dance with our notions. Suppose that we have 20 pure colonies; we select two of these-one to raise drones, another to raise queens. We take care of replacing all the drone combs by worker combs in every hive, and we profit by a warm temperature in March to slip a drone comb between two worker combs in the hive intended to raise drones. As soon as we have a few drones hatched, we begin to raise queens. To this end, we deprive one of our colonies of its queen, and exchange all its brood combs with a similar number of our selected colony; taking care to brush every bee from the combs before introducing them in the hives. Ten days after we can introduce, in other colonies rendered queenless on the preceding day, the queen cells obtained; or make swarms according to the methods described by bee books or papers, or dictate our own experience. During the whole season we note the colonies which seem to possess most of the qualities desired.

It is to be remembered that the best queens are those raised in a good season, in strong colonies, having a quantity of fresh pollen and unsealed honey. The queens raised in cold season, in small populations, or in needy hives, being generally poor and more apt to diminish than to increase the qualities of the race.

Twenty years ago, the publisher of a French bee paper advised his subscribers to exchange some of their colonies with others from some distant locality, to avoid too close in-and-in breeding. He accused consanguinity of producing lazy bees, or some degeneracy such as albinoism. In man, albinoism or albinism is a degeneracy. It is considered as such in some other animals. Never have I seen albino bees in my apiary, I am therefore unable to give my opinion on their merit. I desire only to remark that this peculiarity was observed more than 20 years ago.

According to my experience too close and too prolongated in-and-in breeding can produce laziness in bees, and give birth to queens whose progeny is not so sound as should be desired. I have had queens whose eggs would not hatch. I attribute this to consanguinity. In fact, since I have imported bees from different countries in Italy I have no such mishap to regret.

As to laziness, I have noticed it in my neighborhood. When I came to this country, the bees in a neighboring township were all the descendants of a single hive brought to this country by an old man, who had sold the swarms to his neighbors. Never in my life have I seen such lazy bees.

Those who have compared the Italian bees first introduced in this country from Germany, have remarked how much superior the first cross with the black was to the pure imported stock. These imported bees were the offspring of the Dzierzon stock. Dr. Dzierzon, the discoverer of the parthenogenesis was the first to introduce the Italian bee in Germany. Lately, in a meeting of bee-keepers, he boasted of haying the same breed of bees that he had introduced in his apiary 24 years ago; he having introduced no other bee since. By selection, Dzierzon succeeded in raising the best colored Italian bees obtained so far. But, according to my opinion his selection, confined to color, was too one-sided; since his bees, as to activity and prolificness, are

not able to sustain the comparison with the Italians in their native country.

The mating of these yellow queens with black drones, by infusing a new blood in their veins, originated the false idea that hybrid bees are better honey gatherers than pure Italians.

Some beekeepers are searching for queens whose progeny is always uniform in color, under every circumstance. A queen whose daughters and drones will never vary is yet to be found. Sporting exists in all animals and plants. Take one hundred animals of the same kind, examine them carefully, and you will be convinced that no two are exactly alike. Without variation no selection could be possible, and it is to that quality that we owe the possibility of bettering our races by selection. I have a word to say about the other kinds of bees more or less recently introduced to notice among bee-keepers.

The Egyptian bee is no longer in question. Some Germans now praise a kind of bees from an Austrian province-the Carniolian bee, which inhabits the shores of the Adriatic Sea, opposite Italy. According to some reports this bee is more prolific than the Italians; according to others the Italian is a better honey gatherer. To try it I ordered 5 queens, and received 3 alive last fall. I would have been very much pleased with these queens had they been brighter. They are very dark, with very narrow stripes of dark orange on a few of their rings; but they were remarkably large. After 3 or 4 weeks of confinement in the boxes in which they arrive, the imported queens are small. The Carniolian queens were on their arrival here as big as queens in full breeding season. I shall watch them closely and report. A cross between the Carniolian and the Italian may prove profitable; but it would be impossible to detect the pure crossing unless some unforeseen pecularity gives the means to detect the difference.

