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THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



they could rear, but I have known 

 several' seasons when it was hard 

 to get fifty pounds per colony of 

 surplus, tluis the waste was the 

 largest amount. It seems ridicu- 

 lous that to secure fifty pounds 

 of salable honey fitty-six are 

 wasted. 



When the colonies are building 

 up in May and June, it takes from 

 fifteen to twenty days to double 

 the comb space occupied b}' brood. 

 Two doublings reach the laying 

 capacity of the average queen, but 

 I have found some queens that 

 would double the space again, so 

 as to occupy from eighteen to 

 twenty combs. The main trouble 

 with weak colonies is not to make 

 the queen lay eggs fast enough, 

 but it is the lack of bees to care 

 for the eggs that are laid. 



In the case of the extra prolific 

 queen, fifteen or twenty days of the 

 honey harvest are spent in caring 

 for brood, and consequently the 

 colony will contain many bees and 

 little honey at the close of the har- 

 vest. 



In view of the foregoing condi- 

 tions, during the harvest, I would 

 want the most prolific queen in the 

 weakest colony, and the less pro- 

 lific one in the strongest one, as 

 that would utilize the brood and 

 save the honey. 



Bradford, loiva. 



For the American AviculUirist. 



A GOOD PLACE TO LOCATE. 



Jacob Crane. 



I came here for my health five 

 years ago which I lost in the Poto- 

 mac army. I found the water here 

 the purest on the continent and 

 unequalled for all kidney and liver 

 complaints. The nights are cool 



and refreshing to the invalid. This 

 section is especially adapted to all 

 kinds of fruits, tobacco, vegetables 

 and bees, as red and white clover 

 are very abundant. Buckwheat in 

 bloom from the first of May until 

 the first of November. White 

 clover grows splendid everywhere 

 it is sowed. Soil is freestone and 

 for health this section cannot be 

 excelled anywhere. This locality 

 is especial!}^ adapted to northern 

 and eastern men. We have a good 

 many northern men who came here 

 for health and the}^ have organized 

 to secure intelligent settlers from 

 the north. The members have no 

 financial interest in the organiza- 

 tion, neither do they receive any 

 compensation. They have issued 

 a pan^-phlet descriptive of this high- 

 land view which they will send to 

 all sending one stamp. I would 

 like to see this section settled by 

 northern men as my healtli is such 

 I cannot live north. 

 Summertoivn, Teiui. 



mmmimB 



and Answers by Practical Apiarists. 



AKE THE ITALIAN BEES 

 A PURE RACE? 



Query No. 16. Is the so-called 

 Italian bee a pure race, or a hyl^rid, us- 

 ing the term hj^ljrid in its common 

 acceptation as meaning a cross? Facts, 

 not tlieory, are required in answer. 

 — K. R. 



ANSWER BY JAMES HEDDON. 



I use and prefer a hybrid strain of 

 bees which I produced by crossing 

 the two strains mentioned in my an- 

 swer to query No. ii. I have no 

 means of knowing whether my strain 

 is absolutely "fixed" or not. I set 

 no advantage in having it so "fixed." 

 I think I prefer it wider open to fur- 

 ther improvement. We have thought 



