966 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



ing the suit against the smelting company. 

 He writes as follows: 



A movement was started in preparing this action 

 by the beekeepers in 1912 against the silver-smelter 

 which goes under the name of the Coniagas Reduc- 

 tion Co. ; but the writ was not issued until June 

 of this year. We expect it to be brought before the 

 courts in November. Following are the names of 

 the beekeepers bringing this action : 



John Newhouse, Mansford Niles, Peter Warner, 

 Henry Ackrigg, Wm. Selby, Mrs. Adelbert Clark, 

 John R. Secord, Robt. T. Miller, Wm. Craft, Ed- 

 ward Willix. There were several others who claim 

 loss, but did not go in with those trying to recover 

 damages. All the bees were lost within 4 ^z miles 

 of the plant — about 700 colonies — as soon as they 

 began operating six years ago. The beekeepers 

 interested in this suit are claiming $30,000 for loss 

 of their bees, appliances, and honey crops for six 

 years. I understand there are many smelters in 

 the northwestern and eastern states that did consid- 

 erable damage to the livestock industry, and also 

 killed bees. 



I am acting as agent for the beekeepers; and if 

 any one can give any information, please send it to 

 me. This case will, no doubt, establish a precedent 

 for others losing bees in this way. 



Stnithville, Ont., Sept. 4. Lewis Minor. 



The attorneys representing the beekeep- 

 ers are Bradford & Bradford, of Dunnville, 

 Ontario. Any beekeepers in the West or 

 elsewhere who can give any information 

 would do well to consult the attorneys 

 prosecuting the case. We will keep our 

 subscribers advised of any further develop- 

 ments. 



The Embryology of the Honey Bee — A 

 Review 



Beekeepers know that t^bout three days 

 after the ^g^ is laid by the queen there 

 hatches from it a small, white, worm-like 

 larva. Where this larva comes from, how 

 it was formed, and why it is as it is, are 

 questions that perhaps have never occurred 

 to many beekeepers. It may be asked, 

 " What difference does it make to the prac- 

 tical beekeeper ? " This question is hard 

 to answer if a dollar-and-cent reply is 

 expected; but if our interest in the honey- 

 bee is limited by the financial boundaries, 

 then beekeeping becomes dull drudgery, 

 and the fun of the thing is gone. A good 

 beekeeper is a broader man than that. His 

 interest is immediately aroused when a new 

 investigation of the bee is announced, and 

 he wants to know about it. 



Dr. James Allen Nelson's book, " The 

 Embryology of the Honeybee," is doubtless 

 the most thorough discussion of the devel- 

 opment of any insect yet published. It is 

 the only publication in English to which we 

 may go for information as to what happens 

 in the bee's &gg. The reader who is unfa- 

 miliar with such work will not follow all 

 that is in the book ; and even the person 

 who has had some technical training may 



have a little trouble in places. We must 

 have something to put into a book before 

 we can get everything out, and this is as 

 true of a practical book as it is of a scien- 

 tific one. However, every intelligent reader 

 of this work will rise from a perusal of the 

 book with a consciousness of a little less 

 mystery about the development within the 

 &gg, and that is worth while. The book 

 furthermore continues to give information 

 when studied. 



Each system of organs is traced from its 

 earliest discernible stage to the form which 

 it has in the young larva ; in fact, the de- 

 velopment is carried from the Qg% immedi- 

 tely following fertilization to the well-or- 

 ganized larva. To the student who desires 

 information concerning the development of 

 the honeybee as compared with that of oth- 

 er insects, full information is included. A 

 comprehensive bibliography is included. 

 The illustrations, all but two of which were 

 drawn by the author, are remarkably clear 

 in the reproductions. 



Dr. Nelson is entitled to our thanks for 

 giving one more important stone to the 

 foundation of beekeeping. It may seem a 

 long way from bis contribution to apiary 

 practice; but the foundation of beekeeping 

 can be learned only by scientific investiga- 

 tion, and an extended contribution such as 

 this makes the superstructure all the firmer. 



The book is issued from the Princeton 

 University Press. It was too large to be 

 included in the publications of the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, and beekeepers are 

 indebted to the Princeton Press for provid- 

 ing a permanent record for this investiga- 

 tion. The presswork is excellent. The 

 management realizes that this work will not 

 be one of the season's " best sellers," and 

 their primary object in accepting it was 

 not financial gain. Beekeepers who want 

 evei'ything published on bees, and who are 

 curious about the things of the hive, will 

 want to peruse the book. 



James Allen Nelson, The Embryology of 

 the Honeybee. Princeton University Press, 

 1915, 288 pages and 6 plates. Price $2.00. 

 If more convenient, this work may be or- 

 dered from Gleanings at the same price. 



A Correction 



Mb. F. R. Buchanan, of Glendale, Cal., 

 the man who so kindly carried us in his 

 machine up into the skies (see pages 875 

 and 943) begs leave to make a correction. 

 We stated that he had about forty colonies. 

 As a matter of fact, he uas about 200 more 

 in another yard, which fact we now recall, 

 with apologies to Mr. Buchanan. 



