THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



37 



to a natural base; if I did I certainly 

 should not advocate its use at all. lu 

 some cases in surplus boxes they do 

 attempt to change it. 



Mr. Balch. — Foundation is the best 

 when tirst made and is accepted by the 

 bees more readily than that which has 

 been made some time. 



This question was discussed at some 

 length the results of which cannot be 

 given here for want of space. 



How can we supply the Increasing 

 demand for wax was next discussed. 



Mr. Vax Dkuskx. — I think that we 

 have yet to learn hoAV to meet the in- 

 creasing demand for wax. As before 

 stated I have experimented in various 

 ways to solve this question but without 

 success. 



L. C. Root. — I am opposed to any 

 adulteration in wax for the manufac- 

 ture of foundation. 



Mr. Aspinwall. — Some kinds of 

 foreign wax are not lit for use in mak- 

 ing foundation. 



The sui)ject was discussed by others 

 when the convention adjourned to meet 

 at 9 o'clock in the morning. 



SECOND DAY, 



The convention was called to order 

 at 9 a.m. Avith President Clark in the 

 cliair. Messrs. L. C. Root, I. L. Scho- 

 Held and R. 13. Rians were appointed as 

 a cominitee on the question drawer, 

 and Messrs. J. Van Deusen, G. W. 

 House and C. G. Dickinson, were ap- 

 pointed as a committee on resolutions. 



After the reading of a letter wiiich 

 stated that Mr. D. A. Jones was unwell 

 and unable either to present or prepare 

 his paper on "The New Races," dis- 

 cussion was opened upon this subject 

 l3y the members. . 



Silas M. Lockk. — While I feel in- 

 competent to till tiie place of Mr. Jones 

 in opening this discussion yet I will ex- 

 plain in a few words my experience 

 with these "New Races" both in the 

 apiary of Mr. Jones, with the original 

 imported stock and on this side of the 

 line. I have decided that a cross, i)ro- 

 duced by mating a first class Italian 

 queen with pure Holy Land or Syrian 

 drones, gives the largest bees and best 

 workers. 



I have every reason to believe, that 

 the Holy Lands are the original race 

 from wiiich our yellow racesemanated 



and to which source the latter may be 

 traced. 



As regards the testing of these new 

 races thei*e are those who are probably 

 better fitted than I to pass juilgmeut 

 upon their worth to honey producers. 

 While with Mr. D. A. Jones in 1880, I 

 was surprised to find tliat M'hile Mr. 

 Jones lost most of his fii'st importa- 

 tion that he tried to winter and had 

 but two Holy Land and two Cyprian 

 breeding queens of the imported stock 

 with which to commence the season's 

 operations, yet on our side of the line, 

 queens of these new races were adver- 

 tised for -f 1.00 each by a large number 

 of parties. 1 tliink tliei'e have been a 

 large number of hybrid queens sold for 

 pure Holy Lands and Cyprians, and this 

 perhaps without the knowledge that 

 they were hybrids. Again, our Italian 

 bees when first imported were subject 

 to the same severe criticism and doubt, 

 and when the "new races" have been 

 more thoroughly tested I think they 

 will be more favored. 



I believe that we have much to hope 

 for in the cmssing of the Holy Land or 

 Syrian with the Italians, with perhaps 

 a slight mixture ol German blood. We 

 should remember in examining the con- 

 flicting opinions given regartling these 

 races, that their characteristics ditt'er in 

 ditlerent portions of the Holy Land, and 

 I believe that alter we have given them 

 the samecareful selection and breeding 

 that we have the Italians many of 

 us will have more to say in their 

 favor. 



R. P. Rians.— Mr. President, I have 

 had several races of bees and will say 

 simply that the Cyprian bees and their 

 crosses are the best bees and the best 

 workers. 



L. C. Root.— The matter of the 

 new races of bees is one of great inter- 

 est. There is much said in the favor of 

 the new races and their crosses tliat is 

 unwarranted ; and this is not to be won- 

 dered at. One great trouble is, that 

 the sources from which we look for our 

 information are too much biassed by 

 personal interest. The fact is that any- 

 thing new is apt to be over-estimated. 

 Now I have experimented with the dif- 

 feient races but not enough to warrant 

 me in saying what nniy come from 

 crossing our American bees with the 

 new races. 



It is very strange that during these 

 years, we have bred our Italian 

 queens so carefully, that they are not 

 the best race of bees known to Ameri- 



