SHio Jlpirhnt 
up three mqre; algo a Blue Grape Hyacinth 
blooming in a pot, and Umbellattum Lily, 
with a bloom stalk wit h ton buds; some will 
be open in one or two days more. It is 
charming. One plant I wish to tell the 
Wout hern ladies of; it grows so well here, not 
minding the heat or drout h ; it is Phacelia : 
T think it a gem, J have a lot of stocks just 
coming into bloom, but almost all come 
'ingle. I sent for a package of Don hie White 
Zinnia seed ; only one came white at all; it 
was single and very small. Hoping to hear 
of ot her ladies’ w inter flowers, I am, ever an 
admirer of the Rural, a, b. n. 
Brownsville, Texas, Dec., 1871. 
BEE NOTES FOR FEBRUARY 
THE BEST HOGS FOR TEXAS, 
In reply to “ M. M. A.,” page 51 of the 
Rural New-Yorker, I would say that the 
Black Essex, either for breeding pure or 
crossing on the native swine, is unquestion¬ 
ably the best for Texas, as indeed for every 
hot country, and the next best is the Berk¬ 
shire. There is a philosophical reason for 
t his, as their black hair and skin absorb the 
hot rays of the sun and prevent scurf and 
skin blister, nor are they near so likely to 
get the mange. 
The Neapolitan bog is almost entirely des¬ 
titute of hair, his skin consequently is more 
liable to be. scorched than the above two 
breeds, although he originated iu a very hot 
climate, Naples, in Italy, being as hot as 
most places in America as far sout h as the 
~5 of latitude. But the Neapolitan is a 
highly valuable breed for crossing ou the 
native swine and he makes u more rapid im¬ 
provement than any other. 1 have sent 
them to the South for this purpose for many 
years past. Their meat is the most delicate 
of all pork, and approaches the taste of 
chicken. 1 am expecting some in the spring 
direct from Naples. It. is said, I know not 
how truly, that the Neapolitans were used 
in England to perfect the Essex: but from 
what 1 have seen of the unimproved and im¬ 
proved Essex in England, I should judge 
that the improvement comes front the same 
source that the Berkshire has, namely, the 
black or dark copper colored Chinese or 
Siamese. 
About, thirty-seven years ago they under¬ 
took to improve the Berkshire in a neigh¬ 
boring county in England, by crossing 
the Neapolitan on him; but this cross 
proved a bad one and was soon given up. It 
not only Injured the skin of the Berkshire 
but his general form and constitution. I 
saw many of this cross when in England iu 
1841, and heard t he breeders express them¬ 
selves decidedly against it. 
The. Berkshire? are a very tine, hardy 
breed, aud make the best hams and bacon 
of all others. The reason of this is a much 
greater proportion of lean to fat in their 
meat 
In cold climates, bees are now usually in 
a state of repose. If they have had proper 
attention in the fall, nothing will ordinari¬ 
ly need to be done that will excite them to 
an injurious activity. In very cold climates, 
however, when a severe temperature is of 
long continuance, it will be necessary, un¬ 
less the hives have thorough upward venti¬ 
lation, to bring them int o a warm room, to 
t haw out t he ice, remove the dampness, and 
allow the bees to got access to their sup¬ 
plies. Any needy stocks in oommon hives 
may be supplied with sugar candy—English 
barley candy is the best—pushed up between 
the combs. If the bees are iu movable comb 
hives, give them frames of honey taken from 
honey stocks; or, remove an empty comb 
from the needy stock, and Jill it with warm 
honey or sugar sirup, aud replace it in the 
hive. 
If bees are to be moved short distances, 
do jt now. In mild seasons, and warm re¬ 
gions, bees begin to fly quite lively in Feb¬ 
ruary, and strong colonies will now begin 
to breed considerably; feed to such unbolted 
rye flour, placed iu shallow boxes near the 
apiary, to encourage breeding, and to insure 
strong stooks and early swarms. 
Does the Old Queen Lead the First 
Swarm ? 
FLORICULTURAL NOTES. 
Double Geranium —Emllie Lemoine .— 
We have a plant of this variety that has ex¬ 
ceeded all expectat ions by Its richness of 
color (brilliant flame), large clusters of per¬ 
fect flowers, and quantity and duration of 
bloom. The flowers remain perfect for six 
weeks. It gives great pfomise as a winter 
bloomer. Unfortunately ours got frost bit¬ 
ten so severely as to check the development 
of the flower buds. It will live iu a verv 
low temperature.— Rose Geranium. 
