i 
lirottnli  fljt  ;if|tnlr[it, 
FROM  AND  ABOUT  FLORIDA. 
IN  REPLY  TO  CRITICISMS  OF  AN  EX-EDITOR. 
Eds.  Ruhal  New-Yobker  ; — I  have  been  much 
amused,  and  oocaRionally  somewhat  indignant, 
at  your  Ex-Editor  (Jacksonville)  correspondent : 
but,  after  all,  I  suppose  it  ia  pity  more  than  any¬ 
thing  else  that  he  is  entitled  to.  To  have  grown 
into  such  a  chronic  state  of  grumbling  and  fault¬ 
finding,  it  must  have  been  made  a  constant  study 
with  him  for  years  buck  to  have  arrived  at  such 
a  degree  of  perfection  -but  perhaps  his  health 
is  such  that  he  can  only  stjc  us  *'  lluovigh  a  glass 
darkly.”  Enjoying  good  health  myself,  I  do  sin¬ 
cerely  pity  and  B3rmpBtlii8e  ivil.h  those  who  are 
otherwise.  But  why  will  such  persons  persist  in 
writing  for  the  press  and  try  to  throw  their 
dark,  fault-finding,  gloomy  state  of  tem])er  over 
all  creation,  as  well  ns  themselves. 
Northern  born  and  Northern  raised,  I  moved 
down  hero  last  Juno  for  the  purpose  of  engaging 
in  gardening  and  horticulture.  Came  from  Ne¬ 
braska  here — am  better  pleased  and  better  satis¬ 
fied  than  I  expected  to  be,  and  think  it  the  best 
move  I  ever  made.  Have  been  hero  not  quite 
nine  months ;  in  the  mean  time  hunted  up  a  lo¬ 
cation,  bought  lumber,  and  built  myself  a  decent 
and  respectable  house.  Clearwl  out  an  old 
deadening,  experimented  on  vegetables  of  dif¬ 
ferent  kinds  through  last  fall  and  winter,  lost  a 
month  through  sickness  last  fall,  and  now  have  a 
good-sized  garden  under  way,  from  which  I  shall 
soon  commence  shipping  vegetables  North.  Be¬ 
sides,  I  have  a  nice  lot  of  seedling  oranges  and 
lemons  growing,  a  few  thieo-yciir-old  treoa  set 
out,  an  asparagus  bed  started,  and  a  few  hmidred 
grape  cuttings  rooting  nicely.  But  Mr  Ex- 
Editob  thinks  Florula  is  aU  a  sand  bank,  and 
that  guano  is  worse  than  nothing  to  attempt  to 
fertilize  with.  Let  him  give  me  a  call,  Mr. 
Rcbae.  I  will  show  him  tomato  vines  as  dark 
green,  thrifty  and  promising  as  any  ho  over  saw, 
now  hanging  full  of  blossoms  and  standing  from 
15  to  20  inches  high — cucumbers  nmning  nicely, 
and  many  vines  with  6  to  8  cucumbers  already  on 
them.  And  what  was  tho  magic  wand  to  put  the 
spell  on  them  ?  Two  or  thriin  wn.terings  with  a 
little  guano  water.  Sand  wo  have  hero,  but  it  is 
a  very  profitable  kind  of  sand  to  those  who  have 
tho  will  and  energy  to  inMU/jmtl;/  maniputatv  it. 
Let  me  see  wliat  was  it  1  had  for  dinner  yester¬ 
day,  aU  from  my  own  garden  and  of  my  owm 
raising.  Now  potatoes,  young  and  tender  tur¬ 
nips,  green  peas,  and  to  top  off  with,  strawber¬ 
ries,  largo,  molting  and  delicious,  and  with  the 
true  flavor  and  aroma  so  often  found  wanting  iu 
many  plaoos.  Again,  5Ii-.  Ex-£ditob  says  he  has 
never  been  anywhere  in  tho  Stale  except  Jaok- 
sonrille,  and  yet  ho  thinks  that  by  talking  to  a 
few  disappointed  men  besides  himself  ho  knows 
all  about  it.  That  he  is  nsdly  mistaken,  many  of 
us  who  are  now  prosperous  and  comfortably 
situated  well  know,  Archer. 