I cannot close my essay without saying a word about the marvel, the ne plus ultra of the present, past and future time, "the Cyprian bee." I have tried to procure this new kind but failed. I have given carte blanche to my correspondent as to the cost. He managed to procure the name of a man inhabiting Crypus Island and received from him 5 colonies; but they arrived smashed. It is very difficult to get bees from that island. There are no scientific bee-keepers, but peasants who keep their bees in earthen jars. These peasants refuse to sell bees, in the belief that the remaining colonies would be dissatisfied and desert the apiary.

Besides Cypress is an isolated island, having little to export and very few needs; no regular steamers frequent its shores. The shipping of these hives is risky; delays are long, and changes of ships are many. These inconveniences will always prevent the importation of Cyprian bees from becoming of great importance.

My friend is an energetic man; he has resolved to succeed in spite of all difficulties. Yet it is to be feared that this bee may prove to be far below its reputation, Mr. Cori, who introduced it into Germany. does not say in what it is better than other kinds, he only says it is more noble. He has succeeded in importing only 2 colonies from Cyprus, so far; and all the queens sold in Germany came from these,

I could lengthen this essay by saying that our bees can be improved by increasing the length of their probsocis and by diminishing or the disappearance of their stings. But the power of man on these organs is nothing. What man can do is to profit of some sporting in this direetion, sporting which may be produced naturally. For instance, if a bee-keeper notices that the bees of a ceriain colony gather freely from red clover, while other colonies remain idle, he can select this one and improve the variation by in-and-in breeding.

It is very probable that with careful management we can make our bees more peaceful, especially if we choose our quietest bees to breed from. It is probable also that a happy accident can produce a queen whose workers will have no stings. But both of these improvements are too doubtful to be aimed at in the present state of bee-culture. Yet every one of us should be ready to profit by these sports, if perchance they are produced in some apiary.

Let me end this essay by advising beekeepers to remember the qualities that I have enumerated as desirable, and to work their bees accordingly. CH. DADANT. Hamilton, Ill.

For the American Bee Journal.

Two Queens in one Hive.

Last Sunday morning, Dr. M. M. Clark, of Vermont, Ill., and myself went to look in one of my hives with an imported queen, and taking out a frame saw the queen. On lifting out another frame we saw another queen laying. Neither of them were young queens, for both were laying; and on an ajoining comb there were five sealed queen cells. The hive had 9 Quinby frames full of brood in all stages. These two queens were preparing to swarm.

We had occasion to go to another hive, and it contained no old queen, but a young one. The queen in the latter hive left it and went into the former. I left these 2 queens in all day, and then took one out, also the cells. This is therefore an instance of two prolific and perfect queens being in one hive, laying in the same comb, not 2 inches apart. HARDIN HAINES. Vermont, Ill., July 4, 1877.

For the American Bee Journal.

Italian Bees.

Occasionally some bee-keeper sends his experience with the Italians to the JoURNAL. Mr. Porter, whose article appeared in the July number, seems to have had rather hard luck with them. I presume that I have been asked the following question 500 times, more or less, within 15 years: What is the difference between the black and the Italian bee?

I find a great difference in them. I generally reply to all such questions by saying, first, that they won't sting as bad as the blacks; and that one good quality should induce all who intend to keep bees to Italianize their black stocks. I find, too, that the Italians generally gather stores enough to keep them through the winter, even when the blacks won't under the same circumstances.

There are several other good points about them that make them superior to the black bees. The Italians require different treatment in the spring than the black or natives do-a fact I saw demonstrated as late as last spring. Occasionally I find a stock that will dwindle in the spring. Now to obviate this difficulty they should be fed in the spring. Commence by April 1st and give about six ounces of sugar syrup each night for at least 4 or 5 weeks. I have no doubt that a little stimulating of the above kind will prevent spring dwindling. When it is too cold for bees to fly, the hives should be shaded from the sun. Wheat flour put in shallow boxes and placed in a warm place, and not over 15 ft. from the hive, would be of great advantage to them, and prevent the bees from going a long distance from the hives in search of pollen when the weather is too cold for them to do so. If the syrup is made thus and a small amount of honey mixed with it to induce them to take it, I hardly think they will go out for water, as the water in the feed will answer all purposes for raising the brood.

