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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Eggs laid in Queen Cells. 



The following letter is from T. F. 

 Bingham, Abronia, Mich.: 



"Editor Journal— I send this day 3 queen 

 cells taken from the edges of combs in which 

 there were no other eggs within several cells. 

 They are at tlie bottom of these cells just as 

 queens lay eggs. The hive is two-story and 

 full of bees, and ready to swarm. I intended 

 to send you such cells for several seasons, but 

 I always find them when too busy. Look at 

 the size— drone ceil size— and then think of 

 tlie Wagner tlieory. If people only wrote as 

 facts wliat they knew for sure, liow it would 

 cut down 'bad premises.' I could now find a 

 tliousand sucli cells in my apiary, each witli 

 just such an egg and just such a size, and so 

 situated as to leave no doubt what they were 

 made for, and that the queens laid tlie eggs in 

 them in every case, as designed by the bees." 



These queen cells, nicely packed in a 

 box, came duly to hand, and proved to 

 be just what friend Bingham describes. 



The exact truth cannot be ascertain- 

 ed all at once. We are obliged to learn 

 by degrees — " here a little and there a 

 little.'' Hence theories once pronounc- 

 ed sound by even wise men are proved 

 to be false, and must be discarded — 

 however much we may respect the 

 authors of them. 



We do not doubt that the eggs were 

 laid in these cells by the queen, their 

 appearance and situation leaving no 

 room for such doubting — though many 

 still cling to the old idea that the 

 queen never lays an egg in a queen- 

 cell; that such are invariably placed 

 there by the workers. 



It would not be wisdom for us to 

 swallow everything advanced as truth 

 by our worthy and respected predeces- 

 sor — Mr. ^V^agner. In our explorations 

 of the mine of knowledge we often find 

 where " the fathers" were mistaken, 

 just as oiu- children who may delve 

 deeper into that mine, will find where 

 ^ve erred and misapprehended. 



The use of the word " apiarian " as a 

 noun illustrates the point. The pio- 

 neers of apiculture in this country not 

 only so used it, but defended its use 

 ( see A. B. J., vol. vii. page 111 ) not- 

 withstanding tlie fact that all the most 

 learned lexicographers and philologists 

 of the age have decided that "apiarist" 

 is the proper orthography of the noun. 



It is not our province to be groping 

 in the darkness of the past — but in the 

 bright sunshine of the present to 

 search for truth as for hidden treasure 

 — thanking our predecessors for all the 

 light they liave thrown upon our i)ath- 

 way, and using that light to assist us 

 to vigorously persecute our investiga- 

 tions, knowing that the citidal of Hea- 

 ven's great laws is to be entered only 

 by those who untiringly search for 

 these hidden treasures i we should 

 press on towards that prize — and be 

 satisfied with no one's " say so " — ever 

 demanding the i)roof for all that is ad- 

 vanced for fact and truth. 



IXotes aiuX ^xxtvits. 



COMB-FOUNDATION MACHINES. 



"I have been thinking of gettuig a small 

 macliine for making comb foundation. I 

 see you advertise one for SoO to make nar- 

 row strips for boxes, etc. I wish you would 

 give a cut of it in The Journal; cuts as- 

 sist us in getting a correct idea of anything. 

 Do you think it will vv^ork well ?" 



James Best. 



[Certainly; we have no reason to doubt 

 but that Novice's $30 machine will work 

 like a charm. We know of several having 

 them, and have heard of no one complain- 



NOVICE'S SIX-INCH MACHINE. 



ing. He guarantees the machine to give 

 perfect satisfaction. As wax is a hard sub- 

 stance it requires considerable power to run 

 a large machine, but the small one will run 

 comparatively easy, and turn out good 

 work. There is quite a "knack" in doing it, 

 which will have to be acquired, as with 

 everything else.— Ed.] 



MIGNONNETTE AS BEE FEED. 



San Fernando, Cal., May 29, 1877.— "Please 

 answer the following que'stions: 



1. How nuich land will suffice for 50 

 hives? 



3. How much seed would you ])ut on half 

 an acre? 



3. What price is it ? 



4. Does it require much water ?" 



H. H. Howard. 

 [1. Should prefer borage or tall Chinese 

 nuistard to mignonnette. I liave no data 

 from which to answer the first question; 

 but should suppose ten acres would keep 

 tlie .50 colonies pretty busy, after bloom 

 commenced, which is after white clover 

 and alsike bloom. 



