frequent use. Cuttle fish bone, burnt harts¬ 
horn, burnt bone, and shell-lac, are consid¬ 
ered harmless if pulverized very finely. 
Charcoal, when recently burnt, acts both 
mechanically and chemically in cleansing, 
whitening, and deodorizing the teeth, and 
is probably superior to all other substanoes 
as a deutifrice. Powdered botany root, 
cinchona bark, quinine, catechu, alum, and 
some other astringents are added to denti¬ 
frices on account of their elllcucy in foul¬ 
ness, tenderness, bleeding and sponginess of 
the gums. Myrrh and mastic are alBo em¬ 
ployed on account of their presumed tonic, 
and power of fixing loose teeth. Borax is 
also good for tender or bleeding gums, A 
wide-mouthed, "dumpy” bottle is best to 
keep tooth cosmetics in. For a formula 
take this: Burnt hartshorn (or prepared 
chalk) three ounces; cuttle fish bone, two 
ounces; orris root, t wo ounces; oil of cloves, 
or essence of ambergris, or musk, fifteen to 
twenty drops. If tartar gathers on your 
teeth, use Castile soap occasionally. Brush 
your teeth after every meal and before re¬ 
tiring, slipping a thread between each one 
to remove what a brush cannot reach. 
banished from the hive altogether; but I do 
think a piece of drone comb three or four 
inches square, sufficient to rear all the 
drones needed. In the summer of 1870 I re¬ 
moved all the drone comb from a hive; the 
result was, the bees lengthened out cells on 
worker comb about three-sixteenths of an 
inch, and reared a few droues In spite of all 
efforts to the contrary. .T. E. Moore. 
Rochester, Pa., 1872. 
MINTWOOD’S CONVERSAZIONE 
WHAT DRONES DO 
English Bombazine (to “Mourner”) la 
softer than the Fronch, but hardly so good 
in color. Tho latter may bo had for $1.75 
per yard. Yard wide English crapo (the 
Courtland is the best) costs, in good quality, 
•S3 per yard. It is rolled with the right side 
out, and should be made up with that side 
out. When a length of crape is before you, 
with the selvedge across you, if the right 
side is uppermost, the figure will run from 
left to right, upwards. 
In the Rural New-Yorker of Dec. 
23d, I noticed an article on drones, in which 
the writer says, that in the absence of 
drones a “goodsolid article of honey can¬ 
not be made.” Now lest this should in¬ 
duce some to increase, instead of diminish¬ 
ing the amount of drone comb, iu hives 
from whioh they expect surplus honey, I 
will give my opinion. Drones are needed 
PYRAMIDAL TREES. 
Can you answer a few questions about 
pruning, or refer me to a good book or arti¬ 
cle on the subject? I want to train pear 
trees into the best low pyramidal form. I 
have both standard and dwarf. How near 
the ground should tho main branches atnrt V 
How many should there ho, and how near 
together? Will the same directions apply 
to pear aud cherry? Is January a good 
time to prune ?—A Subscriber, New 1 orh . 
Thomas’ Fruit Culturist is tho book that 
3 r ou should consult for information in rela¬ 
tion to training tress. We have it for sale 
at this office; see our Book List. Wo thiuk 
that the lower branches should not be nearer 
than two feet from the ground ; some 
prefer to have them lower; others higher. 
Peach and cherry trees may be trained in 
tho same general form as pear trees, but 
the manner in which they produce fruit is 
somewhat different, and pruning should bo 
varied accordingly. All these points are 
fully explained in tho work named. Janu¬ 
ary and February are good months in which 
to prune, but perhaps no better than some 
others. 
GARDEN NOTES. 
the business. I want, to dry the sago aud 
savory for winter use. How much ginseng 
can be grown on an acre that will-produce 
forty bushels shelled corn ? Will you bo so 
good as to toll me how to start growing these 
plants and the modos of cultivating and 
curing for market,.— J. Van A it ken, Sche¬ 
nectady, N. Y. 