I saw a stock of pure Italians, last spring, treated as above (can't say whether they had the flour or not) and they went ahead of all the bees in this part of New England. They swarmed before May 20th, and that is unusually early for New England. They have made several boxes of honey besides swarming, and I don't know of a hive that has done as well that didn't swarm. In fact I know of no stocks that ever did as well, considering how poor the honey season has been here with us. The feeding was an experiment, and proved a very good thing for the owner. The stock in question was a new one last year, and were supplied with comb foundation. But the best part of the whole thing is that the bee-keeper is a lady, living in Waverly, Mass. Unfortunately she lives in a poor district for beekeeping. It would surprise your readers to see how neatly this lady sticks comb foundation into frames. I don't know but what there are some who can do as well, but there are none who can do it better. This lady used the first foundations I ever saw, and has made it a success. This lady knows how to write, and I hope she will soon tell your readers what she knows about bees and how she uses the foundation.

Methinks I hear some one say, what has that to do with Italian bees? Well, I like to praise the ladies when they deserve it. I have had 16 years experience with Italians, and I intend to Italianize all blacks that come into my possession as soon as possible.

One hive of black bees will sting 20 times where the Italians will not at all. I find the Italians much the best honey gatherers, the queens more prolific, and I never knew a stock of them destroyed by the moth worms, in fact, one seldom finds a moth about a hive of Italians, but plenty of them can be found about the blacks. Careless bee-keepers often complain of worms destroying their bees, those who keep black

ones.

We have had an unusual poor honey season; very little, if any, honey was stored in boxes. We shall get no more until next May, when fruit trees bloom again. If it is not out of order I would like to say that a mad dog has caused the death of another

man here in Mass. A man in Waltham, 20 miles from here, died on Friday, July 13th. He was bitten about a month ago in the nose by a small dog that he gave his son. H. ALLEY.

Wenham, Mass., July 16, 1877.

For the American Bee Journal. Italian and Black Bees.

1 read with much interest on page 227, July number of the JOURNAL, an article by W. S. Porter on the relative merits of Italian and black bees. I like Porter's candor and frankness, and also his motto"Let the truth come even if it does sear and burn, etc."

I agree with him in much, but disagree with him in the main point. I give him the blacks and keep the Italians. He says he has had considerable experience with black and Italian bees for the last 5 years, but only had an opportunity to give them a fair test during the last 2 years. I can say a little more than that. I have had experience with black bees for the last 20 years, and with the Italians for the last 11; and close experience with both for the last 10 years. I had both, for 3 years, side by side in my own yard; but for the last 8 years I only had the Italians in my own yard, but had at same time the care of several apiaries of blacks from 2 to 5 miles around. And from all my long experience I will try to show in what points I agree with the above writer.

1st-I agree that the blacks are better to store in boxes; that they are stronger in the spring, and are not so liable to be reduced by spring dwindling.

In the following points he will not agree with me: 1. The Italians are hardier. 2. They winter better. 3. They work earlier and later. 4. They are less inclined to rob. 5. They are moth proof, or nearly so. 6. They resist robbers better, and are far less apt to rob other hives. 7. The queens are readily found. 8. And they adhere to their combs more firmly. 9. They are more amiable, and no cowards.

As to the 1st and 2d points, I have wintered swarms of Italians so small that I would never think of wintering if they were blacks, as my past experience had told me. I have frequently had a queen with a pint of bees in March and April to build up into strong stands and swarm by June 1st, while I ever hardly had that quantity of blacks to build up at all.

As to the 3d, my Italians are in the field before I am up, so I cannot tell when they commenced, and from this you need not draw the inference that I am a late riser, for I can't afford it, but will say that never caught my blacks at work before I was up. The Italians came in as late as 7:30, at this time, so late I could no longer see to read without a candle. I never caught my blacks at this either.

As to the 4th, I am never troubled with robbers in my own apiary, as the blacks are at least 2 miles from me; but while I had blacks and Italians my trouble from this source was great, frequently loosing a good many stands by it.

As to the 5th, my first few years with blacks was enough to discourage any beeman to loose so many with moth. The second year reduced me to a single stand

by moth. The weakest Italians can withstand the moth. With Italians bid farewell to moths and robbers.

