360 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



June 6, 1901. 



drones from laying- workers vrere unable to furnish sperm- 

 cells that would fecundate the eggs. That the drones from 

 the two sources may differ would not be exceptional, as 

 there is a wasp which has two kinds of drones. It is not 

 known, however, whether or not these drones have a differ- 

 ent parentage. 



ARTIFICIAL PARTHBNOGEXBSIS. 



The interesting experiments of Morgan and Loeb, 

 which show that by the addition of certain salts the unfer- 

 tilized eggs of sea-urchins may be made to develop more 

 or less completely, have attracted very general attention 

 among naturalists. Recently, some further experiments 

 by Fieri and Winkler have been made in somewhat the 

 same direction. These scientists took the sperm, shook 

 the same up in either sea or distilled water then filtered it 

 and added the filtered portion to unfertilized eggs. As a 

 check, other unfertilized eggs were placed beside the former 

 and treated the same way, except the decoction from the 

 sperm was withheld. Many of the eggs to which the 

 sperm extract had been added, partially developed, which 

 was true of none of the others. It was found that the 

 sperm extract made in sea-water was more efficient than 

 that made in the distilled water. To any one who has 

 studied marine organisms, this is no surprise. These 

 experiments are interesting to bee-keepers. It would seem 

 that in certain cases other stimuli than sperm-cells may 

 induce the commencement at least of development. How 

 it is that the drone-eggs develop without any stimulus at 

 all is still a mystery which possibly may never be solved. 



WHAT IS DIGESTION ? 



I am surprised at what the Editor states in the opening 

 paragraph on page 195. He says that Mr. Root is still in 

 doubt about my criticism of his definition of digestion. I 

 doubt if Mr. Cowan claims to be a physiologist. He quotes 

 in giving his definition of digestion. He certainly quoted 

 from a very able physiologist. I am sure, however, that 

 this physiologist and no other would defend the definition. 

 In all our physiologies we find a chapter set apart for the 

 discussion of the subject of digestion. This chapter con- 

 fines itself to the explanation of how food is fitted to be 

 absorbed, and nothing further. In vertebrate animals, the 

 digestion is done partly in the stomach and completed in 

 the intestines. In the stomach the gastric juice is the 

 agent of this digestion, and the proteids, like the albumen 

 of egg, etc., are the food elements that are transformed. 

 These are changed into peptone — a substance which differs 

 from all other albuminoids in being very osmotic. Other 

 nitrogenous substances will not dialize, that is, they will 

 not pass through organic membranes. 



Digestion is to change substances so that they may pass 

 through and escape from the stomach into the blood. In 

 the intestines, starch, sugar, and the fats, and possibly pro- 

 teids not digested in the stomach, are digested. The agent 

 in this work is the pancreatic juice. It has three distinct 

 substances, one of which digests the starch, one the fats, 

 and the other, proteids. This, then, is digestion. 



Assimilation is quite a different thing. Another term 

 for this is anabolism or constructive metabolism. This 

 work goes on everywhere in the body. It is the changing 

 of the nutritive elements into tissue and is the direct work 

 of the cells which are found in all the tissues of the body. 

 Where anabolism is very active, there the cells are very 

 numerous, as seen in brain and muscle. Where the con- 

 structive metabolism is less active, there the cells are less 

 abundant, as noted in bone and cartilage. 



Surely, if Mr. Root will consult any physiology, or 

 inquire of any of our leading physiologists, he will no 

 longer remain in doubt regarding the correct definition of 

 digestion. True, our dictionaries do speak of assimilation, 

 as though it might be akin to digestion. Physiologists do 

 not use it in this sense. Los Angeles Co., Calif. 



Why Not Help a Little— both your neighbor bee-keep- 

 ers and the old American Bee Journal — by sending to us the 

 names and addresses of such as you may know do not now 

 get_ this journal? We will be glad to send them sample 

 copies, so that they may become acquainted with the paper, 

 and subscribe for it, thus putting themselves in the line of 

 success with bees. Perhaps you can get them to subscribe, 

 send in their dollars, and secure for your trouble some of 

 the premiums we are constantly offering as rewards for 

 such effort. 



The Premiums offered this week are well worth work- 

 ing for. Look at them. 



CONDUCTED BY 



Die. C. C, SilLLER, Jkfareng-o, m. 



[The Questions may be mailed to the Bee Jcuraal office, or to Dr. MlUer 



direct, when he will answer them here. Please do not ask the 



Doctor to send answers by mail.— Editor.1 



Drones Reared from Laying-Worker Eggs. 



In examining my bees this spring I found one queen 

 had died during the winter, and a laying worker was busy. 

 Will the drones produced from that laying worker be a fit 

 specimen for a queen to mate with ? New Jersey. 



Answer. — Instead of one laying worker there were 

 probably many. As the eggs that produce drones are 

 always unfertilized, I know no reason why the unfertilized 

 eggs of a laying worker might not produce fully developed 

 drones. Yet I should rather not depend upon drones reared 

 in such an abnormal way. 



Workers With Drone-Eyes. 



I send you a sample of bees that have heads like drones. 

 These bees are just from the cells. The queen is one year 

 old that produced them. They have heads like drones, as 

 you will see. Just about one-third of the working force are 

 like these. One head is all right, like others. This is some- 

 thing I never saw before. Texas. 



Answer. — The case is one beyond my knowledge — 

 workers with eyes like those of drones. Are you getting up 

 a new breed of bees with increased powers of vision ? 



Prevention of Swarming— Otlier Questions. 



1. We wish to increase our apiary to 200 colonies this 

 season, and thereafter we desire to prevent a further in- 

 crease. Will you give us the most practical method of the 

 prevention of increase ? We wish to know a method that 

 has succeeded. We use the 10-frame Simplicity hive. 

 Would it be practical to allow the swarm to come out and 

 hive it in the usual way in a " hiving-box " on the old 

 stand, take the parent hive away under a tent, cut out all 

 queen-cells, take it back to the old stand, shake out the 

 swarm in front of the hive, and then give them plenty of 

 super room and ventilation ? 



2. Our hybrids seem to be inclined to swarm more than 

 our pure Italians. Is this their inclination generally ? 



3. We would ask your approval or disapproval of a ven- 

 tilator bottom-board as follows : Cut a hole through the 

 bottom-board about the center 8x10 inches. Over this hole 

 tack wire-cloth, and underneath the board place a slide made 

 of wood that will close the hole or open it at will. This 

 slide may be drawn to any extent as the heat of the hive 

 may demand. Would such a device retard or discourage 

 swarming? We have just constructed one such bottom- 

 board and placed it under a populous colony. We find that, 

 when the slide is drawn, the number of fanning bees is 

 diminished. Our hives are on individual stands, about 12 

 inches from the ground. We regard this bottom-board as a 

 perfect remedy in a case of robbing. The hive-entrance 

 may then be closed completely, and the slide drawn to give 

 the bees plenty of air. The colony that is doing the robbing 

 may be served in like manner. This will stop the robbing- 

 at once. 



4. Which are the better honey-gatherers, the hybrids or 

 the pure leather-colored 3-banded Italians from imported 

 mothers ? North C.\roi.in.\. 



Answers. — 1. The probability is that the bees with 

 your plan would immediately start queen-cells and swarm 

 again. You will have better success to remove the old 

 queen and cut out all queen-cells but one. As you wish to 

 know a method that has succeeded, you might try this : 

 Just before queen-cells are started, lift the old hive ofl' the 

 stand and put in its place a hive with foundation or starters ; 

 find the queen and put her in this empty hive ; put an ex- 

 cluder over, and then set the old hive with its contents over 

 the excluder. 



