110 



THE AMERICAN APICULTUEIST. 



of queens by this method is the same as 

 natural swarm cells, and from lo to 150 

 per week can be had from May to Aug- 

 ust, providing the combs of brood are 

 given every five days to keep up the 

 strength. 



A gentleman in Scotland who intro- 

 duced a virgin Punic queen to one of 

 his hives last fall writes as follows : 



If I can manage to prepare for more 

 than a dozen virgin Funics will let you 

 know. Should really like to try about 

 20. The one I successfully introduced 

 last season is now (May 16, 1891) far 

 ahead of all my other stock. They are 

 busy when other hives are not moving. 



The gentleman who writes under the 

 nam de plume of "A Lanarkshire Bee 

 Keeper," whose address could be given, 

 had two weak nuclei of Punic bees last 

 spring, and they yielded nine pounds 

 more honey than any other stock in 

 his yard. This year they are the best 

 and strongest he has. He is so well 

 pleased with the Funics that he is go- 

 ing in for them entirely. 



Our Punic stock is " Hallanshire " 

 imported direct from their native land 

 under great difficulties. 



Young Punic queens are the most 

 lively we ever handled. In introducing 

 them, one needs to exercise great care. 

 They are as quick as a flash, and if you 

 are not quicker they will be lost. The 

 safest way to get hold of them is to let 

 them out before a window and take 

 them from there when all is ready. 



Out of nearly 2,000 virgin queens 

 sent out to parties in England for trial 

 last year, not one failed to introduce 

 them safely when the directions were 

 strictly followed. 



If you are not pleased with the Funic 

 queens bought of us, and if you think 

 you have made a bad bargain, we will 

 willingly refund the money. 



All orders will be filled in rotation, so 

 do not expect your queen out of order. 



STILL DOING WELL. 



Friend Alley : The queen you sent 

 me in 1888 is still doing well. 



Limerick, III. E. Pickup. 



E. L. PRAT T PAYS HIS HESPP:CTS 



TO THOSE WHO HAVK SLAN- 



l^KRED HIM. 



THE PUNIC UICES. 



Henry Alley and E. L. Pratt have 

 been hubs of unjust criticism the past 

 few months by some of the small sheets 

 published in the interest ( ?) of bee- 

 keepers. The one with the Argus-eyed 

 type gave us a special number. One 

 Robinson sailed into me in a very abu- 

 sive manner, but I shall let that pass. 

 Several other men gave us special ads. 

 in their printed circulars, claiming 

 that our methods of rearing queens are 

 not what they should be. Our patrons 

 will tell a different story. Jacob Timpe 

 is either very ignorant of our methods 

 of queen-rearing, or he intends a ma- 

 licious attack for the purpose of selling 

 those worthless five-banded Italians of 

 his. Well, gentlemen, 1 for one thank 

 you for your free-notices, but would be 

 more pleased if you would stick to the 

 truth and learn of the methods em- 

 ployed by us before jumping at conclu- 

 sions for the purpose of injuring our 

 reputation as dealers in queens. 



I wish we all were as progressive as 

 the anonymous correspondent in the 

 American Bee Journal. ^Vhat do you 

 think ? He starts to run down the Punic 

 bees before he has ever seen them 

 even. What can possess such men ? I 

 do not wonder that he did not sign his 

 name. 



Mr. Quigley worked in a side slap at 

 me in the editorial department of his 

 paper, not knowing what he was saying 

 and caring less so long as Pratt was hit. 

 What does he know about the Punic 

 bees? He has never seen even one bee. 

 Would this not be a progressive world 

 ( ?) if we were all hewn from the same 

 log — no courage to leave the old ruts? 

 Let these men squeal. There are enough 

 progressive beekeepers to give the 

 Punic bees a fair trial, and after they 

 prove themselves "Rex," how quickly 

 these fault finders will wheel around and 

 take unto themselves what few honors 

 are forgotten or dropped in the fray. 