As to the Italians being more prolific, I am not sure of this, but I have had them fly out in winter and freeze by the hundred, while not a black bee would come to the entrance of its hive. On this point I praise the blacks as being more prudent. The Italians will venture out in an atmosphere that is certain to chill them to death; this accounts for their weakness in spring. I have said that blacks are better to store in boxes, but the Italians will store twice as much if you will give them plenty of room inside the hive, or use the extractor constantly. I will hear say that, without the extractor I would not keep Italians, from the fact they would store so much inside as to leave the queen no room to rear brood, and make it sure death to them in winter. Í have lost many hives this way.

The main recommendation of the Italians is, that we sometimes have such poor seasons that blacks can hardly live, but as long as there is honey to be gathered within two miles the Italians will gather it. Now, a great many"dollar and cent" interest breeders of Italians, as well as many more who have no interest in their sale, will bear me out that the Italians frequently make enough to winter on in a poor season, while the blacks have to be fed to keep them alive.

The above is my truthful experience, uninfluenced by any interested motives in the Italian bee. The price of tested queens being brought down to $3, and $1 queens. I see no profit at these prices, but I see as much profit in raising $1 queens as tested ones at $3. I am not raising any for sale this year, but still fill orders to old customers, though I know there is no profit at these figures, unless one runs his whole apiary for queen raising and sells as fast as he can rear. One of our best and most noted queen-raisers said, in answer to the question why he had quit rearing queens, that every tested queen he sold cost him full $5, and as that was all he could get he had quit, as he could not afford to sell at cost. This same man tried $1 queens the last year; gave that up also as a losing business. Those breeders who sell tested queens at $3, only get from 8c. to 12c. per b for their honey, while I get 20c. So you see my profit is honey not queens; and if I thought I would do as well with the blacks I would never pester myself with the Italians.

I will here give friend Porter a hint, as he thinks the blacks so much more profitable, he should introduce new black brood and so improve them. Let him exchange queens with friend Bingham, or Heddon, and if he will send me his address, I will send him some free of charge, if I introduce any more Italians for my neighbors this fall. R. M. ARGO.

Lowell, Ky., July 17, 1877.

For the American Bee Journal.

Longevity of the Honey Bee.

What I am about to write will not appear strange to those of your readers who have kept bees for any length of time, but as many persons express much surprise when told that the life of a bee is only about five

weeks in the summer, I have concluded to give an instance going to prove the truth of the assertion.

My experience with the honey bee is, that in a number of things they appear to follow a directly opposite course to that pursued by other animated natures. And in regard to their longevity they do certainly seem at first glance to transgress the laws of nature, for it is only when a stand of bees are surrounded by the most favorable circumstances that they live so short a time. It seems that one of the laws governing them is, that just in proportion to the prosperity of the colony do individuals die.

I have had this fact well demonstrated this summer. In the spring I bought 7 stands of black bees which I proceeded to Italianize. On May 10th I took out the black queens, and introduced the Italians caged. Those black queens had lots of brood and eggs. It took the eggs 21 days to hatch, which would be the 1st of June. At this time-July 10th-in most of those hives you can scarcely find a black bee, say one in fifty, but in two of them which became queenless, and were so for at least four weeks, there are a great many, say twothirds. These different colonies were surrounded by exactly the same conditions, except that the two spoken of were queenless, which fact instead of causing the bees to die, as some persons believe, has caused them to out-live those which had queens.

I think the explanation of this is easy. A certain number of bees always remain in the hive, to regulate the heat, nurse, etc. Now as brood hatches and the young bees attain a certain age, they take the place of the older ones, which go out to work, and leading a more active life wear out sooner than their neighbors, who having no young bees to take their places, are necessarily compelled to stay at home and lead an easy, indolent one.

So we see that there is at least one lesson taught by the busy bee, viz.: that idleness is conducive to long life; which if we would do well we must avoid.

W. O. LANGDON, M.D.

For the American Bee Journal.

Eggs Laid in Queen Cells.

FRIEND NEWMAN:-In looking over the July number of the JOURNAL we notice T. F. Bingham's article and your comments upon "Eggs laid in queen cells," and having just now had an item of experience which goes to show that, at all times at least, queens do not lay the egg directly in the cell which is to produce the queen, and that bees do move eggs to suitable locations for establishing their cells.

