SELECTION FOR STOCK PRODUCING. 73 



flower culture and other members of the vegetable kingdom, an 

 ideal can be reached with a greater certainty than is the case with 

 bee culture, because the "fittest" can be selected from both genders. 

 The selection of a typical sire in bee culture is a barrier that seems 

 impossible to surmount. 



Thus, then, we must confine our whole attention to the dam, 

 the mother bee, so as to secure those traits of docility, activity, 

 and prolificness so essential in the manipulating of bees, and secur 

 ing the greatest amount of profit. It is said that females supply 

 the elements of matter, and males those of disposition, activity, 

 ■etc. Although the queen bee appears to select her consort at 

 random, as a rule it is really the selection of the fittest, for the 

 coveted prize is won by the swiftest of the queen's male attendants. 

 Nevertheless we cannot select the fittest male element of the hive 

 with any degree of certainty ; we have the female element almost 

 under positive control. Then how are we to select our queen so as to 

 secure the characteristic traits here enumerated? "By their fruits 

 ye shall know them." Every bee-keeper, practical, amateur, oi 

 the most careless amongst them, knows that he has certain colonies 

 that he can walk around about, handle, or move with almost an 

 absolute amount of security from an attack, whilst there are other 

 colonies that he dare not go within coo-ee distance of without 

 having to pay the penalty due to the bees' aggressive temper. 

 Again, in an apiary, no matter whether it be of large or small 

 extent, there are certain colonies that seem to do all the work. 

 Every bee-keeper when he is taking you around amongst his pets 

 will be sure to take you to one particular hive, and inform you 

 "this is the best, or one of the best, lot of workers I have 

 in the place." 



