298 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apr. 1 



where they were neilher written nur thought 

 by the author of the book. 



Prof. Cook obj -cts to the statement that al- 

 f,ilfa honey is probably superior in quality to 

 any other. Hj claims to be sonitthing of a 

 judge of honey, and thinks alfalfa no better 

 ihan clover, linden, sage, and perhaps others. 

 It is a matter, not of judgment, but of taste. 

 The best judge might prefer a flavor that no 

 one else would fancy. The criticism, how- 

 ever, is a valid one. In matters which appeal 

 entirely to taste, it is unwise to make sweep- 

 ing statements. 



Speaking of alfalfa the ABC says it takes 

 about three years to get it to its best yield. 

 Prof. Cook makes the pleasant correction that 

 in California the maximum yield is often got 

 the very first year in the later cuttings. 



The reviewer thinks it is putting it too 

 strong lo hint that bees gather from the dry 

 hay. The simple truth is told that " one man 

 reports so much sweet in it that he has seen 

 bees by the thou.sand working on the dry hay 

 in the spring." 



Speaking of this matter, Prof. Cook says, 

 "This is putting it altogether too strong. 

 Still, I do not think that too much can be said 

 in favor of alfalfa, for it is a marvelous crop." 

 The good professor will probably indulge in a 

 quiet smile when he sees these two sentences 

 side by side. " You are saying altogether too 

 much for alfalfa," and " You can not say too 

 much for alfalfa." Which is one to be- 

 lieve? 



Prof. Cook objects to the definition of di- 

 gestion given by the author, saying, " This is 

 given as a question [what can be meant by 

 that?], but he was not happy in his selection 

 of auinority." Not all will agree as to this, 

 seeing the authority selected was no less than 

 the able and careful T. W. Cowan. Prof. 

 Cook teaches that "digestion is rendering the 

 food osmotic." 



Our reviewer says "malphygian " should be 

 " inalpighian." So it is in the latest edition, 

 and one would hardly suppose an older edition 

 should be the one reviewed. But his correc- 

 tion needs further correction, neither the book 

 nor the critic being right, for " malpighian " 

 should be " Malpighian." 



The ABC says, 'The blacks are also easier 

 to shake off combs in extracting time, and 

 for that reason alone some prefer them, or hy- 

 brids, to pure Italians, which can hardly be 

 shaken off." Prof. Cooks says, " I have very 

 little trouble to fell at one shake every Italian 

 bee from the comb if the latter fully fills the 

 frame." If Prof. Cook can shake every\)^& 

 from the frame at one shake, he will confer a 

 lasting favor on some of the veterans if he 

 will make the process known. In spite of 

 their shaking off so ea.sily, he considers they 

 stick tighter than the blacks, and prefers them 

 on that account, for the best men stick closest 

 to their homes. There are times when one 

 wants bees to stick by their comb, and then 

 he will prefer the tighter grip of the Italians ; 

 but at times when one wants bees to shake off, 

 as in the case mentioned, will one not prefer 

 that the bees he is trying to shake off shall 

 shake off rather than to stick on ? 



Prof. Cook says, instead of Mr. Benton 

 spending years in India he " was in India only 

 a few days." In relation to this point I have 

 a letter from Mr. Benton, who says, "I left 

 Cyprus for India in December, 1880 ; returned 

 to Cyprus in May of the following year — ab- 

 sent justyiz'^- months." While the statement 

 in the .\ B C was not strictly correct, Prof. 

 Cook is no nearer the truth, for he has gone 

 clear to the other extreme. 



He thinks it unfortunate that the ABC uses 

 the term "worm" and " grub " as synony- 

 mous with larva. That criticism is worth con- 

 sidering, at least so far as to avoid calling a 

 bee a worm during its early life. Whether 

 much more than that could be accomplished 

 is questionable. To his credit be it said that 

 Prof. Cook is consistent in that he does not 

 speak of wax-worms, but calls them larvae or 

 caterpillars. It is feared that, if a bee-keeper 

 were to say that caterpillars had eaten up his 

 combs, he might be laughed at. It is very 

 likely, too, that for many years to come good 

 scholars will say that wormy apples have 

 worms in them. Moreover, when no ento- 

 mologists are around, an insect-larva is a worm, 

 for so the dictionary says. So is a larva of 

 any insect a grub, by the same authority. 



Instead of pollen and honey partially di- 

 gested being fed to larvae. Prof. Cook says it 

 is pollen perfectly digested, with or without 

 the addition of honey. When doctors disa- 

 gree, who shall decide? 



Prof. Cook objects to calling " viper's bug- 

 loss " blue thistle. He says it belongs to the 

 borage family, is no thistle at all, and is like 

 borage in being no serious pest — all of which 

 he should have noticed is already told in A B 

 C. But blue thistle is one of its popular names, 

 so given in the dictionary. 



He thinks drones from laying workers are 

 as large as any, and it is likely that is true 

 when they are reared in drone-cells. 



" It is very doubtful indeed that unimpreg- 

 nated eggs will ever produce workers, " says 

 the reviewer. It is not said in A B C that 

 they ever will. 



He thinks the word fecundate or impreg- 

 nate should be used rather than fertilize. Ac- 

 cording to the dictionar}', either is right. 



Referring to feeding at night, Prof. Cook 

 says, "Our author recommends this nigkt 

 work to prevent robbing." If he will read 

 carefully, he will see that it is not recommend- 

 ed, only reported as being accomplished, and 

 that feeding toivard night is recommended. 



Prof. Cook believes the ABC wrong in 

 teaching that honey from apple-bloom has a 

 strong rank taste like that from cherry-blos- 

 soms. He may be right ; but this, like some ■ 

 other points to which he refers, was corrected 

 in the edition just out. 



In conclusion, we fear that Prof. Cook, over- 

 burdened with work like some of the rest of 

 us, has not taken the pains to ascertain wheth- 

 er he himself is always correct upon all points. 

 He is a plea.sant writer — one whom the frater- 

 nity regards as authority ; and whatever else 

 we may say of him, he is actuated by the 

 kindest of motives — a spirit that esteems oth- 

 ers better than oneself. 



