144 ANNUAL REPORT 



Prof, Porter claimed that the Italian bee could fertilize red clover. 

 This species was better than the ordinary black bee, as it worked ear- 

 lier in the day and later in the season He thought bees were horti- 

 culturists' best friends 



Mr. Wilcox said that Italian bees were very much like new straw- 

 berries, that did very well to advertise and sell, but most of them 

 would fall back upon the Wilson in the long run. It was the same 

 with Italian bees; among all the importations there was nothing su- 

 perior to the common black bee. 



Prof. Porter said he was thankful for the illustration as to the Wil- 

 son strawberry. Of all the new varieties that he had tried during the 

 past twenty-five years, it was about the best, and there was probably 

 a thousand quarts of Wilson grown for a single quart of any other 

 variety. But he believed in Italian bees. For ordinary purposes the 

 black bee would answer, and if not protected the Italian would de- 

 generate and the black bee would take possession of the ground. 



Mr Urie said in regard to the Italian bee, that if it had not been 

 introduced black bees would have gone by the board, and it was the 

 salvation of the business, and no mistake. He was not selling Italian 

 queens, but he handled them altogether, and had been doing so for 

 years. He had some doubt about their fertilizing red clover, unless 

 it was the second crop. 



Mr. Hillman inquired if there were any objections raised to the 

 keeping of bees in cities. 



Mr. Urie said he now had one hundred and fifty-eight colonies at 

 his place of residence at North Minneapolis, and had heard no com- 

 plaints from any of his neighbors. If people disturbed them they 

 were liable to be stung, but he had experienced no difficulty what- 

 ever. In Aurora, 111., where he had one hundred and seventy-two 

 colonies, a few of his neighbors had undertaken to have them re- 

 moved from the city. They petitioned the common council to remove 

 them, but the members of that body took the position that they had 

 no more right to interfere with a man's private business in that way 

 than to take away one of his horses or other personal property. He 

 said Italian bees when aroused had stingers and knew how to use 

 them, but when properly managed were as tractable and quite as 

 little trouble as a lot of sheep. Bees had an aversion to horses and 

 could not endure the smell of ammonia. 



Prof. Porter said most of the difficulty experienced in keeping bees 

 in cities was occasioned by the odor from horses, and being brought 

 in contact with them. They should not be hitched too near them. 