Almost any of the books on vegetable 
gardening will give you the requisite infor¬ 
mation In regard to cultivating sage and 
summer savory. But for cultivating .gin¬ 
seng you will find very little information in 
any of the modern or ancient works. We 
hope you will give this root, a fair trial un¬ 
der cultivation and report the result. Begin 
by obtaining seed or fresh roots and plant 
in a loomy or moderately light soil. Wo 
certainly do not know as this plant, will pay 
for cultivating, but would like to have the 
question settled by carefully conducted ex¬ 
periments, as it has often boon talked of in 
our horticultural journals. 
Tobacco Stalks an a Mulch. — Pleaso 
iuform mo whether tobacco stalks placed 
around young apple trees will be of advan¬ 
tage to tho trees. I have a neighbor who 
believes the stalks will kill the trees.—W. 
B., Mayvllle , Ky. 
Tub tobacco stalks would cortalnly do no 
harm, but make an excellent mulch, and 
when decayed become a valuable fertilizer. 
They contain properties that no ono who 
owns land can afford to waste, especially if 
he intends to cultivate this plant upon his 
ground for many years In succession. In¬ 
stead of using tobacco stalks for a mulch wo 
should endeavor to decompose and return 
them to the same field upon which they 
grew. 
Cap ror Elderly Woman.—Materials: 
White organdy or net inserting, laoe and 
ribbon. The ribbon is placod beneath the 
inserting. 
Shawls, Gloves and Hair. — Fanny: 
Shawls do not booomo broad-shouldered 
women. The cheap “ kid ” gloves are usual¬ 
ly sboop skiu. Light kid gloves stretch 
lighter, so that if au exact match is desired, 
scloot a shade darker. Two long plaits of 
hair down the back remain fashionable, and 
i3 exceedingly becoming to some styles; a 
bunch of curls usually depends at the hack 
of tho head, between the braids. 
Pearl Rings (to Junius) are said to be 
somewhat frail, but are generally chosen for 
engagement rings. A very handsome one 
may bo purchased for $25. The most beau¬ 
tiful inscription I can suggest is one which 
has already been used:—“ Each for tho other 
and both for Gon.” 
Wedding Costumes.— Genevine is to 
be married the last of March; has $50 to 
spend on an outfit, is nineteen, years old and 
asks for advice in regard to her dresses. 
(Ninetoeu is just six years too young for any 
girl to marry.) For tho wedding dross, 
Japanese or French silk of neutral shades, 
gray and black for instance. Tho polonaise 
will probably be worn quite as much in the 
spring us now. Trim the dress with the 
same and fringe. For another dress get 
black merino or cashmere, including a round 
cape or talma of the same. This will do to 
wear all the spring for church aud visiting. 
Trim this with fringe and jet passementerie 
or folds of black velours. Hat of black aud 
gray kid gloves. Two new dresses of good 
material and well made are better than 
three of less excellence. You will need a 
set of Valenciennes laces for your wedding 
dress, and with gloves, ribbons, etc., you 
will find the purchase of one less dress very 
convenient. Trains are only for the house. 
Walking skirts just clear the ground. In¬ 
stead of trimming your black dress with vel¬ 
veteen, make a velveteen jacket to wear with 
it. Choose no dress of a decided color, as 
blue or green. If your hair is thin and 
curls naturally, why not out it somewhat 
short, and wear it frizzed or in its natural 
waves, but loosely, so as to make the most 
of it ? 
Fancy Work.—I have just seen a very 
simple and pretty design for trimming un¬ 
derclothing, or childrens’ white dresses. 
White, warb net forms the basis; this is 
crossed with linen floss run in it, forming 
diamond squares, leaving four meshes in 
each square. A strip an inch wide serves 
as trimming for chemises. It is used as in¬ 
sertion. An edge of tatting matches well 
for an edge trimming. Why not make this 
But to his proof. 1st- That when bees 
begin to gather moro honey than they need 
for immediate use, drones are bred; but 
should the supply of honey bo cut off, the 
drones are'killed; and why? ho says be¬ 
cause them is uo more honey to “rectify 
and refine.” If tho writer will examine the 
combs in a hive that lias killed its drones 
under such circumstances, ho will find all 
the queen cells torn open, and their con¬ 
tents destroyed ; consequently there will be 
no queens to fertilize. This is tho reason 
why they are destroyed, as they are not 
neoded to eat up the honoy stored. This 
can bo proved in the following manner. As 
soon as natural supplies begin to fail, 
. feed honey in quantity equal to what 
the natural supply has been, and 
swarming will not be abandoned, the 
dronos will live and flourish even on 
the best finished article of honey “ H. 
