86 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[Oct. 



tains a library, in which I saw, among books and 

 specimens of natural history, a large bellglass, 

 two drinking glasses, and a large shell, all full of 

 honey built there by the bees. 



There is nothing extraordinary in that, since 

 bees build their combs in anything that is given 

 them, provided it is clean ; but M. Hamet prob- 

 ably thinks that it is admirable. 



Cn. Dadant. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Milan, (Italy), August 8, 1872. 



My Dear Fiuekds: — As you have seen by 

 my last letter, I arrived through southern Swit- 

 zerland. 



I saw the bees of Pall an za, of Bellinzona, of 

 Como. I could have bought some at Bellinzona, 

 but neither the bees nor the queens pleased me. 

 The queens that 1 saw had some black rings in- 

 stead of the leather color that we like, even when 

 it is dark. One of the queens that was shown to me 

 was so dark that she seemed to be exactly simi- 

 lar to a blaek queen. SAB TOM says that there 

 is some black blood mixed with the Italian on 

 the frontiers of Italy. 



At my arrival in Milan, I was received with 

 exquisite courtesy by Count Barbo (1 . We vis- 

 ited the Viscount of Saliceto f2) together. Both 

 belong to the nobility, and live in sumptuous 

 mansions, with all the luxury of high life. 

 Then we visited Sartori. The establishment of 

 Milan for bee-productious, tools, hives, &c , 

 thrives rapidly under his direction. This asso- 

 ciation paid 20 per cent, to the shareholders this 

 year. 



Unhappily the bees are in poor condition this 

 year in Italy. All the bee-keepers that I have 

 seen told me that they were obliged to feed their 

 bees on account of the want of honey. The like 

 has never been seen before in this country. Tins 

 scarcity of honey made me fear that I could not 

 tind as many queens as I wanted, on account of 

 the mortality among the bees of careless bee- 

 keepers. 



Sartori told me that he could not furnish me 

 with queens, not even 10°, for the epoch that I 

 had designated. He wanted 15 days more and 

 an increase of price of If. per queen. I consented 

 to wait 15 days longer, and, thanks to Messrs. 

 Barbo and Saliceto, he consented to furnish the 

 queens for 5 francs. 1 granred him a week to 

 inform me of the number that he can furnish. 



The queens that Sartori showed me are all 

 beautiful, but not bright in colors. They are 

 of what we call the right color. The hives that 

 I saw were well stocked, but without, or with 

 very little honey. His bees are very mild ; he 

 opens all his hives without smoke, although they 

 are destitute of honey, and they never seemed 

 disposed to sting. 



If I had not been very particular in taking 

 nothing but yellow and young queens, I could 

 have found the necessary quantity very easily ; 

 but a queen two years old has lost § of her value, 



(1) President of the Central Association of Bee- 

 Culture for Italy. 



(2) Editor of L'Apicoltore, Milan. 



and since I am here I must make the best out of 

 my situation. I was offered 100 or 150 queens by 

 Chevalley, to be taken from his apiary and that 

 of his associate, Lafranchi, but I would have 

 had queens of all' kinds, without guarantee of 

 age or color. On the other hand, Sartori beinsj 

 very conscientious, I will get nothing from him 

 but choice queens. 



Every year the country bee-keepers sell their 

 second swarms and old stocks, and preserve the 

 first swarms. But this year the swarms have 

 been scarce and the hives are light, so that no- 

 body wants to sell on account of the small value 

 of the hives. Besides, honey seems to be more 

 abundant just now, and they want to keep their 

 bees in the hope that they will gain something 

 in weight. So you see that I am anchored in 

 Italy for a whole month. Happily, Messrs. Bar- 

 bo, Saliceto and Dubini, will help me to spend 

 my time by showing me the city and the apiaries 

 of the neighboring towns. 



I will go, to-morrow, in Venice, to see Hruska. 

 If his bees are of good quality I will buy a few 

 of them, but I do not believe that they are bet- 

 ter than here. 



1 stay at Sartori's. and take care of his bees 

 while he is travelling to buy queens. 



Ch. Dadant. 



Milan, Aurjust 16, 1872. 



My Drau Fi:iends :— Sartori has been out in 

 the country during the beginning of this week. 

 hunting for queens for me. I already have 126 

 queens, the larger part of which came from the 

 country. Sartori does not think that lie can fur- 

 nish me with more than 300 qti' ens in all, on ac- 

 count of the s'ill continuincr lack of honey. In 

 a village containing 70 hives in the spiing, there 

 is but one remaining. All the rest starved to 

 death. Sartori's bees desert their hives con- 

 stantly for want of honey. 



Bee moths are very numerous here, on account 

 of the well known carelessness of the Italian 

 people 



Lombnrdy in, so far, the country where I saw 

 the nici.st and mildest bees. 



Every day I receive some visits. I have seen 

 Countess Maroni, Count Carlo Borromeo, Count 

 Castralani, Prof. Cornelia, the keeper of the 

 Boyal Palace of Milan, etc., etc I will dine on 

 Sunday with Dr. Dubini, and will go on Mon- 

 day to visit the farms and apiaries of Viscount 

 Saliceto. So you see that I am welcomed every- 

 where. 



I have not visited Hruska yet. They say that 

 he is often a'^sent, so Count Barbo wrote to him 

 to ask him what would be the most suitable day 

 for him. When I go to see him, I shall proba- 

 bly visit a few apiaries in the neighborhood of 

 Venice. 



I saw the bees of Varese ; they are no better 

 than those of Mona, of Bellinzona. The keeper 

 of the royal palace, who. was born and raised in 

 Turin, says that the bees of Piedmont are blacker 

 and cro<ser than those of Milan. Count Castra- 

 lani, who is from the vicinity of Naples, told me 

 also, that the bees of Milan were more yellow 



