THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



253 



greater opportunity for the queen to be- 

 come established. If I am wrong in this 

 view, 1 wish to be corrected. At present I 

 know of only one method of introduction 

 that can really be called infallible, and 

 that is of releasing the queen in a closed 

 hive in which are several combs of just 

 hatching bees, the other bees having been 

 brushed off. Just hatching bees never 

 molest a queen. In selecting the combs, 

 care should be taken to secure such as 

 have the least unsealed brood, and the 

 most hatching bees. The hive should 

 not be allowed to stand in the sun, if the 

 weather is very hot, although this might 

 be an advantage in the spring. In four 

 or five days, the entrance can be opened 

 enough to allow a bee to pass. If this 

 work is done at a time when bees are in- 

 clined to rob, there must be extra precau- 

 tions taken to prevent it. If the use of 

 tobacco smoke is practically an infallible 

 method, it ought to be more generally 

 known and advised. As I have said else- 

 where, if any one has failed with it, let 

 him tell of his failure, and give the rea- 

 son, if any is known. — Ed. Review.] 



-pS^s KLGIAX HARES. SOME- 

 \=J^ THINCx ON THE OTHER 

 _L_2y ^ir)I--- BY H. D. Bl-RRKLL. 

 Think twice, bee-keepers, be- 

 fore rushing into the Belgian hare busi- 

 ness. I have them, and a good many are 

 kept around here. I have learned by ex- 

 perience and observation that they are 

 much more trouble than poultry, and /ess 

 profitable. The busine.ss is being boomed 

 mainly by those .vho have stock to sell 

 at fancy prices. There is no regular mar- 

 ket for the meat, even in a large city like 

 Chicago; and thesellingof breeding stock 

 is a limited business, unless much time 

 and expense is devoted to it. The same 

 effort devoted to poultry, or more bees, 

 will prove more profitable and satisfac- 

 tory. A hare will not "live for a month 



on 20 cents worth of hay at |ro.oo per 

 ton," and do well. They require a va- 

 riety of food, and much care in feeding. 

 They are subject to about as many 

 diseases as poultry, and have a discour- 

 aging way of dying off without any ap- 

 parent cause. If many are kept together 

 they will fight to kill. If kept in close 

 quarters, much care is required to keep 

 the pens clean and dry, or the hare dies. 

 Careless people, and very busy ones, 

 sometimes, neglect these points. If in 

 open yards, they must be protected from 

 dogs and cats, and the young from rats. 

 Can anyone tell positively if Belgian 

 hares would disturb bees and get stung 

 if kept in the apiary? They would be 

 handy to keep down grass and weeds 

 among the hives, but trees and shrubbery 

 would have to be protected, and the 

 fence would have to extend at least eight 

 inches into the ground, or they would 

 escape by burrowing. Of course, they 

 are prolific, and the meat is fine to eat, 

 and they are nice playthings for children 

 — (until they tire of them), but the most 

 successful breeder I know of allows his 

 does to raise only four litters of six each 

 a year, and says this is imperative if 

 hardy, good sized stock is desired. 



South Havex, Mich. July 25, 1900. 



EDITORIAL 



fferings- 



bees stay by their cage. 

 Somebody sent me a cage of half a 

 dozen bees to show me their markings. I 

 disliked to kill them, so I pried up one 

 edge of the wire cloth, and set the cage 

 out on a corner of the porch. The bees 

 flew, circled around and came back to 

 the cage. Often, during the day, I see 

 one or two of them out circling about, 

 but at night they are all back in their 

 cage — all the home they have. Of course, 



