222 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



case, is there an}^ legitimate rea- 

 son, why we should throw them 

 aside? and have we any guarant}'^ 

 tliat we shall gain by so doing? 

 So far as the attempted argument 

 is concerned tiiat Italians are hy- 

 brids, tliere is no proof whatever 

 to support it, and the only reply 

 that is needed is the simple asser- 

 tion that statements, not based on 

 proof, are of no value whatever as 

 arguments. I can assert safely, 

 and defy proof to the contrary, that 

 the Italians are the originals of the 

 race of honey bees. 



My proof is found in Virgil, who 

 speaks of two races of bees, black 

 and yellow, and who says the yel- 

 low are far superior. For twenty 

 years I have tested both the yel- 

 iow and the black, and the various 

 crosses they are capable of pro- 

 ducing. 1 have found the yellow 

 Italians the superiors every time, 

 and that crossing them injured the 

 strain ; and also that crossing the 

 blacks improved them in the ratio 

 of the Italian blood added. I 

 trust that no one will be deceived 

 then by any specious arguments in 

 favor of crossing ; and that all 

 will remember they come from par- 

 ties who advertise such crosses for 

 .sale. 



Foxboro, Aug. 2, 1887. 



For the American Apiculturist. 



■"' INS" AND ''OUTS" OF THE 

 APIAliY. 



LUCr C. CUEHORE. 



As I find that human nature is 

 more fond of looking at the brighter 

 side of life than at the darker, per- 

 haps it would be better for me to 

 name some of the " ins" first. 



Were you to ask me what I 

 thought was the first "in" of my 

 apiary, I should say a lively, pro- 



lific strain of bees. Not too lively, 

 however, for I should be apt to 

 consider that trait a decided "out." 

 Some novice might inquire, what 

 kind of a hive to use. I should 

 reply, the very best ; which is the 

 kind which best suits the manipu- 

 lator. " Many people have many 

 minds," so, to please all, there are 

 many hives. Another great " in" 

 is the situation of my hives, which 

 are placed facing south. 



It is an amusing " in " to accom- 

 pany the boastful visitor who re- 

 bels against the bee veil, into the 

 apiary, and see him make himself 

 suddenly "in"-visible among the 

 bushes. In the course of five min- 

 utes he appears from the other 

 side of the house and says, with a 

 triumphant ring in his voice, 

 "Well, I didn't get stung, did I? 



I studied beekeeping under two 

 apiarists who are among the best 

 in New England, and the past 

 summer took care of an apiary 

 containing over one hundred colo- 

 nies. If their (the bees) views and 

 mine had not disagreed, I fully be- 

 lieve they would have increased to 

 five hundred colonies. When cut- 

 ting out queen cells to prevent 

 afterswarms, I removed from 

 twelve to sixteen queen cells, 

 hatching and nearly ready to hatch, 

 from each ; and often, at the same 

 time, found another set started 

 with larva in them. 



Certainly I know of no more 

 healthful and profitable employ- 

 ment for ladies than beekeeping, 

 and, if rightly managed it will not 

 interfere with either domestic or 

 intellectual pursuits. A novice 

 might tliink from reading the "ins" 

 that there were no " outs." Not 

 so, my friend. Take stings, for 

 instance. They are annoying, but 

 as I make quite free use of soft 

 soap (not the verbal kind, how- 

 ever), I am not much afl["ected by 

 them. I know of no severer "out" 

 than, after working patiently and 



