males. In this selection we are apt to 

 get a different strain, of not only size 

 and hardiness, but also color. Queens 

 are liable to mate with drones of differ- 

 ent strains, and this accounts for the 

 variableness in color, not only in work- 

 ers, but of themselves, as well as that 

 of the drones. The present system of 

 bee-culture, as well as that for centu- 

 ries past, will not justify the belief that 

 queens will duplicate themselves in 

 their queen progeny ! 



It has been one of the leading objects 

 of practical breeders of all kinds of 

 stock, to secure the strongest and most 

 vigorous males that can be obtained ; 

 in this lies the secret of their success ! 

 In the breeding of bees, with reference 

 to color, it would take many genera- 

 tions to produce a race that would du- 

 plicate themselves at all times. They 

 would vary not only in color, but in 

 other points of equal value. 



Rome, Ga. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



A Letter from Kansas. 



BY N. CAMERON. 



Editor Journal,.— I see by a late 

 number of the Journal that I was 

 elected a Vice President of the North 

 American Bee-keepers' Association. I 

 expect I received that position through 

 your suggestion, so except thanks. 



A neighbor called on me with one 

 of Lizzie Cotton's circulars and wanted 

 me to read it and tell him what I 

 thought of it. I told him that it was a 

 lot of f alshoods from beginning to end ; 

 that it was a grand humbug and swindle, 

 and that I believed every one having 

 anything to do with her would get bitten. 



It appears that Mr. Muth has a pat- 

 ent on Honey Extractors, but in all 

 probability he has not the remotest 

 idea that he can enforce a claim to any 

 part of a honey extractor. I made one 

 with the sloping-sided basket in 1872. 

 There are probablv othersthat adopted 

 that improvement the same year, or 

 even sooner. 



Every now and then the question is 

 discussed as to the best shape of hive 

 and frame. I commenced with a side- 

 opener, but I soon closed up that, and 

 now you could not give me a hive of 

 that kind. I can, however, see some 

 excuse for the apiarist using such a hive 

 where he has frames 10x18 inches ; but 

 with the frames say 10x12 inches sim- 

 ply putting them the reverse way in the 

 Langstroth hive a side opener is unnec- 

 essary. The advantages of a small 

 frame are so great in every way, that I 

 doubt if any apiarist has given the 



Langstroth frame 10x12 or 12x12 a fair 

 trial, and then abandoned it for the 

 large one. 



Nothing pleases me better now than 

 the inauguration of this move against 

 adulterations ; and it should not stop 

 with that of honey alone, but should 

 reach all articles of food. It is esti- 

 mated tnat one hundred thousand peo- 

 ple are poisoned each year in the 

 United States by this neferious traffic. 

 All honor to Mr. Dadant for pushing 

 this matter. But I have not much 

 faith in petitions. There ought to be 

 some good men at Washington, this 

 winter, to follow it up or the petitions, I 

 fear, will amount to nothing. I intended 

 to try to secure a law in our State 

 against adulterations in food, but the 

 thought has just occuredto me whether 

 it would not be a better move to get 

 a concurrent resolution through, asking 

 Congress for such a law. It would have 

 more force with Congress than all 

 the petitions that could be procured. 

 I think measures should be taken to 

 procure as many such resolutions from 

 State legislatures as possible. I will 

 take charge of that business for Kansas 

 and do what I can by correspondence 

 to help it along in Missouri. Let us 

 open a war on adulterators. They are 

 an enemy that cannot longer be toler- 

 ated. A duty of 10 cents per pound on 

 glucose and an internal revenue tax of 

 the same amount, would prevent its 

 use in adulterating food. 



Lawrence, Kansas. 



For the American Bee Journul. 



Creating a Honey Market. 



BY ED. WELLINGTON. 



Mr. Doolittle's remarks on this sub- 

 ject, in the December number, with the 

 editorial following it, are to the point. 

 Many are in too great a hurry to get rid 

 of their honey, at any price offered, 

 regardless of the effect on others. One 

 of my neighbors, who had but a few 

 hundredpounds, took pains to tell every 

 one around that extracted honey was 

 worth only 10 cents per pound ; and as 

 a result, prices were ruined at the start. 

 I have known extracted honey to sell 

 as low as 8 cents per pound here this 

 fall, and comb honey at 10 cents per lb. 

 What I have sold has been at the follow- 

 ing prices : Extracted 121 cents ; comb 

 16 to 20 cents per lb. When I com- 

 menced in the business I sold extracted 

 honey at 18 cents per lb., and comb 

 honey at 25 cents, and no fault was 

 found by my customers at the price. 

 The yield of this Co. is about 20,000 lbs. 



Riverton, Iowa. 



