THJ^] BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW, 



241 



ami squeeze it, and wring it, until the last 

 drop of available juice had been wrung out. 

 Why not, in the course of time, have each of 

 the greater topics similarly treated ? A joint 

 agreement of the leading papers for this 

 purpose wouldn't be amiss. 



It rather appears by friend Thompson's 

 foreign notes that our French fellow crafts- 

 men almost think us cranky because we so 

 seldom sprinkle bees with flour or say any- 

 thing about that manipulation. We don't 

 happen to be in the notion of it, brothers. 

 So many manipulations are possible that we 

 cannot use them all. In fall uniting, for in- 

 stance, I find it convenient to give the pro- 

 spective colony a new hive, and mostly 

 combs of honey that are strange to them, 

 and to mix them up until the most patriotic 

 bee couldn't tell Ireland from Italy. Under 

 such circumstances I do not remember that 

 I ever had a case where there were any signs 

 of fighting or ill will. Would it not be fool- 

 ish in me to subject the little creatures to 

 the additional discomfort of being half 

 smothered in flour until I had noticed at 

 least one case where something more seemed 

 to be needed ? 



The Progressive. 



The Progressive is still the same chatty, 



gossipy, chock - full - of - notes-and - reviews 



sort of paper which it has been for some 



time. Like " yours truly " it h^ a bone to 



pick with the other fellow that enjoys better 



facilities for reviewing. 



''That worthy Gleaner in the American Bee 

 Journal has greatly the advantage of us monthly 

 fellows. We'll have to gag him up some way 

 yet, or he'll completely take the wind out of our 

 sails." Observer in Progressive, 95. 



Dayton brings out a quite important vari- 

 ation of the hot-plate foundation fastener. 

 The intent is to have the slip of foundation 

 sweep quite an amount of melted wax in 

 front of it as the hot plate is withdrawn, so 

 much that waiting for it to cool would be a 

 waste of time. He saves the time by having 

 a gang of three blocks to alternately use the 

 same hot plate. The invention therefore has 

 two points, keeping three sections in tow at 

 once, and slanting the hot iron in such a 

 way that all melted wax which adheres to it 

 will tend to run forward. I 'rogressive, !>!). 



And here is the way H W. Moore, in Pro- 

 gressive, 101, whales away at the theory that 

 all extra banded yellow bees have Cyprian 

 blood in them. 



■' So friends, you see that the extra light col- 

 ored or four banded bees were bred in (Termauy 



by Dzierzon two years before the Cyprians were 

 introduced into Kurope ; and Doolittle and otli- 

 erH speak of thorn about ten years before any 

 Cyi)rian8 were brought to America." 



Seems conclusive ; but then who knows 

 positively that certain breeders did not 

 secretly get Cypnans, to yellow up their 

 stock, long before the public knew of it ? 

 Mr. Moore has himself bred extra light bees 

 from a black virgin and a constant succes- 

 sion of Italian drones — but admits that he 

 found them the poorest of all bees for 

 honey. 



The editor just speaks out and declares 

 himself on my side of the fence in the big 

 hive versus little hive discussion — kind o' 

 " in favor of the law, but agin the enforce- 

 ment of it " — that is to say in favor of a ten 

 frame hive, with only six or eight frames 

 actually in use in it. Progressive, l.'W. That 

 is my situation, by accident rather than de- 

 sign ; but I think I can recommend others 

 to "go and do likewise." 



Dr. Miller meets the difficulty that 60 

 pound cans must always be cheaper than 50 

 pound cans by ruminating that no law re- 

 quires more than .50 pounds to be put into a 

 can even if it will hold 00. Progressive. 119. 

 Me too. I habitually bay seven pound cans 

 to use as five pound cans. 



Dayton points out a use for off-flavor hon- 

 ey. Such as some people crowd upon the 

 market to the destruction of honey custom. 

 Just transform it into extra combs, for the 

 upper stories of that going-to-be out-apiary, 

 by feeding it over and over again when no 

 harvest is coming in. Progressive, 124. 

 Thanks, brother Dayton— and spanks for 

 our seventeenth cousin, the peddler of hon- 

 ey dew. 



But doesn't Doolittle lay about him in 

 defense of himself and the yellow bees ? 

 Didn't whistle the five banded whistle ; it 

 whistled itself. And even yet three-quarters 

 of his customers beplead, " Send me the 

 very yellowest you have got." And in his 

 apiary last year (he admits it to be the first 

 score of the kind) they beat the three band- 

 ers by about fifteen pounds per colony. Pro- 

 gressive, 148. 



And Somnambulist says a very beautiful 

 and forcible thing, anent the tiresome re- 

 crimination of " according to nature" and 

 " not according to nature," in bee practice. 



" What is man ? Isn't lie himself a part of 

 nature ? And if nature works out any improve- 

 ment through the intelligence of man, can she 

 bo accused of calling in any help outside of her- 

 self ?" Progressive, 144. 



