1870.] 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



There is one evidence of conscience on the 

 part of the opposition which deserves mention, 

 viz., the case of McDaniels : he swears that he 

 saw movable comb frames, as Langstroth uses 

 tliem, whey he was a boy. He identified the in- 

 vention fully, and swears positively ; but when 

 called up to hear his deposition read, takes it all 

 back and swears he is satisfied there were no 

 frames, nothing but cross-sticks, in the hives he 

 saw. 



The examples above given ai-e sufficient to 

 indicate and stamp the character of the testimony 

 offered by the opposition. 



The testimony established beyond question 

 the value and importance of the invention to the 

 bee-keeping public. Even the opponents to the 

 application are compelled to admit that it is one 

 that is revolutionizing the system of bee-culture 

 and rendering it popular and profitable, and un- 

 questionably one for the discovery aiid introduc- 

 tion of which this applicant has received nothing 

 approximating an adequate remuneration, and 

 scarcely a bare subsistence, as the result of un- 

 tiring efi'ort to introduce it and to instruct bee- 

 keepers in its use. 



The above is believed to cover the ground re- 

 quired of this report as far as is practicable, 

 without going into careful analysis of the whole 

 testimony and this believed to be unnecessary in 

 view of what is herein stated. 



Respectfully submitted, 



Addison M. Smith, 



Examiner in Charge. 



Hon. T. C. Theakeh, Com. of Patents. 



[For the Americaa Beo Journal.] 



Italian Bees, Questions, &c. 



Is the allowed superiority of the Italian bees 

 a Jiaturnl quality, or only the result of circum- 

 stances? People here have thought that changing 

 the locality of bees once in a few years, Avas pro- 

 ductive of good. One case I will mention. One 

 very poor year, a man who had a dozen or more 

 swarms, gave one to his daughter who was mar- 

 ried. Others had let here and there a swarm, all 

 of which were moved ; and it was noticed that 

 all those moved swarmed, while those not moved 

 did nothing. The bees thus swarming showed 

 no snjjeriority in the spring over those not 

 moved. If Italian queens are imported, or rais- 

 ed here and sold, the mother of the new queen 

 has changed her location ; and that, I judge to 

 be equal to changing the swarm. 



Again, is there not an advantage in mixing 

 and crossing the breed, and not only the different 

 breeds, but the same breed, by mixing bees from 

 the home apiary with those from a distance. I 

 see "friend Alley" guai'ds against the too fre- 

 quent breeding in and in of his Italian bees. It 

 is said that the human family will degenerate 

 where there is a siiccession of marriages between 

 near relatives. Most bees are Italianized by 

 crossing them ; and is not that circumstance a 

 reason for their superiority ? And after Italian 

 bees shall have become common in a given local- 

 ity, would there not be an advantage in changing 

 them back to black bees, by gradual process ? 



While some complain tha.t their Italian bees, 

 reared from queens purchased, were not so good 

 as native bees, others have suggested that queen 

 raisers had better sell fewer queens and at higher 

 prices, and be careful to breed from prolific queens 

 only. Is not that circumstance in the case, of 

 great advantage ; and would not black bees be 

 as much benefited by the same means ? Would 

 there not be another great advantage in breeding 

 not only from great breeders, but from great 

 workers aXao"} Some bees here are greatly given 

 to swarming, and others to making large quanti- 

 ties of honey. If these two last qualities could 

 be combined, I think our stocks would be much 

 improved. 



I have now asked my questions, and made 

 some suggestions. I hope some of the knonring 

 ones will answer — not objecting, however, to any 

 one that will kindly favor us with an answer. 



My main question is, is the superiority of the 

 Italian bee a natural quality ? 



Alokzo Barnakd. 



Bangor, Me., June 18.0. 



[For the Amorieau Bee Journal.] 



Some Tliouglits on Bee-culture. 



I have kept bees a good many years, and wish 

 to give you some reflections, the results of my 

 observations and experience. Hives, whether 

 straw, box, or any kind of i^atent, should not be 

 set nearer to each other than about four feet, nor 

 higher from the ground than one foot. It will 

 then be more convenient to work among them, 

 and young queens will be less liable to mistake 

 their homes and be lost. They should be shelter- 

 ed from storms and the sun. Every hive should 

 be raised from its bottom board once or twice a 

 month, during the working season, that any 

 moth-worms found there may be destroyed. The 

 bee-moth is the great pest of the apiary, wlien 

 the bee-keeper is careless and slovenly. It is par- 

 ticularly injurious to weak stocks, and such 

 should be more frequently examined, and the 

 worms destroyed. 



I think bee-keeping is a paying business, if 

 carried on right. But hardly one farmer in a 

 hundred takes proper care of his bees. That is 

 the reason they lose their stocks, and leads them 

 to say bees are unprofitable. If I had a thousand 

 stands of bees I would bid farming good-bye, for 

 I am satisfitd I could then make money and have 

 easy work. Perhaps bee-keepers should be glad 

 that all men do not like bees, for if they did we 

 could not get ten cents a pound for our honey, 

 there would be so much made. I sold eight 

 hundred pounds last season, at twenty-live cents 

 a pound, besides having as much as the family 

 could use. I have three kinds of patent hives — 

 Keith's, Beard's, and Van Zimmerman's, and 

 like them very well. Patentees should furnish 

 cuts of their hives, as we could then better un- 

 derstand the description of their inventions, and 

 form some opinion of their value. 



Bees did exceedingly well in these pnrts last 

 summer. I have taken the American Bee .Iour- 

 NAL for three years past. I like it better than any 

 paper I ever took, and so long as it is published, 



