ing all inferior queens by superior ones 

 raised from the choicest parents." Mr. 

 Benedict says : " With Geo. Thompson I 

 believe that our bees can be greatly im- 

 proved." 



How shall we improve ? 



Mr. Langstroth says by breeding only from 

 the finest. Dzierzon says by invariably 

 using brood from the handsomest and most 

 fertile, for breeding. Mr. Moon emphasizes 

 the fact of variation among the best Italians, 

 and urges with great force the selection of 

 the best only, for purposes of breeding. 

 Mr. Dadaut, whose articles show him to be 

 a master in this field, pleads eloquently for 

 caution in this direction. Mr. Alley, a man 

 who rears and favors cheap queens, spoke 

 wise and meaning words in Amekican 

 Bee Journal, Vol. 6. p 58, as follows : " I 

 pay the highest price for my breeding 

 queens," (Why ?) " and now have queens of 

 my own rearing that I would not sell for 

 $50." Mr. Root often tells us of queens of 

 surpassing excellence in his apiary. Would 

 he have us believe that exclusive breeding 

 from such queens, at a compensation which 

 would make it possible, would be no better 

 than breeding from all his queens indis- 

 criminately, even though all are imported ? 



What shall the ideal be ? 



1 believe color is lauded far too highly. A 

 few years since color was a mark of low 

 grade in ranking short-horns. In breeding 

 for farm and early maturity that had been 

 neglected as of inferior consideration, and 

 one could not secure, animals that would 

 breed true to color, without sacrificing more 

 weighty points. Now, some of the best 

 strains are being selected in reference to 

 color, and soon, it will be possible to pro- 

 cure the rich red short-horns, that shall also 

 be first in every other consideration. I 

 believe alike course is desirable in breeding 

 bees. With Mr. Dadant, I should place 

 color after prolificness of queen, and 

 activity, endurance, and temper of workers. 

 First. " Aim to have your queens reproduce 

 themselves in fecundity, and in ability to 

 generate the most vigorous and energetic 

 workers, then work for amiability and 

 beauty. I believe, nay. I am sure, that our 

 breeders, if encouraged, can produce bees 

 that will eclipse even our best Italians of 

 to-day. To do this, Mr. Alley must breed to 

 sell only from his $50. queens. Mr. Root 

 from only those which excel in his apiary, 

 and so of all the others. 



Now I believe that among queen-breeders, 

 as among breeders of other stock, we shall 

 never reach, even a mediocre of success, 

 until the reputation of our breeders for only 

 keeping and selling the best, becomes estab- 

 lished. Our breeders must not only be 

 encouraged to make the best selections, and 

 breed only from the best, but also to rear 

 queens only in full colonies, to insure, 

 against the rearing of queens from worker 

 larvae which are nearly mature, to rear 

 queens only in warm weather, and when 

 bees are active, and stores abundant. Now, 

 1 think it is no " mean insinuation " to sug- 

 gest that all these will not be secured till the 

 demand, the price and the general opinion 

 among bee-keepers, and especially the in- 



fluence of our editors, all conspire to bring 

 it about. It is far from sufficient that 

 imported stock only be used. I would have 

 our breeders use the best, no matter whether 

 imported or home-bred, and supplement this 

 with every other caution. I believe the 

 superiority of Italians is not owing to care- 

 ful breeding, but to the law of "natural 

 selection "—shut up in a limited area, and 

 walled in by mountains, there was a strug- 

 gle for life, and only the fittest could sur- 

 vive, so all but the most vigorous would 

 starve, hence there was developed an active 

 race, with longer tongues. Without doubt 

 the variations still continue, some towards a 

 still higher excellence, others reverting to 

 the inferior condition of the past. We may 

 select the former and develop a still higher 

 race, or we may breed with no care, and 

 lose the excellence we already have. The 

 whole, dollar queen business tends in this 

 very direction. Even our most honorable 

 breeders will not, cannot. take the requisite 

 care, and sell for one dollar. They will not 

 wait, and watch, and study, to find the most 

 excellent queens ; will not take pains to 

 secure eggs exclusively from such queens ; 

 will not start and rear all queens in full 

 colonies ; will not cease to breed, when cold 

 or dearth of nectar makes the most success- 

 ful breeding impossible ; cannot, nay, do 

 not, even profess to watch and test the 

 young stock, to see whether it is valuable or 

 not. The queens from congenital hurt, may 

 be poor or worthless, or the same may result 

 from mismating. Now in saying this, I 

 disclaim any intention of casting "mean 

 insinuations." It is not the fault of the 

 breeder, but of the system. In other occu- 

 pations, it takes desire for reputation, 

 remunerative prices, and pride to stand first, 

 to secure the best work. I believe we bee- 

 keepers are no exception. Yet none of 

 these incentives can possibly influence the 

 breeder of dollar queens. Men with the 

 requisite skill will generally abandon the 

 business, Our system of breeding will 

 degenerate, and our business lose one of its 

 brightest opportunities for progress. Mr. 

 Langstroth tells methatwhatl say of dollar 

 queens is entirely correct. The unanimous 

 vote of the National Convention says the 

 same. Mr. Nellis may be correct in saying 

 that it will be hard to stay the flood of 

 dollar queens, but that is no reason why we 

 should not all do our part to accomplish it. 



In my own home-breeding, I find it wise 

 policy to distroy many queens, and to take 

 the greatest care that everything should be 

 the most favorable in rearing young queens. 

 I would that we might all do our part to 

 stimulate those who breed for the market to 

 do the same. We can do this by saying to 

 the breeder, in the words of E. L. Briggs 

 (see American Bee Journal, Vol. 6, p86): 

 " Fix your own price, but send me one of 

 the best queens you have got." Analogy, 

 reason, my own experience, together with 

 that of many with whom I have talked, all 

 proclaim this to be the wise policy. 



Were I to enter the list as a breeder for 

 the market, I should select with the most 

 severe scrutiny, and study to spare no pains 

 in securing drones from my best colonies, 

 follow with no lack of energy, the wisest 

 counsels in securing and caring for the 



