turbed may be taken with t\»- same im¬ 
plement. 
The ('hvysobothrlH femora to , t he larva of 
which is known as the flat-headed apple 
tree borer, is already about, and may be 
found sunning itself upon the sides of build¬ 
ings or upon the fence. The be etle is about 
a half inch long and a quarter of an inch 
broad, nearly black, with a grayish luster 
sorts. Put the seeds into the ground as 
soon as ripe, and watch and wait for the 
blooms. Throw away the poorest and keep 
the best, and in a few years you will possess 
varieties all your own. and always have 
something to give to those who are less for¬ 
tunate, but love flowers as well as yourself. 
I have no occasion to buy or sell peon las, as 
my collection is good enough for me, aud it 
As to there heing only one, there are sev¬ 
eral illustrations and sectional views of the 
double story hive in the work referred to 
by Mr. Burch. The illustration he refers 
to merely gives an outside view of hivo. I 
care nothing about outside appearances of 
the hive; the Inside is what we have to deal 
with. The hive we tised consisted of four 
boards nailed together, the end pieces being 
rabbeted at top on inside edge, to receive 
the frames, and bottom board nailed to 
same, aud pierced with holes to give bees 
access to upper hive. 
The hive described by Mr. Bttroh is sim¬ 
ply four boards nailed together, the end 
pieces being rabbeted at top on inside edge 
to receive tho frames, with loose or station¬ 
ary bottom board, as the maker desires. 
Having occasion to visit an apiary last 
week for the purpose of making ft trans¬ 
fer, I found the bees in hives exactly like 
the hive described. I put the question 
“What kind of hiveR do you use?” An¬ 
swer—“They arc made on the principle of 
the Letngstroth hive." 
In Mr. B.’r article of Fob. 10th, why does 
he wander off to the Langstroth hives? All 
the interest we have in said hive is the 
right to use, and all who do use it should 
have at least that much interest in it. 
Rochester, Pa. J. E. Moore. 
DAILY RURAL LIFE 
Strawberries Ripening.—Jun-c 2.—Al¬ 
though the Spring has been one of unusual 
severity, being both dry and cold, the straw¬ 
berries are ripening on time, or very nearly 
as early as in the most favorable seasons. 
It is useless to spend one’s time and strength 
in fretting about tho weather, for if there 
is a Iobs in one direct ion we usually’ And some 
compensation in another. If there is but a 
half crop of any grain orfruit, prices advance 
in proportion, so that there is no great de¬ 
ficiency in the return. The earliest straw¬ 
berry this season is the Red Bush Alpine; 
the next the small Jersey or Scotch Runner. 
This last-named variety is a great favorite 
with the New Jersey farmers, because it 
grows and yields abundant crops with¬ 
out cultivation. After the first season of 
planting no cultivation is given the plants; 
the weeds and grass growing up among 
the plants and killed in Autumn, falling 
down and forming a winter protection and 
mulching for the following season. Of 
course this is a slovenly system of strawber¬ 
ry culture, which would probably not answer 
very well on the rich soils of the Western 
States; but It has been practiced about 
New York, Philadelphia and Balt imore for 
the last fifty years with suooess, It is true 
that the farmers who grow this variety and 
follow the non-cultivating system neither 
expect and seldom obtain so large ret urn 
per acre as those who follow the more mod¬ 
ern systems; but when we coma to count 
profits I am not quite sun* but they are a 
little ahead. Tho cold weather In Winter 
seldom injures the plants, for they are al¬ 
ways protected by the dead weeds; and 
even if a late Spring frost cut off a part of 
the blossoms, the plants and cultivation 
have cost nothing, even if there is a light 
crop, consequently the loss can be but very 
little at most. 
I left quite a number of the new and old 
sorts unprotected during the past winter, 
in order to test their hardiness. Of course 
I did not expect that we should have so se¬ 
vere weather and hare ground through the 
entire season. The result has been a total 
destruction of a few varieties, and more or 
less injury to all. The following were but 
slightly injured, no plants being killed:— 
Charles Downing, Green Prolific, Matilda, 
Michigan, Kentucky, Seth Boyden, Wilson. 
Napoleon 111. all killed, not a plant left; 
and it would not he much loss to the coun¬ 
try if all other beds had met the same fate. 
