122 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



desirable traits than either of the yel- 

 low races sepaiately considered. 



The rapid cliange iu color and, in a 

 degree, in the physical conformation 

 of all foreign races of bees in our cli- 

 -mate, is known to all breeders, and 

 accounts, in a measure, for the differ- 

 ence observed among writers in de- 

 scribing the new races; the mental 

 characteristics or dispositions, how- 

 ever, do not seem to change iu a like 

 degree, if at all ; hence, the value of 

 eontinuous experiments iu the hope 

 of attaining lixed traits of excellence 

 is not diminished. 



The difference in size of the indi- 

 vidual bees of the different varieties 

 has been used by some writers to ad- 

 vance the interests of their favorites, 

 but when we observe tlie difference in 

 size of the bees iu different colonies 

 of the same race, together with the 

 fact that a square inch of the combs 

 of all ttie races now cultivated contains 

 precisely the same number of cells, we 

 are led to conclude that this difference 

 is more fanciful than real ; yet we 

 think that there is a slight difference 

 in lengtli of body in favor of the Syr- 

 ian workers and less in the other for- 

 eign races, over our common blacks. 



All are familiar witli the close re- 

 semblance iu appearance between the 

 foreign yellow races and of their 

 marked dissimilarity botii in appear- 

 ance and habits, to our common bees; 

 yet the Carniolan race might be easily 

 mistaken, by the casual observer, for 

 our own brown liees, while in their 

 habits they differ even more widely 

 from them than do the yellow races. 

 A close observer would, however, in- 

 stantly detect differences so constiant 

 and marked as to never be in doubt 

 for one moment of the identity of the 

 Carniolans. 



Keeping our bees mostly for breed- 

 ing purposes, and often dividing and 

 performing the other various manipu- 

 lations necessary in carrying on this 

 feature of the business, we have not 

 had the opportunity of testing them 

 in the production of comb and ex- 

 tracted honey as we would desire ; but 

 so far as we have thus tested them, 

 they have far exceeded our most san- 

 guine expectations, and this feeling of 

 satisfaction is shared iu by all, witli- 

 ont exception, to whom w'e have sent 

 them. Prof, llasbrouck, Mr. J. M. 

 Shuck and some others to whom we 

 have sent bees of all the races enumer- 

 ated in this essay, except Apis dorsatn, 

 give to the Carniolans their decided 

 preferences. 



We have never had bees stand cold 

 and exposure better, or to recuperate 

 faster under adverse circumstances. 



Mr. Anthony Gra!tzman,a native of 

 Austria and a bee-keeper on modern 

 principles, of many years' experience, 

 in a letter just received, speaks thus 

 of the Carniolans : " Upon a series of 

 observations and demonstrations with 

 the different races of bees of the east 

 and south of Europe, 1 give the higli- 

 est preference to the Carniolan. As 

 to gentleness, activity, prolificness 

 and their ability to withstand climatic 

 changes in cold regions they are of 

 very marked superiority. As honey- 

 gatherers they are fond of all the 

 clovers, buckwheat, linden and all 



other sources of honey visited by the 

 Italians. Their fault is in swarmiug 

 too abinidautly," 



Of their gentleness, Mr. Benton 

 writes: " There is a race of bees to 

 be found in its purity only iu one of 

 the central provinces of Austria, 

 which is so gentle as to cast the gen- 

 tleness of the gentlest Italians all 

 ' into the shade.' They are the Car- 

 niolans from among the rugged Carni- 

 olan or Carnie Alps. These bees are 

 larger than the Italians, very prolific 

 and industrious, gr/iy in color, and so 

 good-natured that the veriest novice 

 in bee-culture can handle them with- 

 out a bee-veil, gloves or smoke. Hav- 

 ing recently come from a town thi-ough 

 Carniola, Austria, where I have been 

 collecting a lot of colonies of this race, 

 and where I have examined and han- 

 dled hundreds of hives tilled to over- 

 flowing with tliese peaceful workers, 

 I have had every opportunity needed 

 to convince myself of their "thorough 

 gentleness." 



The editor of the Buletin d' Apicul- 

 teur. South Switzerland, who has had 

 many years' experience says : 



" I have observed iu the mountains 

 a very marked superiority on the part 

 of the Carniolans: they are decidedly 

 hardier than all the others, above all 

 than the Italians, which stand only 

 poorly the climate of elevated regions. 

