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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Dec. 10, 



consider him as not the proper man to be sent to India or 

 Ceylon in case the attempt to introduce these bees should be 

 made. I have no bias in favor of Mr. Benton that would 

 malie me feel that he was the only man to do this work. If 

 from his temperament, or individual peculiarities, he is un- 

 fitted to carry out this enterprise, then certainly some other 

 person should be secured. I think there are others who would 

 do the work well; and the very work that Mr. Benton did 

 would be a great help to any one else who might undertake 

 the enterprise. 



I feel very certain that if the bee-keepers of the country 

 were united, and should ask the United States Department of 

 Agriculture to introduce this bee among us, all teihniral diffi- 

 culties would be removed, and the work would be done. I be- 

 lieve the Department of Agriculture wishes to do the utmost 

 possible to benefit agriculture in all its lines, and I believe 

 that any such large work as this would especially appeal to 

 the broad-minded men at the head of that Department. 

 Therefore it is that I wish further to comment upon this 

 matter. 



The objection has been raised that we might introduce 

 another "English sparrow." I feel, myself, that there is no 

 peril in this direction. None of the honey-gathering bees are 

 ever in the least degree mischievous They are always and 

 everywhere friends. Their honey-gathering habit, and their 

 great numbers, especially early in the season, make them par 

 excellence the most valuable agents in cross-pollinating the 

 flowers of our fruits and vegetables. This work has an im- 

 portance that few even of bee-keepers sufficiently appreciate. 

 If bees anywhere had any evil traits we might look askance 

 at this enterprise, fearing that its consummation might be 

 another of the list so disastrous to America in toe importation 

 of the English sparrow and to Australia in the importation of 

 the rabbit. As it is, I am sure we need have no fear in this 

 direction. This, and the possibility, very likely — we may say 

 probability — that these bees may be of no value if brought 

 among us, are the only objections to this enterprise that I 

 have heard mentioned. 



I wish now to present what seemed to me advantages. 

 There are among us many enterprising men like D. A. Jones, 

 who will constantly feel a desire that these large bees of India 

 might be at work among us. They will constantly be feeling 

 about for some method of doing the work. They have not, 

 nor can they have, the facilities which the Department of 

 Agriculture possesses. Therefore, any action that they may 

 take will be attended with very large expense, even if it suc- 

 ceed at all. Therefore, in quieting this very unrest, it seems 

 to me this undertaking on the part of the Government is most 

 desirable. If any work should not be left to the individual, 

 surely this work should not bo. 



Again, without any doubt, these bees have longer tongues 

 than our ordinary bees, and might very likely be able, like our 

 bumble-bees, to gather honey which is entirely inaccessible to 

 our common honey-bee. It would certainly be a great acqui- 

 sition to secure a bee, for instance, that could secure the nec- 

 tar at the bottom of the deep flower-tubes of red clover. It is 

 more than proable that many other flowers secrete nectar that 

 cannot be reached by our common bees. 



Again, these bees are not only a different variety from all 

 our domesticated bees, but they are also a distinct species. It 

 certainly is not up to our nineteenth century civilization to 

 let bees of such marked characteristics pass year after year 

 without a trial. Every great enterprise has more or less risk 

 back of it. This is no exception to the others. While we may, 

 perhaps, say that the probability is of no signal advantage, 

 yet, on the other hand, there is more than possibility that 

 its introduction among us may be attended with great advan- 

 tage. The Government is all the time introducing new seeds, 

 new plants, new domesticated animals, and I see no possible 

 reason why we should make an exception of Apis dorsata, or 

 any possible reason why bee-keepers should not benefit by 

 Government enterprise with those engaged in other manual 

 pursuits. Without doubt the Government could accomplish 

 this at very slight expense, as they did the introduction of 

 Novi^us (vedalia) cardinalis from Australia. In that enterprise, 

 the Slate of California received a benefit which is almost be- 

 yond computation. 



It seems to me the broad view of any such matter as this 

 is for the Government to introduce any species or race that 

 might offer even a slight hope of improvement. Is not this a 

 sort of " making two blades of grass grow where only one 

 grew before?" And I have no objection to the Government 

 becoming just such a philanthropist. It passes understand- 

 ing, to me, why any one should object to the Government un- 

 dertaking such an enterprise. If the objection comes from 

 the fact that some obnoxious individual is likely to be selected 

 to carry It out, then I say make objections to the individual, 



and not try to balk the enterprise. While I am not in favor 

 of the Government giving money for conventions or anything 

 else that benefits the few, I would hold up both hands to have 

 it undertake any such project which offers even small hope 

 of advantage, and which is beyond the means of individual 

 effort. Especially would this be true where all the people of 

 any great industry would certainly profit were the enterprise 

 successful and the results valuable. 



