by ; ami if any country Molly thinks she 
“ knows snakes,” she would do well to call 
on our friend IT,, for he is still unmarried. 
Another young man near by (also a clerk) 
has made one of the most complete herbari¬ 
ums in the country, and nothing short, of a 
fortune would pleaso him more than a 
present of a native plant from anywhere 
from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean, which 
ho did not know or possess. All about 
among the small tradesmen and mechanics, 
there are scores of natural history objects, 
and I might fill a column in the Rohm, 
New Yorker with their names alone. But 
it is not alone among this class of persons in 
of a good bee-house they can safely be winter¬ 
ed in shallow combs. 
Dr. Southard—Use only the regular 
Langstroth. Were I to change, would make 
them smaller, and more shallow. 
Mr. Bryant—Have used ten Bingham 
frames to the hive with good results. Have 
used sectional hives but do not like them. 
, Bingham’s gavo tho most box honey. 
Prof. Cook—What is “box honey 3 ” 
Pres. Haleb—Honey stored by the bees in 
small glass boxes. 
Geo. Stray—I get more brood early from a 
shallow, oblong frame, than fr< m a deeper, 
square frame, and consequently more honey. 
In wintering, have no moldy combs. Leave 
hives on summer stands, pack well with 
straw, keeping it dry, and bees winter well. 
Prof. Cook—I would like to hear from 
those who uso deeper combs. I hope wo 
shall not fall Into the error that honey can 
bo obtained only by the uso of shallow 
frames. 
Mr. Bryant—My twenty-five stocks, in 
shallow, six inch frames, gave me over 
2,000 lbs, of box honey. 
H. E. Bidwell—I have used all sizes and 
shapes of frames ; now I prefer a frame one 
inch deeper and one inch shorter than tlio 
Langstroth. It will give more honey, bub it 
is more trouble to winter successfully than 
deeper combs. 
James Heddon—Years ago I took the tops 
off from box hives, putting on a honey 
board. In using all sizes and shapes I found 
that a hive 22 inches deep often gave just as 
much box honey as one only ten. I prefer 
the latter, depth in movable comb hives, as 
we get a small hive in better shape, offering 
greater advantages in manipulation. 
Mr. llelleny—I am using Langstroth hives ’ 
think them preferable ; can get; more honey 
from an extra set of combs on top, than 
from boxes. 
DAILY RURAL LIFE. 
SIZE OF FRAMES FOR HIVES 
From the Diary of a Centleman near New 
York City. 
CITY COUSINS IN THE COUNTRY. 
■Jan. 2ft.—It is very seldom that I have 
•O'.uise to complain of unything which I see in 
the RnRAT, New-Yorker, but that carica¬ 
ture of city cousin Tom, on the last page of 
this week’s number, has raised my ire. I 
know your artist, Messrs. Editors, is cute at. 
making a hit, and although holding no 
grudge against him for showing up the 
weaknesses of your “humble servant,” still 
when he attempts, as ho has done this week, 
to make out that city folk know less of 
natural history than country people, I must 
and will protest. Then again he isn’t fair in 
his slum at city Tom’s ignorance of tree 
toads; for had he been, Morey's answer 
would have been given to Tom’s question in 
regard to whether the toads made the noise 
with their wings. Of course we country 
folk know what it would have been, simply 
“ I don’t know, Tom.” Metliinks if the con¬ 
versation had been continued a littl - further, 
Tom would have been asking Molly what was 
the true or scientific name of this ilalrnchian, 
and whether there was more than one species 
in the United States, what they lived on ; 
and also if they laid their eggs upon the 
trees, or somewhere else ; for the inquisi¬ 
tiveness of “city cousins” in regard to 
country affairs is not to be doubted by any 
one who has had experience in that line. 
In looking at Tom’s picture again, I am 
satisfied that the peculiar innocent smirk on 
his honest countenance, indicates the pro¬ 
pounding of gome such questions as T ha ve 
named, just to try the depths of Molly’s 
knowledge of her everyday surroundings. 