 I have seen the Carniolans working on 

 red clover, whilst the common bees 

 were neglecting it. By increasing the 

 size of the hives reasonably, adding 

 frames already built out, and giving 

 them the necessary ventilation, 

 swarming can be prevented with this 

 race as with others." 



He calls attention to the fact that 

 among those who have given their ex- 

 perience with Carniolans, the owners 

 of hives having the combs running 

 from front to rear, had succeeded best 

 in preventing swarms. 



New York. 



For tlie American Ber* Journal. 



Comb Foundation in the Brood-Nest. 



8— W. Z. HUTCHINSON, (6.S— 94). 



Had not Mr. Bates, on page 51, in- 

 dicated by figures after his name how 

 many colonies he had, I should have 

 put iiim down as a '■ beginner." But 

 few begin the season with V2.0 colo- 

 nies, without learning that tirue can 

 be more protitably used than in open- 

 ing a hive and securing a frame of 

 brood for each swarm, and then taking 

 off the honey-boxes and opening the 

 hive in 4 or 5 days and inserting a 

 frame of foundation, " and so on, 

 about once a week, till the bees have 

 all the frames they need." When I 

 hive a swarm of bees I want that that 

 I shall be the end of it— no opening of 

 j hives every 4 or -5 days, " and so on." 

 There seems to be an idea prevalent 

 I that because we use movable-comb 

 hives the combs nmst be moved. In 

 the production of comb honey there 

 is seldom any necessity of opening 

 the hives, i. e., the brood department, 

 from one years' end to another. If 

 everything always went well, i. e.. 

 colonies never became queenless, or 



something of the sort, box-hives 

 would answer every purpose in the 

 production of comb honey. 



He speaks of putting two or three 

 brood-frames (I presume he means 

 loide frames) tilled vpith sections, iuto 

 the brood department of the hive con- 

 taining the newly hived swarm. I do 

 not have my comb honey, and in fact, 

 but little honey of any kind stored in 

 the brood department. This plan of 

 having honey stored in the brood de- 

 partment has seen its best days, and 

 will rest in the same grave with the 

 wide-frame system. 



He lays down a plan of management 

 which he thinks woidd not only be 

 ahead of empty frames, but ahead of 

 hiving swarms upon a full set of 

 frames of foundation ; aside from 

 saying that it is complicated, it might 

 be satd that many bee-keepers think 

 that it is profitable to use foundation 

 in all places, but how many knowf 



Mr. B.'s system of hiving swarms 

 upon o or 6 combs of brood and honey 

 taken from the old hive, would be 

 very unsatisfactory in this locality. 

 I want the honey-gatherers where the 

 honey-boxes are, during the honev 

 harvest. But few of the bees that 

 hatch from the combs of brood taken 

 from the old hive would be old enough 

 to gather honey liefore the white 

 honey harvest would be past. This 

 objection would not apply to early 

 swarms, but see how complicated the 

 method ! Just compare it with the 

 Heddon method, in which it is not 

 necessary to even open a hive, and all 

 the honey-gatherers are induced to 

 labor iu the hive where the sections 

 are ; and should the honey harvest 

 soon end, their work is iu such a shape 

 that it will bring the highest market 

 price. 



He does not think it necessary to 

 use the extractor to give the queen 

 room to lay ; neither do I. Make the 

 brood department of such size that 

 the queen can keep it full of brood ; 

 and, if necessary, keep her in it with 

 a queen-excluding honey-board, and 

 let the honey be stored in the surplus 

 apartment. 



I have not the least doubt but what 

 foundation has come to stay, but my 

 experiments of last year aptiear to in- 

 dicate that it is possible to have " too 

 much of a good tiling." If any one 

 is inclined to experiment upon this 

 subject, another season, please allow 

 me to suggest the use of a hive in 

 which the brood department is not 

 large enough for the brood-nest and 

 surplus too. 



Rogersville, c$ Mich. 



«®- The New .Jersey and Eastern Bee- 

 Keepers' Association will hold their next 

 annual convention at Cooper Union, in 

 New York City, lipginnlnj; on Wednesday, 

 March 11. 18S.5, and lo coiitiiuie two days or 

 more. The coimuittee inomise a Kood 

 pronrainine.and extend a cordial invitation 

 to all. W. B. Ti!E.\owKLL, A-s't. Sec. 



t^ The Willamette Valley Bee- 

 Keepers' Association will hold its 

 second meeting at I-a Fayette, Ore- 

 gon, on the third Tuesday in June, 

 188.5. All who are interested are in- 

 vited to attend. 



E. J. Hadley. Sec. 



