THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



After I get such a letter, or history from 

 a man. I might wish to write and ask 

 him a lot of questions; in fact, there 

 might several letters pass between us 

 before 1 would feel justified in giving an 

 opinion in the matter. 



What will be charged for such services? 

 There will be no charge. I expect that 



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the rest of my life will be devoted to 

 helping bee keepers, and each man that 

 I can in this manner assist to greater 

 success, will enable me to do still better 

 work in this line for others needing 

 similar assistance, and, at the same 

 time, will better fit me for my duties as 

 editor of the Review. 



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Selected Articles. 



AND EDITORIAL COMMENTS. 



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BREEDING FOR BL5T BLL5. 



5ome of the Desirable Traits, and the 

 Steps Necessary to Secure Them. 



The average bee keeper pays very lit- 

 tle attention to the breeding of his bees. 

 A few men have turned their attention in 

 this direction, and are reaping rich re- 

 wards. Mr. Geo. B. Howe, of Black 

 River, N. Y., is one of these pioneers. 

 About a year ago he gave the readers of 

 the Review an outline of his methods of 

 breeding, and ever since then, there has 

 been a steady call for "more" from his 

 pen. At the Albany convention of the 

 National, last fall, he read a short paper 

 on "Selection in Breeding to Increase the 

 Honey Crop." It is something in the 

 same line as the article thai he contrib- 

 uted to the Review, but sufficiently dif- 

 ferent to make it worth while to copy it. 

 Here is what Mr. Howe aaid at Albany: 



In trying to impart to you one of the 

 most essential things in apiculture and 

 yet the most neglected, for we have been 

 told that it was impossible to improve the 

 honey bee, 1 often wonder what reason 

 anyone has for such an idea. We all 

 know what has been said on the subject, 

 and yet a few years in selecting and 

 breeding not only contradicts, but proves 

 beyond a doubt that it was all theory. 

 Theory is all right, used as it should be, 

 but facts are what we want. In my 

 breeding I have been led by facts, not by 



color or any other hobby. I wish that 

 my most beautiful bees would produce 

 for me as much honey as the other less 

 standard stock. 



The old theory is that it matters very 

 little what drone a queen mates with, if 

 she has a good mother. I have the proof 

 that it does make all the difference in the 

 world, if you wish the very best queens. 

 Just stop and think seriously about this. 

 Does not every breeder of animals put as 

 much dependence on the male in breed- 

 ing? You will find that he does, and 

 more. 



It is a wonder that we have as good 

 honey-gathers as we have. And let me 

 explain just why it is so. It is all in the 

 law of the nature of bees, for the strong- 

 est drone is pretty sure to mate with the 

 queen. You all know, or should know, 

 that in years past our very best honey- 

 getters were ruthlessly killed with sul- 

 phur fumes, because they made the most 

 honey. 



I find after years of records of the best 

 queens that I could rear or buy, it was 

 the colonies that were very dark, some 

 showing only two yellow bands unless 

 filled with honey. So I have iound that 

 colonies with bees too yellow, or too dark 

 or black, were not the largest producers. 



There is a standard in color to go by, 

 and it never has yet failed with me. In 

 all fancy stock there is so much to sacri- 

 fice for beauty. Now, then, it is an easy 

 matter to select a good breeding queen. 

 Rear a few queens from her; and if the 

 average is high and even, she is a good 

 breeder. Otherwise she should not be 

 used. 



LONGEVITY IN BEES. 



There is one way to prove this trait in 

 your bees, and that is in the working sea- 



