THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



lib 



the bees, the parcel contains samples 

 of dry faeces attached to chips from 

 hives, etc., half an inch or more in 

 length, voided by the bees on their 

 first flight in spring, so dry that, when 

 found, many of them were standing 

 vertically ; samples collected on the 

 bottom boards beneath the bees win- 

 tered in the cellar ; samples of the 

 long sausage-shaped kind gathered 

 from leaves in the garden during the 

 present summer ; specimens of mass- 

 es consisting of wax, bee-hairs, fibres 

 from the quilt, propohs, etc., rolled 

 up in the cluster into pellets and cyl- 

 inders and dropped on the bottom 

 boards ; specimens of wax and some 

 other dark colored substance which 

 I beheve to be bee faeces, moulded 

 on the inside of the posterior leg of 

 the bee as the marks of the rows of 

 stiff hairs plainly show ; a specimen 

 of matter dropped by bees on a sheet 

 of paper in early spring during a few 

 days when they were carrying in flour 

 and collected by Dr. Tinker ; and two 

 specimens of faeces so fine that to 

 the naked eye they seem like dust 

 but are regularly-formed oval pellets 

 voided by the larvse of two or more 

 species of beetles which were very 

 plentiful in the debris on the bot- 

 tom boards, in the cellar, towards 

 spring. 



Since opinions differ on a matter 

 so apparent as the specimens on the 

 cotton cloth, it is not at all surpris- 

 ing that there should be a difference 

 of opinion as to the nature and or- 

 igin of some of the matter found, in 

 spring, beneath the cluster. If the 

 gentlemen who receive the parcel, 

 will take the trouble to give their 

 views on the matter in dispute 



through the columns of the "Apicul- 

 turist," we shall feel pleased. 

 Lindsay, Can. Aug. i, 1885. 



INSTRUCTIONS TO 

 BEGINNERS. 



By the Editor. 



One of the first questions asked us 

 by the beginner and one that comes 

 to us by every mail is. What is the 

 most valuable race of bees for the 

 honey producer all things considered ? 



In order to answer this question, 

 and because it properly belongs in 

 connection with the paper preced- 

 ing this (July No.) we have decided 

 to devote our talk this month to 

 solving this problem. 



We are aware that our opinion may 

 conflict with those of other promi- 

 nent 'and expert apiarists, but we 

 can only give the results of our 

 experience leaving our readers to 

 test the matter and decide for them- 

 selves. 



We are convinced, however, that 

 were our queen breeders united in 

 their efforts to establish methods for 

 rearing better queens, and less given 

 to getting up an unwarranted excite- 

 ment over some new and almost un- 

 known strain or variety, for the sake 

 of popularity or individual gain, there 

 would not be so great a diversity of 

 opinion regarding other matters. 



We have the ItaHan bee and know 

 that it stands high in the estimation 

 of a large majority of our naost suc- 

 cessful honey producers, and will 

 always figure prominently among the 

 valuable bees of the future ; and yet, 