Archer,  Alachua  Co.,  Fla.,  March  I3. 
A  SOUTHWEST  MISSOURI  EL  DORADO. 
Billings,  Christian  Co.,  -Mo.,  Feb.,  18T6. 
Owing  to  the  large  niunber  of  letters  I  have 
received  from  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Wiscon¬ 
sin,  Indiana,  Ohio,  Iowa  and  other  States,  askiag 
for  intoUigonco  about  tho  land  in  Southwest 
Missouri,  and  owing  to  the  very  little  time  at*my 
disposal,  I  feel  it  sometimes  difficult  to  answer 
all  separately  and  satiefactorUy,  1  therefore 
deem  it  wise  and  becoming  to  give  my  oorre- 
spondenta  all  required  intelligence  as  briefly  as 
possible  and  by  means  of  the  press. 
The  winter  is  never  extreraeJy  cold  here.  The 
days  in  summer  are  never  so  intensely  warm  that 
we  cannot  wear  a  cloth  coat,  and  tho  nights  are 
80  refreshingly  cool  that  we  can  always  sleep 
under  a  blanket.  We  have  no  mosquitoes,  no 
grasshoppers  and  no  insects  of  any  kind  to  an¬ 
noy  ua  or  to  take  away  our  crops  We  chal¬ 
lenge  .America  to  produce  better  water  than  the 
water  of  Christian  Comity.  What  shall  I  say  of 
the  products  of  the  soil — of  the  lovely  vineyards 
and  gardens  full  of  vines  and  fruits  and  vegeta¬ 
bles  of  every  kind — of  the  fields  co'ered  over  with 
a  plentiful  harvest — of  the  beautiful  and  almost 
endless  praiiie,  giving  countless  tons  of  fine  hay, 
aid  fat  cattle  of  every  kind  to  the  farmer :  of  the 
lofty  and  majestic  forests ;  of  the  subterraneous  ' 
stores  of  zinc,  lesd,  and  precious  minerals  of  i 
every  kind,  and  of  tho  wells  of  pm«.'  water  spon- 
taneoubly  bubbling  up  by  the  roadsides,  some- 
timoB  forming  grand  and  noble  rivers,  rolling 
proudly  on  and  turning  many  and  different  kinds 
of  mills  before  mingling  their  limpid  waters 
with  the  far-off,  foaming  sea '  A  minute  and 
worthy  description  of  tliis  mighty  mining,  grass, 
fruit,  corn  and  cattle  country  would  far  transcend 
the  limits  of  a  letter,  and  trespass  on  the  tune 
and  space  of  the  press.  | 
It  has  often  been  a  source  of  no  litUe  surprise 
to  me  why  some  of  our  great  capitalists  do  not  ' 
MOORE’S  RURAL  NEW-YORKER. 
come  out  here  and  invest  in  land  that  is  destined 
to  make  one  of  the  greatest  farming  countries 
in  America ;  and  I  tun  not  a  little  pained,  from 
time  to  time,  when  I  reflect  upon  tho  large  num¬ 
ber  of  poor  families  living  in  our  large  cities  and 
depending,  in  a  great  measure,  upon  a  man's 
daily  wages  for  support,  and  that,  too,  at  times  , 
when  employment  is  very  irregular.  Why  do  | 
not  snch  persons  como  to  this  El  Dorado  ”  of  | 
plenty  and  purcliaso  a  little  land,  where  they 
would  be  inde]>endcnt  and  happy  in  a  few  years  ?  ' 
There  are  at  present  in  this  township  those  who 
came  here  flvo  yoars  ago  with  very  slender  means 
and  whoso  individual  property  to-day  is  worth 
more  than  if?, DUO.  I  ivill  answer  all  letters  wil¬ 
lingly,  as  will  also  my  friend,  Dr.  A.  G.  I/ANK,  a 
farmer  and  pliysiciim.  who  has  a  beautiful  farm 
adjoining  this  town,  and  who,  from  his  extended 
and  exact  knowledge  i>f  this  country,  would  bo 
able  to  give  satisfiudory  rimponsos  to  all  letters 
that  may  bo  written  him. 