Probably lie has read Cuvier's Animal 
Kingdom, Goldsmith’s Animated Nature, 
Wood's Homes Without Hands, and perhaps 
Darwin’s various works, which created a 
desire to visit the country and become per 
sonally acquainted with some of the many 
plants and animals described In these books. 
City boys have access to thousands of 
sources for obtaining knowledge of nature, 
which country boys do not. If there are 
aquariums, botanical or zoological gardens 
anywhere, it is in or near our large cities. 
The products of states and continents are 
brought together ill our cities, where they 
may be seen and studied in their most at¬ 
tractive form, and without the inconvenience 
attending investigation in their natural hab¬ 
itats. 
From a long and personal acquaintance 
with both city and country people, I cannot 
but conclude that tho former are far ahead 
of the latter in a true knowledge of Natural 
History, in all its branches and ramifica¬ 
tions. How many country hoys, or young 
men, if you please, know the names of 
all (he plants growing wild or cultivated 
upon their fathers’ farms i Few, very few, 
indeed. But wo have plenty of boys and 
young men in our cities who would not think 
it a very great puzzle to identify and give 
name, history and uses of all the plants 
found upon a farm in New York or Minne¬ 
sota. They are not as a rule rich men’s 
suns, but poor boys who have to work for a 
living. They are not, however, that kind 
which are talked about in novels, or intro¬ 
duced in caricatures of city youths ; but are 
of that kind who get up in the morning, 
pushing out into the suburbs a mile or two, 
returning with a bundle of specimens before 
breakfast. At night, instead of lounging in 
some grog-shop, or other infamous place, 
they are assorting and studying their morn¬ 
ing’s collection, or perhaps visiting some bo¬ 
tanical authority, in order to get the speci¬ 
mens identified. And this kind of labor 
goe3 on year after year, until finally we be¬ 
gin to hear of a learned botanist us professor 
in a college, or going with government sur¬ 
veying expeditions. Probably the learned 
man’s country cousin will say that “Tom 
has been lucky” ; or that “he must have i 
got in with some man of political influence,” 
But if the secret history of Tom’s life could 
be written, the hours and days of study, 
and perhaps actual privations for the sake of 
obtaining knowledge, would doubtless an- 
At the Michigan Bee Keepers’ Association 
recent meeting the subject of “the best size 
for frames” was discussed. Chas. Dadant 
of Ill., strongly favored a largo frame as giv¬ 
ing the greatest advantages to the apiarian. 
He also urged that American apiarians adopt 
a uniform-size standard frame, as being a 
long-sought desideratum ; hi proof of which, 
he cited the benellcal results that had fol- 
WT9 
been through the neighborhood taking 
orders for nursery stock, Of course he car¬ 
ried the indispensable book, filled with gor¬ 
geous colored plates of wonderful fruits and 
flowers to be obtained at the establishment 
for which ho is agent and nowhere else in 
the “wide, wide world.” In addition to this 
“book of deception,” ho had jars filled with 
mammoth gooseberries ami plums, pre¬ 
served in spirit-, all for the purpose of show 
ing his customers that Micro was no decep¬ 
tion or fraud in his transactions. Well, the 
results of his visit, so far as I have heard, 
were of a very promising kind, for the agent, 
especially among those persons who cannot 
he. persuaded to subscribe for the Rural 
New-Yorker or any other paper that, would 
give them instruction upon subjects of which 
they stand most in need. One of my new 
neighbors, who has lately purchased a poor, 
barren piece of land for a garden, ordered a 
dozen plants of the big gooseberries, price 
which is only three dollars more than the 
regular retail price in the nurseries. But he 
would be cheated if the plants were given to 
him, because t he large EngllJi sorts will not 
thrive in this vicinity, and especially on a 
light sandy soil. He also ordered some of 
the “stunning” big varieties of plums, as 
per bottle samples ; but. when the trees bear 
and the crop ripens, I hope to be here to see 
them, for tho plum curculios in this neigh¬ 
borhood are thicker than grasshoppers on 
the plains, and “figs on thorns” would not 
be a greater miracle than a good, eatable 
plum on a plum tree in this town. 
