214 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[For the American Bee Journal. ] 



Gallup on the Kidder Case. 



Mr. Editor : — It appears that our friend K. 

 P. Kidder is still alive. In the April number 

 of the Bee Journal, page 195, he says : " I 

 have no recollection of supplying Mr. Gallup 

 with queens," &c. In the spring of 1864, Mr. 

 Joseph Bates, of Fond-du-lac, (Wis.) sent five 

 dollars to Mr. Kidder for an Italian queen, and 

 when said queen arrived, I took her out of the 

 shipping box and introduced her to a black 

 colony for Mr. Bates. Now for a description of 

 said queen. She had one very narrow stripe 

 around her abdomen, and the next ring was 

 tinged a trifle about half around the abdomen ; 

 the rest of the abdomen was as black as any tar 

 I ever saw. At the time of introducing her, I 

 unhesitatingly pronounced her to be not over 

 one-fifth blood Italian ; but Ave concluded to 

 wait for her progeny. In about four weeks we 

 examined the brood, and on about one out of 

 every dozen we thought Ave could see a small 

 stripe, but we were not sure. We both ex- 

 amined to see that the queen we introduced was 

 there; and there she proved to be, just as black 

 as ever. In the December number, I did not 

 think that anything less than half a stripe was 

 worth mentioning. 



Mr. Kidder further says that he gives his cus- 

 tomers a warranty that the majority of workers 

 from his queens shall have three distinct bands 

 or stripes. Noav I have seen queens that all of 

 their workers show the three distinct bands or 

 stripes, and all those that produce any workers 

 with less than three stripes, I pronounced im- 

 pure every time. Those stripes, too, can he 

 seen Avithout multiplying glasses. 



You may ask Avhy did not Mr. Bates send for 

 another queen ? Answer, because I considered 

 a warrantry from a man that would send out 

 such a queen as pure, good for nothing; and I 

 am still of that opinion. I can see no possi- 

 bility of any chance for mistake in such a case. 

 There is a possibility for an honest, person to 

 send out an impure queen, impure from being 

 impurely impregnated; but to send out such a 

 queen as I have described, needs no comment. 



Mr. Kidder has been very unfortunate in 

 another particular. He has advertised small 

 packages of pure Alsike clover seed, at twenty - 

 five cents per package ; and in every case that 

 has come under my observation, or that I have 

 been informed of, it has persisted in growing 

 common Avhite clover, instead of Alsike. 



I will further state that I have seen several 

 stocks of Italians, where the queens were ob- j 

 tained from Mr. Kidder, OAvnedby different in- 

 dividuals, and have never seen any that I con- 

 sidered pure. But I am not going to assert that 

 he never sent out any pure ones. 



About that suit. I received, from a friend, 

 what I understand to be a copy of a judgment ; 

 and I mentioned it as I did, for the purpose of 

 drawing out Mr. Kidder. I wished to sec Avhat 

 he had to say on tbe question. Mr. Langstroth 

 has had published, on page 135, a true copy of 

 said judgment, and that does not correspond 



with Mr. Kidder's statement at all. In fact it 

 is just the reverse. If this Win. D. Shipman 

 is a myth, and said decision also, it would be 

 very easy for Mr. Kidder to prove it so. Utica, 

 N. Y., is certainly not a myth, for I have been 

 there. I do not understand as Mr. Kidder does, 

 about the "proofs and pleadings-" That is, I 

 do not accept the copy of the judgment as Mr. 

 Langstrotb's assertion, but as a matter of Court 

 record, which Mr. Kidder's mere assertion can- 

 not overthrow or disprove. Furthermore, if 

 said judgment was taken by default, it Avill be 

 found so recorded, or else they do business 

 differently at Utica from any Court of record 

 that I ever knew anything about. The records 

 are kept expressly for the purpose of shoAving 

 the facts. 



If the plaintiff in the above mentioned suit 

 paid the costs, he was more liberal than the gen- 

 erality of plaintiffs avouUI be in such cases. But 

 perhaps the defendant was like the Dutchman's 

 dog, not worth one cent. The Dutchman sued a 

 man for killing his dog, and swore in Court that 

 the dog was not Avorth one cent., but since the 

 man was so mean as to kill the dog, he wanted 

 every cent the dog was worth. 



The reader will see also that Mr. Kidder tacitly 

 admits that, his hive, at the time of said suit, 

 was an infringement on Mr. Langstrotb's rights; 

 as he has seen fit to make an alteration in his 

 hive or frames, so as to avoid an infringement. 

 I Avas informed, about two years ago, that Mr. 

 Kidder was obliged or saw fit to make said al- 

 teration, since Mr. Langstroth obtained his re- 

 issue. 



By the way, why does not Mr. Quinby or 

 Mr. Langstroth procure some of Mr. Kidder's 

 superior stock of Italians — say the light colored 

 ones for which he got up the patent cuts, and 

 then accused Professor Flanders of stealing his 

 thunder or his patent cut ? 



If any farmer wishes to know what Mr. Kid- 

 der's patent bee preserver is, he can take his 

 fanning mill screen, remove the honey-board 

 and place the screen over the hive, fasten up 

 the entrance, and he will have it. But let him 

 look out, or Kidder will prosecute him for mak- 

 ing use of his patent. Oh, humbug, Avhat a 

 jewel thou art ! 



Elisha Gallup. 



Osage, Ohio. 



[For the American Bee Journal. ] 



Mr. Editor : — In perusing the Bee Jour- 

 nal, I notice many plans suggested to prevent 

 the production of drones in hives. Perhaps it 

 may be interesting to some of your readers to 

 know the process I pursue to that end. 



In the spring, before the bees begin to gather 

 stores, I take out the frames, and cut out all the 

 pieces of drone comb, supplying their places 

 with worker comb. Thereby the object is at- 

 tained at very small cost ; and stocks so treated 

 ever after produce very few drones. 



J. C. Wedge. 



Fond-du-Lac, Wis. 



Among the ancients, Aristomachus contem- 

 plated bees for the space of fifty-eight years. 



