300 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



was informed tliat I could procure of Count 

 Kolowrat, at the castle of Kroby, in Bohe- 

 mia, two pure Cyprian queens as a present, 

 if I did not fear to take them from lus stock 

 which was souievvliat affected with foul- 

 brood. 



It was a ticklish thing for me. What if, 

 in this undertaking, I should import this 

 terrible disease, which, up to this time, I 

 only knew through hearsay. 



However, 1 concluded to risk the matter, 

 because 1 had great confidence in the work- 

 ing of salicylic acid, concerning which as a 

 remedy for foul brood, I had already corres- 

 ponded with Hilbert. Therefore the two 

 Cyprian queens arrived shortly— and, in- 

 deed, in the finest possible condition. Their 

 majesties were enclosed, together with 

 numerous companions, in two little caskets, 

 such as Hilbert lias constructed for trans- 

 portation. Verj^ few dead bees were to be 

 seen at the opening of the box. During the 

 journey the bees in both boxes had built 

 comb, and the queens had started brood, so 

 that many eggs and larvae were to be found 

 in the comb. 



Both nuclei I placed upon a distant stand 

 and then allowed them to fly. After some 

 days I removed the queens and inrroduced 

 them according to my well-known and sure 

 way to two very populous colonies. Then I 

 prepared also two small nuclei for queen- 

 rearing, and placed in each brood, bees and 

 honey from the caskets. 



These nuclei immediately formed queen 

 cells, which I used later. The stocKs to 

 which the queens had been introduced, as 

 well as the nuclei, were treated, according 

 .to Hubert's method, with salicylic acid, and 

 .oiot a trace of foul-brood has shown itself 

 till then. I could now venture to send one 

 .of the old pure queens to America, keeping 

 meanwhile the other, which I could not 

 well part with. Owing to the small num- 

 ber ot pure drones 1 only succeeded in rear- 

 ing two purely-fertilized queens. 



The colony with the imported queen was 

 especially diligent, gave a large return, and 

 with the remainder of the stocks, was in 

 good condition for winter. The wintering 

 and development during the next spring left 

 nothing more to be wished for. 



After having carefully observed the Cy- 

 prian bee— pure as well as hybrid— I have 

 come to the following conclusions regarding 

 the same: 



1. The diligence or the Cyprians is at 

 least equal to that of the Italians; indeed, 

 as regards economy within the hive the 

 former have the preference, because they 

 are less inclined to build drone comb. The 

 same peculiarity is noticable also with the 

 hybrids. 



2. In their purity they are certainly more 

 beautiful than the handsomest Italians. 

 Those who visited my apiary were always 

 much surprised as strong stocks filled with 

 these beautiful bees were opened and 

 masses of the insects rolled out so peace- 

 ably. 



3. When rightly handled, they are not 

 more or not less inclined to sting than the 

 Italians. 



Without doubt, Count Kolowrat, as well 

 as Herr Cori, are deserving of great credit 

 for importing this race of bees. 



C. J. 11. GRA.VENHORST. 



Braunschweig, Germany. 



®Wf %tiUv lojT. 



Lansing, Mich., Aug. 6, 1877.— "The Bing 

 ham smoker is the best I have tried. Comb 

 foundation is a grand success." 



A. J. Cook. 



Canajoharrie, N. Y., Aug. 4, 1877.— "With 

 us the weather is wet and cool. Queen 

 rearing tedious and uncertain and honey 

 crop very ordinary." J. H. Nellis. 



Grand Meadow, Minn., Aug. 7. 1877.— 

 "Bees are doing heavy business. Three of 

 my swarms have already multiplied to 19. 

 One of my first swarms having sent out two 

 more, and the first of these will swarm 

 again yet. They are rolling in honey." 



C. F. Greening. 



Franklin Co.. N. Y., Aug. 6, 1877.— "We 

 have not much honey here this season, and 

 no white clover. The first part of the sea- 

 son was very dry. And now 'hoppers are 

 threatening the buckwheat." 



Clement McDermot. 



Moore's Hill, Ind., Aug. .5, 1877. — "Bees 

 are not doing as well as last year. I winter- 

 ed 30 colonies without loss in a frost-proof 

 house; sold 14 this spring, leaving 16 not 

 very strong colonies. I have taken 4.5 lbs. 

 on an average from each hive — one-half 

 each comb and extracted honey. My bees 

 are all Italians." J. W. Johnson. 



Crawford Co., Mo., July 28, 1877.— "I now 

 have 25 colonies in a bee house; have taken 

 100 lbs. of comb honey in frames from two- 

 story liives. I think we have a good loca- 

 tion for bees and honey. In Feb. the wych 

 hazel blooms tor pollen, and we have abun- 

 dance of bee feed, such as blood-root, blue- 

 bells, maples, elms, willows, whortleberries, 

 apples, locusts, cherries, clovers, mints, su- 

 mac, linn, basswood, golden-rods, asters, 

 etc." Job Harmon, Sr. 



Green Bush, Wis., Aug. 4, 1877.—" I feel 

 disposed to enter my protest against the 

 mode of introducing queens as recommend- 

 ed in the July number, page 235. I follow- 

 ed it as closely as possible, and now the 

 result is I have lost at least 50 per cent, of 

 my queens, besides setting robbers to work 

 furiously. I am not yet certain but that I 

 have lost 6 choice queens — 5 very fine ones 

 received from H. Alley, of Wenham, Mass., 

 and one from A.H. Hart, of Appleton, Wis. 

 1 have one now caged and placed in comb,aa 

 recommended in the Aug. number. I await 

 its result." Jonathan Stoddard. 



Mentor, O., Aug. 8, 1877.— "The honey 

 season has been very poor here, but little 

 surplus and no new swarms, except in a 

 few instances, and they have no honey, and 

 the old ones are rapidly eating up what 

 they have. White clover was abundant,b«t 

 the nights were cold and the days very 

 windy, and the bees only made about 15 

 days' work on it, and light days at that. 

 Basswood blossomed full, but only yielded 

 honey 4 davs, although the blossoms lasted 

 2 weeks. Fall forage will be scarce unless 

 it rains soon, and heavily; everything is 

 drying up." E. M. Johnson. 