CHRISTMAS FLOWERS IN TEXAS, 
Deah Rural:—J wish to tell yourflov 
loving readers what I have iu my flo 1 
garden for the Christmas holidays, a\ 
Nt. Bruno’s Lily—Anthorienm Liliaa- 
trum.— We give herewith an illustration of 
one of our old favorite plants, known by the 
common name of St. Bruno's Lily. It is a 
native of Switzerland, consequently hardy 
in the Northern States, alt hough we regret 
to say that it is seldom seen even in the col¬ 
lections of our best florists. The flowers 
are pure white, and of the size shown, re¬ 
sembling in a reduced form the old white 
lily <>'<r gardens. Their fragrance js also 
exquisite, and scarcely excelled, although 
not as powerful as that of the tuberose or 
^ mignonette. The 
roots grow in 
Xft'Y close, compact 
clumps, some- 
What fleshy, but 
not t uberous, the 
j*/ stems being pro. 
duced from ceu- 
jA t r a 1 buds u r 
\ crow n s. The 
leaves are long. 
narrow > and 
- Js\Xm '* ^<^4 snmew hat grass- 
r i i k e; the flower 
stem or Deane 
if (J. W. Wooley, who wants 
the “ bee men ” to be more explicit, and tell 
him how he may know that the old queen, 
and not a young one, comes out with the 
new swarm, will examine the interior of a 
movable frame hive, just after a first swarm 
has issued, he will And no queen, but a num¬ 
ber of queen cells to furnish her successor 
in eight or ten days. Or, 1 will tell how L 
satisfied myself some yearR since. 1 pur¬ 
chased an Italian queen, and before intro¬ 
ducing her into a stock of black bees, J 
clipped her wing. When that stock swarmed 
the next spring, I found my Italian queen 
on the ground, unable tolly, but trying to 
follow the swarm “on foot." As she was 
the only queen in my apiary that had her 
wing clipped, and the only Italian queen in 
my neighborhood, there was no room for 
doubt that the old queen leads the first 
swarm. 
\\ inter Food for Bees.—In answer to 
A. P. C„ who asks for the •* best and cheap¬ 
est winter food for bees,” tell him to use a 
sirup made of good brown sugar, the pro¬ 
portions of two pounds of sugar to a litt le 
more Jiao a pint of hot water; boil it and 
skim off the impurities; the addition of half 
an ounce of glycerine will prevent it from 
crystallizing. But good sugar candy, placed 
between the combs, is the cheapest winter 
feed. 1 have wintered a stock of bees that 
had less than ten pounds of honey, by giv¬ 
ing them throe and a-half pounds of candy. 
Williamson Co., Tenn. W. E. Ladd. 
and this lean is finely marbled and 
very tender, sweet and juicy. 
The Essex, being a fatter uuimal, makes 
better side pork for salting aud barreling. 
As to Poland or Magic, aud swine of a 
dozen or more other names, that they are 
breeding and highly praising at the West, 
these are mere crosses of the Berkshire, Es¬ 
sex, Suffolk, Prince Albert or some other 
tine, improved breed, on the Chester Comi¬ 
ty, Miami or other large, coarse hog of the 
Country. These are as vuluuble for general 
fattening purposes as most of the pure 
breeds, and are consequently to be highly 
commended; but "M.M. A.” would make 
a much more rapid improvement on the na¬ 
tive Texas hog, by using the pure Essex, 
Berkshire or Neapolitan; for these have 
been reared so long now as distinct breeds, 
that their characteristics arc well estab¬ 
lished, and they are more likely to impart 
them to their crosses on other breeds than 
those more recently got up. The Berk- 
shires can be traced back in England, as 
having been bred exactly as they now ap¬ 
pear. for upwards of a half century,—-per¬ 
haps nearly a century. It is about forty 
years since they were imported into this 
country, of precisely the same type as at the 
present day. A. B. Allen. 
New York, Jan., 1872. 
time. This species of Antlurtrum is one 
of those modest little plants like the lily of 
the valley, of which one never tires, or gets 
too many. 