We  most  cordially  Invito  all  who  desire  to  lo¬ 
cate  in  a  coimti’y  more  fertile  than  Egypt,  a  cli¬ 
mate  milder  than  Itsly,  an  atmosphoro  more 
salubrious  than  that  of  New  York,  to  Como  to 
this  favori^d  place  of  onrs.  We  Imvo  schools, 
collogoa  and  churchos  ;  and  so  bring  your  cliil- 
di'eu  to  educate  them,  also  your  young  men  and 
maidens,  that  you  may  establish  them  in  homes 
of  beauty,  plenty  and  content. 
Geo.  a.  Culbertson 
i^jiiavian. 
MANIPULATION  OF  BEES. 
The  great  bug-boar  among  young  bee  keepers 
is  the  danger  of  being  stung.  To  remove  this 
danger  Rev.  J.  W.  Shearer  in  the  Bee  Keepers' 
Magazine  gives  some  suggestions  which  will  be 
invaluable  to  those  hamiling  bees 
Bees  filled  with  liquid  sweets  never  volun¬ 
teer  an  attack.  How  can  bees  be  made  to 
fill  themselves  with  liquid  sweet  ?  In  many 
ways.  Whenever  boos  in  a  hive  are  frightened, 
they  at  once  fill  themselves  with  honey  to  pre¬ 
pare  for  any  emergency  that  may  arise.  Bees  fiJl 
tlicmselveB  with  honey  before  leaving  the  hive 
in  natural  swarming.  Tbi.s  Is  the  secret  of  the 
ready  handling  of  a  swarm.  They  have  prepared 
themselves  In  this  case.  Sometimes  a  few  un¬ 
filled  bees  join  a  swarm  and  are  troublesome,  but 
generally  the  whole  body  of  a  swnrm  are  well  fill¬ 
ed  and  peaceable  so  tliat  they  can  be  handled 
without  danger.  When  the  manipulator  wishes 
to  make  bees  fill  themselves  with  honey  the 
simplest  way  Is  to  make  rolls  of  flr>- cotton  cloth, 
five  or  six  inches  long,  to  slip  under  the  entrance 
of  the  hive.  Light  it  with  a  match,  place  it  on  a 
piece  of  tin  to  prevent  charring  tho  stand,  and 
Bhove  it  under  tho  entrance  of  the  hivo.  In  a 
few  moments  the  bees  ivil]  have  filled  themselves 
with  honey.  The  liive  can  then  he  opened  and 
the  bees  handled  with  impunity 
Every  bee-keeper  should  have  these  rolls  al¬ 
ways  ready.  In  tho  midst  of  a  honey  harvest 
hives  may  be  opened  without  danger,  but  when 
httie  or  no  honey  is  ga  thered  the  bees  are  much 
more  cross  and  need  to  be  subdued  before  attempt¬ 
ing  to  handle  the  combs.  Bees  are  always 
handled  more  eaeily  in  the  nuddle  of  the  day. 
Then  many  of  the  bees  sjre  abroad,  and  the 
honey  board  or  quilt  and  frames  are  loosened 
without  jarring  the  combs.  The  propolis  with 
which  they  are  glued  is  soft  after  the  hive  gets 
warm.  In  the  morning  and  evening  it  is  brittle. 
There  is  a  popular,  but  most  erroneous,  idea  that 
bees  may  be  best  managed  at  night. 
