in any case show you how to do it.]