We deprived a stock of all their brood, young enough for queen rearing, and inserted a strip of comb containing eggs and just hatched larva, in an empty or dry comb, a la Quinby,-believing his theory the correct one for producing the best queens. In the course of 2 or 3 days, upon examination, we found the strip had fallen from its position and lay upon the bottomboard, and that the bees had started 2 or 3 cells upon another part of this dry comb. There could not have been any other eggs in this stock, for they were prepared especially for queen rearing. We find it unsafe to depend upon any fixed rules in

bee practice, if it be done you will often in your calculations.

slip up other point, a late writer (in the JOURNAL, I think) says: "Young queens don't destroy other queen cells and their occupants, but the bees bite open the cells and destroy the inmates." This is an entire mistake, as I have too often lost cells in my lamp nursery; sometimes six or more in a night, and not a solitary worker around. Have repeatedly caught the royal ladies at their work, and have seen them curve their body and sting to death the rival specimen of royalty.

We quite agree with friend Heddon, that the Bingham is the boss smoker. We were so well pleased that we ordered a second one. Let no bee-keeper be without one. We have tried the Quinby, and for our use 'tis nowhere.

The foundation made by C. O. Perrine works well, with us, in the brood chamber, have not yet tried it for boxes.

The season has been short here; weather now so cold-plays mischief with queenrearing rapidly. J. OATMAN.

For the American Bee Journal.

Honey-Dew.

My bees commenced gathering dark honey on May 12th and I soon discovered it was from that source. It has been most abundant on the poplar and on the oak, especially on that variety which has a leaf resembling the chestnut. I have seen a little on the sweet gum, dogwood, wild cherry and holly. I hear it has been quite abundant on the beech in some places, have not seen any myself on it this year. I have had no opportunity of observing the walnut or hickory. A gentleman says it is sometimes found in great quantities on the leaves of the cottonwood. Dr. W. F. Roberts, of Clinton, La., once saw a shower of it fall; some of it fell on him, and he discovered its character by its being sticky, which induced him to taste it. Dr. Roberts knows a man on whose cotton so much of it fell one year that he was seriously afraid it would interfere with its being ginned.

The

I once saw a great deal on the leaves of a wild plum tree. It was entirely different from this. It was crusted over the leaves dry or nearly so, and looked like the manna we see in the drug stores. I thought, and still think it must have been very similar to the "bread of Heaven" on which the children of Israel fed in the wilderness. Bible says, "When the dew that lay was gone up, behold upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. It was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. When the sun waxed hot it melted." At a certain temperature sugar melts, and I am not sure that it is not sometimes hot enough on the sand in the sunshine, even here to approach if not reach the melting point.

When dry, the honey-dew of this season looks like a varnish on the leaves, is in little spattered spots on most of them, though it covers the entire surface of the leaves on some trees and drips from the edges. The honey from it is dark and inferior. I have examined the leaves and the trees repeatedly, and in every case they seemed perfectly healthy. No one seeing it

could think for an instant that aphides have had anything to do with it. When it first appeared the weather was misty now and then and the bees worked on it furiously at such times. My honey in the house was leaking and running out on the ground. When the sun was shining, the bees were busy trying to save it, but even a passing cloud would send them on swift wings to the honey-covered trees. It seemed that even a few cloudy moments enables them to appropriate it. I had no idea before that the quantity of moisture in the atmosphere could be so immediately affected by such a

cause.

Two years ago, the whole spring my bees would scarcely wait for daybreak, they were busy, busy as only bees can be, from the first streak of daylight to the last gleam of twilight; the nectar flowing in an unceasing stream for weeks. Now during the continuance of this honey-dew we would suppose they would be doubly anxious to stir early as they cannot gather it "when the sun waxes hot." But to my surprise they wait till broad daylight or later before sallying forth. It may be that like some bigger folks, the more they have the more they want; and that wonderful flow kept their little heads as well as their honey sacs so full of honey that they could scarcely wait for the morning.