Never  open  yoiur  bees  at  night,  for  they  are 
more  cross  than  in  tho  middle  of  the  day.  They 
are  necessarily  more  jarred  in  loosening  the 
frames  and  more  easily  excited.  When  they  fly 
out  many  will  not  return  to  tho  hive.  They  will 
remain  on  you,  crawl  up  your  sleeves  or  under 
your  clothes,  and  are  much  more  difficult  to  get 
rid  of.  In  tho  day  they  fly  and  rejoin  tho 
swarm.  Tho  most  expert  apiarian  Is  almost  sure 
of  being  stung  if  he  open  his  bees  at  night.  Bees 
are  quickly  subdued  by  sprinkling  them  with 
sweetened  water  or  sirup.  They  greedily  devour 
it  and  become  peaceable.  This  method  is  not 
generally  to  bo  recommended,  because  if  other 
boos  are  near  they  are  apt  to  be  attracted  by  it, 
and  robbing  is  iiulnced,  especially  if  they  are 
gathoriug  but  little  honey 
II.  Golden  rule  ahont  stings;— Move  gently, 
never  dorlge  or  strike  at  a  bee,  if  stung  never 
fliuch,  and  remove  the  sting  with  a  knlfo  blade 
or  tlmmb-nail  preasetl  firmly  against  tho  flesh, 
dragging  or  rubbing  it  outward  from  tho  flesh. 
Do  not  become  oxciUid  or  blow  yoiu'  hroath 
upon  them.  In  ordinary  management  one  who 
does  not  fliuch  oven  when  stung  is  not  poisoned 
half  HO  severely  as  one  who  does.  The  flinch  of 
the  nmniiuilator  is  evidence  to  the  beo  that  tho 
sting  is  effective,  but  if  he  does  not  flinch,  the 
bee,  nnUms  greatly  o.xcited,  seems  to  conclude 
that  it  is  inoffect  ivo,  and  immediately  attempts, 
by  working  around  and  around  to  extricate  itself 
without  losing  its  sting,  wliich  is  certain  death. 
Often  has  tho  writer  tempted  bees  to  sting  him 
and  watch  their  efforts  at  extrication  when  con¬ 
vinced  that  they  were  mistaken  because  the  sting 
caused  no  movement.  A  sudden  effort  to  dis¬ 
lodge  a  bee  will  almost  surely  cause  a  severe 
sting. 
Do  not  catch  the  bee  and  attempt  to  jerk  it 
from  the  flesh,  for  in  most  instances,  time  is 
given  to  make  tho  wound  far  soveror  than  at 
first  intended.  Nerve  yourself  and  do  not  flinch 
if  stung.  Thus  the  Hevorest  part  of  the  thrust  is 
avoided.  The  boo  will  at  once  attempt  to  extri¬ 
cate  itself  by  crawling  around  and  around.  .Never 
sieze  the  sting  between  the  thumb  and  finger  to 
extract  it-  This  moiio  of  extracting  squeezes  all 
the  poison  from  the  poi.son-bag  into  tho  wound, 
and  the  effect  is  as  groat  as  possible.  The 
poison  runs  slowly  through  tho  point  of  the 
sting  into  tho  wound,  and  if  quickly  pressed  or 
rubl>ed  outward  from  the  flesh  as  described,  but 
little  poison  is  received.  Pinch  tho  wound,  or 
press  it  with  a  hollow  key  so  as  to  force  out  as 
much  of  the  poison  as  possible.  Apply  some 
kind  of  an  alkali  to  counteract  the  poison,  such 
as  soda  (which  should  bo  kept  wet  for  an  hour), 
hartshoru  or  ammonia.  An  alkali  is  needed  to 
coiuilcract  the  poi-son.  Try  the  remedies  pro¬ 
posed  and  use  that  which  seems  to  suit  your  case 
best,  fjodii,  hartshorn  or  ammonia  is  best.  One 
who  nttend.s  to  Hie  foregoing  sngge.Ulons  will 
soon  learn  to  care  very  little  for  stings.  The 
practicftl  apiarian  hoou  learns  to  care  but  little 
for  the  sting  lie  learns  to  open  his  hives,  oven 
in  the  dead  of  winter,  without  fear,  seldom  ' 
receiving  a  sting  and  when  received  attended  [ 
vn^h  little  suffering 
- 
Eve  Flocb  eob  Bees.— Bye  flour  placed  where 
bees  can  get  it  will  supply  them  with  pollen  and 
induce  breeding  several  weeks  earlier  than  the 
first  blossoms  appear. 
