60 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



of a different race but because it is 

 " nature." , 



There are brown bees in this 

 country that are not Germans ; 

 perhaps the^^ came here when the 

 Indians came. They are natives 

 of tliis country as the Italians are 

 natives of Italy, or Syrians of Syria. 

 The Indians are, or are called, na- 

 tives of America, the African of Af- 

 rica and Asiatic of Asia. These 

 natives are divided and subdivided 

 into different strains each speaking- 

 its language and dialect and pos- 

 sess peculiarities differing from 

 each other. 



The inhabitants of the earth ap- 

 pear divided into breeds as the 

 United States is divided into states, 

 counties, townships and districts. 



When we go back to the Bible 

 (oiironl^' authority), we understand 

 that theie was but one man created. 

 The different climates and natural 

 surroundings seem to plfiy an 

 active part in changing the charac- 

 teristics. If there was but one 

 colony of bees created at first, then 

 the different strains existing at 

 present must have oi'iginated from 

 the one, and shows that the strains 

 may by separation and climatic 

 effects become established races. 



ANSWER BY G. M. DOOLITTLE. 



Can see no difference at all. 

 About the origin of these bees I 

 know nothing. 



ANSWER BY JAMES HEDDON. 



Different persons mean different 

 things by the term "black bee," and 

 perhaps by the term "brown German 

 bee." When I say "German bee" 

 I cover the whole ground of the 

 smaller black and larger brown or 

 gray type or strain of the German 

 race. In a late issue, I told whence 

 I procured my first specimens of 

 the larger, lighter-colored type of 

 the German bees and how much bet- 

 ter I found them than the more com- 

 mon, smaller and darker strains of 

 the same race. I am not sure of 



the origin of variation in the same 

 race. I suspect that isolation in dif- 

 ferent and more or less favorable lo- 

 calities brought about the difference. 

 I only know of their present vast 

 difference in quality. 



I found this difference far more 

 striking than difference in qualities 

 among Italian bees, and a few years 

 ago Mr. Dadant imported some 

 longer-bodied and darker Italians 

 than I had ever seen before, and I 

 found them superior to any I had 

 ever tested. 



CROSSING THE RACE TO PRODUCE 

 A NEW STRAIN OF BEES. 



Query Wo. 12. Is it possible to 

 crcatii a new strain of the honey bee, 

 b}^ crossing? Wliat I mean is a strain 

 that will be able so to duplicate itself, 

 that by any markings of color it can 

 be positively liuown and distinguished 

 at all times, and under all circum- 

 stances. K. R. 



ANSWER BY DR. TINKER. 



Yes, it is possible in the space of 

 perhaps a dozen years. But it 

 cannot be done by natural selec- 

 tion in one man's life-time. Queens 

 and drones must be selected to a 

 type and mated in isolated locali- 

 ties. It is easier to get queens to 

 duplicate themselves than to get 

 queens that will produce a uniform 

 drone progeny. 



ANSWER BY G. W. DEMAREE. 



This is a nice question, and 

 one that has engaged the attention 

 of a great number of breeders. 

 The question as to what is " pos- 

 sible" in the science of breeding 

 opens a wide field for investigation 

 and experiment. It is certain, 

 however, that no one has j'et suc- 

 ceeded in breeding a strain of bees 

 from a cross between any of the 

 so-called races of bees tliat have 

 characteristic markings sufficiently 

 established to identify them or 

 distinguish them from other hy- 

 brids 