H.” can furnish. 
2nd. The stay-at-home drone, as a “ re¬ 
finer and purifier of honoy for the use of 
man.” I will go with you to tho hive—say 
in July—that has swarmed, but is full of 
honey, and the bees filling glass boxes; lift 
off the cover — thero, what a commotion 
thero is in the boxeB; bees runniug in all 
directions over the combs. Well, wait until 
the disturbance is over. Sure enough, tho 
drones are filling themselves with honey; 
but look again, “friend Head,” the work¬ 
ers seem determined to “ rectify and re¬ 
fine" as they are filling with honey as fast 
as possible. Now put on the cover, go to 
the entrance of the hive, and wait until the 
drones you saw in the boxes come out, say 
in five nr ten minutes. Catoti one and you 
will find it filled with honey; catch one re¬ 
turning and you will find no honey. Now 
go back and raise one side of tho cover gen¬ 
tly, so as not to disturb the bees, and you 
will find tho workers emptying tho contents 
of the honey sac back into the cells. 
What does all this amount to? Simply 
this: That when bees are alarmed, either 
by the sudden admission of light, smoke, or 
rapping on tho hive, they fill themselves 
with honey. Instinct seems to prompt 
them to take or save all they can. This ap¬ 
plies to the queen and drones as well as the 
workers. 
3d. Take a small second swarm that will 
make only twelve or fourteen pounds of 
honey, but instead of taking it up, place the 
hive in a dry, warm cellar to winter. Ex¬ 
amine the oombs any time as long as the 
honey lasts, and seo how much sour honoy 
you can find. 
From what has been written I do not wish 
to convey the idea that drones are to'be 
Carter's White Gem Pea is the natno 
of a new English pea, which a Hamilton, 
Ont., gentleman describes as grown there, 
to be “ a vory early variety—not more than 
NOTES FOR SPORTSMEN 
Trapping Foxes.— H. H. Smith is anx¬ 
ious that so mo sportsman should tell him 
a genuine way of trapping foxos. 
Wants a Fox Hound.—H. G. W. W., 
Scott, N. Y., asks where he can get a fox 
hound pup. Let those who have them ad¬ 
vertise. 
To Clean Foul Guns.—A correspond¬ 
ent of the Rural New-Yorker says:— 
“Pour a little vinegar into the barrel and 
wash with hot water.” 
How to Tan Deer Skins, with the hair 
on or off, Is what a Wisconsin boy who is 
about “to try his hand at pioneer life" asks 
some experienced hunter to tell him through 
the Rural New-Yorker. 
Utilizing Rabbit Skina.—From a re¬ 
mark in the Rural New-Yorker, I Infer 
that rabbit skins may be utilized. We get 
great numbers of them, but have either 
thrown them away or plucked tho hair off. 
Can the person who raises so many rabbits 
tell me how I can turn the skins to some use¬ 
ful purpose?—P. H. 8., Macon City, Mo. 
To Trap Mink and Wolves.—C. V. 8., 
Leavenworth, Kan., asks some one to tell 
him how to trap mink and wolves, and how 
to tun skins and leave tho fur on. If he 
will look on page221, Rural New-Yorker, 
Oot. 7, 1871, he will find in detail the way 
au old hunter traps wolves. On page 849 of 
Rural of June 3,1871, he may learn how to 
trap mink. 
Dog for Rabbits and Birds,—I never 
knew any one dog to be good for birds and 
rabbits, “much less a breed.” It Bpoils a 
good bird dog to hunt rabbits, and any 
amount of hunting will not make him hunt 
like a hound. I never knew a hound to 
care about birds. Ho is a dog of sight or 
scent, and the most intractable of all dogs. 
A bird dog is good in proportion to his 
tractability. I deem a cross of them worth¬ 
less.— Hunter, Batavia, 111. 
four days later than Carter’s First Crop; 
pods large and well filled, excellent flavor 
aud very prolific. Right fifteen to eight¬ 
een inches.” It is an extra early wrinkled 
pea. We give, herewith, an illustration 