Jiloricultiiral, 
ra  IT  A  VULGAR  TASTE  1 
L,mT  summer,  among  our  few  visitors  was  a 
lady  (of  education  and  refinement  I  .judge)  who, 
while  walking  about  our  grounds,  asked — “Do 
you  know  what  color  I  would  paint  those  If  tliey 
wore  mine  ?"  She  pointed  to  sevoi'al  nistio  seats. 
I  could  not  guess.  “  Red— a  bright  red,”  was 
the  serious  reply.  Old  Uncle  Datly,  who  was 
one  of  tho  Uttlo  parly,  luruing  upon  her  a  gaze 
that  might  have  proceeded  from  a  mild  pity — 
possibly  from  an  Incipient  slaiTU— at  length 
laughed  ;  and  we  all  laughed  except  tho  lady 
herself  who,  as  soon  as  she  could  be  hoard,  eoi'n- 
estly  sought  to  prove  to  ua  the  propriety  of  her 
taste,  though  with  but  indifferent  success.  See¬ 
ing,  however,  that  she  was  in  real  earnest,  all 
listened  reHpoctfully,  dissenting  only  by  helding 
our  peace. 
Anxious  as  we  wore  to  avail  ourselves  of  every 
suggestion  iu  the  improvement  of  our  grounds— 
we  yet  rather  Inclinwl  In  this  inslanco  to  heed 
tho  lesson  taught  the  unfortunate  artist  who, 
having  at  Infijiito  pains  produced  a  spoaltiug  pic¬ 
ture,  thought  to  improve  it  by  soUolUng,  and 
altering  it  in  aocordanoe  with,  the  suggestions  of 
every  passer-by, 
A  few  weeks  after,  during  a  ride — we  were  al¬ 
most  unconsciously  admiring  a  portly,  happy 
mansion  surrounded  by  tidy,  attractive  grounds — 
when,  reaching  a  fi'ont  view,  what  should  rivet 
my  attention  but  a  nainbor  of  ruRtio  sottoes  and 
ohoirs,  placed  most  oom  fori  ably —several  upon 
the  porch,  sovorol  undia’  the  shade  of  troos — 
they  wore  a  bright  red  !  What  a  coinohlenoo  ! 
But  though  I  laughed  at  onr  lady  friend’s  idm  of 
re<l  ruB^siwinn  I  laughed  not  at  the  realities 
buLj||l8fej^'J^enough,  thought  them  precisely 
thvipt^'.  *  {Fas  it  a  vulgor  taste  ?  I  have  a 
grc4\^  hoiYr=9||[|lrl  Eubm.,  of  being  considered 
vulgt^;^ me,  hoAv  shall  I  determine  in  aea- 
thotlo  mBtti-i%;*xvhat  is  refined,  what  is  vulgar  ? 
