106 



enable me to state exactly what their relative value will be as a pure 

 breed. It seems, however, rather evident that as crossing material 

 they will find a certain place, since they have at least proved them- 

 selves to be excellent Avorkers and most marvelously gentle. Without 

 smoke or bee veil and with no protection whatever, the hives may be 

 opened at all times and under any circumstances with no danger 

 whatever of stings. Caucasians are particularly well adapted to 

 city bee keeping, to manipulation by ladies and amateur bee keepers, 

 and to the purjDose of studying bee life — one of the most fascinating 

 subjects for investigation in the wliole realm of animated nature. 

 I believe that the general introduction of tliese remarkably gentle 

 bees — the Caucasians — would do more to extend and popularize the 

 culture of bees in this country than have all of the importations of 

 other races or all of the bee-keeping inventions since that of the 

 Langstroth frame hive. 



SECURING DESIRABLE TRAITS BY CROSS-BREEDING. 



Since each one of the above types also possesses, along with its 

 excellent qualities, some faults which thus far have not been entirely 

 eradicated by selection in breeding these types pure, the thought is 

 natural that by some out-cross, or series of out-crosses, followed, 

 perhaps, by continued selection, types might be developed and estab- 

 lished which should present tlie chief among the excellent traits in 

 a pronounced degree witliout the undesirable qualities or with these 

 greatly minimized. Thus we find that ever since the introduction 

 of the Italian bees there have been efforts along this line, and since 

 the spread of the Italian bee has been so general throughout the 

 country, especially among the professional bee keepers, there are 

 now few apiaries where the original black or brown bee exists in its 

 purity. Special strains of the Italians have also been produced in 

 different j^arts of the country by continued selection, and queens of 

 supposed pure Italian blood are often sent from this country to 

 various portions of Europe, and occasionally even to Italy itself. 

 The progeny of these queens differ in important colorational features, 

 as well as in qualities, from the original type found generally in 

 northern Italy. The most striking difference in appearance is that 

 in place of the three bands on the first, second, and tliird anterior 

 segments of the abdomen a yellow^ color covering the whole of these 

 segments, and often the fourth and fifth segments, is to be seen. 

 This result is strikingly illustrative of what can be done with such 

 plastic material as honey bees by careful and continued selection. 



The ^^ riter conceived nearly twenty years ago the idea that, not- 

 withstanding the bad traits of the Cyjirian race (this being taken as 

 the best of the Eastern types) it Avould be a very desirable thing to 

 fix in a new type — hardier and gentler than Cyprians — the funda- 



