far excelled those imported from the old 

 country. So much so, that many a noble 

 animal has been shipped to Euro]3e, having 

 excelled in many points the European 

 breeds. 



This shows wisdom and progress in 

 the American breeder. It is a fact, we be- 

 lieve, tliat the Italians have never made tlie 

 breeding of the Italian bee a specialty; or, 

 at least given it that attention so neces- 

 sary to make and bring out those points of 

 excellence that are found in the Italian 

 honey bee. The queens are gathered up 

 promiscuously from different portions of 

 that country and shipped to this, without, 

 perhaps, that distinction regarding quality 

 that should be made or given to them. We 

 have seen some imported queens that, in 

 point of quality were worthless. From 

 their manner of breeding, or otherwise, they 

 had about run out. In many cases these 

 queens are distributed over our country and 

 have not proved to be what they should. 



While we find some very fine from the im- 

 ported stock, we hope to see a change in 

 this department. Let us try and see what 

 improvement we can make in breeding our 

 bees. By carefully selecting from our very 

 best, we can combine all the points of excel- 

 lence that can be asked for in our bees. 

 But, says one, how am I to accomplish this? 

 First, by selecting from the best those pos- 

 sessing great vigor, large and well marked, 

 you can combine, if you wish; 1st, size; 2d, 

 vigor; 3d. prolificness; 4th, color; 5th, tem- 

 per. All these points can soon be achieved 

 by careful breeding. We first test the qual- 

 ity of queens and drones in mating them; 

 and when we have tested fairly tiie qualities 

 of either queens or drones, and found them 

 to duplicate themselves pretty well, we 

 choose them to breed from to cross with 

 others. One of the best and easiest plans 

 is to commence very early in the spring to 

 feed such stock as are to be used for breed- 

 lug purposes. By feeding a little regularly 

 for a siiort time, you will produce young 

 drones one month in advance of those not 

 fed. At the same time raise up- what queens 

 you wish, and you will secure pure fertiliza- 

 tion from such as you desire. Again, in the 

 fall, we wish to test the breeding qualities 

 of some of the young queens we raised in 

 the spring. As soon as the drones are de- 

 stroyed, which is, here in the South, about 

 the first of August, we place upon our hive 

 a slide to prevent any drones entering, we 

 place good drone comb in the center of our 

 hive and commence feeding regularly every 

 day. We will soon have plenty of drones 

 from such stock as we desire, while alloth- 

 ers are destroyed. We raise up what queens 

 we want, and from the drones we have 

 reared we get another cross; and if we find 

 improvement has been made, we keep on 

 breeding from tliis strain for several gene- 

 rations, and then cross to another. By ex- 

 ercising care and judgment, we will soon 

 see If we are making any progress, which 

 we seldom fail to see In the first or second 

 generation. 



EGGS 10 QUEEN CELLS. 



I had a colony of Italian bees that would 

 start large numbers of queen cells, to all ap- 

 pearance preparatory to swarming. I have 



found as high as 15 cells, with from 6 to 14 

 eggs in a cell. I destroyed all the cells, and 

 in 3 days found the same thing existing 

 again. I took from them their queen, and 

 destroyed all their cells, and gave them a 

 frame of nice new comb with plenty of eggs 

 and brood in all stages. In 3 days I found 

 the same thing repeated. I destroyed all tiie 

 cells, and gave them a young fei'tile queen, 

 but they still persisted in making cells and 

 feeding them as though they contained but 

 one egg. I then exchanged its place with 

 another heavy colony, which stopped the 

 singular phenomena. A. F. Moon. 



Rome, Ga. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Matters and Things in Alabama. 



Feiend Newman : — I fear you will have 

 to give us a whole number for " blasted 

 hopes;" as bi-otlier Heddon says, I fear 

 this is to be "the summer of our discon- 

 tent." Already the wail comes up, from 

 Maine to Louisiana, that bees are making na 

 surplus. I landed here, from Oxford, Ohio, 

 the 30th of last January, with 4 colonies of 

 Italian bees ; 3 of them in good order. One 

 being a late swarm and the frames not 

 finite filled witli comb, broke dawn, destroy- 

 ing half of the bees ; but the queen was all 

 right. I fixed them up after their ride of 

 500 or 600 miles, and on the first of February 

 they began to bring in pollen. 



I also bought 30 colonies of black bees, in 

 all kinds of gums, for a 31.50 each, and 

 transferred them to movable-frame hives. 

 The season opened very early. In March, 

 we had plum, peach and cherry blossoms in 

 abundance, whicii they stored in the brood 

 chamber, sufficient to carry on brood- 

 rearing and comb-building ; but I noticed 

 the honey from this source was quite thin, 

 and somewhat bitter, but seemed to answer 

 their purpose. About this time, I had vis- 

 ions of tons of nice, white comb, and 

 barrels of extracted honey ; but alas, " there 

 is many a slip between the cup and the 

 lip," and " when it rains soup, my bowl is 

 generally upside down." This time I had 

 the bowl set right, but the shower didn't 

 come. White clover promised well for 

 awhile ; the bees filled the brood-chamber 

 and commenced building comb in the upper 

 frames, but a severe drouth set In and dried 

 up the clover with almost everything from 

 which they could get anything sweet. — 

 Then there was no honejMlevv,— sometiiing 

 very unusual for this country. Neighbors 

 tell me tiiat last year the honey-dew was so 

 plenty that it dripped from the leaves of the 

 poplar and other trees of the forest, but 

 this is destined to be the poorest for many 

 years. 



The bees commenced drawing on their 

 stores, and at tiiis date have nearly ex- 

 hausted them. When I open a hive in the 

 heat of the day, robbers pitch In and would 

 soon clean out the strongest, but I close up 

 the entrance promptly against friend or foe ; 

 let them remain closed one hour, then give 

 them room for one bee at a time to pass out 

 or In. 



A very good plan is to throw a sheet over 

 the hive and tuck close around It, so that 



