16 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



•Jan. 



affair altogether; and it a convention cmdd be 

 made jvsl like a bee-journal, that would be the end 

 of it. for the expense of attendance would rule it 

 out of existence. I am afraid too many conven- 

 tions try to take the place of the bee-journals, and 

 to just so great an extent lessen their value. 



It might be a good thing to find out what are the 

 distinctive characteristics of a convention that give 

 to it its peculiar value, and then try to make the 

 most of them. The warm grasp of the hand as we 

 meet our brethren, and the multiplied opportuni- 

 ties for friendly intercourse in pairs or little 

 groups at various times outside of the regular ses- 

 sions—these no one will undervalue who has ever 

 had the privilege of enjoying them. No printed 

 page ran give us these. If nothing more were to 

 he had at a convention it would pay to go some 

 little distance to attend one; but I suspect the at- 

 tendance would be rather slim. The attendance at 

 the regular sessions is, after all, that for which we 

 go to a convention. And what is it that gives spe- 

 cial value to these regular sessions? The time is 

 chiefly taken up with essays and discussions. 

 Which of these should have the preponderance? 

 Which is more valuable, or do they stand on an 

 equality? Could the time be wholly taken up with 

 one to the exclusion of the other? Undoubtedly a 

 session might be entirely taken up with essays, or 

 entirely with discussions. I have known both 

 kinds. How about having all essays? My good 

 friend Prof. Cook will say that well-matured 

 thoughts are given in an essay— hence more valua- 

 ble—and he rejoices in the thought that some of 

 his friends are coming over to bis views. I wonder 

 if he didn't misunderstand them. Well, I admit 

 that a well-prepared essay from one who is accus- 

 tomed to putting his thoughts on paper may be 

 more carefully planned, possibly more condensed, 

 than would be an impromptu talk. Even if every 

 member present were capable of this, would it be 

 advisable to have the time all taken up with es- 

 says? Where is the difference between essays at a 

 convention and the same essays in a bee-journal? 

 Simply that, in the latter case, you read the essay 

 for yourself, and in the former you listen to some 

 one else reading it aloud. If every essay-writer 

 were a fine reader, it is possible that one might do 

 better to listen to the reading than to read for 

 himself. Even then there are some advantages in 

 the latter case, for often one wants to stop and 

 think over a certain point, or perhaps refer again 

 to something passed over. But it is lamentably 

 true that not one writer in ten can read aloud an 

 essay in an acceptable manner, in which case there 

 is nothing gained by having the convention usurp 

 the place of the bee-journal. In case all were the 

 best of readers, would the advantage of hearing 

 the essays read by good readers balance the extra 

 expense? For, be it remembered, the average cost 

 of attending a convention exceeds many time6 the 

 cost of all the valuable essays published in one of 

 our best bee-papers in a whole year. So it seems 

 to me we shall do better to keep each one at its 

 best work the paper publishing essays, and the 

 convention having live discussions. 



I know there is more to he said on both sides, and 

 1 know that all do not agree with me. I think it 

 possible, too, that some may think it hardly worth 

 while to All the columns of our journals by discuss- 

 ing such matters. But thousands of dollars are 

 spent every year on conventions, and it surely is 



important for us to discuss how we may get the 

 most good out of them. C. C. Miller. 



Marengo, 111. 



Friend M., I think I agree with you ex- 

 actly ; that is, I shall decide that I agree 

 until somebody suggests something that I 

 have not thought or, and convinces me that 

 I don't ; and when we attend conventions, 

 let us keep the matter in mind. 



THE COMMON HORN-TAIL. 



WHY WE SHOULD SET OUT LINDENS INSTEAD OF 

 MAPLES. 



R. W. FULMEN sends me two specimens of 

 our common horn-tail, Tremex Columba, 

 of which he writes: " I found them yester- 

 day busily employed stinging a Norway 

 maple. I suppose they were laying their 

 The one had his (her, of course) instrument 

 inserted at least half an inch in the hard wood. 

 Please be so kind as to give name and habits, in 

 Gleanings." 



This common horn-tail is nearly cylindrical, about 

 the size of a lead-pencil, and IV* inches long. 



eggs. 



TREMEX, OR THE COMMON HORN-TAIL. 



The figure shows the form nicely. The colors are 

 black, dark brown, and yellowish brown, each shown 

 in the figure by shading. The yellowish brown is 

 lightest; the black, darkest. The name, horn-tail, is 

 significant, as will be seen by the figure. This horn- 

 tail is really an auger, by use of which the insect 

 can bore into hardest wood. This auger reaches on 

 the under side of the abdomen more than half way 

 to the thorax, so it is more than twice as long as it 

 appears when viewed from the back. Thus the in- 

 sect, when boring, can bear its weight on this auger. 

 It is interesting to see them engaged in this work. 

 As Mr. Fulmen suggests, they bore to lay their eggs. 

 The auger, like the sting of a bee, consists of three 

 pieces— the awl, or central piece, the auger proper, 

 and two side pieces, which are doubtless guides or 

 supports to the awl. The male, of course, has not 

 this auger, and is more yellowish. 



This horn-tail lays its eggs in all maples, in oak, 

 birch, hickory, and beech. Harris says it also works 

 on elm and buttonwood. Frequently the insect 

 drives its auger in so deeply that it can not draw it 

 out. I have thus caught them hanging to both 

 beech and maple. 



The larva which hatches from the eggs laid by 

 these horn-tails is yellowish white. It is nearly two 

 inches long, when full grown. These grubs often 

 do much harm to our maples, as I mention in the 

 work," Maple Sugar and the Sugar-Bush." This is an" 