Is  there  any  book  that  tells  ?  Borne  revile  white 
houses  because  they  look  like  ghosts.  “  Neutral 
tints”  ora  said  to  be  refined — that  is,  muddy  Col¬ 
ors— dusty,  soiled  colors  —  colors  produced  by 
spoiling  bright  lavenders,  sky-blues,  rosy-plnks 
and  pea-groena.  Solomon  In  all  his  glory  was 
not  arrayed  as  one  of  the  lilies  of  the  field.  Was 
it  a  u'hife  lily  referred  to  ?  Then  Solomon  would 
have  looked  lilco  a  ghost!  Was  it  a  red  or  a  blue 
lily  ?  Then  Solomon  would  have  looked  vulgar  I 
Are  there  any  lilies  of  “  neutral  tints 
What  is  there  so  unspeakably  glorious  about 
Bunsoto,  that  every  poet  must  go  crazy  over,  and 
youths  iu  love  so  eapooially  admire,  but  their 
fiery  colors  ?  Have  poets  vulgar  tastes,  and  is 
love  In  this  one  respect  demoralizing  ?  Hyacinths, 
tulips,  carnations,  roses,  camellias.  Hero  we 
have  the  brightest  shades  of  red,  blue,  yellow. 
Are  they  vulgar  ?  And  if  so,  how  is  it  that  ladies 
put  them  in  their  hair  and  imitations  of  them  in 
tlicirhats?  Oris  the  same  color  which  is  “re¬ 
fined  ”  in  a  lady's  hair  or  on  her  hat  vulgar  on 
one’s  house  ? 
Now,  I  want  to  point  my  house,  and  I  have  a 
gi'owing  fancy  for  rod  or  blue,  or  both.  I  do  not 
like  tho  “neutral  tints,”  and  white  is  ghostly. 
How  am  I  to  avoid  both  Scylla  and  Charybdis  ? 
Will  you  not  confer  tho  great  favor  of  helping 
mo  ?  Tho  more  I  think  over  it— tho  more  I  grow 
confused.  In  my  perplexity,  I  callod  upon  our 
country  piUHOn  and  stated  my  case)  “Why,” 
said  ho,  after  great  patience  In  listening,  “  the 
only  thing  upon  the  face  of  the  earth  that  is 
ever  vul'jar  is  the  mind  of  man.”  But  parsons — 
except  they  be  such  parsons  as  Mr.  Beeches — are 
rarely  posted  in  tho  proprieties  of  refined  life. 
FLORICULTURAL  NOTES. 
Bunxea  Elegans. — We  have  already  described 
this  plant.  'I’he  cut,  from  the  spring  catalogue 
of  Messrs.  E.  G.  Henderson  &  Son  of  London, 
unlike  catalogue  cuts  generally,  belittles  tho  in¬ 
florescence  which  forms  a  “  drooping  pyramid  of 
Innumcrablo  ruby-r«d,  grass-liko  florets”  four 
feet  or  more  in  bight.  It  is  a  bolf-hardy  bienni¬ 
al,  easy  to  raise  from  seed,  and  its  silky  panides 
last  from  early  summer  until  frost,  though  losing, 
late  in  tho  season,  much  of  their  brilliancy  of 
color.  It  is,  at  least,  worthy  of  a  trial. 
Invigorating  Fluid  for  Plante. — 1  ounces  sul¬ 
phate  ammonia ;  2  do.  nitrate  potassa ;  1  do, 
white  Bug.ar ;  1  (iiifc  bet  water.  Keep  corked. 
One  tablespoonful  to  a  gallon  of  water,  twice  a 
week.  We  find  the  above  written  in  the  back  of 
an  old  floricuU  ural  book  iu  pencil  It  strikes  us 
rathei  favorably,  but  never  having  tried  its  ef¬ 
fects  we  give  it  for  what  it  is  worth 
Chimonanihus  Fragrana. — The  Qardener’a 
Monthly  says The  buds  ai'e  formed  in  the 
fall  and  grow  larger  with  every  warm  winter’s 
day.  If  these  branches  are  cut  off  and  placed  in 
water  in  a  warm  room,  they  will  expand  in  a  few 
days,  and  fill  the  room  with  their  delightful 
fragrance.  A  new  brandi  so  treated  every  week, 
wilfkeep  ap  a  succession  all  winter. 
IIXJMEA 