Agriculturist about half killed, those left 
bearing but little. Lennig’s White about 
like Agricult urist. Juounda no bett er than 
the last, and President Wilder, alt hough not 
Winter killed, does not hear enough fruit to 
pay for cultivation. Th is may be a valuable 
variety in some localities, but three years’ 
experience lias satisfied me that it is of no 
value on my grounds. The Charles Down¬ 
ing seems to grow better with age, and this 
season 1 would place it very nearly at the 
head of 1 he list, of approved and well-tested 
sorts. The fruit, is large, handsome, of a 
bright scarlet color, with the flavor of the 
wild strawberry of our meadows— a flavor 
which every boy and girl who has picked 
berries from forbidden fields, just before 
haying time, knows all about, but may not 
be able to describe. The plants also appear 
to be perfectly hardy and prolific even in 
light soils, and without much cultivation. 
Fighting Insects.— Junes ,—The season 
for fighting insects is at hand. The Rose 
beetles (MacrodactylAis subspinoms) have 
appeared in the past few days in large num¬ 
bers, but not quite as abundant as they 
were last year, which 1 attribute to the 
quantities killed in the spring of 1871. Then 
1 caught them by the thousands by jarring 
off into hot water. This year l am trying 
another plan, which is simply employing a 
net, such as used in sweeping bushes and 
weeds lor other iusects. A common muslin 
bag fastened to a wire hoop, attached to a 
handle, four feet long, will answer the pur¬ 
pose. [See Rural Nkw’-Yorker, April 20, 
page 261—Fig. l.j On all kinds of shrub¬ 
bery these nets may be used with great re¬ 
sults, as the beetles can be swept off very 
rapidly aud emptied into a tub or other 
vessel partly filled with hot water. A little 
persistent work of this kind will keep this 
great pest of the garden in check. This net 
will also answer for taking the beetles from 
grape vines; and where it cannot be used 
to sweep over the plants, it may be held 
under them and the beetles jarred into it. 
All other insects that fall upon being dis- 
A1KTIIOJJ Jj U All GEA.T INTO SI NT GH,T-C PL ANTS 
In t he Spring of I860, Mr. Moore of Roch¬ 
ester purchased of Mr. Wm. McKee and 
myself a two story Langstroth hive, and 
also the right to manufacture the same (t he 
Langst roth) in any of its forms. Mr. McK. 
and myself at that time owned a portion 
of the territory of Beaver county. 
I have not. until recently, met the arti¬ 
cles of Mr. Burch on two story hives. Af¬ 
ter reading them my impression was clear 
that his description covered the “ Lang¬ 
stroth two story hive,” at least as I have 
used such hive for some ten or eleven years 
past. Wm. S. Barclay. 
Beaver, Pa., June 5, 1872. 
on its wing covers. They should be picked 
up and killed whenever found. The cu¬ 
cumber beetles will booh make their ap¬ 
pearance; also the little flea beetles, which 
attack cabbages and cauliflowers. The as¬ 
paragus beetle (Crioeerus asparagl) has 
been at work for somo time, but by the 
free use of lime, plaster, or dry wood ashes, 
most of these pests can be kept in check. 
Freshly slaked lime will certainly destroy 
the asparagus beetles, but it must be applied 
to the plants when they are wet with dew, 
or soon after a shower. Lime is also a good 
thing for dusting t rees and shrubs infested 
with the green fly, [aphis,) and there are 
few insects that can withstand it s pungent 
fumes or caustic properties. We must fight 
continually in order to beat our insect foes, 
but it is well known when and how. 
Massing Peon ias .—June 4.—I have read 
much about massing roses, evergreens, and 
other plants, but do not remember having 
seen anything about massing, or plant ing in 
a mass, a great variety of Poonius. Many 
years ago (sixteen, 1 believe), 1 commenced 
raising seedling herbaceous pconias, and 
from time to time the best have been pre¬ 
served, the single flowered sorts thrown 
away. 1 divided some of the very best; 
others remain intact; large old stools and 
all arc planted in a mass together. To-day 
they are nearly all in bloom—about a thou¬ 
sand large plants, and t he flowers are of all 
shades of color, from a dark crimson to a 
pure white, wit h an occasional one of a deep 
lemon yellow. Some are as fragrant as the 
old damask rose, while others arc scentless; 
costs nothing but a few hours labor 
year, in hoeing and transplanting. 
