150 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



when his enemies tread on his toes, 

 and our industrial giant feels the 

 most acute pain, he does not even 

 arise then and give vent to his feel- 

 ings by word or blow, but he suffers 

 in silence, and patientl}^ waits 

 for the voluntary action of the 

 offender. 



The truth of the matter is that 

 the beekeepers as a whole lack de- 

 termination and resolution, and 

 we need a thorough reform in our 

 systems of associations. It all re- 

 mains with the individual beekeep- 

 ers ; if they will look to their own 

 interests and take hold the matter 

 unitedly as one man, the work will 

 be accomplished. Self-interest 

 alone would prompt this, but future 

 generations will bless those who 

 at this time are true and devoted 

 to the interests of apiculture in or- 

 ganizing associations, desseminat- 

 ing literature, and framing laws 

 which shall benefit the largest 

 number of the beekeepers. 



Brother apiarists ! let us stand 

 shoulder to shoulder in bringing 

 about the needed reform and estab- 

 lishing our associations, regulating 

 the supply and demand for honey , 

 and in fact, attending to all mat- 

 ters pertaining to apiculture. 



There is much more that might 

 be said in this connection, but I 

 leave it for the present, hoping that 

 the near future will reveal a reform 

 that shall result in a successful and 

 systematic organization of our 

 beekeeping associations. 



Collamer, N. Y. 



EASY METHOD 

 OF FINDING QUEENS. 



By W. G. Phelps. 



Some years ago, in "Gleanings," 

 I noticed a wail of despair coming 

 up from friend Martin of Hartford, 

 N. Y., owing to the difficulty of 

 finding the black queens when 

 seeking to introduce the Italians 

 in their place. I remember at the 

 time it struck a sympathetic cord 

 in my own breast, for as Shakes- 

 peare says, " A fellow-feeling 

 makes us wondrous kind," and 

 one who has searched for the lit- 

 tle black ladyships in large colo- 

 nies until his head swims can well 

 appreciate the difficulty. With 

 one or two colonies it becomes no 

 great obstacle, but with a large 

 apiary to Italianize it is a differ- 

 ent thing. Familiar as is the sight 

 of a queen-bee, both black and 

 Italian, after twelve years' hand- 

 ling, I confess to being in a dazed 

 sort of condition after manipula- 

 ting three or four colonies in 

 search of black or native queens. 

 Every year it so happens that I 

 come into possession of a dozen or 

 more stands of black bees, which 

 required to be italianized. To 

 look up the black queens, and es- 

 cape falling into a condition akin 

 to idiocy, I have hit upon the fol- 

 lowing very speedy and successful 

 method of finding them. It may- 

 prove helpful to many of your read- 

 ers. Upon the stand, from whose 

 colonies you desire to find the 

 queen, place an empty hive, before 

 which incline a broad board. Now 

 from the old hive placed just at 