But T need not specify further the blind¬ 
ness of nine-tenths of those who help to 
make tree and plant peddling a profitable 
business. I feel somewhat, slighted, for this 
very industrious agent did not give me a call, 
but passed on the other side. In fact this 
class of persons are given to treating me 
thus, and I cannot account for it in any 
other way than by supposing that the gener¬ 
al look of my surroundings are not encour¬ 
aging to a plant peddler. Men who will 
purchase a thing which they have no knowl¬ 
edge of, merely upon the recommendation 
of a stranger, deserve little sympathy if 
swindled out of their money. The agent re¬ 
ferred to said he sold six thousand dollars’ 
worth of trees and plants in this county last 
year ; but I will venture to add that five 
thousand and five hundred of it were to 
men who don’t take any agricultural or hor¬ 
ticultural paper. Not that men who read 
and know most about these things purchase 
less than other people, but they are too well 
informed to become victims of the shallow 
pretensions of plant peddlers. 
A HUNGARIAN CULTIVATOR, 
THOUGH crude in some of Its parts, the ac¬ 
companying illustration of a Hungarian 
cultivator, or Horse Hoe, is in many respects 
a model which it would bo well for American 
manufacturers to imitate. Its length we 
part icularly commend. Our own experience 
with long and short, cultivators has led us to 
the conclusion that wo. would not take os a 
gift many of those offered on the market. 
A long cultivator guides easily, adheres 
Closely to the ground, does not “ bob around,” 
and the operator is not in a continual state 
of wrestling to prevent it, (earing up the 
crop ho is cultivating. Again, the form of 
the teeth in this cultivator is to be com¬ 
mended formany kinds of work ; also their 
number. It is given here as a suggestion to 
those who make and buy cultivators. Put a 
pair of American-made handles on this cul¬ 
tivator, and it would be criticised very little 
by those who should use it. 
NOTES AND QUERIES, 
Windmills on the Farm.— I should like 
any one (or more) of the readers of the Ru¬ 
ral New-Yorker who has a windmill in 
use on his farm to tell me for what it, is used, 
what, kind (whose patent or make) it is, 
what it cost, and whether he has found it a 
profitable investment or not. I have water 
r want to force some distance, and would 
like those especially who employ this power 
for a similar purpose to give their experi¬ 
ence.—w. J. B. 
Improved, Hillside Plow. —In the reversible 
plows most, if not all, of them compel tho 
operator to reverse the plow by lifting at the 
handles. One lias now been invented by 
Minot Ellis, Greenfield, Mass., by which 
the mold-board is separate from the point 
and is reversed by swinging it ever instead 
of under the plow. Whether this operation 
is more speedily or easily performed than 
by the old mode, wo cannot say, never hav¬ 
ing seen the implement. 
Tail Over the Lines.— A fractious driver 
will speedily spoil a spirited horse in “fly 
time” by jerking, viciously, tho line from 
under the tail whenever the animal happens 
to catch it in his effort to whip off flics. Mr. 
James D. Truss, Ferryville Ala., is credited 
with having invented a preventive. It con¬ 
sists of a round and stiffened strap, which 
passes over the outer part of tho tail, and is 
buckled by end straps to the breeching stays, 
being also connected by stays nt both ends 
of the tall to the back strap, for securing ex¬ 
act and steady position of the tail strap, 
wuo think it is all lack. I am intimately ac¬ 
quainted with several such “lucky city 
boys, ’ ami some who are old men. 
What I have said in regard to botany, is 
also true in all other branches of natural his¬ 
tory. Within a few minutes’ walk of the 
Rural New-Yorker office, I know of one 
young man, living upon a small salary as a 
clerk, who makes snakes and beetles a hob¬ 
Octagon Barn.— J. P. M. asks, “ Will some 
one please give a plan of an Octagon barn ?” 
