38 



THE AMEEICAN BEE JOUENAL. 



[AUGUfcT, 



[For the American Bee Jouraal.] 



Eespect for the Sabbath. 



Mr. Editor : — On page twenty-four of the 

 July number Mr. J. L. Peabody says he is sorry 

 for Novice's "repeated misfortunes," and thinks 

 that if lie takes Argo's hint as to the day he 

 writes on, &c. 



Now we do recollect Mr. Argo's writing as 

 though %ome one had written on Sunday, but 

 that he would not. But as we have never written 

 an arlide on the Sabbath, we could not see that it 

 applied to us at all. If we have ever dated an 

 article so that it fell on Sunday, we beg pardon 

 for the blunder, as that is all it was. 



In regard to our repeated misfortunes, we know 

 of none other, unless it is a ". lissful ignorance" 

 of the fict that we were a "misfortunit indiwid- 

 dle" at all. 



It is true, our bees did die (but we have got 

 lots more), and our earthly treasures did burn 

 up (and they were fully insui-ed, except the 

 Quinby hive); but if that was all the direct con- 

 sequence 01 reading the Bee Journal on Sunday, 

 we are really afraid we shall burn up more. 

 Alas, wretched Novice. 



[Fur the Amerieau Bee Journal.] 



From the "Oil North State." 



I have been trying, Mr. Editor, to get you a 

 list of subscribers fi)r your invaluable Journal, 

 but, as yet, without success. This is attribut-ible 

 to two causes, viz. : the great scarcity of money, 

 and the inveterate "old fogyism " of our bee- 

 keepers. 



To rob a Mve, thus — knock off the top, and 

 take out half the contents, young bees and all, 

 about "corn-tasseling time, " is the general prac- 

 tice ; and for fall management, fire and brimstone 

 to all except a few, for seed ! 



I have tried to induce a desire to improve in 

 bee-culture, by every means in my ])ower. I 

 have started some few to using box-hives with 

 upper chamber for surplus honey, and three 

 are using movable frames. 1 have been ridiculed 

 — had " bee on the brain, etc.," but have kept 

 steadily on, and hope yet to convince many that 

 there is profit as well as pleasure in adopting an 

 improved method. 



I regret exceedingly that I have not a 

 "Hruschka." I feel the necessity for it, and 

 am nearly disgusted with glass boxes, by my ex- 

 perience this season; as in nearly every instance 

 my boxes have brood in them, making them un- 

 fit for sale, and causing them to be longer on the 

 hive. Can this be prevented ? 



Several of my stocks have, at a time when they 

 were gathering plenty of honey, dragged out and 

 sucked dry nearly all of the drone brood. Now I 

 want to know why "? Are there certain condi- 

 tions when a stock requires animal food, and 

 does the queen, like the ostrich, lay an excess 

 of eggs to supply this expected demand? Again, 

 I have this season observed several instances of 

 comb-building across the frames, and, in the 

 boxes a partial disregard to the guide combs ; 



and api^arently in every case, the comb is built 

 in a north and south line. Now, is this simply a 

 coincidence ? If it is universal, how simple it will 

 be to have all the frames on that line, and thus 

 accommodate their instinct to our wishes in dic- 

 tating combs straight. 



I value my Journal and do not wi.sh to be with- 

 out it at all ; but I lend and lend again, and 

 keep every copy going — hoping thereby to do 

 good, and you know one reason v»iiy. If you 

 will admit to your columns a correspondent 

 from this i?ct^-nighted region, I will endeavor to 

 write only such matter as I believe ought to in- 

 terest the bee fraternity. 



Congratulating you upon the improved appear- 

 ance and interesting contents of the July No., 

 and hoping that you may never weary in wdl-do- 

 inrj I am, yours, &c.. Mat. Hews. 



Oxford, N. C, July 6, 1870. 



[For the American Bee Jourual.] 



Permanence of Qualities and Purity of Italian 

 Befs. 



It is well known that a seemingly pure Italian 

 queen, which breeds only three-yellow-ringed 

 vv'orkers will yet breed young queens, some of 

 which are very dark, while others are quite yel- 

 low. And some of these young queens will 

 breed beautifid workers, and others very dark, 

 or even black ones altogether. This latter is 

 always set down to the fact of her having mated 

 with a black drone; while it is, or may often be, 

 owing to her impurity inherited from her mother. 



In all fir.st crosses between varieties, the hy- 

 brid offspring generally appears to be half and 

 half of both jjarents. But the oifsi^ring of hy- 

 brids scarcely ever shows such equal shares of 

 parental traits. One inherits almost exclusively 

 on one side and another upon the other. A half 

 blooded Morgan mare, bred even to a pure Mor- 

 gan sire, will rarely ever show the three-fourth 

 peculiarities of the Morgan stock, but her colt 

 may go back to either side — showing the curb 

 or the Morgan, without any rule upon which re- 

 liance can be placed. 



Five generations, at least, are necessary to fi.x 

 any variety of hybrid, so that the mother shall 

 certainly reproduce herself, in herolVspring. 



The Ghcs er White and the Magee hogs are not 

 new species, but varieties which have become 

 fixed by continual selection of the best, through 

 at least five generations. Some claim that twice 

 this number is necessary. But this much is sure 

 by the concurrence of all breeders of fine stock, 

 that none are admitted to the rank of thorough- 

 bred, unless the blood has fiowed pure for at 

 least this number of generations, without the 

 least cross. 



The prices which ai'e now demanded for Ital- 

 ian queens, greatly vary with the different 

 breeders; and if we mistake not those that sell 

 cheap queens, are the ones that get the custom 

 of bee raisers generally. Some sell as low as 

 $'..50, and boast of four hundred orders unful- 

 filled at a time. 



Well, let us see where our Italian stock is 

 bound soon to end, with the present manner of 