I, therefore, wish to put myself on record as commending 

 the action of the bee-keeping society of New York State, which 

 has been so active in trying to accomplish this object. 



Claremont, Calif. 



^ 



Another Reply to Mr. Newman's '< Criticism " 

 on the New Constitution. 



Mr. Editor : — Can any one in "kindness and candor" 

 talk as Mr. Newman does on page 742 ? If one can, it would 

 be a relief to me to get rid of some of my present surplus of 

 those articles, and " with the best of intentions ;" and I want 

 to suggest to the Secretary of the United States Bee-Keepers' 

 Union, Dr. Mason, that he make a note, or keep track of all 

 the criticisms and suggestions that he hears of or sees in re- 

 gard to the New f'.onstitution, and have them ready at the 

 next meeting at Buffalo, to be considered by the Union. 



Perhaps I am wrong, but it it looks to me as if the North 

 American Bee-Keepers' Association has been done away with, 

 and that the United States Bee-Keepers' Union has taken its 

 place, so that Mr. Newman's "criticism" is not properly 

 headed. Am I right in thinking if the National Bee-Keepers' 

 Union does not see fit to adopt the same Constitution that the 

 United States Bee-Keepers' Union has, that the United States 

 Bee-Keepers' Union will go on and work under the New Con- 

 stitution ? and as its scope is larger, will it not gradually take 

 the place of the old Union ? As I look at it, the New Consti- 

 tution provides for doing the same work as has been done (and 

 by the same men), and more, too; and if adopted, the work 

 will go right on without a break, or even a jar; for I can't 

 find anything in it that will admit of any interference with 

 the duties of the Board, as Mr. Newman states it will. I am 

 a member of the National Bee-Keepers' Union, and have been 

 nearly ever since it was organized, and shall vote for the 

 adoption of the New Constitution if the General Manager con- 

 descends to get down off his "high heels" and gives us a 

 chance to vote. 



I can see nothing in the New Constitution that calls for 

 such scathing denunciation as Mr. Newman sends forth, and 

 of which he ought to be ashamed. Perhaps he had better 

 move back to the "Windy City." He certainly must have 

 overlooked some of the provisions of the Constitution, or else 

 Dr. Mason failed to send him a complete copy, or he would 

 not have made any of the criticisms he does in regard to Art. 

 v., for he certainly has not made a single point, unless it be 

 in regard to returning the ballots to "two members," but un- 

 til that can be corrected it will be perfectly safe to leave its 

 management to the Executive Committee. 



Mr. Newman's criticism of Sec. 7, Art. VI. is a very small 

 affair to make so much fuss about ; and if the little piece of 

 " tautology " that he finds in Art. X. offends his sense of 

 order, it can be very easily changed ; but if never changed, it 

 wouldn't cause the expenditure of a single cent of the funds of 

 the Union, even if it found a "loop-hole;" and all "incon- 

 gruities as well as its lack of consistency and completeness," 

 ■if any such, exist, can be fixed up if he will just put his mind 

 to the matter and have all in " apple pie order" for the Buf- 

 falo meeting. 



If it should be submitted to a vote by the Advisory Board 

 (and our only hope is in the Board, for the General Manager 

 is "out of sight"), and it be adopted, I have no donbt that all 

 its " incongruities," etc., will also soon be " out of sight." If 

 those engaged in framing the New Constitution had not relied 

 on, and copied so much from, the constitution of the National 

 Bee-Keepers' Union, they certainly would not have copied its 

 defects; but " with all its faults," it has proven a perfect 

 success. 



The simple fact that such men as Messrs. Kretchmer, 

 Whitcomb, Secor, Stilson, A. I. and E. R. Root, Rev. Abbott, 

 York, Drs. Miller and Mason, and more than a score of others, 

 who, according to the report in the Bee Journal, were at Lin- 

 coln, and helped to put the Constitution in shape, and passed 

 it unanimously, would make me think more than twice before 

 opposing it, and I am i>ery glad that I can so heartily endorse 

 their work. Three of the Vice-Presidents of the National 

 Bee-Keepers' Union, and also members of the Advisory Board, 



