648 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Xlie Five-llaiKled Bees. — Mr. G. 



M. Doolittle, in "Gleanings" for Nov. 1, 

 answers this question : 



Can a 5-banded queen be bred, or a queen 

 whose bees are 5-banded, from pure Italian 

 queens ? 



In reply to this, Mr. Doolittle says : 



I unhesitatingly answer no, for the simple 

 reason that there is no such a thing as a 

 jmre Italian bee or queen, when viewed in 

 the sense of a pure race or variety, as the 

 German or black bee is pure. At best, the 

 Italian bee is only a thoroughbred; and 

 that these 5-banded bees have been pro- 

 duced from what was originally only 3- 

 banded leather-colored bees is a good proof 

 that the above assertion is correct. 



Perhaps it may be well for me to give 

 right here a bit of history, which I have 

 hesitated for a long time about giving, as I 

 never wish to have a seeming desire to take 

 away the laurels from any one. The his- 

 tory is this : 



In the early seventies, H. A. King, then 

 of Nevada, Ohio, and Jos. M. Brooks, of 

 Columbus, Ind., were breeding for yellower 

 bees than the average importations of Ital- 

 ians showed. In 1872 I procured some of 

 Mr. King's stock, and continued to improve 

 them until near the eighties, the apicul- 

 tural world having lost sight of Mr. King 

 meanwhile. At that time, by exchange, I 

 procured queens of Mr. Brooks, and after- 

 ward, by purchase, got the last of his very 

 best stock, he going out of the business. In 

 the early eighties I sold one of the very 

 best queens I could rear along the yellow 

 line, to L. L. Hearn, of Oakvale, W. Va., 

 and he and myself have been breeding and 

 exchanging "blood" more or less ever 

 since. So far as I am aware, all of the so- 

 called 5-banded bees, of Italian origin, 

 which are in the world to-day, came di- 

 rectly or indirectly from either Mr. Hearn 

 or myself. 



Mr. Swinson, of North Carolina, produced 

 5-banded bees, but did so by a promiscuous 

 crossing of Cyprian, Syrian, Italian, etc. ; 

 but iu the King-Brooks-Hearn-Doolittle 

 bees the Italian side has been strictly ad- 

 hered to. 



The old Music rublishing house of Chicago, 

 S. W. Straub & Co., has just issued a new 

 work for Singing Classes, Day Schools, 

 Conventions, etc. It is called " Straub's 

 New Model," and contains a good elemen- 

 tary department and a vast amoimt of 

 Sacred and Secular Music of fine quality 

 and in great variety. Mr. Straub has made 

 thirty popular books. This the latest, and is 

 contains the elements of usefulness and 

 popularity in a marked degree. 11)2 pages. 

 Price, 60 cents. One Sample Copy for ex- 

 amination, only 30 cents. 



COWVENTIOM DIRECTORY. 



Time and place of meeting. 

 1894. 

 Dec. 4, 5.— Nebraska State, at Auburn, Nebr. 

 L. D. Slllson, Sec , York, Nebr. 



Dec. 5.— Central California, at Hanford. 



J. F. Flory, Sec, Lemoore, Calif. 



Dec. 6.— Carolina, at Charlotte, N. C. 



A. L. Beach, Sec, Steel Creek, N, C. 



Dec 18, 19— Northern Illinois, at Rockford.Ill 



B, Kennedy, Sec, New Milford, 111. 

 1895. 



Jan. '2. 3.— Michigan State, at Detroit, Mich. 

 W, Z. Hutchinson, Sec, Flint, Mich. 



Jan. 9.— Indiana State, at Indianapolis, Ind. 

 Walter S. Pouder, Pi-es., Indianapolis, Ind. 



Jan. 21, 22 — Colorada State, at Denver, Colo 

 H. Knight, Sec, Littleton, Colo. 



Jan. 28.— Venango Co., at Franklin, Pa. 



C. S. Pizer, Sec, Franklin, Pa. 



Jan. 30, 31.— Vermont, at Middlebury, Vt. 

 H. W. Scott, Sec, Barre, Vt. 



Feb. 8, 9.— Wisconsin, at Madison, Wis, 



J. W. Vance, Cor, Sec, Madison, Wis. 



. .—North American, at Toronto, Can. 



Frank Benton, Sec, U. S. Dept. Agriculture, 

 Washington, D. C. 



I^~ In order to have this table complete. 

 Secretaries are requested to forward full 

 particulars of the time and the place of 

 each future meeting. — ^The Editor. 



North American Bee-Keepers' Association 



OFFICERS FOR 1895. 



Pres.— R. F. Hoi term ann Brantford, Ont. 



Vice-Pres.— L. D Stilson York, Nebr. 



Secretary.— W. Z. Hutchinson... Flint, Mich. 

 Treasurer.- J. T. Calvert Medina, Ohio. 



National Bee-Keepers' Union. 



President- Hon. R. L.Taylor.. Lapeer, Mich. 

 Gbn'l, Manager— T. G. Newman. Chicago, 111. 

 147 South Western Avenue. 



'I'liose I\«'\v Siil»!*<*i-»l»efs, that you 

 have long been thinking of getting, are 

 very likely ready now to give you their 

 names. You know that besides "throw- 

 ing in " the numbers for the rest of this 

 year to new subscribers for 1805, we also 

 give each one of them a free copy of the 

 ]C>0-page book. "Bees and Honey." Yes, 

 and we will give you a premium for get- 

 tmg the new subscribers, as you will see on 

 page (UJT. Better at once " get after " those 

 bee-keeping friends of yours, and secure 

 their sul)scriptions, so you can send it with 

 your own renewal before the end of Decem- 

 ber. To double the present list of readers 

 of the " American Bee Journal " will mean 

 more than a doul>ly better paper for all. 

 We can guarantee that. If eacli subscriber 

 sends only one new name, the thing will be 

 done. Will you do it ? 