DOUBLE STORY HIVES 
In Rural of March 2d, referring to hive 
described by Air. Burch, I said I found an 
exact description Of a “Langstroth double 
story hive" we bought of the agent (and 
paid for the right to use) some twelve or 
fifteen years ago. In reply Mr. B. says we 
did not, describe the Langstroth hive, nor 
was the two story Langstroth hive in use at 
that time by a considerable. 
Prom the above it will be seen that the 
points at issue between us are.—1st. Is his 
description that, of the “Langstroth double 
story hive?” 2. Was it in use twelve or 
lift ecu years ago? As proof that the descrip¬ 
tion is the Langstroth hive, I referred him 
to “The Hive and Honey Bee,” published 
in 1859. In his reply to same in Rural of 
May 25th he asks does the simple fact tli:jt 
Mr. L. mentioned a two story hive prove 
it was in use then; he also says the only il¬ 
lustration of a two story hive in his work 
plainly shows Mr. L.’s idea of such a hive 
to be wholly unlike the one we described, 
“ and demands the proof.” In reply I would 
say that when a person receives a circular, 
pamphlet , or book published in the interest 
of any implement, machine, or other arti¬ 
cle, with illustrations of same, and pur- 
STRAWBERRY CRINOLINE.—[PAGE 407.] 
When bees kill off their drones in early 
Spring, before t hey are out of the cell, as 
well as after, will they then swarrn before 
you see some of the second crop flying out, 
providing honey should become suddenly 
abundantV My opinion is that they will 
swarm, everything favorable, about two 
weeks after the. second crop of drones are 
underway.—A Constant Real eh, Ho an- 
oke, hid. 
We cannot answer the question from our 
own knowledge. 
Extracted Honey in Market.—My ex¬ 
perience in handling much extracted honey 
in this market, during the past live years, 
has been:—It brings most, Bells quickest, 
and gives best satisfaction in 15 to 25 pound 
packages of heavy tin or onk, with screw 
apparatus for emptying.—N. D. Batter- 
son, Huff a let, N. V. 
GROUND PLAN OF A FARM-HOUSE 
T. P. Allkn sends us the accompanying 
plan of a farm-house which ho thinks ex¬ 
cellent. The upright purt is two stories 
high, 22 by 28 feet. The front wing is 16 by 
16 feet, one and a half stories high. The 
back wing is 28 by 26 feet . The second floor 
of the upright part corresponds to the first, 
except the hall extends back over the 
clothes-room, II. The following is descrip¬ 
tion of rooms:—A, parlor, 14 by 16 feet; 
B, sitting-room, 16 by 16; C, cook-room, 14 
by 15; D, bed-room, 10% by 12; E, hall, 8 
by 14%; F, bed-room, U by 10; G, clothes- 
room, 3 by 10; H, clothes-room, 3 to’ 8; I, 
wood-box, with chimneys above, 1% by 2; 
K, bath and cistern-roorn, 8 by 8; L. pan¬ 
try, 8 by 0; M, wood-house, 10 by 23; N, 
stairs, 3 by 8; V, V, V, veranda, 5 by 12, 5 
by 10, 5 by 21; O, carriage steps, 2 by 5. 
GROUND PLAN OF A FARM HOUSE, 
chases and uses it, it is at least his opinion 
that, the same is made and used; and as I 
before stated we bought and used the hive 
in question in 1860 or 1861; but I don’t ask 
him to take my word for it again, as 1 shall 
take the trouble to get the statement of the 
party of whom 1 bought and append it to 
this article. 1 also refer him again to page 
378 of ” Hive and Honey Bee; ” in a note on 
ventilation Mr. L. says Air. Wheaton uses 
no back ventilator, but depends upon a cur¬ 
rent of air from the front entrance of the 
lower and upper hive, the upper one being 
used for storing surplus honey on frames. 
but all help to make up a magnificent dis¬ 
play of rich and brilliant colors. 1 wish 
that bed of peonias could be placed on 
Broadway for a few hours! Would it not 
attract attention ? Aud would it not be a 
pleasure for me to cut the flowers and give 
them away—not to the millionaires or their 
wives, but to tbe poor shop girls and boys, 
who seldom know the pleasure of possessing 
even a peony? But I am not going to puff 
my seedling peonias, for they are no better 
than any one else can produce, if they will 
do just as I have done, which is simply to 
sow a few seeds every year from the best 
