THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



9f 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



WASHINGTON, NOVEMBER, 1868. 



dT.TiiE American Bee Journal is now 

 published monthly, in the City of Washington, 

 (D. C.,) at $2 per annum in advance. All com- 

 munications should be addressed to the Editor, 

 at that place. 



ElT'We cannot consent to insert, as commun- 

 ications, articles which have previously appear- 

 ed, as such, in other papers or periodicals ; nor 

 can we engage to return manuscripts not used. 



We are gratified in being able to present our 

 readers this month with an interesting commun- 

 ication on foulbrood, from the Baroness Von 

 Berlepsch — a lady who takes as warm an inter- 

 est in all that relates to bees and bee-culture, as 

 her distinguished husband, whose labors and 

 services have long since secured to him a world- 

 wide reputation. As she speaks and writes 

 English familiarly, we hope to be under obliga- 

 tions to her frequently for valuable articles and 

 important information, earlier than such could 

 possibly reach us through the customary chan- 

 nels. 



We have not yet received the number of the 

 Bienenzeitung containing Dr. Preuss' account 

 of his discovery ; but our impression is that the 

 fungi observed by him in foulbroody matter 

 are rather the consequence than the cause of the 

 disease. We have long been of the opinion 

 that this malady originates in the use of pollen 

 that is undergoing putrefacative fermentation 

 from whatever cause. This coincides also with 

 the views of Mr. Lambrecht, froniAvhose pen an 

 excellent article on the subject appeared in 

 several recent numbers of the Hanover Central- 

 blatt. Of these we had prepared a translation 

 for our present number, but concluded to post- 

 pone its insertion to next month when we re. 

 ceived the communication from the Baroness 

 Von Berlepsch. These articles, in connection, 

 we conceive convey more definite information 

 as to the nature, source, and cure of the disease 

 than has hitherto been attainable, and we trust 

 may at last lead to a satisfactory solution of 

 the difficulty which has so long perplexed and 

 dismayed bee-keepers in almost every district of 

 country. 



£2F"We are indebted to Mr. Dadant, of Ham 

 ilton, Illinois, for an article from the pen of Dr. 

 Blumhof, giving an account of the state of bee- 

 culture in Italy. 



We fiequently see, in the agricultural press, 

 notices of fancied discoveries or new observa- 

 tions respecting bees, the novelty of which is 

 confined to the non-p.)sted observer and the un- 

 informed reader. Of this description is an arti- 

 cle now "going the rounds," in relation to a pe- 

 culiar feature in the wings of bees, enabling the 

 insect to form one wing of two by means of cer- 

 tain minute hooks upon the back of each. 

 This peculiar feature is minutely described on 

 page 85 of Unhoch's "Introduction to a correct 

 knoicledge and proper management of Bees,'''' 

 published at Munich just forty-five years ago, 

 and is exhibited on plate 6, figure 13, of that 

 work. It is also mentioned on page 01, and 

 figured on plate 7, of Notcutt's "Handbook of 

 the Microscope,' 1 '' published in London in 1849. 

 thus "the wings of Hymenoptera, (bees, wasps, 

 &c), present a curious structure in a series of 

 minute hooks with which the front edge of the 

 wing is fringed. Their object is to c'asp the 

 hinder part of the front wing while flying, so as 

 to increase their strength of flight." Unhoch 

 says : — "The larger wing of a worker bee is 14 

 lines long and 4^ lines broad. It proceeds from 

 the upper part of the thorax and is so connected, 

 by cartilage, with the smaller wing lying above 

 it that the one cannot move without the 

 other. At about mid-length of the upper mar- 

 gin of each wing are situated nineteen or twen- 

 ty, and frequently twenty-one minute hooks, 

 finely pointed. By means of these the smaller 

 wing is attached to the larger, to secure a more 

 expanded surface when flying." Thus, 'we 

 see, old things become new. 



Part III of Dr. Packard's "Guide to the Study 

 of Insects" has been received. It is handsomely 

 printed, beautifully illustrated with three full- 

 page plates and numerous cuts, and is replete 

 with information about bees, wasps, and other 

 hymenoptera It is a work of special interest 

 and value to all who wish to obtain a correct 

 knowledge of the various classes of insects. 

 Published at Salem, Massachusetts. Price fifty 

 cedts per Part. 



We have received from Paris, volumes 10, 11 

 and 12, of " V Apiculieur,' 1 ' 1 the French Bee 

 Journal, from which we expect to derive some 