It is passing strange why honey-dew falls only on certhin trees. Though of different families, these trees must have some property in common which causes this strange phenomenon; most of them are of a bitter or a stringent nature. Nectar proper is not always secreted in a nectary, but sometimes on the petals, and is it any stranger if from the leaf should emanate a volatile species of nectar which after making an attempt to rise falls again? The perfume of flowers we are told is a kind of heat jacket intended to protect their tender germs. Leaves are the lungs of plants, as we all know, and I fancy that the breath, so as to speak, from these leaves meets under certain atmospheric conditions, elements in the atmosphere which changing its character comes back to the leaves in these little showers of sweetness.

LATER INVESTIGATIONS.

July 17, 1877.-I have just seen Dr. W. F. Roberts and questioned him again about the shower of honey-dew he saw fall. He says it was in the evening when the sun was about two hours high, that there were no trees near, and he is perfectly certain there was no chance for him to have been mistaken, indeed he says he saw it repeatedly in his boyhood. Dr. Roberts says the gentleman on whose cotton the honey-dew fell in such quantities is Mr. Dick Rowley, living near this place.

Dr. Roberts speaks of trying a brick hive, about a foot thick. Another gentleman near me has a quadruple hive, which he thinks just the thing; two men can lift the whole contrivance. I pointed to one of my mammoth stocks and asked him how he thought it would answer for Italians? He had to confess he did not think it would do so well.

My bees are still getting something from the honey-dew. They have not killed their drones but are still rearing more. One of my little nephews thinks honey-dew honey so mean that he can only be induced to eat it by being threatened with cod liver oil;

one or the other he must take, so he submits to the necessity but with much grumbling.

An intelligent gentleman tells me that the leaves of those trees which were most profusely covered with honey-dew now look brown and scorched, as it were. None of the trees I noticed with much of it on them, are low enough for me to see well, or near enough for present examination; but the sweet-bay bushes (Magnolia glanco) near by are covered with it now and look badly, beyond description, very much as if they were mildewed.

Of course I don't like to take a stand in opposition to "all the world and the rest of mankind," unless very sure I am right. If you publish the article, attach this to it to show that I am not so opinionated as that might lead some to think me. Woodville, Miss.

ANNA SAUNDERS.

For the American Bee Journal.

Answer to Mr. Dadant.

MR. NEWMAN:-As you have published Mr. Dadant's article about me, în justice you should give me a hearing.

I would like to know why it concerns Mr. Dadant as to what I sell or buy, or my price for it? My dollar queens show better marks of purity than Mr. Dadant's imported queens. This I am willing to let any good judge decide; if they will not produce better bees for honey-gathering, I will give him ten colonies. Is he ready for the test? I procured some imported queens from the editor of L'Apicoltore, Milano, Italy.

I have 50 letters similar to the following: "Columbus, Ind., Feb. 20, 1877.-HARDIN HAINES: I have an imported queen valued at $10, but I do not value her so high-say about 10 cents. The workers are as dark as common blacks. J. M. BROOKS & BRO." "Columbia, Tenn.-I have 2 of Dadant's imported queens that I have a poor opinion of. WM. J. ANDREWS." My imported queens that came from UpItaly and Cyprus Island are very yelPow. I sent D. Staples nearly all my papers concerning importation, and I think he is satisfied. The price was to be six queens.

Mr. Andrews did not offer me $50 for a Cyprian queen. I wouldn't sell mine for $75. I made a mistake in writing Dadant. The queen I bought for an Egyptian proved to be a Cyprian. I can show my letters, draft receipts, etc., but will not to him, for he would like to get them from there also. I have seen Mr. Dadant's bees, and I have seen better hybrids. I sent him $14 for an imported colony (to infuse new life etc., in my apiary), and spent $15 more to go and see his apiary. He claims I ordered ten colonies, and now keeps my $14, but has not sent me a colony, and says he will give it to a charitable society and send me a receipt; but even this he has not done yet. I would not degrade myself for that amount. HARDIN HAINES.

[The above gives both sides of this unpleasant controversy, but it can proceed no further in our columns. We have omitted several offensive paragraphs in the above. Though we desire to be fair to all, we have no room for such controvercies, and less relish.-ED.]