THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



213 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Some Questions in Back lumbers 

 Answered. 



their legs just like pollen and carry it off, I pre- 

 sume to daub \ip the crevices, or to use it iu 

 some way as propolis. 



H. Nesbit. 

 Cynthiana, Ky., April 2, 1869. 



While reviewing some back numbers of the 

 Bee Journal, I see on page 58, vol. 3, Mr. J. 

 L. McCune asks two questions. First — Will 

 there generally be a noticeable difference in the 

 markings of workers from mothers, one of 

 which is a pure Italian queen but mated with a 

 common drone; the other a common queen ma- 

 ted with an Italian drone ? 



I kept about half common bees and half Ital- 

 ians in my apiary for three years, to test the 

 superiority of the two kinds; and had many 

 queens impregnated by drones of their opposite 

 color. The workers from black queens that 

 mated with Italian drones seldom showed more 

 than two bands; while the Italian queens that 

 mated with black drones, always produced some 

 bees that showed three yellow rings. Judging 

 from observations made in my own apiary, my 

 opinion is that the black queens, impregnated 

 hj Italian drones, showed the fewest yellow 

 rings. 



Second query:— Has any one, not raising 

 queens for sale, ever had bees to work freely on 

 red clover? 



I intend to raise Italian queens this coming 

 season, for sale; yet I will answer his question 

 candidly, and Mr. McCune can take it for truth 

 or not. I have had Italian bees for six years, 

 and live in a section of country that has hun- 

 dreds of acres of red clover every year; and yet 

 I have never seen bees gathering honey from it 

 except in two years, 1862 and 1864. In 1862, I 

 had no Italian bees, but had one hundred ai d 

 thirty colonies of black bees, and saio them 

 gathering honey from red clover for about three 

 weeks. That was the best honey season we have 

 had here for twenty years or more, The red 

 clover blossoms were filled almost to overflow- 

 ing with honey, and I often saw two bees fill- 

 ing their sacs from one blossom, and then leave 

 honey in the little tubes that they could not 

 reach. In 1864, I saw both Italian and black 

 bees work on red clover for a few days, in the 

 forenoon, but never since. 



I have bought queens from Mr. Langstroth, 

 but cannot get their progeny to gather honey 

 from red clover. It may be that his soil is so 

 poor that the blossoms are short, or produce 

 more honey than mine. 



In the same volume, some beekeeper whose 

 name I have forgotten, inquires if paint will 

 prevent bees from sticking the honey-board fast 

 to the upper bars of the frames ? No ! I have 

 tried it with both the black and the Italian bees. 

 They stick it just as fast, with the paint, as 

 without it. 



Some tell us that fresh paint is so offensive to 

 bees, that they will leave the hive if a swarm 

 is put in one freshly painted. I have, on some 

 half dozen occasions, put bees iu hives just 

 painted, and they all went to work the same as 

 in other hives. I have often had bees come 

 where I was painting, and stick the paint on 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



That Reply (?) 



Mr. Editor : — In the April number of the 

 Journal, I find an article headed "Mr. Kid- 

 der's Reply," and containing over his signa- 

 ture some references to statements made by Mr. 

 Gallup, and an article headed " Facts," which 

 appeared in the January number of the Jour- 

 nal over my signature. I presume Mr. Gallup 

 is abundantly able to attend to his share of this 

 "reply." 



As regards the case in hand between Mr. 

 Kidder and myself, I have but a word to say. 

 He begins his reply to my "Facts" by stating 

 that I have asserted certain things. This, to 

 put it mildly, is not a "Fact," as your readers 

 will see for themselves by turning to page 185. 

 Mr. Kidder's controversy should not be with 

 me, but with the Judge and Clerk of the United 

 States Circuit Court — they being the parties 

 who make the assertion that the suit in ques- 

 tion "was brought to a final hearing upon 

 pleadings and proof! 1 ' With all due deference 

 to Mr. K., I would submit that officials are in a 

 position to know Avhat were the facts, quite as 

 well as Mr. Kidder ; and the public will be apt 

 to accept their official verdict in preference to 

 any mere assertions of one who, after boasting- 

 ly advertising that he was defending the suit and 

 prepared to show various things, "if Mr. Otis 

 would let the suit come to trial," now faces 

 about and states that the suit went by default, 

 Mr. " Austin deeming it advisable to pay no 

 more regard to it." 



I will not occupy more of your valuable 

 space, it being very plain that Mr. Kidder must 

 join issue with Judge and Clerk, in place of 

 with me. They are the parties who state offi- 

 cially the "facts" which Mr. K. will find need 

 a better reply that bare assertions which are 

 directly contrary to "facts." They are of the 

 impression that the defendant was adjudged to 

 pay damages and costs ; and they are in a posi- 

 tion to know. I take their word for it, not hav- 

 ing been present at the trial, and Mr. Otis being 

 no "agent" of Mr. Langstroth, but the owner 

 of the patent for the territory in which Mr. 

 Austin lived. 



James T. Langstroth. 



Oxford, Butler Co, Ohio, April 6, 1869. 



When straggling bees come into a room, if 

 the upper sash of the window be pulled down, 

 they will presently go out again. But where 

 windows are not so constructed, the bees should 

 be gently brushed clown to that part which does 

 open, or otherwise they will beat themselves to 

 death against the glass, as they always ascend 

 to the upper part, where the most light is. — 

 Keys. 



