AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.. 



preserved, o^ these mal-fornied bees. 

 They are usually worker-bees, which in 

 part resemble tiae drone; thus I have 

 specimens vs^ith the head and thorax, 

 and appendages of these parts, which 

 are entirely like those of the usual 

 worker, while the abdomens are as 

 clearly like those of the ordinary drones. 

 In other cases the reverse is true— the 

 anterior part of the body is that of the 

 drone, while the posterior is like that of 

 the worker-bee. I have one case where 

 one side of the body seems to be a 

 worker, and the whole of the other side 

 drone. 



I have dissected several of these cases, 

 and always find that the animals are 

 only hermaphrodites in appearance. The 

 sex in nearly, if not every, case is that 

 which would be indicated by the abdo- 

 men of the specimen in question. Thus, 

 if the abdomen is like that of the drone, 

 dissection would determine the specimen 

 to be male, while if it was that of a 

 worker, dissection would show that the 

 sex was female. 



It is to be presumed that the specimen 

 referred to by Dr. Gallup was really a 

 drone, and so, of course, could never lay 

 eggs. I feel quite certain that this was 

 true, if, as I remember, the abdomen 

 was in appearance that of the drone. It 

 is to be hoped tliat bee-keepers will be 

 on the lookout for these freaks among 

 their bees, and will carefully preserve 

 the specimens, and send them to me, or 

 to some other scientist, that a close ex- 

 amination may be made, and the speci- 

 men preserved for further study and 

 comparison. 



The specimen in my collection which 

 seems to be drone on one side and worker 

 on the other, is a very curious and un- 

 usual specimen. I should like very 

 much to dissect it, that I might really 

 determine what the sex is, but I have re- 

 garded it as too valuable a specimen to 

 destroy. I have known a few cases 

 where several of these so-called hermaph- 

 rodites have been found in a colony, 

 and they seem to come as the result of 

 some disease, or at least peculiarity, of 

 the queen. As I have known two or 

 three such cases, I would suggest that 

 any who find these so-called hermaphro- 

 dites in a hive, would carefully look 

 further, and see if there are not others 

 in the same colony. 



Of course, it requires close attention 

 on the part of the bee-keeper to detect 

 these bees, for though the peculiarity is 

 quite striking when possessed by an in- 

 sect*so small as a bee, it is not very ob- 

 servable. 



While this subject possesses but little 



practical importance, it is a matter of 

 no small scientitic interest, and there- 

 fore I make no apology in calling the 

 attention of bees-keepers to it, 

 Clareraont, Calif. 



Bees from a Horticultural StanS-Point. 



Jiead before the Jmrn HortirnUaral Sorletij 

 BY HON. EUGENE SECOR. 



It is an old and true saying that noth- 

 ing was ever created without a purpose. 

 If we do not always discern at first 

 glance the purpose of the Creator, it is 

 because we do not understand His ways. 



The adaptation of means to ends is 

 beautifully illustrated in Nature. Plants 

 and animals arc dependent upon each 

 other for the highest development of 

 both, or either. Our nutritious grasses 

 illustrate this truth. Bluegrass is only 

 found in its perfection where cattle feed 

 upon it and spread its seeds in Nature's 

 way. And the noble short-horn is only 

 possible where such rich grasses abound. 



One of Nature's laws, which, like 

 those of the ancient Medes and Persians, 

 never changes, is, "Thou shalt not in- 

 ter-marry." In-breedlng is as repulsive 

 to inanimate life as to civilized society. 

 Bui plants are unable to travel and seek 

 their consorts in remote family connec- 

 tions. Insects, however, do travel, and 

 since the pollen-dust which is provided 

 in the blossom as the life-giving element 

 to other flowers, is just the food needed 

 to develop the larval insect, the bee, as 

 well as all pollen-eating insects, while in 

 quest of the natural food for the young 

 of their kind, in passing from flower to 

 flower, carry the fertilizing dust on legs 

 and bodies, and unwittingly act as 

 agents in cross-fertilizing the plants 

 which they visit. 



A bee, in obtaining the load which it 

 can carry on its legs to the hive, prob- 

 ably visits on an average fifty blossoms. 

 Oftentimes these are growing quite re- 

 mote from each other. Hence the 

 chances are increased that some of the 

 dust adhering to the bee's legs or body 

 will be rubbed against the receptive pis- 

 tils of plants so distantly related that 

 in-breeding is prevented. 



It is well known too, that in many 

 plants the stamens and pistils do not 

 arrive at that particular stage of devel- 

 opment when fertilization takes place,' 

 at the same time. This is another of 

 Nature's plans to prevent too close in- 

 breeding, and another reason why bees 

 and other insects are necessary to the 