Plant for a Name.—If Mrs. D. M. J. will 
send us a flower of the plant which she de¬ 
sires named, we will endeavor to give the 
required information. We presume that 
Centrum elegant can be purchased of our 
New York city florists. 
Preserving Flower Stakes.—A writer 
in the Technologist says that he has in his 
possession flower stakes which have been in 
constant use for over nine years. To pre¬ 
serve them he takes common coal-tar and 
BEE NOTES AND QUERIES 
Mr. Burch's Hive.— Will Mr. Burch 
(who described his hive iu the Rural New- 
Yorker, Dec. 10, 1871,; answer:—In making 
the hive frame is the top bar to be beveled 
entirely from one side; or is it to be taken 
off from both sides, leaving the sharp edges 
directly under the center of the stick? Is 
the beveling for utility or fancy? If for 
fancy, what is it? — Sidney S. Staunton, 
Knnawha Co., West V(l, 
JIow shall I Make a Hive?—Will Mr. 
Baldridue please tell us how to make a 
hive that will work well when full of bees 
and comb? 1 do not think Mr. Burch’s 
would suit me very well, but I would like 
to have some of our experienced bee men 
tell us what kind of a hive is best, how to 
make it, and how to use it after it. is made 
—that is, t heir method of loosening aud re¬ 
moving the frames, etc., when full of comb 
and bees. I move that the thousands of 
bee keepers among the Rural’s readers 
unite and adopt the motto of “give and 
take," and by furnishing useful informa¬ 
tion for the Apiarian Department, make 
one of the most valuable departments of 
the Rural for 1872. Who seconds ?—J. J. 
anthericum liliartrum. 
dowu here iu the last corner of Texas. 
Blooming in the open ground I have Tube¬ 
roses, Oestrum Diuruum (white), Scarlet 
Geraniums, Lautafla, Verbenas, Sweet Aly- 
seum, Sweet Mignonette, Shrub Mignonette, 
1 ink Maurandin, TUunbergia, Convolvulus, 
old-fashioned Morning Glories, Pomegra¬ 
nates, Diant hus of all colors (very lovely), 
Dwarf Sunflower, double aud quilled, as 
fine a# a Dahlia, l have had t hree different 
plantings of them since June planting. First 
seed ripened each time; they grow about 
two to three feet high, bearing from eight 
to twelve blooms to the stalk. They are 
entirely double to the center. The seed 
came from Paris three years ago; was 
Thumps in Hogs.—An Ohioan, who be¬ 
lieves the “Thumps” a lung disease, says 
he cures hogs of it in this way:—When the 
disease first makes its appearance, he takes 
the pig by the hind legs and worries it till 
it pants for breath; he repeats this worry¬ 
ing t bree times a day. If too large to treat 
in this manner he runs it till it pants heav¬ 
ily. This is done to force the air through 
the lungs and expand them, thus purifying 
aud preventing the poisoning of the blood. 
To Make a Pig Trough.—The Mary¬ 
land farmer says:—Take two boards as long 
and wide as desired, one inch or more thick; 
have one of the boards narrower than the 
other, equal to the amount of the thick¬ 
ness ; for instance, if inch boards, have one 
seven and the other eight inches wide. 
Plane the edge of the narrow board straight 
and nail the two boards together in V 
shape, the wide on to the edge of the nar¬ 
row. Saw the ends off square and nail 
to these, boards equal in width, and long 
enough so as not to be easily upset. If the 
trough is long, notch a board under the cen¬ 
ter for a support.” 
three 
brought here by a priest. 
1 have also Gannas, and a wild vine called 
here, by Mexicans, the Virgin's Tomato, 
Tree Lily (very full of bloom), Crepis, 
Spanish Plume, Scarlet. Sage, Joseph’s Coat, 
Marigolds, Zinnias, Blush Tea Rose, white 
cluster Rose and Gloviode Francia; these 
are all in full bloom, and 1 presume I have 
forgotten many. 
I think sueh a display at this time of year 
would be refreshing to your ioe-bound read¬ 
ers of the North. Christmas day was warm 
enough to go to church without any sort of 
wrap, T made ten large bouquets aud sent 
to help deoorat our church—seven line ones. 
I have one White Hyacinth in a pot; it com- 
